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Staff Sergeant J.J. Kaekae giving instruction to the recruits from Alpha Company on the required standard for inspection
According to Major M.B. Fillis, the Company Commander the recruits were initially disorientated in respect of their preparations for inspection, held daily for the duration of the Basic Military Training. The instructors, platoon sergeants and platoon commanders set the standard of the inspection and demonstrated to the recruits what is expected of them. During the preparation for inspection, there are both individual and group preparations that have to be attended to.
Back to Basics ...... Boots and Overalls!!!!
The South African Army is offering young South African citizens between the ages of 18 and 22 (the maximum entry requirement for graduates is 26 years) an opportunity to serve in uniform over a two year period through the Military Skills Development System.
During the January 2010 South African Army intake, 2 804 newly selected Military Skills Development System members reported for Basic Military Training at the various South African Army training centres of excellence. 860 Members reported at 3 South African Army Infantry Battalion.
During the intake week, the recruits go through a Current Health Assessment and medical confirmation. Recruits may proceed with Basic Military Training after successfully passing the medical evaluation.
The South African Army consists out of a combat, technical as well as a support mustering.
1 -The combat mustering includes the Infantry, Engineers, Armour, Artillery, Air Defence Artillery and Intelligence.
2 -The technical mustering includes Technical Service, Signals and Ammunition Corps.
3 - The support mustering includes Personnel, Logistics, Catering and Signals.
At 3 South African Army Infantry Battalion, Basic Military Training is presented to recruits who will further their training in the support- and technical mustering after successfully completing Basic Military Training.
During this training, the recruits are exposed to new knowledge and skills in a very well structured and controlled manner to ensure that the purpose of Basic Military Training is achieved. The recruits at 3 South African Army Infantry Battalion have been allocated to five different companies that are involved in Basic Military Training (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Echo and Foxtrot Companies).
The new recruits selected for the Military Skills Development System have no previous military experience and come from different backgrounds and cultures. Training objectives are therefore focussed on instilling basic military skills and fostering a common military culture in which team work is of utmost importance.
The foundation of military discipline, critical soldier skills and competencies are laid during Basic Military Training. Discipline is enforced by the instructors. This contributes to effective teamwork and ensures that training objectives are met.
Basic Military Training forms an important building block in training a soldier. It is high intensity training spanning after hours during the week and weekends. Physical fitness forms an integral and important part of this training with fitness standards being raised incrementally.
During the visit to 3 South African Army Infantry Battalion over the period 21 to 25 February 2010, the recruits were busy with training in field craft, musketry , buddy aid, daily preparations for inspections, drilling as well as water safety.
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
After close to an hour at Banteay Srei, it was off to Phnom Kulen, about another 15 km ENE of where we were (so about 50 km from downtown Siem Reap). Mao had me buy a ticket the previous day, though I’m not 100% sure why; it looked like we could buy one at the gate.
Phnom Kulen is not part of the Angkor complex, nor are there any Angkor-style temples to be found here. However, it’s very important in the history of Angkor. Most of the rock from the Angkor temples was quarried here and floated down the Siem Reap River to town where it was assembled by slaves into the fine edifices we see today. So, there is that. And for that reason, it’s one of the most sacred (if not the most sacred) mountain for Khmers.
When I went, though, I can’t say it felt terribly sacred, though it was a good change from the temples. To get there (besides having to arrange a tuktuk), you have to pay a $20 admission fee. It’s masked as a national park fee on the ticket, but this isn’t actually what you’re paying for. Some enterprising individual decided to build a private road up to the top of the mountain and the $20 that you pay actually goes to this guy.
So you get to the base of the mountain. Present your ticket. After that, the fun began. Mao had to disengage his tuktuk and I just hopped on the back of his bike (with my camera gear) and we plodded up the mountain – I’d guess at least 20 km – on mostly dirt roads. All in all, it wasn’t a terribly bad “adventure.”
Once at the top of the mountain (and a note here: to call this a mountain – or you sometimes see Kulen Mountains – is a bit of a stretch to anyone who has been around mountains; it’s more akin to a hybrid between a big hill and a very, very small mountain, leaning on the side of being a hill), we dismounted, then went to the main temple to see a reclining Buddha.
Besides the main temple, there are a few other minor temples/grottoes that aren’t of much note. There are also stone animal statues spread around the mountaintop, but they would have required paying a private driver at the top an additional ten dollars to locate as they’re “hard to find,” and I wasn’t in the mood to see animal statuary, so I passed.
After seeing the reclining Buddha and walking through the woods back to the bike, we started back down the mountain to stop at a stream that supposedly has a thousand lingas. However, most seemed to be gone. I wasn’t terribly impressed. (This isn’t Kbal Spean, by the way, where the lingas in the stream are quite a bit better, from what I can tell.)
The highlight, for me, was the large waterfall. I tried to curb my expectations, as I haven’t seen many natural waterfalls here in Asia that I consider terribly photogenic. This one, though, is very photogenic. On this particular day, it was just a bit hard to shoot because it was a bit too sunny. The other thing that made this fall a bit sad to shoot was that it was simply too crowded.
I don’t know that these falls have a name, so I’ll just call them Upper and Lower Kulen Falls. The Upper Falls are rather small and has a picnic area. The water here is also so shallow that people walk out into the river. What you find, then, is that it can get dirty and crowded. (I’ve tried to crop photos as best as I can not to show this side of it.) Having said that, don’t picture a terribly polluted spot, either. It’s nowhere near that bad. It’s just not “beautiful, clean, natural.”
After a very quick shoot at the upper falls, you climb down a series of steps to the Lower Falls, which I’m guessing are about 60-70 feet high (about 20 m) and with quite a strong flow. The base of the falls has quite a few entrepreneurs. You can rent inner tubes and go float around the pool or just swim out to the base of the falls. What you get, then, is a fairly crowded base that complicates any chance of wanting to take a “remote” shot of the falls. I think this is pretty common in most southeast Asian countries (and probably in China, too, though I haven’t seen any falls like this there exclusively within China).
Because of the people – and the strong spray affecting the shots – we didn’t stay here too long. After a few minutes, and hopefully a few reasonable shots, we climbed back up the stairs and the hill to the bike and made our way down the mountain…slowly. On the way down, we stopped and took a few shots of the plains, then made our way back to the vendors at the base where I was all too happy to buy a Coke and head on our way back towards town, with only one stop at Banteay Samré left for today.
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.
i think my bird table needs a paint job in looking at this photo.
Camera was setup at table level to catch the various birds that visit the feeder when there is still some seed left. Unfortunately, the squirrels get up there pretty quickly after putting it out.
One of the many blue jays, not one of this years brood.
As part of the required course knowledge pupils need to be able to outline the process involved in taking a square wooden blank and preparing it for turning between centres. These pictures depict that process chronologically.
Stage 1 * Preparation of wooden blank. Cut to size. Sand square. Mark across diagonals. Centre punch the centre point. Use spring dividers to mark circumference. Repeat on other end.
Stage 2 * Plane off corners down to circumference line. This takes cross section from square to octagon. This reduces force on cutting toll in initial prep of blank. Mount between fork [driven] centre and dead [or live ] centre at tailstock end. Apply grease a dead centre end. apply force from tailstock end to force fork into material at driven end. Adjust toolstock height to suit. Check for clearance.
Stage 3 * Roughout using scraper to diameter. Use combination of gouges and skew chisels to add beads and other decorative detailing as required. Ensure spindle speed is appropriate for material and cross section under consideration. Obey all safety instructions.
As part of the required course knowledge pupils need to be able to outline the process involved in taking a square wooden blank and preparing it for turning between centres. These pictures depict that process chronologically.
Stage 1 * Preparation of wooden blank. Cut to size. Sand square. Mark across diagonals. Centre punch the centre point. Use spring dividers to mark circumference. Repeat on other end.
Stage 2 * Plane off corners down to circumference line. This takes cross section from square to octagon. This reduces force on cutting toll in initial prep of blank. Mount between fork [driven] centre and dead [or live ] centre at tailstock end. Apply grease a dead centre end. apply force from tailstock end to force fork into material at driven end. Adjust toolstock height to suit. Check for clearance.
Stage 3 * Roughout using scraper to diameter. Use combination of gouges and skew chisels to add beads and other decorative detailing as required. Ensure spindle speed is appropriate for material and cross section under consideration. Obey all safety instructions.
Taking care of a newborn baby requires a lot of attention and responsibility, which can be even more challenging for new parents. It's normal to feel overwhelmed when you encounter unfamiliar situations or when your baby displays signs of discomfort.As you establish a routine for feeding, sleeping, diaper changing, and bathing, you may encounter situations where your baby cries for no apparent reason or appears to be in pain. These moments can be scary and cause panic, especially if you suspect that something is not right.Urinary tract infection is one possible cause of these panic-inducing moments, and unfortunately, the symptoms are not always easy to recognize. So, what are the causes of UTIs in newborns, and how can you identify the signs of infection in your baby? It's essential to know how to recognize the symptoms and understand the treatment options available for infants with UTIs.What is Urinary Tract Infection?A urinary tract infection (UTI) in babies is an infection that affects the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra. UTIs in babies are more common in girls than boys, and can occur at any age, although they are more common in infants.There are three different types of UTIs in babies, based on the region of the urinary tract that is affected:- Bladder infection: This is the most common type of UTI in babies.
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
Today is really the excuse that I used to come back to Siem Reap for a week. Mao was nice enough not to schedule any other customers for today since it’s my 43rd birthday, and also for Saturday. (Another reason, I think, is that I wanted to see all of the non-major sites and most everyone else is only interested in the major ones. So…thanks to Mao for giving up a few bucks from others just to make sure I got to see all that I wanted these two days.)
Mao came to pick me up around 10:00 in the morning with his wife and adorable daughter. Today, we pretty much followed the small loop tour that we did yesterday (and that most tourists do). However, we skipped every spot from yesterday (Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm’s main temple, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Bayon) and opted for the others along the same route.
The first stop of the morning was Prasat Kravan. This is a particularly interesting – and small – temple that consists mainly of one building with a central tower, but five chambers lined up in a row. Prasat Kravan was built in the early 10th century (consecrated in 921) and is built of brick. It was built during the short reign of Harshavarman I. The name is the modern name (though I don’t know the original name) and means “cardamom sanctuary,” for a tree that once stood here. From an architectural standpoint, what is most interesting – and what caught my attention – is the brick bas-reliefs here. They are the only known representation of these in Khmer art and are reason alone to visit here. The central tower has a statue of Vishnu and the northernmost has a statue of his consort, Lakshmi.
After 15-20 minutes at Prasat Kravan, Mao took me to Bat Chum, which was quite near. (It wasn’t on my list, so kudos to Mao for adding a few stops that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen; as I said, the man knows the territory, and I highly recommend him to anyone who comes here.) Bat Chum is a very, very small site (under restoration, though it looks like even the restoration has been forgotten) a few hundred meters due south of Sra Srang, and a few hundred meters east of the road from Angkor Wat to Banteay Kdei. When Bat Chum was built in 960, there were houses and a Buddhist monastery nearby, which have long since vanished. This temple was built by the lone Khmer architect whose name we know: Kavindrarimathana. He also built the palace of the East Mebon and Sra Srang. This is a temple with three brick towers. There are stone lions and interesting inscriptions here as well.
From Bat Chum, we returned to the main road, skirted along the eastern and northern sides of Banteay Kdei’s outer wall, then along the southern and western sides of Ta Prohm’s outer wall. Most people enter Ta Prohm from the western gate (as evidenced by the massive throng of tuktuks here) or the eastern gate (where you will find a slew of souvenir vendors). As far as I can tell, there is no southern gate – as I imagine you’d see it flying by on the road. (Banteay Kdei does have a northern gate, though people don’t seem to stop here.) Ta Prohm does have a rather charming and rarely visited northern gate that I was unaware of. Again…thanks, Mao. Just stop on the road at the northwest corner of Ta Prohm’s outer wall and walk east along the north wall for about five minutes to find the northern gate, surrounded by jungle.
Next up on today’s tour is a very small site that, from what I know, doesn’t even have a name. (Mao didn’t even know the name of the place, so it’s just titled ‘Unnamed Site’ here.) It’s very small, almost an afterthought, but still worth a look. It’s on the road heading due north from Ta Prohm’s west gate about 100-200 meters south of where it heads to the west to Ta Keo. It’s barely 50 meters off the road, so is very easy to visit in 10 minutes or so.
Right at the point where the road takes a 90 degree turn to head west to Ta Keo, you have the option of going straight (down a fairly bumpy dirt road) to Ta Nei. This is actually a larger temple, but unlike the others nearby, it hasn’t gone under extensive restoration yet, so it isn’t visited very often. It’s 800 meters north of Ta Keo, set back in the woods, and is 200 meters west of the Eastern Baray’s western border. It was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The highlights of coming here are simply the setting, the pediments, and the overall lack of visitors.
After half an hour or so at Ta Nei, Mao and I hopped back in the tuktuk and returned to the main road, heading west past Ta Keo before veering north and making a very quick stop at the Hospital Chapel that is 150 meters due west of Ta Keo (slightly north). This is a very quick – 5 minute – stop that interested me simply because it was/is part of a hospital that’s close to a thousand years old now. It was built by Jayavarman VII (like so many of the Angkor sites) in the late 12th century. This sandstone monument is one of four that were on site here (and, from what I’m reading, one of 102 that were found throughout the empire). Honestly, seeing this just makes me wonder about 12th century medicine. What would a Khmer hospital at the turn of the 13th century have been like?
Moving north from the Hospital Chapel, the road takes another 90 degree turn to the west. Before entering the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, you pass Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda (bypassed, as already mentioned), and then Spean Thma, near a bridge that crosses the Siem Reap River. (The Siem Reap River, today, is more like a gentle stream, though it was used to transport the quarried rock from Phnom Kulen to Angkor to build these massive temples a thousand years ago.) That aside, I decided to bypass Spean Thma for now.
Once inside the Victory Gate, which I mistakenly called the East Gate in May (it is on the eastern wall), we turned south on a dirt path about 100-200 meters inside Angkor Thom and traveled south, parallel to the wall. After less than 5 minutes, you arrive at the road that runs directly east from Bayon to the East Gate, otherwise known as the Slaves’ Gate or Gate of the Dead. (From the names, obviously, if anyone who didn’t belong to the royal family saw this gate…bad news for them.) According to Mao, the slaves were marched out this gate on the way to their execution. Grim history aside, it’s a rather nice gate, well-restored, with some good angles for shooting. It’s certainly worth a visit, especially since it’s so easily accessible – and there are rarely many people around.
After this quick stop, we took the road due west to the heart of Angkor Thom – Bayon – then headed up the road towards the North Gate, where the majority of Angkor Thom sites are located (just north of Bayon). Passing by Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper Kings (all on the west side of the main road), and the Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers (east side of the main road, with the towers being bisected by the road heading east through the Victory Gate), we turned off just north of the Terrace of the Leper Kings to the west to see Tep Pranam – very briefly – and Preah Pilalay.
Tep Pranam is simply a statue of a giant seated sandstone Buddha, still in use for worship today, that was built around the 16th century. If this were in an out-of-the-way place, it may not be worth the time. However, it’s in the heart of Angkor Thom and it’s impossible to go to Preah Pilalay without seeing it if you come by tuktuk. (This isn’t a complaint by any means; it’s rather nice.) Preah Pilalay is in the northwest section of Angkor Thom and is fairly remote (given the amount of tourists that the other nearby sites see). Its main features are a tall chimney-like structure, a few nagas, and its setting in the forest. It was built in either the 13th or 14th century, possibly by Jayavarman VIII or, perhaps, by Jayavarman VII. It’s about 200 meters north of the royal enclosure (Phimeanakas). Some of the larger trees that used to tower over the temple have been hewn resulting in a very different feel. However, it was a pleasant side trip.
Hopping back in the tuktuk and going directly across the road, the last stop for the day inside Angkor Thom was the Preah Pithu group. This is a collection of five temples/ruins in the northeastern section of Angkor Thom that is in a delightful wooded setting. If you can see them in early morning or late afternoon, you should get some wonderful lighting. You can spend as little as 15 minutes here or as much as an hour or two. They probably weren’t designed to be one cohesive group, though it’s not possible to say with certainty. They were built in the 13th century. (Though I mention this as the last stop, I’ve also included the North Kleang and Northern Suor Prat Towers here. Though I didn’t explore those in depth, I am giving them their own set here – Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers.)
On the way out of Angkor Thom, via the South Gate, we stopped outside the moat for a few pictures. Directly south of Angkor Thom are a few temples that I wanted to see: Thma Bay Kaek, Prasat Bei, and Baksei Chamkrong.
We visited them in that order. Thma Bay Kaek is nearest the road about 50 meters southwest of the bridge over the southern moat. All that remains here are the ruins of a square brick tower. It’s probably the remains of one of many temples that were here in the Bakheng area. It was built in the 10th century by Yasovarman I.
About a five minute walk - -if that – due west of Thma Bay Kaek is Prasat Bei (“Three Towers”). Unlike Thma Bay Kaek, these towers are still standing, so obviously, slightly more photogenic. They would probably be best photographed in early morning. The trees block it from the west in late afternoon. It, too, was built by Yasovarman I in the 10th century.
The last of the three temples in this area, Baksei Chamkrong, is the most impressive of the three. It’s from the early and middle 10th century (rededicated in 948) and was built by Harshavarman. This is a pyramid temple at the foot of Phnom Bakheng. The name means “the bird with sheltering wings,” though – like most temples here – this is a modern appellation that the builders wouldn’t have recognized. This tower is a single brick tower on a pyramidal base.
Finally, to finish up the day, Mao dropped me at Phnom Bakheng. It’s about a 20 minute walk up the hill around a winding path. This is considered to be one of the best places to watch sunset over Angkor Wat because of its panoramic view from the peak of the hill. However, everyone knows this, and this is the only place all day that was too crowded for my liking. In addition to its being under restoration to the point of making it a bit of an eyesore (for the time being), it was easily my least favorite place of the entire day. After waiting in line for 20 minutes and barely moving an inch, I decided to call it a day, taking 1-2 pictures (that you see here), and heading back down the hill.
Mao had disappeared into the throngs of people eating at restaurants. Fortunately for me, he spotted me. On the way back to the guesthouse, he stopped and picked up a birthday cake which we shared with the folks who happened to be at the guesthouse. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Tomorrow, too, would be just me and would include the lesser-visited sites on the Grand Tour Loop, in addition to 1-2 others.
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.
Barry Scrapyard 1982.
I'm not convinced this is actually 80104. I have seen photos where it is sandwiched between two West Country/ Battle of Britain locos.
So which loco is it that is hoped to be a 'donor' loco?
80104 was bought by the Southern Steam Trust and displayed in the headshunt at Swanage in September 1984 after a cosmetic restoration, and stayed there for a number of years.
After a long restoration the locomotive entered regular service in 1997. Withdrawn in January 2005 and returned to service in 2006.
But not used. I was hoping to use this wig casually (−_−＃) Unfortunately even with styling, it's too easy to see the wig cap through the fibres. To put it another way, you have to figure out how to arrange the hair just right so you don't see the wig cap.
Tactical shooting requires agile and adaptive thinkers able to handle the challenges of full spectrum operations in an era of persistent conflict. To meet this requirement, TAPS delivers a comprehensive, systematic, progressive Train-the-Trainer shooting program focused on fundamental mastery and built for Law Enforcement officers, military personal, and qualified civilians. Designed for leaders and trainers, the TAPS course also applies to the patrol-level officer, basic level Soldiers, and civilian self & home defense minded shooters. The approach to instruction is through coaching and mentorship and both demonstrates and transfers a training method that is safe, effective, combat relevant, and encourages a continuous thought process that demands accountability. Training is conducted on the range and focuses on advanced refinement of the basic fundamentals of marksmanship as applied to the primary and secondary weapons systems. Utilizing a building block learning model, TAPS combines the pressures and dynamics of competitive shooting and tactical application. While course of instruction is on the firing range, the TAPS training approach also translates into training venues outside the range.
Course Outline:
The 2-day course offering provides the following training and instruction:
- Lecture on proper weapons handling and safety
- Refresh the fundamentals and grouping exercises
- Conduct a diagnostic course of fire
- Conduct a discussion on the importance of performing a focal shift during training and avoiding mundane drills that do not encourage a thought process
- Other topics covered and practiced are; grouping exercises with both primary and secondary weapon systems, target discrimination, use of barricades, movement, close quarter battle techniques, immediate action drills, ballistics 101, transitions, magazine changes
- Escalation of training and intensity will vary depending on number of students and their skill level though the core of the course will always remain the same
- This course is marksmanship intensive.
Instructor: Patrick McNamara (AKA - "Mac")
Public Domain image from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
Free download under CC Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit the artist and rawpixel.com.
Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: www.rawpixel.com/category/53/public-domain
一興微塵念，橫有朝露身。
洗心詎懸解，悟道正迷津。
——唐 王維 禪句集
Once a thought as subtle as a particle of dust arises,
A body as ephemera as morning dew then comes.
Having thus witnessed the skandhas and dhatus,
Where can the self and other be placed?
Obstruction results from regarding the
substantial as object
Turning towards emptiness requires relinquishment
of the subject.
How does cleansing the mind remove burdens?
Attaining enlightenment is the way to guide the
lost onto the right path.
Clinging is the cause, and illness the effect,
From greed, a sense of poverty is attained.
Neither form or sound are external delusions,
Unsubstantial illusions are my own reality.
── from Quan Tang Shi
Wang Wei (699 - 759, Tang Dynasty)
（Complete Collection of Tang Poems）
Elder: All I require from you is the deaths of Eredin, Caranthir and their pathetic dogs, elves and beasts alike. I will speak to Lieutenant Ge'els.
There are various ways to construct and assemble an RC aeroplane. Various kits are available, requiring different amounts of assembly, different costs and varying levels of skill and experience.
Some kits can be mostly foam or plastic, or may be all balsa wood. Construction consists of using formers and longerons for the fuselage, andspars and ribs for the wings and tail surfaces. More robust designs often use solid sheets of wood to form these structures instead, or might employ a composite wing consisting of an expanded polystyrene core covered in a protective veneer of wood, often obechi. Such designs tend to be heavier than an equivalent sized model built using the traditional method, and would be much more likely to be found in a power model than a glider. The lightest models are suitable for indoor flight, in a windless environment. Some of these are made by bringing frames of balsa wood and carbon fiber up through water to pick up thin plastic films, similar to rainbow colored oil films. The advent of "foamies," or craft injection-molded from lightweight foam and sometimes reinforced with carbon fiber, have made indoor flight more readily accessible to hobbyists. "Crash proof" EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) foam planes are actually even bendable and usually sustain very little or no damage in the event of an accident, even after a nose dive. Some companies have developed similar material with different names, such as AeroCell or Elapor.
The late 1980s saw a range of models from the United States company US AirCore cleverly using twinwall polypropylene material. This double skinned 'Correx' or 'Coroplast' was commonly used in advertising and industry, being readily available in flat sheet form, easily printed and die cut. Models were pre-decorated and available in ARTF form requiring relatively straightforward, interlocking assembly secured with contact adhesive. The material thickness (usually 3~6mm) and corresponding density meant that models were quite weighty (upwards of 5 lb or 2 kg) and consequently had above average flying speeds. The range were powered using a clever (interchangeable) cartridge motor mount designed for the better, more powerful 0.40 cu in (6.6 cm³) glow engines. Aircore faded from the scene around the Millennium.
Coincidently this is when the material was used experimentally by Mugi-the small tough delta glider was invented. This rapidly developed into a high performance design-the Mugi Evo. Popular worldwide as the plans were immediately launched freely on the Internet. Any grade or thickness of the material can be used by appropriate scaling. However the optimum material is twinwalled polypropylene sheet in 2mm thickness and at 350gsm (density)
Amateur hobbyists have more recently developed a range of new model designs utilizing the corrugated plastic or "Coroplast" material. These models are collectively called "SPADs" which stands for Simple Plastic Airplane Design. Fans of the SPAD concept tout increased durability, ease of building, and lower priced materials as opposed to balsa models, sometimes (though not always) at the expense of greater weight and crude appearance.
Flying models have to be designed according to the same principles as full-sized aircraft, and therefore their construction can be very different from most static models. RC planes often borrow construction techniques from vintage full-sized aircraft (although they rarely use metal structures).
Get to know about what are required technical skills for your audit team by Asif Bhatti to improved performance of the function if the budget was available and why it is essential. To know more browse @ www.iac-recruit.com
A pregnant body requires special attention as it has different needs than that of a normal one. You may have doubts arising in your minds on how to prepare your body for pregnancy. While preparing to carry another body in yours, the carrying body also needs to be prepped up to withstand the changes and increase endurance. In your journey to motherhood, yoga mixed with small exercises can be your best friend. While it undergoes drastic changes in the 9 month period careful exercise can be crucial for a healthy baby and mother. Fret not, we have your answer on how to exercise during this fragile stage.
Sampson & Nick
Sampson has been our buddy since 2004. In the winter of 2008, he suffered a severe perineal hernia that required a $2000 surgery to repair it. At the time of the surgery, we were told that due to the severity of the hernia that it was likely to reoccur. As predicted, it has reoccurred and he desperately needs more surgery. Other than the hernia, he is a happy, healthy and active dog who should live to his mid to late teens. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience end his life prematurely. I have also contacted a Corgi rescue in hopes that he could be adopted to a family that is more financially able to care for him. However, since my husband and I can't have children, giving him up for adoption because of health issues seems as ridiculous to us as giving up our 9 year old child for adoption because we can't keep up with the medical expenses. So please consider donating whatever small amount you can to help keep Sampson with the family that loves him. Sampson, his Corgi buddies Shiloh & Rusty and his human family thank you! Click on the link below to go to Sampson's ChipIn.com page to make your donation. THANK YOU!!
corgisampson.chipin.com/sampson-the-corgis-hernia-surgery...
The Millennium Link was an ambitious £84.5m project with the objective of restoring navigability across Scotland on the historic Forth & Clyde Canal and Union Canal, providing a corridor of regenerative activity through central Scotland.
A major challenge faced, was to link the Forth and Clyde Canal, which lay 35m (115ft) below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined at Falkirk by a flight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of 1.5km, but these has been dismantled in 1933, breaking the link.
What was required was a method of connecting these two canals by way of a boat lift. British Waterways were keen to present a visionary solution taking full advantage of the opportunity to create a truly spectacular and fitting structure that would suitably commemorate the Millennium and act as an iconic symbol for years to come.
The Falkirk Wheel lies at the end of a reinforced concrete aqueduct that connects, via the Roughcastle tunnel and a double staircase lock, to the Union Canal. Boats entering the Wheel’s upper gondola are lowered, along with the water that they float in, to the basin below. At the same time, an equal weight rises up, lifted in the other gondola. This works on the Archimedes principle of displacement. That is, the mass of the boat sailing into the gondola will displace an exactly proportional volume of water so that the final combination of ‘boat plus water’ balances the original total mass.
Each gondola runs on small wheels that fit into a single curved rail fixed on the inner edge of the opening on each arm. In theory, this should be sufficient to ensure that they always remain horizontal, but any friction or sudden movement could cause the gondola to stick or tilt. To ensure that this could never happen and that the water and boats always remain perfectly level throughout the whole cycle, a series of linked cogs acts as a back up.
To commemorate the completion of The Millennium Link through the opening of The Falkirk Wheel by Her Majesty The Queen during her Golden Jubilee on 24th May 2002.
Periodic required disclosure; I'm a guest of Edmonton Tourism & Alberta Tourism on this trip, but opinions are my own.
This photo is shot from the side of a candle holder made of ice, one of many such decorations at the Edmonton City Hall ice rink.
More about Edmonton on the Perceptive Travel blog: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2013/02/14/not-what-youd-expect...
1. stairway, 2. recapturing time, 3. Untitled, 4. catwoman with her cat, 5. with her head in the clouds, 6. Galactic, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Lost, 10. Awake and Dreaming., 11. So far so close..., 12. a girl in the room, 13. Number 2, 14. 016, 15. several minor lightnings, 16. its just sad, 17. Walker line, 18. Untitled, 19. 53/365 days: so proud of my little one, 20. Lily, 21. 16BIBI, 22. 2am - lose the shoes, 23. the bride & the groom's shoulder, 24. inna, 25. Ennui, 26. Life's got to always be messing with me, 27. Vagrants and Dreamers, 28. Lookin out my backdoor, 29. bishop olancha johannesburg LA 3/27/08, 30. Untitled, 31. harold 3/18/08, 32. Untitled, 33. secret garden, 34. Untitled, 35. Unspoken, 36. Untitled
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The NSPCC Childline White Hat Ball held at the Lancaster Hotel, London. With special appearances by Esther Rantzen, Fiona Phillips and Clive Room. Entertainment by Session One, 27th January 2017
Photography by Fergus Burnett
Accreditation required with all use.
Stairs to the trail behind Seljalandsfoss. Ice accumulated on everything that the mist from the falls settled on. Personally, I passed on taking the trail on this day.... Seljalandsfoss, south coast, IcelandNov 20 12 7755
Silver Falls State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, located near Silverton, about 20 miles (32 km) east-southeast of Salem. It is the largest state park in Oregon with an area of more than 9,000 acres (36 km2), and it includes more than 24 miles (39 km) of walking trails, 14 miles (23 km) of horse trails, and a 4-mile (6.4 km) bike path. Its 8.7-mile (14.0 km) Canyon Trail/Trail of Ten Falls runs along the banks of Silver Creek and by ten waterfalls, from which the park received its name. Four of the ten falls have an amphitheater-like surrounding that allows the trail to pass behind the flow of the falls. (oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&a...)
© Lightning Photography/Lee Smith. Any unauthorized usage will result in legal action.
Had this idea... I LOVE APPLE PRODUCTS as they are far ahead of PC's not only in design but also in the way they work as they hardly ever let you down.
Not only that but I work with them too as a retoucher/artworker/designer!
I also have the 24" iMac 2.4Ghz Intel Core Duo 2 with 4GB of ram but could not include it in the shot as I only have 2 hands and it is quite heavy! :) LOL
I love this Nikon 24-85mmf2.8-4 lens which also has a handy Macro feature. My Sigma 105mm Macro lens hardly gets used now as this lens is very versatile and really sharp for a zoom! :-)
Strobist:
D300 in commander mode.
On board flash @ 1/64 for a little extra front fill.
Group A: 2 SB600's. 1 each side of subject in 24" softboxes @ 1/3.2 power, zoomed to 24mm, cam left softbox is 2.5ft from subject & cam right softbox is 4ft from subject.
Group B: 1 SB800 on the floor behind subject pointed at the wall @ 1/2.5 power, zoomed to 50mm with a blue gel.
Nikon D300 | 24-85mmf2.8-4 | ISO200 | f8 | 1/250th with +1 exposure compensation (didn't realise this was on from last use... doh!)
Regional cooking shared by Malays and Indonesians; A rich Beef Stew consisting of Variety of Spices( Star Anise, Coriander, Coconut), Kaffir Lime, Coconut, Galangal, Ginger, Tamarind, Shallots, Chilis, Coconut Milk, and god knows what else.... It is truely amazing!! As some of you could tell from the photo, the Stew must have been gently simmering for a few days. Served with a 'Mountain' of Coconut rice, Jackfruit Curry, Funky Chips, and Sunflower Croquants( Soy Caramel). This dish will require your complete and undevided attention for sure.
The NSPCC Childline White Hat Ball held at the Lancaster Hotel, London. With special appearances by Esther Rantzen, Fiona Phillips and Clive Room. Entertainment by Session One, 27th January 2017
Photography by Fergus Burnett
Accreditation required with all use.
The Friends of Wellington station were formed just over 12 months ago. I was fortunate with 2 mates to be given a guided tour of what used to be a major junction station and remains an impressive building.
Species in this genus usually require an intermediate to hot climate with good air movement and generally bright light. Their scrambling style of growth means they are best grown on a hanging mount or basket. If they are grown in pots there must be excellent drainage.
Tall branching spikes of spectacular, long lasting red-orange flowers.
Renanthera imschootiana is from the Himalayas and is exceptional in that it can be grown under cooler conditions
From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:
I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.
I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)
In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.
I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )
Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.
Today is really the excuse that I used to come back to Siem Reap for a week. Mao was nice enough not to schedule any other customers for today since it’s my 43rd birthday, and also for Saturday. (Another reason, I think, is that I wanted to see all of the non-major sites and most everyone else is only interested in the major ones. So…thanks to Mao for giving up a few bucks from others just to make sure I got to see all that I wanted these two days.)
Mao came to pick me up around 10:00 in the morning with his wife and adorable daughter. Today, we pretty much followed the small loop tour that we did yesterday (and that most tourists do). However, we skipped every spot from yesterday (Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm’s main temple, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Bayon) and opted for the others along the same route.
The first stop of the morning was Prasat Kravan. This is a particularly interesting – and small – temple that consists mainly of one building with a central tower, but five chambers lined up in a row. Prasat Kravan was built in the early 10th century (consecrated in 921) and is built of brick. It was built during the short reign of Harshavarman I. The name is the modern name (though I don’t know the original name) and means “cardamom sanctuary,” for a tree that once stood here. From an architectural standpoint, what is most interesting – and what caught my attention – is the brick bas-reliefs here. They are the only known representation of these in Khmer art and are reason alone to visit here. The central tower has a statue of Vishnu and the northernmost has a statue of his consort, Lakshmi.
After 15-20 minutes at Prasat Kravan, Mao took me to Bat Chum, which was quite near. (It wasn’t on my list, so kudos to Mao for adding a few stops that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen; as I said, the man knows the territory, and I highly recommend him to anyone who comes here.) Bat Chum is a very, very small site (under restoration, though it looks like even the restoration has been forgotten) a few hundred meters due south of Sra Srang, and a few hundred meters east of the road from Angkor Wat to Banteay Kdei. When Bat Chum was built in 960, there were houses and a Buddhist monastery nearby, which have long since vanished. This temple was built by the lone Khmer architect whose name we know: Kavindrarimathana. He also built the palace of the East Mebon and Sra Srang. This is a temple with three brick towers. There are stone lions and interesting inscriptions here as well.
From Bat Chum, we returned to the main road, skirted along the eastern and northern sides of Banteay Kdei’s outer wall, then along the southern and western sides of Ta Prohm’s outer wall. Most people enter Ta Prohm from the western gate (as evidenced by the massive throng of tuktuks here) or the eastern gate (where you will find a slew of souvenir vendors). As far as I can tell, there is no southern gate – as I imagine you’d see it flying by on the road. (Banteay Kdei does have a northern gate, though people don’t seem to stop here.) Ta Prohm does have a rather charming and rarely visited northern gate that I was unaware of. Again…thanks, Mao. Just stop on the road at the northwest corner of Ta Prohm’s outer wall and walk east along the north wall for about five minutes to find the northern gate, surrounded by jungle.
Next up on today’s tour is a very small site that, from what I know, doesn’t even have a name. (Mao didn’t even know the name of the place, so it’s just titled ‘Unnamed Site’ here.) It’s very small, almost an afterthought, but still worth a look. It’s on the road heading due north from Ta Prohm’s west gate about 100-200 meters south of where it heads to the west to Ta Keo. It’s barely 50 meters off the road, so is very easy to visit in 10 minutes or so.
Right at the point where the road takes a 90 degree turn to head west to Ta Keo, you have the option of going straight (down a fairly bumpy dirt road) to Ta Nei. This is actually a larger temple, but unlike the others nearby, it hasn’t gone under extensive restoration yet, so it isn’t visited very often. It’s 800 meters north of Ta Keo, set back in the woods, and is 200 meters west of the Eastern Baray’s western border. It was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The highlights of coming here are simply the setting, the pediments, and the overall lack of visitors.
After half an hour or so at Ta Nei, Mao and I hopped back in the tuktuk and returned to the main road, heading west past Ta Keo before veering north and making a very quick stop at the Hospital Chapel that is 150 meters due west of Ta Keo (slightly north). This is a very quick – 5 minute – stop that interested me simply because it was/is part of a hospital that’s close to a thousand years old now. It was built by Jayavarman VII (like so many of the Angkor sites) in the late 12th century. This sandstone monument is one of four that were on site here (and, from what I’m reading, one of 102 that were found throughout the empire). Honestly, seeing this just makes me wonder about 12th century medicine. What would a Khmer hospital at the turn of the 13th century have been like?
Moving north from the Hospital Chapel, the road takes another 90 degree turn to the west. Before entering the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, you pass Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda (bypassed, as already mentioned), and then Spean Thma, near a bridge that crosses the Siem Reap River. (The Siem Reap River, today, is more like a gentle stream, though it was used to transport the quarried rock from Phnom Kulen to Angkor to build these massive temples a thousand years ago.) That aside, I decided to bypass Spean Thma for now.
Once inside the Victory Gate, which I mistakenly called the East Gate in May (it is on the eastern wall), we turned south on a dirt path about 100-200 meters inside Angkor Thom and traveled south, parallel to the wall. After less than 5 minutes, you arrive at the road that runs directly east from Bayon to the East Gate, otherwise known as the Slaves’ Gate or Gate of the Dead. (From the names, obviously, if anyone who didn’t belong to the royal family saw this gate…bad news for them.) According to Mao, the slaves were marched out this gate on the way to their execution. Grim history aside, it’s a rather nice gate, well-restored, with some good angles for shooting. It’s certainly worth a visit, especially since it’s so easily accessible – and there are rarely many people around.
After this quick stop, we took the road due west to the heart of Angkor Thom – Bayon – then headed up the road towards the North Gate, where the majority of Angkor Thom sites are located (just north of Bayon). Passing by Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper Kings (all on the west side of the main road), and the Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers (east side of the main road, with the towers being bisected by the road heading east through the Victory Gate), we turned off just north of the Terrace of the Leper Kings to the west to see Tep Pranam – very briefly – and Preah Pilalay.
Tep Pranam is simply a statue of a giant seated sandstone Buddha, still in use for worship today, that was built around the 16th century. If this were in an out-of-the-way place, it may not be worth the time. However, it’s in the heart of Angkor Thom and it’s impossible to go to Preah Pilalay without seeing it if you come by tuktuk. (This isn’t a complaint by any means; it’s rather nice.) Preah Pilalay is in the northwest section of Angkor Thom and is fairly remote (given the amount of tourists that the other nearby sites see). Its main features are a tall chimney-like structure, a few nagas, and its setting in the forest. It was built in either the 13th or 14th century, possibly by Jayavarman VIII or, perhaps, by Jayavarman VII. It’s about 200 meters north of the royal enclosure (Phimeanakas). Some of the larger trees that used to tower over the temple have been hewn resulting in a very different feel. However, it was a pleasant side trip.
Hopping back in the tuktuk and going directly across the road, the last stop for the day inside Angkor Thom was the Preah Pithu group. This is a collection of five temples/ruins in the northeastern section of Angkor Thom that is in a delightful wooded setting. If you can see them in early morning or late afternoon, you should get some wonderful lighting. You can spend as little as 15 minutes here or as much as an hour or two. They probably weren’t designed to be one cohesive group, though it’s not possible to say with certainty. They were built in the 13th century. (Though I mention this as the last stop, I’ve also included the North Kleang and Northern Suor Prat Towers here. Though I didn’t explore those in depth, I am giving them their own set here – Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers.)
On the way out of Angkor Thom, via the South Gate, we stopped outside the moat for a few pictures. Directly south of Angkor Thom are a few temples that I wanted to see: Thma Bay Kaek, Prasat Bei, and Baksei Chamkrong.
We visited them in that order. Thma Bay Kaek is nearest the road about 50 meters southwest of the bridge over the southern moat. All that remains here are the ruins of a square brick tower. It’s probably the remains of one of many temples that were here in the Bakheng area. It was built in the 10th century by Yasovarman I.
About a five minute walk - -if that – due west of Thma Bay Kaek is Prasat Bei (“Three Towers”). Unlike Thma Bay Kaek, these towers are still standing, so obviously, slightly more photogenic. They would probably be best photographed in early morning. The trees block it from the west in late afternoon. It, too, was built by Yasovarman I in the 10th century.
The last of the three temples in this area, Baksei Chamkrong, is the most impressive of the three. It’s from the early and middle 10th century (rededicated in 948) and was built by Harshavarman. This is a pyramid temple at the foot of Phnom Bakheng. The name means “the bird with sheltering wings,” though – like most temples here – this is a modern appellation that the builders wouldn’t have recognized. This tower is a single brick tower on a pyramidal base.
Finally, to finish up the day, Mao dropped me at Phnom Bakheng. It’s about a 20 minute walk up the hill around a winding path. This is considered to be one of the best places to watch sunset over Angkor Wat because of its panoramic view from the peak of the hill. However, everyone knows this, and this is the only place all day that was too crowded for my liking. In addition to its being under restoration to the point of making it a bit of an eyesore (for the time being), it was easily my least favorite place of the entire day. After waiting in line for 20 minutes and barely moving an inch, I decided to call it a day, taking 1-2 pictures (that you see here), and heading back down the hill.
Mao had disappeared into the throngs of people eating at restaurants. Fortunately for me, he spotted me. On the way back to the guesthouse, he stopped and picked up a birthday cake which we shared with the folks who happened to be at the guesthouse. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Tomorrow, too, would be just me and would include the lesser-visited sites on the Grand Tour Loop, in addition to 1-2 others.
As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.
AM I PAYING TO BE PROMOTED?
No. You are paying for the seminars, and while I strongly encourage everyone to be present for the seminars, it is not required. You may show up for the second half only. But, again, I strongly encourage everyone to be present for the seminars. It helps us with organization, expresses to the instructors that you are interested in learning, and fosters a team oriented environment.
WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS FOR BEING PROMOTED?
Under the Capital flag you must demonstrate the 3 Ts: time on the mat, toughness and technique. Visualize a triangle, where technique is on top. On the bottom are time and toughness. Those who are very tough might have the time requirement reduced (but not below the minimum). Those with a great deal of time might have the toughness requirement reduced. Also, other variables may be taken into consideration. For example, one of our newest members is beginning his Jiu-Jitsu journey at 70 years young! Modifications will be made to ensure his journey is both challenge and rewarding!
WHAT ARE THE TIME REQUIREMENTS?
A blue belt takes an average of 1.5 years. A purple belt takes an average of 5 years. A brown belt takes an average of 7 years. A black belt takes an average of 10+ years. Most of the practitioners who tested for black belt had between 12 and 17 years of experience, and the pass rate was about 50%.
WHO MAKES THE DECISION FOR ADVANCEMENT?
Three instructors, including at least one black belt, must approve any promotion.
WHY DOES THE FORMAT KEEP CHANGING?
It’s been consistent for the last two years. However, we do expect that slight changes will be made as time goes on. We always seek feedback from students, peers and our instructors to make things better. The current format is: seminars (optional), sparring, promotions, gauntlet (optional), and group picture.
ETIQUETTE
At promotions events every practitioner should wear a laundered Capital branded white training kimono. This is the equivalent of wearing formal attire for a special occasion, like a wedding. Also, it is extremely impolite to ask an instructor about being promoted.
WHAT DOES THE NAVY BLUE BAR MEAN?
Royce Gracie and the Valente Brothers wanted to honor Helio Gracie’s life and legacy by wearing the navy blue belt that Helio wore. Going forward they are asking representatives to wear the navy bar (excluding white belts and new black belts). For more information about Grandmaster Helio Gracie’s decision to wear the navy belt visit: graciekentucky.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-did-grandmaster-h...
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR PUTTING A NAVY BAR ON MY BELT?
The easiest thing to do is purchase athletic tape: www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&...
I BELIEVE YOU MADE AN ERROR REGARDING MEMBER X, BY PROMOTING/NOT PROMOTING HIM….
Think about a Jiu-Jitsu competition. Is it possible, from time to time, for the referee to make an error? Of course! It is also possible for the decision makers at our semiannual gatherings to make errors. However, as practitioners progress, more scrutiny is applied to their rank, and ultimately 40 - 60 black belts will test them. At that time practitioners must demonstrate the complete stand-up self-defense curriculum, striking, clinching, grappling and philosophy (the 753 Code).
I caution those who dwell on the rank progress of others, especially as it compares to their own. Instead I encourage you to apply your vigilance to your own journey in the gentile art.
DO I NEED TO BE AT THE PROMOTIONS EVENT?
To be promoted to the next color belt, yes. Technically, to be promoted with stripes on the purple and brown belt, also yes. However, we needed to honor time constraints at Saturday's event, and stripes for deserving practitioners will be awarded this week and in January.
IS THE GAUNTLET HAZING?
What is the difference between a healthy ritual and hazing? What in fact is hazing? According to Wikipedia: "Hazing is the practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group.” Does the gauntlet qualify?
Couldn’t we define the gauntlet as a rite of passage? Google defines a rite of passage as, "a ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life, especially birth, puberty, marriage, and death.” While I don’t know of any peer reviewed research articles, the overwhelming consensus is that there are tremendous psychological benefits to being included in a rite of passage.
There’s also acknowledging that our ritual is far less dangerous than the activities which led to it. Whether it’s the rigorous exercise, intense sparring rounds, competitions or the black belt test. In fact, Professor Pedro Valente noted that we are training to be effective in a proven fighting system. To take a hit is not only to be initiated, it's an essential component of our training.
I am not familiar with many of the reasons why people haze, and personally, I have never been involved in a hazing ritual. The gauntlet is our rite of passage; a tradition handed down to us by our elders. I am opposed to taking away or intensifying the gauntlet tradition. Our tradition is about the student, and I don’t believe that practitioners at Capital MMA experience some perverse pleasure in seeing people suffer. Rather, we are celebrating with the newly inducted.
I believe that the gauntlet tradition should only be carried on in the presence of the black belt instructors, exclusively at our semiannual promotions events. Also, it is our charge as black belts to educate junior members of our tradition, and how we conduct ourselves during the rite of passage. Injury, abuse and humiliation are never our objectives.
Finally, this tradition is, and always will be, optional. However, our requirements for being promoted are not. The rigor, intensity, and sacrifice experienced by senior practitioners is significant.
*Endeavour*: On April 3, 1768, the Earl of Pembroke, an ungainly-looking
North Sea coal carrier, was put into dry dock. Stout and heavy-timbered,
with a bluff bow and a narrow stern, she was intended for a singularly
adventurous role - would carry a hand-picked group of naval officers and
scientists to the farthest reaches of the Pacific to conduct vital
astronomical studies and to make yet another search for the continent
identified on the maps as Terra Australis Incognita. She was selected
because she could hold the large quantities of supplies and scientific
equipment the voyagers would require, and also because she was
flat-bottomed and was able to take the punishment of an accidental
grounding. She was renamed the Endeavour, and within four weeks her hull
had been sheathed with a second layer of planking to protect against
tropical sea worms. Her masts and yards were scrapped for fresh-cut
spars, and all her rigging was replaced with new hempen lines. The
selection of Lieutenant James Cook as leader of the expedition to the
Pacific was even more surprising than the Admiralty's choice of the
Endeavour. At the age of 39, Cook was virtually unknown to his
countrymen, came from the lower ranks of society, was haphazardly
educated and had not even spent his whole career in the Royal Navy: His
training had been in the merchant marine.
Cook would become the greatest explorer of his time - and the greatest
Pacific explorer of all time. As captain of the Endeavour, he would
sight and survey hundreds of landfalls that no Westerner had ever laid
eyes on. And though the Endeavour would never fire her guns at another
ship in battle, Cook's epochal voyage aboard the converted collier was
destined to bring under George III's sovereignty more land and wealth
than any single naval victory of the powerful British fleet. But the
most important prize of this and the two subsequent voyages that Cook
would make was measured not in territory but in knowledge. Patient and
methodical where his predecessors had been hasty and disorganized, he
would sweep away myths and illusions on a prodigious scale, and in the
end would give to the world a long-sought treasure: a comprehensive map
of the Pacific. Cook didn't find the fabled "Great Southland", but he
discovered - in Australia - a country equally deserving of such a title!
It is worth mentioning here that a piece of his original ship "The
Endeavour", a converted coal-carrier, was taken into orbit aboard the
Space-Shuttle of the same name.
*Sydney Harbour Bridge*: opened in 1932 and until 1967 was the city's
tallest structure. It is the world's widest long-span bridge and the
tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 429.6 ft from top to water level.
It is also the fourth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world. The
bridge deck portion of the highway is 0.73 miles long, is concrete and
lies on trimmers (beams that run along the length of the bridge). The
trimmers themselves rest on steel beams that run along the width of the
bridge. The arch is composed of two 28-panel arch trusses. Their heights
vary from 55.8 ft at the centre of the arch to 176.7 ft (beside the
pylons). The arch span is 503 m and the weight of the steel arch is
39,000 tons. The arch's summit is 440 ft above mean sea level, though it
can increase by as much as 7 in on hot days as the result of steel
expanding in heat. Two large metal hinges at the base of the bridge
accommodate these expansions and contractions and thereby prevent the
arch from being damaged. About 79% of the steel came from Middlesbrough,
in the North East of England. The rest was Australian-made. The total
weight of the bridge is 52,800 tonnes, and six million hand-driven
rivets hold the bridge together. The rivets were made at the Park Bridge
Ironworks in Lancashire England. At each end of the bridge stands a pair
of 276 ft high concrete and granite pylons. Abutments, which support the
ends of the bridge, are contained at the base of the pylons. They
prevent the bridge from stretching or compressing due to temperature
variations. Otherwise, the pylons serve no structural purpose and are
primarily to visually balance the bridge itself. They were never an
essential part of the design but were added to allay concerns about
structural integrity.
*Jacaranda*: is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family
Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South and
Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The species are shrubs to
large trees ranging in size from 2 to 30 m tall. The leaves are
bipinnate in most species, pinnate or simple in a few species. The
flowers are produced in conspicuous large panicles, each flower with a
five-lobed blue to purple-blue corolla; a few species have white
flowers. The fruit is an oblong to oval flattened capsule containing
numerous slender seeds.
**
An open source photo gallery which aims to offer you some of our best takes – Use this photos for personal or commercial purposes, attribution is appreciated but not required – Here you go – Njoy!
Bosque is the name for areas of gallery forest found along the riparian flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for woodlands.
In the predominantly arid or semi-arid southwestern United States, the bosque is an oasis-like ribbon of green vegetation, often canopied, that only exists near rivers, streams, or other water courses. The most notable bosque is the 200-mile (320 km)-long ecosystem along the middle Rio Grande in New Mexico that extends from Santa Fe south past Socorro including the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
Use red/blue glasses for best effect.
Anaglyph 3D is the name given to the stereoscopic 3D effect achieved by means of encoding each eye's image using filters of different (usually chromatically opposite) colors, typically red and cyan. Anaglyph 3D images contain two differently filtered colored images, one for each eye. When viewed through the "color-coded" "anaglyph glasses", each of the two images reaches one eye, revealing an integrated stereoscopic image.
Images captured with twin EOS-M Cameras and combined in software