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Found in Bristol, UK. Made by the famous graffiti artist Banksy - unfortunately somebody stained it.
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
© Rui Almeida 2012 | All rights reserved.
All photos they may not be used or reproduced without my permission. If you would like to use one of my images for commercial purposes or other reason, please contact me. Depending on the situation may have to assign the work as specified by the author.
◘ No images in comments please, or you or you can be blocked, but group invites are welcome
巴基斯坦－Gilgit-Baltistan地区－喀喇昆仑中央国家公园－Biafo Hispar Snow Lake徒步－Kani Basa－喀喇昆仑之晨
Dawn light over Karakoram mountains by Hispar Glacier, as seen at Kani Basa campsite during Biafo Hispar Snow Lake trek, in Central Karakoram National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan region, northern Pakistan.
© All rights reserved. You may not use this photo in website, blog or any other media without my explicit permission.
Tahai, Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile.
The three ahu of Tahai
But without a doubt, the great focus of attention at Tahai are its three ahu or ceremonial platforms located on the small rocky cliff that rises above the sea. The altars form a visual line that stars in this magnificent setting. If you look straight at the platforms, the first group on the left with five moai statues is the Ahu Vai Uri, the next one is the Ahu Tahai and the last one with a single statue wearing a pukao or hat is the Ahu Ko Te Riku.
Ahu Vai Uri
The Ahu Vai Uri, whose name could be translated as dark water or green water, is the platform with the largest number of erected statues. Its construction dates from 1200 AD. and its five restored moai are a sample of the different styles of how they were carved.
The first one on the right is currently a piece of rock that is barely recognizable. However, the one that follows, much better preserved as such as the first on the left, has a lower and more robust body than the rest and shows a grim expression.
Ahu Tahai
Ahu Tahai has a single solitary moai about 4.5 meters high. The figure, which is very eroded, shows a thick torso and a wide neck, and rises on the oldest platform of the complex built around 700 AD.
Despite the enormous wear suffered by the moai over time, it still shows the greatness and pride of the ancestors they represent and, in some way, still transmits that mythical power called mana.
Ahu Ko Te Riku
Ahu Ko Te Riku is the last and singular platform located further north. Above it rises a single moai of 5.1 meters high that was restoredwith all the elements that adorned the old finished statues.
On his head it carries a pukao, a cylindrical piece carved in red scoria from the Puna Pau volcano. This form, which according to different opinions, represents a hat or a hair bun, was placed in the last phase of construction of the ahu. It is believed that the original pukaoof this moai was used to carve the Christian cross that is found in the nearby cemetery to Tahai, but there is not even the certainty that it had one. The other differentiating element of Ahu Ko Te Riku is that it supports the only moai that has eyes of the whole island.
For video, please visit youtu.be/b3LaCk0laBo
This is a REAL instance of ice even without vaccines and it's not the Trump ICE lockup and covid super-spreader site for migrants and kids in Denver. A while back, I grabbed more Clover Basin ditch shots down at Willow Farm when I hauled my D700 back down even though the sky was blank blue. I therefore had no choice but to point the camera downward for captures and keep the sky from the shots. Just like today and tomorrow and tomorrow! I decided that I needed some better originals to edit! I liked this view as well as the other. I got few real duds in my "action" takes of the ditch but I do have several NORMAL shots of the ditch now (they call it Willow Brook) but I call it a ditch. It's not much of one either. Let's face it, most of the St. Vrain stream and ditch flows have been ripped by the towns and cities to water blue grass instead of agriculture.
I can't figure why anyone would cut a ditch this darn squirrely. Drunk diggers, probably, though Longmont was a temperate colony at the time. Not so now When I first saw it, It was nearly impossible to follow the reasoning for this ditch but it does seem that the floods scoured this ditch somewhat. I think I noticed the colors of the reflections and contrasts and decided to take advantage. They seemed to oversaturate in this case but that's about everything posted on Flickr. The water course was a bit torn up but there must have been no serious flooding here.
We hit the end of autumn then and the chills came through but we hit the 60s after Christmas - so no coat. I won't go down to shoot ice today - it hit the 67 degrees in early December and await the 80s later in the week. No Coats in the 60s, no Clarks either. I've still got a lot of captures in the temp directory in today's stretch of no skies. I found Willow Farm on Google maps when searching for a barn I glimpsed and made some trips down there and added some more weird captures to temp stash. This is a shot of Willow Creek, another ditch, IMHO. I went back down with my D700 to see if I could capture some shot of the barn. I may go out soon if we can retrieve some skies and clouds at all.
Here is a normal, if not fairly slow hand held exposure. I already posted other shots that were "action" shots and they were the better shots. I grabbed a couple of slices in Lightroom and dropped them into Photoshop to see what might appear.
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home
Wake me up inside (save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark (wake me up)
Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)
Before I come undone (save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become
Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life
I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life
Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling
Only you are the life among the dead
All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
I've got to open my eyes to everything
Photography without poses
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✨Finding the observer, comes awareness!✨
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hong kong)
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.
Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]
Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.
Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Imperial China
2.3 British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
2.4 Japanese occupation: 1941–45
2.5 Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
2.6 Handover and Special Administrative Region status
3 Governance
3.1 Structure of government
3.2 Electoral and political reforms
3.3 Legal system and judiciary
3.4 Foreign relations
3.5 Human rights
3.6 Regions and districts
3.7 Military
4 Geography and climate
5 Economy
5.1 Financial centre
5.2 International trading
5.3 Tourism and expatriation
5.4 Policy
5.5 Infrastructure
6 Demographics
6.1 Languages
6.2 Religion
6.3 Personal income
6.4 Education
6.5 Health
7 Culture
7.1 Sports
7.2 Architecture
7.3 Cityscape
7.4 Symbols
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
10.1 Citations
10.2 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]
The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]
Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]
Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]
The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.
Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".
History
Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China
Prehistory
Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong
Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]
Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]
Imperial China
Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China
In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]
After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]
From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.
From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.
European discovery
The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.
Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]
British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London
Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)
In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]
The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]
Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.
In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]
Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.
File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media
Hong Kong filmed in 1937
In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).
Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]
In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.
Japanese occupation: 1941–45
Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]
As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]
Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong
Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997
Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.
Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.
Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.
A sky view of Hong Kong Island
An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986
To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]
In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]
The Hong Kong question
In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.
The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.
It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.
Handover and Special Administrative Region status
Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong
Transfer of sovereignty
Golden Bauhinia Square
On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.
Structure of government
Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]
Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.
Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]
The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]
In 1997, seating of the Legislative Council (also public services and election franchises) of Hong Kong modelled on the British system: Urban Council (Hong Kong and Kowloon) and District Council (New Territories and Outlying Islands). In 1999, this system has been reformed into 18 directly elected District Offices across 5 Legislative Council constituencies: Hong Kong Island (East/West), Kowloon and New Territories (East/West); the remaining outlying islands are divided across the aforementioned regions.
Hong Kong's Civil Service, created by the British colonial government, is a politically neutral body that implements government policies and provides public services. Senior civil servants are appointed based on meritocracy. The territory's police, firefighting and customs forces, as well as clerical officers across various government departments, make up the civil service.[101][102]
Happiness, a word whose meaning I don't realize with a human being who knows and has only violence and tyranny, without mention Intellectual retardation.
My father has nothing for me except hatred, I mean nothing to him, even though I live with him under the same roof. His three daughters which belongs to his second wife have all his love, attention and good treatment. Providing them with all their needs with all grace as for his faithful wife that looks like an angel in his eye, he doesn't refuse her demands. Caressing her in the darkness of the night, and playing the role of the victim in the sunny day to blame her for her often intentional mistakes. She puts on the mask of innocence, but her heart is black and greedy. And she has nothing to do with respect except the title.
As a child, I was a queen in a respectable and conservative family. My father was satisfied with me, caressed me and provides me with all my needs. I do not feel the lack of motherhood in the presence of a tender and kind grandmother, I speak of a warm embrace and an ideal mother that she didn't leave me an instant until she passed away, unlike my biological mother, She left me and fled the maternal nest to live free and unencumbered without responsibility. I didn't know what unknown fate awaited me ...
When I reached the age of six, the first part of sufferance began with my father's marriage. I danced to the rhythms of the chaabi and I didn't realize what was happening because of my young age, then my father's mood changed, and he became strange.
My grandmother was "severe" who blamed him from time to time for his constant ignorance, and was not satisfied with the situation because she noticed his discrimination and not treating us in the same way as before.
A year later, my loving grandmother, died of a heart attack, I was in my second year of school. That day, I panicked a lot, cried and screamed... I couldn't believe that she died. I remember what happened after that, but all I remember is that my life ended there.
I have become a body without a soul, not only that, I was sure at the time that she was the source of my hope and the essence of my happiness. I failed in my studies and the hatred of my father and his inhumane treatment increased until I decided to end my suffering and catch up with her who felt my feelings, but even the suicide attempt was a failure.
The glass of my heart was broken, my eyes bled with tears, and I was still suffering from nightmares and loneliness in total darkness. I thought relationships would even compensate me a little for the deficiencies I suffered from, but unfortunately. I decided not to engage or build dreams on a fragile wall that could collapse, Until I got to know a young man, who had a distinguished personality, good ethics, and now I share with him the bitterness of life and complain to him about my constant obstruction despite the distance.
Today, at the age of nineteen, I am studying in vocational training, the Corporate Accounting Division. I have friends that we spent funny time, we'd like to graduate despite my devastated psyche. The cup is full. I am no longer able to receive insult and criticize.
Another day of my life passes like every other day, and sadness overwhelms me. I take pleasure in my weeping pencil and my book of complaints.
Happy Women's Day.
السعادة، كلمة لا أدرك معناها مع بشر لا يعرف و لا يملك سوى العنف و الإستبداد، فما بالك بالتخلف.
أبي لا يكن لي سوى الكراهية، فرغم أنني أعيش معه تحت سقف واحد، إلا أنني لا أعني له شيء بالبثة، لكن نباته الثلاث اللواتي هن من زوجة الثانية يكن لها المهبة و الإهتمام ا لمعاملة الجيدة، مع توفيره لهن كل الحتياجات بكل هداوة أما الزوجة النصونة في نضره كالملاك، لا يرفظ لها طلب. ىداعبها في سهون الليل تم يمثل دور الضحية في النهار المشمس ليعاتبها على أخطائها المقصودة غالبا. تضع قناع البراءة لكن الفؤاد أسود و جشع. و لا تملك من الإحترام إلا اللقب.
في الصغر كنت ملكة بين عائلة محترمة، محافظة. أبي راضي عني ، يداعبني و يوفر لي كل احتياجاتي. لا أحس بنقصان الأمومة ب وجود جدة حنونة و طيبة، أتكلم عن حضن دافئ و أم مثالية. لم تفارقني ولو للحظة حتى فارقة الحياة، عكس أمي البيولوجية. تركتني و غادرت هاربة من عش الأمومة لتعيش طليقة حرة بدون مسؤولية. كنت لا أدرك ماينتظرني من مصير مجهول...
عند بلوغي سن السادسة، بدأ الجزء الأول من المعنات بزواج أبي ، رقصت على أنغام الشعبي ولم أكن أدرك ما يحصل نظرا لصغر سني ثم تغير ميزاج أبي و أصبح دا طابع غريب.
كانت جدتي "حادة" تعاتبه من حين لأخر لتجاهله المستمر ولم تكن راضية عن الوضع لملاحظتها التمييز و عدم تعامله بنفس الطريقة كسابق عهدنا.
بعد مرور سنة، توفيت جدتي الحنينة إتر جلطة قلبية كنت في السنة الثانية بكلوريا. دلك اليوم ذعرت كثيرا و بكيت ، صرخت ... لم أصدق حقيقة أنها فارقت الحياة. أتكر ما حصل ب عد دلك لكن كل ما أدكر أن حياتي إنتهت عند دلك.
تم أكملت مسيرتي بجسد بلا روح، و تأكدت حينها أنها كانت نصدر أملي وجوهر سعادتي، تم رسبت في دراستي و زاد كره أبي ومعاملته العير الإنسانية حتى قررت وضع حد لمعاناتي و اللحاق بمن كانت تحس بمشاعري لكن وحتى محاولة الإنتحار عمت بالفشل.
إنكسر زجاج قلبي، نزفت عيني بالدموع وبقيت أعاني من الكوابيس و الوحدة في الظلام الدامس، كنت أظن أن العلاقات الغرامية ستعوضني ولو قليلا عن النقصان الذي أعاني منه لكن للأسف لم تجدي نفعا، قررت عدم الإرتباط أو بناء الأحلام على جدار هش قابل للإنهيار، لحين تعرفي على شاب، له شخصية مميزة ق أخلاق حميدة و الآن أتشارك معه مرارة الحياة و أشكي له عن عراقلي المستمرة بالرغم من بعد المسافة.
اليوم و أنا في التاسعة عشرة أدرس بالتكوين المهني شعبة محاسبة المقاولات. لي أصدقاء و صديقات نمضي وقتا شيقا ، نود الحصول على الدبلوم رغم نفسيتي المدمرة، و الكأس قد امتلأ فما عدت قادرة على الإهانة و الإنتقادات.
والأن ينقضي يوم أخر من حياتي، يمر كباقي الأيام و الحسرة تغمرني. أستأنس بقلمي و دفتر شكاياتي المنقط بالدموع.
عيد مرأة سعيد.
Imagine Dragons - Believer 🎵🎧❤️
I always had the power of seeing something different in people. I had the idea of creating this project in 2014 when I realize I’m shooting a lot of portraits for my friends, clients, people on the street… So I transformed this passion into an artistic project where my goal wasn’t take just average pictures of strangers, but make portraits of them that reveals something.
It’s an on-going project which I want to take 100 portraits stories.
Without a doubt, Stockwell was/is the most immediately recognisable LT bus garage. When I took this picture of the rear in Lansdowne Way on 12 August 1982 the building was thirty years old having been one of the first bus garages constructed after WW2. With conventional materials being in short supply, an innovative use of concrete plus no internal pillars and much greater height (buses looked small inside it) would make this a place for architectural visits almost as much as for bus spotters.
Surprisingly, this type of design didn`t become commonplace for bus garages given the design benefits. But when Bournemouth Transport commissioned a new depot in the early 1950`s it too was of a similar design and concrete construction. A few years later an extension was added - but as a big steel shed. When BT moved from the Mallard Road premises, the `modern` shed was demolished but the vast concrete building being the subject of a preservation order had to remain and became a Homebase store now a B&M store.
Bizarre isn`t it that the DMO class of second hand Bournemouth Transport Fleetlines that LT bought in 1977 were allocated to Stockwell Garage and thus spent their entire working lives in similar unique buildings.
Can`t help wondering why the car parked by the `no parking `sign appears to be (maybe intentionally) making it impossible to access the drivers door of the green car!
17th August 2018:
Have I really got to August without taking a photo of a Passion Flower? If I have then it's a first and will not happen again! I have taken another one earlier this year, but didn't use it for my "one a day." Correction: This is the 2nd photo of one for a photo a day!
Went out for a lovely walk along my favourite route this morning, got some much needed exercise, a good dose of vitamin D and some new photos.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :O)
France, Paris, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris holds an amazing collection of paintings from Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani to Cézanne & many famous artists more. The museum exhibits also miscellaneous collections, spanning over ancient Grecian urns, medieval panel paintings, Rembrandt’s “Self-Portrait in Oriental Attire,” Louis XV-era furniture, French Impressionism, the symbolist works of Odilon Redon, founding member of the “Société des Artistes Indépendants”, to Art Nouveau ceramic ware, it is like a mini Louvre without been over flooded by tourists.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
16 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Same outfit but without the cardigan.
Lilia said this has a 70s look to it. That was the route I was going down when planning this look. Think the new-year diet isn't working I seem to be a bit chubby around the middle :-)
The 70s seem to have had an influence on me and I am not sure why very strange.
Well the makeup photo had a fairly good response with one or two saying a short video would be good. I have thought of that and have done one sort of but its not good enough to post. Maybe once I have got the hang of the editing programme I have Helens makeup channel for T Girls will go live.
Don't hold your breath girls it take some time.
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Latin name: Accipiter gentilis - Northern Goshawk
Back in August we met up with family at Herrings Green Activity Farm & Bird Of Prey Centre in Bedfordshire, which is a super place to visit.
The Northern Goshawk is a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the Accipiter genus, the goshawk is often considered a "true hawk". The scientific name is Latin; Accipiter is "hawk", from accipere, "to grasp", and gentilis is "noble" or "gentle" because in the Middle Ages only the nobility were permitted to fly goshawks for falconry.
It is a large hawk, almost reaching buzzard size. When seen close to it has a fierce expression with bright red eyes and a distinctive white eyebrow. Its broad wings enable it to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, and its long legs and talons can catch its prey in flight. The female is substantially larger than the male. In late winter and spring it has a 'sky-dance' display. Goshawks are still persecuted and their nests are frequently robbed.
Goshawks are highly territorial, breeding pairs' nests are always over 1km apart.
Best looked for near large areas of woodland and forests with glades and paths for it to hunt along. Can also be seen hunting over more open countryside.
They can be seen all year round, but best looked for on fine days in late winter and spring when display flights take place high over the trees.
Their diet is small to medium-sized mammals including squirrels (mainly tree squirrels but also ground squirrels especially in North America) and rabbits and hares, and medium to large-sized birds such as corvids, pigeons, grouse, pheasants, thrushes and woodpeckers. They are particularly agile hunters of the woodlands.
Taken with my Canon Telephoto Zoom 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM EF Lens and framed in Photoshop.
Better viewed in light box - click on the image or press 'L' on your keyboard.
Trees reflected in a wetland on Lummi Island during a lovely sunset.
All my photographs are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved. None of these photos may be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the Internet without my written permission.
Hiroshi Yoshimura (吉村弘) - Wet Land (1993)
For almost everyone, Spring is associated with an abundance of nascent forms and a variety of vibrant colors...
I suggest we look at this magical time without "superfluous" colors. After all, colors usually adhere to existing forms. This means that form and content are the foundation upon which we can apply as many layers of the most vibrant and impressive colors as we like... But if form and content are absent... then color becomes superfluous...
Nature gives us a great variety of forms, imbuing them with a wide variety of meanings and purposes. After all, if you look closely, everything around us carries something special; something that can serve us in a variety of ways – inspire, help us heal, impart valuable lessons, nourish us, and even... send us to other dimensions...
Previously, I wrote that everything around us is connected. And we are connected to everything. Moreover, there is a feeling that everything around us is different forms of the same thing. Different forms of ...Ourselves ...Source ...Nature ...God ...Universe...
What forms fill your life?
What do you feel when the form becomes more tangible?
Studio stacking of a found dead Opsilia coerulescens ( 8mm without antennas) .This specimen was recolected a month ago in a fountain surrounded by trees near my house , a very good site to found dead insects in relatively good condition , as in this case.The biggest problem here was trying to "comb his hair" in a natural position so that utilizes a small dryer , a toothbrush and a lot of patience.
Shooting info: Studio stack of 78 pictures taken with a 7dmk2 + reversed Konica hexanon 40mm mounted in a fully extended Pentax bellows and little extension tube at v=3.2s ; f=5.6 ; iso 100 .Lighting with 2 Ikea led lamps and a white cilinder paper around the subject.
Processing with Zerene stacker in 2 different piles. Using Dmap mode with some retouching in Pmax.
