Australia, Adelaide, 24-10-2015.

Stella Lux, de energie-positieve familie zonnewagen van Solar Team Eindhoven tijdens de 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Veel zonne-auto's in verschillende klassen reden 3000 km. van Darwin naar Adelaide. De Cruiser klasse met Stella Lux en het Japanse Kogakuin namen een ruime voorsprong en zorgen voor een spannende finale. In de Cruiser klasse is snelheid niet de enige factor, ook aantal passagiers gereden en jury-oordeel voor het echte auto-gevoel tellen mee. Ondanks de voorsprong van Kogakuin lijkt Stella Lux daarom een goede kandidaat voor de eerste plaats.De jurering bestaat uit onderdelen als zitcomfort, ruimte, besturingsgemak, aantrekkelijkheid, innovatie, achteruit inparkeren, bagageruimte, etc. De Challenger klasse is eerder gefinished met Nuon Solar Team (Delft) als winnaar en Solar Team Twente als 2e. /

photo: TU Eindhoven, Bart van Overbeeke /

Stella Lux, the energy-positive family solar car from Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven at the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Lots of solar cars in different classes competed during a 3000 km. trip from Darwin to Adelaide.The Cruiser class with Stella Lux and Japanese Kogakuin took the lead and make for an exciting finale. In Cruiser Class speed is not the only aspect, number of passengers and practical judgement also count. Despite the lead of Kogakuin Stella Lux seems to have a good chance on winning. Judges look at aspects like cabin space and comfort; features; ease of operation; desirability and innovation, reverse parking, room for luggage, etc. The Challenger Class has finished with Nuon Solar Team as winner and Solar Team Twente second.

Benjamin Stein, Die Leinwand (The Canvas)

An Event of the DAAD

Reading

Wed, 29.12.2010, 19:00

Goethe-Institut Jerusalem

in German

  

Based on the scandal of Benjamin Wilkomirski's falsified Holocaust memoir, this novel deals with the unreliability of memory and the struggle for identity. Two stories are told from both ends of the book. In one of the stories Amnon Zichroni, an Orthodox Jew who grew up in Israel and becomes a psychoanalyst in Zürich, encourages Minsky, a supposed Holocaust survivor, to write down his memories. The other story is about East German journalist Jan Wechsler who tries to expose Minsky's memoirs as false. In the centre of the book a confrontation takes place when the two narrators, Amnon Zichroni and Jan Wechsler, meet one another.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

  

Copyright © Kevin Cooper Photoline NUJ: Seamus McKee (BBC Radio Ulster) opened the conference and give context to the debate as chairperson of Business Rates Conference 2016 which took place on Tuesday, 12 January 2016 in Riddel Hall at Queen's University Belfast. Speakers included: Richard Johnston - Associate Director, NI Centre for Economic Policy, UU; David Sterling - Permanent Secretary, Department of Finance & Personnel; Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive, Manufacturing NI; Aodhán Connolly, Director, NI Retail Consortium, Seamus McAleavey â Chief Executive, NICVA, Derek McCallan â Chief Executive, NILGA, Followed by a panel discussion with David Sterling â DFP, Stephen Kelly â Manufacturing NI, Aodhán Connolly â NI Retail Consortium, Seamus McAleavey â NICVA, Derek McCallan â NILGA. After a short break the discussion continued with A system that it is fit for purpose: the practicalities involved: Brian McClure â Head of Rating Policy Division, Department of Finance & Personnel, Funding local services: a new system for securing businesses contributions: Martin McTague â Chairman, Local Government Committee, Federation of Small Businesses, Getting it right: the UK and international perspective:

David Magor OBE - Chief Executive, Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation. Finishing the final panel discussion was with: Brian McClure â Department of Finance & Personnel, Martin McTague â FSB and David Magor â IRRV. Seamus McKee, Chairperson of the conference made some concluding remarks before breaking for lunch. Business Rates Conference 2016, which was part of the Chambré Public Affairs âEye on the Hillâ series of policy events, provided participants with a unique insight into an important programme of reform. The conference offered context and analysis from the Minister, senior officials, sector leaders and noted experts, the conference is perfectly timed to inform responses to the consultation, which closes a fortnight later. On 26 October 2015, Finance Minister Arlene Foster launched a public consultation on a wide-ranging Review of Northern Ireland's Non-Domestic Rating System. The consultation asks questions that touch upon every sector in Northern Ireland, giving respondents the chance to provide imaginative suggestions to improve how revenue is raised locally. Key questions include whether the 100% exemption for charities should be maintained, and how the system could be changed to better suit the demands of local business. Because of the Departmentâs willingness to engage creatively with the business community and other stakeholders, this consultation represents a rare opportunity to influence major change. Business rating is a vital form of taxation, raising some £592m of revenue for regional and local Government in Northern Ireland. However, it is also a significant expense for the businesses that are the lifeblood of the local economy, and can act as a particular disincentive to smaller enterprises who want to invest and expand. At the other end of the spectrum, charities in Northern Ireland benefit significantly from the current rating system, enjoying a 100% rates exemption.

The Armory Center for the Arts is pleased to present a collection of hand-carved, hand-painted birds and other animals, made by Japanese national Masato Wayne Sumida while interned at Poston War Relocation Center in La Paz County, Arizona. The exhibition, in the Armory’s Mezzanine Galleries, opens on Sunday, October 13, 2013 and runs through Sunday, January 26, 2014. A reception, free and open to the public, will take place on Saturday, October 12, from 7-9pm. A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida has been organized by Armory’s Gallery Director / Chief Curator Irene Tsatsos.

 

Poston War Relocation Center was located on a reservation three miles east of the Colorado River, was the largest Japanese internment camp, and was known for its poor sanitation and the unsettling relations between the interned Japanese and Japanese-Americans and the Colorado Native Americans who remained on the land after its repurposing. Masato Wayne Sumida lived at Poston for nearly 4 and a half years, from May 27, 1941 to November 20, 1945.

 

Sumida’s exquisite carvings – between 1” and 5” – depict a variety of brightly colored small animals, including fish and squirrels, but most are ornately painted birds. He made numerous carvings of mallards, cardinals, swans, owls, and more – each similar, yet with its own unique personality.

 

Sumida’s practice was associated with gaman, the Japanese Zen Buddhist term that refers to the idea of bearing through suffering with dignity and patience. During WWII, it also became synonymous with the objects made by the men and women who were held in the internment camps. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, ethnic Japanese were notified that they would be relocated within a week and that they were to carry everything they would need with them. Upon arrival at the camps, men, women, and children were housed in small rooms scantily furnished with a single light bulb, a wood burning stove, and cots. At first, people met their basic needs making chairs, knives, and posts on which to hang laundry. As their internment persisted, their production turned away from everyday practicalities and developed into an art form that symbolized their resilience and composure.

 

Masato Wayne Sumida’s beautiful carved and painted objects had been in safekeeping by his granddaughter Wendy Al and her husband, the artist Billy Al Bengston, after being found stored in a large trash can in her grandparents’ garage. Many Japanese-Americans of the era neglected to speak of the period, and the gaman made during internment were often given away, some sold at garage sales, or forgotten in storage spaces waiting to be rediscovered by the artists’ descendants decades later. Sumida’s son, Paul, recalls giving the birds, which were fashioned into earrings, brooches, and lapel pins, to his teachers as gifts.

 

Masato Wayne Sumida was born in Hiroshima Prefecture on October 13, 1903 and was orphaned at an early age. When he was 14 years old he took a boat to Mexico, arriving there illegally. He later swam across the Rio Grande River to enter the US. Before being interred Sumida lived in Boyle Heights, CA, where he worked as a gardener. After his release, he settled in Gardena, CA and took work as a sign painter. He was married to Hisako Sumida, who survived him. Masato Wayne Sumida died on September 12, 1995. The Sumida family members rediscovered the objects following Hisako’s death in 1999. Billy Al, seeing the objects for the first time, was overwhelmed by their creativity and beauty and launched the family’s efforts to preserve the collection.

 

The title of this show, A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida, quotes a line of haiku from Yajin Nakao, a poet interned at Rohwer War Relocation Center in Desha County, Arkansas:

 

Autumn foliage

California has now become

a far country

 

The tradition of haiku and other forms of poetry and writing persevered in the camps, where writers were able meet to discuss their works.

 

A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida runs in conjunction with the group exhibition Home Away, organized by Los Angeles-based independent curator Kris Kuramitsu, which highlights and contextualizes a group of artists that work in Los Angeles as well as other locations in Asia and Latin America, among them Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Mumbai, Tijuana, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.

 

Certainly one of the less well known Ferrari's, but one that holds a mixed reception in the hearts and minds of those who grew up with them. Some hail this car as an unloved gem of the 1980's Italian car builder, being the only production mid-engined sports car to feature 4 seats, whilst others consider it the worst car ever made by Ferrari, asking why people would want 4 seats in a mid-engined sports car when space in the back couldn't fit a bag of shopping!

 

The Mondial first made its appearance in 1980, being a replacement for the 208/308 GT4's, the last of the mighty Dino range. The "Mondial" name came from Ferrari's history, the 500 Mondial race car of the early 1950's. Despite its predecessor being Bertone styled, the Mondial saw Ferrari return to Pininfarina for styling.

 

Sold as a mid-sized coupé and, eventually a cabriolet, the car was conceived as a 'usable' model, offering the practicality of four seats and the performance of a Ferrari. The car had a slightly higher roofline than its stablemates, with a single long door either side, offering easy access and good interior space, reasonable rear legroom while all-round visibility was excellent. It also holds the distinction of being the only production automobile that has four seats, is mid-engined, and be a full convertible in automotive history.

 

The Mondial, produced in fairly high numbers for a Ferrari, with more than 6,100 produced in its 13 year run, and was one of Ferrari's most commercially successful models. The car body was not built as a monocoque in the same way as a conventional car, but instead the steel outer body was produced by the famous Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Scaglietti, just down the road in nearby Modena, built over a lightweight steel box-section space frame. The engine cover and rear luggage compartment lids are in light alloy. The seats and interior were trimmed in Connolly hide, contrasting with the body colour. Most cars were painted rosso red, but some were black or silver, and a few were dark blue.

 

The car went through several generations in its 13 year life, the first being the Mondial 8, which featured a 3.0L Tipo F106B FI V8 producing 214hp. In all, 703 examples of this car were made in its 2 year production period, which cost $64,000 back then, but $183,000 now.

 

This was replaced by the Mondial QV (Quattrovalvole), which introduced a new four-valve head, the combustion chamber design was purportedly based on the early eighties Formula 1 engine. Again, the engine was shared with the contemporary 308 GTB/GTS QV, and produced a much more respectable 240hp. Appearance was largely as per the Mondial 8, although with red engine heads and prominent "quattrovalvole" script at the rear. In all, 1,145 coupés were built between 1982 and 1985.

 

The next version was the 3.2 Mondial, which increased the engine size to 3.2L Tipo F105C 4v V8, creating 266hp. Available in both Coupé and Cabriolet forms, styling was refreshed with restyled and body-coloured bumpers, similar to the 328 with more integrated indicators and driving lamps, and new alloy wheels with a more rounded face. The 3.2 also boasted a major interior update, with a more ergonomic layout and a more rounded instrument binnacle. Later cars, from 1987 onwards, also sported ABS brakes.The 1988 Mondial 3.2 would be the final model year that retained the relatively low maintenance costs of the 308/328 drivetrain, allowing major service items like timing belt and clutch replacement to be performed with the engine/transmission package still in the car. During its 1985 to 1989 production span, Ferrari produced 987 coupés and 810 cabriolets.

 

The final version introduced in 1989 was the Mondial t, being visually different from preceding Mondial models, the most recognisable being the redesign of the air intakes to a smaller, neater rectangular shape similar to that found on a 348. Additionally, the door-handles were of a visually different design, as were the front and rear bumpers which became body coloured. New front and rear wings cover wider tracks and are re-profiled to a fuller shape compared to preceding models, which feature a rolled lip. Between 1989 and 1993 Ferrari produced 858 coupés and 1,017 cabriolets.

 

The Mondial was eventually killed off completely in 1993, and, as mentioned, suffers from a mixed reception by Ferrari and motoring fans alike. While many admire its unique Pininfarina derived design and everyday versatility, the Mondial has amassed a cult following of enthusiasts, but is sometimes the target of derision due to what many consider the compromises, including its 4 seats, longer wheelbase and heavier weight. One notable complaint was made on Top Gear's 'The Worst Car in the World', where a very run down Mondial was assessed by James May, who commented on the fact that it was too small and too thirsty to be an equivalent to a regular family car.

 

Me personally, I prefer the looks of the later Mondial's, specifically the Mondial t, which does look like a fantastic open sports Ferrari with resemblances to the 348, although earlier ones do hold a place in my heart too for their looks and style.

The Piaggio Ape (pronounced "ah-peh" - Italian for bee ) is a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle first produced in 1948 by Piaggio.

At the end of WWII, most Italians, badly affected by the war, lacked modes of transport, and more importantly, the financial means to acquire full-sized four-wheeled vehicles. In 1947 the inventor of the Vespa, aircraft designer Corradino D'Ascanio, came up with the idea of building a light three wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy's economical reconstruction, an idea which found favour with Enrico Piaggio, the son of the firm's founder, Rinaldo. The very first Ape model and the mark immediately following it were mechanically a Vespa with two wheels added to the rear, with a flat-bed structure on top of the rear axle. In the early sale brochures and adverts the vehicle was referred to as the VespaCar or TriVespa and cost 170.000 liras. The first Apes featured 50cc, 125cc or 150cc and more recently 175cc engines. By the time of the 1964 Ape D a cab was added to protect the driver from the elements. The Ape has been in continuous production since its inception and has been produced in a variety of different body styles in Italy and India.

Controlled with scooter style handlebars, the original Ape was designed to sit one, but can accommodate a passenger (with a tight fit) in its cab. A door on each side is provided, making it quicker to get out of the vehicle when making deliveries to different sides of the road. Performance is suited to the job of light delivery, with good torque for hills but a low top speed, which is irrelevant in the urban settings for it was designed. Outside of towns Apes are customarily driven as close as possible to the curb to allow traffic to pass.

The vehicles comes in various configurations such as vans and pickups for load carrying and autorickshaw (Tuk-tuk) for human transportation. More recently Piaggio have made lifestyle models such as the Ape Cross Country and the Ape Web aimed at the young.

Ape Calessino Electric Lithium Values of environmental awareness and respect, which are key in the strategy of the Piaggio Group and in its research and development activities, have now led to the creation of a new zero environmental impact version of the Ape Calessino.The idea of being in touch with nature and with the surrounding environment inspired an evolution in the concept of mobility embodied by Ape Calessino better than any other vehicle. Introducing the electric Ape Calessino Electric Lithium.Ape Calessino Electric Lithium offers the same features and elegance as the conventional engine version. The electric version gains its own unique livery, with an elegant blue and white two-tone color scheme for the bodywork and canvas elements. The same two-tone scheme is echoed in the interior, with cream colored upholstery trimmed with blue piping.Since its launch, Ape Calessino has been met with a genuine fondness and a reputation as a mobility solution that breaks free of the frenetic rhythms of modern life to rediscover values of friendship and conviviality. Exclusive and elegant, yet practical and sturdy just like every other Ape; the bodywork of the new Ape Calessino Electric Lithium is given a double cataphoresis painting treatment, making it even more resistant to the corrosive action typical of the humid, saline conditions of a seaside environment.Ape Calessino Electric Lithium is the perfect vehicle for anyone who wants to stand out from the crowd with original elegance and in complete harmony with the surrounding environment.The new electric Ape Calessino combines the practicality, elegance and agility that have made the Ape Calessino such a hit with capability of accessing zones usually prohibited to vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines, such as areas of particular natural and environmental importance, historical town centers and restricted traffic areas.This makes Ape Calessino Electric Lithium an indispensable tool, for instance, for resorts, hotels and tourism operators intending to offer their guests a fun and distinctive shuttle service that can reach the centre of a cultural city, fend for itself in the hustle and bustle of a medieval town centre or wind its way along the panoramic routes of a beautiful Mediterranean island with equal ease. With a range of 75 Km, all of these destinations and more are easily within reach of the Ape Calessino Electric Lithium, in total respect for the environment and cocooned in silence: electric drive means that Ape Calessino is not just a zero emissions vehicle, it is also completely silent, so that its occupants can enjoy the beauty of a nature to the full or travel through densely populated centers without causing even the slightest disturbance.The Aenerbox system also offers another advantage: the battery does not discharge while the vehicle is not in use, even if left for prolonged periods. This is a significant benefit, especially considering the typically seasonal nature of the tourism industry, for example, and goes hand in hand with remarkable longevity. The life cycle of these batteries is an incredible 15 years (or more than 800 recharge cycles for a total of approximately 60,000 Km), compared with the 7-10 years of a conventional battery system.Built in a series of just 100 examples, the most exclusive Ape of all time is destined for a design-conscious clientele that appreciates Italian style. But this is not just an extremely functional vehicle; it is also a true collector's piece, as highlighted by the numbered plate making it even more exclusive. Ape Calessino Electric Lithium is on sale, on Italian market, at € 19,900 (VAT not included).

 

Two examples of the second generation of the C4 Picasso, which is marketed by Citroën as the C4 SpaceTourer since 2018. Despite the name change, the uniqueness of its design remains, as does its practicality. A larger Grand version adds 167 mm to the length, enough to increase passenger capacity to seven.

 

Given the options presented here I'd choose the blue car. Which colour would you choose?

I’m sure that you’ve heard of the phrase that “form follows function” before. I’m a firm believer in it. The jeep is a perfect example of it. The form of the jeep was derived from the functions that it was necessary to provide for the US Army Quartermaster Corps. When the call went out for the vehicle that was to become the jeep in 1940 it was heeded by very few companies. Very few companies either had the engineering talent necessary to create something from scratch and/or they just didn’t need the contract. American Bantam Motor Car had both. They had Karl Probst, a freelance automotive engineer, who reportedly drafted the design in two days in June of 1940, along with Harold Crist, Chet Hemphling and Ralph Turner. But they also had the need.

There has been alot written about Bantam’s solvency versus Willys-Overland and the overall strong points of both companies and frankly I don’t know what to believe. But the important point was that Bantam responded to the Army’s unrealistic 49 day time frame for a working and running prototype to be delivered to Camp Holabird, Maryland by September 1940. So while some say that the Army contract saved Bantam for a short while, it was more likely the other way around. Bantam saved the Army’s bacon and helped in a very key way to create a very necessary piece of war equipment. Bantam’s design was aped and copied by the final two manufacturers, Willys and Ford and it was this design that has influenced every jeep made since. From these beginning requirements that the military set down, the form was derived.

  

- The weight was not to exceed 1200 pounds (increased to 1275 lbs 1 July and then to 1308 lbs).

- Carry six hundred pounds of payload in cross country operations.

- Wheelbase not to exceed 75 inches (increased to 80 inches 1 July).

- Height not to exceed 36 inches (increased to 40 inches 1 July).

-Ground clearance of 6.25 inches at a minimum.

- Approach angle of 45° and departure angle of 40°.

- Four wheel drive with a two speed transfer case, geared for up to 50 mph on-road and down to 3 mph off-road.

- A mount for a .30 cal. machine gun.

- A rectangular body and folding windshield.

- Seating for three.

- Blackout lights.

From this humble beginning the jeep was born. And if you’re like me as I’m sure that you are, you appreciate the jeep’s relatively simple boxy design. But it turns out that not only the jeep’s normal fans that were impressed by the little jeep. In 1951, the Museum of Modern Art in NYC decided to hold a series of exhibits that showcased examples of what they considered timeless examples of automotive design. It was the first real example of a new thought along the lines of what constitutes not just auto beauty, but overall auto design. It wasn’t a new idea for the museum actually. Since the early post-war ideas through the mid 1950’s they had begun asking the question of ‘what is good design?’ as regards everyday things from home goods, appliances, furnishings and sporting goods. The shows ranged from coffee makers and cheese graters to Tupperware. And like these humble daily objects the jeep was chosen in its fall show of 1951 for its practicality and purposeful design.

The jeep chosen was loaned from Kaiser Willys, an M38 and it sat in the museum. I wish that I had been able to find the whole catalogue for it, but instead I have only sections, but at least the page for the jeep is able to be found online. You can see the image at the top of the page and the catalogue entry reads as follows:

 

“1951 (model first produced in 1941). Manufactured by Willys-Overland Motors, Inc., Toledo, Ohio. Overall length 10 feet 3 inches.

The admirable Jeep seems to have the combined appeal of an intelligent dog and a perfect gadget. It is an appeal so vast that this wonderful tool for transportation has won approval for much more that its practicality, though the engineers who perfected it worked without the concern for style with which other automobiles are designed.

The Jeep looks like a tray, or perhaps a sturdy sardine can, on wheels. Part of the top appears to have been cut open and folded up, to serve as a windshield. From it a canvas canopy can be stretched over some metal struts to the back of the car, thus affording temporary shelter from rain. large wheels dominate the design, and insist rather than suggest that the Jeep’s primary purpose is transportation.

One of the most striking illustrations of its direct design is the front fender. It is composed of two rectangular platforms placed at the best angle for preventing mud splash. The two sections are connected by an overlap, left plainly visible, and the lower section is joined to a small step. The side walls are low enough for passengers to step in, thus eliminating mechanically troublesome doors. Even refinements of contour grow out of practical considerations: the fenders have rounded corners to avoid cutting passengers as they get in.

With its wheels removed and the windshield folded flat the jeep fits into a shipping case. Uncrated and on the road it can maneuver its way through spaces blocked to larger vehicles. It can be stood on end and pushed through narrow passages; it has on occasion been dismantled and carried, piece by piece, over unmanageable terrain, and with suitable equipment it can be driven underwater. Bolts visible on the wheels and the body facilitate either the removal of parts or periodic tightening.

Those who have used the Jeep will recall certain limitations of comfort. Yet there are few automobiles that give their drivers so exhilarating a sense of speed and control. The Jeep substitutes for a deliberate esthetic program the formative principles of construction; its design is unified by the economy, (disdaining the merely decorative with which each part is fitted for its purpose. It is one of the few genuine expressions of machine art.”

 

Well said, the only part that I disagree with is calling it a ‘car.’ I just wish that Jeep still designed at least one of their vehicles this way today.

As recently as last year the jeep has found its way into a museum space with the last MOMA exhibit, Born Out Of Necessity, which is as good a way of any of describing the genesis of the jeep. Though this time the jeep featured was a 1952 M38A1. The jeep rubbed shoulders with a 1959 VW Bug and a 1961 Jaguar E-Type and made its way into the MOMA’s permanent collection in 2002.

Here are a couple of good write-ups on the series of exhibits (though not specifically jeep related...) here and here and for more on the last exhibit, Born Out Of Necessity see here and here. I also found a magazine article from an undated copy of ‘Auto Sport Review.’ It talks about the various vehicles in the exhibit with no mention of the show at the MOMA itself. I think that I can forgive the article writer for misdating the M38 as a 1941 as he/she hits the mark by identifying the jeep as having an “appearance and its purpose” that are the same. Again, its very true and what endears the jeep to millions. There’s nothing frilly or unnecessary about it.

You can download and read a PDF of the magazine article here- Auto Sport Review-WIGD.pdf, the MOMA’s press releases may also interest you here- 1951 MOMA Press Announcements.pdf as well as a PDF of the catalogue cover and the page on the jeep itself.

Come back next week. I haven’t an idea right now of what I’m going to write about, but I also said that last week and then realized that this was something that I had wanted to put the time into researching for some time now. Hope that you enjoyed it and see you next week with more of the best of the jeep since 1940!

(See the original post here- this-old-jeep.com/Whats_New_at_This-Old-Jeep.com/Entries/... for all of the links!)

Australia, Adelaide, 24-10-2015.

Stella Lux, de energie-positieve familie zonnewagen van Solar Team Eindhoven wordt op praktische eigenschappen gejureerd tijdens de 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Veel zonne-auto's in verschillende klassen reden 3000 km. van Darwin naar Adelaide. De Cruiser klasse met Stella Lux en het Japanse Kogakuin namen een ruime voorsprong en zorgen voor een spannende finale. In de Cruiser klasse is snelheid niet de enige factor, ook aantal passagiers gereden en jury-oordeel voor het echte auto-gevoel tellen mee. Ondanks de voorsprong van Kogakuin lijkt Stella Lux daarom een goede kandidaat voor de eerste plaats.De jurering bestaat uit onderdelen als zitcomfort, ruimte, besturingsgemak, aantrekkelijkheid, innovatie, achteruit inparkeren, bagageruimte, etc. De Challenger klasse is eerder gefinished met Nuon Solar Team (Delft) als winnaar en Solar Team Twente als 2e. /

photo: TU Eindhoven, Bart van Overbeeke /

Stella Lux, the energy-positive family solar car from Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven during practicality judging at the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Lots of solar cars in different classes competed during a 3000 km. trip from Darwin to Adelaide.The Cruiser class with Stella Lux and Japanese Kogakuin took the lead and make for an exciting finale. In Cruiser Class speed is not the only aspect, number of passengers and practical judgement also count. Despite the lead of Kogakuin Stella Lux seems to have a good chance on winning. Judges look at aspects like cabin space and comfort; features; ease of operation; desirability and innovation, reverse parking, room for luggage, etc. The Challenger Class has finished with Nuon Solar Team as winner and Solar Team Twente second.

My inspiration for this lamp was a mixture of oriental color combination and feminine curves.

This exquisite lampshade is created as most of my work using a fine crochet needle and coated copper wires.

The detailed patterns and bright shiny colors create magnificent shades when lighted and rich reflections from other light sources, It is just as attractive during day time and night time.

 

When installed next to a wall it casts fascinating shades, it can be installed in groups or as individuals.

 

Some practicalities:

Size: 4 “ (100 mm) diameter, height 4 “ (100 mm)

 

The lampshade arrives with a brass light socket (0.6”/15mm long) for a 12V 20W Halogen lamp and a 78”(2 meter) long flexible metal wire (0.08”/2mm diameter).

 

A standard electronic transformer is required for adjusting the voltage into 12V (both from 110V and 230V).

The 1964 Ford Ranchero, seen here in a sleek black finish, is a compelling example of mid-century American automotive design. While often credited with pioneering the car-truck hybrid, the Ranchero actually follows in the footsteps of the late 1930s Studebaker Coupe Express, which was one of the first vehicles in the U.S. to blend car comfort with truck utility.

 

Introduced by Ford in 1957, the Ranchero built on this concept, offering a unique combination of passenger car styling and the functionality of a pickup truck. By 1964, the Ranchero was based on the compact Falcon platform, enhancing its maneuverability and fuel efficiency. The 1964 model came with various engine options, including a 260 cubic inch V8, catering to those who sought both performance and practicality. The Ranchero's distinctive blend of style and utility has secured its legacy as an iconic vehicle in American automotive history.

 

This exquisite lampshade is created as most of my work using a fine crochet needle and color coated copper wires.

My inspiration for this lamp was the story of Scheherazade the Persian princess that told the king stories until he fell in love with her.

 

The detailed patterns and bright shiny colors create magnificent shades when lighted and rich reflections from other light sources. It is just as attractive during day time and night time.

 

When installed next to a wall it casts fascinating shades, it can be installed in groups or as individuals.

 

Some practicalities:

Size: 5.5 “ (140 mm) diameter, height 3.1 “ (80 mm)

 

The lampshade arrives with a brass light socket (1.2”/30mm long) for a 12V 20W Halogen lamp and a 78”(2 meter) long flexible metal wire (0.08”/2mm diameter).

 

A standard electronic transformer is required for adjusting the voltage into 12V (both from 110V and 230V).

 

I was asked to create an arrangement for a lifestyle magazine based on the theme 'exotic'. There was no budget or time, so I used what was available in the shop. The final arrangement was photographed professionally and I will post the final picture once the magazine has been published.

 

It was an interesting experience, as the high quality image revealed all the flaws in my design, the kind of stuff that is hard too see otherwise, as making the design gives you a subjective view. It probably didn't help that I made the arrangement after already working for 12 hours that day!

 

Working in a commercial environment means speed/time and practicality are important and often seem like the enemy of creativity and quality. Finding the right balance is a continual struggle.

 

I can understand the appeal of creating a book, where a beautiful final image is the end goal, or even going on a course where you have the luxury to experiment and receive considered feedback/criticism.

In September 1977 Mercedes-Benz introduced their first factory-built wagon model as part of the W123 range.

 

The T-Series was available with the same engine range as the saloon, but featured the extra practicality of the wagon body form, frequently supplemented by the fitment of a 3rd row of rearward facing seats.

 

The model shown here the 300 TD Wagon, was fitted with a 3.0 L 5-cylinder Diesel engine, and is based on the car owned by the parent of one of my friends in the 1980s. They had a large family, and the 7-seat wagon was a very sensible proposition for carrying some of the family in one go (eight kids, so there was a second car as well).

 

Power output of the diesel engine was limited, based on numbers alone the car seems woefully under-powered by today's standards. But having driven a similar W123 sedan 300 D, the car moved along well enough.

 

The W123 reange was replaced by the W124 in 1985, and the new model range also included a high-capable wagon model.

Here be Ghostship and tis me second entry into ye LUGNuts All But Four

build challenge. She harkens back to the strange days of 60’s era show rods where a clever name and a weird theme be more important than practicality. On board this fine vessel ye got six wheels, round portal windows, ocean wave mosaics, a Captain’s steering wheel, treasure map and squawking parrot be the shifter. Also she has treasure chests for cam housings and the carburetors be king’s crowns of the finest gold! She can pull wheelies but with rear tires on pivots, she will still have four wheels touching terra firma…and should the captain fancy recreation more nautical, she carries a surf board appropriately named…The Plank! She has spinning screw ‘round back, like that of a real ship, and she flies the Jolly Roger up front, warning ye that tis be pirate’s business! You best give up your treasures, your pirate’s booty and your comments and affections here lest suffer the wrath of Blackbeard! Savvy?

Benjamin Stein, Die Leinwand (The Canvas)

An Event of the DAAD

Reading

Wed, 29.12.2010, 19:00

Goethe-Institut Jerusalem

in German

  

Based on the scandal of Benjamin Wilkomirski's falsified Holocaust memoir, this novel deals with the unreliability of memory and the struggle for identity. Two stories are told from both ends of the book. In one of the stories Amnon Zichroni, an Orthodox Jew who grew up in Israel and becomes a psychoanalyst in Zürich, encourages Minsky, a supposed Holocaust survivor, to write down his memories. The other story is about East German journalist Jan Wechsler who tries to expose Minsky's memoirs as false. In the centre of the book a confrontation takes place when the two narrators, Amnon Zichroni and Jan Wechsler, meet one another.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

  

Copyright © Kevin Cooper Photoline NUJ: Seamus McKee (BBC Radio Ulster) opened the conference and give context to the debate as chairperson of Business Rates Conference 2016 which took place on Tuesday, 12 January 2016 in Riddel Hall at Queen's University Belfast. Speakers included: Richard Johnston - Associate Director, NI Centre for Economic Policy, UU; David Sterling - Permanent Secretary, Department of Finance & Personnel; Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive, Manufacturing NI; Aodhán Connolly, Director, NI Retail Consortium, Seamus McAleavey â Chief Executive, NICVA, Derek McCallan â Chief Executive, NILGA, Followed by a panel discussion with David Sterling â DFP, Stephen Kelly â Manufacturing NI, Aodhán Connolly â NI Retail Consortium, Seamus McAleavey â NICVA, Derek McCallan â NILGA. After a short break the discussion continued with A system that it is fit for purpose: the practicalities involved: Brian McClure â Head of Rating Policy Division, Department of Finance & Personnel, Funding local services: a new system for securing businesses contributions: Martin McTague â Chairman, Local Government Committee, Federation of Small Businesses, Getting it right: the UK and international perspective:

David Magor OBE - Chief Executive, Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation. Finishing the final panel discussion was with: Brian McClure â Department of Finance & Personnel, Martin McTague â FSB and David Magor â IRRV. Seamus McKee, Chairperson of the conference made some concluding remarks before breaking for lunch. Business Rates Conference 2016, which was part of the Chambré Public Affairs âEye on the Hillâ series of policy events, provided participants with a unique insight into an important programme of reform. The conference offered context and analysis from the Minister, senior officials, sector leaders and noted experts, the conference is perfectly timed to inform responses to the consultation, which closes a fortnight later. On 26 October 2015, Finance Minister Arlene Foster launched a public consultation on a wide-ranging Review of Northern Ireland's Non-Domestic Rating System. The consultation asks questions that touch upon every sector in Northern Ireland, giving respondents the chance to provide imaginative suggestions to improve how revenue is raised locally. Key questions include whether the 100% exemption for charities should be maintained, and how the system could be changed to better suit the demands of local business. Because of the Departmentâs willingness to engage creatively with the business community and other stakeholders, this consultation represents a rare opportunity to influence major change. Business rating is a vital form of taxation, raising some £592m of revenue for regional and local Government in Northern Ireland. However, it is also a significant expense for the businesses that are the lifeblood of the local economy, and can act as a particular disincentive to smaller enterprises who want to invest and expand. At the other end of the spectrum, charities in Northern Ireland benefit significantly from the current rating system, enjoying a 100% rates exemption.

The last of the line, the final original Mini's, leaving the factory on the 4th October 2000, bringing an end to 5,387,862 cars.

 

Construction of the Mini first began in 1959, with the car designed by the British Motor Corporation's (BMC) chief designer Sir Alec Issigonis, who envisaged a car that had as much space as was humanly possible devoted to the passenger so as to combine the practicality of a big car with the nippy nature of a Dune Buggy. The result was that 80% of the car's platform was available for use by both passengers and luggage. The car was also designed to be fuel efficient, built in response to the 1956 Suez Crisis which resulted in rising fuel prices and petrol rationing. During this period it became apparent that German 'Bubble Car' equivalents such as the Heinkel Kabine and various Messerschmitt designs were starting to corner the market, and thus the Mini project was launched under project name ADO15 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 15). Great care was taken to make sure that as much space was saved for the passenger, including the instalment of compact rubber springs instead of conventional metal and the small but powerful BMC A-Series four-cylinder engine tucked away at the front.

 

In April 1959 the car was launched to the press under the designation of both the Austin Seven and the Morris Mini-Minor (due to the amalgamation of the Austin and Morris brands under BMC). By the time the car was let loose thousands had already been sent abroad in an audacious promotional campaign. Things however started slow for the Mini, but this rising star soon became an icon during the 1960's, selling 1,190,000 by 1967.

 

But, behind all the shining sales figures, there were some major problems for BMC and their wonderchild. Baffled by the car, Ford bought one for the base price of £497 and took it apart, desperate to know how their rivals were doing it for the money. As it turns out they weren't, and were able to determine that BMC was losing at least £30 on every single car they sold. Novelty was the only way to get the car properly moving in this competitive new world, and the Mini was all about that. By 1970 the car had appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows, the most famous of which was their charge to glory in the 1969 film 'The Italian Job', where a trio of Minis were used to plunder gold from under the noses of the Mafia and the Italian Authorities. A Leyland Mini holds a place in the heart of British TV under the ownership of Mr. Bean and his various clumsy antics, usually involving an unfortunate Reliant Regal. At the same time it was a car of choice for TV and Music Stars who wanted to show off their quirks!

 

From then on the car continued to keep up its notorious status as a British symbol of motoring, with a huge variety of cars being made including a spacious van, a country camper, a pickup truck and the Moke dune buggy! There were also two almost identical saloon versions of the car known as the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf that were built between 1961 and 1969 as more luxurious alternatives to the original.

 

In 1969 the first major facelift came in the form of the Clubman, designed under British Leyland to give the car a new lease of life, but ended up being something of a mongrel. Although functionally the same, the boys at British Leyland couldn't help but get things off to a bad start by relocating construction from the Cowley Plant to the Longbridge Plant, which meant that all kits and tools had to be moved too and thus initial sales were very slow. British Leyland's reliability reputation was soon to follow, with the unfortunate Mini becoming a victim of the shoddy workmanship that had mired so many of its other products.

 

Eventually the Clubman was killed off in 1980, although the original Mini design had been built alongside and was still selling strong. British Leyland however had plans to kill off the Mini in 1980 by introducing its new small economy car, the Austin Metro. Built very much to the same principals of the Mini, the Metro was a much more angular design but still a capable little family hatchback. But the angular lines and big bulky body did nothing for the Metro, and the car failed to sell in the numbers domestically than those of the Mini internationally!

 

Towards the end of the 1980's and 1990's, the car came in a variety of different 'Special Editions' as the car became less of a mass-market machine and more a fashion item. The iconic nature of the car had sealed its fate with new owners of the Rover Group, BMW, who intended to keep the car going for as long as possible. At the same time the car was a major seller in Japan, which gave a boost of sales in the early 1990's with 40,000 new cars being exported there.

 

Eventually however, the design was starting to look very tired and with Rover Group making heavy losses, the Mini and its spiritual cousin the Metro were killed off in 2000 and 1999, respectively. Rover was granted the ability to run-out the model to the very end before Rover itself was sold off in 2000. During the breakup, BMW designed a new version of the Mini which was launched in 2000 and is still being built today as quite a sleek and popular machine, a little bit more bulky than the original but certainly keeping the novelty and charm. The originals however ended on the 4th October 2000, with a red Mini Cooper S bringing an end to 5,387,862 cars.

 

However, although the original Mini is now very much dead, the novelty that surrounds these tiny little cars is enough to keep thousands and thousands of these machines preserved or in continual everyday usage. Older Mini-Minors are a bit hard to come by and the Clubmans rusted away before you could get them home from the showroom, but the later Mini's sold in the 1980's and 1990's are still alive and kicking on the roads of Britain, and can still draw the attention of passers by even 56 years after the first ones left the production line!

The Jaguar I-PACE is the electric vehicle drivers have been waiting for Clean, smart and safe, the

I-PACE delivers sustainable sports car performance, next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technology and five-seat SUV practicality to place Jaguar at the forefront of the EV revolution.

 

Looking to fill any available gap in its lineup, BMW developed the 'Gran Turismo' concept to denote a vehicle that straddles the line between a saloon and a kombi. I call it a five-door hatchback. Regardless of the name, BMW offers two flavors, one based on the 3-Series (pictured) and one based on the 6-Series (formerly on the 5-Series). The style of the cars is a compromise, naturally, as it tries to maximize the practicality of having that extra space in the hatch. For a better execution, I prefer the 4-Series Gran Coupé.

An Israeli in Palestine, by Jeff Halper, Reading at the Educational Bookshop, Jerusalem, 25th February 2011

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

  

Photo taken in Kungsholmstorg at Gärdesloppet, or Prins Bertil Memorial, Stockholm, Sweden.

 

Driver: Ake Gravestam

 

The Lotus Elan is a true sports car. A sports car is about being light, having finesse, and a focus on handling rather than speed. The Lotus Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,500 lb (680 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy.

 

The Lotus Elan's rarity, beautiful lines, impressive performance and practicality are the main factors for the rising interest on these cars among collectors.

 

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

 

The Lotus Elan is commonly credited as being the design inspiration for the highly successful Mazda MX-5.

www.lotuselan.net/wiki/Lotus_Elan

 

Gärdesloppet, or Prins Bertil Memorial:

 

Prince Bertil Memorial takes place each year in Stockholm, Sweden, in honour of Prince Bertil, uncle to Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. The Prince was a race-car driver in the 1930s, using the pseudonym "Monsieur Adrian" to placate his disapproving father, later King Gustaf VI Adolf. Prince Bertil continued to act in the monarchy's best interests by forgoing marriage to his British girlfriend, Lilian Craig. Under Swedish law, which has since been changed, such a union with a commoner would have rendered him ineligible to serve as regent, should the need have arisen, to Carl Gustaf, son of Prince Bertil's deceased older brother. The Prince finally married the patient Lilian in 1976, three years after nephew Carl Gustaf was safely on the throne.

 

forums.autosport.com/topic/24708-prince-bertil-of-sweden/

The Armory Center for the Arts is pleased to present a collection of hand-carved, hand-painted birds and other animals, made by Japanese national Masato Wayne Sumida while interned at Poston War Relocation Center in La Paz County, Arizona. The exhibition, in the Armory’s Mezzanine Galleries, opens on Sunday, October 13, 2013 and runs through Sunday, January 26, 2014. A reception, free and open to the public, will take place on Saturday, October 12, from 7-9pm. A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida has been organized by Armory’s Gallery Director / Chief Curator Irene Tsatsos.

 

Poston War Relocation Center was located on a reservation three miles east of the Colorado River, was the largest Japanese internment camp, and was known for its poor sanitation and the unsettling relations between the interned Japanese and Japanese-Americans and the Colorado Native Americans who remained on the land after its repurposing. Masato Wayne Sumida lived at Poston for nearly 4 and a half years, from May 27, 1941 to November 20, 1945.

 

Sumida’s exquisite carvings – between 1” and 5” – depict a variety of brightly colored small animals, including fish and squirrels, but most are ornately painted birds. He made numerous carvings of mallards, cardinals, swans, owls, and more – each similar, yet with its own unique personality.

 

Sumida’s practice was associated with gaman, the Japanese Zen Buddhist term that refers to the idea of bearing through suffering with dignity and patience. During WWII, it also became synonymous with the objects made by the men and women who were held in the internment camps. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, ethnic Japanese were notified that they would be relocated within a week and that they were to carry everything they would need with them. Upon arrival at the camps, men, women, and children were housed in small rooms scantily furnished with a single light bulb, a wood burning stove, and cots. At first, people met their basic needs making chairs, knives, and posts on which to hang laundry. As their internment persisted, their production turned away from everyday practicalities and developed into an art form that symbolized their resilience and composure.

 

Masato Wayne Sumida’s beautiful carved and painted objects had been in safekeeping by his granddaughter Wendy Al and her husband, the artist Billy Al Bengston, after being found stored in a large trash can in her grandparents’ garage. Many Japanese-Americans of the era neglected to speak of the period, and the gaman made during internment were often given away, some sold at garage sales, or forgotten in storage spaces waiting to be rediscovered by the artists’ descendants decades later. Sumida’s son, Paul, recalls giving the birds, which were fashioned into earrings, brooches, and lapel pins, to his teachers as gifts.

 

Masato Wayne Sumida was born in Hiroshima Prefecture on October 13, 1903 and was orphaned at an early age. When he was 14 years old he took a boat to Mexico, arriving there illegally. He later swam across the Rio Grande River to enter the US. Before being interred Sumida lived in Boyle Heights, CA, where he worked as a gardener. After his release, he settled in Gardena, CA and took work as a sign painter. He was married to Hisako Sumida, who survived him. Masato Wayne Sumida died on September 12, 1995. The Sumida family members rediscovered the objects following Hisako’s death in 1999. Billy Al, seeing the objects for the first time, was overwhelmed by their creativity and beauty and launched the family’s efforts to preserve the collection.

 

The title of this show, A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida, quotes a line of haiku from Yajin Nakao, a poet interned at Rohwer War Relocation Center in Desha County, Arkansas:

 

Autumn foliage

California has now become

a far country

 

The tradition of haiku and other forms of poetry and writing persevered in the camps, where writers were able meet to discuss their works.

 

A Far Country: Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida runs in conjunction with the group exhibition Home Away, organized by Los Angeles-based independent curator Kris Kuramitsu, which highlights and contextualizes a group of artists that work in Los Angeles as well as other locations in Asia and Latin America, among them Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Mumbai, Tijuana, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.

 

Cozy up to a furniture collection that marries the beauty of a rich finish with the practicality of built-in storage. Boasting clean lines and generous open and enclosed shelves, the Skyline Collection turns a living room or entertainment area into an attractive, functional space where it's easy to relax. Grooves on the doors and drawers of each piece lend a trendy appeal to the finish, which is further enhanced by sleek metal handles. Built-in lights bathe your favorite treasures in a warm glow, drawing the eye to your precious collectibles and belongings and turning ordinary furniture into an extraordinary showcase. Consisting of 3 separate pieces, the collection is configurable to fit your specific space requirements.

Available in 2 finishes (Sumptous Cherry & Chocolate)

 

Gâtez-vous avec ce mobilier qui marie la beauté de notre fini cerisier somptueux tout en étant doté de pratiques espaces de rangement intégrés. Grâce à ses lignes épurées et à ses nombreuses tablettes, la collection Skyline permet de transformer une salle de séjour ou un coin divertissement en un espace attrayant et fonctionnel où il est facile de se détendre. Les rainures agrémentant les portes et les tiroirs de chaque article confèrent un charme des plus branchés, lequel est rehaussé par les sobres poignées en métal. La chaude lumière que diffuse l’éclairage intégré met en valeur vos trésors préférés, en attirant l’oeil sur vos précieux objets de collection et en métamorphosant un simple meuble en une vitrine extraordinaire. Les trois articles de cette collection peuvent s’agencer de manière à convenir à vos besoins particuliers en matière d’espace.

“Granite and Green”

We at Olde New England Granite are now designing and supplying materials for outdoor showers with attached water features – constructed entirely from reclaimed, weathered granite from our olde quarry. The greenery between really compliments and softens the aged granite. Everybody loves the practicality of an outdoor shower. The other unique “granite and green” treatments we are suppliers for includes – privacy hedges, patio backdrops, property boundaries, driveway borders and entry groupings. We invite you to come to the granite farm and see the array of our new and extensive inventory. You may even want to give our shower a whirl – BYOS.

 

History

 

[edit] Foundation and early years (1898–1918)

Renault Type D Serie B Voiturette 1901

Renault Type D Serie B Voiturette 1901

Renault AX 3-Seater 1909

Renault AX 3-Seater 1909

Renault DM Tourer 1914

Renault DM Tourer 1914

1923 40CV Model

1923 40CV Model

3D red_cyan glasses recommended for your viewing pleasure

Renault KJ-1 Tourer 1923

Renault KJ-1 Tourer 1923

Renault Celtaquatre Berline 1935

Renault Celtaquatre Berline 1935

 

Producing cars since late 1898, the Renault corporation was founded in 1899 as Société Renault Frères by Louis Renault, his brothers Marcel and Fernand, and his friends Thomas Evert and Julian Wyer. Louis was a bright, aspiring young engineer who had already designed and built several models before teaming up with his brothers, who had honed their business skills working for their father's textiles firm. While Louis handled design and production, Marcel and Fernand handled company management.

 

The first Renault car, the Renault Voiturette 1CV was sold to a friend of Louis' father after giving him a test ride on December 24, 1898. The client was so impressed with the way the tiny car ran and how it climbed the streets that he bought it.

 

The brothers immediately recognised the publicity that could be obtained for their vehicles by participation in motor racing and Renault made itself known through achieving instant success in the first city-to-city races held in Switzerland, resulting in rapid expansion for the company. Both Louis and Marcel Renault raced company vehicles, but Marcel was killed in an accident during the 1903 Paris-Madrid race. Although Louis Renault never raced again, his company remained very involved, including Ferenc Szisz winning the first ever Grand Prix motor racing[1] event in a Renault AK 90CV in 1906. Louis was to take full control of the company as the only remaining brother in 1906 when Fernand retired for health reasons.

 

The Renault reputation for innovation was fostered from very early on. In 1899, Renault launched the first production sedan car. At the time, cars were very much luxury items, and the price of the smallest Renaults available being 3000 francs reflected this; an amount it would take ten years for the average worker at the time to earn. As well as cars, Renault manufactured taxis, buses and commercial cargo vehicles in the pre-war years, and during World War I (1914–18) branched out into ammunition, military airplanes and vehicles such as the revolutionary Renault FT-17 tank. Company's military designs were so successful that Renault himself was honoured by the Allies for his company's contributions to their victory.[citation needed] By the end of the war, Renault was the number one private manufacturer in France.[citation needed]

 

[edit] Between the world wars (1919–38)

 

Louis Renault enlarged the scope of his company after 1918, producing agricultural and industrial machinery. However, Renault struggled to compete with the increasingly popular small, affordable "people's cars", while problems with the stock market and the workforce also adversely affected the company's growth. Renault also had to find a way to distribute its vehicles more efficiently. In 1920, he signed one of its first distribution contracts with Gustave Gueudet, an entrepreneur from northern France.

 

The pre-First World War cars had a distinctive front shape caused by positioning the radiator behind the engine to give a so called "coalscuttle" bonnet. This continued through the 1920s and it was not until 1930 that all models had the radiator at the front. The bonnet badge changed from circular to the familiar and continuing diamond shape in 1925. Renault models were introduced at the Paris Motor Show which was held in September or October of the year. This has led to a slight confusion as to vehicle identification. For example a "1927" model was mostly produced in 1928.

 

Renault produced a range of cars from small to very large. For example in 1928 which was the year when Renault produced 45,809 cars the range of 7 models started with a 6cv, a 10cv, the Monasix, 15cv, the Vivasix, the 18/24cv and the 40cv. There was a range of factory bodies, of up to 8 styles, and the larger chassis were available to coachbuilders. The number of a model produced varied with size. The smaller were the most popular with the least produced being the 18/24cv. The most expensive factory body style in each range was the closed cars. Roadsters and tourers (torpedoes) were the cheapest.

 

The London operation was very important to Renault in 1928. The UK market was quite large and from there "colonial" modified vehicles were dispatched. Lifted suspensions, enhanced cooling and special bodies were common on vehicles sold to the colonies. Exports to the USA by 1928 had almost reduced to zero from their high point prior to WW1 when to ship back a Grand Renault or similar high class European manufactured car was common. A NM 40cv Tourer had a USA list price of over $4,600 being about the same as a V12 Cadillac Tourer. Closed 7 seat limousines started at $6,000 which was more expensive than a Cadillac V16 Limousine.

 

The whole range was conservatively engineered and built. The newly introduced 1927 Vivasix, model PG1, was sold as the "executive sports" model. Lighter weight factory steel bodies powered by a 3180 cc six cylinder motor provided a formula that went through to the Second World War.

 

The "de Grand Luxe Renaults", that is any with over 12 foot wheelbase (3.68m), were produced in very small numbers in two major types - six and eight cylinder. The 1927 six cylinder Grand Renault models NM, PI and PZ introduced the new three spring rear suspension that considerably aided road holding that was needed as with some body styles over 90 mph (140 km/h) was possible. The 8 cylinder Reinastella was introduced in 1929. This model lead on to a range culminating in the 1939 Suprastella. All Grand Renaults from 1923 are classed as classics by CCCA. Coachbuilders included Kellner, Labourdette, J.Rothschild et Fils and Renault bodies. Closed car Renault bodies were often trimmed and interior wood work completed by Rothschild.

 

Renault also introduced in 1928 an upgraded specification to the larger cars designated "Stella". Vivastella's and Grand Renaults had upgraded interior fittings and had a small star fitted above the front hood Renault diamond. This proved to be a winning marketing differentiator and in the 1930's all cars changed to the Stella suffix from the previous two alpha character model identifiers.

 

The Grand Renaults were built using a considerable amount of aluminium. Engines, brakes, transmissions, floor and running boards and all external body panels were aluminium. Unfortunately of the few that were built many went to scrap to aid the War effort.

 

[edit] World War II and after (1939–71)

 

During World War II, Louis Renault's factories worked for Nazi Germany producing trucks with work on cars officially forbidden. He was, for this reason, arrested during the liberation of France in 1944 and died in prison before having prepared his defense. An autopsy later showed that his neck had been broken, suggesting that he was murdered. His industrial assets were seized by the provisional government of France. The Renault factories became a public industry (known as Régie Nationale des Usines Renault) under the leadership of Pierre Lefaucheux.

 

In the years immediately following its nationalisation Renault experienced something of a resurgence, led by the rear engine 4CV model, which was launched in 1946 and proved itself a capable rival for cars such as the Morris Minor and Volkswagen Beetle, its success (more than half a million sold) making sure it remained in production until 1961. There was also a large mechanically conventional 2-litre 4-cylinder car, the Renault Fregate, from 1951 to 1960.

 

As with earlier Renault models, the company made extensive use of motor racing to promote the 4CV, the car winning both the Le Mans 24 Hours and Mille Miglia races as well as the Monte Carlo rally. However, despite the success of its flagship model, the company continued to be blighted by labor unrest, and indeed continued to be well into the 1980s.

1956 Renault 4CV

1956 Renault 4CV

 

The 4CV's replacement, the Dauphine, sold extremely well as the company expanded production and sales further abroad, including Africa and North America. The car did not sell well in North America and it was outdated by the start of the 1960s. In an attempt to revive its flagging fortunes, Renault launched two cars which were to become phenomenally successful — the Renault 4 and Renault 8 in 1961 and 1962 respectively. The R8 continued Renault's traditional rear-engined layout, but the R4 started the revolution to front engined/front wheel drive. R4 production continued until 1992. The larger rear-engined Renault 10 followed the success of the R8, but was the last of the rear-engined Renaults. The company achieved success with the more modern and more upmarket Renault 16 launched in 1966, which continued Renault's reputation for innovation by being the world's first hatchback larger than subcompact size. The smaller Renault 6 followed, in the style of the R16.

 

[edit] Modern era (1972–80)

The new Renault corporate logo introduced in 1972, as part of the major brand revamp carried out to coincide with the launch of the Renault 5 hatchback.

The new Renault corporate logo introduced in 1972, as part of the major brand revamp carried out to coincide with the launch of the Renault 5 hatchback.

 

The company's compact and economical Renault 5 model, launched in 1972, was another success, particularly in the wake of the 1973 energy crisis. The R5 remained in production until 1984 when it was replaced by the Super5. The formula was much the same however, and the Super5 inherited its styling lines from its father (however with a transversal engine, as opposed to the longitudinal engine inherited by the first generation Renault 5 from the Renault 4). Soon after, the four-door Renault 12 model slotted into the Renault range between the R6 and the R16, and introduced a new styling theme. Throughout the '70s the R4, R5, R6, R12 and R16 maintained Renault's production. In the '80s the latter two were replaced by the R9 (and its R11 sedan variation) and the R15/R17 sport coupes. Both the R15/R17 were essentially identical two-door coupes, but while the R15 had a large glassy greenhouse, the R17 had thick pillars behind the doors, with slatted windows, to make it look the sportier of the two.

 

Endangered like all of the motor industry by the energy crisis, during the mid seventies the already expansive company diversified further into other industries and continued to expand globally, including into South East Asia. The energy crisis also provoked Renault's attempt to reconquer the North American market; despite the Dauphine's success in the United States in the late 1950s, and an unsuccessful car-assembly project in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, (1964–72), Renault as a stand-alone brand, began to disappear from North America at the end of the '70s.

 

Throughout the decades Renault developed a collaborative partnership with Rambler and its successor American Motors Corporation (AMC). From 1962 to 1967, Renault assembled complete knock down (CKD) kits of the Rambler Classic sedans in its factory in Belgium. Renault did not have large or luxury cars in its product line and the "Rambler Renault" was aimed as an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz "Fintail" cars. Similar to the fate of some of these Mercedes cars at the time, many of these "American" Renaults finished their life working as taxis. Later, Renault would continue to make and sell a hybrid of AMC's Rambler American and Rambler Classic called the Renault Torino in Argentina (sold through IKA-Renault). Renault partnered with AMC on other projects, such as development of a rotary concept engine in the late 60s, and would eventually own AMC in 1980.

1965 Renault Rambler sales brochure

1965 Renault Rambler sales brochure

 

This was one of a series of collaborative ventures undertaken by Renault in the late 1960s and 1970s, as the company established subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, most notably Dacia in Romania, and South America (many of which remain active to the present day) and forged technological cooperation agreements with Volvo and Peugeot (for instance, for the development of the PRV V6 engine, which was used in Renault 30, Peugeot 604, and Volvo 260 in the late 1970s.).

 

In the mid 1960s an Australian arm, Renault Australia, was set up in Heidelberg, Melbourne, the company would produce and assemble models from the R8, R10, R12, R16, sporty R15, R17 coupe's to the R18 and R20, soon the company would close in 1981. Interestingly Renault Australia did not just concentrate on Renaults, they also built and marketed Peugeots as well. From 1977, they assembled Ford Cortina station wagons under contract- the loss of this contract led to the closure of the factory.

1974 Renault 15 coupe

1974 Renault 15 coupe

 

In North America, Renault formed a partnership with AMC, loaning AMC operating capital and buying a small percentage of the company in late 1979. Jeep was keeping AMC afloat until new products, particularly the XJ Cherokee, could be launched. When the bottom fell out of the 4x4 truck market in early 1980 AMC was in danger of going bankrupt. To protect its investment Renault bailed AMC out with a big cash influx — at the price of a controlling interest in the company — 47.5%. Renault quickly replaced some top positions in AMC with their own people.

 

The Renault–AMC partnership also resulted in the marketing of Jeep vehicles in Europe. Some consider the Jeep XJ Cherokee as a joint AMC/Renault project since some early sketches of the XJ series was done as a collaboration of both Renault and AMC engineers (AMC insisted that the XJ Cherokee was designed by AMC personnel; however, a former Renault engineer designed the Quadra-Link front suspension for the XJ series). The Jeep also used wheels and unique rocking seats from Renault. Part of AMC's overall strategy when the partnership was first discussed was to save manufacturing cost by using Renault sourced parts when practical, and some engineering expertise. This led to the improvement of the venerable AMC in-line six — a Renault/Bendix based port electronic fuel injection system (usually called Renix) that transformed it into a modern, competitive powerplant with a jump from 110 hp to 177 hp with less displacement (4.0L vs. 4.2L).

 

The Renault-AMC marketing effort in passenger cars was not as successful compared to the popularity for Jeep vehicles. This was because by the time the Renault range was ready to become established in the American market, the second energy crisis was over, taking with it much of the trend for economical, compact cars.

 

One exception was the Renault Alliance (Renault 9), which debuted for the 1983 model year. Assembled at AMC's plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Alliance was an instant hit with more economically minded buyers. Motor Trend gave its domestic Car of The Year award for 1983 to the Alliance, a surprising pick to many. The Alliance's 72% U.S. content allowed it to qualify as a domestic vehicle, making it the first car with a foreign nameplate to win the award. (In 2000, Motor Trend did away with separate awards for domestic and imported vehicles.)

 

Renault sold some interesting models in the U.S. in the 1980s, especially the simple-looking but fun Renault Alliance GTA and GTA convertible — a real automatic-top convertible with a simple but clean euro-style design featuring a gently sloping hood, as well as a 2.0 L engine — big for a car of its class; and the ahead-of-its-time Renault Fuego coupe, which generated some excitement. The Alliance was followed by the Encore (Renault 11), an Alliance-based hatchback. This burst of success in the United States proved to be short-lived, though.

 

Renault's Wisconsin-built and imported models quickly became the target of customer complaints for poor quality, and sales plummeted. Eventually, Renault sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 after the assassination of Renault’s chairman, Georges Besse. The Renault Medallion (Renault 21 in Europe) sedan and wagon was sold from 1987 to 1989 through Jeep-Eagle dealerships. Jeep-Eagle was the new division Chrysler created out of the former American Motors. However, Renault products were no longer imported into the United States after 1989. Rumors have since persisted about Renault's return to the U.S. market; all of them have been unfounded.

 

A completely new full-sized 4-door sedan, the Eagle Premier, was developed during the partnership between AMC and Renault. The Premier design, as well as its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bramalea, Ontario, Canada, were the starting point for the sleek LH sedans such as the Eagle Vision and Chrysler 300M.

 

In the late seventies and early eighties Renault increased its involvement in motorsport, with novel inventions such as turbochargers in their Formula One cars. The company's road car designs were revolutionary also — the Renault Espace was one of the first minivans and was to remain the most well-known minivan in Europe for at least the next two decades. The second-generation Renault 5, the European Car of the Year-winning Renault 9, and the most luxurious Renault yet, the 25 were all released in the early 1980s, building Renault's reputation, but at the same time the company suffered from poor product quality which reflected badly in the image of the brand and the ill-fated Renault 14 is seen by many as the culmination of these problems in the early 1980s.

 

[edit] Restructuring (1981–95)

1986 Renault 21 berline

1986 Renault 21 berline

 

Although its cars were somewhat successful both on the road and on the track, Renault was losing a billion francs a month and reported a deficit of 12.5 billion in 1984. The government intervened and Georges Besse was installed as chairman; he set about cutting costs dramatically, selling off many of Renault's non-core assets, withdrawing almost entirely from motorsports, and laying off many employees. This succeeded in halving the deficit by 1986, but he was murdered by the left wing terrorist group Action Directe in November 1986. He was replaced by Raymond Lévy, who continued along the same lines as Besse, slimming down the company considerably with the result that by the end of 1987 the company was more or less financially stable.

 

A revitalised Renault launched several successful new cars in the early 1990s, including the phenomenally successful 5 replacement the Clio, the second-generation Espace, the innovative Twingo, the Laguna, and the 19. In the mid-1990s the successor to the R19, the Renault Mégane, was the first car ever to achieve a 4-star rating, the highest at the time, in EuroNCAP crash test in passenger safety. In 1998 Renault introduced Mégane Scénic, a completely new class of cars, a compact monospace with a footprint of a regular Mégane. The return to success on the road was matched by a return to success on the racetrack — Renault-powered cars won the Formula One World Championship in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 with Williams, and in 1995 with Benetton.

 

Throughout this period, Renault's European advertising famously made extensive use of Robert Palmer's song "Johnny And Mary." The earlier television advertisements used Palmer's original version, while a range of special recordings in different styles were produced during the 1990s; most famously Martin Taylor's acoustic interpretation which he released on his album Spirit of Django. Taylor recorded many alternate versions for Renault; the last being in 1998 for the launch of the all-new Renault Clio.

 

[edit] Privatization (1996–99)

 

It was eventually decided that the company's state-owned status was detrimental to its growth, and Renault was privatized in 1996. This new freedom allowed the company to venture once again into Eastern Europe and South America, including a new factory in Brazil and upgrades for the infrastructure in Argentina and Turkey. It also meant the end of the aforementioned successful Formula 1 campaign.

 

In the twenty-first century, Renault was to foster a reputation for distinctive, outlandish design. The second generation of the Laguna and Mégane featured ambitious, angular designs which turned out to be highly successful. Less successful were the company's more upmarket models. The Avantime, a bizarre coupé / multi-purpose mix vehicle, sold very poorly and was quickly discontinued while the luxury Vel Satis model did not sell as well as hoped. However, the design inspired the lines of the second generation Mégane, the most successful car of the maker. As well as its distinctive styling, Renault was to become known for its car safety; currently, it's the car manufacturer with the largest number of models achieving the maximum 5 star rating in EuroNCAP crash tests. The Laguna was the first Renault to achieve a 5 star rating; in 2004 the Modus was the first to achieve this rating in its category.

 

The government of France owns 15.7 per cent of the company. Louis Schweitzer has been the Chairman of Renault since 1992 and was CEO from 1992 to 2005. In 2005, Carlos Ghosn (also CEO of Nissan) became Renault's CEO, with Louis Schweitzer staying on as Chairman.

 

Renault owns Samsung Motors (Renault Samsung Motors) and Dacia, as well as retaining a minority (but controlling) stake (20%) in the Volvo Group. (Volvo passenger cars are now a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company). Renault bought 99% of the Romanian company Dacia, thus returning after 30 years, in which time the Romanians built over 2 milions cars, mostly Renault 8, 12 and 20.

 

[edit] The Renault Nissan Alliance (2000– )

2004 Renault Megane II

2004 Renault Megane II

 

Signed on March 27, 1999, the Renault–Nissan Alliance is the first of its kind involving a Japanese and a French company, each with its own distinct corporate culture and brand identity, linked through cross-shareholding. Renault has a stake of 44.4% in Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. while Nissan in turn has a 15% stake (non-voting) in Renault.

 

For 2004 Renault reported a 43% rise in net income to €3.5 billion and 5.9% operating margin, of which Nissan contributed €1,767 million. The Group (Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors) posted a 4.2% increase in worldwide sales to a record 2,489,401 vehicles, representing a global market share of 4.1%. Renault retained its position as the leading brand in Europe with 1.8 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold and market share of 10.8%.

 

The Renault–Nissan Alliance represents more than 9.8% of the worldwide market (5.74% for Nissan and 4.04% for the Renault group) with sales of 3,597,748 (Nissan) and 2,531,500 (Renault Group), placing the alliance fourth after GM, Toyota, and Ford in 2005.[1]

 

The marketing success was also matched by success of their return to the Formula 1 circuit as a manufacturer again after buying the Benetton team. The team went on to win both World Drivers and Constructors championships in 2005 and 2006 ahead of the vastly more experienced Ferrari and McLaren teams.

 

Renault is exhibiting a Hi-Flex Clio 1.6 16v at the 2006 Paris International Agricultural Show. This vehicle, which addresses the Brazilian market, features Renault-developed flexible-fuel engine technology, with a highly versatile engine that can run on fuel containing petrol and ethanol in any proportion (0% to 100% of either).

 

On June 30, 2006, the media reported that General Motors convened an emergency board meeting to discuss a proposal by shareholder Kirk Kerkorian to form an alliance between GM and Renault-Nissan. The hastily arranged meeting suggests that GM's board was treating Kerkorian's proposal with urgency. Coincidentally, unsubstantiated rumours have been circulating about Renault's possible return to the U.S. market. There has been speculation that a GM–Renault–Nissan alliance could pave the way for Renault's return to the U.S. market, since GM could eliminate some of its less profitable brands, and offer the owners of dealerships that would otherwise close Renault dealerships.

 

However, GM CEO Richard Wagner felt that an alliance would benefit Renault's shareholders more than those of GM, and that GM should receive some compensation for it. This did not sit well with Renault; subsequently, talks between GM and Renault ended on October 4, 2006.

 

On February 29, 2008, Renault acquired a blocking stake in largest Russian automaker VAZ. Long in the need to modernize its technology, VAZ was seeking for strategical partnership since late 90'es. Its owners tried to form an alliance with various foreign automakers, such as General Motors. Most of these attempts weren't all that successful, however, and generally fell through.

 

Renault was in talks with VAZ on and off since 2005, initially insisting on CKD assembly of Logan cars on its facilities, while VAZ intended to keep its own Lada brand and only wishing to acquire a new platform and engine. After several rounds of talks, between which VAZ also sought alliance with Fiat and Magna, Renault agreed to the partnership term not unlike earlier Nissan deal.

 

Renault and VAZ major stockholder, state corporation Rosoboronexport, are to form a holding, jointly owning 50% share in VAZ, with French side receiving several key positions in a management structure, such as Chief Operational Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Engineer. In return, Renault is to supply a new platform for Lada brand and assist in plant's modernization.

 

[edit] Corporate governance

 

Current members of the board of directors of Renault are:

 

* Yves Audvard

* Michel Barbier

* Alain Champigneux

* François de Combret

* Charles de Croisset

* Carlos Ghosn

* Jean-Louis Girdolle

* Itaru Koeda

* Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière

* Dominique de La Garanderie

* Bernard Larrouturou

* Henri Martre

* Jean-Claude Paye

* François Pinault

* Franck Riboud

* Louis Schweitzer

* Georges Stcherbatcheff

* Robert Studer

 

[edit] Timeline

 

* 1898 - Louis Renault founded Renault

* 1903 - Marcel Renault dies in a car accident

* 1943 - The Renault factory in Billancourt is attacked by the German army

* 1944 - Louis Renault dies

* 1961 - The Renault 4 goes on sale to give Renault a practical competitor for the likes of the Citroën 2CV and Volkswagen Beetle.

* 1965 - Renault launches the world's first production hatchback - the Renault 16.[citation needed]

* 1971 - Renault launches the Renault 15 and Renault 17 two-door coupes, giving it a serious competitor for the Ford Capri.

* 1972 - Renault enters the new "supermini" market with its R5 hatchback, one of the first such cars in this sector. On its launch, the R5 only has three similar competitors - the Fiat 127, Autobianchi A112 and Peugeot 104.

* 1976 - The Renault 5 Alpine is launched, giving the marque its first entrant into the Hot hatch market. Possibly one of the very first hot hatches, going into production in the same year as the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

* 1977 - Renault enters the small family hatchback market with the 14, which is one of Europe's first hatchbacks of this size.

* 1979 - Renault buys a stake in American Motors, with a view to establishing itself on the American market.

* 1980 - Renault launches the 5 Turbo, which is designed as a rally car but does include roadgoing versions. It ditches the front-drive, front-engined layout for a mid-mounted engine (in place of the rear seats) and rear-wheel drive.

* 1981 - Renault launches the 9 a four-door saloon, a modern three-box design which is designed to keep the market interest in saloons at a time when hatchbacks are becoming the norm in this sector. It is voted European Car of the Year.

* 1982 - Renault becomes the second European automaker to build cars in the United States, after Volkswagen. The Alliance, the North American version of the 9, is manufactured in Wisconsin by American Motors and debuts as a 1983 model. It is voted Car of the Year by Motor Trend.

* 1983 - Renault launches the 11 - a hatchback version of the R9. It gives Renault its first serious rival to the Volkswagen Golf. It goes on sale in the fall in the United States as the Encore.

* 1984 - Renault enters the executive car market with the large 25 hatchback, aimed directly at the likes of the Ford Granada, Rover SD1 and Opel Rekord.

* 1985 - Renault launches the Espace - Europe's first multi-purpose vehicle. It gains praise from all over Europe thanks to its unique practicality and innovation.

* 1986 - On April 9 the Government of France rules against the privatization of Renault.

* 1986 - Renault replaces the 18 with the all-new R21 saloon and Savanna seven-seater estate.

* 1987 - Renault sells its stake in American Motors to Chrysler.

* 1988 - The 9 and 11 ranges are replaced by a single model, the 19, which is praised for its excellent ride and handling, as well as the frugality and refinement of its diesel engines.

* 1990 - Renault launches the Clio supermini, designed as an eventual replacement for the Renault 5. The Clio is the first new model of a generation which will see the numeric models replaced by new cars with traditional nameplates. It sets supermini benchmarks for build quality, comfort and space, and is voted European Car of the Year.

* 1991 - The Renault 19 becomes available as a cabriolet, and a mild facelift sees the standard range's exterior styling refreshed.

* 1992 - Louis Schweitzer becomes president of Renault group.

* 1992 - Renault moves into the city car market with its Twingo, a small hatchback with a "cube" design that maximises interior space, though it is only built with left-hand drive. It re-enters the executive market with the Safrane, an ultramodern large hatchback which replaces the R25.

* 1995 - Renault 5 production finishes after nearly a quarter of a century. It had been produced in Slovenia since the launch of the Clio in 1990.

* 1995 - Renault replaces the Renault 19 with the Megane, a range of hatchbacks, saloons, estates, coupes and cabriolets.

* 1996 - Renault enters the new "compact MPV" market with its Megane-based Scenic. It is voted European Car of the Year, fighting off competition from the Ford Ka and Volkswagen Passat

* 1996 - The company was privatised to create Renault S.A.

* 1997 - The all-new Espace goes on sale with a more upmarket image than its predecessor, that served the company for over 10 years.

* 1998 - The second generation Clio is launched, using an all-new body and being one of the most competitively-priced European superminis, though its styling is not to all tastes.

* 1999 - Renault purchased a 36.8 percent equity stake in Nissan, the almost bankrupt Japanese car maker, by injecting US$3.5 billion to obtain effective control of the company under Japanese law. Renault vice-president, Carlos Ghosn was parachuted in to turn round the ailing firm. Nissan also owns 15% of Renault in turn.

* 2000 - Renault launches the Laguna II - the first European family car to feature "keyless" entry and ignition.

* 2001 - Renault sold its industrial vehicle subdivision (Renault Véhicules Industriels) to Volvo, which renamed it Renault Trucks in 2002. The Clio undergoes a major facelift and the launch of a 1.5 direct-injection diesel engine to keep it competitive in the supermini sector.

* 2002 - Benetton Formula One team formally becomes Renault F1, Renault increases its stake in Nissan to 44.4 percent.

* 2002 - Renault gains another European Car of the Year success with its second generation Megane, a quirky-looked car which is set to form the basis of Nissan's Almera replacement later in the decade.

* 2003 - Renault expands in Megane hatchback range with coupe-cabriolet, estate (SportsTourer) and sedan (SportsSaloon) variants.

* 2004 - The Renault factory in Billancourt is demolished.

* 2005 - Carlos Ghosn becomes president.

* 2005 - The Clio III is elected European Car of the Year 2006 and gains plaudits from all over Europe for its class-leading qualities. The previous generation Clio is set to continue for a while until the Twingo II goes on sale. Renault F1 win the constructors world championship as well as the drivers championship.

* 2006 - In February, Carlos Ghosn announced the "Renault Commitment 2009" plan focusing on three main goals :

o sell 800 000 more cars than in 2006

o Reach an operating margin of 6%

o Place the new Laguna in terms of quality and service rate.

 

The same year, Renault and Nissan engaged talkes with General Motors to study a potential alliance. This approach was finally abandoned due to the fact that GM asked for money as "entry ticket" from Renault. Renault F1 win the constructors world championship as well as the drivers championship for the second year in succession.

 

* 2007 - The third generation Laguna is introduced, strengthening Renault's position in the large family car sector.

 

[edit] Renault in the UK

 

The first popular Renault motor vehicles to achieve sustained sales success in the United Kingdom were the R5 mini-car and R18, both of which attained six-digit sales figures during the late 1970s and early 1980s, although they failed to achieve anything like the volumes of established carmakers Ford, Vauxhall and Austin Rover.

 

Renault enjoyed a huge rise in popularity among British buyers on the arrival of the Clio supermini in early 1991. It was regularly among Britain's most popular cars each year during the 1990s and its successor (launched in 1998 alongside the final installment of the successful 'Nicole and Papa' advertising campaign), where the original model left off. The sedan/saloon version, called Thalia, was not launched in the UK.

 

Renault went from strength to strength in the UK during the 2000s following the introduction of its distinctively-styled Mégane hatchback in November 2002. Any suggestions that its quirky styling would not fit in with the tastes of British buyers were quickly confounded in 2005 when it was the fourth best selling car in Britain. Renault also helps produce cars known now as Nissan.

 

In 2006, it was the third most popular brand of car in the United Kingdom. Only Ford and Vauxhall sold more units.

 

[edit] List of vehicles

 

Main article: List of Renault vehicles

 

Current model line up:

 

* Mégane II (SW, CC, Saloon, Hatch 3 and 5 doors, launched 2002)

* Scénic II (Launched 2003)

* Grand Scénic (Launched 2003)

* Laguna III (Hatchback & Estate, launched 2007)

* Espace IV (& Grand Espace, launched 2002)

* Vel Satis (Launched 2002, no longer available in UK)

* 'Nouvelle' Twingo (Launched 2007)

* Modus (Launched 2004)

* Clio II (Supermini with hatchback and sedan body styles, launched 1998)

* Clio III (Lutécia III in Japan, launched 2005)

* Kangoo (Launched 1998)

* Trafic (Launched 2003)

* Logan (Launched 2004, Also available in India from 2007 with Mahindra-Renault tie-up) the maximum 5-star safety crash-test rating from EuroNCAP, and became the first maker to have seven cars with this rating.

 

Renault Laguna was the first medium-size car to obtain five-star rating, as well as the Modus and Megane in its own category.

 

[edit] Alternative propulsion

 

Israeli and Jordanian officials and executives are reported to be in discussions with executives from Renault-Nissan about setting up Israeli-Jordanian factory, in an agreement with Project Better Place, to make environmentally-friendly electric cars. Renault is working on development of exchangeable batteries.[2]

 

The electric cars, to be made in Europe, will run on a battery developed by Nissan and Japan's NEC and will be available in 2011. A prototype is already on the road in Israel and various models will be sold by Renault and Nissan. The car would cost the same or less than comparable gasoline engine autos and would have a lifetime warranty. Renault want mass market 10,000 to 20,000 cars a year in Israel. [3]

 

Also the Renault-Nissan group is in the PHEV Research Center.

 

[edit] Motorsport

Fernando Alonso driving for Renault F1 at Indianapolis in 2005, the year in which the team won their first Formula One championship.

Fernando Alonso driving for Renault F1 at Indianapolis in 2005, the year in which the team won their first Formula One championship.

 

Main article: Renault F1

Main article: Renault Sport

 

Motorsport has long been recognised as an effective marketing tool for automobile manufacturers. In the late seventies and early eighties, Renault began to involve itself more heavily in motorsport, setting up a dedicated motorsport division called Renault Sport, and winning the Le Mans 24 Hours (with the Renault Alpine A442, built in collaboration with newly-acquired Alpine) while achieving success in both rallying (with the Renault 5 Turbo) and Formula One. Initially, Renault's entry into Formula One in 1977 was ridiculed when the team's first design included such curiosities as a turbocharger. However, the team was to win their first race on home soil in Dijon a mere two years later and by the early eighties, every front-running Formula One team used turbochargers.

 

Renault also took over the Benetton F1 team in 2001, and quickly became very competitive, Fernando Alonso winning Renault's first race in its second incarnation at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. 2004 saw the Renault team finish a close third in the Constructors' Championship and in 2005 the team won both Constructors' and Drivers' titles (with Fernando Alonso). In 2006 Renault repeated its success of the previous year, again claiming both the Constructors' and Drivers' titles (again with Fernando Alonso before his departure to McLaren in 2007).

 

Questions have been raised regarding Renault's commitment to its Formula One team, particularly with the appointment of Carlos Ghosn as CEO. However at the 2005 French Grand Prix Ghosn set out his policy regarding the company's involvement in motorsport:

 

"We are not in Formula One out of habit or tradition. We're here to show our talent and that we can do it properly… Formula One is a cost if you don't get the results. Formula One is an investment if you do have them and know how to exploit them."

 

In short he will continue Renault's investment in F1 as long as the team is successful and can use the resulting publicity for wider commercial gain. Conversely if the team is unsuccessful in future it can be expected that Ghosn will withdraw resources from the sport.

 

In 2006 Carlos Ghosn finally announced that the team would stay in F1 in the long term (at least until 2012) putting an end to the rumors.

 

[edit] Accolades

 

Renault cars have performed well in the European Car of the Year awards. The Clio is the only car since the prize's conception in 1964 to win the award twice.

 

* 1966: Renault 16

* 1982: Renault 9

* 1991: Renault Clio

* 1997: Renault Scénic

* 2003: Renault Mégane II

* 2006: Renault Clio III

 

The Renault 12 (1970), Renault 5 (1972), Renault 20 (1976), Renault 25 (1985) and Renault Laguna (2002) have all achieved runners-up in spot in the competition. Renaults most recent models are well known for their safety, all but 4 of the current models have achieved the maximum 5-star rating by the EuroNCAP crash-test assessment programme. Renault has regularly topped the French car sales charts, fighting off fierce competition from Citroën and Peugeot.

 

[edit] Overseas Accolades

 

Wheels magazine has announced its Car of the Year every year since 1963, with the exception of 1972, 1979 and 1986 when no cars were considered worthy of the honour. It is considered Australia's most prestigious automotive award. Wheels Magazine itself contends that its Car of the Year award remains the oldest continuous award of its kind in the world.

 

The inaugural Australian Wheels Car of the Year award was won by the R8 in 1963 (particularly in consideration to its four wheel disc brake system), and Renault won again in 1970 when the Renault 12 won the prestigious award.

 

[edit] Typeface

 

Both the Renault logo and its documentation (technical as well as commercial) had used a specially designed typeface called Renault, developed by British firm Wolff Olins. This type family is said to have been designed not for prestige reasons, but mainly to save costs at a time where the use of typefaces was more costly than it is now.

 

In 2004, French typeface designer Jean-François Porchez was commissioned to design a replacement. This was shown in October of that year and is called Renault Identité.

 

[edit] Miscellanea

 

* The Renault factory in Billancourt is the visual inspiration for the factory seen on Code Lyoko and featured some of it's vehicles in the series.

* Renault also built rail vehicles. Mainly autorail type vehicles.

* Renault sponsored and was heavily featured in Le Visionarium a time-travel film at Disneyland Paris.

 

[edit] Pronunciation

 

When its cars were exported to the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, the name was commonly mispronounced as "Ren-alt" to and by the American public, and the Americanized pronunciation continues in common usage, though the original French has gained significant ground over recent years. Presently in the United Kingdom it is also incorrectly pronounced as "Reh-no". The correct pronunciation is "Ruh-no".

 

[edit] See also

 

* List of Renault vehicles

* Alpine (car)

* Renault Trucks

* Dacia (car)

* Renault Samsung Motors

* Renault F1

* Renault Sport

* Renault Spider

* Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport

* Renault Clio Renault Sport

* Renault Mégane Renault Sport

* Renaultsport Clio 197

 

[edit] References

 

1. ^ 100 years in the driving seat: Renault celebrates a century of Grand Prix Victories. Renault UK. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.

2. ^ www.eetimes.eu/france/199700777?cid=RSSfeed_eetimesEU_france , www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46560/story.htm , www.projectbetterplace.com/press-room/press-releases/rena...

3. ^ Planet Ark : Renault to Develop Electric Cars for Israel

 

[edit] External links

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Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links.

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Renault

 

* Official site

* Renault Sustainable Development site.

* Renault Sport France (english site)

* Renault Sport United Kindgom

* Renault Sport - World Series

* Renault Sport - History

* Yahoo! - Renault SA Company Profile

* Euro NCAP crash tests

* Renault and hybrid vehicles.

* Paul Krill (2008-01-30). Renault in Linux deal with Microsoft, Novell. InfoWorld. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.

 

[edit] Clubs

 

* Renault Owners Forum - English

* Renault 11 Club Argentina - Spanish

* Renault Clio 16v mk1 Club

* Renault 9 Club Argentina

* Renault club site for all models

* (French) Club renault 19 - Club Renault 19 et forum sur les 19

* Renault 4 club Serbia

* Performance Renaults Club and Online Forums

* Club Renault Sportives, large dutch Renault Club

* Renault Club in Ukraine

* Renault Car Club in Victoria Australia

* french car owners club

* Renault Turbo owners club

* Renault Klub Serbia

* Renault Club in Thailand

* Club Renault Laguna en España

 

[edit] Models

 

* Renault 5 site mostly 5GTE

* Mégane II Owners' Club

* Fansite about Renault 5, most popular model

* Renault 15-17 Register of Australia

* Renault Gordini Enthusiasts

* Huge French Renault 12 Gordini website

* Renault 5 Site

 

[edit] Renault forums

 

* Renault Owners Forum - English

* Planet Renault Forum - French

* Renaultsport uk Forum - English

* RenaultForums enthusiast and owners community

* AussieFrogs Renault Forum - English

* Australian RenaultSport Forum - English

 

Cap Sante Marina.

 

Grasshopper is a unique and efficient motorboat designed and built by the renowned boat builder Russell Brown of Port Townsend Watercraft.

 

Here's what makes the Grasshopper notable:

 

Experimental Design: It was conceived as an experiment in efficiency, utilizing leftover parts.

Construction: It features a custom plywood and composite pod mounted on Tornado catamaran hulls, braced with repurposed carbon mast sections.

Power and Efficiency: It's powered by an extra-long-shaft 15hp Honda 4-stroke outboard, achieving impressive fuel efficiency: 15 knots at 1 gallon per hour in various conditions.

Practicality: Despite its unconventional appearance, it's described as a stable and dry "pickup truck of the seas," weighing only around 500 pounds including the engine.

Camp Cruising: A platform can be added to span the bench seats, accommodating two adults for comfortable sleeping, often used with a simple rainfly for shelter.

Adventures: Russell Brown has used the Grasshopper for trips like Port Townsend to Desolation Sound and others have explored the San Juan Islands with it.

 

Russell Brown is well-known for his innovative boat designs, particularly his proas and efficient small craft, as well as his expertise in epoxy and composite construction. The Grasshopper stands out as a testament to his creative problem-solving and focus on practical, efficient boating.

 

-Google Gemini AI

 

Armenian Orthodox Christmas mass and procession inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 18, 2011. Church services and ceremonies are conducted in the Cathedral of Nativity all night long and until the next day.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas Celebration at the Church of the Nativity, West Bank town of Bethlehem January 6, 2011. Ethiopia (and especially the Ethiopian Orthodox Church) still use the old Julian calendar, so the celebrate Christmas on January 7th. The Christmas celebration in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is called Ganna. Most people go to Church on Christmas day.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

  

Today I simply needed some fresh air so I put on mah face and bundled the offsprings outdoors to wander aimlessly in the rain until hunger got the better of us and we partook in a rather late lunch in a random establishment... Which happened to be a Supermarket Cafe... CLASSY!

 

The only spectacular thing that happened was my in readable feat of almost somersaulting in a flashy yet somewhat flatly manner and landing on my touches to the delight of some and the horror of others... OY VEY ZMIR! THERE GOES OUR CROSSDRESSER FLYING THROUGH THE AIR!!!

 

SPLAT!!!

 

I was fine albeit in possession of slightly bruised ego. I couldn't even fault any environmental condition such as wet floor. The truth is that I wore one of my shoes of awesome. Shoes of awesome are gloriously beautiful and also cause awesome accidents. They also result in awesome back ache, in growing toe nails and possibly can inflict famine, war and general bad weather... Maybe!

 

BUT DAMMIT THEY ARE TOTALLY WORTH THE MISERY!

 

Sheer serotonin my darlings.

 

I have plenty of crazy, unreasonable shoes but here are my three favourites.

 

The one responsible for today's spectacular are the grey and black four inch lovelies at the back. The white and black lacquer at the front are the narrowest motherfuckers known to woman kind but I am a maxochist to the siren song of their elegance, the red ones at the back are silly and actually rather comfortable despite the three inch they boast. However they have been known to cause temporary blindness to anything shorter than a meter... Babies and pets should head this warning! THEY ARE SHINY GLOWY SPARKLY LOVE!!!

 

That is me and the ridiculous. Going to lift my aching but VERY satisfied feet up now...

Thanks to the members of staff allowing us to take photos and look round the buses. Also thanks to the staff member who took the time to talk to us about the practicalities of the bendies, and the impracticality of YK06AUA which came here for trials last year.

Ford's forth generation Focus, codenamed C519 launched in 2018, replacing the previous C346 Focus in markets outside North America.

 

One semi-crossover variant, the Focus Active, was due to be built in China for export to the US, but was cancelled due to a trade dispute.

 

The C519 model retained the 5-door hatchback, saloon and estate models of the previous version, with the added Active variant a high-riding version of the hatchback or estate.

 

Most Focus C519 models are powered by 3-cylinder Ecoboost engines of 1.0L or 1.5L capacity, while 1.5L and 2.0L Panther 4-cylinder diesels are available, but with lower customer takeup due to market shift away from Diesels. A 2.3L Ecoboost is available in the performance ST trim.

 

The model shown is the high-specification Titanium Hatchback in one of the louder reddish-orange hues, which currently resides in my driveway (not driving much during COVID) as my company car.

 

I love the colour, and the practicality and functional performance are strong points. The fuel economy, and the lack of luxury feel are negatives.

Australia, Adelaide, 25-10-2015.

Solar Team Eindhoven:

Bij de World Solar Challenge zijn wederom de teams van Eindhoven en Delft beide eerste geworden. Zonnewagens uit veel landen streden tijdens een tocht van 3000 km. midden door Australie.

Stella Lux, de energie-positieve familie zonnewagen van Solar Team Eindhoven heeft gewonnen in de Cruiser klasse, waarin snelheid niet de enige factor is, ook het aantal meegereden passagiers en jury-oordeel over bv comfort, besturingsgemak en innovatie tellen mee. Ondanks de snellere tijd van het Japanse team van Kogakuin wint Eindhoven dus alsnog.

In de Challenger klasse was al bekend dat Nuon Solar Team uit Delft de winnaar was. Solar Team Twente werd nipt tweede.

foto: TU Eindhoven / Bart van Overbeeke.

 

At the World Solar Challenge the Dutch teams from Eindhoven and Delft have both won first place again. Solar Cars from many countries competed during a 3000 km. drive through Australia.

Stella Lux, the energy-positive family solar car from Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven won in the Cruiser Class, where speed is not the only winning factor also number of passengers and practicality judgement also count. Cars are judged for space, driving comfort, innovation, etc. Despite the faster time by the Japanese team from Kogakuin, Eindhoven still wins.

In the Challenger Class it was already known that Nuon Solar Team from Delft won with Solar Team Twente (also Dutch) as a close second.

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered motorcycle in January 1886, ] and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a 1873 Bollée steam-engine automobile by the addition of a petrol engine the same year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company. Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in other vehicles several years later.

In 1925, in Germany, 80 manufacturers produce 144 different cars mostly in small numbers. The merger in 1926 of two manufacturers and Daimler Benz gave birth to a group of considerable power. Therefore, the Stuttgart firm would offer a range of models that would often be admired the world over. Since 1928, the S Series would give birth to the famous SS and SSK (1929). This series would soon lead luxurious famous 380K (1932), 500K (1934) and 540K (1936) all featuring an 8-cylinder engine compressor. The range was crowned by the Grosser 770K (1937), featuring a large limousines 8-cylinder engine compressor 7.7 liters of displacement, which were the official cars of dignitaries of the regime. The average range was composed of 170 (1930), 200 (1932) and 230 (1936) in all 6 cylinders. The 230 is also available with a diesel engine (the first diesel car series). These cars were the first to be equipped with wheel suspension.

At the beginning of the 1930s, inspired by the modern streamlined shape, there were attempts to move the engines from the forward compartment to the rear of the car. Such a move allows to decrease the volume of the front compartment. At the same time, the voluminous rear provides a lot of space above and behind the rear axle. Moreover, when fitted on the drive axle shaft were eliminated. The most famous such development was with the Tatra cars under the leadership of Hans Ledwinka.

In 1930, Daimler-Benz AG entrusted Hans Nibel with the development of a small rear engine car based on the same principles. In 1931 the type W17 or 120 was created, a four-seat, equipped with two doors, vertical front and rear wheels and a four-cylinder boxer engine in the rear, with a displacement of 1200 cc and a power of 25 hp (18.4 kW). There were also attempts to row across built four-cylinder engines. In 1933 Mercedes built a vehicle with a front similar to the VW Beetle later and a far extensive tail. The front wheel of the type W25 D or 175 is slanted or tilted backwards, in the middle of the tail fin attached hood divides the oval rear window, so it anticipated the small oval two piece rear window of the Beetles known as "pretzel form". The "D" referred to the three-cylinder diesel engine OM 134 with an output of 30 hp (22 kW), but due to high noise level, this vehicle was again rejected. From this type, 12 test cars were assembled

The Mercedes-Benz 130 was presented in February 1934 at the Berlin Car Show. The car was powered by a four-cylinder 1308 cm³ engine installed longitudinally in the rear compartment. The motor had a power of 26 PS (19 kW) and was able to propel the small two-door coach at a speed of 92 km/h. The synchronised four-speed gearbox (which would be called later 3 + E by VW) is accommodated in front of the rear axle, the balance being provided by coil springs. The front axle was equipped two cross-leaf springs.

The Mercedes-Benz 150 was derived in 1935 from the 130 with only two seats and a more powerful engine, with 1498 cm³ and a power of 55 PS (40 kW). The top speed of the car was 125 km/h.

The car was only offered as a Sport Roadster. The gas tank, which in the case of the Mercedes-Benz 130 was installed over the engine, was transferred to the front compartment, and therefore there was no room for luggage there. The practicality of the 150 was therefore very limited, and the price of the car was quite high at 6600 RM ; as a comparison the Mercedes-Benz 170 V had a price of 5500 RM. The car was discontinued in 1936 due to poor sales.

 

First of July 2017 I made my way to Stonehaven, a small fishing town a few miles from Aberdeen, while there the sun shone high in the blue sky making it a perfect day to capture the scenery and landscape surrounding me, hence I packed my Nikon D750 and made full use of it, I left Stonehaven around 16pm and drove the few miles to this wonderful location Dunnottar Castle, absolutely breathtaking , I post a few of the photos I have taken along with a brief history of castles heritage .

 

Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.

 

The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.

 

The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.

 

The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.

 

The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.

 

History

Early Middle Ages

A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "Dún Foither" in 681 and 694.

 

The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rí Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.

 

The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "Dún Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.

 

Later Middle Ages

During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.

 

In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.

 

In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.

 

Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.

 

In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.

 

William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.

 

16th century rebuilding

Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".

 

Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.

 

James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.

 

During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.

 

In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.

 

A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.

 

An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.

 

Civil wars

Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.

 

Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.

 

Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.

 

The Honours of Scotland

Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.

 

They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.

 

In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.

 

Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.

 

Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.

 

Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.

 

At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.

  

Whigs and Jacobites

Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.

 

The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.

 

The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.

 

The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".

 

Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.

 

Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.

 

In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.

 

Later history

The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for £41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.

 

In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.

 

Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about £80,000.

 

It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.

 

Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.

 

Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.

 

Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.

 

The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.

 

Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.

  

Description

Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.

 

The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).

 

The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".

 

Defences

The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.

 

The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.

 

Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.

 

Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.

 

The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.

 

A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.

 

Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.

 

Tower house and surrounding buildings

The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west

The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.

 

Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.

 

Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.

 

This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.

 

The palace

The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.

 

It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.

 

Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.

 

At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.

 

The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.

 

The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.

 

Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.

 

At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south...

Australia, Adelaide, 24-10-2015.

Stella Lux, de energie-positieve familie zonnewagen van Solar Team Eindhoven tijdens de 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Veel zonne-auto's in verschillende klassen reden 3000 km. van Darwin naar Adelaide. De Cruiser klasse met Stella Lux en het Japanse Kogakuin namen een ruime voorsprong en zorgen voor een spannende finale. In de Cruiser klasse is snelheid niet de enige factor, ook aantal passagiers gereden en jury-oordeel voor het echte auto-gevoel tellen mee. Ondanks de voorsprong van Kogakuin lijkt Stella Lux daarom een goede kandidaat voor de eerste plaats.De jurering bestaat uit onderdelen als zitcomfort, ruimte, besturingsgemak, aantrekkelijkheid, innovatie, achteruit inparkeren, bagageruimte, etc. De Challenger klasse is eerder gefinished met Nuon Solar Team (Delft) als winnaar en Solar Team Twente als 2e. /

photo: TU Eindhoven, Bart van Overbeeke /

Stella Lux, the energy-positive family solar car from Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven at the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Lots of solar cars in different classes competed during a 3000 km. trip from Darwin to Adelaide.The Cruiser class with Stella Lux and Japanese Kogakuin took the lead and make for an exciting finale. In Cruiser Class speed is not the only aspect, number of passengers and practical judgement also count. Despite the lead of Kogakuin Stella Lux seems to have a good chance on winning. Judges look at aspects like cabin space and comfort; features; ease of operation; desirability and innovation, reverse parking, room for luggage, etc. The Challenger Class has finished with Nuon Solar Team as winner and Solar Team Twente second.

The Zhongshan suit, or Mao suit as it is more commonly known in the West, remains a powerful sartorial signifier of China, despite the fact that it began disappearing from the wardrobes of most Chinese men and women, aside from government officials, in the early 1990s. For many Western designers, the appeal of the Mao suit rests in its principled practicality and functionalism. Its uniformity implies an idealism and utopianism reflected in its seemingly liberating obfuscation of class and gender distinctions. During the late 1960s, a time of international political and cultural upheaval, the Mao suit in the West became a symbol of an anticapitalist proletariat. In Europe, it was embraced enthusiastically by the left-leaning intelligensia specifically for a countercultural and anti-establishment effect.

[Met Museum]

 

Taken in the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' exhibition (May-September 2015).

 

This exhibition explores the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. In this collaboration between The Costume Institute and the Department of Asian Art, high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, including films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery.

From the earliest period of European contact with China in the sixteenth century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make-believe. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions.

The exhibition features more than 140 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear alongside Chinese art. Filmic representations of China are incorporated throughout to reveal how our visions of China are framed by narratives that draw upon popular culture, and also to recognize the importance of cinema as a medium through which to understand the richness of Chinese history.

[Exhibition description]

 

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue, New York

I'm back with Interior Design.

But a little different...

My style, my signature,

my essence...

As a RL decorator, I bring my essence to SL.

Because I wanted to serve everyone, I lost my essence and with it came frustration as a decorator... I felt something that didn't leave me at ease and with several insecurities. So I decided to assert myself about it.

I will have my office turned to Landscaping of all kinds as always ♥. But for the interior decoration it will be done only in the Minimalist style...

That's why I feel obliged to present you with a lot of love and affection some information and benefits of Minimalism.

And believe me, there are many. ♥

 

Talking about something you love is incredible so I'll start with the practicality in your house, everything organized without too much furniture that impedes the passage, but well organized and decorated. There will be details contrary to what many think about minimalist, but the right details. So as not to overload the environment and make it tiring to the eyes over time. Direct benefits within SL:

- Fewer items,

- More practicality (certain items with functional purposes),

- Fewer items to carry on the ground,

- Less lag,

- Fewer scripts.

 

One of my main proposals: I DON'T COPY STYLE OR DECORATION... I believe that every home and family has its essence and special touch, I want each place to be unique. Your home, both rl and sl, has to be your paradise and have your personality.

All my decoration creations will be based on your need information and not on copies of RL/SL references.

 

linktr.ee/emystarlightsl

Modern kitchen furniture or home dining kitchen furniture decor on your mind? Get modern kitchen furniture, contemporary kitchen furniture islands, home kitchen furniture decor, Italian dining kitchen furniture, contemporary bar furniture, designer island table sets & kitchen stools designer storage ideas online at Spacify! Contemporary kitchen tables, kitchen bar stools and bar furniture in our collection are a mix of perfect styling and practicality. Get inspired from our range of kitchen design, contemporary table, modern dining accessories and storage ideas and give your kitchen a makeover that`s trendy and functional. Italian kitchen furniture with modern bar stools is sleek, smart, functional, and extraordinary.

The Roman font used in this carving reflects the practicalities faced by original stone masons in ancient Rome. The serifs provide an entrance and exit path for the chisel. The Times newspaper commissioned an evolution of this classical font - "Times Roman" in 1931 - reputedly designed to take into account the smudging caused by ink bleed and the quick wear of soft lead "hot metal" on fast newspaper presses with cheap, low quality paper.

 

(Neither problem is an issue in today's offset age, but still the font remains popular. Fonts such as Verdana try to tackle the issue of readability / legibility on ghastly lower resolution computer displays.)

 

Part of a set of images taken at the Tunnel Road Sand Caves and Mines, Reigate, Surrey, UK - during an open day presented, managed and facilitated by the Wealdon Cave and Mine Society.

 

See also a related set of images taken at "Reconnect" - the Zíta Rá woodcarving sculpture exhibition and installation, also presented in part of the caves.

Armenian Orthodox Christmas mass and procession inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 18, 2011. Church services and ceremonies are conducted in the Cathedral of Nativity all night long and until the next day.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

Armenian Orthodox Christmas mass and procession inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 18, 2011. Church services and ceremonies are conducted in the Cathedral of Nativity all night long and until the next day.

 

Shortly about me:

 

It’s my passion to create stories and bring back pictures of events, people and places that are rarely seen. It’s a combination of exploration, exposition and artistry that together create a life of adventure and excitement.

 

In my work it is imperative for me that information be accurate and the images must be respectful of the subject and viewer. My goal is to combine creativity with practicality to capture the best possible images to document events, tell a story, meet the picture editor's deadlines.

 

The exhibition “Beautiful Faces of Balata” currently on show at the Church of the Ascension at the “Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation” on the Mount of Olive's can be visited on a virtual tour on my website. Virtual tour of the Exhibition »

 

The exhibition is a project of Public Culture - Palpics, under the auspices of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Yafa Cultural Center (YCC) .

 

If you would like to know more, or even just pick my brains to discuss your project with me, please visit my homepage documentary photography or send me an Email.

310 Claydon Way is located in one of the finer neighborhoods of Sacramento. Having the advantage of being almost riverside, access to the American River Parkway and bicycle path is just one block from the home, providing lovely walks through incredible natural scenery and wildlife.

 

Year round, this beautiful neighborhood known as Wilhaggin, shows off its aesthetic pride with floral blossoms and blooms. Unlike other fine neighborhoods in the Sacramento area, Wilhaggin is mostly composed of sprawling single story dwellings. with wide streets, sidewalks and street lights.

 

The "ambiance" of this kind of neighborhood intention is palpable -- quietude, modest elegance, comfortable curb appeal, an abundance of mature and establish landscaping and shade trees.

 

Back when these houses were made in the sixties -- before magazine living lifestyle took over and replaced practicality with the discomforts of looking sharp -- strong bones and durability were time-honored architectural concepts. Pleasing oneself was more important than pleasing the neighbors, so the focus of the aesthetic addressed things like "hot summers", "colder winters" and the need for shade and light.

 

There were many independent builders at that time who became famous for their designs and also for their creative concepts for creating ideal settings for a river-living climate.

 

Among those that rose to fame, Lewis & Bristow are known for their comfortable living designs that centered around poolside appreciation. Shaped like a "U", 310 Claydon Way has three giant sliders that open up onto a giant back yard patio. The patio has roll-down awnings for late afternoon sun shade but also lends itself to an outside office or enclosed dinner-time eating.

 

The automated irrigation system has just been completely restored and upgraded. Other changes that have been done recently include brand new carpet, new paint and a remodeled entry way.

 

The grounds are fully established and mature. There are an abundance of roses and azaleas which bloom seasonally. The redwood trees on the property and surrounding the property in the backyard are invaluable for shade and beauty.

 

And 310 Claydon Way is loaded with all manner of little details of this nature which make it easy to maintain with a minimal amount of work. A truly beautiful home with over 3100 square feet, 310 Claydon way has been called "Shangri La" and has particularly great appeal to a buyer who loves outdoor living as much as indoor living.

 

BASIC DETAILS:

 

2 car garage

 

It's a four bedroom home with the following breakdown:

2 bedrooms

Gigantic master suite with walk in closet

a fully functioning 15' x 22' sky-lighted with bay windows live/work studio suite or playroom nursery (wet bar sink in studio and giant bathroom with shower).

Pool

Established landscaping and strategically placed and invaluable Sequoia trees.

House-wide vacuuming system.

Attic exhaust fan system and shade awnings.

Built in cabinetry throughout.

Australia, Adelaide, 24-10-2015.

Stella Lux, de energie-positieve familie zonnewagen van Solar Team Eindhoven wordt op praktische eigenschappen gejureerd tijdens de 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Veel zonne-auto's in verschillende klassen reden 3000 km. van Darwin naar Adelaide. De Cruiser klasse met Stella Lux en het Japanse Kogakuin namen een ruime voorsprong en zorgen voor een spannende finale. In de Cruiser klasse is snelheid niet de enige factor, ook aantal passagiers gereden en jury-oordeel voor het echte auto-gevoel tellen mee. Ondanks de voorsprong van Kogakuin lijkt Stella Lux daarom een goede kandidaat voor de eerste plaats.De jurering bestaat uit onderdelen als zitcomfort, ruimte, besturingsgemak, aantrekkelijkheid, innovatie, achteruit inparkeren, bagageruimte, etc. De Challenger klasse is eerder gefinished met Nuon Solar Team (Delft) als winnaar en Solar Team Twente als 2e. /

photo: TU Eindhoven, Bart van Overbeeke /

Stella Lux, the energy-positive family solar car from Dutch Solar Team Eindhoven during practicality judging at the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Lots of solar cars in different classes competed during a 3000 km. trip from Darwin to Adelaide.The Cruiser class with Stella Lux and Japanese Kogakuin took the lead and make for an exciting finale. In Cruiser Class speed is not the only aspect, number of passengers and practical judgement also count. Despite the lead of Kogakuin Stella Lux seems to have a good chance on winning. Judges look at aspects like cabin space and comfort; features; ease of operation; desirability and innovation, reverse parking, room for luggage, etc. The Challenger Class has finished with Nuon Solar Team as winner and Solar Team Twente second.

Third generation of the Berlingo tall van, in the market since June of 2018. The new Berlingo sticks to the mission of its predecessors, offering an affordable family car. Engine choices include one three-cylinder petrol (110 PS) and three four-cylinder diesels (76 - 130 PS). I like how Citroën incorporated some of the design elements of the C4 Cactus and C3 into the Berlingo, bringing a touch of style to a class normally ruled by practicality.

 

The Berlingo shares its platform with the Opel Combo and Peugeot Rifter.

 

On exhibit at the Mondial de l'Auto 2018 in Paris.

As a balancing stone, Watermelon Tourmaline functions as a combination of male and female energies, both Yin and Yang together in one crystal. It can help to inspire both creativity and practicality, and connects the Heart Chakra to both physical and spiritual vibrations. Watermelon Tourmaline aids in removing insecurities and calming overactive emotions. Watermelon Tourmaline crystal is also believed to help attract love and resolve issues in relationships, infusing them with joy and Divine Love. These Watermelon Tourmaline Crystals are great for meditation, energy work, and grid work, and make a great addition to one's medicine bag and one of the best stones for healing the heart Chakra.

For over 900 years this iconic building has stood as a witness to the glory of God. The Cathedral is a building that has always been greatly loved by the people of Norfolk. During its first 450 years it formed part of a thriving Benedictine monastery serving the needs of the monks and other worshippers, pilgrims, travellers, and scholars as well as the people of Norfolk. The work of today's cathedral community remains grounded in the principles of its Benedictine founders namely worship , hospitality, and learning.

 

Through the generosity of individuals, churches, trusts and businesses we have now raised £10 million for a new Refectory and Hostry on the sites of the equivalent monastic buildings. Both are designed to help deliver Benedictine principles in the new millennium. The award winning Refectory Restaurant and Coffee Shop opened in 2004. During the day it serves delicious, locally sourced food to visitors and local businesses while at night it hosts special interest evenings and caters for private events. Building work has just begun on the Hostry Visitors' and Education Centre which will provide superb new facilities for education, exhibitions and community events, and the choir.

 

This website provides useful information about practicalities such as services, opening times, and accessibility, how to support the Cathedral through joining the Friends, or buying from our shop, as well as details about the architecture and history. Please contact us should you want to know more.

 

All are welcome at Norwich Cathedral - worshippers, pilgrims, tourists, those seeking refreshment or keen to learn, people of all faiths and none. We very much look forward to welcoming you and hope that you enjoy your visit.

 

The Very Revd Graham Smith, Dean of Norwich

Located at number 4. Murray Street, Colac's former post office is in a prime location at the gateway into the historical centre of the town.

 

Built in 1876 by the Public Works Department, it was extended in 1888 to reflect the Victorian Free Classical building that is seen today. It features a classical colonnade entrance, windows with attenuated vertical proportions, aedicules using prominent pillar detailing and a classically inspired clock over the entranceway.

 

The building has seen many changes over the years, as has its usage. The Colac telephone exchange commenced on the premises in 1904 with twenty-five subscribers.

 

Times have changed in Twentieth Century Colac, and the post office with a capacious dwelling for the postmaster became too large for the practicalities of the modern day business that Australia Post is, and they relocated to smaller, more modern and more central promises. Now the former Colac post office has found new life as a Chinese restaurant. However, because it is protected by the National Heritage Committee, no exterior advertising is permitted to be attached to the classical facade, which is why there are discreet signs in the upper floor windows and dainty Chinese lanterns hanging from the colonnade's arches. At night the clock, which still keeps good time, is illuminated by a violet coloured neon light that encircles the face.

 

Located approximately 150 kilometres to the south-west of Melbourne, past Geelong is the small Western District city of Colac. The area was originally settled by Europeans in 1837 by pastoralist Hugh Murray. A small community sprung up on the southern shore of a large lake amid the volcanic plains. The community was proclaimed a town, Lake Colac, in 1848, named after the lake upon which it perches. The post office opened in 1848 as Lake Colac and was renamed Colac in 1854 when the city changed its name. The township grew over the years, its wealth generated by the booming grazing industries of the large estates of the Western District and the dairy industry that accompanied it. Colac has a long high street shopping precinct, several churches, botanic gardens, a Masonic hall and a smattering of large properties within its boundaries, showing the conspicuous wealth of the city. Today Colac is still a commercial centre for the agricultural district that surrounds it with a population of around 10,000 people. Although not strictly a tourist town, Colac has many beautiful surviving historical buildings or interest, tree lined streets. Colac is known as “the Gateway to the Otways” (a reference to the Otway Ranges and surrounding forest area that is located just to the south of the town).

New Renault Clio Estate shares the same dynamic breeding as the hatchback but has its own distinct identity. This model has the aesthetic design cues of shooting brakes but also dials in practicality and versatility for good measure.

 

// Nouvelle Renault Clio Estate possède le style à part des breaks de chasse. Largement marqué par un style emprunt de dynamisme, ce modèle s'appuie également sur les notions de fonctionnalité et modularité.

Here be Ghostship and tis me second entry into ye LUGNuts All But Four

build challenge. She harkens back to the strange days of 60’s era show rods where a clever name and a weird theme be more important than practicality. On board this fine vessel ye got six wheels, round portal windows, ocean wave mosaics, a Captain’s steering wheel, treasure map and squawking parrot be the shifter. Also she has treasure chests for cam housings and the carburetors be king’s crowns of the finest gold! She can pull wheelies but with rear tires on pivots, she will still have four wheels touching terra firma…and should the captain fancy recreation more nautical, she carries a surf board appropriately named…The Plank! She has spinning screw ‘round back, like that of a real ship, and she flies the Jolly Roger up front, warning ye that tis be pirate’s business! You best give up your treasures, your pirate’s booty and your comments and affections here lest suffer the wrath of Blackbeard! Savvy?