An Upside Down Jellyfish offers a look at the rarely seen top as it moves over the sea grass flats off Shell Key. The bottom around here looks all the same to me, but then again, I'm not a Jelly, so what do I know about perfect jellyfish spot selection.

Shell Key Preserve

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park

Monroe County, Florida

SeaLife DC1400

Sea Dragon 1200 & 2000 Photo/Video/Dive Lights

Pilatus, Luzern's “Dragon Mountain,” offers spectacular views of the Alps and central plains. This Alpine panorama apparently has 73 peaks and 6 lakes. To reach the summit, take the train from Alpnachstad (a short train-ride or a 90-minute boat ride from Luzern), the bottom station of the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway. You can also take a bus from Luzern to Kreins, then ascent from Kriens to Fräkmüntegg by aerial gondola and then up to the Pilatus summit by aerial cableway. The “Golden Round Trip”would be taking the boat from Luzern to Alpnachstad, cog railway to Mt. Pilatus, and cable car and aerial gondola to Kreins and bus back to Luzern.(see www.pictures-switzerland.com/pilatus/)

For a while we've wanted to offer workshops for children. At the end of March we had the opportunity to do so by participating in the Artists in Action! series at The Children's School* in San Diego. The school invited local artists to campus to share their work with the students. This was part of the ten-year anniversary of the Great Artists program in which each class spends six weeks studying one artist via activities in language arts, math, science and social studies as wells as art.

During our visit we used a slide show and about three dozen creations to describe the process we go through when creating new work. Then we proposed that the students work in small groups to submit ideas for a class mascot. They sketched individual body parts and faces for four different emotions: happy, sad, surprised, and angry. We also asked the students for suggestions for the color and texture of the fabrics to be used. We spent less than an hour with each class which wasn't enough time to produce a finished product so we decided to take all the drawings, ideas, and suggestions with us.

Back at our studio, we created one plush mascot per class that incorporated some of the drawings from each of the small groups. Every mascot has four faces in the form of double-sided oval discs which allow the students or their teacher to change the face to reflect the mood of the day. Each mascot has a hand embroidered label on one foot with the year and the grade of the class.

You can see them here:

First Grade (group one): Sea Monster Vader

First Grade (group two): Gaga the 3-Eyed Monster

Fourth Grade: Super Green [or name-to-be-determined-yet]

Fifth Grade: Stu

This class drew a very hairy creature. We took some horns here, and a tail there, and we couldn't ignore the bat wings drawings as well. It has a simple name but lots of details. The faces the students drew had big eyes, a toothy smile, and even eyebrows. See more photos of Stu here.

*TCS is the school where Rob teaches. See his sixth and seventh grade blogs for a better picture.

Two volunteers from the APG community offer free lunchtime American Sign Language, or ASL, classes at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

U.S. Army photos by Rachel Ponder, APG News

Shankblog - the home of David Shankbone

Kersh Wellness offers hassle free corporate wellness programs that reduce health care costs, increase participation, and improve employee health.

This is a screen shot of the Kersh Wellness health article cheery cherries may reduce inflammation page. These screen shots are for archival purposes.

The following meta data has been assigned to this page:

Title: Wellness

Description: Wellness designed to reduce health care costs, increase participation, and improve employee health.

Keywords: wellness programs, corporate wellness programs, wellness

This is a screenshot of Kersh Wellness Wellness. I'm using this for record-keeping. Since these are from a public internet, there's no reason why anyone wouldn't be able to use them so consider these photos to be licensed under a creative commons, share-alike license for non-commercial purposes. Feel fee to use them but please give credit to Kersh Wellness and link back to the Kersh Wellness website at www.kershwellness.com .

This market opened in November 2008 and has now become a must see feature of Pattaya. It covers an area of about 100,000 square metres. It is divided into areas each with its own unique representation of the four areas of Thailand, Northern, Central, North Eastern and Southern. Because each area offers its own blend of culture, food and traditions. When it first opened entrance to the market was free. However some one must have thought it would be a good idea to start charging 200 Baht to get in. This to me seems weird paying to get into a place that then wants you to purchase items from the market. You could also look at it another way. It is said that the whole market cost over 350 million Baht and does offer a pleasant and relaxing day out. I guess at 200 Baht it will be a long time before they get the opening and building costs back.

The car park at this very popular sightseeing venue is usually very full with coaches, taxis and private cars. Usually taxi drivers get parked. I went on a large motorbike once I hired from Beach road in Pattaya and the security guards and parking attendants swarmed round me and my friend as soon as we arrived. A large motorbike is not usually seen around Thailand unless driven by a Farang ( foreigner ). We had a parking spot within seconds of arriving and the bike was guarded while we toured the market, for a small fee I might add! I have been many times to this floating market I love the atmosphere here. The choice of food, drinks, and the usual bric a brac and the not so usual. When I have been in taxis we have never had a problem getting parked.

As you walk through the car park area, across the road is another tourist attraction, Jurassic Garden Dinosaur Adventure, I visited this on the 11th July 2011. Along with the floating market again. Entering the floating market on my latest visit on the 27th June 2014 nothing had changed much from my last visit. Walking around on the wooden planked walkways brought back many memories. I love this floating market it feels good here. The friendliness of the shop keepers and the people that visit here all help to make it a great day trip.

The choice of goods here is vast, on one stall I visited a Thai man happily carved soap sculptures out of coloured soap they looked so delicate the way he carved flowers out of them. I have bought these before else where. They don’t last forever being made out of soap but expect about 5 or 6 years you can see them every day until they just decay I think is the right word. If it’s not the right word lets just say they don’t look the same after that time! One new addition is a mime man on one of the bridges here. You have to put money in a tip box for him to do anything. If you enjoy him just standing there, then don’t tip him, he wont move!

Near to here a rope bridge has been added it swings about over the water and feels totally unsafe, as most rope bridges are. But many people tried the walk over it, even myself taking photos and shooting videos of the trip across. Another new addition, which I had not seen before in any floating market, was Koi fish being fed milk from mini babies bottles. I use to keep Koi fish and so I know they are easy to train when they know food is about. I use to hand feed some of mine, but you always get the odd few that stay timid most of their life. These however fought and jostled for their feed. At 50 Baht it was worth the show to watch them fight over who would get to the bottle first. The water around this floating market looks very muddy and dirty but believe me in hot sunlight, the fish love this kind of water the best. As long as you don’t swim in the water you will be ok!

At the rear of the market it looks like space is being cleared to expand this already large market. It would be great if they did, you could definitely spend all day here then. One coffee shop I tried overlooking this sold some very good coffee, freshly made. It was not expensive, which surprised me. The trip this time was unique it was so quiet here. A sign of the times I guess, recession hits everywhere.

More than 80 paddle boats are on here to ferry visitors around the market waterways and along the many Thai style teak wood buildings, linked by a network of canals, bridges and several different sized islands with exotic plants and trees planted. The boat trip will slowly show you the richness of the surrounding architectural and cultural river side living. Water vendors moving with their paddle boats from dock to dock and offering their unique range of freshly cooked delicious traditional Thai dishes. Many of them are moored around this market and you can stand and watch them prepare great tasting Thai food along with food from all over the world on some.

Pattaya floating market provides several daily cultural shows which are native to the four regions of the country, like Thai classical dance, martial art demonstrations, as well as water boxing where the fighters perform on a horizontal slippery pole above the water. Painters show their wonderful works on items such as umbrellas and portrait painters produce stunning paintings of still life, portraits and views around the world. An agricultural rice field demonstration has now been added and authentic House-boats for home stay, and ten mud-houses just right beside the rice field zone enable you to enjoy an overnight stay here.

Carton box sydney - Abbe Corrugated Pty.Ltd Provides corrugated carry cartons, wine boxes, White Boxes, Paper Boxes and other packaging supplies at great prices. We can also cardboard storage boxes, plain shipping box In Melbourne, Sydney, Australia wide.

Office Chair - Make offer

Nyungwe National Park offers a rare and important habitat for many species, especially primates and birds. And at over 1000 km2, Nyungwe is Africa’s largest protected mountain rainforest.

With about 310 bird species, 26 of which are endemic, Nyungwe is one of the most important — and still undiscovered — birdwatching destinations in Africa. Reaching to almost 3000 meters above sea level with Mount Bigugu the highest point in the Park, Nyungwe’s forests extend to altitudes occupied by few other forests in Africa.

Nyungwe is also home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of chimpanzees and a sometimes noisy, acrobatic combination of other primates such as Ruwenzori colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys.

A variety of hiking and walking trails criss-cross the Park leading to a canopy walk, primate tracking adventures, the southernmost source of the Nile and ecotourism attractions. The park includes a colorful array of orchids, butterflies, moths and other insects.

House GOP Offers Better Health Care Solutions: healthcare.gop.gov

The American people have spoken. Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have ignored them. Through the month of August, the American people let Members of Congress from both parties know that they didn’t want a government takeover of health care. That hasn’t changed.

But instead of listening to the American people, Democrats hid behind closed doors and came back with a bill designed to appease the liberal special interests. Three things about Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill are already clear: it will raise the cost of Americans’ health insurance premiums; it will kill jobs with tax hikes and new mandates; and it will cut seniors’ Medicare benefits. The fact that it weighs in at nearly 2,000 pages – more than 620 pages longer than the government takeover of health care Hillary Clinton proposed in 1993 – is as good an indication as any of just how costly and unsustainable Speaker Pelosi’s proposal is.

This is a photograph from the second annual running of The Lough Lene Gaels Hurling and Camogie Clubs "New Year's Resolution Run" which was held in Collinstown, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Sunday 12th January 2014 at 13:00. There were two races on offer today - a 10KM road race and a 5KM road race, fun run, and walk. This is one of the first road races in the midlands of the New Year. As this was a community orientated event families were especially welcome in the 5KM race. The race was organised to raise funding for the development of the GAA pitches for the Lough Lene Gaels Hurling and Camogie Clubs. Overall this was a very successful event with a very large field of well over 300 participants in both races combined. The great local effort was exemplified by a very big local contingent from Collinstown and neighbouring areas.

The 5KM race was an out and back course on the Collinstown to Fore Road. The 10KM was also on an out and back course with a deviation between 2KM and 7KM for the longer race. There were several tough hills but an equal amount of down-hill. The turn around on the course for the 10KM came at Doyle's Pub [goo.gl/maps/WxPSy - Google Streetview] at Glenidan.

Refreshments were served afterwards in the Lough Lene Inn where the prize ceremony was also held.

Note: Due to the inclement weather and poor lighting we had to, unfortunately, delete a lot of our photographs as there were very many blurs and fuzzy pictures. You will find lots more photographs and race results on the Facebook pages outlined below.

However, we have an extensive set of photographs from today's event on the following Flickr Photoset Page: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157639654608496/

Viewing this on a smartphone device?

If you are viewing this Flickr set on a smartphone and you want to see the larger version(s) of this photograph then: scroll down to the bottom of this description under the photograph and click the "View info about this photo..." link. You will be brought to a new page and you should click the link "View All Sizes".

Some useful Internet links

Lough Lene Inn Pub Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/loughleneinn.collinstown?ref=ts&fref=ts

Lough Lene Gaels GAA Club on Facebook: www.facebook.com/loughlene.gaels.1?ref=ts&fref=ts

Our Flickr Photographs from Lough Lene Gaels 5KM New Year's Resolution Run 2013: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157632508354317/

Our Flickr Photographs from the Lough Lene Gaels 5KM Road Challenge - July 2012: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157630562888662/

Lough Lene Gaels GAA Club on Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lough_Lene_Gaels_GAA

Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account?

Yes - of course you can. Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.

How can I get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?

All of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution. We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us.

This also extends the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.

Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.

In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting does take a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc.

I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?

Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.

I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?

As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:

     ►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera

     ►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set

     ►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone

     ►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!

You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.

Don't like your photograph here?

That's OK! We understand!

If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.

I want to tell people about these great photographs!

Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets

SL Frees & Offers in Second Life

slfreeworldforall.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/colorful-summer...

Summer Fashion Festival

SL Fashion Week

**SHINE**

Pelle

[UMEBOSHI]

[LIV Glam] - [LG]

Retro'

Pure Poison - PP -

[ S H O C K ]

MDL

//elephante poses//

English:

When I was offered this commission immediately I regretted that would be an opportunity just to make money, show some carving skills and assembling designs. Fortunately I was wrong. I hate making replicas, specially of my own stuff from my past life, but that sculpture work was not the case.

The "carnavalesco" (director of art for the parade) asked me to do something clearly inspired on the Pietá on Saint Peter's Basilica, to evoke that art work, but with differences. That was the nicest work situation for me: I was being asked to repeat my own work of the past with the freedom to propose new proportion relation between the mother and her son's dead body and to recreate lots of details. The only annoying limitation would be the cutting of the sculpture in parts for the assembling technique needed for the float.

The Pietá theme, which origin was from northern europe (german), has the well known knotty esthetic problem: "the awkward contrast between the ungainly male body and the smaller woman holding it". The solution that everyone can notice on the Saint Peter's Pietá is that the Virgin is bigger than his dead son's body surrounded by drapery cascading. This is known as pyramidal composition (I can't remember from where I took it but I assure you that I was used of that solution for Virgin's images). This Pietá for a carnival work was the opportunity to check out if the Virgin could follow at least the same proportion of Christ's dead body (or even be a little smaller).

Beyond the classic art challenge, this Pietá would be almost three times bigger than the original. That should be enough to defy anyone's sculpting capacity when you would be working in a so crowded and unhealthy place: thermal sensation about 60ºC (stated by experts), breathing resin and surrounded by woven fiberglass. Worst: with less than a month to do it, I was always being remembered by jealous people that my work would be compared with one of the most famous work of art on the planet. Well,… here is my response to them.

Português:

Quando me ofereceram essa Pietá para fazer, imediatamente lamentei porque seria apenas para ganhar dinheiro e mostrar algumas habilidades de escultura. Felizmente, eu estava errado. Odeio fazer réplicas, especialmente do que realizei na minha vida passada, mas este trabalho não era o caso.

O carnavalesco me pediu para fazer algo claramente inspirado na Pietá da Basílica de São Pedro, para evocar aquela obra de arte, mas com diferenças. Essa situação de trabalho era bem agradável: eu estava sendo convidado a repetir o meu próprio trabalho do passado mas com a liberdade de propor uma nova relação de proporção entre a Virgem e o corpo morto do Cristo, e poder recriar muitos detalhes. A única limitação irritante seria ter que cortar a escultura em partes para a montagem necessária no carro alegórico.

O tema Pietá, com origem do Norte da Europa (alemão), tem um problema estético complicado: "o estranho contraste de tamanho entre o corpo masculino e o da mulher, menor, a segurá-lo". A solução na Pietá da Basílica de São Pedro é que a Virgem é maior do que o corpo de seu filho morto, emoldurado pelo tecido em cascata. Isto é conhecido como composição piramidal (não me lembro de onde eu tirei isso, mas garanto que estava acostumado a esta solução para as imagens da Virgem ). Esta Pietá em um trabalho de carnaval era a minha oportunidade para verificar se a Virgem poderia ter pelo menos a mesma proporção do corpo de Cristo (ou até ser um pouco menor).

Além do desafio de arte clássica, esta Pietá seria quase três vezes maior do que a original. Isso seria o suficiente para desafiar a capacidade de escultura de qualquer um quando você está trabalhando em um lugar cheio de gente e insalubre: sensação térmica de cerca de 60ºC (afirmado por especialista), respirando resina e cercado por tecido de fibra de vidro. Pior: com menos de um mês para fazer a obra, eu ainda sempre era lembrado por pessoas invejosas que o meu trabalho seria comparado com uma famosa obra de arte. Bem,... eis a minha resposta

Darlene Lane offers an escape to Provence, France on Salt Spring Island. She travels to the South of France to source the finest of French fabrics in the most current of contemporary designs. The result is a market booth that seems to glow with the bright colours of Mediterranean sunshine from bags, cushions and table linens. Her most popular items are table cloths with a protective "wipe clean" surface. Table cloths are available in a range of sizes for square, round or rectangular tables.

(If you'd like to use any of these photos for anything pls contact Kris Krüg first - kriskrug@gmail.com or 778. 898. 3076. Thank you! (c) (r) (tm) 2016)

Offer up!

I had got the X1 NXWM Platinum bus to Coventry but it took too long.

While in Coventry I decided to see if I could get a few trains to Solihull via Leamington Spa.

Also to avoid Birmingham City Centre while various protests were on.

Birmingham 2 for 1 offers advert below the Coventry Station sign. Seen on platform 1 from platform 2.

I think it may have had a picture of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Closest station for that is University (I think). Although it would be a bit of a walk via Harborne! Or Five Ways might be closer?

Like in a horror movie. :)

Legacy Suite - Bedroom

Decorated in relaxing hues, at 65 square meters this large one-bedroom suite with king sized bed offers a spacious living and dining area - your sanctuary for work and a great social space. Prepare a three course meal from the fully-equipped kitchenette whilst a washer-dryer removes any last concerns. Other mod-cons include 32" LCD TVs with satellite channels, and Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Please visit us at www.legacybangkok.com/z1038/plans/accommodations.html

Shankblog - the home of David Shankbone

"The Land Rover Freelander was introduced in 1997 and aimed to offer all the off-road capability that Land Rovers were famous for, but in a more modern, practical package."

Like all cars, they had their problems, but the Freelander had more than its fair share...

Land Rover Freelander rear suspension problem (1997-2003 cars)

Some models built between June 1997 and June 1998 had problems with their rear suspension. There was an issue with the welding process, meaning the rear hub assembly could fracture. This would cause the car to deviate from a straight line on the road.

Land Rover Freelander front seat problems (1997-2003 cars)

On some Freelanders built between August 2000 and February 2001, there was an issue with the front seats. They sometimes didn't latch properly after using the tip lever, meaning the backrest could attempt to fold forward if the vehicle was brought to a sudden stop.

Land Rover Freelander engine harness problem (1997-2003 cars)

On cars built between August and November 2000, there was an issue with the engine wiring harness. The harness could chafe upon the wiring and cause it to fail. That could result in the headlights, engine management, cooling fans, fuel pumps, ignition, air-con, anti-lock braking, hill-descent control, horn or SRS system failing.

Land Rover Freelander handbrake problem (1997-2003 cars)

There was a problem with the handbrake on some Freelanders built between October 1997 and February 2001. The handbrake ratchet mechanism wasn't tight enough, meaning there was the possibility it could loosen the brakes and allow the car roll on uneven surfaces.

Land Rover Freelander diagnostic connector problem (1997-2003 petrol cars)

On some petrol Freelanders built between July 2000 and March 2002, there was an issue with the diagnostic connector. The connector didn't meet the required safety levels, and had to be changed.

Land Rover head gasket problems (1997-2003 1.8 petrol cars)

Blown head gaskets on first-generation 1.8-litre petrol models were a common problem. If the coolant level fell too low then the gasket would tend to fail. Water in the oil is a good sign of an impending problem.

Land Rover Freelander child lock problems (1997-2003 cars)

There has been an issue reported with the child lock on some cars built between July and September 2002. It was found that the left-hand rear door could still be opened from the inside even if the child lock was switched on.

Land Rover Freelander airbag problem (2003-2006 cars)

On some Freelanders built between August and October 2004, there were problems with the passenger airbag. The deflector panel contained in the passenger air-bag module was not to the incorrect specification. Some airbags wouldn't deploy properly and would therefore not be as safe as intended.

Land Rover Freelander sunroof problem (2006- cars)

Some cars built between November 2006 and January 2008 had problems with their sunroof. A failure of either the left or right guide rail could mean the sunroof detaches from the car completely.

Land Rover Freelander heater problem (2006- cars)

There were issues with the booster heater on some cars built between February 2007 and May 2008. The controller circuit might suffer from a short circuit, which could drain the battery. It could also emit a burning smell if it melts the surrounding components. In extreme cases this could cause a fire.

All these problems - apart from the head gasked issue - should have been fixed by Land Rover for free, so check the work has been done.

www.whatcar.com/news/common-land-rover-freelander-problems/

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Operation Lone Star (OLS) will offer free health clinics during Monday, July 26 thru Friday, July 30, 2021 as an extension of a disaster preparedness exercise of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Operation Lone Star is a joint disaster preparedness event providing humanitarian services thru the Texas Department of State Health Services, Human Services Agencies, Texas Military Forces, Remote Area Medical (RAM), County/City Health Departments, Local Service Groups and Volunteers from all over Texas and different areas of the United States.

Operation Lone Star will be held at F.S. Lara Academy located at 2901 E. Travis St. from Monday, July 26, 2021 – Thursday, July 29, 2021 from 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM and Friday, July 30, 2021 from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

Services will include:

•Medical exams

•Sports physicals for students

•Vision and hearing screenings

•Health and diabetic screenings

•Immunizations for children and adults

For Children (Vaccines on the Children Vaccine Program)

For Adults (Adult TDAP – Prevent Whooping Cough//Tetanus-Diphtheria every 10 years or earlier, Adult MCV-4 - Teen/Adult Bacterial Meningitis//Meningococcal Vaccine, Adult MMR II – Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, HPV-9 – Human Papillomavirus, MEN-B – Meningococcal B Vaccine, for Meningitis B-Back to School Vaccine

•COVID-19 Vaccines: Pfizer and Moderna

•Dental services for adults and children

•Vision exams (Ophthalmologist) for adults and children. Persons needing glasses will be able to select their frame and arrangements will be made individually for delivery process.

•We will have social worker available to help make connection to services after Operation Lone Star (OLS).

•Mental health professional available on site.

Offer on these bad boys. Need gone.

2/18/2007

Claremont, California - Farmers' Market.

The chair massage unit is portable can be set up anywhere - Clothing stays on.

offices, grocery stores -

What a great idea to offer at anyplace one had to wait in a long line - Dept. of Motor Vehicles?

Offered as a mail away premium with the Kool Aid Wacky Warehouse. May have also been sold in stores.

Looks like Kool Aid Man themed nunchuks.

Used in an article remembering the Kool-Aid Wacky Warehouse

Someone has to do it and Floyd never offers ; )

Nyungwe National Park offers a rare and important habitat for many species, especially primates and birds. And at over 1000 km2, Nyungwe is Africa’s largest protected mountain rainforest.

With about 310 bird species, 26 of which are endemic, Nyungwe is one of the most important — and still undiscovered — birdwatching destinations in Africa. Reaching to almost 3000 meters above sea level with Mount Bigugu the highest point in the Park, Nyungwe’s forests extend to altitudes occupied by few other forests in Africa.

Nyungwe is also home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of chimpanzees and a sometimes noisy, acrobatic combination of other primates such as Ruwenzori colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys.

A variety of hiking and walking trails criss-cross the Park leading to a canopy walk, primate tracking adventures, the southernmost source of the Nile and ecotourism attractions. The park includes a colorful array of orchids, butterflies, moths and other insects.

Experience life in our Mediterranean Exclusive Collection Resort

Your unique journey begins on arrival to Caesar Resort & Spa with the beauty and majestic nature of the North Cyprus island. Caesar Resort is located only 600m from a sandy beach with beautiful landscapes and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. The luxurious Resort offers a widespread range of facilities surrounded by scented flowers and trees. A wonderful place to recharge your batteries.

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

Nyungwe National Park offers a rare and important habitat for many species, especially primates and birds. And at over 1000 km2, Nyungwe is Africa’s largest protected mountain rainforest.

With about 310 bird species, 26 of which are endemic, Nyungwe is one of the most important — and still undiscovered — birdwatching destinations in Africa. Reaching to almost 3000 meters above sea level with Mount Bigugu the highest point in the Park, Nyungwe’s forests extend to altitudes occupied by few other forests in Africa.

Nyungwe is also home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of chimpanzees and a sometimes noisy, acrobatic combination of other primates such as Ruwenzori colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys.

A variety of hiking and walking trails criss-cross the Park leading to a canopy walk, primate tracking adventures, the southernmost source of the Nile and ecotourism attractions. The park includes a colorful array of orchids, butterflies, moths and other insects.

. . . 2. 3. 2007 - this is the first day of a funeral ceremony in Bori for a High Class Woman. She died on 18. 1. 2007 at the age of 85 years. The ceremony will last for one week. Today we will see the showing of the water buffalos, pigs, cow, horse, deer and chicken. All these animals are offered to be the servants of the died woman in her new life after death in Puya. We will see buffalo fighting. Men bet for the winner of those fightings. Two buffalos fight each other - the one running away lost the fight!

If you wonder why the quality of the pictures is a little less: these are no photographs - it all are snapshots of my videos! So sorry for the less resolution, but I think, they are worth to be shown.

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The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja"). Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of the Ancestors").

The word toraja comes from the Bugis Buginese language term to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model - in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo - to a largely Christian society. Today, tourism and remittances from migrant Torajans have made for major changes in the Toraja highland, giving the Toraja a celebrity status within Indonesia and enhancing Toraja ethnic group pride.

ETHNIC IDENTITY

The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonization and Christianization, Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in the Sulawesi highland region. "Toraja" (from the coastal languages' to, meaning people; and riaja, uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, "Toraja" initially had more currency with outsiders - such as the Bugis and Makassarese, who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi - than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries' presence in the highlands gave rise to the Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa'dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups - the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators).

HISTORY

From the 17th century, the Dutch established trade and political control on Sulawesi through the Dutch East Indies Company. Over two centuries, they ignored the mountainous area in the central Sulawesi, where Torajans lived, because access was difficult and it had little productive agricultural land. In the late 19th century, the Dutch became increasingly concerned about the spread of Islam in the south of Sulawesi, especially among the Makassarese and Bugis peoples. The Dutch saw the animist highlanders as potential Christians. In the 1920s, the Reformed Missionary Alliance of the Dutch Reformed Church began missionary work aided by the Dutch colonial government. In addition to introducing Christianity, the Dutch abolished slavery and imposed local taxes. A line was drawn around the Sa'dan area and called Tana Toraja ("the land of Toraja"). Tana Toraja was first a subdivision of the Luwu kingdom that had claimed the area. In 1946, the Dutch granted Tana Toraja a regentschap, and it was recognized in 1957 as one of the regencies of Indonesia.

Early Dutch missionaries faced strong opposition among Torajans, especially among the elite, because the abolition of their profitable slave trade had angered them. Some Torajans were forcibly relocated to the lowlands by the Dutch, where they could be more easily controlled. Taxes were kept high, undermining the wealth of the elites. Ultimately, the Dutch influence did not subdue Torajan culture, and only a few Torajans were converted. In 1950, only 10% of the population had converted to Christianity.

In the 1930s, Muslim lowlanders attacked the Torajans, resulting in widespread Christian conversion among those who sought to align themselves with the Dutch for political protection and to form a movement against the Bugis and Makassarese Muslims. Between 1951 and 1965 (following Indonesian independence), southern Sulawesi faced a turbulent period as the Darul Islam separatist movement fought for an Islamic state in Sulawesi. The 15 years of guerrilla warfare led to massive conversions to

CHRISTIANITY

Alignment with the Indonesian government, however, did not guarantee safety for the Torajans. In 1965, a presidential decree required every Indonesian citizen to belong to one of five officially recognized religions: Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism, or Buddhism. The Torajan religious belief (aluk) was not legally recognized, and the Torajans raised their voices against the law. To make aluk accord with the law, it had to be accepted as part of one of the official religions. In 1969, Aluk To Dolo ("the way of ancestors") was legalized as a sect of Agama Hindu Dharma, the official name of Hinduism in Indonesia.

SOCIETY

There are three main types of affiliation in Toraja society: family, class and religion.

FAMILY AFFILIATION

Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house. Each tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village. The familial dons maintain village unity. Marriage between distant cousins (fourth cousins and beyond) is a common practice that strengthens kinship. Toraja society prohibits marriage between close cousins (up to and including the third cousin) - except for nobles, to prevent the dispersal of property. Kinship is actively reciprocal, meaning that the extended family helps each other farm, share buffalo rituals, and pay off debts.

Each person belongs to both the mother's and the father's families, the only bilateral family line in Indonesia. Children, therefore, inherit household affiliation from both mother and father, including land and even family debts. Children's names are given on the basis of kinship, and are usually chosen after dead relatives. Names of aunts, uncles and cousins are commonly referred to in the names of mothers, fathers and siblings.

Before the start of the formal administration of Toraja villages by the Tana Toraja Regency, each Toraja village was autonomous. In a more complex situation, in which one Toraja family could not handle their problems alone, several villages formed a group; sometimes, villages would unite against other villages. Relationship between families was expressed through blood, marriage, and shared ancestral houses (tongkonan), practically signed by the exchange of water buffalo and pigs on ritual occasions. Such exchanges not only built political and cultural ties between families but defined each person's place in a social hierarchy: who poured palm wine, who wrapped a corpse and prepared offerings, where each person could or could not sit, what dishes should be used or avoided, and even what piece of meat constituted one's share.

CLASS AFFILIATION

In early Toraja society, family relationships were tied closely to social class. There were three strata: nobles, commoners, and slaves (slavery was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, to marry "down" with a woman of lower class. On the other hand, marrying a woman of higher class could improve the status of the next generation. The nobility's condescending attitude toward the commoners is still maintained today for reasons of family prestige.

Nobles, who were believed to be direct descendants of the descended person from heaven, lived in tongkonans, while commoners lived in less lavish houses (bamboo shacks called banua). Slaves lived in small huts, which had to be built around their owner's tongkonan. Commoners might marry anyone, but nobles preferred to marry in-family to maintain their status. Sometimes nobles married Bugis or Makassarese nobles. Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. Despite close kinship and status inheritance, there was some social mobility, as marriage or change in wealth could affect an individuals status. Wealth was counted by the ownership of water buffaloes.

Slaves in Toraja society were family property. Sometimes Torajans decided to become slaves when they incurred a debt, pledging to work as payment. Slaves could be taken during wars, and slave trading was common. Slaves could buy their freedom, but their children still inherited slave status. Slaves were prohibited from wearing bronze or gold, carving their houses, eating from the same dishes as their owners, or having sex with free women - a crime punishable by death.

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

Toraja's indigenous belief system is polytheistic animism, called aluk, or "the way" (sometimes translated as "the law"). In the Toraja myth, the ancestors of Torajan people came down from heaven using stairs, which were then used by the Torajans as a communication medium with Puang Matua, the Creator. The cosmos, according to aluk, is divided into the upper world (heaven), the world of man (earth), and the underworld. At first, heaven and earth were married, then there was a darkness, a separation, and finally the light. Animals live in the underworld, which is represented by rectangular space enclosed by pillars, the earth is for mankind, and the heaven world is located above, covered with a saddle-shaped roof. Other Toraja gods include Pong Banggai di Rante (god of Earth), Indo' Ongon-Ongon (a goddess who can cause earthquakes), Pong Lalondong (god of death), and Indo' Belo Tumbang (goddess of medicine); there are many more.

The earthly authority, whose words and actions should be cleaved to both in life (agriculture) and death (funerals), is called to minaa (an aluk priest). Aluk is not just a belief system; it is a combination of law, religion, and habit. Aluk governs social life, agricultural practices, and ancestral rituals. The details of aluk may vary from one village to another. One common law is the requirement that death and life rituals be separated. Torajans believe that performing death rituals might ruin their corpses if combined with life rituals. The two rituals are equally important. During the time of the Dutch missionaries, Christian Torajans were prohibited from attending or performing life rituals, but were allowed to perform death rituals. Consequently, Toraja's death rituals are still practised today, while life rituals have diminished.

CULTURE

TONGKONAN

Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word "tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to sit").

Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin. According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.

The construction of a tongkonan is laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There are three types of tongkonan. The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to the family members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary family members reside in the tongkonan batu. The exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan.

WOOD CARVINGS

To express social and religious concepts, Torajans carve wood, calling it Pa'ssura (or "the writing"). Wood carvings are therefore Toraja's cultural manifestation.

Each carving receives a special name, and common motifs are animals and plants that symbolize some virtue. For example, water plants and animals, such as crabs, tadpoles and water weeds, are commonly found to symbolize fertility. In some areas noble elders claim these symbols refer to strength of noble family, but not everyone agrees. The overall meaning of groups of carved motifs on houses remains debated and tourism has further complicated these debates because some feel a uniform explanation must be presented to tourists. The image to the left shows an example of Torajan wood carving, consisting of 15 square panels. The center bottom panel represents buffalo or wealth, a wish for many buffaloes for the family. The center panel represents a knot and a box, a hope that all of the family's offspring will be happy and live in harmony, like goods kept safe in a box. The top left and top right squares represent an aquatic animal, indicating the need for fast and hard work, just like moving on the surface of water. It also represents the need for a certain skill to produce good results.

Regularity and order are common features in Toraja wood carving (see table below), as well as abstracts and geometrical designs. Nature is frequently used as the basis of Toraja's ornaments, because nature is full of abstractions and geometries with regularities and ordering. Toraja's ornaments have been studied in ethnomathematics to reveal their mathematical structure, but Torajans base this art only on approximations. To create an ornament, bamboo sticks are used as a geometrical tool.

FUNERAL RITES

In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.

The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.

Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundreds of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased's family. However, a cockfight, known as bulangan londong, is an integral part of the ceremony. As with the sacrifice of the buffalo and the pigs, the cockfight is considered sacred because it involves the spilling of blood on the earth. In particular, the tradition requires the sacrifice of at least three chickens. However, it is common for at least 25 pairs of chickens to be set against each other in the context of the ceremony.

There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called Tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.

In the ritual called Ma'Nene, that takes place each year in August, the bodies of the deceased are exhumed to be washed, groomed and dressed in new clothes. The mummies are then walked around the village.

DANCE AND MUSIC

Torajans perform dances on several occasions, most often during their elaborate funeral ceremonies. They dance to express their grief, and to honour and even cheer the deceased person because he is going to have a long journey in the afterlife. First, a group of men form a circle and sing a monotonous chant throughout the night to honour the deceased (a ritual called Ma'badong). This is considered by many Torajans to be the most important component of the funeral ceremony. On the second funeral day, the Ma'randing warrior dance is performed to praise the courage of the deceased during life. Several men perform the dance with a sword, a large shield made from buffalo skin, a helmet with a buffalo horn, and other ornamentation. The Ma'randing dance precedes a procession in which the deceased is carried from a rice barn to the rante, the site of the funeral ceremony. During the funeral, elder women perform the Ma'katia dance while singing a poetic song and wearing a long feathered costume. The Ma'akatia dance is performed to remind the audience of the generosity and loyalty of the deceased person. After the bloody ceremony of buffalo and pig slaughter, a group of boys and girls clap their hands while performing a cheerful dance called Ma'dondan.

As in other agricultural societies, Torajans dance and sing during harvest time. The Ma'bugi dance celebrates the thanksgiving event, and the Ma'gandangi dance is performed while Torajans are pounding rice. There are several war dances, such as the Manimbong dance performed by men, followed by the Ma'dandan dance performed by women. The aluk religion governs when and how Torajans dance. A dance called Ma'bua can be performed only once every 12 years. Ma'bua is a major Toraja ceremony in which priests wear a buffalo head and dance around a sacred tree.

A traditional musical instrument of the Toraja is a bamboo flute called a Pa'suling (suling is an Indonesian word for flute). This six-holed flute (not unique to the Toraja) is played at many dances, such as the thanksgiving dance Ma'bondensan, where the flute accompanies a group of shirtless, dancing men with long fingernails. The Toraja have indigenous musical instruments, such as the Pa'pelle (made from palm leaves) and the Pa'karombi (the Torajan version of a jaw harp). The Pa'pelle is played during harvest time and at house inauguration ceremonies.

LANGUAGE

The ethnic Toraja language is dominant in Tana Toraja with the main language as the Sa'dan Toraja. Although the national Indonesian language is the official language and is spoken in the community, all elementary schools in Tana Toraja teach Toraja language.Language varieties of Toraja, including Kalumpang, Mamasa, Tae' , Talondo' , Toala' , and Toraja-Sa'dan, belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language from the Austronesian family. At the outset, the isolated geographical nature of Tana Toraja formed many dialects between the Toraja languages themselves. After the formal administration of Tana Toraja, some Toraja dialects have been influenced by other languages through the transmigration program, introduced since the colonialism period, and it has been a major factor in the linguistic variety of Toraja languages. A prominent attribute of Toraja language is the notion of grief. The importance of death ceremony in Toraja culture has characterized their languages to express intricate degrees of grief and mourning. The Toraja language contains many terms referring to sadness, longing, depression, and mental pain. Giving a clear expression of the psychological and physical effect of loss is a catharsis and sometimes lessens the pain of grief itself.

ECONOMY

Prior to Suharto's "New Order" administration, the Torajan economy was based on agriculture, with cultivated wet rice in terraced fields on mountain slopes, and supplemental cassava and maize crops. Much time and energy were devoted to raising water buffalo, pigs, and chickens, primarily for ceremonial sacrifices and consumption. Coffee was the first significant cash crop produced in Toraja, and was introduced in the mid 19th century, changing the local economy towards commodity production for external markets and gaining an excellent reputation for quality in the international market .

With the commencement of the New Order in 1965, Indonesia's economy developed and opened to foreign investment. In Toraja, a coffee plantation and factory was established by Key Coffee of Japan, and Torajan coffee regained a reputation for quality within the growing international specialty coffee sector Multinational oil and mining companies opened new operations in Indonesia during the 1970s and 1980s. Torajans, particularly younger ones, relocated to work for the foreign companies - to Kalimantan for timber and oil, to Papua for mining, to the cities of Sulawesi and Java, and many went to Malaysia. The out-migration of Torajans was steady until 1985. and has continued since, with remittances sent back by emigre Torajans performing an important role within the contemporary economy.

Tourism commenced in Toraja in the 1970s, and accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1984 and 1997, a significant number of Torajans obtained their incomes from tourism, working in and owning hotels, as tour guides, drivers, or selling souvenirs. With the rise of political and economic instability in Indonesia in the late 1990s - including religious conflicts elsewhere on Sulawesi - tourism in Tana Toraja has declined dramatically. Toraja continues to be a well known origin for Indonesian coffee, grown by both smallholders and plantation estates, although migration, remittances and off-farm income is considered far more important to most households, even those in rural areas.

TOURISM AND CULTURAL CHANGE

Before the 1970s, Toraja was almost unknown to Western tourism. In 1971, about 50 Europeans visited Tana Toraja. In 1972, at least 400 visitors attended the funeral ritual of Puang of Sangalla, the highest-ranking nobleman in Tana Toraja and the so-called "last pure-blooded Toraja noble." The event was documented by National Geographic and broadcast in several European countries. In 1976, about 12,000 tourists visited the regency and in 1981, Torajan sculpture was exhibited in major North American museums. "The land of the heavenly kings of Tana Toraja", as written in the exhibition brochure, embraced the outside world.

In 1984, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism declared Tana Toraja Regency the prima donna of South Sulawesi. Tana Toraja was heralded as "the second stop after Bali". Tourism was increasing dramatically: by 1985, a total number of 150,000 foreigners had visited the Regency (in addition to 80,000 domestic tourists), and the annual number of foreign visitors was recorded at 40,000 in 1989. Souvenir stands appeared in Rantepao, the cultural center of Toraja, roads were sealed at the most-visited tourist sites, new hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants were opened, and an airstrip was opened in the Regency in 1981.

Tourism developers have marketed Tana Toraja as an exotic adventure - an area rich in culture and off the beaten track. Western tourists expected to see stone-age villages and pagan funerals. Toraja is for tourists who have gone as far as Bali and are willing to see more of the wild, "untouched" islands. However, they were more likely to see a Torajan wearing a hat and denim, living in a Christian society. Tourists felt that the tongkonan and other Torajan rituals had been preconceived to make profits, and complained that the destination was too commercialized. This has resulted in several clashes between Torajans and tourism developers, whom Torajans see as outsiders.

A clash between local Torajan leaders and the South Sulawesi provincial government (as a tourist developer) broke out in 1985. The government designated 18 Toraja villages and burial sites as traditional tourist attractions. Consequently, zoning restrictions were applied to these areas, such that Torajans themselves were barred from changing their tongkonans and burial sites. The plan was opposed by some Torajan leaders, as they felt that their rituals and traditions were being determined by outsiders. As a result, in 1987, the Torajan village of Kété Kesú and several other designated tourist attractions closed their doors to tourists. This closure lasted only a few days, as the villagers found it too difficult to survive without the income from selling souvenirs.

Tourism has also transformed Toraja society. Originally, there was a ritual which allowed commoners to marry nobles (puang) and thereby gain nobility for their children. However, the image of Torajan society created for the tourists, often by "lower-ranking" guides, has eroded its traditional strict hierarchy. High status is not as esteemed in Tana Toraja as it once was. Many low-ranking men can declare themselves and their children nobles by gaining enough wealth through work outside the region and then marrying a noble woman.

WIKIPEDIA

See Fandango for movie offer with ticket purchase of The LEGO Movie.

SUPLanzarote.com offers windsurfing lessons in the Lagoon at Sands Beach Resort

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and at the end of the 60th anniversary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Pope Francis offered his blessings to both organisations.

Vatican, 30 January 2020

Photo: @Vatican Media

Broomfield City Council honored National Peace Offer Memorial Day at the May 15, 2015 council meeting.

Our program, Spanish in the Rainforest, offers the unique opportunity to study Spanish in the Peruvian Amazon, in the Tambopata National Park.

Tambopata is internationally acclaimed as one of the most bio-diverse areas on earth. It is in this "green paradise" that AMAUTA offers Spanish group classes on different levels, including daily tours and all accommodation and meals. A wonderful week of Spanish immersion in Peru, in the Peruvian jungle! The Tambopata Area is famous for its unique wildlife spectacle and the biggest mineral clay lick in the world can be found here, where thousands of birds come congregate daily. This is an amazing experience! Our Spanish program in the jungle also includes a visit to a local community of native people, who live in small villages along the Tambopata River.

The Sandoval Lake is a wonderfull place for observing a wide diversity of wildlife. Here you can find, parrots, gazelles, giant otters, macaws, caimans, and turtles, among others.

The big Macaw´s clay lick – the biggest of the Amazone in Peru - is famous for its great wildlife spectacle. Thousands of parrots, parakeets and macaws meet here lick the clay! An amazing spectable! The Tambopata National Park comprises of 1.5 million hectares of the Madre de Dios and Puno regions.

Spanish Group courses are offered in combination with excursions in the jungle with an experienced Peruvian guide. Part of the conversation topics in the Spanish class will be adapted to the environment and studying the ecology of the amazing tropical rainforest of Tambopata. AMAUTA teachers from Cusco will accompany students during the whole trip.

Our lodge is located approximately one hour by boat from Puerto Maldonado and is set in the beautiful rainforest beside the flowing Tambopata river. There are a total of 24 spacious bungalows with panoramic views and private bathrooms. The lodge is in a lovely environment and there is a large common room with a bar and a swimming pool.

There is 900 hectares of land around the lodge that offers the enthusiastic explorer miles of trails to walk that traverse a variety of different habitats.

A week of Spanish course in Tambopata includes transportation from the airport in Puerto Maldonado to the lodge, accommodation, all meals, daily activities and excursions and Spanish lessons!

Starting Dates in 2013:

Apr 14, May 5, Jun 9, Jul 7, Jul 21, Aug 18, Sep 8, Oct 13, Nov 3 - 2013

www.amautaspanish.com

This is a photograph from the 5th annual Craughwell 10 Mile Road Race which took place in Craughwell Village, Co. Galway, Ireland on Sunday 23rd March 2014 at 13:00. The 'Craughwell 10' has grown quickly to become not just one of Connaught's best known and attended road races but one of Ireland's best road races. Rather uniquely for road races in Ireland today the Craughwell 10 Mile road race offers a fully traffic free route for participants. The fast primarily flat course brings participants on the network of rural country roads to the west of Craughwell village. This year's event attracted a record number of over 650 participants building on the 600+ finishers from last year's race (results available below).

Reading on a Smartphone or tablet? Don't forget to scroll down further to read more about this race and see important Internet links to other information about the race! You can also find out how to access and download these photographs.

Results are available on RedTagTiming's website www.redtagtiming.com who provided the chip timing for the event.

Our photographs from the Craughwell 10 2014 are available on our Flickr photostream at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157642744431035/

You are also likely to find photographs from the race from edenhill77 at www.flickr.com/photos/edenhill77/sets/

The organisation team of Craughwell AC and a huge team of volunteers from the local community deserve great praise and congratulations on the excellent work that they put into making the Craughwell 10 such an outstanding success. A race of this size is a mammoth undertaking and it's flawless organisation is a tribute to the volunteer work behind the scenes.

Route Description

The race starts in Craughwell Village and then heads west on country roads. The route takes a right turn after 1KM and heads north towards Caheradine. The route then takes a left and heads west again towards the N18. After 4 miles the race takes another left (goo.gl/maps/khTi4) heading south. Just before 6 miles another left turn brings the race back towards Craughwell village. This leaves the runners with a straight run to the finish area from here and the finish in the Primary School. There was a stiff cold breeze at different parts of the course but for the most part there was good stretches of tail winds also. There were water stations at two points in the course.

The AAI County Galway 10 mile Road Race Championships took place in conjunction with the race today which ensured that there was great competition amongst Co. Galway based clubs at all categories.

The spread of refreshments after the race was incredible. Every taste was catered for. The organisers were thoughtful enough to include a wide range of gluten free goodies for participants after the race.

Useful Web Links

Where is Craughwell? (OpenStreetMap): www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=53.2261&mlon=-8.7331&...

Where is Craughwell? (Google Maps): goo.gl/maps/vfIia

Craughwell 10 Mile - Race Headquarters at the National School (Google StreetView) goo.gl/maps/nTr5F

Craughwell 10 Mile Route on MapMyRun: www.mapmyrun.com/sc/victoria-english-river/craughwell-10-...

Craughwell 10 Mile Route on Garmin Connect: connect.garmin.com/jsPlayer/27008273

Craughwell 10 Mile Facebook Event Page www.facebook.com/events/1426933890856519/?ref=22 (requires Facebook logon and access)

Craughwell 10 Mile 2014: Results www.redtagtiming.com/results/Craughwell10_2014.pdf

Results from previous years.

2013: Results: www.redtagtiming.com/results/Craughwell10_2013.pdf

2012: www.redtagtiming.com/results/Craughwell_10Mile_2012.pdf

Photographs from previous years by edenhill77

2012: www.flickr.com/photos/edenhill77/sets/72157629283834474/

2012: www.flickr.com/photos/edenhill77/sets/72157629267117098/

2011 www.flickr.com/photos/edenhill77/sets/72157626365451542/

2011: www.flickr.com/photos/edenhill77/sets/72157626387107196/

We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs

We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?

The explaination is very simple.

Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.

ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.

Creative Commons aims to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?

Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.

We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us.

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How can I get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?

If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.

Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.

In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting does take a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.

I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?

Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.

I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?

As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:

     ►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera

     ►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set

     ►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone

     ►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!

You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.

Don't like your photograph here?

That's OK! We understand!

If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.

I want to tell people about these great photographs!

Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets

ca. 2001, Da Nang, Vietnam --- Beach Chairs and Umbrellas --- Image by

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Hot Summer Promotion 2008

Sun, Sand, Sea, Summer

Fantastic Fun, Fabulous Furama

Shocked offer US$76net/person/night

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Meetings in Vietnam

The Furama Resort Danang is an ideal for venue for conference, team building and incentive planners who are looking for new destinations in Southeast-Asia.

There is a full range of theme parties. such as: Vietnam night, Chinabeach barbecue, Indochone night, privates party, Mystical Danang night,...

Visit: www.furamavietnam.com

offer away

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A by Sindelfingen

$1,132,500 USD | Sold

From Sotheby's:

One of the third series of 540 K Cabriolet As, the example offered here, chassis number 189391, is especially desirable for having been ordered without sidemounted spares, an unusual feature for this generation of the style. The result had an especially clean, tailored air, with smooth, rounded lines that hint at French coachbuilding and, more pointedly, the famed fastback Autobahnkurier on the same model.

According to its Kommission sheet, a copy of which is on file, this car was ordered by the British Mercedes-Benz agency; their records indicate that the order was on behalf of a Mr. Manson, and registered as FLC 217. From early photos, it appears that this may have been one of the rare examples built without the spare tires mounted in the fenders. Historian Ronald Johnson noted that the car, having apparently remained in England through the war, was then acquired in 1951 by Peter Ustinov, the multiple award-winning British actor, filmmaker, writer, and renowned raconteur. When not working with the camera or socializing, Mr. Ustinov an avid motoring enthusiast who enjoyed many fine and unusual performance automobiles, including examples of Alfa Romeo, Delage, and an S-series Mercedes-Benz. According to the Johnson records, Mr. Ustinov sold his 540 K in 1953. The transaction was likely through the dealers Simmons of Mayfair, which advertised the car around this time in Motor Sport magazine.

In July 1953 the 540 K was acquired from Simmons by Ralph Buckley of Absecon, New Jersey. Mr. Buckley was one of the pioneers of the American antique automobile hobby, maintaining a highly respected restoration shop that made a specialty of Brass automobiles and worked on them for some of the earliest, most prominent collectors. His name appears frequently in the books of Ralph Stein, one of his clients, and he is still especially well-remembered as an expert in the famed T-head Mercer. A photograph on file, courtesy of the Simeone Foundation Automobile Museum, shows the 540 K in the US in 1953, wearing an early New Jersey license plate and thus likely in Mr. Buckley’s ownership.

From Mr. Buckley the Cabriolet A made its way to California and into the ownership of John Bond, the longtime publisher of Road & Track magazine and an immensely influential figure in the American automotive press. He was one of the first automotive magazine editors to institute strenuous long-term road tests of new models and was famed for his strongly held, occasionally controversial viewpoints. Mr. Bond maintained a small, well-chosen collection of his own cars at his clifftop home in Fallbrook. In 1977 he met fellow enthusiast Jim Wilson of Hermosa Beach, who visited the Bond residence and, smitten with the 540 K, soon arranged its acquisition. In a letter on file, Mr. Wilson recalled the car as being very complete, with no indication of restoration work aside from a repaint.

Mr. Wilson spent the next five years undertaking a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration, with several photographs on file showing progression of the work. In 1983, he and his wife exhibited the finished Cabriolet A at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning 3rd in Class. Several years later he sold the car, along with a second 540 K, to Richard Wesselink, who passed both to Manfredo Lippmann of Guatemala. A passionate automobile enthusiast, Mr. Lippmann’s love of Mercedes-Benzes led him to become probably South America’s greatest and most avid collector of the company’s products—as well as, at one point, the Guatemalan importer! He would eventually acquire numerous important examples, including several significant supercharged cars.

As presented today, the Wilson restoration remains largely well-preserved, with the deep claret finish in very good overall condition, and the tan leather interior showing only minor stretching and age. The original late-style skirting of the front fenders seen in early photos appears to have been lightly modified to have more of a subtle curve, similar to earlier 540 K styles, and sidemounted spares were fitted. The restoration boasts several satisfyingly authentic touches throughout, such as the original body number suffix “205” stamped into the hood hinge, and the original chassis and engine number stampings are still present as well. Overall, the restoration is still highly appealing, and the car would make an excellent 540 K to drive and enjoy following servicing.

Boasting a fine history with highly interesting, notable figures and a restoration still in largely good order, this is a wonderful example of the third-series Cabriolet A, offering superb engineering and streamlined beauty in equally abundant measure.

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Kristina and I headed over to RM Sotheby's at the Monterey Conference Center to view some glorious cars at their auction preview.

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Had a blast with our auto-enthusiast friend and neighbor, Fred, at Monterey Car Week 2022.