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Photograph taken at an altitude of Fifty metres at 11:51am on a beautiful springtime morning on Saturday 16th April 2022, off Chessington Avenue in Bexleyheath, Kent.

  

Here we see a Male and Female Carrion crow (Corvus corone), a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Raven (Higher classification: Corvus), which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia. It can grow to twenty inches in length with a wingspan of up to thirty nine inches. In the distance are the contrails of two passing aeroplanes.

  

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT CORVUS CORONE

  

LEGEND AND MYTHOLOGY

By Paul Williams

  

Crows appear in the Bible where Noah uses one to search for dry land and to check on the recession of the flood. Crows supposedly saved the prophet, Elijah, from famine and are an Inuit deity. Legend has it that England and its monarchy will end when there are no more crows in the Tower of London. And some believe that the crows went to the Tower attracted by the regular corpses following executions with written accounts of their presence at the executions of Anne Boleyn and Jane Gray.

  

In Welsh mythology, unfortunately Crows are seen as symbolic of evilness and black magic thanks to many references to witches transforming into crows or ravens and escaping. Indian legend tells of Kakabhusandi, a crow who sits on the branches of a wish-fulfilling tree called Kalpataru and a crow in Ramayana where Lord Rama blessed the crow with the power to foresee future events and communicate with the souls.

  

In Native American first nation legend the crow is sometimes considered to be something of a trickster, though they are also viewed positively by some tribes as messengers between this world and the next where they carry messages from the living to those deceased, and even carry healing medicines between both worlds. There is a belief that crows can foresee the future. The Klamath tribe in Oregon believe that when we die, we fly up to heaven as a crow. The Crow can also signify wisdom to some tribes who believe crows had the power to talk and were therefore considered to be one of the wisest of birds. Tribes with Crow Clans include the Chippewa (whose Crow Clan and its totem are called Aandeg), the Hopi (whose Crow Clan is called Angwusngyam or Ungwish-wungwa), the Menominee, the Caddo, the Tlingit, and the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.

  

The crow features in the Nanissáanah (Ghost dance), popularized by Jerome Crow Dog, a Brulé Lakota sub-chief and warrior born at Horse Stealing Creek in Montana Territory in 1833, the crow symbolizing wisdom and the past, when the crow had became a guide and acted as a pathfinder during hunting. The Ghost dance movement was originally created in 1870 by Wodziwob, or Gray Hair, a prophet and medicine man of the Paiute tribe in an area that became known as Nevada. Ghost dancers wore crow and eagle feathers in their clothes and hair, and the fact that the Crow could talk placed it as one of the sages of the animal kingdom. The five day dances seeking trance,prophecy and exhortations would eventually play a major part in the pathway towards the white man's broken treaties, the infamous battle at Wounded knee and the surrender of Matȟó Wanáȟtaka (Kicking Bear), after officials began to fear the ghost dancers and rituals which seemed to occur prior to battle.

  

Historically the Vikings are the group who made so many references to the crow, and Ragnarr Loðbrók and his sons used this species in his banner as well as appearances in many flags and coats of arms. Also, it had some kind of association with Odin, one of their main deities. Norse legend tells us that Odin is accompanied by two crows. Hugin, who symbolizes thought, and Munin, who represents a memory. These two crows were sent out each dawn to fly the entire world, returning at breakfast where they informed the Lord of the Nordic gods of everything that went on in their kingdoms. Odin was also referred to as Rafnagud (raven-god). The raven appears in almost every skaldic poem describing warfare.Coins dating back to 940's minted by Olaf Cuaran depict the Viking war standard, the Raven and Viking war banners (Gonfalon) depicted the bird also.

  

In Scandinavian legends, crows are a representative of the Goddess of Death, known as Valkyrie (from old Norse 'Valkyrja'), one of the group of maidens who served the Norse deity Odin, visiting battlefields and sending him the souls of the slain worthy of a place in Valhalla. Odin ( also called Wodan, Woden, or Wotan), preferred that heroes be killed in battle and that the most valiant of souls be taken to Valhöll, the hall of slain warriors. It is the crow that provides the Valkyries with important information on who should go. In Hindu ceremonies that are associated to ancestors, the crow has an important place in Vedic rituals. They are seen as messengers of death in Indian culture too.

  

In Germanic legend, Crows are seen as psychonomes, meaning the act of guiding spirits to their final destination, and that the feathers of a crow could cure a victim who had been cursed. And yet, a lone black crow could symbolize impending death, whilst a group symbolizes a lucky omen! Vikings also saw good omens in the crow and would leave offerings of meat as a token.

  

The crow also has sacred and prophetic meaning within the Celtic civilization, where it stood for flesh ripped off due to combat and Morrighan, the warrior goddess, often appears in Celtic mythology as a raven or crow, or else is found to be in the company of the birds. Crow is sacred to Lugdnum, the Celtic god of creation who gave his name to the city of Lug

  

In Greek mythology according to Appolodorus, Apollo is supposedly responsible for the black feathers of the crow, turning them forever black from their pristine white original plumage as a punishment after they brought news that Κορωνις (Coronis) a princess of the Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis, Apollo's pregnant lover had left him to marry a mortal, Ischys. In one legend, Apollo burned the crows feathers and then burned Coronis to death, in another Coronis herself was turned into a black crow, and another that she was slain by the arrows of Αρτεμις (Artemis - twin to Apollo). Koronis was later set amongst the stars as the constellation Corvus ("the Crow"). Her name means "Curved One" from the Greek word korônis or "Crow" from the word korônê.A similar Muslim legend allegedly tells of Muhammad, founder of Islam and the last prophet sent by God to Earth, who's secret location was given away by a white crow to his seekers, as he hid in caves. The crow shouted 'Ghar Ghar' (Cave, cave) and thus as punishment, Muhammad turned the crow black and cursed it for eternity to utter only one phrase, 'Ghar, ghar). Native Indian legend where the once rainbow coloured crows became forever black after shedding their colourful plumage over the other animals of the world.

  

In China the Crow is represented in art as a three legged bird on a solar disk, being a creature that helps the sun in its journey. In Japan there are myths of Crow Tengu who were priests who became vain, and turned into this spirit to serve as messengers until they learn the lesson of humility as well as a great Crow who takes part in Shinto creation stories.

  

In animal spirit guides there are general perceptions of what sightings of numbers of crows actually mean:

  

1 Crow Meaning: To carry a message from your near one who died recently.

 

2 Crows Meaning: Two crows sitting near your home signifies some good news is on your way.

 

3 Crows Meaning: An upcoming wedding in your family.

 

4 Crows Meaning: Symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

 

5 Crows Meaning: Diseases or pain.

 

6 Crows Meaning: A theft in your house!

 

7 Crows Meaning: Denotes travel or moving from your house.

 

8 Crows Meaning: Sorrowful events

  

Crows are generally seen as the symbolism when alive for doom bringing, misfortune and bad omens, and yet a dead crow symbolises potentially bringing good news and positive change to those who see it. This wonderful bird certainly gets a mixed bag of contradictory mythology and legend over the centuries and in modern days is often seen as a bit of a nuisance, attacking and killing the babies of other birds such as Starlings, Pigeons and House Sparrows as well as plucking the eyes out of lambs in the field, being loud and noisy and violently attacking poor victims in a 'crow court'....

  

There is even a classic horror film called 'THE CROW' released in 1994 by Miramax Films, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance as Eric Draven, who is revived by a Crow tapping on his gravestone a year after he and his fiancée are murdered in Detroit by a street gang. The crow becomes his guide as he sets out to avenge the murders. The only son of martial arts expert Bruce Lee, Brandon lee suffered fatal injuries on the set of the film when the crew failed to remove the primer from a cartridge that hit Lee in the abdomen with the same force as a normal bullet. Lee died that day, March 31st 1993 aged 28.

  

The symbolism of the Crow resurrecting the dead star and accompanying him on his quest for revenge was powerful, and in some part based on the history of the carrion crow itself and the original film grossed more than $94 Million dollars with three subsequent sequels following.

  

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

  

So let's move away from legend, mythology and stories passed down from our parents and grandparents and look at these amazing birds in isolation.

  

Carrion crow are passerines in the family Corvidae a group of Oscine passerine birds including Crows, Ravens, Rooks, Jackdaws, Jays, Magpies, Treepies, Choughs and Nutcrackers. Technically they are classed as Corvids, and the largest of passerine birds. Carrion crows are medium to large in size with rictal bristles and a single moult per year (most passerines moult twice). Carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (Carl Von Linne after his ennoblement) in his 1758 and 1759 editions of 'SYSTEMA NATURAE', and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone, derived from the Latin of Corvus, meaning Raven and the Greek κορώνη (korōnē), meaning crow.

  

Carrion crow are of the Animalia kingdom Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Corvus and Species: Corvus corone

  

Corvus corone can reach 45-47cm in length with a 93-104cm wingspan and weigh between 370-650g. They are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in the United Kingdom with a Green UK conservation status which means they are of least concern with more than 1,000,000 territories. Breeding occurs in April with fledging of the chicks taking around twenty nine days following an incubation period of around twenty days with 3 to 4 eggs being the average norm. They are abundant in the UK apart from Northwest Scotland and Ireland where the Hooded crow (Corvus cornix) was considered the same species until 2002. They have a lifespan of around four years, whilst Crow species can live to the age of Twenty years old, and the oldest known American crow in the wild was almost Thirty years old. The oldest documented captive crow died at age Fifty nine. They are smaller and have a shorter lifespan than the Raven, which again is used as a symbol in history to live life to the full and not waste a moment!

  

They are often mistaken for the Rook (Corvus frugilegus), a similar bird, though in the UK, the Rook is actually technically smaller than the Carrion crow averaging 44-46cm in length, 81-99cm wingspan and weighing up to 340g. Rooks have white beaks compared to the black beaks of Carrion crow, a more steeply raked ratio from head to beak, and longer straighter beaks as well as a different plumage pattern. There are documented cases in the UK of singular and grouped Rooks attacking and killing Carrion crows in their territory. Rooks nest in colonies unlike Carrion crows. Carrion crows have only a few natural enemies including powerful raptors such as the northern goshawk, the peregrine falcon, the Eurasian eagle-owl and the golden eagle which will all readily hunt them.

  

Regarded as one of the most intelligent birds, indeed creatures on the planet, studies suggest that Corvids cognitive abilities can rival that of primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas and even provide clues to understanding human intelligence. Crows have relatively large brains for their body size, compared to other animals. Their encephalization quotient (EQ) a ratio of brain to body size, adjusted for size because there isn’t a linear relationship is 4.1. That is remarkably close to chimps at 4.2 whilst humans are 8.1. Corvids also have a very high neuronal density, the number of neurons per gram of brain, factoring in the number of cortical neurons, neuron packing density, interneuronal distance and axonal conduction velocity shows that Corvids score high on this measure as well, with humans scoring the highest.

  

A corvid's pallium is packed with more neurons than a great ape's. Corvids have demonstrated the ability to use a combination of mental tools such as imagination, and anticipation of future events. They can craft tools from twigs and branches to hook grubs from deep recesses, they can solve puzzles and intricate methods of gaining access to food set by humans., and have even bent pieces of wire into hooks to obtain food. They have been proven to have a higher cognitive ability level than seven year old humans. Communications wise, their repertoire of wraw-wraw's is not fully understood, but the intensity, rhythm, and duration of caws seems to form the basis of a possible language. They also remember the faces of humans who have hindered or hurt them and pass that information on to their offspring.

  

Aesop's fable of 'The Crow and the Pitcher, tells of a thirsty crow which drops stones into a water pitcher to raise the water level and enable it to take a drink. Scientists have conducted tests to see whether crows really are this intelligent. They placed floating treats in a deep tube and observed the crows indeed dropping dense objects carefully selected into the water until the treat floated within reach. They had the intelligence to pick up, weigh and discount objects that would float in the water, they also did not select ones that were too large for the container.

  

Pet crows develop a unique call for their owners, in effect actually naming them. They also know to sunbathe for a dose of vitamin D, regularly settling on wooden garden fences, opening their mouths and wings and raising their heads to the sun. In groups they warn of danger and communicate vocally. They store a cache of food for later if in abundance and are clever enough to move it if they feel it has been discovered. They leave markers for their cache. They have even learned to place walnuts and similar hard food items under car tyres at traffic lights as a means of cracking them!

  

Crows regularly gather around a dead fellow corvid, almost like a funeral, and it is thought they somehow learn from each death. They can even remember human faces for decades.Crows group together to attack larger predators and even steal their food, and they have different dialects in different areas, with the ability to mimic the dialect of the alpha males when they enter their territory!

  

They have a twenty year life span, the oldest on record reaching the age of Fifty nine. Crows can leave gifts for those who feed them such as buttons or bright shiny objects as a thank you, and they even kiss and make up after an argument, having mated for life.

  

In mythology they are associated with good and bad luck, being the bringers of omens and even witchcraft and are generally reviled for their attacks on baby birds and small mammals. They have an attack method of to stunning smaller birds before consuming them, tearing violently at smaller, less aggressive birds, which is simply down to the fact that they are so highly intelligent, and also the top of the food chain. Their diet includes over a thousand different items: Dead animals (as their name suggests), invertebrates, grain, as well as stealing eggs and chicks from other birds' nests, worms, insects, fruit, seeds, kitchen scraps. They are highly adaptable when food sources grow scarce. I absolutely love them, they are magnificent, bold, beautiful and incredibly interesting to watch and though at times it is hard to witness attacks made by them, I cannot help but adore them for so many other and more important reasons.

  

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PAIR IN MY GARDEN

  

Crows have been in the area for a while, but rarely had strayed into my garden, leaving the Magpies to own the territory. Things changed towards the end of May when a beautiful female Carrion crow appeared and began to take some of the food that I put down for the other birds. Within a few days she began to appear regularly, on occasions stocking up on food, whilst other times placing pieces in the birdbath to soften them. She would stand on the birdbath and eat and drink and come back over the course of the day to eat the softened food.

  

Shortly afterwards she brought along her mate, a tall and handsome fella, much larger than her who was also very vocal if he felt she was getting a little too close to me. By now I had moved from a seated position from the patio as an observer, to laying on a mat just five feet from the birdbath with my Nikon so that I could photograph the pair as they landed, scavenged and fed. She was now confident enough to let me be very close, and she even tolerated and recognized the clicking of the camera. At first I used silent mode to reduce the noise but this only allowed two shooting frame rates of single frame or continuous low frame which meant I was missing shots. I reverted back to normal continuous high frames and she soon got used to the whirring of the mechanisms as the mirror slapped back and forth.

  

The big fella would bark orders at her from the safety of the fence or the rear of the garden, whilst she rarely made a sound. That was until one day when in the sweltering heat she kept opening her beak and sunning on the grass, panting slightly in the heat. I placed the circular water sprayer nearby and had it rotating so that the birdbath and grass was bathed in gentle water droplets and she soon came back, landed and seemed to really like the cooling effect on offer. She then climbed onto the birdbath and opened her wings slightly and made some gentle purring, cooing noises....

  

I swear she was expressing happiness, joy....

  

On another blisteringly hot day when the sprayer was on, she came down, walked towards it and opened her wings up running into the water spray. Not once, but many times.

  

A further revelation into the unseen sides to these beautiful birds came with the male and female on the rear garden fence. They sat together, locked beaks like a kiss and then the male took his time gently preening her head feathers and the back of her neck as she made tiny happy sounds. They stayed together like that for several minutes, showing a gentle, softer side to their nature and demonstrating the deep bond between them. Into July and the pair started to bring their three youngsters to my garden, the nippers learning to use the birdbath for bathing and dipping food, the parents attentive as ever. Two of the youngsters headed off once large enough and strong enough.

  

I was privileged to be in close attendance as the last juvenile was brought down by the pair, taught to take food and then on a night in July, to soar and fly with it's mother in the evening sky as the light faded. She would swoop and twirl, and at regular intervals just touch the juvenile in flight with her wing tip feathers, as if to reassure it that she was close in attendance. What an amazing experience to view. A few days later, the juvenile, though now gaining independence and more than capable of tackling food scraps in the garden, was still on occasions demand feeding from it's mother who was now teaching him to take chicken breast, hotdogs or digestive biscuits and bury them in the garden beds for later delectation. The juvenile also liked to gather up peanuts and bury them in the grass. On one occasion I witnessed a pair of rumbunctious Pica Pica (Magpies), chasing the young crow on rooftops, leaping at him no matter how hard he tried to get away. He defended himself well and survived the attacks, much to my relief.

  

Into August and the last youngster remained with the adults, though now was very independent even though he still spent time with his parents on rooftops, and shared food gathering duties with his mum.Hotdog sausages were their favourite choice, followed by fish fingers and digestive biscuits which the adult male would gather up three at a time. In October, the three Crows were still kings of the area, but my time observing them was pretty much over as I will only put food out now for the birds in the winter months. The two adults are still here in December and now taking the food that I put out to help all birds survive in the winter months. They also have a pair of Magpies to compete with now.

Late February 2022 and Cheryl and Russell and their youngster are still with me, still dominant in the area and still taking raw chicken, hotdogs, biscuits and fatballs that I put out for them. Today I saw them mating for the first time this year in the tree and the cycle continues.

  

Corvus Corone.... magnificently misunderstood by some!

  

Paul Williams June 4th 2021 (Updated in April 2022)

  

Nikon D850 Focal length: 460mm Shutter speed: 1/1250s (Electronic front curtain enabled) Aperture: f/6.3 iso160 Hand held with Tamron VC Vibration control set to ON (Position 1) 14 Bit uncompressed RAW NEF file size L (8256 x 5504 pixels) FX (36 x 24) Focus mode: AF-C AF-Area mode: 3D-tracking AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual exposure mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Auto1, 0, 0 (5080k) Colour space: RGB Picture control: Neutral (Sharpening +2) Active D-lighting: Low

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

     

LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.19s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.66s

ALTITUDE: 52.00m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF FILE: 89.4MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 46.10MB

     

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (18/02/20) LF 1.00

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit Version 1.4.1 (18/02/2020). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.13.5. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

   

Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).

 

Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions

 

"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".

 

The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.

 

The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.

 

Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.

 

Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:

 

Wet with cool dew drops

fragrant with perfume from the flowers

came the gentle breeze

jasmine and water lily

dance in the spring sunshine

side-long glances

of the golden-hued ladies

stab into my thoughts

heaven itself cannot take my mind

as it has been captivated by one lass

among the five hundred I have seen here.

 

Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.

 

Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.

 

There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.

 

Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.

 

The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.

 

In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:

 

During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".

 

Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.

 

While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’

 

Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.

 

An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.

 

Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983

 

Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture

Main article: Commercial graffiti

With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.

 

In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".

 

Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.

 

Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.

 

Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.

 

Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.

 

There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.

 

The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.

 

Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.

 

Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis

 

Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.

 

Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.

 

Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"

 

Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal

 

In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.

 

Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.

 

Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.

 

Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.

 

With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.

 

Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.

 

Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.

 

Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.

 

Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.

 

Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.

 

Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.

 

Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.

 

The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.

 

I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.

 

The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.

 

Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.

 

Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.

 

In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".

 

There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.

 

Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.

 

A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.

By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.

 

Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.

 

In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.

 

A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.

 

From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

 

In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.

 

Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.

 

Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.

 

Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.

  

In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.

 

Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.

 

In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.

 

In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."

 

In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.

 

In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.

 

In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.

 

In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.

 

In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.

 

The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.

 

To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."

 

In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.

 

In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.

 

Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".

 

Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)

In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.

 

Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.

 

Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.

 

In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.

 

Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.

 

Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.

 

To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.

 

When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.

Do you wish to take drugs intravenously? If so you will need tools to participate.

 

Here is some of the paraphernalia distributed free to intravenous drug users to inject their drug of choice.

 

The hypodermic needle with syringe is used to inject a liquefied drug into a vein or muscle.

 

The small spoon is used to “cook” the powdered drug in a liquid for injection . The spoon holds the drug so a needle tip can be placed in the liquid.

 

The small vial contains a sterile liquid that is drawn into the syringe then squirted into the spoon to liquify the drug.

 

The cotton squares placed in the liquid helps filter out any impurities from the drug solution before injecting. The needle is stuck into the cotton to pull up the liquid from the cotton, rather than directly from the spoon.

 

The blue stretch rubber strap (tie off) is tightened around an arm or leg to make veins more prominent and easier to hit with a needle.

  

Some drugs commonly injected include heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, opioid painkillers, prescription stimulants, some laced with fentanyl and an even stronger counterpart, carfentanil. Fentanyl is about 100 times stronger than morphine and over

50 times stronger than pure heroin. Each drug is extremely dangerous to inject and can have fatal consequences.

 

To decrease the spread of diseases, needle exchange programs provide intravenous drug users with free sterile syringes. They also collect used and contaminated syringes to prevent transmission to others.

 

The hypodermic needle and syringe in its current form was invented by the French scientist Charles Pravaz in 1851, and became a dominate means of treating pain during the wars of the time.

 

Drugs can be abused in a variety of ways; while some people may take them orally, others may smoke, snort, or inject them. The practice of “shooting up,” or injecting drugs directly into the bloodstream by means of a needle is particularly dangerous, as it can instantaneously produce intense and intoxicating effects that can speed the development of an addiction and otherwise result in significant health risks.

 

Permission to use photo.

.

08 Nov 21

.

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

Tophatmonocle Corp (“Top Hat”) is requesting permission to use your Material (defined below) in the Work (defined below):

 

Tentative Title: Canadian Corrections, 6e and Related Product Family Components (collectively, the “Work”):

Author: Curt Griffiths

Territory: Worldwide

Languages: English

Media: Digital

Editions: Student book and custom derivatives

Quantity: Life of Edition

 

Sincerely,

 

Jessie Coffey

Permissions Researcher, on behalf of Tophatmonocle Corp.

jessiecoffey@rogers.com

  

For your Art only, not for Sale on a CD or Collage Sheet

Great steel toe Aciforts

Do not use please

of toch wel :)

Using this post as inspiration www.redpepperquilts.com/search?q=Edges, I whipped this up for my sister's birthday.

....of pot plants once more; been v.busy again, no chances to use wide angles anywhere.... will be catching up!!

 

Explore #24 29th July

Explore #10 (front page!) 3rd Oct

Used my D750, 90mm Macro and light table for scan

 

Made in France . Expiration date 2000/2001 . With Kodak Gold film inside .

Using the morning sun.

Funny looking used wellies

For your Art only, not for Sale on a CD or Collage Sheet

using

PENTAX K-01

SAMYANG 85mm F1.4 Aspherical IF

The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJIqnXTqg8I

 

So messed up I want you here

In my room I want you here

Now we're gonna be Face-to-face

And I'll lay right down In my favorite place

And now I wanna be your dog

Now I wanna be your dog

Now I wanna be your dog

Well c'mon

Now I'm ready to close my eyes

And now I'm ready to close my mind

And now I'm ready to feel your hand

And lose my heart on the burning sands

And now I wanna be your dog

And now I wenna be your dog

Now I wanna be your dog

Well c'm

 

_____________________ _________________________ ________________________

 

Artist: Harry Nilsson

Song: The Puppy Song

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDRY2h-nEg

  

Lightning Hopkins - Have you ever loved a woman?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWtFy3jzlUE&feature=related

 

The route number 211 has been used five times in London. The current route 211 was formed in 1993 and quite predictably is mainly a spin off from route 11. It replaced route 11 between Hammersmith and Fulham Broadway and then operated via Fulham Road (instead of Kings Road). Unusually it used Beaufort Street towards Waterloo but Finborough Road towards Hammersmith so it only served Chelsea World's End in a westbound direction. It then mirrored route 11 to Parliament Square when it went over Westminster Bridge to terminate at Waterloo Taxi Road. The section between Victoria and Waterloo replaced Red Arrow 511.

 

Midibuses were all the fashion in the 90's and DRL class Dennis Darts took up the route. The route was one I drove often during the first year I was a bus driver, 1996, and those single door DRL's were painfully inadequate for this busy route. Quite often you'd fill up with a standing load at the first stop in Hammersmith, only for someone stuck down the back to try and get off at Charing Cross Hospital (or even the stop before that!) leading to some long dwell times.

 

The route initially was run by London General from Victoria midibus base (garage code GB) but this closed by the end of 1993 and the route moved to Stockwell Garage. In 1998 it was won on tender by Travel London, a new company set up by National Express, who operated it from a base in Battersea using Optare Excels. This type was never common in London, and they offered no size advantage to the DRL class but at least had two doors so dwell times should have been better. National Express gave up in 2000 and sold their London operation to Limebourne, who were a bit of a cowboy operation that gained a pretty bad reputation. Limebourne sold out to Connex Bus in 2001.

 

Under the stewardship of Connex it finally converted to the well needed double deck operation and Dennis Tridents with ALX400 bodies took over. In 2004 it was re-routed in Chelsea via Sydney Street in both directions so that oddity of only serving some areas in one direction was removed. In February 2004 Connex sold the operation back to Travel London and National Express returned to London as a bigger company. They still didn't last and sold out (again) in 2009 to Abellio, a division of NedRailways. The Tridents were replaced by ADL Enviro 400's in 2012. I believe route 211 got diesel versions, but hybrids are regularly used as well in preference to route C3 that they were obtained for.

 

The route is on the list for New Routemaster operation, although I'm unsure of the timescale. I believe the current fleet is moving to route 344 or 381.

 

In this photo hybrid Enviro 40H, fleet number 2470, is seen on Westminster Bridge with Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament in the background, a famous London view.

Using Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D

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Model: Giulia.

An experimental shot using a laser pointer. I focus the camera unto a wall in a bedroom, set it to Manual and Bulb mode. I then switched off the light (it was night time) and clicked the shutter open using Canon RC-1, a remote trigger and started sketching. Each exposure take about 10-30 seconds depending on how long I took to draw at ISO 100.

 

Obviously, I'm a lousy artist as after numerous tries, this is the best I can come out with. :-}

 

This is for all of you guys out there... have a nice weekend and PEACE!!!

 

Thank you to all for your supportive comments, faves and invites. This one was Explored on 17 August 2007 at #59.

Using this levee maker as an ambush perch, I watched this guy fill his belly with bug, after bug, after bug. Even while I walked within 30 feet he never surrendered his "post".

Three well loved hand carved wooden spoons. Natural Light

   

This image is Copyright Protected and may not be used for any reason without express written permission.

© Kelly Cline All Rights Reserved.

www.kclinephotography.com

use the camera in your cell phone if you don't have your dslr with you ;-)

The timber tram/bus shelters are important for their association with the development of public transport in Brisbane, particularly the tramway system. The shelters are important for remaining in continuous use as waiting shelters for the public transport system in Brisbane since the early 20th century. The shelters are important as evidence of the former tram routes and of a form of public transport no longer in existence in Brisbane. In form, materials, arrangement of elements and location these shelters are representative of tram/bus waiting shelters. Robust functional structures with simple elegant lines the shelters are distinctive visual elements in the streetscape. The tram/ bus shelters are important for their association with the work of the Brisbane City Council’s Transport Department, responsible for the operation of the tramway system from 1925 to 1969.

 

Shelter Design Trams were a feature of Brisbane streets from 1885 until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1950s The Brisbane Tramway Trust and then the Brisbane City Council erected a number of timber waiting shelter sheds along the tram/bus routes. Most shelters were constructed by Brisbane City Council in response to petitioning by community groups or progress associations. A survey of usage was undertaken by BCC to determine the most viable locations for the shelters. Waiting sheds promoted the use of the tram/bus system by providing a comfortable waiting area with some protection from the elements. Some shelters were large and purpose-built for the site but most were free-standing shelters constructed to standard designs. In this survey three standard shelter types used during this period were identified – P.1008 Standard Waiting Shelter (hipped roof pavilion shelter); Standard Small Type Tramway Shelter Shed No. 2512 (skillion roof shelter); and the gable roof shelter. Only drawings for the P.1008 and No. 2512 types were located during this study.

 

The gable roof shelter design may have been from a shelter constructed earlier in the 20th century during the time The Brisbane Tramway Company owned and operated the tramway network. The shelter in Chatsworth Road near the corner with Upper Cornwall Street was constructed in 1915 to shelter Greenslopes tram patrons. It had points for lights that the tram drivers would turn on at sunset and off when the last tram left. The P.1008 drawings were drawn up by the Brisbane City Council Department of Works, Planning and Building Branch and signed by City Architect F.G. Costello in 1946. The Standard Small Type Shelter No. 2512 was drawn up by the Transport Department of the Planning and Building Branch and signed by City Architect F.G. Costello in 1945. The P.1008 type shelter closely resembles the shelters constructed by the Brisbane Tramway Trust in the 1920s and 1930s. No drawings for these earlier shelters have been located and this study has been unable to confirm that the 1946 drawings were based on these earlier shelters but the physical evidence suggests that this is the case. The designs for the shelters are uncharacteristic of work designed by Costello which may indicate that the shelter designs are continuing an earlier idiom.

 

Brisbane Tramway History:

 

In 1884 a private company, the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company, laid Brisbane’s first tram tracks along approximately 10.5 kilometres from Woolloongabba to Breakfast Creek, with branches to the Exhibition Building and New Farm. The company began the operation of a horse-drawn passenger tram system in 1885 with the trams running on rails from the North Quay to the Exhibition Building and Breakfast Creek and later extending the routes to Bulimba Ferry, New Farm, Logan Road and West End.

 

A power station to supply current to electric trams was constructed in Countess Street in 1897 and The Brisbane Tramways Company introduced the first electric trams to Brisbane that year after purchasing the early horse car system, converting it to electric operation and expanding and extending the routes. Brisbane’s tramway system experienced rapid expansion in response to the growth in the City’s population. From a population of 101,554 in 1891 Brisbane had expanded to a population of 139,480 in 1911, which then doubled to 209,168 by 1921. The number of cars in operation increased from 20 in 1897 to 172 in 1916. At the conclusion of the First World War there was general support for the notion that the tramway system be owned and operated by a public authority rather than a private company. In 1922, the Brisbane Tramway Trust was inaugurated by an Act of Parliament and the Trust assumed ownership and control of the tramways in January 1923. The tramway system had failed to keep pace with the expansion of Brisbane so the Trust faced a considerable backlog of work. It undertook the construction of repair workshops and car depots, laying of additional tracks, purchase of additional cars and the introduction of remote control of points at busy intersections. Innovations introduced by the Trust included the construction of passenger waiting shelter sheds, advertising in trams and a suggestions board scheme. The 1920s and 1930s was a period of tramways expansion following the Brisbane City Council acquisition of the tramways system from the Brisbane Tramways Trust in 1925. The Council continued with the upgrading and extension of the system. During the first half of the 20th century public transport was important in Brisbane and remained the principal form of transport for most residents. By the 1950s Brisbane had one of the highest levels of public transport usage in Australia. The tram system was the principal form of public transport in Brisbane until the 1960s. It is thought that the hipped roof and skillion roof shelters identified in this study were constructed between the 1920s and 1950s by the Brisbane Tramway Trust and then by Brisbane City Council. Most of the routes on which these shelters have been identified were constructed during this period. Further research is required to establish construction dates for the gable roof shelters. As the tram routes to Windsor and Coorparoo were established in 1914 and 1915, the shelter construction post dates this. The construction of the hipped roof waiting shelter in Merthyr Road, New Farm was approved by the Trust in 1924 and probably constructed in 1925.

 

In 1924 the Brisbane Tramway Trust extended the tram service to Ashgrove, demonstrating a confidence in the future of the suburb. The release of 855 allotments in the Glenlyon Gardens estate in 1924 was the catalyst for the development of Ashgrove as a residential suburb. It is thought that the waiting shelters along Waterworks Road (Ithaca Bridge, Oleander Drive and Stewart Place) were constructed at sometime between the mid-1920s and the 1940s. The Rosalie line opened along Elizabeth Street, Rosalie in 1904 and was extended in 1930 to Rainworth, terminating in Boundary Road adjacent to Rainworth Primary School. The shelters on Boundary Road were built after this 1930 extension of the line. Between 1937 and 1939 the tramline extended to Bardon and the Simpsons Road shelter was built some time after this. From 1940 the Brisbane City Council trialed the use of buses with diesel engines in areas not serviced by trams. In 1940 a diesel bus service ran from Kelvin Grove through Herston and along Butterfield Street to the City. The shelter on Butterfield Street remains as evidence of the diesel bus service which became the backbone of Brisbane City Council public transport after the closure of the tramway system in 1969.

 

Following the Second World War, Brisbane experienced a housing boom which encouraged the Council to extend its electric tramway network. At this time the Monday to Friday the morning peak services had 246 tram cars operating and 296 cars were required to meet the evening peak traffic. During the day each route was serviced by a tram every ten minutes. However from the 1950s various factors converged to influence a decline in the patronage of the tram system. An increasing reliance on the private motor car reduced the number of tram passengers and the growth of the Brisbane City Council’s bus fleet gradually outstripped that of the tram system. Urban sprawl saw more and more families move to outer suburbs not connected to the tram system, and a lack of investment in the technological development of trams compared with increasing expenditure on diesel buses contributed to the conversion of Brisbane’s public transport system from trams to buses. In 1962 the Paddington tram depot was burned to the ground with the loss of 65 trams (20% of the fleet). In 1965 the Wilbur Smith Plan, a report on the future transport and traffic requirements of Brisbane, recommended the closure of the tramway system and a conversion to a bus program. As a result of all these various influences and events, the tram system in Brisbane was discontinued in 1969. The tram waiting shelters remain, providing evidence of a mode of transport no longer in use.

 

Source: Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.

Abandoned US Pipe Foundry in Chattanooga TN

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I belong to this set. ~Textures Vol 2~

 

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female fugitive captured

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Haciendo honor al origen de sus fundadores, la sociedad encargó al arquitecto Naeff un diseño que recordara al estilo de las construcciones clásicas de la tierra natal de Bunge y Born. Por ello, el edificio pertenece a la corriente del gótico flamenco, y su arquitectura resulta distintiva ya que aquel no es un estilo que abunde en Buenos Aires, como sí lo hacen otros europeos como el academicismo francés o el italianizante.

 

Ocupando un terreno con notable pendiente, lo cual suma un piso completo al bajar hacia la Avenida Alem, otro rasgo que lo acerca a las construcciones contiguas es la recova con arcos que poseen todos los edificios con frente a esa avenida. En esta parte de la obra se destacan los arcos ojivales clásico del gótico.

 

También en la fachada hacia Alem se realza un volumen saliente que comienza en el segundo piso, y continúa aún después del retiro progresivo de la fachada a partir del séptimo piso, llegando hasta el noveno (último), donde termina en un coronamiento. Ese mismo frente posee altos ventanales, destacando la verticalidad del edificio en un terreno que resulta angosto.

 

El edificio Bunge y Born está repleto de elementos decorativos alusivos tanto a la actividad agropecuaria, a través de motivos y relieves, como a la herencia cultural de sus fundadores, a través de los elementos de estilo gótico tales como balaustres, molduras, cresterías. Las mieses de trigo, herramientas de labrado y referencias a la naturaleza se mezclan con los rostros de guerreros, de leones e imágenes de barcos.

USE THIS!

Used some of my hand printed fabrics to this one!

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Spanish

El Puente de Piedra y Pretil de San Lázaro se localizan en Zaragoza (España). Desde el siglo XII se trató de levantar un puente que garantizara permanentemente el paso del Ebro. En 1401 se iniciaron las obras del puente que conocemos en la actualidad, dirigidas por Gil de Menestral, estando acabado en 1440.

Una riada el año 1643 destruyó dos de las arcadas centrales del puente, circunstancia que se documenta en la Vista de Zaragoza pintada en 1647 por Martínez del Mazo. Era el tramo donde se irguieron dos torrecillas de origen medieval. El puente fue reparado en 1659, incluyendo las dos torres, por Felipe de Busignac, maestro de obras de Zaragoza, que modificó también los tajamares y espolones del puente, ampliándolos.

En 1789 el arquitecto Agustín Sanz realizaba el pretil del Ebro que iba desde el Puente de Piedra hasta el Convento de San Lázaro. Este murallón se construyó en seis meses concluyéndose las obras el 24 de diciembre de 1789, para prevenir el riesgo de inundaciones de la ciudad en las posibles avenidas del río.

El Puente de Piedra y su pretil, son un elemento clave en la composición urbana de la ciudad, de gran importancia formal y funcional, estructurador del conjunto y del paisaje natural y edificado.

Esta importancia no fue únicamente en el plano regional sino que a nivel nacional supuso un gran avance, ya que históricamente, desde mediados del siglo XV, el puente garantizaba las comunicaciones del cuadrante noreste peninsular.

Del pretil de la margen derecha, se sabe que en 1777 los arquitectos Pedro del Mazo y Juan Ortiz de Lastra acometen su construcción. Lo realizan en piedra sillar. Está comprendido entre el Templo del Pilar y el Puente de Piedra cuya última arcada ya permanecía cubierta tal y como demuestra el plano de 1778. Más de medio siglo después, José de Yarza, por real decreto de 1845, levanta la topografía del sector, en la que se ve que el pretil sigue siendo el mismo. Sin embargo, a día de hoy, se desconoce su estado actual, su conservación y su ubicación exacta.

La piedra utilizada para construir este puente pertenecía a la cantera que tenía el Papa en el municipio de Fréscano, situada ésta en el monte de Burrén. El puente contiene piedra de Fréscano y Grisén.

 

Aragonês

O Puent de Piedra y Pretil de San Lázaro se localizan en Zaragoza (Aragón). Dende o sieglo XII se miró de construir un puent que garantizara o paso de l'Ebro de forma permanent. En 1401 se prencipioron as obras d'o puent que conoixemos en l'actualidat, dirichitas por Gil de Menestral, estando rematato en 1440.

Una riada en l'anyo 1643 destruyó dos d'as arcatas centrals d'o puent, feito que se decumenta en a Vista de Zaragoza pintata en 1647 por Martínez del Mazo. Yera o trampo a on que se devantoron dos torreciellas d'orichen meyeval. O puent fue apanyato en 1659, incluindo as dos torres, por Felipe de Busignac, mayestro d'obras de Zaragoza, que modificó tamién os tallamars y espolons d'o puente, enamplando-los.

En 1789 l'arquitecto Agustín Sanz realizaba o pretil de l'Ebro que iba dende o Puent de Piedra dica o Convento de Sant Lazaro. Ista muralla se construyó en seis meses rematando-se as obras o 24 d'aviento de 1789, t'aprevenir o risgo de inundacions en a ciudat por as posibles creixitas de l'Ebro.

O Puent de Piedra y o suyo pretil, son un elemento clau en a composición urbana d'a ciudat, de gran importancia formal y funcional, estructurador d'o conchunto y d'o paisache natural y edificato.

Ista importancia no estió unicament en l'ambito d'Aragón sino que estió important tamién a nivel estatal, ya que historicament, dende meyatos d'o sieglo XV, o puent garantizaba as comunicacions d'o quadrant noreste peninsular.

D'o pretil d'a marguin dreita, se sape que en 1777 os arquitectos Pedro del Mazo y Juan Ortiz de Lastra prencipian a suya construcción. Lo fan con piedra picata. Ocupa o espacio entre o Templo d'o Pilar y o Puent de Piedra quala zaguera arcata ya se trobaba cubierta tal y como contrimuestra o plan de 1778. Más de meyo sieglo dimpués, José de Yarza, por reyal decreto de 1845, devanta la topografía d'o sector, en a que se veye que o pretil contina estando lo mesmo. Manimenos, hue en día, se desconoixe o suyo estato actual, a suya conservación y a suya ubicación exacta.

A piedra emplegata ta construir iste puent proveniba d'a cantera que teneba o Papa en o municipio de Frescano, situata ista en o mont de Burrén. O puent contiene piedra de Frescano y Grisén.

 

English

The Puente de Piedra (English: Stone Bridge) is a bridge across the river Ebro in Zaragoza, Spain. The Puente de Piedra is also called the Bridge of Lions because four lions (symbols of the city) are placed on the pillars at each end of the bridge.

Beginning in the 12th century the citizens of Zaragoza tried to build a bridge across the Ebro. In 1401-1440, the Puente de Piedra was built under the direction of Gil de Menestral. The flood in 1643 destroyed two central bridge spans. The bridge then looked as it does in the painting "View of Zaragoza" by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo (1647).

In 1659 the bridge was reconstructed. Architect Felipe de Busignac restored two destroyed towers and expanded the bridge piers. In 1789, architect Agustín Sanz strengthened the Ebro's bank at the Monastery of St. Lazarus to prevent the risk of flooding of the bridge. The reconstruction of the bridge was of great economic importance for the development of the region and all the country.

 

Wikipedia

[The Elm Hill series contains 6 photos] This is a creative commons image, which you may freely use by linking to this page. Please respect the photographer and his work.

 

Sadly this building burned in 2014. www.sovanow.com/index.php?/news/article/lightning_strike_...

 

Unexpectedly finding this old home was pleasurable and sad, pleasurable for obvious reasons and sad for the state of deterioration. The house is presented in sepia not for artistic but for practical reasons; the sky was terrible in the color photos, and sepia does allow for clearer display of details. The lengthy portion below is some of what I’ve discovered historically and architecturally about this home. It was, until recently, owned by the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries and is located in the Dick Cross Wildlife Management Area. Apparently the title has been transferred to the Historical Society of Mecklenburg, which presumably is planning to revitalize the house.

 

The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 27 July 1979 with

ID #79003053. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources ID is #058-0066

 

Elm Hill, a plantation home in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, was built around 1800, undoubtedly replacing an earlier home. The original landowner was Hugh Miller, of Prince George County, Virginia, who died in England in 1763. Before his death, he had probably constructed some sort of residence on the property. The property passed to his two daughters, Anne and Jean, the first and second wives of Sir Peyton Skipwith, known as the owner of Prestwould plantation also in Mecklenburg. The structure sits on a hill and before the construction of John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir overlooked the Roanoke River (now Lake Gaston). It once had elm trees 4 feet in diameter in front yard, hence the name.

 

It’s a frame 2 1/2 story house (if attic is counted) of molded weatherboard, T-shaped, each side of the main body with a wing and each wing with a small porch at the entrance. It has a gabled tin roof, originally shingle, with no dormers and with plain wood cornices. Evidence (according to the VDHR nomination form for the National Register) points to the wings once having hipped roofs. There used to be 2 pink sandstone chimneys, one on each side of the main body of the house and the wings. It’s possible the rubble in front is the chimney stones. The 17 windows, now boarded up, were 9/9 sash in main body and 9/6 sash in the wings. The shutters had open and shut type slats. At the front entrance was a one-story porch with round columns (possibly Tuscan) and round handrails; originally the house had a porch that extended to the cornice.

 

Overall there were 8 rooms with 10-foot ceilings; wainscoting was commonly used on the 1st level. Interior doors were 6-panel painted doors and made of heavy heart pine; the walls were plastered and the floors were also of heavy heart pine. The timbers were sawed with whipsaw and rafters had marks of broad-axe; shop made nails and wooden pegs were used throughout. A stairway in the back ell led to both 2nd level and the basement with hewn stone walls and wide oak floor boards. The basement contained a wine cellar, a storage room and the kitchen

 

Two other buildings are supposedly on the property—a smoke house probably dating from time of house and a crib or milk-house, possibly from the mid-19th.

 

If you finished this, thank you for your tolerance of my desire for information.

 

An early photo of Elm Hill in better condition with chimneys and porch is at www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Mecklenburg/Elm_H...

 

The VDHR nomination form to the National Register is at www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Mecklenburg/058-0...

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal!

 

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used kinggee phoenix z8 work boots

Using a tiny 9m bus on that route is not a good idea!

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Pentax ME Super, probably Pentax 50/1.7, Kentmere 400 @ 400

Somewhere between Detroit and North Carolina, July, 2021

 

Found these classic land yachts for sale... well, somewhere. 3rd car back is a 1969 Dodge Polara -- I have one of those!

 

111_003

 

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Lens: Sony FE 55mm f1.8 Zeiss [US version: amzn.to/2wWHGlO]

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Used in a personal blog post for the day. dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.com/2024/09/our-final-full-d...

Una tarde aburrida, una cámara, una cerilla...

A boring evening, a camera, a match.....

used my new lighting kit and also natural light.

  

also nifty fifty friday :D

 

my blog.

For your art only, not for Sale on a CD or Collage Sheet

Used Triumph panties belongs to saleswoman opposite my house.

I use one note book for everything at work, so that I can find anything I ever wrote down if I can track it down to the 4-6 months range of a notebook's active life. They do tend to get battered, as I take them everywhere. When I had to go to NSW for our user conference, that notebook came back much more battered than this one, with its cover half off. I find that electronic notebooks aren't as speedy as a paper notebook, and batteries can fail you at the worse moment!

 

Day 139 of 365 Days in Colour - Day 21 of March, Yellow.

 

Taken with iPhone 4S with the magnetic snap-on macro lens.

Using the new Fujifilm X-H2S at the 24 Hours of Le Mans just prior to the public launch of the camera