Through the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, the city has hundreds of community projects proposed, with some already taking shape. One such site, North Atwater Park, hosted a unique ceremony Oct. 9 where a private company donated funds to the non-profit group Friends of the LA River who, in turn, donated $970,000 to the city for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

“The Corps has led a planning process, where we identified problems and opportunities along the river,” said Chief of Planning Division Dr. Josephine Axt. “We’ve narrowed our area of interest to an 11-mile stretch from roughly Griffith Park to downtown. This month, we’re starting our higher headquarters policy compliance review. We’ve done a lot of work that has resulted in alternative plans.”

In regards to the LA River, public safety remains the Corps’ number one priority. That said, there are three significant portions of the river that offer a semi-natural river bed; the Sepulveda Basin, site of the Paddle the LA River Program, the Glendale Narrows and 2.6 miles of soft bottom after the Willow Street drop structure which is an inter-tidal estuary.

“We have always enjoyed a partnership with LA County Flood; it’s been 70 years,” said Col. Mark Toy, Los Angeles District commander. “During that time, it has always been about flood risk management, the safety of our people and that’s why long ago we channelized the river. Now, we can look at things like flood risk management in the same sentence with ecosystem restoration and recreation.”

Ecosystem restoration projects, like this one, are a major share of the Corps’ workload. The District is also working on water quality improvements and recreation opportunities along the Tres Rios in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz. As Toy mentioned, it is all in keeping with the District’s motto, “BUILDING STRONG and Taking Care of People!”

Georgetown Loop 1934 brings its train across the High Bridge on the final stretch into Devil's Gate. 1934 handled the workload for the rest of the day due to a problem with 40.

From the FusionXInvest gathering this week:

• 50 fusion startups have raised $13B to date, with 85% of that being in the past four years.

• CFS is the commercialization leader.

* Jensen smiles symbolically from above, as many of the initial fusion customers will be data centers for AI workloads.

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed when I discovered that these cranes are as recent as 1969 and 1979 because I had originally believed that they had been used to build the Titanic.

Samson and Goliath are the twin shipbuilding gantry cranes situated at Queen's Island in Belfast. The cranes, which were named after the Biblical figures Samson and Goliath, dominate the Belfast skyline and are landmark structures of the city. Comparative newcomers to the city, the cranes rapidly came to symbolise Belfast in a way that no building or monument had hitherto done.

The cranes are situated in the shipyard of Harland & Wolff and were constructed by the German engineering firm Krupp, with Goliath being completed in 1969 and Samson, in 1974. Goliath stands 96 metres (315 ft) tall, while Samson is taller at 106 metres (348 ft). Goliath, the smaller of the two sits slightly further inland closer to Belfast City. At the time Harland & Wolff was one of the largest shipbuilders in the world. The announcement that they were to be built was an important event at the time. Contrary to popular belief, the cranes did not host the RMS Titanic as they were built much later.

On 4 April 2007, Samson crashed into the long jib of smaller rail-mounted "Henson" tower crane, sending the smaller crane tumbling to the ground. The smaller crane weighed 95 tonnes and stood at a height of 25 m, compared to Samson's 106 m. Three industrial painters working on another rail-mounted crane were close to the jib as it fell, eventually crashing onto the ground. Information about the incident was not released until mobile-phone footage of the event was published on YouTube.

In October 2007, Goliath re-entered service after five years, an occurrence described by a company spokesman as underlining the yard's growing workload.

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits.

New Police Officers - Firearms Training 1997

Oskar Schindler's factory has been turned into a museum devoted to the wartime experiences in Krakow under the five-year Nazi occupation. It’s huge and comprehensive and I easily could’ve spent all day in there. If only I had enough time to do so!

Schindler is credited with saving almost 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories. While witnessing a 1943 raid on the Kraków Ghetto, where soldiers were used to round up the inhabitants for shipment to the concentration camp at Płaszów, Schindler was appalled by the murder of many of the Jews who had been working for him. After the raid he used all of his skills to protect his Schindlerjuden (“Schindler's Jews”), as they came to be called, by arguing that they were essential to the factory’s workload and thus the war effort. Schindler went out of his way to take care of the Jews who worked at his factory and treat them humanely.

Women and girls in the highlands of Papua New Guinea take on most of the daily workload in terms of gardening, preparing food, cooking, caring for children and selling goods at the local market. Many women increasingly say they are discontented with a system they see as consigning them to hard work and inferior status. In turn, many men see their role as “managing” women, expressing concern that were females to receive too much education, they would start to wear lipstick and trousers, marry outside the area, turn to prostitution, and abandon their valuable traditional roles within the village.

Text and image©Eamonn McKeown

An 1864 photograph of Sojourner Truth from her book "I sell the shadow to support the substance, Sojourner Truth.”

Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist, women’s rights activist, emancipated slave and itinerant evangelist, became arguably the most well known 19th Century African American woman. Born around 1791, Isabella (her birth name) was the daughter of James and Betsey, slaves of Colonel Ardinburgh Hurley, Ulster County, and New York.

From a young age, she was bought and sold several times by slave-owners in New York. She married an enslaved man named Thomas, and together they had five children.

On July 4, 1827, the New York State Legislature emancipated Isabella, yet her owners at the time, the Dumonts, would not comply because they claimed she still owed them work. One morning before dawn, with a baby in her arms, she walked away from the Dumonts and took refuge with an abolitionist family who lived five miles away.

During this time, she experienced a religious conversion and became active in the nearby Methodist church. Eventually, she moved with her son, Peter, to New York City, where she worked as a live-in domestic. She became involved in a religious cult known as the Kingdom, whose leader, Matthias, beat her and assigned her the heaviest workload.

The turning point in Isabella’s life came on June 1, 1843, when at the age of 52 she adopted a new name, Sojourner Truth, and headed east for the purpose of “exhorting the people to embrace Jesus, and refrain from sin.”

For several years, she preached at camp meetings and lived in a utopian community, the Northampton Association for Education and Industry, which devoted itself to transcending class, race, and gender distinctions.

Even though the community lasted less than five years, many reform-minded influential people visited Northampton, including abolitionist leaders Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Through these connections, she began to speak at public events on behalf of abolition and women’s rights. In 1851, she gave her famous “Ain’t I A Woman” speech at a Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

In 1857, Truth bought a house with the help of friends in Harmonia, a small Spiritualist community near Battle Creek, Michigan. She supported herself through speaking engagements and selling photographs of herself as well as her book, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, written by an amanuensis, since she was illiterate.

When the Civil War began, Truth threw her energy into soliciting food and clothing for the volunteer regiments of black Union soldiers. Then the plight of freed slaves caught her attention, many of whom were living in refugee camps in the nation’s capital.

During her time in Washington, D.C., she waged a one-woman campaign to desegregate the city’s horse-drawn streetcars. A law was passed in 1864 prohibiting Jim Crow cars in the city, but the signs still remained up in many cars and drivers often enforced segregation.

Truth would sit in the “white” section and refuse to move. As white supremacist drivers came to know her they would refuse to pick her up. Truth would notify the company and complain to the newspapers when it occurred.

Truth’s efforts prevented Jim Crow from becoming custom and the city’s trolley’s were never Jim Crow, even during the early part of the 20th Century when white supremacists were re-establishing segregation in the city.

Her direct action technique of claiming her rights would later evolve into the sit-ins that became a widespread tactic in 1960.

She championed the idea of a colony for freed slaves in the American West where they would have a chance to become self-supporting and self-reliant. She garnered numerous signatures for her petition urging the Federal government to provide land for this endeavor. Although she presented the petition to President Ulysses S. Grant, her dream never materialized.

Nevertheless, when a large migration of freed southern slaves made their way west in the fall of 1879, despite her advanced age, Truth traveled to Kansas to help them get settled. Sojourner Truth died in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 26, 1883. She was 92.

--Partially excerpted from the Black Past Remembers and Reclaimed.

For a detailed post on a direct action campaign to end Jim Crow at the U.S. Capitol, see washingtonspark.wordpress.com/2018/02/26/origins-of-the-c...

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmcArGZz

The photographer is unknown. The image is from "I sell the shadow to support the substance, Sojourner Truth" 1864.

Hull Paragon SB controls a compact, but busy, geographical area covering the Hull Paragon station area by means of an NX Panel with indications being shown on a conventional box diagram.

Since I took this photo in January 2024 (in connection with a secondment I was on at the time), Platform 1 has been brought back into use at Hull Paragon station. This means Hull Paragon SB is responsible for the 7 platforms in the station, numerous stabling sidings, and rail access to and from Northern's Hull Botanic Gardens Depot.

Train Operators using all of these facilities are Northern, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains. LNER also run a couple of services to and from Hull each day, but the stock does not stable here.

It will be noted that for a signalling location responsible for an important regional terminus, Hull Paragon SB is lacking in some of the equipment you might expect to see, such as Train Describer (TD) equipment. Indeed, trains are passed on between Hull Paragon and Hessle Road SBs by bell.

The lack of TD equipment causes workload issues for signalling staff as it means information on approaching trains can be hard to come by, hence the signalman's use of a public web application to gain an idea of what is approaching from the Brough direction. Having no TD equipment also means signalmen are reliant on diligent use and annotation of the printed station workings for keeping track of which trains are in which platforms, especially during times of service disruption or when set swaps are needed. This is especially important as regards the routing of departing trains, both at Hull itself, but also further on at locations such as Ferriby, Gilberdyke, Selby and Bridlington etc.

For a photo showing both box diagram and NX Panel, see the link below.

www.flickr.com/photos/194923731@N02/54317338472/in/album-...

For a close up of the NX Panel, see the link below.

www.flickr.com/photos/194923731@N02/54318233351/in/album-...

Design mascot woman with large stack of papers.

Design mascot woman with large stack of papers.

This is an advertisement for an herbal tranquilizer directed at women of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community. The large Hebrew letters read: "Are you tense?" The Hebrew words surrounding the woman's head read: "Bank, HMO, cooking, debt, shopping, ironing." Her enormous physical workload is obvious.

I found this advertisement offensive because in my opinion, the solution for this woman's problems is not an herbal tranquilizer but a spouse who shares in the responsibility of running the home, and a community that accepts and supports the idea of his doing so.

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

On it's last day of operation, the 19th July 2013, the Signalman at Sneinton near Nottingham kindly let me into his box to have a look round. The box is very nicely kept inside, and controls the level crossings here and at Colwick, as well as a set of pedestrian gates halfway between. The morning peak meant he had a busy workload with plenty of passenger trains, and several freights passing in the space of about an hour. In this photo, 153383 and 153374 working 2S02, the 06.13 Boston to Nottingham service have just entered the box's area at Netherfield Junction. They are approaching Colwick CCTV crossing, controlled by this box. Although the area is technically under the control of Trent PSB (for one more day!) the box controls the level crossings, but Trent sets the route.

Oriental Escorts are the finest adult directory to find the most sensuous lady for some hours to get relax and free from all kinds of stress and workloads. Contact us now!

"Attitude"

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Introducing the 17-inch MacBook Pro. The state-of-the-art quad-core Intel i7 processor delivers up to 2x faster performance (over the previous generation of MacBook Pro). New Thunderbolt technology lets you connect high-performance peripherals and high-resolution displays to a single port, and transfer files at lightning speeds. And with the built-in FaceTime HD camera, you can make astonishingly crisp HD video calls.

The 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt technology (see larger image).With the revolutionary Thunderbolt technology, you'll be able to achieve bi-directional channels with transfer speeds to peripherals like external hard drives and servers up to an amazing 10 Gbps--while also connecting to a DisplayPort-compatible high-resolution display.

As with previous models, the MacBook Pro features a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, creating a thin and light mobile computing workhorse (less than 1 inch thin and just 6.6 pounds) that's also highly durable. It includes a 17-inch, LED-backlit glass display as well as a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that features Apple's Multi-Touch technology. And it comes standard with automatic graphics switching that provides performance when you need it and energy efficiency when you don't. You'll also get up to 7 hours of battery life while on the go.

This version of the 17-inch MacBook Pro (model MD311LL/A) features a second-generation 2.4 GHz Core i7 quad-core processor, 750 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an ExpressCard/34 slot, three USB 2.0 ports, and a FireWire 800 port (see full specifications below).

FaceTime HD camera built into the bezel for crisp, widescreen video chats (see larger image).

The backlit keyboard--great for typing in low-light settings (see larger image).Key Features

Revolutionary Thunderbolt Technology

Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O (input/output) technology delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second of transfer speeds in both directions. Built into the MacBook Pro, the Thunderbolt port allows you to connect to new Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals as well as existing USB and FireWire peripherals using simple adapters. You'll be able to move data up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800, and you can daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices without using a hub.

And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, you'll be able to connect to a high-resolution display from the same port. Any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port, and you can also connect displays that use DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections with an existing adapter. You'll also be able to include your display into a daisy-chained set of peripherals.

Next-Generation Quad-Core Intel Processor

This MacBook Pro is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, which provides breakthrough digital media management, content creation, and 3D gaming capabilities. With updated Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, the latest Core i7 increases speed automatically for whatever you're doing, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload.

Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. And you'll enjoy a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual experience with no additional hardware. The Core i7 processor also provides faster access to the installed RAM, with an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333 MHz memory directly to the processor.

With new microarchitecture, the graphics processor resides on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to the 6 MB of shared L3 cache--helping your applications run at peak performance. And an integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you're watching DVDs or iTunes movies.

Automatic Graphics Switching

The MacBook Pro offers excellent graphics flexibility with two video processors--the discrete AMD Radeon HD 6770M processor (with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory) for heavier workloads and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor for better battery life on the go. When gaming or using processor-intensive applications like Aperture or Final Cut Pro, you'll appreciate the power of the AMD Radeon HD 6770M, which lets you see more frames per second and experience better responsiveness. And the automatic graphics switching feature determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between the processors.

Buttonless Multi-Touch Trackpad

With no button on the glass trackpad, there's more room to track and click--left, right, center, and everywhere in between. Without a separate button, the trackpad gives your hands plenty of room to move on the large, silky glass surface. It also incorporates Multi-Touch gestures--including swipe, pinch, rotate, and four-finger swipe. And it also now supports inertial scrolling, an intuitive way to scroll through large photo libraries, lengthy documents and long web sites.

Fascinating engraving showing wagonways, horse gin pit top right close to a vertical engine house for winding and pumping plus loading staithes alongside the river. Interesting signals building top left, also is that a dead horse in the foreground, if so the artist might have been hinting at the harsh workload of the animals involved. Thought I could see Paul in the bushes on the left

Working with an incredible team of freelancers for Secret Productions and Papa Projects, we managed to build and break a mammoth 8 room, Santa's Grotto theme party, for Google UK's Christmas bash, in under 24 hours! (That includes the actual party as well)

I was involved in making some hilarious creations, including a giant 'Chesterfield style' sofa, a karaoke area complete with a bespoke 'fire-place karaoke-star entrance', set into a 'faux' black brick wall, with red glitter mortar, and a christmas tree forest cinema.

Once again, a truely incredible team, making it happen in the face of late deliveries, an enormous workload and plenty of sleep-depravation. Against the odds... really good fun!

On Strike... "Stop Corporate Greed"

Hotel Frank

386 Geary Street

www.sanfrancisco.com/hotel-frank/

CLOSED in Fall 2013

Following a 2-year labour dispute - involving Hotel Frank and Local 2 of the union Unite Here.

“Early in the morning and late at night, we are here and ready to fight,” cry picketers who rally daily for their union boycott of the Hotel Frank.

In 2010, new management made working conditions for the hotel workers untenable by adding to their workloads without increasing their pay. The companies also terminated employees’ medical coverage, sick leave and holiday pay.

newamericamedia.org/2012/07/sleepless-in-san-francisco-as...

Created by The French American School of New York, Mamaroneck, NY

Artists: Emma, Chloe, Sophia, Stella, Isabella

Title: Winter Moonlit Landscape

Teacher: Laura Anechiarico

Theme: Conservation (Nature, animals, etc)

Materials and techniques: Acrylic paint.

Did you enjoy this project? The students loved working in a group, making decisions together, and dividing up specialty workloads.

About: Landscape, Nature, and American Impressionism. J. Alden Weir was an academically trained American artist went to France, and was shocked at how the French impressionists were using color! He thought it looked bad. He came back home to Connecticut, bought a farm, and painted landscapes. Slowly it dawned on him, that the color theory of the French impressionists was more correct. Warm and cool colors, yellows for light, and blue for cold shadows were actually more realistic than using black for shadows in the daytime! Also, our lesson also included "atmospheric perspective" to depict more depth.

Learn more about IFC Projects at www.ifcprojects.com

Oskar Schindler's factory has been turned into a museum devoted to the wartime experiences in Krakow under the five-year Nazi occupation. It’s huge and comprehensive and I easily could’ve spent all day in there. If only I had enough time to do so!

Schindler is credited with saving almost 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories. While witnessing a 1943 raid on the Kraków Ghetto, where soldiers were used to round up the inhabitants for shipment to the concentration camp at Płaszów, Schindler was appalled by the murder of many of the Jews who had been working for him. After the raid he used all of his skills to protect his Schindlerjuden (“Schindler's Jews”), as they came to be called, by arguing that they were essential to the factory’s workload and thus the war effort. Schindler went out of his way to take care of the Jews who worked at his factory and treat them humanely.

The body of the Tiger is made from 80% carbon fiber reinforced polymer and kevlar, 11% aluminium, and 6% titanium. The rotors are made from fiber-plastic able to withstand combat damage and bird strikes. Protection against lightning and electromagnetic pulse is ensured by embedded copper/bronze grid and copper bonding foil.

While the Tiger has a conventional helicopter gunship configuration of the two crew sitting in tandem, it is somewhat unusual in that the pilot is in the front seat and the gunner is in the back, unlike all other current attack helicopters. The seats are offset to opposite sides of the centerline to improve the view forward for the gunner in the back.

Crews coming to the Tiger from other platforms require additional training because the additional capabilities bring a higher workload.

Read more Here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Tiger

Also the Canapy is not Green It got mesed up when i was putting all the pictures together.

I might sell instructions.

STS-94 Payload Specialist Roger K. Crouch is helped into his launch/entry suit by a suit technician in the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building after the suit has been given a pressure test. He is the Chief Scientist of the NASA Microgravity Space and Applications Division. He also has served as a Program Scientist for previous Spacelab microgravity missions and is an expert in semiconductor crystal growth. Since Crouch has more than 25 years of experience as a materials scientist, he will be concentrating on the five physics of materials processing experiments in the Middeck Glovebox Facility on the Blue shift. He will also share the workload with Thomas by monitoring the materials furnace experiments during this time. Crouch and six fellow crew members will shortly depart the O&C and head for Launch Pad 39A, where the Space Shuttle Columbia will lift off during a launch window that opens at 1:50 a.m. EDT, July 1. The launch window was opened 47 minutes early to improve the opportunity to lift off before Florida summer rain showers reached the space center. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

Being cheaper than a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, the Bentley Turbo range meant that the owner had the ability to take the residual money left from purchasing the car initially to have their own personalised coachwork put on the chassis built by Bentley, resulting in many strange and curious variations of car.

This one has a body constructed by renowned coachbuilder James Young, which had previously made bodies for a variety of Silver Shadows and Phantoms, but following the end of the 1960's reduced its workload to individual orders as the monocoque system came into place.

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

To shore up its need for a dedicated night fighter in 1940, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) went ahead with modified Douglas A-20 "Havoc" / "Boston" light bombers to suit the role. Development began in 1942 in anticipation that the series would not have to fight for long as the Northrop P-61 "Black Widow" - purposely designed for night fighting - would soon arrive in 1943. An XP-70 served as the series prototype to prove the validity of the conversion and the aircraft then operated under the formal designation of P-70 "Nighthawk".

It was the British Royal Air Force (RAF) that first realized the A-20 as a night fighter when they converted their A-20 Havocs for the role by installing appropriate air intercept radar and a ventral gun pod. The glazed nose section was painted over/covered to shroud the radar suite and an additional internal fuel tank was fitted for extended operational ranges. The USAAC followed suit, arming their A-20s and outfitting them with local copies of the British AI Mk IV radar (as the SCR-540). These aircraft too lost their glazed nose sections. Some fitted a ventral cannon tray with 4 x 20mm cannons while others utilized a "gun nose" mounting six or eight 0.50 M2 Browning heavy machine guns - continuing the American reliance on all-machine-gun armament for their aircraft. In these forms, the radar suite was moved to the bomb bay. The armor protection encountered in the original A-20 was reduced to help lighten the operation loads of the P-70s. It was deemed that such an aircraft, in its given role, need not burden itself down with unnecessary protection.

By the start of 1945 all early P-70s were removed from frontline service and served as trainers until their final days. Indeed, the P-70 trainers graduated some 485 persons to serve in American night fighter squadrons. The more potent P-70Cs were kept in service until the end of hostilities, even though many lost their radar equipment from early 1945 on when the Allied forces had claimed air superiority in many regions and were more and more used for daylight ground attack missions, using their potent gun armament for strafing ground targets. At this stage many P-70Cs also had their radr equipment removed to save weight in favor for more fuel or external ordnance.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 (pilot, radar operator)

Length: 48 ft 2 3/4 in (14.72 m)

Wingspan: 61 ft 3.5 in (18.68 m)

Height: 18 ft 1+1⁄2 in (5.52 m)

Wing area: 464 sq ft (43.1 m²)

Airfoil: root: NACA 23018

tip: NACA 23009

Empty weight: 16,031 lb (7,272 kg)

Gross weight: 24,127 lb (10,944 kg)

Fuel capacity: 400 US gal (330 imp gal; 1,500 l) internal capacity, plus

676 US gal (563 imp gal; 2,560 l) in four auxiliary tanks in the bomb-bay, plus

200 US gal (174 imp. gal; 900 l) in optional underwing drop tanks

Powerplant:

2× Wright R-2800-10s Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines,

2,000 hp (1,500 kW) each and up to 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) emergency power with water injection,

driving 4-bladed Curtiss Electric C542S constant-speed propellers, 11 ft 0 in (3.36 m) diameter

Performance:

Maximum speed: 400 mph (650 km/h, 350 kn) at 23.000 ft (7,500 m)

332 mph (534 km/h, 288 kn) at sea level

Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)

Stall speed: 98 mph (158 km/h, 85 kn)

Range: 848 mi (1,365 km: 737 nmi) at 23,000 ft (7,000 m) with internal fuel only,

1,560 mi (2,510 km; 1,350 nmi) w. 2× 100 US gal (454 l; 87 imp gal) drop tanks

Ferry range: 2,300 mi (3,700 km, 2,000 nmi)

Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,900 m)

Rate of climb: 3,000 ft/min (15 m/s)

Time to altitude: 26,000 ft (8,000 m) in 14 minutes 30 seconds

Wing loading: 52 lb/sq ft (250 kg/m2²

Power/mass: 0.141 hp/lb (0.232 kW/kg)

Armament:

4× 20 mm Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon in a ventral tray with 100 rpg

6× 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in the nose with 400 rpg,

two in the lower nose section, four in external pods on the fuselage flanks

2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) each

The kit and its assembly:

Another submission for the "Re-engined" group build at whatifmodellers.com in mid-2023, and this project started as a kind of repurposing of various ingredients into a new whole one. One factor was a vintage Matchbox A-20G/Boston IV kit, which I had primarily procured for the cool "Green Hornet" livery of the USAAF aircraft. The kit itself is not so flashy, though: it is rather basic, offers a wild mix of raised and engraved panel lines, and the worst thing is/was that the complete clear sprue was missing - and there's no chance to get this as a spare part, e .g, through Revell's "Department X", who might have reboxed the kit, but they never did (so far). When I recently gug through my spare parts I came across a cockpit canopy for just this kit - from my first Matchbox A-20 which I had built around 40(!) years ago. With this there was a serious chance to build the kit, even though not as intended by Matchbox.

With only the canopy to save the model it was clear that the nose had to be solid and that the dorsal turret had to go (which is no loss, it is ugly, primitive, and a PiTA to mount), and a P-70 conversion was a suitable path. Even more so because I could replace the bulbous and IMHO oversized OOB R-2600s with R-2800 from a Matchbox Martin B-26 Marauder - actually procured from two different kits and then mounted upside down to change the look a little. Since the "new" cowlings came with an integrated carburettor intake I decided to remove the respective fairings on top of the wings. These were filled/faired over with 2C putty, with the side benefit that I could add some hand-made wing structures inside of the landing gear wells. Adapting the B-26 cowlings to the A-20 nacelles required some sculpting and more PSR, but it workd and the result looks quite natural. The propellers were changed to cuffed Curtiss four-blade props, I was lucky to have a matching pair of P-47 parts at hand. The tips were slightly clipped, though.

The fuselage required more massive work. To make a virtue out of necessity I used the Boston IV's clear bombardier nose, which would remain incomplete, anyway, and integrated a radome from a A.W. Meteor night fighter (Matchbox kit) with lots of PSR and even more lead inside (because the Matchbox A-20 is a notorious tail sitter). I expected to radome to be more pronounced, in the end its curvature blends well into the rest of the A-20 fuselage - it looks as if the glass nose had been painted over, just like on the early P-70s and strafer Havocs. But I left it that way, even though I had hoped for a more distinct front profile.

However, because the radome was now not wider than the fuselage I decided to not only add a cannon tray under the fuselage (a drop tank half from a Sword F3J with an oval diameter), but also two pairs of pods with 0.5" machine guns from an Italeri B-25J. Serious firepower.

Additionally the P-70C received small, streamlined underwing drop tanks outside of the engine nacelles - a small detail that changes the aircraft's look even more.

Biggest challenge became the rear cockpit for the radar operator, though. Like the earlier P-70s, the night fighter would lose its defensive armament, and in the A-20G's case this included a complete powered turret for which the fuselage had been widened behind the wings' trailing edge. For this stunt the whole area was cut out and the former roof window of the gunner's compartment faired over. The whole cabin was effectively moved forward. Biggest issue was how to cover this gap, though. A long spare safari eventually yielded a rear cabin cover from an Aoshima Ki-46, which was long enough to close the section and even had the right shape to blend the A-20's spine into the tail section. As a side benefit: it has similar heavy framing as the cockpit. Fitting this clear piece was challenging, though, as it required to fill gaps with putty and sand directly around the clear part.

Inside, the pilot's cockpit was enhanced with a dashboard (and more lead under the floor!) and the radar operator received a scratched cabin with a floor, a rear bulkhead, a seat (left over from the Boston IV's bombardier nose) and a radar console (part left over from an Italeri B-66). The OOB pilots were used and received "3D" safety belts made from white tape - after all, the clear parts would not allow good sight inside.

The landing gear, even though very simple, was taken OOB, I just added cannon and machine gun barrels in the nose cut from hollow steel needles.

Painting and markings:

I wanted something realistic, and that offered only two options for an USAAF night fighter around 1944: either Olive Drab/Neutral Grey or all-black, and both quite boring. After I had seen a picture of an early black P-61 in Europe with invasion stripes I decided to adopt this scheme, even though with the twist of overpainted stripes on the upper surfaces - a detail seen frequently on NMF fighters (e.g. P-47s and early P-51s) after D-Day to improve camouflage on the ground against strafing attacks and photo reconnaissance. Sometimes the whole upper side was painted with olive drab, sometimes only the stripes were covered, resulting in interesting finishes.

The model received an overall coat with Revell 06 (Tar Black) enamel paint, which is a "dirty black". The invasion stripes were all made with decals from various Academy kits (from a P-47 under the fuselage, and from a Spitfire and Typhoon on the wings), and on the upper surfaces these were translucently painted over with thinned Tamiya XF-62 (Olive Drab), so that the stripes would still shine through here and there.

All interior surfaces were painted with green chromate primer (I used Humbrol 159), the radome was painted with Humbrol 72.

The black and the radome were later heavily treated with dry-brushing, using several very similar "almost black" tones as well as a bit of aluminum and grinded graphite around the gun porst and the exhaust. The only colorful highlights are the red propeller tips and a nose art graphic (from an Academy P-47D). The rest of the markings are rather dry and minimal, most came from Hobby Boss P-39 kits.

Finally, after everything had been assembled, the model received a coat of matt acrylic varnish. In real life the black night fighters were supposed to be glossy, but any picture I have seen of such a machine shows a rather dull if not matte (and quite dirty) finish.

An engine conversion project that helped to save a kit from it incompleteness. And the resulting fictional P-70C looks pretty mean and purposeful, the conversions and esp. the risky implantation of the rear cabin and its canopy paid out and the result looks quite plausible. And the partly overpainted invasion stripes add a bit of extravaganza to the otherwise rather dull all-black aircraft.

Unfortunately this person will have next to no Flickr time in the coming weeks - due to super-heavy workload! (Translating a book.)

(... awaiting serious withdrawal symptoms on top of the work stress ... :-|

(Will post a happier shot once I see some light at the end of the tunnel :o)

i've got behind already due to heavy workload but will catch up

I've recently swapped contacts around and made a lot into friends, i've changed a lot of my images to friends only. The reason is due to the fact that it gets a bit annoying when i get 10 times more views than comments, so basically i'm trying to cut out the pervs lol

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

Hi resolution pictures

Through the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, the city has hundreds of community projects proposed, with some already taking shape. One such site, North Atwater Park, hosted a unique ceremony Oct. 9 where a private company donated funds to the non-profit group Friends of the LA River who, in turn, donated $970,000 to the city for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

“The Corps has led a planning process, where we identified problems and opportunities along the river,” said Chief of Planning Division Dr. Josephine Axt. “We’ve narrowed our area of interest to an 11-mile stretch from roughly Griffith Park to downtown. This month, we’re starting our higher headquarters policy compliance review. We’ve done a lot of work that has resulted in alternative plans.”

In regards to the LA River, public safety remains the Corps’ number one priority. That said, there are three significant portions of the river that offer a semi-natural river bed; the Sepulveda Basin, site of the Paddle the LA River Program, the Glendale Narrows and 2.6 miles of soft bottom after the Willow Street drop structure which is an inter-tidal estuary.

“We have always enjoyed a partnership with LA County Flood; it’s been 70 years,” said Col. Mark Toy, Los Angeles District commander. “During that time, it has always been about flood risk management, the safety of our people and that’s why long ago we channelized the river. Now, we can look at things like flood risk management in the same sentence with ecosystem restoration and recreation.”

Ecosystem restoration projects, like this one, are a major share of the Corps’ workload. The District is also working on water quality improvements and recreation opportunities along the Tres Rios in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz. As Toy mentioned, it is all in keeping with the District’s motto, “BUILDING STRONG and Taking Care of People!”

Credit: Daniel Berehulak

Monrovia, Liberia

A burial team in Monrovia, Liberia, on Saturday collected the body of a man believed to have died from Ebola. Their workload has grown quickly in recent weeks

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits.

Retired Captain Richard Jones during one of his stints at the Academy while a Sgt.

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

Working with an incredible team of freelancers for Secret Productions and Papa Projects, we managed to build and break a mammoth 8 room, Santa's Grotto theme party, for Google UK's Christmas bash, in under 24 hours! (That includes the actual party as well)

I was involved in making some hilarious creations, including a giant 'Chesterfield style' sofa, a karaoke area complete with a bespoke 'fire-place karaoke-star entrance', set into a 'faux' black brick wall, with red glitter mortar, and a christmas tree forest cinema.

Once again, a truely incredible team, making it happen in the face of late deliveries, an enormous workload and plenty of sleep-depravation. Against the odds... really good fun!

Through the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, the city has hundreds of community projects proposed, with some already taking shape. One such site, North Atwater Park, hosted a unique ceremony Oct. 9 where a private company donated funds to the non-profit group Friends of the LA River who, in turn, donated $970,000 to the city for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

“The Corps has led a planning process, where we identified problems and opportunities along the river,” said Chief of Planning Division Dr. Josephine Axt. “We’ve narrowed our area of interest to an 11-mile stretch from roughly Griffith Park to downtown. This month, we’re starting our higher headquarters policy compliance review. We’ve done a lot of work that has resulted in alternative plans.”

In regards to the LA River, public safety remains the Corps’ number one priority. That said, there are three significant portions of the river that offer a semi-natural river bed; the Sepulveda Basin, site of the Paddle the LA River Program, the Glendale Narrows and 2.6 miles of soft bottom after the Willow Street drop structure which is an inter-tidal estuary.

“We have always enjoyed a partnership with LA County Flood; it’s been 70 years,” said Col. Mark Toy, Los Angeles District commander. “During that time, it has always been about flood risk management, the safety of our people and that’s why long ago we channelized the river. Now, we can look at things like flood risk management in the same sentence with ecosystem restoration and recreation.”

Ecosystem restoration projects, like this one, are a major share of the Corps’ workload. The District is also working on water quality improvements and recreation opportunities along the Tres Rios in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz. As Toy mentioned, it is all in keeping with the District’s motto, “BUILDING STRONG and Taking Care of People!”

A sharp kissing sound followed by the press of the shutter.

I have a question unrelated to the image. Where do you get your lunch from? If you’re at work are you bringing it from home? Or are you ordering every day? So far I’ve been cooking almost every day lunch but with recent workload I am thinking of putting a pause on that and just order until the tsunami passes.

#137of365

www.facebook.com/FregoliCotard

www.fregolicotard.tumblr.com/

www.instagram.com/fregolicotard

Through the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, the city has hundreds of community projects proposed, with some already taking shape. One such site, North Atwater Park, hosted a unique ceremony Oct. 9 where a private company donated funds to the non-profit group Friends of the LA River who, in turn, donated $970,000 to the city for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

“The Corps has led a planning process, where we identified problems and opportunities along the river,” said Chief of Planning Division Dr. Josephine Axt. “We’ve narrowed our area of interest to an 11-mile stretch from roughly Griffith Park to downtown. This month, we’re starting our higher headquarters policy compliance review. We’ve done a lot of work that has resulted in alternative plans.”

In regards to the LA River, public safety remains the Corps’ number one priority. That said, there are three significant portions of the river that offer a semi-natural river bed; the Sepulveda Basin, site of the Paddle the LA River Program, the Glendale Narrows and 2.6 miles of soft bottom after the Willow Street drop structure which is an inter-tidal estuary.

“We have always enjoyed a partnership with LA County Flood; it’s been 70 years,” said Col. Mark Toy, Los Angeles District commander. “During that time, it has always been about flood risk management, the safety of our people and that’s why long ago we channelized the river. Now, we can look at things like flood risk management in the same sentence with ecosystem restoration and recreation.”

Ecosystem restoration projects, like this one, are a major share of the Corps’ workload. The District is also working on water quality improvements and recreation opportunities along the Tres Rios in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz. As Toy mentioned, it is all in keeping with the District’s motto, “BUILDING STRONG and Taking Care of People!”

The cab of a MAN truck showing the additional controls when equipped as a Scarab M6 roadsweeper. The driver's workload is considerably more than that of a long-haul truck driver who spends most of the time bashing down motorways, yet the pay is considerably less - discuss

Northern mockingbird at winged sumac. Winged sumac is sometimes called dwarf sumac because of its relatively small height. The photo was taken (handheld at 12x zoom) from the window of my breakfast room. Click on the link to the mockingbird on the Cornell site to hear its song.

Please understand that I can't visit and comment as much as I'd like to because of workload demands.

Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot and of thumbnail size. If you do, I will delete the comment. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.

© All rights reserved. No usage allowed in any form without the written consent of Mim Eisenberg.

Historical photos regarding some of the history of the Des Moines Police Department. I will be adding to these photos as time and workload permits

Jean-Pierre-Eugène-Félicien Peytier (1793-1863) was a French engineer and Army officer. He entered the Polytechnic School in 1811 and the corps of Engineers and Geographers in 1813, becoming a lieutenant in 1817 and a captain in 1827. He worked assiduously on the geodetics for preparing the map of France. A pioneer mountaineer, he was the first to climb several peaks of the Pyrenees, during the time he was in charge of triangulating the area.

When Ioannis Capodistrias was in Paris in October 1827, he asked the French government to provide him with French military officials to act as advisors for the organization of the Greek Army. Thus, on the recommendation of the French Ministry of War, Peytier and three other officers arrived in Greece, in order to train young Greek engineers who would undertake surveying projects, while Peytier himself was to draw the plans for the city of Corinth and the map of the Peloponnese. The work of this Military Mission was complemented by that of the French Scientific Expedition to Greece (1829-1832), the first systematic attempt by an organized team of scientists to study and map Greek territory. Peytier became an official member of the Scientific Expedition in January 1829, in charge of the geodetic works for the map, while concurrently carrying out an important part of the topographical delineations. Although he became ill with fever five times, Peytier remained in the Peloponnese (Morea) in order to complete his work. In April 1831, the triangulation of the Peloponnese had been completed and Peytier, having gained a wealth of data, experience and knowledge of the territory, departed for France. Once home, he worked in the French War Archive, where he was responsible for coordinating the project of drawing the map of the Peloponnese, which was completed in 1832.

In 1833, the Greek government officially expressed its wish that the whole of Greek territory be mapped by French geographers at the Greek State’s expense. Captain Peytier disembarked at Navarino for the second time, and arrived in Athens in April 1833. Over the next three years, despite the hardships of living in the countryside, disease, bandits, an enormous workload (which included the triangulation, topographical delineation and census of the population in Central Greece and Euboea) and complaints about the remuneration, Peytier showed the same consistency and diligence in collecting the necessary material in order to map the Greek State.

Peytier was recalled to France in March 1836. He worked on his material and supervised the works for the publication of the great map of Greece of 1852. At the same time, he contributed articles to various periodicals on geodetic and topographical matters related to the Peloponnese and Central Greece. From 1839 onwards he worked also on the map of France. He became director of the War Archive and was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1852. He died in 1864, aged seventy.

This Album was compiled by Peytier himself and includes his pencil drawings, sepias and watercolours depicting city views, monuments, costumes and people. Peytier seems to prefer Byzantine churches and mosques to Classical ruins. His artistic style is rare for his time, as he avoids idealization and instead promotes fidelity and precision, as an observant scientist and topographer. In all his works a rare sense of colour is evident, while a strain of discreet humour is discernible in many of them. Without exception the plates with Turkish and Egyptian subjects are copies from other works, as Peytier never travelled to Ottoman or Egyptian territories but probably intended to publish an Album on the East.

The edition includes a documented introduction and commentaries by Stelios Papadopoulos and Agapi Sarakatsani, while the original Album is the property of Stephanos Vagliano from Zacynthos.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

Fransız asıllı Jean-Pierre-Eugène-Félicien Peytier (1793-1863) 1811 yılında Teknik Üniversiteye, 1813'te coğrafya mühendisleri topluluğuna kabul edilir. 1817'de üsteğmen, 1827'de ise yüzbaşı rütbesini alır. Fransa haritasının jeodezi çalışmalarında hiç ara vermeden çalıştı ve üçgenleştirilmesi ile görevlendirilmiş olduğu Pirene dağlarının birçok zirvesine ilk çıkışları gerçekleştiren öncü bir dağcı oldu.

1827 yılının Ekim ayında Paris'te bulunan İoannis Kapodistrias, Fransa hükümetinden yunan ordusunun teşkilatlanmasında danışman olarak fransız ordusundan subaylar talep eder. Fransa Harp Bakanlığının önerisi üzerine, kendisinden başka üç tane daha subayla birlikte, Peytier, genç yunanlı mühendisleri eğitmek amacıyla Yunanistan'a gelir. Yunanlı mühendisler topoğrafya çalışmalarını üstlenecek kendisi ise Korint şehrinin krokilerini ve Peloponez yarımadasının haritasını çizecekti. Böylelikle Fransız Bilim Ekibi Yunanistan'a geldiğinde (1829-1832) Peytier buna katılıp (Ocak 1829) haritanın jeodezi çalışmalarını üstlenir. Fransa'nın dış politika faaliyetleri kapsamında Yunanistan'a gönderilen Askerî Heyete önemli bir ek olan bu organize bilim adamı ekibi, Yunanistan coğrafyasının ilk kez olarak bilimsel ve düzenli bir biçimde incelenmesi ve kaydedilmesinde, aynı zamanda da topoğrafya haritalarının büyük bir kısmının çizilmesinde çalıştı. Peytier toplam beş kez yüksek ateşle hastalanır, buna rağmen görevini tamamlamak uğruna Mora'da kalmaya devam eder. 1831 yılının Nisan ayında Peloponez'in üçgenleştirilmesini tamamlamış olan Peytier Yunanistan mekânıyla ilgili sayısız veri, yaşantı ve bilgiler biriktirmiş olarak Fransa'ya döner. Fransız Savaş Arşivinde Peloponez (Mora) haritasının çiziminin tüm aşamalarının koordinasyon ve denetimini üstlenir; bu görev 1832'de tamamlanır.

Yunan hükümeti resmî olarak tüm ülke haritalarının, masraflarını karşılamak üzere, Fransız coğrafyacılar tarafından çizilme isteğini dile getirince, yüzbaşı Peytier ikinci kez Navarin'de karaya çıkıp oradan Atina'ya varır (Nisan 1833). Bunu izleyen üç yılda, kır yaşamının sert koşulları, hastalıklar, haydut belâsı, yapılacak işin dev boyutları (üçgenleştirme, topoğrafya haritası çizimi, Rumeli'nin tümünde ve Eğriboz'da nüfus sayımı) ve maaş ödemelerinde türeyen hoşnutsuzluklara rağmen, üstün bir görev duygusu ve namusla Yunan ülkesinin harita çizimi için gereken verileri derler.

1836 yılının Mart ayında Fransa'ya geri çağrılır, oradaysa biriktirdiği malzemeyi inceler ve Yunanistan'ın büyük haritasının yayını için (1852) yapılan çalışmaları denetir. Bunlara koşut olarak, çeşitli dergilerde, Mora ve Rumeli'nin jeodezi ve topoğrafya konularına ilişkin makaleler yazar. 1839'dan itibaren Fransa haritasının da oluşturulmasında çalışır; Savaş Arşivi müdürlüğüne atanır, 1852'de albay rütbesine yükselir ve 1864 yılında yetmiş yaşına varmışken ölür.

Peytier tarafından derlenmiş olan bu Albüm, kent görünümleri, anıtlar, kıyafetler, portreler sergileyen ve karakalem, sepya mürekkebi ve suluboyayla yapılmış kendi desenlerini içeriyor. Antik harabelerden çok bizans devri kiliseleri ve camilere olan ilgisi yanısıra, idealleştirmeden kaçınan ve, bilim adamı-topoğraf olarak sahip olduğu gözlem yeteneği sayesinde, gerçeğe sadık ve doğruluk dolu olan resim uslubu çağı için nadir olması açısından kayda değerdir. Eserlerin tümünde renkler üzerinde büyük bir duyarlık, bazılarında ise ayrıca hafif bir mizah anlayışı algılamaktayız. Türkiye ve Mısır konulu tablolar tamamen başka ressamların eserlerinden kopya olup albümde bulunmalarının nedeni belki Peytier'nin ileride Doğu ile ilgili bir Albüm yayınlamak amacını gütmesi olabilir. Kendisi bu arada ne Osmanlı topraklarına ne de Mısır'a seyahat etmiş değildi.

Sözkonusu yayında St. Papadopulos ve Agapi Karakaçani tarafından kaleme alınmış etraflı bir giriş yazısı ve yorumlar yer almakta. Albümün orijinali Zakinthos'lu Stefanos Valianos'a aittir.

Yazan: İoli Vingopoulou

Got a conference call with angels. Nice but tough. CYA!

Oh, ya. Even ghost are not what they used to be. Some even have hell phone, you know, the portable device. Need to talk to Nessie about that, someday.

On black? medium - large

Btw... Sorry, I need to stay a bit away from Flickr these days. Workload. I'll catch up when I can :)

Le HSBC PARIS SEVENS (8 au 10 juin 2018 au Stade Jean-Bouin) a officiellement été lancé aujourd’hui à Paris à la Région Île-de-France.

A cette occasion les 16 capitaines hommes et 12 capitaines femmes des équipes participantes au tournoi ont pris la pose autour du trophée de la compétition dans les jardins du Musée Rodin, Paris (Crédit Photo : I.PICAREL/FFR). Ils ont ensuite rejoint les locaux de la Région Île-de-France, partenaire de cette étape parisienne, situés dans le 7ème arrondissement.

Le HSBC Paris Sevens

Ultime étape du circuit mondial de rugby à 7, le HSBC Paris Sevens se déroulera au stade Jean-Bouin à Paris, du vendredi 8 au dimanche 10 juin 2018. Tournoi mixte pour la première fois de son histoire, le HSBC Paris Sevens 2018 accueille les meilleures équipes masculines et féminines du monde.

Avec 79 matches entre 28 équipes en 3 jours, le spectacle sera non-stop sur la pelouse du Stade Jean-Bouin. Dernier tournoi de la saison, les titres des circuits mondiaux masculin et féminin se joueront donc au HSBC Paris Sevens. Les tribunes et le Village des Supporteurs seront également en ébullition pendant 3 jours, avec de nombreuses animations « CRAZY RUGBY » qui seront proposées à tous les spectateurs !

Le programme :

• Vendredi 8 juin de 14h à 21h40 > tournoi Féminin (ouverture des portes au public à 13h30)

• Samedi 9 juin de 9h à 23h > tournoi mixte (ouverture des portes au public à 8h30)

• Dimanche 10 juin de 8h45 à 19h40 > phases finales féminines et masculines (ouverture des portes au public à 8h15)

Le World Rugby Sevens Series 2017-2018 est la 19e édition de la compétition la plus importante du monde de rugby à sept. Elle se déroule du 1er décembre 2017 au 10 juin 2018. L'Afrique du Sud est tenante du titre et l'Espagne est l'équipe promue de la saison.

Au mois d'avril se déroulent les Jeux du Commonwealth 2018 où dix équipes des World Rugby Sevens Series participent. La compétition enchaine ensuite avec la Coupe du monde de rugby à sept en juillet 2018.

Chaque étape est un tournoi se déroulant sur deux ou trois jours, entre le vendredi et le dimanche. À chaque étape est convié une équipe qui ne possède pas le statut d'équipe permanente, portant le nombre total d'équipes à seize.

En fonction du résultat du tournoi précédent, ou du classement de la saison passée pour le premier tournoi de la saison à Dubaï, les équipes sont réparties en chapeaux avant tirage au sort pour former quatre poules de quatre équipes. Chaque équipe joue les trois autres membres de sa poule et un classement est établi, tout d'abord sur le nombre de points (victoire 3 points, nul 2 points, défaite 1 point) puis sur le goal-average général. Les deux premiers de chaque poule passent en quart de finale de la Cup ou tournoi principal et les deux derniers passent en quart de finale du Challenge Trophy. Les équipes vaincues en quart de finale sont alors reversées en demi-finales de classement, respectivement pour la cinquième et treizième place. Les équipes battues en demi-finales ne disputent pas de petite finale de classement et remportent le même nombre de point, sauf pour les équipes battues en demi finales de Cup qui disputeront un dernier match de classement pour la troisième place.

Chaque rencontre, y compris la finale depuis l'édition 2016-2017, se dispute en deux fois sept minutes.

Créée en 2016, l’étape parisienne de rugby à 7 rassemble, de ce vendredi à dimanche, les meilleures nations mondiales pour décider du vainqueur du circuit mondial. Une belle vitrine pour la discipline dans un pays qui ne jure que par le XV.

Dixième étape de la saison, le Paris Sevens clôture ce week-end le circuit mondial de rugby à 7, réunissant les 16 meilleures nations du monde aux quatre coins de la planète. De vendredi à dimanche, dans l’enceinte du Stade Jean Bouin, les équipes masculines feront le spectacle à travers une discipline méconnue en France mais très appréciée dans de nombreux pays. Et, pour la première fois cette année, les équipes féminines ouvriront les festivités.

Une véritable fête du rugby à 7, discipline olympique depuis 2016 et en plein boom grâce à la vitrine que lui ont offert offert les Jeux de Rio. Chez les hommes, outre les nations majeures de l’Ovale comme la Nouvelle-Zélande, l’Australie, l’Angleterre ou les Fidji, le Kenya, le Canada ou encore l’Espagne font leur trou et voient dans cette discipline une chance de développer un sport mineur dans leur pays. Chez les femmes, la Chine, le Japon ou la Russie figurent dans le top 12.

Le crazy rugby à la fête

Créée en 2016, l’étape parisienne est également l’occasion pour la France de développer la discipline dans un pays qui ne jure que par le XV. «Nous sommes fiers de soutenir financièrement ce tournoi et de permettre qu’il existe», a tenu à rappeler le vice-président de la région Île-de-France, Patrick Karam. Et de poursuivre. «La région est également présente dans la sensibilisation. Vendredi, 360 lycéens pourront découvrir la discipline grâce à de nombreuses animations. Il est important pour nous de tout faire pour développer cette pratique, en vue de Paris 2024», a-t-il poursuivi, alors que la conférence de presse de présentation se tenait dans les locaux de la région, dans le 7e arrondissement parisien.

Dernière étape de la saison, le tournoi parisien représente en tout cas une belle vitrine pour la discipline, dans une ville au rayonnement mondial. «C’est formidable de pouvoir clôturer la saison dans une ville aussi magnifique, chez un hôte comme la France», ajoute de son côté Douglas Langley, directeur du tournoi et membre de World Rugby. «Nous nous réjouissons d’avance de ce week-end de ‘crazy rugby’», conclut-il. Et c’est bien là l’atout majeur de la discipline. Spectaculaire, chaque rencontre offre de nombreux essais et des sprints permanents.

Les Bleues veulent briller

Le public parisien, qui vient en nombre à chaque édition, est adepte de cette discipline. Le Stade Jean Bouin était plein en 2016 et 2017, et l’édition 2018, même s’il reste encore des places à vendre, ne dérogera certainement pas à la règle. Pourtant, ce ne sont pas les résultats des Bleus qui font venir les supporters. Malgré une 3e place en 2016, et une 5e en 2017, l’équipe masculine connaît une saison compliquée. 12e sur 16 au classement, les Bleus n’ont pas fait mieux que 7e cette année lors des neuf précédents tournois du circuit.

«Même si nos chances sont moindres, on rentre dans ce tournoi pour le gagner, et on a la chance d’avoir le soutien du public avec nous», déclare Manoël Dall’igna, capitaine de France 7. «Ces deux dernières années on a eu des supers résultats ici et on compte sur le 8e homme pour faire aussi bien», termine-t-il. Cette période de creux, due en partie à de nombreux départs en retraite en 2016, ne touche pas les féminines. 3e du circuit mondial, les coéquipières de Fanny Horta visent le podium à Paris. «On a reçu beaucoup de messages de soutien de la jeune génération, et on veut vraiment profiter de ce soutien pour garder la dynamique de la saison et faire un nouveau podium», confie la capitaine.

Mises en valeur ce week-end, les Bleues représentent «la véritable locomotive du 7 en France avec une très belle réussite sportive», estime Christophe Reigt, manager des équipes de France à 7. Suffisant pour développer la discipline en France ? Quoiqu’il en soit, avec cette étape parisienne, la Fédération se démène pour populariser le 7 dans l’Hexagone, avec un objectif majeur en ligne de mire : les Jeux olympiques de Paris en 2024.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 Awards in Paris brought a fitting end to an enthralling season which saw South Africa and Australia crowned men’s and women’s series champions respectively.

It’s been one of the most competitive seasons on record as both the women’s and men’s series were decided by just two-point differences.

South Africa fought an incredible battle with Fiji in the men’s series to retain their title with victory at the final round in Paris, while Olympic champions Australia won their second overall title ahead of rivals New Zealand on the women’s series after reaching the podium at every one of the five rounds.

The end of season awards provided a chance to celebrate the men’s and women’s sevens players, coaches and teams that are the stars, ambassadors and role models of the sport.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “It has been another tremendous year for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, which continues to go from strength to strength.

“I hugely admire the skill and physicality of rugby sevens and thank the players for their outstanding commitment which makes the series such a success. It is great to see the series capturing the imagination on and off the field with year-on-year increases in attendances, broadcast and fan-engagement figures, and that is a great testament to the players, coaches, host unions and everyone involved with the events.

“Rugby sevens took a quantum leap when it joined the Olympic programme in 2016 and now we look forward to a Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco in just 40 days time in an iconic city and a market with great potential. It promises to be a thrilling and spectacular event.”

the workload. It is a blessing for me to be standing here.”

Rookies of the Year

Eroni Sau is the second Fijian to be named Rookie of the Year for the men’s series after being a clear winner in the fan vote ahead of his compatriot Alosio Naduva and Australia’s Ben O’Donnell. The 28-year-old featured in all 10 rounds in his debut season, using his powerful physique to score 37 tries.

France’s Coralie Bertrand, meanwhile, claimed the women’s accolade, having featured in all five rounds and helped Les Bleues enjoy their best season, reaching a first-ever Cup final in Kitakyushu and semi-finals in Langford and Paris to clinch the series bronze medal.

Fair Play Award

This award, selected by the match officials, recognises the teams who showcase rugby’s values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect. Japan were awarded the women’s accolade after an event that saw them lose their core team status on the series, with Kenya the men’s recipients following an exciting season which saw them reach the final in both Vancouver and Hong Kong.

Roche’s kick with the final play of the match against England to snatch the bronze medal for invitational team Ireland at the HSBC London Sevens was a clear winner of the men’s award, beating Fijian Alosio Naduva’s last-gasp winning try against Australia in the Singapore Cup final and Matias Osadczuk’s break and calm head to send Renzo Barbier over for the winning try in Argentina’s Cup semi-final against South Africa in Las Vegas.

Capgemini Coach of the Series

Another inaugural category, selected by the series’ global innovation partner Capgemini, was won by New Zealand women’s coach Alan Bunting after successive victories in the last three rounds of the series in Japan, Canada and France as well as the Commonwealth Games title in April.

South Africa coach Neil Powell, who guided the Blitzboks to retaining their series title, picked up the men’s coach of the series award and paid tribute to his victorious team: “The mental focus and composure they showed was fantastic, all credit to the boys for believing in their success. We had everything to play for and the team did an incredible job, not just today but over the whole season.

“I also want to congratulate Fiji on an amazing season, they were phenomenal.”

DHL Impact Player

The race to be named DHL Impact Player of the Year in both the men’s and women’s series went right down to the final matches. In total 16 players from 12 nations won tournament awards during this season’s series.

New Zealand’s Michaela Blyde was delighted to win the women’s award: “This is pretty special. I’m shocked and truly grateful. I put this down to my teammates who create the opportunities for me and I thank them.”

La Fédération française de rugby organise, du 8 au 10 juin au stade Jean-Bouin, à Paris 16e, un tournoi international de rugby à 7 masculin et féminin, étape du HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Cette manifestation sportive, soutenue par la Région à hauteur de 170.000€, va rassembler 28 équipes internationales, qui s'affronteront au cours de 45 matchs masculins et 34 matchs féminins.

Le public pourra découvrir à cette occasion, jusque dans sa pratique féminine, une discipline largement méconnue.

Quant au stade Jean-Bouin, qui est l'un des sites retenus pour les JO Paris 2024, il pourra mettre en avant sa capacité d’accueil de 20.000 spectateurs.

Ce tournoi constituant la 10e et dernière étape du circuit mondial, il s'achèvera avec la remise des titres de champion et championne du monde de rugby à 7.

En soutenant l'organisation de tels grands événements sportifs franciliens, la Région Île-de-France renforce chaque fois un peu plus l'attractivité de ses territoires tout en assurant son rayonnement à l'échelle internationale.

Le titre HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series a été décidé de façon spectaculaire après que l'Afrique du Sud a battu l'Angleterre 24-14 en finale du HSBC Paris Sevens pour décrocher la médaille d'or et conserver son titre de série.

Au cours d'une des années les plus compétitives de l'histoire de la série, le titre est allé jusqu'au tout dernier match puisque l'Afrique du Sud avait besoin d'une victoire en tournoi pour dépasser les Fidji dans le classement de la série.

L'Afrique du Sud a terminé la série en tête avec 182 points, suivie des Fidji qui ont remporté l'argent avec 180 points et la Nouvelle-Zélande avec 150 points après avoir remporté la médaille de bronze à Paris avec une victoire de 38-5 contre le Canada dans la troisième place

Les champions de la série de l'année dernière, l'Afrique du Sud, ont devancé l'Espagne 15-10 en quart de finale avec un essai à la cinquième minute de Justin Deguld, après que les pointages aient été 10-10 à la fin du temps réglementaire. Les Blitzboks sud-africains ont ensuite trouvé leur rythme en demi-finale avec une victoire complète de 24-12 contre la Nouvelle-Zélande grâce à deux essais de l'impressionnant Dewald Human, 23 ans, qui a fait ses débuts il y a deux mois à Hong Kong .

Humain était de nouveau en forme de but en finale et était ravi d'être élu Joueur de la Finale: "Ca a été une expérience fantastique ici à Paris, je me suis appuyé sur moi et j'ai apprécié chaque minute sur le terrain. sommes très heureux de la victoire. "

Le capitaine de l'équipe sud-africaine, Philip Snyman, a ajouté: "Nous voulions aller jouer au rugby et nous concentrer sur ce que nous pouvions contrôler: les gars ont joué un rugby phénoménal et ont fait honneur à l'équipe. C'est un sentiment incroyable de représenter un pays si merveilleux et les gens de chez nous n'ont jamais cessé de croire en nous et de nous soutenir. "

Fidjiens ont raté l'occasion de remporter le titre plus tôt dans la journée alors qu'ils ont été vaincus 19-17 par une équipe d'Angleterre pleine d'entrain dans un quart de finale à couper le souffle. Le capitaine de l'équipe d'Angleterre, Tom Mitchell, a complété un mouvement de 26 passes pour marquer dans les dernières secondes du match et mettre un terme à la récente domination des Fidji qui les avait vaincus lors des quatre dernières manches de la série.

Les Fidjiens se sont rétablis pour battre l'Irlande 38-5 et les États-Unis 28-7 pour terminer cinquième à Paris et mettre la pression sur l'Afrique du Sud pour la finale mais finalement ce n'était pas suffisant et les Fidjiens ont été obligés de se contenter des dix tours.

L'Angleterre a produit une autre performance puissante en demi-finale avec une victoire convaincante de 26-12 contre le Canada pour atteindre sa première finale de la série 2017-18, mais ils ont été incapables de faire face aux Blitzboks en finale alors que les hommes d'Afrique du Sud couraient vainqueurs devant une foule parisienne bruyante.

Équipe Invitational L'Irlande a battu 19-5 du quart en quarts de finale, mais après sa médaille de bronze à Londres la semaine dernière, les Irlandais se sont montrés assez prometteurs au cours des deux derniers tours un brillant avenir dans le rugby à sept.

L'Argentine a remporté le Challenge Trophy, décerné à l'équipe terminant en neuvième position, après avoir vaincu le Pays de Galles 33-26.

Toute l'attention se tourne maintenant vers la Coupe du monde de rugby à sept 2018 à San Francisco du 20 au 22 juillet, où 24 équipes masculines et 16 équipes féminines s'affronteront pour devenir championnes du monde au cours de trois journées d'action excitantes.

1. L'AFRIQUE DU SUD : UN TOURNOI À L'IMAGE DE LEUR SAISON

« C'est un tournoi à l'image de leur saison. L'Afrique du Sud gagne le premier tournoi et se retrouve à des moments compliqués. A Paris, elle était en délicatesse en poule, perd contre l'Ecosse (12-14), se met en danger contre l'Espagne en quart de finale (15-10 dans les prolongations, ndlr). Ce n'était pas évident car l'équipe avait dans un coin de la tête que c'était fini par rapport à la saison. Et derrière ça, ils arrivent à se remobiliser après la défaite des Fidji. La défense, c'est la clé des Sud-Africains avec 85% de plaquages réussis et surtout un trio qui a été magique avec Philip Snyman, Ruhan Neil et Werner Kok : 60 plaquages à eux trois. Ce sont les joueurs qui ont été majeurs sur l'ensemble du tournoi. Ils ont un jeu de passes assez nul : 172 passes en six matches, soit 28 en moyenne par match (le Canada en a 307 en six matches, soit 51 en moyenne par rencontre, ndlr). »

2. LES FIDJI À DEUX POINTS DU LEADER

« Ils manquent un peu le tournoi. Ils avaient la possibilité de passer, mais ils ont laissé beaucoup d'énergie dans la poule. La défaite contre le Kenya (19-22) leur fait du mal, ils ont du faire un match plein face à la Nouvelle-Zélande. Ils sont plutôt adeptes à gérer les phases de poule et à accélérer sur les play-offs, donc c'était un peu dur pour eux de retrouver l'énergie nécessaire et de trouver en quart de finale une équipe anglaise qui a été assez incroyable sur la possession de balle. Malgré leur 5e place à Paris, les Fidji ont le titre qui leur passe sous le nez par pas grand chose (deux points derrière l'Afrique du Sud, ndlr).

« Il y a eu de grosses lacunes sur les coups d'envoi : 16% des coups d'envoi récupérés, ce qui est très faible quand on connait la capacité des Fidji (22% en moyenne sur la saison, ndlr). Et alors qu'ils sont les maîtres à jouer dans les turnovers, là ils n'ont récupéré que cinq ballons dans le tournoi de Paris (et en ont perdu six, ndlr). En comparaison, l'Afrique du Sud en a récupéré 14. Les Fidjiens sont très forts sur la récupération de ballon, mais les équipes adverses ont été assez lucides et leur ont donné que peu de ballons. Du coup, les Fidjiens n'avaient pas beaucoup de munitions pour scorer car les équipes en face ont su s'adapter. »

3. L'ANGLETERRE, TOUJOURS PRÉSENTE DANS LES GRANDS MOMENTS

« L'Angleterre fait un très bon tournoi. Sans être exceptionnels, ils ont réussi à passer la phase de poule. Derrière, ils font un exploit contre les Fidji (17-19 en quart de finale, ndlr), puis une défaite en finale contre l'Afrique du Sud 14-24). Ils doivent leur tournoi grâce à un réalisme incroyable : 20 possessions de balle sur 23 dans les 22 mètres ; 87% de réalisme dans les 22 m adverses. Norton, Bibby, Mitchell ont su actionner le jeu anglais. Défensivement, Harry Glover a été l'un des meilleurs joueurs du tournoi. Il n'a que 20 ans et est en train d'exploser et de devenir un joueur majeur sur le système anglais (22 plaquages). Il a supporté l'équipe d'Angleterre sur ce tournoi.

« Ils sont toujours là dans les grands moments : finaliste aux JO, médaille de bronze aux Commonwealth... Ils étaient 9e mondial et ils terminent à la 5e place du classement mondial, sur le fil, à un point de l'Australie (à un point d'écart). Le prochain objectif c'est la Coupe du Monde et en 2019 la quatrième place. Leur saison est parfaitement maîtrisée du point de vue gestion, même s'ils n'ont pas démarré très fort. »

4. L'IRLANDE A SA PLACE SUR LE WORLD SERIES

« Encore une fois elle a montré ses capacités de performance sur le World Series. Elle a été pragmatique. Le rugby à 7, c'est de l'endurance et du cardio. Ils montrent des atouts dignes d'un top 3 du Worl Series. Ils font plus de points que la Russie en deux tournois et sont 15e au classement, juste derrière le Pays de Galles. Défensivement ils sont en tête du classement et Harry McNulty est leur leader défensif (18 plaquages).

« Ils n'ont pas fait le World series en entier, mais c'est une équipe qui est très rigoureuse défensivement. Ils ont étouffé en phase de poule (14-5 sur l'Espagne, 19-19 sur le Pays de Galles et 24-14 sur l'Australie, ndlr). Et même en changeant cinq joueurs de l'effectif initial, ils arrivent toujours à être au haut niveau et à passer le cap et à être performant. L'Irlande a fait une très grosse performance à Paris et sera très dangereuse à la Coupe du Monde.

« Leur objectif numéro 1, c'est l'Europe Series ; le Paris Sevens n'était pas ciblé et pourtant ils y arrivent. Ils battent tout le monde en poule. »

5. L'ESPAGNE : DANGER EN DEVENIR

« Ils gagnent l'Australie (17-10), puis le Pays de Galles (21-14) et font surtout un match monumental contre l'Afrique du Sud en quart de finale où ils perdent à la dernière seconde (15-10). Ils ont encore fait une très belle saison, malgré le manque de réalisme : 45% de réalisme, elle score 10 fois sur 22 (45%). C'est dire tout le potentiel offensif qu'elle a !

« C'est une équipe qui a beaucoup le ballon. Le jour où elle va être efficace offensivement, elle va être dangereuse. »

6. LE CANADA A RÉUSSI À PASSER LE CUT DES DEMI-FINALES

« Le Canada s'est qualifié encore une fois en demi-finale sur le World Series où elle s'incline 26-12 face à l'Angleterre. C'est une quatrième place au Paris Sevens après avoir été impressionnante en phase de poule. Elle n'a eu que 11 pénalités dans le tournoi. Elle a une justesse technique incroyable avec seulement 12 fautes de main sur l'ensemble du tournoi, soit deux par match, ce qui est très propre.

« C'est un jeu de quinziste. Le Canada fonctionne en mode quinziste, mais score derrière. Hirayama a été le meilleur joueur en offload, Douglas a cassé la ligne huit fois, Connor Braid ballon porté... « Le Canada a réussi à passer ce cut pour les demi-finales. »

7. LA FRANCE EN PANNE

« Elle avait réussi à réunir son effectif au complet malgré la blessure de Manoël Dall'Igna. Elle attendait depuis longtemps le tournoi de Paris. Au premier jour, elle est à sa place et a du mal à performer face à l'Angleterre (21-28), aux USA 12-26) et à l'Argentine 28-26) qui sont au-dessus. Elle a réussi à débloquer son compteur de victoires en battant l'Argentine.

« Elle a montré beaucoup de faiblesse défensive, avec 5,4 plaquages manqués par match, contre 3,4 pour l'Espagne. C'est le chantier numéro un pour que la France puisse repasser en Cup.

« En attaque, elle est efficace, même si le point noir est le coup d'envoi : trois manqués contre le Pays de Galles. Quand on n'a pas les ballons en conquête, c'est très compliqué de pouvoir rivaliser. C'est l'équipe qui a été le plus pénalisée du tournoi : 18 pénalités.

« Malgré tout, l'équipe de France a réussi à contenir et n'a pas pris 40-0 comme sur d'autres tournois. La ferveur populaire a permis à la France de rester concentrée à chaque match. Elle a joué avec ses armes et s'est faite contrer par meilleur que soit. »

Congress has been reducing the budget of the Internal Revenue Service even as the IRS workload keeps increasing. How do IRS budget cuts affect the ability of honest taxpayers to comply with the law and the ability of the IRS to enforce the law? What can the IRS do to meet its responsibilities within tighter budget constraints? Can reliance on technology improve enforcement and taxpayer service, and what are the potential drawbacks of substituting automated systems for personnel?

On April 8, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, who summarized the effects of budget cuts and how the IRS is responding. Following the commissioner’s remarks, a panel of experts further explored the consequences of and potential responses to budget cuts.©Paul Morigi Photography

Through the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, the city has hundreds of community projects proposed, with some already taking shape. One such site, North Atwater Park, hosted a unique ceremony Oct. 9 where a private company donated funds to the non-profit group Friends of the LA River who, in turn, donated $970,000 to the city for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.

“The Corps has led a planning process, where we identified problems and opportunities along the river,” said Chief of Planning Division Dr. Josephine Axt. “We’ve narrowed our area of interest to an 11-mile stretch from roughly Griffith Park to downtown. This month, we’re starting our higher headquarters policy compliance review. We’ve done a lot of work that has resulted in alternative plans.”

In regards to the LA River, public safety remains the Corps’ number one priority. That said, there are three significant portions of the river that offer a semi-natural river bed; the Sepulveda Basin, site of the Paddle the LA River Program, the Glendale Narrows and 2.6 miles of soft bottom after the Willow Street drop structure which is an inter-tidal estuary.

“We have always enjoyed a partnership with LA County Flood; it’s been 70 years,” said Col. Mark Toy, Los Angeles District commander. “During that time, it has always been about flood risk management, the safety of our people and that’s why long ago we channelized the river. Now, we can look at things like flood risk management in the same sentence with ecosystem restoration and recreation.”

Ecosystem restoration projects, like this one, are a major share of the Corps’ workload. The District is also working on water quality improvements and recreation opportunities along the Tres Rios in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz. As Toy mentioned, it is all in keeping with the District’s motto, “BUILDING STRONG and Taking Care of People!”