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Lake Needwood is a 75-acre (300,000 m2) reservoir in Derwood, Maryland. Located east of Rockville, in the eastern part of Montgomery County, it is situated on Rock Creek. The lake was created by damming Rock Creek in 1965 with the goal of providing flood control and reducing soil erosion. The Rock Creek Trail begins at Lake Needwood and can be followed along the course of Rock Creek, ending at the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. (Source: Wikipedia)
...and that's gotta be a handy wheel for moving around after too many nectars...
this is another angle on road grille
For We're Here — shooting day for night, and for Sliders Sunday.
- shot using tungsten white balance
- darkened in levels
- reduced saturation a little and darkened a little more, using the "lightness" setting
- straightened (the horizon was straight, but that bit of what looks like sunrise glow wasn't) and cropped.
Put some zing into your 365! Join We're Here!
The boys are all agog at Irwell Vale waiting for a passing train. They were lucky as the weather has changed and the East Lancs Railway are sending out their mobile bonfires again now that the lineside fire risk is reduced.
They were rewarded with 80079 on a passenger service and a GWR tank on a dining car train.
A brilliant place to visit and a surprisingly large nature reserve in the middle of one of the worlds greatest and largest cities. You can see the urban backdrop and aeroplanes over the city but at times you will feel as if you are in the countryside. You will see many common wildlife as well as rare birds dropping in as well. It has quite an impressive list for a reserve in an urban area. A number of birds especially which are not found in urban areas are resident or passage migrants here.
City oasis
WWT London has been voted the UK’s Favourite Nature Reserve. Close to the heart of the capital, it is a haven for birds, wildlife and people.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/
Queen Elizabeth's Walk
Barnes, London
SW13 9WT
T: 020 8409 4400
F: 020 8409 4401
E: info.london@wwt.org.uk
Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December.
Winter opening time until Saturday 24 March 2012
9.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm).
Summer opening time until Saturday 27 October 2012
9.30am to 6pm (last admission 5pm).
Early closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm, centre closes at 3pm)
Water's Edge Cafe: last orders 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer
Water's Edge Cafe: closes 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer
Terms of entry
Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Photography is permitted on site providing it is for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please phone 020 8409 4400 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.
Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths at all times and not causing undue noise. The centre is a nature conservation area designed to protect natural habitats for all UK wetland species, both botanical and animal. It is especially important to remain quiet in the bird viewing hides.
The following are not permitted on site:
•Dogs, other than trained assistance dogs (i.e. guide dogs), which must be kept on their harness at all times, and the harness must clearly state "working or assistance dog." Any dog waste must please be removed. There is minimal shade in the car park so we strongly recommend dogs are not left locked in parked cars. There are no suitable areas anywhere at the centre for dogs to be left tied-up outside. Please be aware that our priority is for the welfare of the dogs, so it is our policy to call the RSPCA or Police immediately if we are concerned for the health of a dog.
•Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates or blades or skateboards. Bike cages are provided in the car park, please bring your own lock. WWT London Wetland Centre accepts no responsibility for any theft or damage of bikes or property left in the cages.
•Climbing on any trees or shrubs or any pruning/picking of flowers or vegetation.
•Climbing on any exhibits or habitats either in the World Wetlands area or the Wildside areas.
•Swimming/wading or entering any water bodies on site.
•Sports or games (including jogging).
•There is no provision for left baggage, please leave all baggage in your vehicle or do not bring it with you.
•We do not allow re-entry to the centre, unless admission receipt is provided.
Accessibility
•The grounds have level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)
•Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides. Heated bird-watching observatory in main visitor centre
•Lift access to upper floors of visitor centre, observatory and three-storey Peacock Tower hide. No lift in Wildside Hide
•Free wheelchair loan
•Free electric mobility scooter loan. One only - must be booked in advance.
•Fixed hearing loops in admissions area and in audio visual theatre
•Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. guide dogs). No other dogs permitted
•Accessible toilets in car park and throughout the visitor centre
•Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors.
•Public transport is available direct to the centre from Hammersmith bus station to the centre between 9.30am and 5pm (No 283 from Stand K)
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/walks-and-talks/
London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the City for a walk or to indulge in an afternoon of bird watching from one of our six hides. The reserve is easily accessible with pathways and bridges among the pools, meadows and gardens.
But if you want to learn a bit more about the centre - how it was created and the work we do here - you can join one of our tours held daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm. There’s no need to book and the tour is free with admission to the centre.
Our guides will explain how London Wetland Centre was created from four redundant Thames Water reservoirs. They will also point out wildlife spotted on the day.
Over 200 species of bird have been recorded on site since we opened in 2000. Also making their home amongst the 300,000 plants and 27,000 trees we planted during the centre’s creation are water voles, dragonflies, frogs, snakes, slow worms, bats, newts and butterflies, to name just a few.
You can also join one of our wardens at 3.00pm each day as they feed the birds in World Wetlands. Just turn up and the walks are free with admission to the centre.
As well as our regular walks we frequently run specialist walks and talks on everything from plant identification and reptiles to bird watching and bird song. See our Whats On section for forthcoming events.
And every day you will find our ‘Guide in the hide’ who will be able to point out the birds you can see on our lakes and lagoons.
•Guided tours, daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm
•Bird feed tour, daily at 3.00pm
•Guide in a hide, daily
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/prices/
2012 admission prices
Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.
Pricing*Gift AidNo Gift Aid
Adult£10.99£9.99
Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)£8.20£7.45
Child (4-16 years)£6.10£5.55
Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)£30.60£27.82
Children (under 4 years)FreeFree
Essential helpers assisting disabled visitorsFreeFree
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Please note: you may be asked for proof of age, student ID or proof that you are receiving Job Seekers Allowance to qualify for concession admission prices.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/eat-drink-ref...
Eat, drink, refresh
The Water’s Edge café is situated overlooking the centre's entrance lake where you can watch the ducks hunting for their own lunch! On warmer days you can relax on the terrace but there is also plenty of seating indoors for when the weather is chillier.
The café serves a delicious selection of main dishes and sandwiches, soup, cakes, biscuits and snacks plus children’s lunch boxes.
Each day we offer breakfast rolls (full English breakfast at weekends). Hot food, including a vegetarian option, is served from 12 noon.We also serve hot and cold drinks and wines throughout the day.
Throughout the year we serve meals to celebrate festive occasions such as Christmas, Mothers’ Day and Valentine’s Day. Where better to treat someone to lunch than in the beautiful, relaxing setting of a 105 acre wildlife haven?
We also have rooms available for hire for private celebrations such as weddings and parties.
The Water’s Edge café is in the centre so cannot be visited without paying for admission to the centre (admission is free for members).
Although only food purchased from the cafe can be eaten inside and on the café terrace there are ample picnic areas situated around the centre where you are welcome to eat your own food and drink.
Water's Edge café last orders: 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer
Water's Edge café closes: 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/shopping/
Our gift shop stocks a wide range of souvenirs, practical items and luxury gifts. Select from wildlife books to enhance your enjoyment of nature, eco products, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, cards, children’s gifts, souvenirs and much more.
We also have a wide range of children’s products for budding wildlife enthusiasts. Help our feathered friends by taking home a pack of bird seed and treat yourself to a bag of traditional sweets too!
To enhance your walk through our 105 acre nature reserve you can hire binoculars from the In Focus optics shop located next to the art gallery (above the shop).
Binoculars cost £5.00 to hire. In Focus stocks everything you will ever need to watch wildlife, from compact binoculars to state of the art telescopes (a percentage of all sales goes to the conservation work of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust).
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/group-visits/
London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place for a group visit, offering close views of nature, especially wetland birds, and a wide variety of wetland habitats to explore (although you won't need your wellies!). There is also a collection of beautiful birds from around the world kept for conservation purposes and a family of otters.
We have an excellent visitor centre for all your group’s needs with a lakeside restaurant, gift shop and a theatre. The majority of the paths are tarmac so are easily accessible and there are plenty of benches for you to sit and relax. Even our three storey hide with views across the entire reserve has a lift.
The centre is easily accessible from central London and beyond, with public transport links direct and free onsite car/coach parking.
Benefits for groups
•Reduced admission prices for groups of 12 or more
•A complimentary ticket for the group organiser
•Free pre-visit on request for the group organiser
•Free coach parking
•Guided tours available, tailored to your group's requirements (fee applies)
Please note that all benefits except reduced admission only apply if you book up to two weeks in advance.
Group admission prices 2012
The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 paying visitors or more:
Adult: £9.20
Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)
Child: £5.15 (4 - 16 years)
Sample group itinerary
11am - Arrive at the centre and meet with one of our tour guides. Visit the observatory, enjoy a tour around ‘World Wetlands’ discovering water birds from across the globe and learn how the centre was created.
1pm - Enjoy lunch in the Water’s Edge cafe where you can choose from a selection of hot and cold meals and refreshments.
2pm - Explore the reserve and discover the birds and other wetland wildlife that have made this their home. Don’t forget to visit our Peacock tower for wonderful panoramic views of the wetland habitats.
3.30pm - Afternoon tea in the Water’s Edge cafe with sumptuous home-made cakes.
4.15pm - Enjoy a spot of shopping in our gift shop.
4.50pm - Depart.
Private group tours
Make the most of your visit with a tour by one of our expert guides. £20 fee applies for a maximum of 20 people. Tour last 1.5 hours. Please call 020 8409 4400 for details.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit?
The London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place to visit all year round with the landscape and wildlife changing constantly with the seasons.
Spring is perfect for wild flowers and songbirds. In the summer you can relax outside with a picnic and enjoy the sound of marsh frogs, crickets and warblers. Our sustainable gardens are beautiful at that time of year, bursting into a blaze of colour that lasts all summer.
Autumn is great for seeing rare birds passing through on migration and winter is the best time to observe the flocks of wild duck or catch sight of an elusive bittern, regular visitors over recent winters.
Why not combine your visit with one of our special events such as late night opening, some of our animal themed events or a twilight bat walk?
What should we wear?
The centre has tarmac/firm level paths throughout and so any comfortable shoes will suffice. It is worth bringing an umbrella or waterproof if rain is forecast as the reserve covers more than 40 hectares and it can take a few minutes to reach shelter.
When should we pay?
Please pay at the admissions desk on the day of your visit. The centre would very much appreciate if you could arrange one payment per group. This will speed up your admission into the centre. If you are paying individually please be prepared to wait.
Some of our group can’t walk far, is it still suitable?
Yes, there is plenty to see and do in our visitor centre and there are numerous benches scattered throughout the reserve. It is also possible to book a wheelchair or electric buggy to help you travel around the reserve.
Making a booking
Please complete our group booking form (pdf, 37kb) and return it to info.london@wwt.org.uk
Contact us on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk for further information.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/school-visits/
School visits
At WWT London we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.
To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils
www.wwt.org.uk/learn/learn-at-wwt-london/
We welcome school groups of all sizes, all year round.
We offer guided learning sessions outdoors, suitable for a range of ages and abilities, including special needs groups. Or for schools wishing to explore independently, we offer self guided visits.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/venue-hire/
WWT London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to hold any event, whether you are celebrating a special occasion, getting married or holding a meeting. The Centre is just 10 minutes from Hammersmith but it could be a world away. The combination of beautiful surroundings and central location makes it easily accessible but offers a rural experience. Our 42 hectares of scenic lakes, pools and meadows are unique so close to the heart of London and they are complemented by first rate facilities, excellent transport links and ample free parking.
WWT London Wetland Centre is part of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust so by holding your event with us you will be directly contributing to our global conservation work.
Contact us
To further information please contact our functions team.
Telephone: 020 8409 4400 or email: functions.london@wwt.org.uk
If you are travelling to or from the centre by taxi we encourage you to use the taxi company Green Tomato Cars. This company uses a fleet of the most viable environmentally friendly cars and offers the service at competitive rates. For more information please see their website www.greentomatocars.com or call 020 8568 002.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/volunteer/
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a charity and relies on the generous support of volunteers at all of its wetland centres to help with conservation work and other daily tasks.
The London Wetland Centre currently has openings for:
•Office volunteers – reception and office cover, Friday morning and afternoon, and weekend mornings and afternoons
•Membership volunteers (especially weekends)
•Corporate work groups - weekdays
•Events volunteers (at weekends)
We are also interested to hear from people with specialist skills that may be of use to WWT. Currently we are particularly looking for good birders who are also great communicators.
Please call Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400.
Membership volunteers
Are you inspired by wetlands and their wildlife? Could you help save them?
Do you have an outgoing, friendly personality to engage with visitors at WWT London Wetland Centre?
We are looking for volunteers to join us to actively recruit members for London Wetland Centre. Can you spare at least two mornings or afternoons a month to help us with this worthy cause?
If you are interested, please contact: Chris Elliott, Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk
Corporate volunteering
Escape the office for a day and do your bit for wetland conservation with our corporate volunteering opportunities at WWT London Wetland Centre.
We can cater for corporate volunteering days, where work groups can assist wardens with duties such as planting, digging, weeding and pollarding.
Costs vary depending on type of volunteer work completed.
Please call our Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 for further details.
Work experience
WWT London Wetland Centre takes five work experience students a year for one working week at a time. Students spend each day working with a different department.
Work experience must be part of the schools programme and placements are subject to interview.
Demand for placements is very high and there are no remaining openings in 2012.
With limited staffing resources we very much regret that the London Wetland Centre cannot accept students on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
Contact us
For further information please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk
One of my biggest resolutions for this coming year is to reduce my phone time. Due to frequent insomnia I find myself on my phone in the middle of the night to pass time. I got myself this amber light so I can read instead of wasting time on the internet. The amber light is supposed to not keep you up like the blue light your phone emits does. I used it last night and it did seem to help.
Stitched from 6 vertical frames. A thick fog rolled up the mountainside, reducing the ever reaching landscape of Shenandoah's Skyline Drive to a very narrow sort of view. Was neat to watch the clouds crawling up the mountain until there was nothing left to see.
It has been a long time since I’ve posted a photo, so I'll try to get it done today!
My passion for nature and alpine photography is unchanged, but in the last year many things have happened: I got married, I moved house and, from a social point of view, I’ve opened a YouTube channel dedicated to my organ performances, as I am first and foremost a musician, a concert organist.
YouTube channel “Organo Santuario della Consolata”
Therefore, since the time I dedicate to social media is not much, I have had to reduce my activity on other platforms. Anyhow, I hope to catch up soon my presence here, as I was doing in the past!
This is a beautiful night view from the 3,000 meters of Col d'Ambin, in the Alps of the upper Susa valley (Italy/France).
What can I say, I guess that those who are familiar with high mountains know well that finding oneself above the clouds can be a very frequent experience, while deciding to stay in place to be able to admire unimaginable natural spectacles like this one can be a little rarer :-) or, for all intents and purposes, a “photographer activity!” ;-)
Whatever the reason that drives us to stay in the high mountains at night, what I would like to point out is that these are always unique moments, priceless, to never forget how infinitely small and transient we are, yet we participate in an immensely large reality, which transcends our human understanding.
YouTube channel “ALPS pictures & tales”
Instagram @roberto.bertero
_____________________
©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
Mother Teresa
the 300mm f/4 is creepy, seriously. this image ist reduced by 50%... best combo with a d850 ever :o)
Some Perseids shot during the peak on the morning of August 13, 2018.
This is a composite of eight frames shot with a Canon 6D and Mitakon 35mm f/2 lens at 10 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200.
This is one of five abandoned bathroom buildings at this location.
The temperature was around 90° F and humidity over 60% when I shot these frames. Humidity is likely the reason behind the haze in the orange part of the sky. Also, it took a fair amount of work in post-production to reduce the heat-related noise in the exposures.
Location: the abandoned Niland Marina County Park at the Salton Sea.
Scanning a few of my Dad's old negs, I ran across this sad sight. A pair of New York Central J3A Hudsons in a scrap yard somewhere in the Chicago area. What a shame one of these classics wasn't saved!
Zone VI Ultralight 4x5
Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 90mm f/5.6
Ilford FP4+ (100)
Pyrocat HD 1+1+100 18mins 20c reduced agitation
Epson V850 / Silverfast
####
In Explore 12/26/2024. Thanks to all for views/ faves/comments.
It was a perfect day, going to three excellent Edinburgh Festival performances. Between shows I popped into Debenhams and found a pair of white jeggings I could just squeeze into. They could have been painted on, yet they are very soft and comfortable. Best of all was they were reduced to £8 in the sale - I couldn't not buy them!
Yes, most of you prefer skirts and dresses and so do I, to be honest. However I often wear jeans or jeggings in public because they emphasise a feminine figure so convincingly.
Absolutely Best Viewed Large!
I LOVED this bird. You can probably tell by the 8,000 photos I took of it. ;)
This is an East African Crowned Crane. Maybe I like him so much because he reminds me of myself: my hair looks like that in the morning, my chin is going south, I've dark circles under my eyes.... ;)
It was pouring the day we visited the P&W back in August, 1978. But the engine facility was full of Alco/MLW products, and we kind of figured we weren't going to melt. And having manual 35mm cameras meant that the odds of water damage were greatly reduced. Here's the rear end of the 2002, kind of a love it or hate it rear end, too.
The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs (2.5 million light-years) from Earth. It is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way and was often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. It received its name from the area of the sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which was named after the mythological princess Andromeda.
Andromeda is approximately 220,000 light years across, and it is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and other smaller galaxies. Despite earlier findings that suggested that the Milky Way contains more dark matter and could be the largest in the grouping, the 2006 observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that Andromeda contains one trillion (1012) stars: at least twice the number of stars in the Milky Way, which is estimated to be 200–400 billion. The mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is estimated to be 1.5×1012 solar masses, while the Milky Way is estimated to be 8.5×1011 solar masses.
The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are expected to collide in 4.5 billion years, eventually merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy or perhaps a large disc galaxy. The apparent magnitude of the Andromeda Galaxy, at 3.4, is among the brightest of the Messier objects, making it visible to the naked eye on moonless nights, even when viewed from areas with moderate light pollution. [text from wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy]
Takahashi FSQ-106 with reducer f 3,6
Mosaic 2 X 1.
CCD Moravian G2-8300
Filters: Astronomik H alpha - LRGB
Date: october-december 2016
Italy - Long 7°41'40"E, Lat 45°28'18"N. Sky 20,9-21,4
L: 19 X 600 s; RGB: 6 X 600 s; H alfa: 17 X 900 s
Maxim DL 5
Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop, Pixinsight
Up on the first walk after French lockdown was reduced, I went on a foggy and wet day to Calerne plateau.
2011 LAMBORGHINI SESTO ELEMENTO FE
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City
April 27, 1961
Mr. Chairman, ladies, and gentlemen:
I appreciate very much your generous invitation to be here tonight.
You bear heavy responsibilities these days and an article I read some time ago reminded me of how particularly heavily the burdens of present-day events bear upon your profession.
You may remember that in 1851 the New York Herald Tribune under the sponsorship and publishing of Horace Greeley, employed as its London correspondent an obscure journalist by the name of Karl Marx.
We are told that foreign correspondent Marx, stone broke, and with a family ill and undernourished, constantly appealed to Greeley and managing editor Charles Dana for an increase in his munificent salary of $5 per installment, a salary which he and Engels ungratefully labeled as the “lousiest petty bourgeois cheating.”
But when all his financial appeals were refused, Marx looked around for other means of livelihood and fame, eventually terminating his relationship with the Tribune and devoting his talents full time to the cause that would bequeath the world the seeds of Leninism, Stalinism, revolution and the cold war.
If only this capitalistic New York newspaper had treated him more kindly; if only Marx had remained a foreign correspondent, history might have been different. And I hope all publishers will bear this lesson in mind the next time they receive a poverty-stricken appeal for a small increase in the expense account from an obscure newspaperman.
I have selected as the title of my remarks tonight “The President and the Press.” Some may suggest that this would be more naturally worded “The President Versus the Press.” But those are not my sentiments tonight.
It is true, however, that when a well-known diplomat from another country demanded recently that our State Department repudiate certain newspaper attacks on his colleague it was unnecessary for us to reply that this Administration was not responsible for the press, for the press had already made it clear that it was not responsible for this Administration.
Nevertheless, my purpose here tonight is not to deliver the usual assault on the so-called one-party press. On the contrary, in recent months I have rarely heard any complaints about political bias in the press except from a few Republicans. Nor is it my purpose tonight to discuss or defend the televising of Presidential press conferences. I think it is highly beneficial to have some 20,000,000 Americans regularly sit in on these conferences to observe, if I may say so, the incisive, the intelligent and the courteous qualities displayed by your Washington correspondents.
Nor, finally, are these remarks intended to examine the proper degree of privacy which the press should allow to any President and his family.
If in the last few months your White House reporters and photographers have been attending church services with regularity, that has surely done them no harm.
On the other hand, I realize that your staff and wire service photographers may be complaining that they do not enjoy the same green privileges at the local golf courses that they once did.
It is true that my predecessor did not object as I do to pictures of one's golfing skill in action. But neither on the other hand did he ever bean a Secret Service man.
My topic tonight is a more sober one of concern to publishers as well as editors.
I want to talk about our common responsibilities in the face of a common danger. The events of recent weeks may have helped to illuminate that challenge for some; but the dimensions of its threat have loomed large on the horizon for many years. Whatever our hopes may be for the future–for reducing this threat or living with it–there is no escaping either the gravity or the totality of its challenge to our survival and to our security–a challenge that confronts us in unaccustomed ways in every sphere of human activity.
This deadly challenge imposes upon our society two requirements of direct concern both to the press and to the President–two requirements that may seem almost contradictory in tone, but which must be reconciled and fulfilled if we are to meet this national peril. I refer, first, to the need for a far greater public information; and, second, to the need for far greater official secrecy.
The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.
But I do ask every publisher, every editor, and every newsman in the nation to reexamine his own standards, and to recognize the nature of our country's peril. In time of war, the government and the press have customarily joined in an effort based largely on self-discipline, to prevent unauthorized disclosures to the enemy. In time of “clear and present danger,” the courts have held that even the privileged rights of the First Amendment must yield to the public's need for national security.
Today no war has been declared–and however fierce the struggle may be, it may never be declared in the traditional fashion. Our way of life is under attack. Those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe. The survival of our friends is in danger. And yet no war has been declared, no borders have been crossed by marching troops, no missiles have been fired.
If the press is awaiting a declaration of war before it imposes the self-discipline of combat conditions, then I can only say that no war ever posed a greater threat to our security. If you are awaiting a finding of “clear and present danger,” then I can only say that the danger has never been more clear and its presence has never been more imminent.
It requires a change in outlook, a change in tactics, a change in missions–by the government, by the people, by every businessman or labor leader, and by every newspaper. For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence–on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.
Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.
Nevertheless, every democracy recognizes the necessary restraints of national security–and the question remains whether those restraints need to be more strictly observed if we are to oppose this kind of attack as well as outright invasion.
For the facts of the matter are that this nation's foes have openly boasted of acquiring through our newspapers information they would otherwise hire agents to acquire through theft, bribery or espionage; that details of this nation's covert preparations to counter the enemy's covert operations have been available to every newspaper reader, friend and foe alike; that the size, the strength, the location and the nature of our forces and weapons, and our plans and strategy for their use, have all been pinpointed in the press and other news media to a degree sufficient to satisfy any foreign power; and that, in at least in one case, the publication of details concerning a secret mechanism whereby satellites were followed required its alteration at the expense of considerable time and money.
The newspapers which printed these stories were loyal, patriotic, responsible and well-meaning. Had we been engaged in open warfare, they undoubtedly would not have published such items. But in the absence of open warfare, they recognized only the tests of journalism and not the tests of national security. And my question tonight is whether additional tests should not now be adopted.
The question is for you alone to answer. No public official should answer it for you. No governmental plan should impose its restraints against your will. But I would be failing in my duty to the nation, in considering all of the responsibilities that we now bear and all of the means at hand to meet those responsibilities, if I did not commend this problem to your attention, and urge its thoughtful consideration.
On many earlier occasions, I have said–and your newspapers have constantly said–that these are times that appeal to every citizen's sense of sacrifice and self-discipline. They call out to every citizen to weigh his rights and comforts against his obligations to the common good. I cannot now believe that those citizens who serve in the newspaper business consider themselves exempt from that appeal.
I have no intention of establishing a new Office of War Information to govern the flow of news. I am not suggesting any new forms of censorship or any new types of security classifications. I have no easy answer to the dilemma that I have posed, and would not seek to impose it if I had one. But I am asking the members of the newspaper profession and the industry in this country to reexamine their own responsibilities, to consider the degree and the nature of the present danger, and to heed the duty of self-restraint which that danger imposes upon us all.
Every newspaper now asks itself, with respect to every story: “Is it news?” All I suggest is that you add the question: “Is it in the interest of the national security?” And I hope that every group in America–unions and businessmen and public officials at every level– will ask the same question of their endeavors, and subject their actions to the same exacting tests.
And should the press of America consider and recommend the voluntary assumption of specific new steps or machinery, I can assure you that we will cooperate whole-heartedly with those recommendations.
Perhaps there will be no recommendations. Perhaps there is no answer to the dilemma faced by a free and open society in a cold and secret war. In times of peace, any discussion of this subject, and any action that results, are both painful and without precedent. But this is a time of peace and peril which knows no precedent in history.
It is the unprecedented nature of this challenge that also gives rise to your second obligation–an obligation which I share. And that is our obligation to inform and alert the American people–to make certain that they possess all the facts that they need, and understand them as well–the perils, the prospects, the purposes of our program and the choices that we face.
No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary. I am not asking your newspapers to support the Administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.
I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers–I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for as a wise man once said: “An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.
Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed–and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment– the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution- -not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply “give the public what it wants”–but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.
This means greater coverage and analysis of international news–for it is no longer far away and foreign but close at hand and local. It means greater attention to improved understanding of the news as well as improved transmission. And it means, finally, that government at all levels, must meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information outside the narrowest limits of national security–and we intend to do it.
It was early in the Seventeenth Century that Francis Bacon remarked on three recent inventions already transforming the world: the compass, gunpowder and the printing press. Now the links between the nations first forged by the compass have made us all citizens of the world, the hopes and threats of one becoming the hopes and threats of us all. In that one world's efforts to live together, the evolution of gunpowder to its ultimate limit has warned mankind of the terrible consequences of failure.
And so it is to the printing press–to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news–that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent.
Yesterday when I crested the highest dune I couldn't see the ocean for the thick fog. Once I reached the waterline I saw that the tide had exposed a sandbar not far from the shore. Immediately I remembered that last year I had seen pelicans grounded on the sandbar under the same conditions.
No sooner had I walked I few yards than the same scene appeared in front of me through the fog. Unlike seagulls, pelicans do not like humans approaching them too closely.
Ocean Park, Washington.
Monday Healthy Fact
Lemons contain a high amount of vitamin C, soluble fiber, and plant compounds that give them a number of health benefits. Lemons may aid weight loss and reduce your risk of heart disease, anemia, kidney stones, digestive issues, and cancer. {Sharing The Knowledge}
REFERENCE: www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-lemon-health-benefits
On Sunday 5/3/2023, an overpowered 1120s (empty Aurizon grain transfer) is seen at Wingfield (Adelaide) with alf23-CLP16-cm3308 in charge.
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Division of General Motors LLC, Detroit - U.S.A.
Type: Master DeLuxe Series JA 4-dr Sport Sedan
Engine: 3548cc straight-6
Power: 85 bhp / 3.200 rpm
Speed: 125 km/h
Production time: 1939
Production outlet: 1105,21 (Master DeLuxe 4-dr Sport Sedan)
Production outlet: 386,656 (all Master DeLuxe models)
Curb weight: 1316 kg
Special:
- This "Royal Clipper Styling" was designed by the famous Harley Earl.
- The '39 model Master DeLuxe was now the JA, while the base model was renamed Master 85 (JB).
- The JA Series featured standard equipment that was optional on the JB Series, like bumper guards and twin taillights.
- The Master DeLuxe was sold as well as 5 and as 8 seater.
- It has coil spring front suspension with coil springs, wishbones and Dubonnet-type Knee-action shock absorbers and an anti-sway bar, a semi-floating rear axle with sealed drive shaft, a three-speed manual gearbox (with vacuum assistance) column shift, a Carter W1-420S carburettor, a 6-Volts electric system (with generator, regulator and alternator), two-speed electric wipers, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes all around, a 68 liter fuel tank and rear wheel drive.
- The vacuum-assisted, column-mounted gearshift substantially reduced gear changing effort, though some drivers complained that it was impossible to "speed-shift" the transmission. Optional at $10 extra, this device was installed on most of the 1939 cars.
- A town-and-country dual horn system was optional, just like the "Traffic Light Finder", a 30-hour dashboard clock and a deluxe steering wheel with horn ring.
A perfect subject for the Flickr 21st birthday celebration.
As I was wandering around an antique collectables market my eye caught this vintage Eggbert figure on the shelf.
I"'ve got the key of the door, never been 21 before!"
So goes the old song, but why is a person’s 21st birthday so special?
The ‘key to the door’ signified the reaching of adulthood and the independence that brought with it. Of course it is not so significant these days, as the age of majority in the UK was revised down to 18 by the Family Law Reform Act of 1969. The Representation of the People Act of the same year similarly reduced the voting age from 21 to 18.
It wasn’t always so. The Marriage Act of 1753 declared that anyone under the age of 21 needed the consent of their parents or guardians to marry; indeed clergymen would be liable to 14 years transportation should they be caught marrying underage couples.
(Source: www.historicuk)
Featured in Explore Takeover Day 21st birthday
A shot of the media building in Bucharest from Herestrau Lake. Taken with a S-M-C Takumar 55mm f/1.8 with a focal reducer.
With the impending withdrawal of all Chopper C Sets on 26/2/21, it sees the start of some several transfer trains to Chullora Industrial Siding. Seen passing Berala is 8144 and 8252 with train T191.
The cars withdrawn include:
C2: C3603, T4269, T4261, C3595
C4: C3589, T4260
C10: C3594, T4255
++++++ from Wikipedia ++++++
Taipei (/ˌtaɪˈpeɪ/), officially known as Taipei City, is the capital city and a special municipality of Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China, "ROC"). Sitting at the northern tip of the island, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City. It is about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city Keelung. Most of the city is located on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed bounded by the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border.[5] Formerly known as Taipeh-fu during Qing era and Taihoku under Japanese rule, Taipei became the capital of the Taiwan Province as part of the Republic of China in 1945 and recently has been the capital[a] of the ROC since 1949, when the Kuomintang lost the mainland to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War.
The city proper is home to an estimated population of 2,704,810 in 2015,[6] forming the core part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area which includes the nearby cities of New Taipei and Keelung with a population of 7,047,559,[6][7] the 40th most-populous urban area in the world—roughly one-third of Taiwanese citizens live in the metro district. The name "Taipei" can refer either to the whole metropolitan area or the city proper.
Taipei is the political, economic, educational, and cultural center of Taiwan island, and one of the major hubs of Greater China. Considered to be a global city,[8] Taipei is part of a major high-tech industrial area.[9] Railways, high-speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports – Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan. Taipei is home to various world-famous architectural or cultural landmarks which include Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Hsing Tian Kong, Lungshan Temple of Manka, National Palace Museum, Presidential Office Building, Taipei Guest House, Ximending, and several night markets dispersing over the city. Its natural features such as Maokong, Yangmingshan, and hot springs are also well known to international visitors.
As the capital city, "Taipei" is sometimes used as a synecdoche for the Republic of China. Due to the ongoing controversy over the political status of Taiwan, the name Chinese Taipei is designated for official use when Taiwanese governmental representatives or national teams participate in some international organizations or international sporting events (which may require UN statehood) in order to avoid extensive political controversy by using other names.
Contents
1 History
1.1 First settlements
1.2 Empire of Japan
1.3 Republic of China
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
2.2 Air quality
2.3 Cityscape
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 Culture
5.1 Tourism
5.1.1 Commemorative sites and museums
5.1.2 Taipei 101
5.1.3 Performing arts
5.1.4 Shopping and recreation
5.1.5 Temples
5.2 Festivals and events
5.3 Taipei in films
6 Romanization
7 Government
7.1 Garbage recycling
7.2 Administrative divisions
7.3 City planning
8 Transportation
8.1 Metro
8.2 Rail
8.3 Bus
8.4 Airports
8.5 Ticketing
9 Education
9.1 Chinese language program for foreigners
10 Sports
10.1 Major sporting events
10.2 Youth baseball
11 Media
11.1 Television
11.2 Newspapers
12 International relations
12.1 Twin towns and sister cities
12.2 Partner cities
12.3 Friendship cities
13 Gallery
14 See also
15 Notes
16 References
17 External links
History
Main article: History of Taipei
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument and tourist attraction in Taipei.
Prior to the significant influx of Han Chinese immigrants, the region of Taipei Basin was mainly inhabited by the Ketagalan plains aborigines. The number of Han immigrants gradually increased in the early 18th century under Qing Dynasty rule after the government began permitting development in the area.[10] In 1875, the northern part of the island was incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture.
The Qing dynasty of China made Taipeh the temporary capital of Fujian-Taiwan Province in 1886 when Taiwan was separated from Fujian Province.[11][12] Taipeh was formally made the provincial capital in 1894.
Japan acquired Taiwan in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan became a colony of Imperial Japan with Taihoku (formerly Taipeh) as its capital, in which the city was administered under Taihoku Prefecture. Taiwan's Japanese rulers embarked on an extensive program of advanced urban planning that featured extensive railroad links. A number of Taipei landmarks and cultural institutions date from this period.[13]
Following the Japanese surrender of 1945, control of Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China (ROC) (see Retrocession Day). After losing mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) relocated the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the ROC in December 1949.[14][15] In 1990 Taipei provided the backdrop for the Wild Lily student rallies that moved Taiwanese society from one-party rule to multi-party democracy. The city is today home to Taiwan's democratically elected national government.
First settlements
The region known as the Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes before the eighteenth century.[16] Han Chinese mainly from Fujian Province of Qing dynasty China began to settle in the Taipei Basin in 1709.[17][18]
In the late 19th century, the Taipei area, where the major Han Chinese settlements in northern Taiwan and one of the designated overseas trade ports, Tamsui, were located, gained economic importance due to the booming overseas trade, especially that of tea export. In 1875, the northern part of Taiwan was separated from Taiwan Prefecture and incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture as a new administrative entity of the Qing dynasty.[13] Having been established adjoining the flourishing townships of Bangka, Dalongdong, and Twatutia, the new prefectural capital was known as Chengnei (Chinese: 城內; pinyin: chéngnèi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siâⁿ-lāi), "the inner city", and government buildings were erected there. From 1875 (still Qing era) until the beginning of Japanese rule in 1895, Taipei was part of Tamsui County of Taipeh Prefecture and the prefectural capital.
In 1885, work commenced to create an independent Taiwan Province, and Taipei City was temporarily made the provincial capital. Taipei officially became the capital of Taiwan in 1894.[citation needed] All that remains from the Qing era is the north gate. The west gate and city walls were demolished by the Japanese while the south gate, little south gate, and east gate were extensively modified by the Kuomintang (KMT) and have lost much of their original character.[19]
Empire of Japan
The Taihoku Prefecture government building in the 1910s (now the Control Yuan)
As settlement for losing the First Sino-Japanese War, China ceded the island of Taiwan to the Empire of Japan in 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After the Japanese take-over, Taipei, called Taihoku in Japanese, was retained as the capital and emerged as the political center of the Japanese Colonial Government.[13] During that time the city acquired the characteristics of an administrative center, including many new public buildings and housing for civil servants. Much of the architecture of Taipei dates from the period of Japanese rule, including the Presidential Building which was the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan.
During Japanese rule, Taihoku was incorporated in 1920 as part of Taihoku Prefecture. It included Bangka, Twatutia, and Jōnai (城內) among other small settlements. The eastern village of Matsuyama (松山庄, modern-day Songshan District, Taipei) was annexed into Taihoku City in 1938. Upon the Japanese defeat in the Pacific War and its consequent surrender in August 1945, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) assumed control of Taiwan. Subsequently, a temporary Office of the Taiwan Province Administrative Governor was established in Taipei City.[20]
Republic of China
With President Chiang Kai-shek, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower waved to a crowd during his visit to Taipei in June 1960.
In 1947 the KMT government under Chiang Kai-shek declared island-wide martial law in Taiwan as a result of the February 28 Incident, which began with incidents in Taipei but led to an island-wide crackdown on the local population by forces loyal to Chiang. Two years later, on December 7, 1949, Chiang and the Kuomintang were forced to flee mainland China by the Communists near the end of the Chinese Civil War. The refugees declared Taipei to be the provisional capital of a continuing Republic of China, with the official capital at Nanjing (Nanking) even though that city was under Communist control.[14][15]
Taipei expanded greatly in the decades after 1949, and as approved on December 30, 1966 by the Executive Yuan, Taipei was declared a special centrally administered municipality on July 1, 1967 and given the administrative status of a province.[18] In the following year, Taipei City expanded again by annexing Shilin, Beitou, Neihu, Nangang, Jingmei, and Muzha. At that time, the city's total area increased fourfold through absorbing several outlying towns and villages and the population increased to 1.56 million people.[18]
The city's population, which had reached one million in the early 1960s, also expanded rapidly after 1967, exceeding two million by the mid-1970s. Although growth within the city itself gradually slowed thereafter[20] — its population had become relatively stable by the mid-1990s — Taipei remained one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, and the population continued to increase in the region surrounding the city, notably along the corridor between Taipei and Keelung.
In 1990 Taipei's 16 districts were consolidated into the current 12 districts.[21] Mass democracy rallies that year in the plaza around Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall led to an island-wide transition to multi-party democracy, where legislators are chosen via regularly scheduled popular elections, during the presidency of Lee Teng-Hui.
Geography
The city of Taipei, as seen from Maokong.
Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan.[22] It is bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Tamsui River on the west. The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north,[5] where it reaches 1,120 metres (3,675 ft) at Qixing Mountain, the highest (inactive) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park. The Taipei city limits cover an area of 271.7997 km2,[23] ranking sixteenth of twenty-five among all counties and cities in Taiwan.
Two peaks, Qixing Mountain and Mt. Datun, rise to the northeast of the city.[24] Qixing Mountain is located on the Tatun Volcano Group and the tallest mountain at the rim of the Taipei Basin, with its main peak at 1,120 metres (3,670 ft). Mt. Datun's main peak is 1,092 metres (3,583 ft). These former volcanoes make up the western section of Yangmingshan National Park, extending from Mt. Datun northward to Mt. Caigongkeng (菜公坑山). Located on a broad saddle between two mountains, the area also contains the marshy Datun Pond.
To the southeast of the city lie the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Ravine, which form a barrier of lush woods.[24]
Climate
Taipei has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate[25][26][27] (Köppen: Cfa).[28] Summers are long-lasting, hot and humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons, while winters are short, generally warm and generally very foggy due to the northeasterly winds from the vast Siberian High being intensified by the pooling of this cooler air in the Taipei Basin. As in the rest of Northern Taiwan, daytime temperatures of Taipei can often peak above 26 degrees Celsius during a warm winter day, while they can dip below 26 degrees Celsius during a rainy summer's afternoon. Occasional cold fronts during the winter months can drop the daily temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, though temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees Celsius.[29] Extreme temperatures ranged from −0.2 °C (31.6 °F) on February 13, 1901 to 39.3 °C (102.7 °F) on August 8, 2013, while snow has never been recorded in the city besides on mountains located within the city limit such as Mount Yangmingshan. Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.
Air quality
When compared to other Asian cities, Taipei has "excellent" capabilities for managing air quality in the city.[31] Its rainy climate, location near the coast, and strong environmental regulations have prevented air pollution from becoming a substantial health issue, at least compared to cities in southeast Asia and industrial China. However, smog is extremely common and there is poor visibility throughout the city after rain-less days.
Motor vehicle engine exhaust, particularly from motor scooters, is a source of air pollution in Taipei. There are higher levels of fine particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the mornings because of less air movement; sunlight reduces some pollution.[32] Occasionally, dust storms from Mainland China can temporarily bring extremely poor air quality to the city.[33]
Cityscape
Taipei viewed from Tiger Mountain, with Taipei 101 on the left.
Demographics
Taipei City is home to 2,704,810 people (2015), while the metropolitan area has a population of 7,047,559 people.[6] The population of the city has been decreasing in recent years while the population of the adjacent New Taipei has been increasing. The population loss, while rapid in its early years, has been stabilized by new lower density development and campaigns designed to increase birthrate in the city. The population has begun to rise since 2010.[6][34][35]
Due to Taipei's geography and location in the Taipei Basin as well as differing times of economic development of its districts, Taipei's population is not evenly distributed. The districts of Daan, Songshan, and Datong are the most densely populated. These districts, along with adjacent communities such as Yonghe and Zhonghe contain some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world.[34]
In 2008, the crude birth rate stood at 7.88% while the mortality rate stood at 5.94%. A decreasing and rapidly aging population is an important issue for the city.[34] By the end of 2009, one in ten people in Taipei was over 65 years of age.[36] Residents who had obtained a college education or higher accounted for 43.48% of the population, and the literacy rate stood at 99.18%.[34]
Like the rest of Taiwan, Taipei is composed of four major ethnic groups: Hoklos, Mainlanders, Hakkas, and aborigines.[34] Although Hoklos and Mainlanders form the majority of the population of the city, in recent decades many Hakkas have moved into the city. The aboriginal population in the city stands at 12,862 (<0.5%), concentrated mostly in the suburban districts. Foreigners (mainly from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines) numbered 52,426 at the end of 2008.[34]
Economy
As the center of Taiwan's largest conurbation, Taipei has been at the center of rapid economic development in the country and has now become one of the global cities in the production of high technology and its components.[37] This is part of the so-called Taiwan Miracle which has seen dramatic growth in the city following foreign direct investment in the 1960s. Taiwan is now a creditor economy, holding one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves of over US$403 billion as of December 2012.[38]
Despite the Asian financial crisis, the economy continues to expand at about 5% per year, with virtually full employment and low inflation. As of 2013, the nominal GDP per capita in Taipei city is lower than that in Hong Kong by a narrow margin according to The Economist(Nominal GDP per capita in HK is US$38181 in 2013 from IMF).[39] Furthermore, according to Financial times, GDP per capita based on Purchasing Power Parity(PPP) in Taipei in 2015 is 44173 USD, behind that in Singapore(US$48900 from IMF) and Hong Kong(US$56689 from IMF).[40]
Taipei and its environs have long been the foremost industrial area of Taiwan, consisting of industries of the secondary and tertiary sectors.[41] Most of the country's important factories producing textiles and apparel are located there; other industries include the manufacture of electronic products and components, electrical machinery and equipment, printed materials, precision equipment, and foods and beverages. Such companies include Shihlin Electric, CipherLab and Insyde Software. Shipbuilding, including yachts and other pleasure craft, is done in the port of Keelung northeast of the city.
Services, including those related to commerce, transportation, and banking, have become increasingly important. Tourism is a small but significant component of the local economy[42][43] with international visitors totaling almost 3 million in 2008.[44] Taipei has many top tourist attractions and contributes a significant amount to the US$6.8 billion tourism industry in Taiwan.[45] National brands such as ASUS,[46] Chunghwa Telecom,[47] Mandarin Airlines,[48] Tatung,[49] and Uni Air,[50][51] D-Link [52] are headquartered in Taipei City.
Culture
Tourism
See also: List of tourist attractions in Taipei
Tourism is a major part of Taipei's economy. In 2013, over 6.3 million overseas visitors visited Taipei, making the city the 15th most visited globally.[53] The influx of visitors contributed $10.8 billion USD to the city's economy in 2013, the 9th highest in the world and the most of any city in the Chinese-speaking world.[54]
Commemorative sites and museums
The National Palace Museum
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction that was erected in memory of General Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China.[55] The structure stands at the east end of Memorial Hall Square, site of the National Concert Hall and National Theater and their adjacent parks as well as the memorial. The landmarks of Liberty Square stand within sight of Taiwan's Presidential Building in Taipei's Zhongzheng District.
The National Taiwan Museum
The National Taiwan Museum sits nearby in what is now 228 Peace Memorial Park and has worn its present name since 1999. The museum is Taiwan's oldest, founded on October 24, 1908 by Taiwan's Japanese colonial government (1895-1945) as the Taiwan Governor's Museum. It was launched with a collection of 10,000 items to celebrate the opening of the island's North-South Railway.[56] In 1915 a new museum building opened its doors in what is now 228 Peace Memorial Park. This structure and the adjacent governor's office (now Presidential Office Building), served as the two most recognizable public buildings in Taiwan during its period of Japanese rule.[56]
Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines
The National Palace Museum is a vast art gallery and museum built around a permanent collection centered on ancient Chinese artifacts. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum in Beijing (which it is named after); both institutions trace their origins to the same institution. The collections were divided in the 1940s as a result of the Chinese Civil War.[57][58] The National Palace Museum in Taipei now boasts a truly international collection while housing one of the world's largest collections of artifacts from ancient China.[58]
The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines stands just 200 metres across the road from the National Palace Museum. The museum offers displays of art and historical items by Taiwanese aborigines along with a range of multimedia displays.
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum was established in 1983 as the first museum in Taiwan dedicated to modern art. The museum is housed in a building designed for the purpose that takes inspiration from Japanese designs. Most art in the collection is by Taiwanese artists since 1940. Over 3,000 art works are organized into 13 groups.
The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall near Taipei 101 in Xinyi District is named in honor of a founding father of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen. The hall, completed on May 16, 1972, originally featured exhibits that depicted revolutionary events in China at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Today it functions as multi-purpose social, educational, concert and cultural center for Taiwan's citizens.[59]
Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, aka "old city hall"
In 2001 a new museum opened as Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. The museum is housed in a building that formerly housed Taipei City government offices.[60]
Night view of a fully lit Taipei 101
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper that claimed the title of world's tallest building when it opened in 2004, a title it held for six years before relinquishing it to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed by KTRT Joint Venture, Taipei 101 measures 509 m (1,670 ft) from ground to top, making it the first skyscraper in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height. Built to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors, its design incorporates many engineering innovations and has won numerous international awards. Taipei 101 remains one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world and holds LEED's certification as the world's largest "green" building. Its shopping mall and its indoor and outdoor observatories draw visitors from all over the world. Taipei 101's New Year's Eve fireworks display is a regular feature of international broadcasts.
Performing arts
Taiwan's National Concert Hall at night
The National Theater and Concert Hall stand at Taipei's Liberty Square and host events by foreign and domestic performers. Other leading concert venues include Zhongshan Hall at Ximending and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall near Taipei 101.
A new venue, the Taipei Performing Arts Center, is under construction and slated to open in 2015.[61][62] The venue will stand near the Shilin Night Market[63] and will house three theaters for events with multi-week runs. The architectural design, by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, was determined in 2009 in an international competition.[64] The same design process is also in place for a new Taipei Center for Popular Music and Taipei City Museum.[65]
Shopping and recreation
Main article: Shopping in Taipei
Taipei is known for its many night markets, the most famous of which is the Shilin Night Market in the Shilin District. The surrounding streets by Shilin Night Market are extremely crowded during the evening, usually opening late afternoon and operating well past midnight. Most night markets feature individual stalls selling a mixture of food, clothing, and consumer goods.
The busy streets of Ximending at night
Ximending has been a famous area for shopping and entertainment since the 1930s. Historic structures include a concert hall, a historic cinema, and the Red House Theater. Modern structures house karaoke businesses, art film cinemas, wide-release movie cinemas, electronic stores, and a wide variety of restaurants and fashion clothing stores.[66] The pedestrian area is especially popular with teens and has been called the "Harajuku" of Taipei.[67]
Eastern district at night
The newly developed Xinyi District is popular with tourists and locals alike for its many entertainment and shopping venues, as well as being the home of Taipei 101, a prime tourist attraction. Malls in the area include the sprawling Shin Kong Mitsukoshi complex, Breeze Center, Bellavita, Taipei 101 mall, Eslite Bookstore's flagship store (which includes a boutique mall), The Living Mall, ATT shopping mall, and the Vieshow Cinemas (formerly known as Warner Village). The Xinyi district also serves as the center of Taipei's active nightlife, with several popular lounge bars and nightclubs concentrated in a relatively small area around the Neo19, ATT 4 FUN and Taipei 101 buildings. Lounge bars such as Barcode and nightclubs such as Spark and Myst are among the most-visited places here.
Eslite Bookstore in Xinyi District
The thriving shopping area around Taipei Main Station includes the Taipei Underground Market and the original Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store at Shin Kong Life Tower. Other popular shopping destinations include the Zhongshan Metro Mall, Dihua Street, the Guang Hua Digital Plaza, and the Core Pacific City. The Miramar Entertainment Park is known for its large Ferris wheel and IMAX theater.
Taipei maintains an extensive system of parks, green spaces, and nature preserves. Parks and forestry areas of note in and around the city include Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei Zoo and Da-an Forest Park. Yangmingshan National Park (located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the central city) is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, and sulfur deposits. It is the home of famous writer Lin Yutang, the summer residence of Chiang Kai-shek, residences of foreign diplomats, the Chinese Culture University, the meeting place of the now defunct National Assembly of the Republic of China, and the Kuomintang Party Archives. The Taipei Zoo was founded in 1914 and covers an area of 165 hectares for animal sanctuary.
Bitan is known for boating and water sports. Tamsui is a popular sea-side resort town. Ocean beaches are accessible in several directions from Taipei.
Temples
Built in 1738, Longshan Temple is one of the oldest temples in the city.
Street corner shrine, Taipei 2013
Taipei is rich in beautiful, ornate temples housing Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk religion deities. The Longshan Temple, built in 1738 and located in the Wanhua District, demonstrates an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences commonly seen on older buildings in Taiwan.
Xinsheng South Road is known as the "Road to Heaven" due to its high concentration of temples, shrines, churches, and mosques.[68][69] Other famous temples include Baoan Temple located in historic Dalongdong, a national historical site, and Xiahai City God Temple, located in the old Dadaocheng community, constructed with architecture similar to temples in southern Fujian.[70] The Taipei Confucius Temple traces its history back to 1879 during the Qing Dynasty and also incorporates southern Fujian-style architecture.[71]
Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common and can be spotted on road sides, parks, and neighborhoods. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god for success in a restaurant business.[72]
New Year's Eve fireworks at Taipei 101
Festivals and events
Many yearly festivals are held in Taipei. In recent years some festivals, such as the Double Ten Day fireworks and concerts, are increasingly hosted on a rotating basis by a number of cities around Taiwan.
When New Year's Eve arrives on the solar calendar, thousands of people converge on Taipei's Xinyi District for parades, outdoor concerts by popular artists, street shows, round-the clock nightlife. The high point is of course the countdown to midnight, when Taipei 101 assumes the role of the world's largest fireworks platform.
The Taipei Lantern Festival concludes the Lunar New Year holiday. The timing of the city's lantern exhibit coincides with the national festival in Pingxi, when thousands of fire lanterns are released into the sky.[73] The city's lantern exhibit rotates among different downtown locales from year to year, including Liberty Square, Taipei 101, and Zhongshan Hall in Ximending.
On Double Ten Day, patriotic celebrations are held in front of the Presidential Building. Other annual festivals include Ancestors Day (Tomb-Sweeping Day), the Dragon Boat Festival, the Ghost Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival).[73]
Taipei regularly hosts its share of international events. The city recently hosted the 2009 Summer Deaflympics.[74] This event was followed by the Taipei International Flora Exposition, a garden festival hosted from November 2010 to April 2011. The Floral Expo was the first of its kind to take place in Taiwan and only the seventh hosted in Asia; the expo admitted 110,000 visitors on February 27, 2011.
Taipei in films
Romanization
The spelling "Taipei" derives from the Wade–Giles romanization T'ai-pei.[75] The name could be also romanized as Táiběi according to Hanyu Pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin.[76][77]
Government
Taipei City is a special municipality which is directly under the Executive Yuan (Central Government) of ROC. The mayor of Taipei City had been an appointed position since Taipei's conversion to a centrally administered municipality in 1967 until the first public election was held in 1994.[78] The position has a four-year term and is elected by direct popular vote. The first elected mayor was Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. Ma Ying-jeou took office in 1998 for two terms, before handing it over to Hau Lung-pin who won the 2006 mayoral election on December 9, 2006.[79] Both Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-Jeou went on to become President of the Republic of China. The incumbent mayor, Ko Wen-je, was elected on November 29, 2014 and took office on December 25, 2014.[80]
Based on the outcomes of previous elections in the past decade, the vote of the overall constituency of Taipei City shows a slight inclination towards the pro-KMT camp (the Pan-Blue Coalition);[81] however, the pro-DPP camp (the Pan-Green Coalition) also has considerable support.[82]
Ketagalan Boulevard, where the Presidential Office Building and other government structures are situated, is often the site of mass gatherings such as inauguration and national holiday parades, receptions for visiting dignitaries, political demonstrations,[83][84] and public festivals.[85]
Garbage recycling
Taipei City is also famous for its effort in garbage recycling, which has become such a good international precedent that other countries have sent teams to study the recycling system. After the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) established a program in 1998 combining the efforts of communities, a financial resource named the Recycling Fund was made available to recycling companies and waste collectors. Manufacturers, vendors and importers of recyclable waste pay fees to the Fund, which uses the money to set firm prices for recyclables and subsidize local recycling efforts. Between 1998 and 2008, the recycling rate increased from 6 percent to 32 percent.[86] This improvement enabled the government of Taipei to demonstrate its recycling system to the world at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
Administrative divisions
Taipei City is divided up into 12 administrative districts (區 qu).[87] Each district is further divided up into urban villages (里), which are further sub-divided up into neighborhoods (鄰).
Map District Population
(Jan. 2016) Area
(km2) Postal
code
Beitou 北投區 Běitóu Pei-t'ou Pak-tâu 257,922 56.8216 112
Da'an 大安區 Dà'ān Ta-an Tāi-an 312,909 11.3614 106
Datong 大同區 Dàtóng Ta-t'ung Tāi-tông 131,029 5.6815 103
Nangang 南港區 Nángǎng Nan-kang Lâm-káng 122,296 21.8424 115
Neihu 內湖區 Nèihú Nei-hu Lāi-ô͘ 287,726 31.5787 114
Shilin 士林區 Shìlín Shih-lin Sū-lîm 290,682 62.3682 111
Songshan 松山區 Sōngshān Sung-shan Siông-san 209,689 9.2878 105
Wanhua 萬華區 Wànhuá Wan-hua Báng-kah 194,314 8.8522 108
Wenshan 文山區 Wénshān Wen-shan Bûn-san 275,433 31.5090 116
Xinyi 信義區 Xìnyì Hsin-yi Sìn-gī 229,139 11.2077 110
Zhongshan 中山區 Zhōngshān Chung-shan Tiong-san 231,286 13.6821 104
Zhongzheng 中正區 Zhōngzhèng Chung-cheng Tiong-chèng 162,549 7.6071 100
City planning
The city is characterized by straight roads and public buildings of grand Western architectural styles.[88] The city is built on a square grid configuration, however these blocks are huge by international standards with 500 m (1,640.42 ft) sides. The area in between these blocks are infilled with lanes and alleys, which provide access to quieter residential or mixed-use development. Other than a citywide 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph) speed limit, there is little uniform planning within this "hidden" area; therefore lanes (perpendicular to streets) and alleys (parallel with street, or conceptually, perpendicular to the lane) spill out from the main throughways. These minor roads are not always perpendicular and sometimes cut through the block diagonally.
Although development began in the western districts (still considered the cultural heart of the city) of the city due to trade, the eastern districts of the city have become the focus of recent development projects. Many of the western districts, already in decline, have become targets of new urban renewal initiatives.[88]
Transportation
Platform of Wende Station on the Taipei Metro system.
Public transport accounts for a substantial portion of different modes of transport in Taiwan, with Taipei residents having the highest utilization rate at 34.1%.[89] Private transport consists of motor scooters, private cars, and bicycles. Motor-scooters often weave between cars and occasionally through oncoming traffic. Respect for traffic laws, once scant, has improved with deployment of traffic cameras and increasing numbers of police roadblocks checking riders for alcohol consumption and other offenses.
Taipei Station serves as the comprehensive hub for the subway, bus, conventional rail, and high-speed rail.[41] A contactless smartcard, known as EasyCard, can be used for all modes of public transit as well as several retail outlets. It contains credits that are deducted each time a ride is taken.[90] The EasyCard is read via proximity sensory panels on buses and in MRT stations, and it does not need to be removed from one's wallet or purse.
Metro
Main article: Taipei Metro
Taipei's public transport system, the Taipei Metro (commonly referred to as the MRT), incorporates a metro and light rail system based on advanced VAL and Bombardier technology. There are currently five metro lines that are labelled in three ways: color, line number and depot station name. In addition to the rapid transit system itself, the Taipei Metro also includes several public facilities such as the Maokong Gondola, underground shopping malls, parks, and public squares. Modifications to existing railway lines to integrate them into the metro system are underway.
In 2017 a rapid transit line was opened to connect Taipei with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taoyuan City. The new line is part of the new Taoyuan Metro system.
Taipei Railway Station front
Rail
Main articles: Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railway Administration
Beginning in 1983, surface rail lines in the city were moved underground as part of the Taipei Railway Underground Project.[91] The Taiwan High Speed Rail system opened in 2007. The bullet trains connect Taipei with the west coast cities of New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan before terminating at Zuoying (Kaohsiung) at speeds that cut travel times by 60% or more from what they normally are on a bus or conventional train.[92] The Taiwan Railway Administration also runs passenger and freight services throughout the entire island.
Bus
An extensive city bus system serves metropolitan areas not covered by the metro, with exclusive bus lanes to facilitate transportation.[41] Riders of the city metro system are able to use the EasyCard for discounted fares on buses, and vice versa. Several major intercity bus terminals are located throughout the city, including the Taipei Bus Station and Taipei City Hall Bus Station.[93]
Taipei Songshan Airport
Airports
Main articles: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei Songshan Airport
Most scheduled international flights are served by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in nearby Taoyuan City. Songshan Airport at the heart of the city in the Songshan District serves domestic flights and scheduled flights to Tokyo International Airport (also known as Haneda Airport), Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, and about 15 destinations in the People's Republic of China. Songshan Airport is accessible by the Taipei Metro Neihu Line; Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is accessible by the Taoyuan International Airport MRT system.
Ticketing
In 1994, with the rapid development of Taipei, a white paper for transport policies expressed the strong objective to "create a civilised transport system for the people of Taipei." In 1999, they chose Mitac consortium, which Thales-Transportation Systems is part of. Thales was then selected again in 2005 to deploy an upgrade of Taipei's public transport network with an end-to-end and fully contactless automatic fare collection solution that integrates 116 metro stations, 5,000 buses and 92 car parks.[citation needed]
Education
West Site of National Taiwan University Hospital
24 universities have campuses located in Taipei:
National Taiwan University (1928)
National Chengchi University (1927)
National Defense Medical Center (1902)
National Defense University (1906)
National Taipei University (1949)
National Taipei University of Business (1917)
National Taipei University of Education (1895)
National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science (1947)
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (1974)
National Taipei University of Technology (1912)
National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (1957)
National Taiwan Normal University (1946)
National Yang-Ming University (1975)
Taipei National University of the Arts (1982)
University of Taipei (2013)
Tamkang University (1950)
Soochow University (1900)
Chinese Culture University (1962)
Ming Chuan University (1957)
Shih Hsin University (1956)
Shih Chien University (1958)
Taipei Medical University (1960)
Tatung University (1956)
China University of Technology (1965)
National Taiwan University (NTU) was established in 1928 during the period of Japanese colonial rule. NTU has produced many political and social leaders in Taiwan. Both pan-blue and pan-green movements in Taiwan are rooted on the NTU campus. The university has six campuses in the greater Taipei region (including New Taipei) and two additional campuses in Nantou County. The university governs farms, forests, and hospitals for educational and research purposes. The main campus is in Taipei's Da-An district, where most department buildings and all the administrative buildings are located. The College of Law and the College of Medicine are located near the Presidential Building. The National Taiwan University Hospital is a leading international center of medical research.[94]
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU or Shida) likewise traces its origins to the Japanese colonial period. Originally a teacher training institution, NTNU has developed into a comprehensive international university with demanding entrance requirements. The university boasts especially strong programs in the humanities and international education. Worldwide it is perhaps best known as home of the Mandarin Training Center, a program that offers Mandarin language training each year to over a thousand students from dozens of countries throughout the world. The main campus in Taipei's Da-An district, near MRT Guting Station, is known for its historic architecture and giving its name to the Shida Night Market, one of the most popular among the numerous night markets in Taipei.
Chinese language program for foreigners
Taiwan Mandarin Institute (TMI) (福爾摩莎)
International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) (國際華語研習所) of National Taiwan University
Mandarin Training Center (MTC) (國語教學中心) of National Taiwan Normal University
Taipei Language Institute (中華語文研習所)
A brilliant place to visit and a surprisingly large nature reserve in the middle of one of the worlds greatest and largest cities. You can see the urban backdrop and aeroplanes over the city but at times you will feel as if you are in the countryside. You will see many common wildlife as well as rare birds dropping in as well. It has quite an impressive list for a reserve in an urban area. A number of birds especially which are not found in urban areas are resident or passage migrants here.
City oasis
WWT London has been voted the UK’s Favourite Nature Reserve. Close to the heart of the capital, it is a haven for birds, wildlife and people.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/
Queen Elizabeth's Walk
Barnes, London
SW13 9WT
T: 020 8409 4400
F: 020 8409 4401
E: info.london@wwt.org.uk
Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December.
Winter opening time until Saturday 24 March 2012
9.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm).
Summer opening time until Saturday 27 October 2012
9.30am to 6pm (last admission 5pm).
Early closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm, centre closes at 3pm)
Water's Edge Cafe: last orders 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer
Water's Edge Cafe: closes 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer
Terms of entry
Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.
Photography is permitted on site providing it is for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please phone 020 8409 4400 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.
Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths at all times and not causing undue noise. The centre is a nature conservation area designed to protect natural habitats for all UK wetland species, both botanical and animal. It is especially important to remain quiet in the bird viewing hides.
The following are not permitted on site:
•Dogs, other than trained assistance dogs (i.e. guide dogs), which must be kept on their harness at all times, and the harness must clearly state "working or assistance dog." Any dog waste must please be removed. There is minimal shade in the car park so we strongly recommend dogs are not left locked in parked cars. There are no suitable areas anywhere at the centre for dogs to be left tied-up outside. Please be aware that our priority is for the welfare of the dogs, so it is our policy to call the RSPCA or Police immediately if we are concerned for the health of a dog.
•Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates or blades or skateboards. Bike cages are provided in the car park, please bring your own lock. WWT London Wetland Centre accepts no responsibility for any theft or damage of bikes or property left in the cages.
•Climbing on any trees or shrubs or any pruning/picking of flowers or vegetation.
•Climbing on any exhibits or habitats either in the World Wetlands area or the Wildside areas.
•Swimming/wading or entering any water bodies on site.
•Sports or games (including jogging).
•There is no provision for left baggage, please leave all baggage in your vehicle or do not bring it with you.
•We do not allow re-entry to the centre, unless admission receipt is provided.
Accessibility
•The grounds have level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)
•Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides. Heated bird-watching observatory in main visitor centre
•Lift access to upper floors of visitor centre, observatory and three-storey Peacock Tower hide. No lift in Wildside Hide
•Free wheelchair loan
•Free electric mobility scooter loan. One only - must be booked in advance.
•Fixed hearing loops in admissions area and in audio visual theatre
•Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. guide dogs). No other dogs permitted
•Accessible toilets in car park and throughout the visitor centre
•Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors.
•Public transport is available direct to the centre from Hammersmith bus station to the centre between 9.30am and 5pm (No 283 from Stand K)
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/walks-and-talks/
London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the City for a walk or to indulge in an afternoon of bird watching from one of our six hides. The reserve is easily accessible with pathways and bridges among the pools, meadows and gardens.
But if you want to learn a bit more about the centre - how it was created and the work we do here - you can join one of our tours held daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm. There’s no need to book and the tour is free with admission to the centre.
Our guides will explain how London Wetland Centre was created from four redundant Thames Water reservoirs. They will also point out wildlife spotted on the day.
Over 200 species of bird have been recorded on site since we opened in 2000. Also making their home amongst the 300,000 plants and 27,000 trees we planted during the centre’s creation are water voles, dragonflies, frogs, snakes, slow worms, bats, newts and butterflies, to name just a few.
You can also join one of our wardens at 3.00pm each day as they feed the birds in World Wetlands. Just turn up and the walks are free with admission to the centre.
As well as our regular walks we frequently run specialist walks and talks on everything from plant identification and reptiles to bird watching and bird song. See our Whats On section for forthcoming events.
And every day you will find our ‘Guide in the hide’ who will be able to point out the birds you can see on our lakes and lagoons.
•Guided tours, daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm
•Bird feed tour, daily at 3.00pm
•Guide in a hide, daily
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/prices/
2012 admission prices
Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.
Pricing*Gift AidNo Gift Aid
Adult£10.99£9.99
Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)£8.20£7.45
Child (4-16 years)£6.10£5.55
Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)£30.60£27.82
Children (under 4 years)FreeFree
Essential helpers assisting disabled visitorsFreeFree
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Please note: you may be asked for proof of age, student ID or proof that you are receiving Job Seekers Allowance to qualify for concession admission prices.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/eat-drink-ref...
Eat, drink, refresh
The Water’s Edge café is situated overlooking the centre's entrance lake where you can watch the ducks hunting for their own lunch! On warmer days you can relax on the terrace but there is also plenty of seating indoors for when the weather is chillier.
The café serves a delicious selection of main dishes and sandwiches, soup, cakes, biscuits and snacks plus children’s lunch boxes.
Each day we offer breakfast rolls (full English breakfast at weekends). Hot food, including a vegetarian option, is served from 12 noon.We also serve hot and cold drinks and wines throughout the day.
Throughout the year we serve meals to celebrate festive occasions such as Christmas, Mothers’ Day and Valentine’s Day. Where better to treat someone to lunch than in the beautiful, relaxing setting of a 105 acre wildlife haven?
We also have rooms available for hire for private celebrations such as weddings and parties.
The Water’s Edge café is in the centre so cannot be visited without paying for admission to the centre (admission is free for members).
Although only food purchased from the cafe can be eaten inside and on the café terrace there are ample picnic areas situated around the centre where you are welcome to eat your own food and drink.
Water's Edge café last orders: 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer
Water's Edge café closes: 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/shopping/
Our gift shop stocks a wide range of souvenirs, practical items and luxury gifts. Select from wildlife books to enhance your enjoyment of nature, eco products, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, cards, children’s gifts, souvenirs and much more.
We also have a wide range of children’s products for budding wildlife enthusiasts. Help our feathered friends by taking home a pack of bird seed and treat yourself to a bag of traditional sweets too!
To enhance your walk through our 105 acre nature reserve you can hire binoculars from the In Focus optics shop located next to the art gallery (above the shop).
Binoculars cost £5.00 to hire. In Focus stocks everything you will ever need to watch wildlife, from compact binoculars to state of the art telescopes (a percentage of all sales goes to the conservation work of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust).
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/group-visits/
London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place for a group visit, offering close views of nature, especially wetland birds, and a wide variety of wetland habitats to explore (although you won't need your wellies!). There is also a collection of beautiful birds from around the world kept for conservation purposes and a family of otters.
We have an excellent visitor centre for all your group’s needs with a lakeside restaurant, gift shop and a theatre. The majority of the paths are tarmac so are easily accessible and there are plenty of benches for you to sit and relax. Even our three storey hide with views across the entire reserve has a lift.
The centre is easily accessible from central London and beyond, with public transport links direct and free onsite car/coach parking.
Benefits for groups
•Reduced admission prices for groups of 12 or more
•A complimentary ticket for the group organiser
•Free pre-visit on request for the group organiser
•Free coach parking
•Guided tours available, tailored to your group's requirements (fee applies)
Please note that all benefits except reduced admission only apply if you book up to two weeks in advance.
Group admission prices 2012
The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 paying visitors or more:
Adult: £9.20
Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)
Child: £5.15 (4 - 16 years)
Sample group itinerary
11am - Arrive at the centre and meet with one of our tour guides. Visit the observatory, enjoy a tour around ‘World Wetlands’ discovering water birds from across the globe and learn how the centre was created.
1pm - Enjoy lunch in the Water’s Edge cafe where you can choose from a selection of hot and cold meals and refreshments.
2pm - Explore the reserve and discover the birds and other wetland wildlife that have made this their home. Don’t forget to visit our Peacock tower for wonderful panoramic views of the wetland habitats.
3.30pm - Afternoon tea in the Water’s Edge cafe with sumptuous home-made cakes.
4.15pm - Enjoy a spot of shopping in our gift shop.
4.50pm - Depart.
Private group tours
Make the most of your visit with a tour by one of our expert guides. £20 fee applies for a maximum of 20 people. Tour last 1.5 hours. Please call 020 8409 4400 for details.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit?
The London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place to visit all year round with the landscape and wildlife changing constantly with the seasons.
Spring is perfect for wild flowers and songbirds. In the summer you can relax outside with a picnic and enjoy the sound of marsh frogs, crickets and warblers. Our sustainable gardens are beautiful at that time of year, bursting into a blaze of colour that lasts all summer.
Autumn is great for seeing rare birds passing through on migration and winter is the best time to observe the flocks of wild duck or catch sight of an elusive bittern, regular visitors over recent winters.
Why not combine your visit with one of our special events such as late night opening, some of our animal themed events or a twilight bat walk?
What should we wear?
The centre has tarmac/firm level paths throughout and so any comfortable shoes will suffice. It is worth bringing an umbrella or waterproof if rain is forecast as the reserve covers more than 40 hectares and it can take a few minutes to reach shelter.
When should we pay?
Please pay at the admissions desk on the day of your visit. The centre would very much appreciate if you could arrange one payment per group. This will speed up your admission into the centre. If you are paying individually please be prepared to wait.
Some of our group can’t walk far, is it still suitable?
Yes, there is plenty to see and do in our visitor centre and there are numerous benches scattered throughout the reserve. It is also possible to book a wheelchair or electric buggy to help you travel around the reserve.
Making a booking
Please complete our group booking form (pdf, 37kb) and return it to info.london@wwt.org.uk
Contact us on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk for further information.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/school-visits/
School visits
At WWT London we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.
To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils
www.wwt.org.uk/learn/learn-at-wwt-london/
We welcome school groups of all sizes, all year round.
We offer guided learning sessions outdoors, suitable for a range of ages and abilities, including special needs groups. Or for schools wishing to explore independently, we offer self guided visits.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/venue-hire/
WWT London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to hold any event, whether you are celebrating a special occasion, getting married or holding a meeting. The Centre is just 10 minutes from Hammersmith but it could be a world away. The combination of beautiful surroundings and central location makes it easily accessible but offers a rural experience. Our 42 hectares of scenic lakes, pools and meadows are unique so close to the heart of London and they are complemented by first rate facilities, excellent transport links and ample free parking.
WWT London Wetland Centre is part of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust so by holding your event with us you will be directly contributing to our global conservation work.
Contact us
To further information please contact our functions team.
Telephone: 020 8409 4400 or email: functions.london@wwt.org.uk
If you are travelling to or from the centre by taxi we encourage you to use the taxi company Green Tomato Cars. This company uses a fleet of the most viable environmentally friendly cars and offers the service at competitive rates. For more information please see their website www.greentomatocars.com or call 020 8568 002.
www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/volunteer/
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a charity and relies on the generous support of volunteers at all of its wetland centres to help with conservation work and other daily tasks.
The London Wetland Centre currently has openings for:
•Office volunteers – reception and office cover, Friday morning and afternoon, and weekend mornings and afternoons
•Membership volunteers (especially weekends)
•Corporate work groups - weekdays
•Events volunteers (at weekends)
We are also interested to hear from people with specialist skills that may be of use to WWT. Currently we are particularly looking for good birders who are also great communicators.
Please call Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400.
Membership volunteers
Are you inspired by wetlands and their wildlife? Could you help save them?
Do you have an outgoing, friendly personality to engage with visitors at WWT London Wetland Centre?
We are looking for volunteers to join us to actively recruit members for London Wetland Centre. Can you spare at least two mornings or afternoons a month to help us with this worthy cause?
If you are interested, please contact: Chris Elliott, Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk
Corporate volunteering
Escape the office for a day and do your bit for wetland conservation with our corporate volunteering opportunities at WWT London Wetland Centre.
We can cater for corporate volunteering days, where work groups can assist wardens with duties such as planting, digging, weeding and pollarding.
Costs vary depending on type of volunteer work completed.
Please call our Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 for further details.
Work experience
WWT London Wetland Centre takes five work experience students a year for one working week at a time. Students spend each day working with a different department.
Work experience must be part of the schools programme and placements are subject to interview.
Demand for placements is very high and there are no remaining openings in 2012.
With limited staffing resources we very much regret that the London Wetland Centre cannot accept students on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
Contact us
For further information please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk
قالت مادام الهجر ما منه مصلـوح خفف من السرعه شويه و حاسب
فكر قبل ما تنوي البعـد و تـروح هل القرار اللـي خذيتـه مناسـب؟
Gossip - face detail - Seated figures H32cm
White Raku clay body, tin oxide white crackle glaze, reduced in hardwood sawdust, fired to 950c with integrated Nichrome and steel wire. Painted wood base from ship wreck at Staithes, North Yorshire.
Sounds Rivulet, Murdunna > Tasmania
6 February 2016
4 shot panorama stitched in Lightroom CC
Nikon D7200, ISO 100, f22, 1/8, 50mm, Hoya Circular PL
This is my first attempt at rendering a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) palette image using narrowband data acquired with our QSI683 CCD and Astrodon 5nm narrowband filters.
Data acquired in our driveway in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ha was shot during a nearly full moon, OIII and SII were shot with no moon.
Image details:
Ha
17x 10 minutes
170 minutes
OIII
10x 10 minutes
100 minutes
SII
10x 10 minutes
100 minutes
Calibrated / reduced with bias, dark, and flat frames
Equipment details:
Officina Stellare Hiper APO 105
QSI683ws8 CCD
Astrodon Series 2 5nm narrowband filters (Ha / OIII / SII)
Officina Stellare 0.75 focal reducer/field flattener
Celestron AdvancedVX and CGEM DX mounts
50mm finder/guider
Orion SSAG
Software:
Acquisition and focusing with Sequence Generator Lite
Guiding with PhD
Reduction, integration and post-processing with PixInsight
"Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. The city's estimated population has grown by 1% annually since 2010 on average.
Like the rest of Northern Virginia and Central Maryland, modern Alexandria has been influenced by its proximity to the U.S. capital. It is largely populated by professionals working in the federal civil service, in the U.S. military, or for one of the many private companies which contract to provide services to the federal government. One of Alexandria's largest employers is the U.S. Department of Defense. Another is the Institute for Defense Analyses. In 2005, the United States Patent and Trademark Office moved to Alexandria, and in 2017, so did the headquarters of the National Science Foundation.
The historic center of Alexandria is known as Old Town Alexandria (or simply "Old Town"). With its concentration of boutiques, restaurants, antique shops and theaters, it is a major draw for all who live in Alexandria as well for visitors. Like Old Town, many Alexandria neighborhoods are compact and walkable. It is the 7th largest and highest-income independent city in Virginia.
A large portion of adjacent Fairfax County, mostly south but also west of the city, has Alexandria mailing addresses. However, this area is under the jurisdiction of Fairfax County's government and separate from the independent city. The city is therefore sometimes referred to as the "City of Alexandria" to avoid confusion (see the "Neighborhoods" paragraph below). Additionally, neighboring Arlington County was formerly named "Alexandria County" before it was renamed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1920 to reduce confusion with the city." - info from Wikipedia.
The fall of 2022 I did my 3rd major cycling tour. I began my adventure in Montreal, Canada and finished in Savannah, GA. This tour took me through the oldest parts of Quebec and the 13 original US states. During this adventure I cycled 7,126 km over the course of 2.5 months and took more than 68,000 photos. As with my previous tours, a major focus was to photograph historic architecture.
Now on Instagram.
Now for something completely different. It is quite rare to see a Steam Train on our local South Coast Main Line. This was the Bath and Bristol Steam Express day Excursion from Three Bridges. I had heard about it and set up on the footpath by the River Arun by the rail bridge at Ford. The train had stopped at Worthing and then ran fast with next stop Salisbury via Chichester and Havant. The advantage of this spot apart from the scenery is that the train has to slow for the points at the junction just before. When running fast Steam trains can readily get to 70mph. The train arrived pretty much on time which is better than the modern trains manage
The picture was taken handheld with a Sony A550 with a Tamron 28-200 mm lens at 28mm. Editing was first in RAW and then Noise reduction with Topaz DeNoise. For more detail I used Topaz Adjust HDR setting. Then to really bring up detail in the Sky I used Topaz Glow electrify at a reduced opacity and applied just to the sky and steam with a layer mask.
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