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When intelligence reports reached the US Army in the late 1950s about the Soviet T-55, they worried Army planners. The T-55's armor was too thick for the 90mm gun carried by the Army's M48 Patton, whereas the T-55's 100mm gun could destroy a M48. Work began immediately on an upgrade to the M48, using the same basic design.
The M60 Patton was roughly the same size and design as the M48, but equipped a 105mm gun, capable of knocking out the T-55. The armor was improved, namely through the use of sloped armor rather than rounded armor used in the M48. The engine was upgraded to increase range and reliability. The M60 began to replace the M48 in 1960, though M48s were retained in service for another decade, mainly for service in Vietnam, which freed up the M60 to defend Central Europe from a potential Soviet invasion.
As it turned out, the US Army would never use the M60 in combat. The Israeli Army would, however, with their M60s entering combat for the first time in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Though it proved to be vulnerable to infantry antitank missiles, the Patton's 105mm was deadly to Egyptian and Syrian armor, mostly T-55s. In the Battle of Chinese Farm, the largest tank engagement since World War II, Israeli Pattons were able to defeat a large number of Egyptian T-55s, despite being outnumbered, and reverse the course of the war. The first and only American use of the M60 in combat would be US Marine M60A3s during the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, in which Pattons were able to defeat an Iraqi armored force outside Kuwait City--not only were the M60s able to knock out T-55s, but also more advanced T-72s as well.
The M60 proved be very adaptable to upgrades, and several hundred remain in service, though the US armed forces retired theirs in the mid-1990s in favor of the M1 Abrams. Most used by foreign operators have been extensively upgraded with improved electronics, laser rangefinders, and reactive armor to defeat antitank missiles.
This is actually one of the oldest M60-series Pattons left in the world--I had initially identified it as a M60A1, but it even predates that version. The earliest versions of the M60 retained the M48-style turret, along with only three return rollers on the tracks. Finished in a rather anonymous overall olive drab with no unit markings, this M60 never saw combat, and spent most of its career with the 163rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Montana Army National Guard), which kept its Pattons until they were replaced by the M1 Abrams in the late 1980s. Today, it is displayed in front of the Montana Military Museum at Fort Harrison, just outside of Helena, Montana.
The rather less well known logistic support truck with Reg.No. EN6893 operated by China Motor Bus caught my interest. So I modified a Tomytec truck that has the same cab into the CMB EN6893. I only found one photo of the truck, so not sure how it looks on the hidden sides. But judging from the photo, it has a large liftgate at the back, so it should be easy to guess how it looks at the rear.
This truck was modified to a tow truck after New World First Bus took over China Motor Bus franchised bus service.
The sky was more filled with clouds than it had been for the last few sunsets. The varying conditions of course make every sunset look a bit different. Even though I often take photos from the same spots the shots don't come out the same way.
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Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446. The Blarney Stone is among the machicolations of the castle.
The castle was besieged during the Irish Confederate Wars and was seized in 1646 by Parliamentarian forces under Lord Broghill. However, after the Restoration the castle was restored to Donough MacCarty, who was made 1st Earl of Clancarty.
During the Williamite War in Ireland in the 1690s, the then 4th Earl of Clancarty (also named Donough MacCarty) was captured and his lands (including Blarney Castle) were confiscated by the Williamites.
In the next two centuries, Blarney Castle changed ownership many times. The Hollow Sword Blade Company of London purchased the land soon after the McCarthy Clan left. In 1703, Sir Richard Payne, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland bought the land from the company. Afraid of that the McCarthys would return, Payne sold the land to Sir James Jefferyes, governor of Cork City. The family turned the property into an estate village with 90 houses, a small church and three mud cabins. In the 1800, the Jefferyes family married into the Colthurst family. Their descendants maintain ownership of the castle today.
well, mostly the same. my sausages and hash brown bits were looking a bit skim this time around.
i slept through lunch on the following flight. i think it was a sandwich or something. dinner was...red wine and something else.
Location : Bukit Berangan, Tepoh, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.
Thanx for viewing, all the best to you. We're all belong to each other and came from same father and mother (Adam and Eve), so peace and justice for all :)
Free Palestine! Peace and justice for all :)
Same ( old) logo on a Double Decker
Travel London' s Dennis Trident with an Alexander ALX400 body .9807 KV02URR is at
Victoria on 04th-August-2009
be very afraid. lol.
so my little brother is an artist. he is waaay more artsy than i will ever be. his talent astounds me, and frustrates me at the same time. see, he's that guy that still hasn't been found out. he's an incredibly talented musician, painter, sculptor, everything.
and he makes shrunken heads.
hahahhaa. no sillies, not REAL ones. these are custom, one of a kind, they are not made from a mold. each one is individually sculpted by hand out of durable, artist quality polymer sculpting compound. and then handpainted. eyes and mouth sewn shut and neck tied off with hemp string. the hair is a nappy blend of cotton, mohair, and polyester.
and he's poor. so he sells these heads to pay for groceries.
so, i begged him to let me post this on my stream. since halloween is coming up, i figured you could all use a lil shrunken head hanging around your house, right? c'mon. he's my baby brother.....
so, if you love these guys as much as i do, contact Craig-kid, aka Craig, aka Theatre of the Absurd @ brilliantartist@gmail.com and he will shrink a head just for you, and send it. k? i have many more pics and will be posting periodically if you need to see more detail.
$30 each or two for $50. that's the Halloween season discount. hurry, cuz he's getting busy w/ these. :)
thanks in advance!
I make no excuses for posting six images of the same species. I rose at 03:45 to leave home for 04:15 to be at the site where these are no later than 05:20. Everything was soaked in dew including the grass which was nigh on waste high in many places. I was wet through to well above the knee withing ten minutes. Waterproofs, I don't care for as they always seem to make me sweat plus they make more noise when you move than I care for. The plus side was some lovely damsels covered in dew drops. The negative was being wet and having to drive home wet. I was only on site a couple of hours as by about 07:30 they were too warmed up to get anywhere near for photographs. The nymph was seen climbing a reed stem ready for emergence. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to wait for it to emerge. A lot of time and effort went into getting these images and I sincerely thank any of you who comment or fave them or any of my images.
They were actually far dirtier and darker than what you see here. The light of the flash sort of washed out the dirtiness of the soles.
Britney Spears was coolly composed on the first live episode of "The X Factor." The same can't be said for new host Khloe Kardashian Odom and her microphone.
Odom, adding to her reality TV credentials, was paired with Mario Lopez to emcee "X Factor" as the singing contest shifted Wednesday from taped to live broadcasts.
Lopez, host of "Extra," performed like the pro he is. Odom came across like the novice she is, shouting her lines despite the mic clutched in her hand and making awkward small talk with contestants and judge and executive producer Simon Cowell.
When Lopez teased 13-year-old singer Diamond White about having a boyfriend, the girl replied, "No, we're friends. My mom would kill me."
"Don't let your mom kill you," exclaimed Odom, drawing a confused smile from White.
At another point, Odom sounded like an oddly flirtatious schoolgirl as she introduced Cowell as "Mr. Sexy."
In a conference call Tuesday, Cowell had discussed expectations for his co-host, a member of reality TV's first family that includes sister Kim Kardashian. Odom's credits include "Khloe and Lamar" with husband Lamar Odom, a Los Angeles Clippers player.
She wants to "prove a point," Cowell said, noting observers had questioned Odom's readiness to steer a live program.
He warned that she would need "nerves of steel" Wednesday because she had less rehearsal time than planned.
"I kind of like to see the unpredictable and I quite like seeing people under pressure and just how they deal with it," Cowell said. Odom and Lopez replaced first-season host Steve Jones, a U.K. TV personality.
Cowell also expressed reservations about how Spears would manage.
While lauding her as "very, very good judge" so far, he told the teleconference it was unclear "what she's going to be like on a live show" involving competition between judges over the contestants they are mentoring.
Spears, a pop princess who has struggled in her personal life, including spells in rehab, proved up to the task. She heaped praise on singers and remained calm when criticism was leveled at those she's guiding.
When Cowell told one teenager that "we need to sort your vocals out," Spears shot back, "I disagree. I think you're a true star."
It was Cowell himself who committed the biggest flub of the night: He was bleeped for using what appeared to be British slang found questionable by Fox.
Of the 16 acts featured on the live "X Factor," four will be cut Thursday by Spears, Cowell, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Demi Lovato. Viewers will decide contestants' fates in following weeks.
Cowell took a moment at the start of Wednesday's show to express sympathy for Hurricane Sandy victims on the East Coast, saying, "our hearts are with you and we hope things get sorted out quickly."
An on-screen crawl invited viewers to donate to the American Red Cross.
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.
The fifth day (and last time I’ll see Mao unless I go back to Siem Reap again) started just the same as my birthday. Chhiengmai brought me a ham & cheese omelette at the hotel, then Mao picked me up and off we went.
Following the same route to Banteay Kdei, we took a right and headed out on the grand loop. The first stop was at Pre Rup, which I’d seen in May, but wanted to photograph again this time around. I love the May shots because it’s in afternoon light, so there are some nice silhouette shots in there. This time, however, was early morning. We didn’t shoot as extensively as we did in May; only staying on the eastern side of the temple and not ascending it. Still, it’s a rather striking temple and worth seeing, even with the restoration that looks as if it hasn’t been touched since May – and didn’t look like it was being touched then, either.
Pre Rup is on the southeast corner of the Grand Loop. From there, continue north. Right before you reach East Mebon is a road going east. (This is the road that would lead you to Banteay Samré if taken straight, or Banteay Srei, Phnom Kulen, and Kbal Spean, if you turn left at the first intersection about 1 kilometer east from here.)
Our second destination, though, was Phnom Bok. To reach here, continue east on the aforementioned road – pass Banteay Samré – taking the first left, then continuing north about 5-10 minutes. All in all, it’s about 20 minutes from the Grand Loop road.
Having seen snow-capped mountains enough in my life, I chuckle to call these mountains instead of hills. However, Angkor is in a large plain, as you can see in these pictures, so any hill looks like a mountain. In the same breath, these aren’t baby hills.
Mao’s wife and daughter stayed with the tuktuk while we went clambering up the hill. I was giving Mao a good ribbing about him not being my friend for making me climb a mountain in tropical heat, but it really wasn’t too bad. He said, “there are only 100 stairs to the top!” I laughed and said there’s no way that’s a mountain then. We walked up a hill for about five minutes before getting to the bottom of the staircase on the south side of the mountain that goes to the summit. He still insisted it was only 100 steps. I counted, just for fun. Turns out, there are 626 steps, give or take one, to the top of the hill and, even when you get to the top, you still have to climb up…a little farther.
As I mentioned, though, it wasn’t a bad climb. The first 400 or so steps are forested, so you’re in shade, though it’s hot and humid. After that, the views of the surrounding plains open up which are quite nice. Mostly, you can see to the south or southeast. I couldn’t see any of the main temples which would be southwest from here. (I couldn’t see them from the peak when looking southwest, though, either…)
At the top of Phnom Bok, there’s a little shelter/rest area where you can sit and buy ice cold drinks. There’s a new Hindu temple up there, and also the ruins of an Angkor-era temple. Sadly, there are also remnants of the Khmer Rouge era, too; machine gun mounts and the like, surrounding the temple.
After 30-45 minutes on the mountaintop, we went back down and I was glad to have a rest in the tuktuk while we made our way back to the Grand Loop. It was a good chance to rest up and enjoy the scenery (in addition to waving like a fool at every passerby as I’m wont to do).
Upon returning to the Grand Loop road, we made a quick right heading north for about 200 meters to the East Mebon. In May, we stopped here, but didn’t do anything other than climb the main stairs, take a few shots, and head off to lunch. (We were tired by that point.)
Because of that, I told Mao I wanted to take time to extensively go around the East Mebon. It’s a surprisingly nice temple mount. (I don’t know how the West Mebon compares; unlike this one, there is still water in the west baray, and I didn’t go out there.) All told, Mao and I wandered our separate ways here for about half an hour or so. I got back to the tuktuk right before one of the daily summer downpours. Mao was stuck out in the rain, but had my backpack, P&S, and umbrella, so was fine.
After a 5-10 minute rest, a Coke and a smile later, the four of us went back on our way around the Grand Loop continuing clockwise. We bypassed Ta Som (which I’d shot well enough in May) and stopped for a very quick shoot at Prasat Krol Ko. This is a very small temple built in the late 12th and early 13th century by Jayavarman VII. It looks like many of the other temples, so most don’t stop here as it’s not terribly interesting. It’s a temple surrounded by two concentric enclosures, in the Bayon style, and rather small. However, it’s near Neak Pean and Preah Khan, so there’s no reason not to stop. This is a Hindu (I believe) temple, as it’s named/dedicated to a cow. I enjoyed it.
The next stop – Neak Pean – was less than two minutes down the road. (Again, no reason not to stop at both. Neak Pean (sometimes spelled “Neak Poan” and pronounced “neek poh-an”) is architecturally different than most of the other sites, as is the setting. Neak Pean is a cruciform arrangement of ponds that centers on a sanctuary tower on a circular island in the middle. Currently, access is limited and you can’t go all the way around it. You approach from the north over a boardwalk – this crosses over the Jayatataka baray, which offers some nice panoramic views of Phnom Bok about 5 kilometers to the east – and finally arrive at the north end of the monument. You can walk around either side to the eastern and western corners, but can go no farther. There are (were) four different sculpted animals on each of the four small ponds around the sanctuary. Eavesdropping a tour guide, he said the four ponds represent earth, air, fire, and water. I had read somewhere what the four animals were, but can’t seem to find that information now. I was very pleased with this stop, too, mainly because it offered a little variety.
After the nice stroll over the boardwalk back to the tuktuk, we continued heading west. At the turn off for Preah Khan (which I skipped this time since we spent a bit of time here in May), there are also two other nearby, rarely visited temples: Banteay Prei and Prasat Prei. These are immediately north of Preah Khan on the outside of the Loop road. Preah Khan is about 200 meters south on the inside of the loop. Neither of these two temples are listed in either LP Cambodia or my Ancient Angkor guidebook, so I unfortunately can’t tell you a thing about them, but would venture to say they were probably built by Jayavarman VII…but, that’s pure conjecture. They were both rather nice to see, and in a fair state of decomposition, so it lent to nice photography. As they are so close to Preah Khan, again…I don’t see why you wouldn’t visit here. You can see both temples in about 20 minutes without going out of your way to do so.
The next stop on today’s private tour is Krol Romeas. This is a very unassuming structure that is less than five minutes outside the North Gate of Angkor Thom. I’m a little confused about what “romeas” means. At first Mao’s wife told me it meant sheep. Then I believe she said it meant hippopotamus. Either way, this structure was an animal pen for one of those. Given the size and depth, I’ll say hippo enclosure is probably correct. Currently, it’s just a very nice setting in the forest. It’s a round enclosure about 20 meters in diameter, just east of the Grand Loop road.
After Krol Romeas, our next stops were the remaining (for me) gates of Angkor Thom: first, the North Gate for a very quick shoot, then down to Bayon and due west on a relaxing, rarely traveled road to the West Gate. The West Gate is supposed to be the one in the most pristine (unrestored) state, though I thought it looked fine. The setting was good.
By this time, it was getting to be early afternoon, probably around 4:00. The next – and last – stop of the day was south of town, away from the majority of Angkor sites. Going south from the Night Market area of Siem Reap along the river, there are two sites of interest: The main one Is the third of the “major” hills – Phnom Krom. This is supposed to be a nice place to see the sunset. However, from having climbed Phnom Bok earlier in the day, I wasn’t inclined to go here, though it was on my original “wish list” that I gave to Mao. Instead, we just went to the other temple in the area: Wat Athvea (sometimes also written Athwea). This is a very tranquil temple and is great in the late afternoon. It’s attached to a functioning monastery, but isn’t noisy. There is a pagoda built on the site of an ancient temple here. What you see here is a 12th century Hindu temple. There is a cemetery adjacent, but that’s not included in this set.
Upon finishing for the day, Mao dropped me back off at my guesthouse. This would be the last time I saw Mao on this trip, though his wife and daughter insisted on taking me to the airport on Tuesday, so I would see them one more time. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Mao’s a good man (Cambodian Mao, that is…)
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.
Westmoreland-based acoustic duet, Same Moon, featuring Ellie Lee Oldfield and Vince Bone.
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Arriva Kent & Surrey 3735 (GN54 MYU) is seen climbing York Road, now dedicated to the 34/35, five years after I snapped it here on park and ride work.
...different lamppost though...!
York Road, Guildford, Surrey.
a snapshot that probably came loose from an album where the writing would make sense. Alone, it poses an surreal question for us today.
On the back: taken June 20, 1922
Our ketubah (Jewish wedding contract), the Embrace ketubah from Amy Fagin of 20th Century Illuminations. The text is the Commitment B text (female version) from Ketubah Tree, used with permission. Framing was by JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, Woodbridge, VA.
OBT member 2dBride