I’ll relate to y’all, my beautiful readers, a simple tale of an ordinary average Central Texas Trumpet Case Bear. It was 95 degrees F (35 C) out of doors. Little Texas Aggie Trumpet Case Bear was about to go into heat exhaustion (symptom before heat stroke).

Alamo Basement Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring whispered to me, “We need to get frozen Margaritas into the little bear immediately before he goes into a coma and dies. Have you looked at the price of black market bears lately?” I pulled out the large container for the Ninja and fired it up.

After about quatro or cinco Margaritas necesitas, Little Texas Aggie Osa (bear) was starting to feel much, much better. At this point, there was a spilt Margarita. It’s not important who spilt the Margarita, but it did totally soak Little Texas Aggie Bear.

I for one, am not about to allow a trumpet case bear who smells of tequila and is all sticky, near my 1947 Rudy Mück jazz trumpet. I had two options — Take him out to the woods and shoot him or — give him a bath in the kitchen sink.

Bears know how to swim. In fact, they love water. In some states, they will come into your backyard and take the waters in your swimming pool or jacuzzi. There are videos on YouTube.

I sanitized the sink and prepared a nice, warm bubble bath for Little Texas Aggie Bear. He hesitantly lowered himself into the sink. He let out a “bear sigh” of pleasure. When I took out the camera, Little Texas Aggie Bear started to cry. “What’s wrong?” asked Alamo Basement Aggie Ring.

“It’s the bubble bath.” sobbed the little bear. “If anyone in the Trumpet Case Bear Union sees those photos, I’ll loose my certification and be forced to become the worst sort of bear ever — a tuba/Sousaphone case bear.”

I assured the little bear that no one would ever see any of these photos and think that he’s some sort of “Barbie Dream House” bear. This seemed to put him at ease and please him.

After I rinsed him a couple of times, Aggie Ring and I realized we had a very, very wet bear to deal with. “If you don’t get him dry soon. He’ll start to smell like wet dog!” said Aggie Ring.

My first thought was, “Well… the ceiling fan will get him dry! I’ll just hang him up by the neck to it.” Sadly, when I turned on the fan, Aggie Bear went flying across the room and onto the hard floor like a child who wasn’t strapped in properly in a Disney World wild ride.

[More to follow]

Chelsea London SW3

promenades and pereambulations,

Streetscapes

----------------------------

For those visitors who may be unfamiliar with London the basement patio relate to side street access to the building intended, in Victorian times for servants and tradesmen as the main door and stairs to the building were used only by the owners and their guests,

the picture is taken from street level looking down.

With increased demographic pressure and higher cost of living these houses were first converted into flats and the basement often kept as a separate lodgings for the housekeeper/consierge.

Soon even such luxury became redundant and basement flats became a desirable commodity which allowed people a central London location for a fraction of the price of a flat on the ground or first floor of the same building. On the upside an additional bonus is that basement flats often enjoy their private little gardens at the rear of the house of variable dimension which sometimes could be 4mx6m or more (12ftx18ft) or more. Having a garden to keep a dog or read a book, have lunch or entertain makes a great difference in London. From the street these basement flats can look dark and small but if facing East they get a lot of sun. Often the architect-design makes these flats into very pleasant homes, light and with the latest design and mod cons - completely unimagined from outside.

These access patio gardens as seen here are often imaginatively landscaped with pots, plants, fountains and stculptures of a great variety and taste.

The picture is taken from street level, looking down, with the iron railings at street level, showing to the left.

Track and Field archives

The National Athletics Archive is held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham, and comprises an extensive volume of archival materials. These papers primarily relate to the history and development of athletics in the United Kingdom throughout the 1800s and 1900s. In addition to organisational collections, such as the papers of the Amateur Athletics Association, the National Athletics Archive includes various discrete collections of individual athletes. These include papers relating to Sydney Wooderson MBE, 1914-2006. Wooderson was an English athlete who was dubbed ‘The Mighty Atom’. His athletics career peaked in the 1930s and 1940s and he set the world mile record of 04:06:40 at London’s Motspur Park on 28 August 1937. This record stood for nearly five years.

The collection also includes ephemeral and grey literature relating to various athletics clubs, meetings and events. Papers relating to major athletics championships include material generated during the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff. These Games introduced the ‘Queen’s Baton Relay’ which has been conducted as a prelude to every British Empire and Commonwealth Games since.

Programmes and manuscript results compiled by the athlete and coach, Dennis Cullum, 1913-1985.

Reference: ATH/DC/2/1

This is one of a series of shots relating to an old photo of Clapton from Elias that shows an old LCC estate, now gone:

www.flickr.com/photos/51766910@N00/262164662/

Clapton Ponds is the end stop for the 38, which was the last of London's Routemasters, and a number of other buses. Rare to see a substantial bus shelter like this these days, but the buses do not visit this side of the common, and its just used for car parking and rubbish dump.

Relates to this post at City of Sound.

House Bill 980, relating to “Highway Safety” (aka Distracted Driving Bill) – This measure is effective July 1, 2013. While all counties have some form of a distracted driving ordinance in place, this measure establishes a state law that creates consistent requirements across all counties for the use of mobile electronic devices while driving and will simplify enforcement. Crash data from the DOT shows that during 2007, 32 percent (2,871 of the 8,770 collisions) were attributed to inattention to driving.

Senate Bill 4, relating to “Motor Vehicles” (aka Universal Seatbelt Bill) – This measure requires all front seat and back seat occupants to buckle up, effective immediately. Adults and children must use their seat belts and child restraints at all times. Unrestrained back seat passengers were more than three times as likely to have injuries that were fatal or required hospitalization compared to restrained back seat passengers, based on DOH’s analysis of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) records. Additionally, among back seat passengers who were treated for injuries by EMS, average medical charges were nearly tripled among those who did not use seat belts ($11,043), compared to restrained passengers ($3,817).

The bill signings were done in conjunction with the DOT’s launch of the annual “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign, held in partnership between the state and counties with federal funding. During the national Click It or Ticket mobilization from May 20 to June 2 and throughout the year, police statewide will be continuing strict enforcement of the state seat belt and child passenger restraint laws.

Poor Posture? We can help. Posture relates to so many health conditions today such as headaches, neck pain, depression, back pain, and vertigo. Our unique approach to chiropractic can help correct posture.

House Bill 980, relating to “Highway Safety” (aka Distracted Driving Bill) – This measure is effective July 1, 2013. While all counties have some form of a distracted driving ordinance in place, this measure establishes a state law that creates consistent requirements across all counties for the use of mobile electronic devices while driving and will simplify enforcement. Crash data from the DOT shows that during 2007, 32 percent (2,871 of the 8,770 collisions) were attributed to inattention to driving.

Senate Bill 4, relating to “Motor Vehicles” (aka Universal Seatbelt Bill) – This measure requires all front seat and back seat occupants to buckle up, effective immediately. Adults and children must use their seat belts and child restraints at all times. Unrestrained back seat passengers were more than three times as likely to have injuries that were fatal or required hospitalization compared to restrained back seat passengers, based on DOH’s analysis of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) records. Additionally, among back seat passengers who were treated for injuries by EMS, average medical charges were nearly tripled among those who did not use seat belts ($11,043), compared to restrained passengers ($3,817).

The bill signings were done in conjunction with the DOT’s launch of the annual “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign, held in partnership between the state and counties with federal funding. During the national Click It or Ticket mobilization from May 20 to June 2 and throughout the year, police statewide will be continuing strict enforcement of the state seat belt and child passenger restraint laws.

I am sure that most people will relate to that ‘Monday Morning Feeling’. The dreaded realization upon waking that it is NOT Saturday or Sunday. It’s not even any other weekday. It’s Monday. The day when you long for that extra half-hour in bed more than on any other day of the week. The day when, due to some meteorological quirk of nature, the weather, more often than not, is depressing. The day when you question your career choice!

I was certainly no different. As an Art teacher for nearly 35 years, I would make my way up the school drive wondering whether some mutated virus may just possibly have incapacitated only the disruptive pupils in the school. In the Winter there was always the possibility that the heating system had broken down and the pupils would be sent home, or the pipes had burst over the weekend. The reality for a Monday was that staff absence would be heavier than normal and, if one had a non-contact period (can’t call them ‘free’ periods any more), looking at the daily ‘cover’ list would see one’s name down to take class 9Z for ‘Life Skills’ or something similar because Miss Binge had a ‘migraine’ or Mr. Skiver had developed the ‘workshy virus’.

By mid-morning break, of course, usually, one’s mood had returned to normal and life really didn’t seem that bad. In order to militate against the likelihood of a mass-suicide pact in the staffroom on a Monday morning, I began to produce a ‘Picture of the Week’ with a caption beneath, for the ‘Cover Noticeboard’. These raised a smile and I was sometimes asked for a copy. I have begun to upload them here for the benefit of anyone who has a similar sense of humour to myself! I will upload the first few and then add to them on a weekly basis.

Feel free to add your own caption.

I’ll relate to y’all, my beautiful readers, a simple tale of an ordinary average Central Texas Trumpet Case Bear. It was 95 degrees F (35 C) out of doors. Little Texas Aggie Trumpet Case Bear was about to go into heat exhaustion (symptom before heat stroke).

Alamo Basement Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring whispered to me, “We need to get frozen Margaritas into the little bear immediately before he goes into a coma and dies. Have you looked at the price of black market bears lately?” I pulled out the large container for the Ninja and fired it up.

After about quatro or cinco Margaritas necesitas, Little Texas Aggie Osa (bear) was starting to feel much, much better. At this point, there was a spilt Margarita. It’s not important who spilt the Margarita, but it did totally soak Little Texas Aggie Bear.

I for one, am not about to allow a trumpet case bear who smells of tequila and is all sticky, near my 1947 Rudy Mück jazz trumpet. I had two options — Take him out to the woods and shoot him or — give him a bath in the kitchen sink.

Bears know how to swim. In fact, they love water. In some states, they will come into your backyard and take the waters in your swimming pool or jacuzzi. There are videos on YouTube.

I sanitized the sink and prepared a nice, warm bubble bath for Little Texas Aggie Bear. He hesitantly lowered himself into the sink. He let out a “bear sigh” of pleasure. When I took out the camera, Little Texas Aggie Bear started to cry. “What’s wrong?” asked Alamo Basement Aggie Ring.

“It’s the bubble bath.” sobbed the little bear. “If anyone in the Trumpet Case Bear Union sees those photos, I’ll loose my certification and be forced to become the worst sort of bear ever — a tuba/Sousaphone case bear.”

I assured the little bear that no one would ever see any of these photos and think that he’s some sort of “Barbie Dream House” bear. This seemed to put him at ease and please him.

After I rinsed him a couple of times, Aggie Ring and I realized we had a very, very wet bear to deal with. “If you don’t get him dry soon. He’ll start to smell like wet dog!” said Aggie Ring.

My first thought was, “Well… the ceiling fan will get him dry! I’ll just hang him up by the neck to it.” Sadly, when I turned on the fan, Aggie Bear went flying across the room and onto the hard floor like a child who wasn’t strapped in properly in a Disney World wild ride.

[More to follow]

Dundalk overwhelm Bangor in All Ireland Final

by Roger Corbett

Bangor’s amazing run in the All Ireland Junior Cup came to an abrupt end when they were comprehensively beaten by Dundalk, eventually losing by 55-5.

Where do you start when trying to relate and absorb the events of Saturday’s final at Chambers Park? Firstly, congratulations to worthy winners Dundalk who nullified the Bangor attack, then went on to produce some stunning plays which racked up no less than 8 tries, each by a different player. For Bangor’s part, they were unable to respond to the intensity of Dundalk’s game, and lacked the cutting edge which their opponents used to great effect.

The day started full of promise, as the strong support from North Down made their way to Chambers Park in Portadown, knowing Bangor would be fielding their best team. Once again, the pundits had Bangor as the underdogs – just as they had done so in the previous three rounds! In confounding the experts earlier, Bangor produced some awesome performances against top quality opposition to get to the final. Dundalk had produced some convincing wins in the early rounds of the competition, but had struggled to get past CIYMS in the semi-final, just managing to squeeze ahead at the second time of asking. However, with a number of key players returning to the side in time for this game, they were now back at full strength and would be a formidable force to contend with.

Having won the toss, captain Jamie Clegg elected to play into the stiff wind in the first half. For the first 5 minutes, Bangor doggedly retained possession and tried to play their way into Dundalk’s half through a series of determined forward moves. However, little ground was made and, when possession was finally lost, the Dundalk back line produced a burst that simply cut through the Bangor defence resulting in an easy touch down under Bangor’s posts for a 7-0 lead.

Bangor stuck to their plan and slowly, but patiently, got their attack moving forward, eventually winning a penalty to the left of Dundalk’s posts, but Mark Widdowson’s kick into the wind drifted just wide of the mark.

The contrast in play between the two teams was becoming clear, with Bangor trying to keep the ball close while Dundalk were throwing it wide. The latter strategy was proving to be the more effective as, with 20 minutes gone, a quick back line move with players looping around resulted in an overlap on the right wing which gave a clear run in to again, score under the posts. A further 9 minutes later, they did it again and, although the Bangor defence had sensed the danger and moved across to cover it, their tackling let them down allowing Dundalk to get over in the right hand corner, taking their lead to 19-0.

By now, Bangor were trying to hang on until half time when they could regroup and come out with the wind at their backs. Dundalk, on the other hand were anxious to press home their advantage and give them a more comfortable lead. To Bangor’s credit, although camped on their own line for lengthy spells, they dug in and managed to hold on until the referee’s half time whistle.

As the teams reappeared from the dressing rooms, it was obvious Bangor were ringing the changes, particularly in the backs. With the wind advantage having lessened considerably, Bangor got the second half underway. It was now Dundalk’s turn to adopt the slow, steady approach, just as Bangor had done earlier. However, their more confident off-loading and support play was, once again, taking play deep into Bangor’s territory. Frustration at not being able to gain possession and take play out of their danger area eventually resulted in a yellow card for Clegg after a succession of penalties. Dundalk kicked the penalty to touch, won their lineout and drove for the line. Although initially held up by the Bangor defence, Dundalk’s repeated drives were eventually rewarded with another converted score, extending their lead to 26-0.

From the touchline, the Bangor faithful had felt that if their players had managed to score first in the second half, they may have been able to mount a fight-back and close the gap to their opponents. As it was, this Dundalk score simply bolstered their confidence and pushed Bangor deeper into trouble. With Bangor still a man down, Dundalk added to the score with a penalty and then another score in the corner. Everything was now working for the Leinster men, as even the difficult touchline conversion into the biting wind successfully split the posts, bringing the score to 36-0.

As the game entered the final quarter, and with Dundalk all but holding the cup, Bangor were now on the ropes. By contrast, the Dundalk players were in almost total control, and were not going to slow down now. In a 10 minute spell, they ran in a further 3 tries, making the scoreline 55-0. By now, any sense of dejection the Bangor supporters may have been feeling was now moved to feelings of sympathy for their players. However, pride was at stake and once again Bangor rallied as the game entered its final minutes. At last, the forwards got within striking distance of the Dundalk line and, although their repeated attacks were repelled, they finally managed to do what their opponents had done so effectively, and quickly passed the ball wide to Davy Charles. Even though they were 55 points ahead, the Dundalk defence made Charles work hard to drive through the tackles and score Bangor’s consolation try, bringing the final score to 55-5.

From Bangor’s point of view, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story of this competition. While the final may have resulted in a sad anti-climax for Bangor, the remarkable journey to get there will be remembered for some time. On the day, Dundalk were by far the better side, and Bangor would have to concede that their game was not up to the usual standard. However, there is no doubt the experience of competing at this level is something to relish and the goal now will be to secure a top four place in the league and try again next year.

Everybody at the club has nothing but the highest respect and praise for what has been achieved this year by not just the 1sts, but all the senior teams, and one poor result isn’t going to change that – the welcome at Upritchard Park for the returning players is testament to that. With that in mind, the players now need to put this disappointment behind them and provide the best possible response against a struggling Portadown side at home in the league next Saturday.

Bangor side: J Leary, A Jackson, P Whyte, F Black, G Irvine, R Latimer, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong, K Rosson, D Charles, M Aspley, M Weir, M Widdowson, C Morgan

Subs: S Irvine, O McIlmurray, D Kelly, M Rodgers, C Harper, D Fusco, M Thompson

Bangor scores: D Charles (1T)

Dundalk Storm To Title Dundalk 55 v Bangor 5 from KnockOn.ie

Dundalk Scorers: Christopher Scully, Owen McNally, Jonathan Williams, John Smyth, Ultan Murphy, Tiernan Gonnelly, James McConnon and Stephen Murphy 1 try each. Ultan Murphy 6 cons, 1 pen.

Bangor Scorers: David Charles 1 try.

In front of a big crowd at Chambers Park on Saturday afternoon Dundalk delivered a stunning and ruthless display to see off the challenge of Bangor and capture the All Ireland Junior Cup title for the very first time.

Three first half tries had them firmly in control at 19-0 ahead having played with the elements at the Portadown venue during the first half and while the wind dropped somewhat after half time the Dundalk intensity most certainly didn’t as they cut loose scoring five more tries.

Dundalk returned to a heroes welcome at their Mill Road clubhouse on Saturday night after a display of pure brilliance throughout the afternoon.

Precision, pace and skill from the Louth men from start to finish left Bangor playing second fiddle for long periods.

Dundalk overwhelm Bangor in All Ireland Final

by Roger Corbett

Bangor’s amazing run in the All Ireland Junior Cup came to an abrupt end when they were comprehensively beaten by Dundalk, eventually losing by 55-5.

Where do you start when trying to relate and absorb the events of Saturday’s final at Chambers Park? Firstly, congratulations to worthy winners Dundalk who nullified the Bangor attack, then went on to produce some stunning plays which racked up no less than 8 tries, each by a different player. For Bangor’s part, they were unable to respond to the intensity of Dundalk’s game, and lacked the cutting edge which their opponents used to great effect.

The day started full of promise, as the strong support from North Down made their way to Chambers Park in Portadown, knowing Bangor would be fielding their best team. Once again, the pundits had Bangor as the underdogs – just as they had done so in the previous three rounds! In confounding the experts earlier, Bangor produced some awesome performances against top quality opposition to get to the final. Dundalk had produced some convincing wins in the early rounds of the competition, but had struggled to get past CIYMS in the semi-final, just managing to squeeze ahead at the second time of asking. However, with a number of key players returning to the side in time for this game, they were now back at full strength and would be a formidable force to contend with.

Having won the toss, captain Jamie Clegg elected to play into the stiff wind in the first half. For the first 5 minutes, Bangor doggedly retained possession and tried to play their way into Dundalk’s half through a series of determined forward moves. However, little ground was made and, when possession was finally lost, the Dundalk back line produced a burst that simply cut through the Bangor defence resulting in an easy touch down under Bangor’s posts for a 7-0 lead.

Bangor stuck to their plan and slowly, but patiently, got their attack moving forward, eventually winning a penalty to the left of Dundalk’s posts, but Mark Widdowson’s kick into the wind drifted just wide of the mark.

The contrast in play between the two teams was becoming clear, with Bangor trying to keep the ball close while Dundalk were throwing it wide. The latter strategy was proving to be the more effective as, with 20 minutes gone, a quick back line move with players looping around resulted in an overlap on the right wing which gave a clear run in to again, score under the posts. A further 9 minutes later, they did it again and, although the Bangor defence had sensed the danger and moved across to cover it, their tackling let them down allowing Dundalk to get over in the right hand corner, taking their lead to 19-0.

By now, Bangor were trying to hang on until half time when they could regroup and come out with the wind at their backs. Dundalk, on the other hand were anxious to press home their advantage and give them a more comfortable lead. To Bangor’s credit, although camped on their own line for lengthy spells, they dug in and managed to hold on until the referee’s half time whistle.

As the teams reappeared from the dressing rooms, it was obvious Bangor were ringing the changes, particularly in the backs. With the wind advantage having lessened considerably, Bangor got the second half underway. It was now Dundalk’s turn to adopt the slow, steady approach, just as Bangor had done earlier. However, their more confident off-loading and support play was, once again, taking play deep into Bangor’s territory. Frustration at not being able to gain possession and take play out of their danger area eventually resulted in a yellow card for Clegg after a succession of penalties. Dundalk kicked the penalty to touch, won their lineout and drove for the line. Although initially held up by the Bangor defence, Dundalk’s repeated drives were eventually rewarded with another converted score, extending their lead to 26-0.

From the touchline, the Bangor faithful had felt that if their players had managed to score first in the second half, they may have been able to mount a fight-back and close the gap to their opponents. As it was, this Dundalk score simply bolstered their confidence and pushed Bangor deeper into trouble. With Bangor still a man down, Dundalk added to the score with a penalty and then another score in the corner. Everything was now working for the Leinster men, as even the difficult touchline conversion into the biting wind successfully split the posts, bringing the score to 36-0.

As the game entered the final quarter, and with Dundalk all but holding the cup, Bangor were now on the ropes. By contrast, the Dundalk players were in almost total control, and were not going to slow down now. In a 10 minute spell, they ran in a further 3 tries, making the scoreline 55-0. By now, any sense of dejection the Bangor supporters may have been feeling was now moved to feelings of sympathy for their players. However, pride was at stake and once again Bangor rallied as the game entered its final minutes. At last, the forwards got within striking distance of the Dundalk line and, although their repeated attacks were repelled, they finally managed to do what their opponents had done so effectively, and quickly passed the ball wide to Davy Charles. Even though they were 55 points ahead, the Dundalk defence made Charles work hard to drive through the tackles and score Bangor’s consolation try, bringing the final score to 55-5.

From Bangor’s point of view, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story of this competition. While the final may have resulted in a sad anti-climax for Bangor, the remarkable journey to get there will be remembered for some time. On the day, Dundalk were by far the better side, and Bangor would have to concede that their game was not up to the usual standard. However, there is no doubt the experience of competing at this level is something to relish and the goal now will be to secure a top four place in the league and try again next year.

Everybody at the club has nothing but the highest respect and praise for what has been achieved this year by not just the 1sts, but all the senior teams, and one poor result isn’t going to change that – the welcome at Upritchard Park for the returning players is testament to that. With that in mind, the players now need to put this disappointment behind them and provide the best possible response against a struggling Portadown side at home in the league next Saturday.

Bangor side: J Leary, A Jackson, P Whyte, F Black, G Irvine, R Latimer, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong, K Rosson, D Charles, M Aspley, M Weir, M Widdowson, C Morgan

Subs: S Irvine, O McIlmurray, D Kelly, M Rodgers, C Harper, D Fusco, M Thompson

Bangor scores: D Charles (1T)

Dundalk Storm To Title Dundalk 55 v Bangor 5 from KnockOn.ie

Dundalk Scorers: Christopher Scully, Owen McNally, Jonathan Williams, John Smyth, Ultan Murphy, Tiernan Gonnelly, James McConnon and Stephen Murphy 1 try each. Ultan Murphy 6 cons, 1 pen.

Bangor Scorers: David Charles 1 try.

In front of a big crowd at Chambers Park on Saturday afternoon Dundalk delivered a stunning and ruthless display to see off the challenge of Bangor and capture the All Ireland Junior Cup title for the very first time.

Three first half tries had them firmly in control at 19-0 ahead having played with the elements at the Portadown venue during the first half and while the wind dropped somewhat after half time the Dundalk intensity most certainly didn’t as they cut loose scoring five more tries.

Dundalk returned to a heroes welcome at their Mill Road clubhouse on Saturday night after a display of pure brilliance throughout the afternoon.

Precision, pace and skill from the Louth men from start to finish left Bangor playing second fiddle for long periods.

This is my entry for STUDENT SCISSORS’s 20K Subscriber MOC competition. The rules are that one must build a fully convertible Lego transformer that somehow relates to the number ‘2.’

I have decided to build the Decepticon Duocon Flywheels (AKA Skytread) from the G1 continuity, relating to the theme of two in how his robot mode is composed of two vehicles that combine. However, I have decided to throw a twist on the character’s traditional design, which has his tank mode become his entire body, and his jet mode become his head and a seeker-y chestplate. I have designed Flywheels so that each mode becomes half of his body LENGTHWAYS, with each mode becoming half his chest, and providing one arm and one leg. Only his head is entirely concealed inside one mode, so it can freely rotate and move up and down. ( The head does, however, still continue the two-toned theme of the design with different styling and coloring on each cheek plate.)

I chose this redesign both to be more original, as well as to reflect Flywheel’s personality a little better in his character design. According to TF wiki, the jet and tank sides of Flywheel’s personality are so different that they constantly bicker and clash with each other. My redesign portrays this by having his tank half be strong and blocky, representing his headstrong and stubborn side, while having his jet half being streamlined and more spindly; his quick-witted and tactical side.

I took inspiration from both Safe Guard’s transformation, and TheAmazingSpino’s redesign for Shockwave. Both these designs have followed the aforementioned idea of two altmodes combining lengthways to form two-toned robot modes.

Robot mode stands about a foot tall, jet mode has functional landing gear, and the tank turret can rotate.

For many of you, I'll bet part of Memorial Day weekend with your families was a lot like mine. We enjoyed the "unofficial" start of summer soaking up sunshine, cooking outdoors on the grill, and of course, the sounds of squealing kids playing in the water. ;)

Sorry most of the squealing can't be heard over the sound of my laughing. (You gotta love the pause for butt scratching) I hope you all enjoy the kids in your lives as much as I enjoy the ones in mine.

If anyone can identify the club this badge relates to, I’d be grateful to hear from you. Thank you.

.

Enamels: 3 (dark blue, light blue & pink).

Finish: Gilt.

Material: Brass.

Fixer: Pin.

Size: ¾” x ¾” (about 20mm x 22mm).

Process: Die-stamped.

Imprint: THOMAS FATTORINI LTD, REGENT ST, BIRMINGHAM (1933-1961)

Title: Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, April 10, 1865

Production Date: April 10, 1865

Articles of Agreement in Regard to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee, April 10, 1865; War Department, Record and Pension Office, 1892-1904; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917; Record Group 94; National Archives.

On April 9, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met in the parlor of a house in Appomattox Court House, VA, to discuss this surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, which would end the Civil War. According to the terms, the men of Lee's army could return home in safety if they pledged to end the fighting and deliver their arms to the Union Army.

Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=300386

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

Various papers relating to Mr.Thomas Wheeler my late Grandfather.Sadly he died when I was just eleven years of age.I do however recall it was he that took me on my very first fishing trip using the first fishing rod and reel that he bought me.The images here are from WWII papers when he was an active serviceman and I only recently found these in an old album of my late father`s.These are the first twenty images in nigh on eighty images of both his army papers and my Great Grandparents (to come later) images.Some images are somewhat the same but have different focus points and apertures,mainly to suit prospective customers on Alamy.com stock images.I sincerely hope you enjoy the images and hope you see,as I did,what I think is one of many of the Identity Card issued during WWII.As you can see my Grandfather first signed up in September 1940 and seved right up until the end of the war 1945.He was then signed up for the reserves.Do Not Use Without Express Permisison From Peter Wheeler.

Scolpaig Tower (also known as Dùn Scolpaig or MacLeod’s Folly) is a Georgian folly located near the village of Scolpaig on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. The name likely derives from the Old Norse scolpvik, or 'Scolp Bay' (a scolp being a large Hebridean vessel, probably relating to the nearby bay where such boats may have landed).[1]

It was built in about 1830 by Dr Alexander MacLeod, who was the factor of the North Uist estate.[2] It was erected to provide employment for the purpose of famine relief. Built over an Iron Age dun on a small islet in Loch Scolpaig, the Gothic-style folly has an octagonal footprint and appears as a two-storey structure surmounted by a crenellated parapet. The tower is surrounded by a low stone wall that was probably constructed at the same time. The original dun has disappeared entirely. Today the tower is open to the elements and serves as a nesting place for birds.

It was included in the Ninth Report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles (1928) of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland,[3] and Historic Scotland approved it as a Category B listed building in 1971.[4]

Scolpaig Tower is located at OS Grid Reference NF73107503. When the water level is sufficiently low, it can be reached via a stone causeway in Loch Scolpaig. The tower is a prominent feature on otherwise flat ground and is among the most photographed sites on the island.

A group organised by the Council for Scottish Archaeology under its Adopt-a-Monument scheme was in 2008 attempting to raise funds to stabilise and conserve the structure.[5]

[edit] References

• Beveridge, Erskine (1911). North Uist: Its Archaeology and Topography. Edinburgh: William Brown & Co.. p. 193.

• "North Uist, Loch Scolpaig, Dun Scolpaig". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.details_gis?inuml.... Retrieved 2008-05-12.

• "Listed Building Report, Loch Scolpaig Tower". Historic Scotland. hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/portal.hsstart?P_HBNUM=17577. Retrieved 2008-05-12.

• "Dun Scolpaig, North Uist". Western Isles Sites and Monument Records. www.cne-siar.gov.uk/smr/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MWE10072. Retrieved 2008-05-12.

• "The Monument Known as Dun Scolpaig" (pdf). The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/eschedule/show?ID=7640&OK=Y. Retrieved 2008-05-12.

"Adopt-a-Monument Bulletin, Issue 4, January/February 2008" (pdf). Council for Scottish Archaeology. www.scottisharchaeology.org.uk/projects/downloads/AaM%20e.... Retrieved 2008-05-12.

Title: Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, April 10, 1865

Production Date: April 10, 1865

Articles of Agreement in Regard to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee, April 10, 1865; War Department, Record and Pension Office, 1892-1904; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917; Record Group 94; National Archives.

On April 9, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met in the parlor of a house in Appomattox Court House, VA, to discuss this surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, which would end the Civil War. According to the terms, the men of Lee's army could return home in safety if they pledged to end the fighting and deliver their arms to the Union Army.

Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=300386

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

Dundalk overwhelm Bangor in All Ireland Final

by Roger Corbett

Bangor’s amazing run in the All Ireland Junior Cup came to an abrupt end when they were comprehensively beaten by Dundalk, eventually losing by 55-5.

Where do you start when trying to relate and absorb the events of Saturday’s final at Chambers Park? Firstly, congratulations to worthy winners Dundalk who nullified the Bangor attack, then went on to produce some stunning plays which racked up no less than 8 tries, each by a different player. For Bangor’s part, they were unable to respond to the intensity of Dundalk’s game, and lacked the cutting edge which their opponents used to great effect.

The day started full of promise, as the strong support from North Down made their way to Chambers Park in Portadown, knowing Bangor would be fielding their best team. Once again, the pundits had Bangor as the underdogs – just as they had done so in the previous three rounds! In confounding the experts earlier, Bangor produced some awesome performances against top quality opposition to get to the final. Dundalk had produced some convincing wins in the early rounds of the competition, but had struggled to get past CIYMS in the semi-final, just managing to squeeze ahead at the second time of asking. However, with a number of key players returning to the side in time for this game, they were now back at full strength and would be a formidable force to contend with.

Having won the toss, captain Jamie Clegg elected to play into the stiff wind in the first half. For the first 5 minutes, Bangor doggedly retained possession and tried to play their way into Dundalk’s half through a series of determined forward moves. However, little ground was made and, when possession was finally lost, the Dundalk back line produced a burst that simply cut through the Bangor defence resulting in an easy touch down under Bangor’s posts for a 7-0 lead.

Bangor stuck to their plan and slowly, but patiently, got their attack moving forward, eventually winning a penalty to the left of Dundalk’s posts, but Mark Widdowson’s kick into the wind drifted just wide of the mark.

The contrast in play between the two teams was becoming clear, with Bangor trying to keep the ball close while Dundalk were throwing it wide. The latter strategy was proving to be the more effective as, with 20 minutes gone, a quick back line move with players looping around resulted in an overlap on the right wing which gave a clear run in to again, score under the posts. A further 9 minutes later, they did it again and, although the Bangor defence had sensed the danger and moved across to cover it, their tackling let them down allowing Dundalk to get over in the right hand corner, taking their lead to 19-0.

By now, Bangor were trying to hang on until half time when they could regroup and come out with the wind at their backs. Dundalk, on the other hand were anxious to press home their advantage and give them a more comfortable lead. To Bangor’s credit, although camped on their own line for lengthy spells, they dug in and managed to hold on until the referee’s half time whistle.

As the teams reappeared from the dressing rooms, it was obvious Bangor were ringing the changes, particularly in the backs. With the wind advantage having lessened considerably, Bangor got the second half underway. It was now Dundalk’s turn to adopt the slow, steady approach, just as Bangor had done earlier. However, their more confident off-loading and support play was, once again, taking play deep into Bangor’s territory. Frustration at not being able to gain possession and take play out of their danger area eventually resulted in a yellow card for Clegg after a succession of penalties. Dundalk kicked the penalty to touch, won their lineout and drove for the line. Although initially held up by the Bangor defence, Dundalk’s repeated drives were eventually rewarded with another converted score, extending their lead to 26-0.

From the touchline, the Bangor faithful had felt that if their players had managed to score first in the second half, they may have been able to mount a fight-back and close the gap to their opponents. As it was, this Dundalk score simply bolstered their confidence and pushed Bangor deeper into trouble. With Bangor still a man down, Dundalk added to the score with a penalty and then another score in the corner. Everything was now working for the Leinster men, as even the difficult touchline conversion into the biting wind successfully split the posts, bringing the score to 36-0.

As the game entered the final quarter, and with Dundalk all but holding the cup, Bangor were now on the ropes. By contrast, the Dundalk players were in almost total control, and were not going to slow down now. In a 10 minute spell, they ran in a further 3 tries, making the scoreline 55-0. By now, any sense of dejection the Bangor supporters may have been feeling was now moved to feelings of sympathy for their players. However, pride was at stake and once again Bangor rallied as the game entered its final minutes. At last, the forwards got within striking distance of the Dundalk line and, although their repeated attacks were repelled, they finally managed to do what their opponents had done so effectively, and quickly passed the ball wide to Davy Charles. Even though they were 55 points ahead, the Dundalk defence made Charles work hard to drive through the tackles and score Bangor’s consolation try, bringing the final score to 55-5.

From Bangor’s point of view, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story of this competition. While the final may have resulted in a sad anti-climax for Bangor, the remarkable journey to get there will be remembered for some time. On the day, Dundalk were by far the better side, and Bangor would have to concede that their game was not up to the usual standard. However, there is no doubt the experience of competing at this level is something to relish and the goal now will be to secure a top four place in the league and try again next year.

Everybody at the club has nothing but the highest respect and praise for what has been achieved this year by not just the 1sts, but all the senior teams, and one poor result isn’t going to change that – the welcome at Upritchard Park for the returning players is testament to that. With that in mind, the players now need to put this disappointment behind them and provide the best possible response against a struggling Portadown side at home in the league next Saturday.

Bangor side: J Leary, A Jackson, P Whyte, F Black, G Irvine, R Latimer, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong, K Rosson, D Charles, M Aspley, M Weir, M Widdowson, C Morgan

Subs: S Irvine, O McIlmurray, D Kelly, M Rodgers, C Harper, D Fusco, M Thompson

Bangor scores: D Charles (1T)

Dundalk Storm To Title Dundalk 55 v Bangor 5 from KnockOn.ie

Dundalk Scorers: Christopher Scully, Owen McNally, Jonathan Williams, John Smyth, Ultan Murphy, Tiernan Gonnelly, James McConnon and Stephen Murphy 1 try each. Ultan Murphy 6 cons, 1 pen.

Bangor Scorers: David Charles 1 try.

In front of a big crowd at Chambers Park on Saturday afternoon Dundalk delivered a stunning and ruthless display to see off the challenge of Bangor and capture the All Ireland Junior Cup title for the very first time.

Three first half tries had them firmly in control at 19-0 ahead having played with the elements at the Portadown venue during the first half and while the wind dropped somewhat after half time the Dundalk intensity most certainly didn’t as they cut loose scoring five more tries.

Dundalk returned to a heroes welcome at their Mill Road clubhouse on Saturday night after a display of pure brilliance throughout the afternoon.

Precision, pace and skill from the Louth men from start to finish left Bangor playing second fiddle for long periods.

Relates to the Franco-Prusssian War, 1870-1871

A repository of images relate to Banana (Musa spp) shared by members of MusaNet. The album depicts images from different African, Asian and countries from the Americas where collaborative work on Banana research is done.

©CIAT

Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.

For more info: alliance-comms@cgiar.org

"A myth for the pink dogwood flower's delicate color relates to a blush of shame as it was used to make the cross for Christ's crucifixion."

~ Author Unknown

memories, memories, memories...

This relates to the previous black and white photograph. When I took my daughter on to the quay side that day she was immediately surrounded by photographers, 'freelancers' mainly, and this is one of the pics one of took. It appeared in the 1998 Northumbria Tourist Boards 'Going Places' Guide. I wish I had used colour that day to, but I have always been a b/w man. Her reaction to this photo? ''Why did you dress me like that ? How embarrassing! She is now a 17 year old music student. She attended La Sagesse Convent School in Newcastle.when this was taken, hence her stance,

I’ll relate to y’all, my beautiful readers, a simple tale of an ordinary average Central Texas Trumpet Case Bear. It was 95 degrees F (35 C) out of doors. Little Texas Aggie Trumpet Case Bear was about to go into heat exhaustion (symptom before heat stroke).

Alamo Basement Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring whispered to me, “We need to get frozen Margaritas into the little bear immediately before he goes into a coma and dies. Have you looked at the price of black market bears lately?” I pulled out the large container for the Ninja and fired it up.

After about quatro or cinco Margaritas necesitas, Little Texas Aggie Osa (bear) was starting to feel much, much better. At this point, there was a spilt Margarita. It’s not important who spilt the Margarita, but it did totally soak Little Texas Aggie Bear.

I for one, am not about to allow a trumpet case bear who smells of tequila and is all sticky, near my 1947 Rudy Mück jazz trumpet. I had two options — Take him out to the woods and shoot him or — give him a bath in the kitchen sink.

Bears know how to swim. In fact, they love water. In some states, they will come into your backyard and take the waters in your swimming pool or jacuzzi. There are videos on YouTube.

I sanitized the sink and prepared a nice, warm bubble bath for Little Texas Aggie Bear. He hesitantly lowered himself into the sink. He let out a “bear sigh” of pleasure. When I took out the camera, Little Texas Aggie Bear started to cry. “What’s wrong?” asked Alamo Basement Aggie Ring.

“It’s the bubble bath.” sobbed the little bear. “If anyone in the Trumpet Case Bear Union sees those photos, I’ll loose my certification and be forced to become the worst sort of bear ever — a tuba/Sousaphone case bear.”

I assured the little bear that no one would ever see any of these photos and think that he’s some sort of “Barbie Dream House” bear. This seemed to put him at ease and please him.

After I rinsed him a couple of times, Aggie Ring and I realized we had a very, very wet bear to deal with. “If you don’t get him dry soon. He’ll start to smell like wet dog!” said Aggie Ring.

My first thought was, “Well… the ceiling fan will get him dry! I’ll just hang him up by the neck to it.” Sadly, when I turned on the fan, Aggie Bear went flying across the room and onto the hard floor like a child who wasn’t strapped in properly in a Disney World wild ride.

[More to follow]

A recently launched corporate social responsibility program has revealed shocking facts and figures relating to the Saudi youth.

During an event held at the Jeddah headquarters of Saudi wealth management company, SEDCO Holding, results of a survey that the company has shown that 11 percent of the Kingdom’s youth keep track of their spending and 80 percent of income goes on mobile phones and travel while 46 percent rely on parents for funding big purchases.

These findings are exactly why SEDCO chose to launch “Riyali,” which addresses the need to educate the Saudi population on financial literacy and empower people with the personal financial skills required to achieve a desirable standard of living. The first phase of this program targets college students.

Announcing the program, Dr. Adnan Soufi, CEO of SEDCO Holding, said, “We have selected financial literacy as our flagship social responsibility initiative. The program aims to enable upcoming generations with crucial skills to manage their personal income.”

Riyali will reach 50,000 beneficiaries over the next five years, aiming to impact 15,000 university students in its first phase. As the program expands, other demographic groups will be included.

SEDCO employee volunteers will serve as ambassadors to train the students on Financial Literacy through a curriculum focused on basic savings, budgeting, investing, and borrowing. Sessions will be evaluated immediately upon completion and the students tested on the information and knowledge shared during the course.

Riyali will be carried out at universities using a series of interactive workshops that will bring about a change in youth behavior towards financial planning and responsibility. Hence, it will create a difference in their overall spending and saving habits.

In developing the program SEDCO partnered with Operation Hope, a leading global social empowerment non-profit organization founded in 1992 with a mission to expand economic opportunity through financial literacy education. To date, Operation Hope has served over 2 million people in the United States, Haiti, South Africa, and Morocco.

John Hope Bryant, founder and Chief Executive of Operation Hope attended the launch where he addressed the attendees explaining the importance of speaking the language of money.

“If you don’t understand the language of money and you don’t have a bank account, you are risking becoming a slave to today’s financial system” he said.

Bryant also announced that he is committed to learn Arabic within 1 year after he fell in love with the language and culture.

SEDCO Group’s investment and wealth management company, SEDCO Capital, has also contributed to the development of Riyali by helping to construct the curriculum. Its staff will be the main source of ambassadors who will give participants in the program the benefit of their expertise in the same way they advise companies and corporations but adapted for personal financial management at an individual level.

Hasan Aljabri, CEO of SEDCO Capital, said: “We here at SEDCO Capital believe that the value of any economy is the individual and he alone is able to extract the wealth of the land and use its resources to supplement technologies, industry, agriculture and various aspects of science and the arts.”

Leading educational institutions in the Kingdom, including King Abdulaziz University, Effat University, Dar Al Hekma College and the College of Business Administration, have partnered in the initiative.

Northern Ireland's association with the USAAF predominately relates to the training of bomber aircrew and the delivery, repair and servicing of aircraft. Yet for a brief period during 1942 the airfields at Eglinton and Maydown became home to two American Fighter Groups.

On 24 June 1942 an air echelon from the 52nd Fighter Group consisting of 200 Enlisted Men, 87 pilots and 3 medical officers left Grenier Field for overseas deployment. Sailing from New York they arrived at Liverpool first, before proceeding to their new home via Larne and arriving at Eglinton on 14 July. The ground echelon followed later, departing New York on 9 August and arriving at Glasgow before boarding the SS Manhattan for Belfast; finishing their journey to Eglinton by train and rejoining the air echelon there on 19 August. Together the air and ground echelons had a total personnel strength of 196 officers and 1531 other ranks. Overall the 52nd comprised of three Fighter Squadrons (FS) with the Groups HQ and the 4th and 5th FS based at Eglinton while the 2nd FS were stationed at nearby Maydown. Principal senior personnel included Colonel Dixon M. Allison, Commanding Officer; Captain G.W West Executive Officer; 1st Lieutenant J.E. Coward, Operations Officer and 1st Lieutenant R.F Keys and 1st Lieutenant R. Levine, Commanders of No.2 and No.4 Fighter Squadrons respectively.

Previously having flown the Bell P-39 Airacobra, the 52nd was allocated Supermarine Spitfires from RAF sources. To assist the Americans in conversion to the type, one RAF Flight Lieutenant was assigned to the 52nd HQ and one Flying Officer was allocated to each Fighter Squadron to provide instruction in Spitfire handling. In addition dual control Miles Master III trainers were made available for conversion training. On the whole the American pilots were very pleased with their new aircraft which gave them a new range of altitude, manoeuvrability and reliability, all of which had already been proven in combat. Yet the period of operations at Eglinton was not without its hazards, and records show a small number of accidents. However, these were chiefly of a minor nature, an example occurring on the 28 July when two Spitfires were involved in a ground collision. Unfortunately one fatality did occur, when on 11 August a Spitfire crashed near Portrush killing the Pilot, Second Lieutenant Earl L. Sharpe serving with the 4th FS. (Incidentally and the previous day, another Spitfire had made an emergency landing on the East Strand due to and engine fire.)

The 52nd Fighter Groups stay at Eglinton was relatively short lived, and by late August their onward move to three airfields in England had begun. Five C-47 transport aircraft arrived on the 24 August to collect equipment, while those aircraft assigned to the 2FS departed first, routing via Woodvale to RAF Biggin Hill. The next day 4FS left for RAF Kenley, while the administrative and support elements travelled to their new base at RAF Goxhill in Lincolnshire on the 26th, making the journey first by train to Larne, then by ferry to Stranraer, and concluding their journey again by train. Before its aircraft departed the squadron spent 10 days undergoing gunnery training at Ballyhalbert then leaving Eglinton for Goxhill with the remaining aircraft: the Fighter Groups total complement of 66 Spitfires and 4 Miles Masters having all now departed. However, before the end of the year Eglinton would host another Americans Fighter Group, the 82nd - this time flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

IWM.

(FRE 11167)

Original Source: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205371206

Some histories relate Little John as a native of Hathersage. Robin Hood is said to have been born at Loxley just 8 from Hathersage. Although no specific mention seems to be made of where Little John was born there is considerable evidence of his burial remaining in Hathersage. The 10ft long grave in the churchyard in 1784 yielded a 30 inch thigh bone. This bone after being exhumed from the grave has since supposedly disappeared.

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com

This picture is relating to death...that we all are going to die one day....and thinking about what will happen after death...while we don´t know.....and it is also related to a relative of mine who almost went there in his struggle for life in hospital....but dying in a more metaphorically way is also old things dying and new things will arise....

立法會鐵路事宜小組委員會前往港鐵何東樓車廠視察東鐵線新列車

立法会铁路事宜小组委员会前往港铁何东楼车厂视察东铁线新列车

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits the new East Rail Line train at MTR Ho Tung Lau Depot (2016.05.23)

Title: Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, April 10, 1865

Production Date: April 10, 1865

Articles of Agreement in Regard to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee, April 10, 1865; War Department, Record and Pension Office, 1892-1904; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917; Record Group 94; National Archives.

On April 9, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met in the parlor of a house in Appomattox Court House, VA, to discuss this surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, which would end the Civil War. According to the terms, the men of Lee's army could return home in safety if they pledged to end the fighting and deliver their arms to the Union Army.

Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=300386

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

Opening of UN police week 2017

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Lisa M. Buttenheim, Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support, Alexandre Zouev, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions and Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs provided participants of UN police week an overview of major developments, political trends and strategic priorities and on how they relate to UN policing, followed by a discussion with heads of United Nations police components.

Heads of police components (HOPCs) in UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions came to New York for discussions, as well as briefings to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and the Security Council.

During the week, Heads of police components considered the recommendations of the Internal Review of the UN Peace and Security Architecture related to UN policing, as well as the status of implementation of the Secretary-General’s reform plan on UN policing as outlined in S/2016/952, following the adoption of Security Council resolution 2382 (2017) on UN policing.

On Monday, the Security Council adopted resolution 2382 (2017), which supports operationalizing the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping. The resolution also recognized the important role that United Nations police components play in the protection of civilians, including in preventing and addressing sexual and gender‑based violence, and violations and abuses against children.

In his address to the Security Council, Under‑Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean‑Pierre Lacroix said the United Nations police played a continued vital role in bridging the Organization’s work from prevention and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and development (Video recording). The Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), Brigardier General Georges-Pierre Monchotte, briefed the Security Council on good practices of reforming the Haiti National Police (video recording). The Police Commissioner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Issoufou Yacouba briefed on strengthening the serious and organized crime capacities of the Malian security forces (video recording). Police Commissioner Priscilla Makotose of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) briefed the Security Council on gender responsive policing (video recording). Following the briefing, Security Council President, Italian Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, the Head of UN peacekeeping USG Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Police Adviser Luis Carrilho (UNPOL) delivered a press briefing (video recording).

On Tuesday, the discussions of heads of UN police components focused on partnerships, good practices and challenges of UN capacity-building. More than 11,000 United Nations police officers from 89 countries (as of September 2017), are mandated to assist host-States in reforming their police and other law enforcement institutions.

Building on Security Council resolution 2382 (2017), Police Commissioners focused on Wednesday on how police can be more effective in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace sustainment. Heads of UN police components also discussed how to achieve gender-responsive policing. As of September 2017, 1,118 female police officers from 70 countries serve in peacekeeping operations and special political missions. They act as role models for gender equality, inspiring women and girls to advocate for their own rights and pursue careers in law enforcement.

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres briefly met and took a photo with the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Alexandre Zouev, UN Police Adviser Luis Carrilho and Heads of police components in UN peace operations. In his message, Secretary-General Guterres stressed that United Nations police save countless lives, heal community tensions. The Secretary‑General also called for more women in United Nations police command positions.

Earlier on the same day, the UNAMID Police Commissioner Priscilla Makotose, MONUSCO Police Commissioner Awale Abdounasir and MINUSCA Police Commissioner Roland Zamora briefed the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) on transitioning, gender/electoral security and capacity development respectively.

On Friday, UN police week closed following a session on human rights in UN police activities. The closing remarks were delivered by Alexandre Zouev, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions and UN Police Adviser Luis Carrilho.

UN Photo/ Hubertus Juergenliemk

Why should I be somebody you fear

立法會鐵路事宜小組委員會視察港鐵金鐘站

立法会铁路事宜小组委员会视察港铁金钟站

LegCo Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways visits the MTR Admiralty Station (2015.05.19)

As most people collect, they end up meeting interesting people that they can relate to. I've certainly met my share of them, and have managed to obtain a few pieces with some assistance from them. As a result, hailing all the4 way from Singapore, we have the Hot Toys Exclusive (whatever that means) Avengers 2: Age of Ultron - Maria Hill figure.

I know they weren't super expensive back in the day (MSRP I mean), but by the time Sideshow got their hands on it, this figure cost $215 USD, which definitely cost more than your run of the mill figure back in the day, all the while being less equipped than they were. I managed to snag one that was opened and resealed in a box for $170 USD shippped.

You get the figure, 3 pairs of hands, walkie talkie, Bluetooth earpiece, and a pistol. Oh, and the usual base/stand.

Now, I learned about Pleather deterioration, but completely forgot about how tropical weather like in Singapore would affect a figure. It's not the worst I've seen, as some of my Widows have similar damage, but they've lived in Canada all their lives.

But it is unfortunate seeing how I didn't exactly score this figure for Garage Sale prices. I'm hoping my coats of leather paint prevents things from getting worse.

What I wasn't expecting was the effect of humidity on paint in contact with plastic. Hot Toys gave the sculpt some lovely blush to accentuate her cheeks. Well, that all turned from pink to yellow, so it looks kinda weird.

Unfortunate, but I treat it as a learning lesson on things to look out for when I finally make my way back to Asia to unleash holy hell on the secondary toy market.

So with the downers out of the way, the rest of the figure is pretty standard. I believe Maria uses a slightly taller version of the Widow body, which is a bit tall and narrow in the torso, but overall is a closer match to Colbie Smulders than Scarlett Johansson.

Maria was made when they still made softer fabric uniforms. I'd describe the feel of what she's wearing as being whatever Jeggings are made from. The upper body generally has full use of its faculties - unfortunately the body doesn't have Butterfly style shoulders, which is unfortunate as Maria could have really used them, especially for her pistol and arm crossed poses. Legs are restricted despite the softer fabric, though isn't as bad as with Winter Soldier Black Widow.

The head sculpt I'm actually quite impressed with. It's not perfect - they never are and if anyone says so, they're probably just not looking hard at the thing... or in some instances, not looking at all. The eyes are off, and the sculpted hair throws things off. But ultimately, it comes down to the jaw being too square, even for Colbie Smulders. On the whole, however, its probably 70 - 80% there, which is a lot more than I can say about any Black Widow up to that point, and Hot Toys accomplished that with one try as well.

Paint, I'm not really in a position to comment on. But, it appears if you can see past the discoloration, you'll see that the usual high quality is there. Build Quality is the usual high level, with nothing falling apart aside from the Pleather.

Overall, despite being a simpler figure I have to say I certainly like this better than I liked AoU Widow, which was just.. weird from a MCU perspective as well as from a Hot Toy perspective. I'll probably have to hunt down a WS Nick Fury to pair with her, but this time I'll be sure to make sure everything is is one piece.

The performance relates the shorter version of the epic Ramayana Saga with dancers playing as Rama, Shinta (Sita), Lakshmana, Rahwana (Ravana), Hanoman (Hanuman), Sugriwa (Sugriva), and other characters. The storyline starts when Prince Rama wanders into the woods with his wife Shinta and brother Lakshmana. There, the giant Rahwana kidnaps Shinta and holds her in his palace. Rama then seeks help and sends Lakhsmana to find his friend Sugriwa, the King of the Monkey Kingdom. Sugriwa sends his commander the white monkey, by the name of Hanoman, to check on Shinta in Rahwana’s Palace.

A dramatic scene is portrayed when Hanoman is captured by Rahwana’s troops and put inside a circle of fire to burn him alive. Instead of burning to crisp, the white monkey warrior remains unharmed and breaks out only to burn Rahwana’s palace instead. Thus, began the battle between the two forces.

At first, Rahwana and his troops manage to overrun Rama. However, Sugriwa and Hanoman then come to Rama’s aid along with the rest of the monkey troops, defeat the evil king once and for all

Taken @Bali, Indonesia

Village: Nayagaon, Block: Lalganj District: Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh(UP), India, 4 June 2013:.Child Protection Committee (CPC) members conduct a monthly meeting at the village square, discussing issues relating to protection of children from abuse exploitation and neglect. The CPC is a village level committee, responsible for creating a safe environment for children in the villages, with special focus on prevention and elimination of child labour from communities. UNICEF formed CPCs in collaboration with Government of UP and civil society groups under a Child Rights program supported by IKEA in 5100 villages of eastern UP. .UNICEF India/2013/Prashanth Vishwanathan.

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This relates to my blog post

www.heatheronhertravels.com/a-cool-gelateria-in-nuoro-in-...

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Plaque on the Acre Bottom pavilion relating to the refurbishment of its clock and turret. Shame about the incorrect spelling. Pictured before an 87-run victory for hosts Ramsbottom over Fosters Lancashire Cricket League rivals Enfield.

Match statistics: Ramsbottom 192 off 50 overs (Daryn Smit 67, Tom Parton 42, Brad Fielding 41, Graeme van Buuren 6-72, Simon O'Loughlin 2-39) 12pts beat Enfield 105 off 31 overs (Joe Wrigley 20, Simon Read 5-43, Daryn Smit 4-18) 2pts by 87 runs. Ramsbottom won the toss and elected to bat. Admission: £4. Programme: 50p (28pp). Attendance: 175. Tea: £6.65 (home-made steak pie, chips and gravy; sultana scone and fresh cream; mug of tea).

Formed in 1845, Ramsbottom Cricket Club have played at Acre Bottom, alongside the Irwell, since 1864. The club employed their first professional, a Yorkshireman, in 1881 and nine years later joined the North East Lancashire League. In 1892, Ramsbottom switched to the Lancashire League, a development of the North East Lancashire competition. Rammy have won its championship five times - in 1921, 1925, 1974, 1992 and 2010. The Worsley Cup appeared in the Acre Bottom trophy cabinet for the first time in 1939, and has been lifted by the club on five occasions since 2001.

via Blogger After the Best Sourced Advice Relating to Computer Securityrisk Model Computer Security ift.tt/1Kfb9AN

The description and specifications relate to the Pitts Special as this is an identical aircraft to the S1 and S2S.

The Pitts Special is a light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts Special dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remains a potent competition aircraft and is a favourite for many an aerobatic pilot.

General characteristics

•Crew: Two

•Length: 18 ft 9 in (5.71 m)

•Wingspan: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)

•Height: 6 ft 7⅓ in (2.02 m)

•Wing area: 125 ft² (11.6 m²)

•Empty weight: 1,150 lb (521 kg)

•Max takeoff weight: 1,625 lb (737 kg)

•Powerplant: 1× Textron Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 flat-six air cooled piston engine, 260 hp (194 kW)

Performance

•Never exceed speed: 182 knots (210 mph, 338 km/h)

•Cruise speed: 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h) (max cruise)

•Stall speed: 52 knots (60 mph, 97 km/h)

•Range: 277 NM (319 mi, 513 km)

•Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

•Rate of climb: 2,700 ft/min (13.7 m/s)

•Wing loading: 13.0 lb/ft² (63.6 kg/m²)

•Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)

Text and specifications based on Wikipedia article under the Creative Commons License for non-profit use.

Presidente: Osvaldo Olávio Mafra (SD); Vice-Presidente: José Alvercino Ferreira (PP); Relator: Giovani Felix (PT)

24.04.2010

My titles don't relate to my pictures, my tags usually relate to what happened that day/what I write, I usually make a list, achieve one thing and then cant find the energy to do anything else. I am oficially on burnout. In the middle of the busiest weekend of my a-levels.

I have to decide between setting myself back and sleeping and then working more efficiently or not sleeping and not being able to work properly. But now I don't have the time to make the choice and I have landed were I am right now.

I still make pictures every day though, albiet within much smaller time frames recently but they still get made nonetheless. I know I will look back at this when the year is over and smile. It really isn't smile worthy at the minute but I intend this project to be a real visual journal, not just a collection of nice concepts and pictures. There will be those too though lol I hope :)

Again I forgot about my driving lesson this morning, slept in, woke up and got ready in a rush in hardly any time at all. I was worried that I would fail epically again after last week's horrendous effort. Got my head all worked up but just eventually had to slow down, ask for some help and go on. And what do you know I got only 5 minors. He said if I keep going like that I would pass with no problem :) Which was a nice confidence boost :)

The rest of the day consisted of finally filling out my student finance forms, got that done, just some financial details to sort with the parents and it can be sent off. I then took this picture. Got that done. Then somehow last.fm got on and nothing happened after that :/ No ICT coursework and no art final peice.

Coffee didnt help and I then deduced that my body is telling me to just go to sleep.

Sorry for writing so much, helps me remember where Im at when I can't remember lol

The above picture was a little experiment with trying to 'see' how something would look blurred, more specifically with a rotation of the camera as apposed to just moving it up/down/left/right. I was thinking along the lines of how last.fm halted all work so the guitar came into play :)

BIG trend.

Really hope you all had a nice day :)

Awesome stuff I found whilst listening to some funky tunes:

The Mindful eye - some decent education right there.

Bryan Adams - some very decent pictures indeed.

Nikola Tomovic - more incredible pictures.

ZOO magazine - no not that one :P music/art/fashion/movies and some nice pictures to boot! Also published by Mr Adams.

Kyrgyz aretfacts relating to the Yurt which was based at the Earth Centre, Conisbrough, Doncaster Museum of Sustainability 1999-2004

Yurts

For over a thousand years tents like the yurt and ger have been homes for the nomads of Central Asia.

The yurt was used as a classroom yurt and housed a fascinating exhibition on the sustainable and nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people.

The felt yurt was made for Earth Centre by a Yurt Master in Kyrgyzstan. The roof is steeply sloped to protect against the rain and snow in the high mountain regions where the nomads lived. The felt covers are laid on a trellis frame usually made of willow. The yurt is light and easy to put up, to pull down and to carry from place to place. It would have taken two camels to transport a yurt this size. Inside, the damp wool smell of the felt is quite distinctive.

The Kyrgyz nomads depended on their animals; sheep, especially, provided their main diet of milk and meat, the hides and wool for their clothing and felt, bones to make into utensils and toys and dung for fuel. Nothing was wasted in the nomadic lifestyle.

Badami (Kannada: ಬದಾಮಿ), formerly known as Vatapi, is a taluk in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake.

The name Vatapi has origin in the Vatapi legend of Ramayana relating to Sage Agastya. There were two demon siblings Vatapi and Ilvala. They used to kill all mendicants by tricking them in a peculiar way. The elder Ilvala would turn Vatapi into a ram and would offer its meat to the guest. As soon as the person ate the meat, Ilvala would call out the name of Vatapi. As he had a boon that whomsoever Ilvala calls would return from even the netherland,[citation needed] Vatapi would emerge ripping through the body of the person, thus killing him. Their trick worked until Sage Agastya countered them by digesting Vatapi before Ilvala could call for him, thus ending the life of Vatapi at the hands of Ilvala. Two of the hills in Badami represent the demons Vatapi and Ilvala.

Badami was the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh between the 6th and 8th centuries. It was founded in 540 AD by Pulakesi I(535-566 AD),[citation needed] an early ruler of the Chalukyas. His sons Kirthivarman (567-598 AD) and his brother Mangalesha I (598-610 AD) constructed the cave temples. The greatest among them was Pulakesi II (610-642 AD) who defeated many kings but failed to capture Pallava's capital Kanchipuram.

The rock-cut Badami Cave Temples were sculpted mostly between the 6th and 8th centuries. The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism,[citation needed] Buddhism and Jainism. cave 1 is devoted to Shiva, and Caves 2 and 3 are dedicated to Vishnu,[citation needed] whereas cave 4 displays reliefs of Jain Tirthankaras. Deep caverns with carved images of the various incarnations of Hindu gods are strewn across the area, under boulders and in the red sandstone. From an architectural and archaeological perspective, they provide critical evidence of the early styles and stages of the southern Indian architecture.

The Pallavas under the king Narasimhavarman I (also called Mamalla Pallava) seized it in 642 AD. Vikramaditya I of Chalukyas drove back Pallavas in 654 AD. and led a successful attack on Kanchipuram, the capital of Pallavas [This statement needs reference]. The Rashtrakutas absorbed karnataka including Badami around 757 AD and the town lost its importance. The later Chalukyas of Kalyani defeated them and were able to keep region from 973 AD to 1189 AD, when it was occupied by the Hoysalas.

Then it passed on to Vijayanagara empire, The Adil Shahis, The Savanur Nawabs, The Marathas,[citation needed] Hyder Ali. The Britishers made it part of the Bombay Presidency.

Badami has eighteen inscriptions, among them some inscriptions are important. The first Sanskrit inscription in old Kannada script, on a hillock dates back to 543 CE, from the period of Pulakesi I (Vallabheswara), the second is the 578 CE cave inscription of Mangalesa in Kannada language and script and the third is the Kappe Arabhatta records, the earliest available Kannada poetry in tripadi (three line) metre. one inscription near the Bhutanatha temple, on a rock, testifies to Mamalla Pallava's victory over the Chalukyas in the year 642 CE. It also has inscriptions dating back to the 12th century in Jain rock-cut temple dedicated to the Tirtankara Adinatha.

In the Karnatic music and Hamsadwani raga the Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje by the composer Mutthuswamy Deekshitar.[4] The idol of Vatapi Ganapati is now in Tiruchenkaatankudi near Thanjavur of Tamilnadu.

In 7th century, Vatapi Ganapati idol was brought from Badami (Vatapi - Chalukya capital) by Sirutondar(General of Pallavas) who defeated Chalukyas.

The Badami cave temples are a complex of temples located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot District in the north part of Karnataka, India. They are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya Architecture. Badami, the capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka in the 6th to 8th centuries, lies at the mouth of a ravine with rocky hills on either side and a town tank in which water from the ravine flows. The town is known for its ancient cave temples carved out of the sandstone hills above.

The Badami cave temples are composed of four caves, all carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff in the late 6th to 7th centuries. The planning of four caves is simple. The entrance is a verandah (mukha mandapa) with stone columns and brackets, a distinctive feature of these caves, leading to a columned mandapa – main hall (also maha mandapa) and then to the small square shrine (sanctum sanctorum, garbhaghrha) cut deep into the cave.[3] The temple caves represent different religious sects. Among them, two (cave 2 and 3) are dedicated to god Vishnu, one to god Shiva (cave 1) and the fourth (cave 4) is a Jain temple. The first three are devoted to the Vedic faith and the fourth cave is the only Jain temple at Badami.

The cave temples date back to 600 and 700 CE. Their architecture is a blend of North Indian Nagara Style and South Indian Dravidian style. As described above each cave has a sanctum sanctorum, a mandapa, a verandah and pillars. The cave temples also bear exquisite carvings, sculptures and beautiful murals.

Important part of historical heritage at Badami cave temples are inscriptions in old Kannada script.

There is also the fifth cave temple in Badami – Buddhist temple in natural cave which can be entered only on all fours.

Thanks to the seawall here in Brgy. Dapdap. In Brgy. Dancalan, the Brgy Chairperson Maria Fortes relates to us that 6 houses were totally damaged. She told us that even if the houses (described as dampa or poorman's hut) still they were homes to families.

Several stories circulate relating to this grave, all alas, unsubstantiated. The most popular version appears to stem from a small plaque which one adorned the headstone and bore the following legend...

"it is alleged that this is the grave of a gypsy boy who, while tending sheep, fell asleep in a dike. In remorse he hanged himself because he feared to return to his tribe"

Unwritten tradition maintains that his fear was founded on his belief that, whilst asleep, one of his sheep had strayed. All however were found to be safe when counted home.

Recent researches, would appear to indicate that this story owes its origins to a claim that the original incident was chronicled in the 'Bury and Norwich Post', even giving an approximate date...1841. Substantial research has, to date, failed to identify this account, and part of the original claim verges on pure fantasy.

Prior to 1974 the grave was surrounded by ratten cane hoops similar to those used to fabricate the backs of certain chairs. To these, it is alleged, passing gypsies, on their way to Newmarket races, would tie ribbons corresponding to the colours of the predicted winner of the next big race.

Also about this time, stories began circulating about the mysterious maintenance of the site. Fresh flowers were regularly seen, new vases appeared and the grass was kept close-cropped. Gypsies remorseful of the lad's death, pixies, fairies and sympathetic locals were all attributed with it's upkeep. The reality however, was in fact far more mundane. A lady from Northolt in Middlesex, concerned at the graves apparent neglect, made fortnightly trips to the site.She errected a wooden cross on the grave which bore the words...

To Joseph

An unknown Gypsy Boy

R. I. P.

She subsequently confided that she selected the Mythical name Joseph because of its biblical connections, being that of Mary's husband.

Recently, that cross was replaced by the one pictured above which reads simply:

"Gypsy Boy"

Today it is known that gypsies pay scant regard to the grave, indeed their knowledge would also appear to have been gained from published sources.

Location

The grave, now surrounded by a simple chain link fence, still bears the simple wooden cross which carries the short epitaph. It lies immediately behind the signpost at the crossroads where the Chippenham to Moulton road cosses the one linking Kentford and Newmarket

Title: Roll call votes relating to the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson on Articles II, III, and XI., 05/26/1868

Production Date: May 26, 1868

Creator(s): U.S. Senate. (03/04/1789 - )

Roll call votes relating to the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson on Articles II, III, and XI., 05/26/1868 ; Senate Papers Pertaining to the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, ca. 1867 - ca. 1869; Records of the U.S. Senate, 1789 - 2005; Record Group 46; National Archives.

The first Senate vote in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson was taken on May 16, 1868. Article XI was called the “omnibus article” because it combined all of the charges against the President. As a result of 19 voting “Not Guilty” and 35 voting “Guilty” the Senate fell 1 vote short of the two-thirds majority required for removal. After a 10-day recess, the Senate reconvened and voted on Articles II and III. In each case, the result was identical: Johnson was not guilty by a single vote. The Senate then voted to end the trial.

Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=306275

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

El Relator Rodrigo Escobar Gil atiende solicitudes de entrevistas con miembros de la prensa hondureña e internacional tras la presentación del Informe sobre la Situación de las Personas Privadas de Libertad en Honduras. 2 de agosto de 2013, entrada principal de la Casa Presidencial, Tegucigalpa.