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International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde delivers a statement on the conclusion of the IMF's Executive Board regular five-yearly review of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) November 30, 2015 at the IMF Headquarters in Washington, DC. Lagarde stated “The Executive Board's decision to include the RMB in the SDR basket is an important milestone in the integration of the Chinese economy into the global financial system. It is also a recognition of the progress that the Chinese authorities have made in the past years in reforming China’s monetary and financial systems. The continuation and deepening of these efforts will bring about a more robust international monetary and financial system, which in turn will support the growth and stability of China and the global economy.” IMF Staff Photo/Stephen Jaffe
Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron during his statement about the result of the general election at the St Stephens Club, London, Friday May 7, 2010. Photo By Andrew Parsons
08/07/2020. London, United Kingdom. Summer Statement Cabinet. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves the Cabinet Room after briefing members of the cabinet at the weekly Cabinet meeting inside No10 Downing Street, on the day the Chancellor delivers his summer statement to the House during the coronavirus. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
Government Digital Service Executive Director Stephen Foreshew-Cain speaking to GDS team about the 2015 Spending Review.
The Brisbane Courier
Friday 24 Dec 1928
The Clarence Corner
Sir - In your issue of Saturday, 8th, I read with interest a letter on the above subject, over the name of Magee and Co., and would like to refer to the statement that the name "Clarence Corner" was first suggested by the members of the Harris and Co.'s drapery business some 30 years ago.
I can look back over 50 years to that part of South Brisbane, when Cobb and Co.'s coaches passed by the old Clarence Hotel on their way to Southport. One driver, named Roderick, was a very popular coachman on this route, and while living at Pimpama at that period I passed the old Clarence Hotel in those coaches on several occasions. Again, less than 10 years later, our family resided at the corner of Merton-road and Peterson-street. I think I am correct in stating that at that time the name Clarence Corner was common among the residents thereabouts. The hotel was then leased by a Mr. King who had a fairly large family. Crump's butchers shop occupied the opposite corner, where the York Hotel now stands, and the Duke of Cornwall Hotel at the corner of Stanley and Allen streets was occupied by the Allen family.
Well do I remember the old line of buses to the outlying South Brisbane districts, run by such proprietors as Chalk, with buses to Kangaroo Point and East Brisbane; Kluver to Wolloongabba and Logan-raod; and Sodens to Boggo and Ipswich roads. The old familiar words of the drivers as they whipped up their pair of tired horses to the call of Stanley-street, Clarence, Woolloongabba, is yet clear to one's memory.
While on this subject reference may be made to the erection of the Boggo-road theatre now known as the Princess. It is just about 40 years since this theatre was erecte. The Ruthven Brothers who resided in the district, were the prime movers, and the architect was a Mr. Ibler. Quite a number of very fine concerts, theatrical performances, nigger minstrel entertainments, and balls were conducted in this building in the early years after its erection.
I am sir
J. R. Costello
South Brisbane, December 12
Queensland State Archives Item ID 436323, Photographic material
From 1897 to 1969, Brisbane's electric tram network funnelled people of all ages from one side of the city to the other.
Discover more video from Queensland State Archives
The more than 199km of track covered all four corners of Queensland's capital, and the remnants can still be spotted in certain suburbs to this day.
The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in Brisbane up to 1938 had an open design. This proved so popular, especially on hot summer nights, that the trams were used as fundraisers and often chartered right up until the last service by social groups.
Most trams operated with a two-person crew – a driver (or motorman) and a conductor, who moved about the tram collecting fares and issuing tickets. The exceptions to this arrangement were on the Gardens line (Lower Edward Street) where the short duration of the trip meant it was more effective for passengers to simply drop their fare into a fare box as they entered the tram; and the "one man cars" which operated in the early 1930s.
The peak year for patronage was in 1944–45 when almost 160 million passengers were carried. The system route length reached its maximum extent of 109 kilometres (68 mi) in 1952. The total track length was 199 kilometres (124 mi), owing to many routes ending in single, rather than double, track. Single track segments of the track were protected by signalling which operated off the trolley wire. By 1959 more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) of track were laid in concrete, a method of track construction pioneered in Brisbane.
The last track opened was in O'Keefe Street Woolloongabba, in May 1961. However, this track was not used in normal passenger service and was merely used to reduce dead running from Logan Road back to Ipswich Road Depot.
Of the Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only Melbourne and Adelaide retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, the city's trams were held with great affection by locals. There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network.
History
Brisbane expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbane's settlement walking was the most convenient way to get around as most people choose to live close to their workplace. In 1875, the railway line to Ipswich opened up some areas in western and southern districts, however fares were expensive, as was owning a horse.
By 1885 an omnibus service reached almost every part of Brisbane. Omnibuses consisted of a strongly constructed wooden wagon with seating for males on the roof and a back-door entrance to the interior.
Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company (1885–1896)
On 10 August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for the public. The 18 tramcars were built from highly polished cedar and mahogany in the United States by J G Brill and Company and John Stephenson Company. Fares were expensive, with the typical patron belonging to the middle class. Some even used the services to go home for lunch. Depression struck in 1893 and combined with 1893 Brisbane floods the horse-drawn tramway services saw large drops in patronage.
Brisbane Tramways Company Limited (1896–1922)
The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street, in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897. Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899. Up until the end of World War I, Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for travelling within the city.
Brisbane Tramways Trust (1922–1925)
Even during the Great Depression in the 1930s Brisbane's trams ran at a profit
Between 1923 and 1934 tram services in Brisbane were greatly expanded.
City of Brisbane (1925–1969)
See also: Trolleybuses in Brisbane
Brisbane's tramway system came under the control of the newly merged Brisbane City Council (BCC) in 1925. Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia. Until 1934, the trams carried mail between the Brisbane General Post Office and suburban post office branches, and also acted as mobile postboxes.
Trolleybuses were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961. Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane the same year, and all new route construction was cancelled.
Decline of the electric street transport systems
By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services. Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centres and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968.
Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet. Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones was pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga, Toowong, Rainworth and Bulimba ferry routes closed in December 1962.
The closure of the tram and trolleybus systems
In common with many other cities, Brisbane converted its remaining tram lines between 1968 and 1969 to all bus operation. The last trolley buses ran on 13 March 1969 and the final trams ran on 13 April 1969. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Over 300 replacement Leyland Panther buses were purchased, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. Most older, wooden trams were stripped of metal parts and then burnt at the City Council's yard at Cribb Street, Milton (adjacent to the tramway workshops). The bodies of later, all-metal cars were sold as sheds and playground equipment.
Types of trams
Unlike many other systems, Brisbane never adopted an alphabetical or numerical system for classifying its trams (cf Melbourne trams), preferring instead to use official descriptions, such as "standard centre aisle car", or "drop-centre saloon car".
Horse trams
single deck saloon
single deck cross bench
double deck - open top deck, lower saloon
Electric trams
Delivery of early combination cars was delayed and as a result the tramway company decided to convert many of the horse tram to electric operation, as a temporary expedient. Despite this, many of these converted cars remained in passenger service well into the 1930s.
California Combination car
The prototype Brisbane electric tram (No 1) was built at the Melbourne cable tram workshops from the body of a horse tram, and had 5 saloon windows instead of the usual 4 windows on the new-built Combination cars, with one fixed and one tip-over seat on each end platform.
Large Combination cars
These three trams were built in 1904 from three single deck horse trams, similar to the new-built California Combination trams but with 6 saloon windows as opposed to 4 on the new trams, and a single fixed cross-bench seat on each end platform instead of 2 tip-over seats each end. Withdrawn from service 1925 to 1930s.
Saloon cars
Each tram in this class was constructed by joining two single deck saloon horse trams together on a single motorised chassis. Their long, enclosed bodies gave rise to their nickname of "coffin cars". They were built in 1897, when delivery of new electric trams was delayed. 6 cars in this class. They were all withdrawn from service by 1930.
"Summer" cars
The 6 bench horse trams were motorised and later most were lengthened to accommodate 10 cross benches. One car was to remain in service until 1958 as an advertising car.
NEW-BUILT ELECTRIC TRAMS
California Combination
Officially referred to as "Standard Combination" trams, but more popularly referred to as "matchboxes". They had a central 4 window saloon with 2 tip-over cross-bench seats on each end platform. There were 62 trams in this class, built between 1897 and 1904, with the last one withdrawn from passenger service in 1952. Two, (nos 14 and 15), were converted into "scrubber" cars (track maintenance cars). Several were used as advertising cars, with 47 and 53 being used as one man cars on the Gardens shuttle route.
Nine Bench Cars
These 4 trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross bench cars with no centre aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943.
Brills
These 20 cars were officially "bogie open tip-over cross-bench cars". They were a standard design tram built by J G Brill and Company of Philadelphia, although two were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company, presumably under licence from the Brill Company. They each had 4 fixed back-to-back benches and 8 tip-over benches. The first 8 had clerestory roofs, the remainder had plain roofs. The first 8 were also fitted with couplings for trailers, but the trailers were eventually motorised (see "light twelve bench cars" below.) As these trams only had hand brakes, operating a coupled set was physically demanding on drivers. In later years these workhorses were very dilapidated and had diagonal cross bracing on each bulkhead to reduce body sway. One tram was involved in a bad accident in 1944 and was converted to centre aisle design (see Special Dreadnoughts). They were gradually withdrawn from service between 1937 and 1952.
Light Twelve Bench Cars
These eight cars were originally built as trailers between 1901 and 1903, but were motorised in 1912. They had 12 fixed back-to-back benches and could carry 66 passengers. They were all withdrawn from service between 1948 and 1951.
Standard Ten Bench Cars
There were 32 of these sturdy little single truck trams constructed in Brisbane. 28 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company between 1907 and 1921 and a further 4 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1923 and 1925. They had fixed, back-to-back bench seating carrying 50 seated passengers (plus standees). They were commonly called "toastracks" or "jumping jacks". In 1936 4 of these cars were converted to Baby Dreadnoughts (see below); another two were converted to this class in 1944. Apart from one car converted to an advertising car and another retained for historical purposes, they were all withdrawn from service between 1952 and 1955.
Dreadnoughts
Officially referred to as standard centre-aisle trams, 65 trams in this class built between 1908 and 1925. These trams could carry 90 passengers. The last 21, which were built for the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1924 and 1925, had 12 windows, remainder built with 6 windows. Originally they were built with open end platforms, but these were enclosed in the 1930s. Some received "streamlining" with oval windows and skirting around their bogies. The attached picture illustrates the differences between various members of this class. The tram in the foreground is a 12 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Trust), still with seats on its end platforms and no streamlining. The tram ahead of it is an older, 6 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Company), but with its end seats removed and streamlining around its windows and skirting below the body of the tram.
"Special" Dreadnoughts
Each of these four cars was unique in their own way. Two were outwardly like the Dreadnoughts. Tram 100 was built in 1903 as the Tramway Company Manager's personal "Palace" car, fitted with carpets, plush seat covers and further interior decorations. Converted to regular passenger use in 1918 and was withdrawn from service in 1958. Tram 110 was built in 1906 as the prototype for the Dreadnoughts, but it had different trucks, which resulted in high steps. It was withdrawn from service in 1952. Tram 101 was built in 1899 originally with no solid roof, just a canvas awning suspended from a lightweight frame. It was withdrawn from service around 1935. Tram 104 was converted in 1943 from a Brill 12 bench car that had been badly damaged in an accident. In its converted form this tram had design features derived from the Four Motor, Dropcentre and Baby Dreadnought tram designs. It was withdrawn from service in 1958.
Stepless Car
Known as "big Lizzie", also sometimes referred to as a "New York type tram", tram 301 was intended to be the first of a fleet of inter-urban trams. It was built by J G Brill and Company in 1912 and imported in 1914. It was unusual for a Brill stepless car in that it was partially made of timber, rather than the normal all-metal construction. It was the first fully enclosed tram in Brisbane. Heavy and troubled by poor road clearance, it usually only saw service on the West End – Ascot line and was withdrawn from service in 1935.
"One man" trams
Between 1929 and 1930, 9 Dreadnoughts were converted to "one-man" operation, as a cost-saving measure. These trams were operated with drivers only and without conductors. They were only used on the Rainworth and Red Hill routes. Passengers were required to enter the tram from the front entrance and pay the driver as they entered. For this reason these trams had a distinctive colour scheme which included red and white diamonds on their front aprons. In May 1934 one man operation was abandoned and these trams were repainted in normal colours.
Two combination trams were also converted to one man operation for use on the Gardens route. The first tram was converted in 1925, the second in 1930.
"Baby" Dreadnoughts
Sometimes called "small centre-aisle" or "single truck saloon" cars, the 6 trams in this class were built primarily for the hilly Spring Hill route. They were built in two batches: the first four in 1936 were converted from 10 bench trams, the last two were built in 1943 using truck from 10 bench trams, making the last two trams in this class the last single truck cars built in Australia. These trams were fitted with special sanders allowing sand to be dropped not only in front, but also behind, their wheels, in case the trams slipped backwards on the steep section of the Spring Hill line. They were withdrawn from service in 1958–1959, one car was preserved.
Dropcentres
The most numerous of Brisbane's trams, there were 191 trams of this class built between 1925 and 1938. Officially called "bogie drop centre combination cars", (usually shortened to "dropcentre" or "droppie") these trams' distinctive drop centre compartment was open to the elements, with only canvas blinds to provide protection for passengers in cold or wet weather. Although designed to be operated using airbrakes, most cars in this class were instead built with rheostatic brakes and hand brakes. However, the last 17 cars (Nos 370–386) were built with airbrakes. Subsequently, many of the older cars in this class were retrofitted with airbrakes and had their rheostatic braking systems removed. Early cars were built with open ends (meaning the drivers were unprotected from the elements) but later cars were built with enclosed ends (or "vestibules"). The ends of all the earlier cars of this class were enclosed by 1934. These trams were last used in regular service in December 1968.
Four Motor (FM) trams
Officially referred to as "drop centre saloon cars", or "four motor cars", they were popularly referred to as "400s", "FM's" or "silver bullets". They were the first class of trams built in Brisbane with airbrakes. 155 were constructed by the Brisbane City Council between 1938 and 1964, with a maximum carrying capacity of 110 passengers. Trams 400–472 were built with wide centre doors, 407 was altered to narrow centre doors and renumbered 473 (and the tram to be numbered 473 entered service as 407), trams 474–554 built with narrow centre doors. Through the 28 years during which they were built, many innovations were introduced, such as fluorescent lighting, helical gears, resilient wheels, remote controlled controllers and streamlined construction techniques. Early versions had canvas blinds in the doorways, while later versions had sliding doors.
The last 8 trams were built from components salvaged from the Paddington tram depot fire and were painted light blue with phoenix emblems below the motorman's windows, to symbolise that the trams had risen from the ashes of the fire.
Source: Wikipedia
Governor Tomblin applauds
BOMBARDIER aerospace EXPANSION
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (November 15, 2016) - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement after an event he participated in with Bombardier Aerospace officials today, where it was announced that the aircraft manufacturer plans to expand its plant in West Virginia:
"From my first days as West Virginia's Governor, I've made it my priority to bring new investments and jobs to our state. Today's expansion announcement by Bombardier represents continued momentum toward a stronger, more diversified state economy. I thank and congratulate Bombardier, its leadership team and employees on this milestone. And I look forward to seeing the far-reaching impact of new jobs in North Central West Virginia."
Bombardier Press Release
Bombardier Plans Expansion of Maintenance Capacity at its Commercial Aircraft Service Centre in Bridgeport, West Virginia
Bridgeport, November 15, 2016 – Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and the State of West Virginia today announced plans to expand Bombardier’s aircraft service center in Bridgeport, West Virginia. The planned expansion is intended to enhance Bombardier’s capacity to provide heavy maintenance, component repair and overhaul support for its CRJ Series and Q Series aircraft. Ground breaking for the project is expected to take place in the spring of 2017.
“The fleet of Bombardier commercial aircraft in North America has grown to over 1,620 CRJ Series regional jets and Q Series turboprops – that’s an impressive fleet number that can only be supported by expanding Bombardier’s service centres,” said Todd Young, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Services, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We’re excited with this growth plan for WVAC, as it confirms our commitment and ability to continue to deliver on the comprehensive service solutions that our customers have come to expect from us. In addition to serving our operators with improved turnaround times and enhanced service solutions, we are also pleased to be collaborating with the State of West Virginia on this project.”
“From my first days as West Virginia’s Governor, I’ve made it my priority to bring new investments and jobs to our state,” said Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. “Today’s expansion announcement by Bombardier represents continued momentum toward a stronger, more diversified state economy. I thank and congratulate Bombardier, its leadership team and employees on this milestone. And I look forward to seeing the far-reaching impact of new jobs in North Central West Virginia.”
The announcement was made at the facility and was attended by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, other local government representatives and members of the Bridgeport business community. Alongside Todd Young, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft was represented by Stephen McCoy, General Manager, Commercial Aircraft Service Centres; and Chad Hill, Director of Operations, WVAC.
The existing 145,000 square-foot (13,470 square-metre) service centre, would double in size to approximately 300,000 square feet (27,870 square metres). Currently, the service centre has a capacity to operate at 500,000 man-hours a year; post expansion, its capacity could increase to one million man-hours per year to accommodate up to 20 maintenance lines at a time -- up from the nine lines operating today.
Following the expansion, WVAC will offer complete maintenance services including a sheet metal back shop with repair and fabrication capabilities; heat treat services; non-destructive testing; CNC
2
machining and fabrication capabilities; tooling design and fabrication; composite repair and fabrication; welding services; interior refurbishment; wheel and tire overhaul; and paint services.
About Bombardier’s Commercial Aircraft Service Centres Over the last few years, Bombardier has secured several long-term heavy maintenance contracts –covering maintenance and repairs for commercial aircraft. Bombardier’s commercial aircraft service centres are designed to maximize quality and increase return-to-service speed within a competitive, predictable cost structure. The facilities are backed by Bombardier’s 24/7 technical help desks, in-service engineering teams and support staff deployed around the world.
In addition to the WVAC, Bombardier also operates commercial aircraft service centres in Tucson, Arizona and Macon, Georgia. Each of the three centres has received the FAA’s AMT Diamond Award of Excellence, the highest honour bestowed on an aviation maintenance employer, for many consecutive years (Bridgeport 18 years, Tucson nine years and Macon five years). The corporation also operates a US network of business aircraft service centres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Dallas, Texas; Hartford, Connecticut; Wichita, Kansas; and Tucson, Arizona.
About Bombardier Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.
Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, we posted revenues of $18.2 billion.
Photos available for media use. All photos should be attributed “Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor.”
As you come out of the subway (don't they have beautiful blue tiles?) you're confronted by this building. Built with the same effect in mind as the bank in Mary Poppins when the kid goes to deposit his tuppence?
20210528_8169
Voor de ingang van Algemene Zaken, stond een jonge vrouw op een kruk met ontbloot bovenlijf terwijl ze haar borsten met viltstiften aan het roodkleuren was. Niemand wist wat hier gebeurde, na enig rondvragen zei iemand: "vraag het haar zelf maar". Dus dat deed ik. "Ik maak een statement" zei ze. Waarover, waartegen, waarom? "Een radicaal statement" zei ze. Maar ondertussen kwamen 2 politieagenten die haar sommeerden de borsten te bedekken en mee te komen naar.... nog onbekend.
Iemand vroeg mijn kaartje (heb ik altijd bij me) want ze wilden deze foto's wel hebben. Ik hoor later wel waarover dit radicale statement ging.
Jacolinde Geerte, kunstwerk
jacolindeeck.wixsite.com/website
performance, ± 6 min. (with performativity(?) prolonged to 3 hrs)
For the pahmphlet i was stuck by this sentence within the assignment "a radical message in a radical way." So i first thought about what a radical way was. I believe this is when it's unerasable. So i was thinking about writing with lipstick on some white walls in the school and what not. Then it developped in being an unerasable image in peoples minds. Or maybe what wpuld.ignite the most reaction.
As i did a naked performance once in school, and some were kind of crossed by that. And i knew that my breasts evoked this same kind of reaction on people, both on social media, in public and even under a shirt without bra, i wanted to do something with the ridicoulousness of this given. Especially nipples being censured as breasts are over sexualized and the increasing prudishness of society, which is especially taken out on female bodies, i wanted to question the radicality of my flesh. Is this radical enough for you? Is it radical at all? Police sure did thought so.
With writing variations of this question on my breats until covered, I state that breasts shouldn't be so radical - which apparently was quite a radical message an sich.
All images are copyrighted by Pieter Musterd. If you want to use or buy any of my photographs, contact me. It is not allowed to download them or use them on any website, blog etc. without my explicit permission.
If you want a translation of the text in your own language, please try "Google Translate".
After their men's 100m backstroke prelims heat, Ryan Lochte was asked by another swimmer in the same heat to sign something.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
In the period immediately after the Second World War the world found itself with hundreds of thousands of surplus aircraft and just as many surplus aviators. Most aircraft would meet the salvage blade and the smelter’s fiery furnace. Most pilots would return to civilian life, the bulk of them never to fly again.
With the plethora of military aircraft languishing in desert lots awaiting a certain fate, some of those disenfranchised aviators and aircraft designers would look to new growing markets for salvation. One of these emerging markets was the new-found requirement for fast and capable business transport aircraft for executives looking to link business interests across the vast distances of the nation. With few purpose-built business aircraft available for executives, medium bombers became the drug of choice for high flying big shots—fast, powerful and, with the right interior appointments, a visual statement of their success and power.
In early variants like the Executive, On Mark simply removed military equipment and replaced them with fairings and civil avionics, sealed the bomb bay doors, soundproofed the cabin, and added additional cabin windows. Later models had special wing spars designed to give more interior room, pressurization and equipment from bigger surplus aircraft such as DC-6 brakes and flat glass cockpit windows. It was an elegant mashing together of equipment, but it was not a true business aircraft.
In the Sixties, Jet Craft Ltd. of Las Vegas, Nevada, went for a different interpretation of the same topic: The company had purchased a number of former Royal Australian Air Force Vampire trainers and RCAF single-seaters, which were to be converted to a new design for a business aircraft called 'Mystery Jet', offering 4-8-seats.
Jet Craft worked with stellar British conversion experts Aviation Traders to do the structural design work. Aviation Traders Limited (ATL) was a war-surplus aircraft and spares trader formed in 1947. In 1949, it began maintaining aircraft used by some of Britain’s contemporary independent airlines on the Berlin Airlift. In the early 1950s, it branched out into aircraft conversions and manufacturing.
Aviation Traders worked on the drawings and the structural mock-ups. A full-scale mock-up of the Mystery Jet languished at Southend airport for a decade, trying to lure owners and operators into buying it. And this actually happened: about twenty former Vampire airframes were converted into Mystery Jet business aircraft, tailored to the customers' needs and desires.
The Mystery Jet was just what it looked like: a former De Havilland Vampire with a new, roomy nose section grafted onto it. The cabin was pressurized, and was available in two different lengths (130 and 160 inches long, with two or three rows of seats and reflected in the aircraft's title) and several window and door options - the most exotic option being the "Landaulet" cabin which featured a panoramic roof/window installation over the rear pair of seats (or, alternatively, a two-seat bench).
The original Goblin engine was retained, CG was retained due to the fact that the new cabin was, despite being considerably longer than the Vampire's nose, the biggest version being more than 8 feet longer. The new front section was much lighter, though, e. g. through the loss of the heavy cannons and their armament, as well as some more military avionics. The loss of fuel capacity through the enlarged cabin was compensated through fixed wing tip tanks, so that range was on par with the former military jet, just top speed and ceiling were slightly inferior.
Anyway, prices were steep and from the United States more modern and economical offerings ruled the market. Maintaining a former military jet was also a costly business, so, consequently, after a slight buzz (more of a hum, actually) in the early Seventies, the Mystery Jet and Jet Craft of Las Vegas, also fuelled by some dubious business practices by the company's owner, disappeared. Even further developments of the original concept, e .g. with a wide body for up to 14 passengers and two engines, would not save the Mystery Jet from failure.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1 pilot plus 5-7 passengers
Length (Mystery Jet 160): 38 ft 5 in (11.73 m)
Wingspan incl. tip tanks: 39 ft 7 1/2 in (12.09 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 262 ft² (24.34 m²)
Empty weight: 7,283 lb (3,304 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 12,390 lb (5,620 kg)
Powerplant:
1× de Havilland Goblin 3 centrifugal turbojet, rated at 3,350 lbf (14.90 kN)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 516 mph (832 km/h)
Cruising speed: 400 mph (644 km/h)
Range: 1,220 mi (1,960 km)
Service ceiling: 37,700 ft (11,500 m)
Armament:
None
The kit and its assembly:
The first finished work in 2017 is a different kind of whif, one of the few civilian models in my collection. This conversion looks sick, but ,as weird as it may seem, the Business-Jet-From-Vintage-Vampires idea was real. For more information, and the source from where some of the backgound story was gathered, please check:
www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/article...
Anyway, my build is just a personal interpretation of the original concept, not a true model of the Mystery Jet. In fact, this was limited through the donor parts for this kitbash.
The rear end was the smaller problem: Airfix offers a very good Vampire T.11 trainer with excellent detail and fit - the passenger cabin was the bigger challenge. Finding "something" that would fit in shape and especialsl size was not easy - my first choice was a nose section from a vintage 1:100 Antonow An-24 from VEB Plasticart (still much too wide, though), and the best solution came as an accidental find in a local model kit shop where I found a heavily discounted MPM Focke Wulf Fw 189 B-0 trainer.
The reason: the kit was complete, but the bag holding the sprues must have been heated immensely during the packaging process: the main sprues were horrible warped - except for some single parts including the canopies and the sprue with the cabin! Height wind width were perfect, only the boxy shape caused some headaches. But I guess I would not find anything better...
That said, the transplantation mess started. I never built any of the two donor kits before, so I carefully tried to find the best place where to cut the Vampire's nose - I ended up with a staggered solution right in front of the wing root air intakes.
The Fw 189's cabin was bit more tricky, because I had to get rid of the original wing roots and wanted to use as much space as possible, up to the rear bulkhead and together with the rear cabin window. The idea was to blend the Fw 189's roof line into the Vampire's engine section, while keeping the original air intake ducts, so that the overall arrangement would look plausible.
The result became a pretty long nose section - and at that time the tail booms were not fited yet, so I was not certain concerning overall proportions. The cabin's underside had to be improvised, and blending the boxy front end with a flat underside into the tubby, round Vampire fuselage caused some headaches. I also had to re-create the lower flank section with styrene sheet, because I had originally hoped that I could "push" the new cabin between the wing roots - but that space was occupied by the Goblin's inlet ducts.
Inside of the cabin, the original floor, bulkheads and dashboard were used, plus five bucket seats that come with the MPM kit. In order to hide the body work from the inside, side panels from 0.5mm styrene sheet were added in the cabin - with the benefit of additional stability, but also costing some space... Since the machine was built with closed cabin, a pilot was added - actually a bash of a WWII Matchbox pilot and a German officer from an ESCI tank kit. Looks pretty good and "professional". ;-)
Once the cabin was in place, lots of PSR followed and the tail booms could be fitted. To my relief, the longer nose did not look too unbalanced (and actually, design sketches for the original Mystery Jet suggest just this layout!) - but I decided to add wing tip tanks which would beef up wingspan and shift the visual mass slightly forward. They come from an 1:100 Tamiya Il-28, or better the "R" recce variant.
The only other big change concerned the nose wheel. While the OOB wheel and strut were used, the well is now located in front of the wheel and it would retract forwards, giving the nose a more balanced look - and the cabin arrangement made this change more plausible, too.
Another addition were three small porthole windows in the solid parts of the cabin flanks - one of them ending up in the middle of the cabin door on starboard, where a solid part of the canopy roof lent itself for a good place just behind the pilots' seats.
Painting and markings:
I cannot help it, but the thing looks like a design from a vintage Tintin or Yoko Tsuno comic! This was not planned or expected - and actually the paint scheme evolved step by step. I had no plan or clue what to apply - the real Mystery Jet mock-up in silver with blue trim looked sharp, but somehow I did not want blue. So I started with the interior (out of a necessity, as the fuselage had to be closed before any further work progress at some point) and settled for plushy, British colors: Cream (walls and roof) and Claret-Red (carpet and seats).
I tried to find something for the outside that would complement this choice of colors, and eventually settled on Ivory and White (upper and lower fuselage halves, respectively) with some deep red trim, plus pale grey wing surfaces. I even considered some thin golden trim lines, but I think this would have been too much?
The trim was created with decals tripes from generic sheet material, the black anti-glare panel was painted, though. As a color contrast I painted some of the upper canopy panels in translucent, light blue, and this looks very good.
The wings received a lightb treatment with thinned black ink, in order to emphasize the engravings. No post-shading was done, though, for a rather clean look.
Most markings were puzzled together; the registration G-AZRE actually belonged to a Vickers Vanguard (from the 1:144 Airfix kit), the large letters above and under the wings were created with single 45° letters (USAF style). Most stencils come from a Vampire trainer aftermarket sheet from Xtradecal, from the OOB sheet only the "No step" warnings on the wings were used.
Finally, the kit was sealed with a semi-matt coat of varnish, except for the anti-glare panel, which recived a matt coat. The three small windows received artificial panes made from Clearfix, after their rims had been painted black.
A messy project, and you better do not take a close look. But the overall elegance of this creation surprises me - the real Mystery Jet already looked sleek, and this model, despite a more blunt nose, confirms this impression. The colors work together well, too - and the thing has a dedicated retro feel about it. Tintin might be on board, as well as Elton John, both sharing a cigar on the rear seats... ;)
To promote and gather public comments about variations to the already approved Environmental Impact Statement for the final phase of Metro Sydney - City & Southwest a series of public consultations have been held. Each is supported by a booklet explaining the variation and/or progress of the project.
These graphics show the covers of the booklets issued to date. Project Update booklet dated February 2017 shown. Proposed Campsie metro station featured on the cover.
Bookets: Sydney Metro.
Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of the extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government
Actually, while I agree with the latter part of this statement, the first part isn't the greatest advice ever. It's inevitable that you'll get hurt if you open yourself up. Humans are most inventive of ways to fall short and fail others. But while it may never break, it will also never beat. Find a safe place to entrust your love: it will give you the strength to go forth and love, and a safe haven to return whenever you're smote.
We all love imperfectly, but to be human is to love.
08/07/2020. London, United Kingdom. Summer Statement Cabinet. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak brief members of the cabinet at the weekly Cabinet meeting inside No10 Downing Street, on the day the Chancellor delivers his summer statement to the House during the coronavirus. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
Sister Dina, Gatesi, and Akida.
This image was taken for a not-for-profit that has changed its named, focus, and mission to KEZA.
Official Statement on Name Change
"Sisters of Rwanda has been in operation in Rwanda for 2.5 years. Our original mission was to “ensure justice, equality and economic opportunities for Rwanda’s most vulnerable women”. Over the years we have learned better how to serve this amazing country and the people that dwell within it. We came here to listen and to learn, and as part of the natural maturation of our organization, we have grown into KEZA. Simply put, KEZA is the result of a 2.5 year pilot project called Sisters of Rwanda. “KEZA is a people-inspired luxury fashion house based in Rwanda. We buy top quality fashion goods from non-profit development organizations, generate income for the poor and help to establish Africa’s position in the luxury fashion industry.”
We still work with the very same 43 women that helped build Sisters of Rwanda. And our vision has only strengthened and become more strategic. Sisters of Rwanda has grown up, and we are proud to present KEZA to the world. Welcome to KEZA, “Where ‘they’ become ‘we’”. "
Copyright: ©House of Commons
Parliament’s official photographer was in the House of Commons today for the PM’s statement ahead of any votes on the PM’s renegotiated Brexit deal later this evening.
This photo, and all related crops, are released under an Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license. This means that you can use, share and adapt it, as long as you give proper attribution, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made to the image. See the full license for more details. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ In line with guidance from the House some images have been slightly altered so that text in documents is not clearly visible.
More of me in my fashionable dollar store Tee-shirt. It's navy blue and not black. As you can see. I made it to the park. It's a warm 80 degrees with a clear sky. Not bad for December.
PP-22 - Policy Statements
Mr Stefan Schnorr
State Secretary
Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
Bucharest, Romania
29th September 2022
©ITU/Rowan Farrell
Just one of three pop up window displays at The Larder on a theme of communication and expression. Created by local documentary photographer Garry Cook at the Recent "Making a Mark" event organised by Oxheys Mill Studios on Preston Flagmarket.