<p>Loch Achray is a small freshwater loch 11 kilometres west of Callander in Stirling district, Scotland.</p><br>
<p>The loch lies between Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar in the heart of the Trossachs and has an average depth of 11 metres. The south side of the loch is wooded and well served by woodland tracks and forest roads. The loch is popular with anglers who fish for brown trout. Loch Achray is well known for its sheltered location, giving rise to placid waters offering magnificent reflections of the woodland to the south, the mountains and forests to the north and the majestic crags of Ben Venue to the west.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Loch Achray was for a time the home of James "Beg" Stewart (c1410-1470) of Baldorran, the son of James Mor Stewart (known as "James the Fat"), who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425. James the Fat would never return to Scotland, and he was unable to inherit the Albany estates, but James "Beag" Stewart was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland. He is the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of Montrose.</p><br>
<p>Stewart had a small hunting lodge on the small island at the west end of Loch Achray, "to which he resorted on any sudden emergency as a place of safety". Alexander Campbell, writing in 1812, tells the following story:</p><br>
<p>It happened that a party of Argyleshire Campbells made an excursion to the Kings forests of Glenartney and Glensinglais, whereof he was the keeper, and killed a great many of the deer and roebucks, without so much as asking the permission of Little James. The Argyleshire hunters, weary with the chase, and returning in quest of some habitation...met little James nearly opposite the small island on which his hut was situated, and inquiring of him what Magpie had built his nest on that island, he answered, One that hath scorned all manner of greedy hawks, from whatever quarter they might chance to come. Tell the magpie from us (said the hunters) that we are no less disposed to hawk than to hunt around his nest; and tell him further, that we shall soon be on this way again, and mean to visit the nest of this vain chatterer: perhaps our hawks may not impress him with a mean opinion of their skill and dexterity in seizing their prey. Little James, somewhat nettled at the threatened visitation, peevishly replied; it may happen, likewise, that this chattering magpie, by the time your hawks have arrived within sight of his nest, by a singular power which he has over the hawks of these wooded mountains and glens, having called them in council, they may be prevailed on to suffer no strange hawks to infringe on their liberties, at least to within the range that they and their ancestors have for a length of time been accustomed. So saying, they parted. In due time the Campbells kept their word; and Little James, having gathered his people from the various glens over which his influence extended, gave the meeting to the Argyleshire party in so warm a manner, that few returned to give an account of the hawking match for which they so merrily departed.</p><br>
<p>The Meia Ponte River  is one of the most important rivers in the state of Goiás, Brazil. Its source lies 60 km north of the city of Goiânia and it flows through that city in a southern direction joining the Paranaíba river just downriver of Cachoeira Dourada Dam. The Paranaíba River marks the border between the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais. The Meia Ponte&#39;s basin furnishes water for 2 million people, fifty percent of the population of the state, and a large part of the economy depends on it.</p><br>
<p>The Meia Ponte receives great amounts of garbage, industrial waste, and untreated sewage greatly reducing the quality of its waters. The city of Goiânia dumps over 90% of its untreated sewage into the river.</p><br>
<p>A preliminary evaluation of water quality downstream from Goiânia indicates that the river has a stretch of 60 kilometers below Goiânia with low levels of dissolved oxygen and therefore a limited capacity to sustain aquatic life or provide conditions for agricultural activity.</p><br>
<p>In addition, the dry summers last up to six months, which means that the Meia Ponte cannot supply all the population that depends on its water. Rationing in the summer is common. Recently a project was initiated to try to recover this important river and a sewage treatment plant is under construction in Goiânia.</p><br>
<p>The Gaylord Building, constructed in 1838 in the downtown historic district of Lockport, Illinois, and on the canalside there, played a pivotal role in the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It is on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and is one of 29 Historic Sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is constructed of yellow limestone, a common construction material in north central Illinois. It has an Italianate three story addition added in 1859. After falling into disrepair, it was the focus of a concerted restoration and preservation effort that began in 1983, which was later noted as setting a model for such efforts.</p><br>
<h2>Background and construction</h2><br>
<p>The Illinois and Michigan Canal, begun in 1836 and finished in 1848, and spanning 96 miles (154 km), was the last link in a waterway connecting the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico via the Port of New Orleans and the Atlantic Ocean via the Port of New York. Lockport, situated about 1/3 of the way from the starting point (the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River) and the end point (LaSalle, Illinois on the Illinois River), was a natural location for canal planning, staging and warehousing operations. The I&M canal headquarters were thus in Lockport.</p><br>
<p>Little progress on canal construction was made during the first two years, due to difficulties in securing supplies and manpower, most of which had to be brought from the East Coast. In the 1830s, this far west, most areas, even a few miles out from major settlements such as Chicago, were essentially wilderness, and Lockport had no warehouse</p><br>
<p>large enough to house all the materials shipped in to foster canal construction, so the canal authorities decided to build one. There was some controversy at the time over the use of state funds to pay for it.</p><br>
<p>The choice of material used, given the frontier nature of the town, was surprising to some. However this area of Illinois has large deposits of yellow limestone, in some cases just below the surface. Some sources say the building uses some stone taken directly from the canal excavation.</p><br>
<p>The building was constructed between May and September 1838 under the supervision of two brothers, Erastus and William Newton, who were contractors on the I&M Canal, at a cost of USD $4,014.29, a substantial sum at the time. Use of yellow limestone may have started a trend.</p><br>
<h2>Warehouse</h2><br>
<p>On completion of the canal in 1848 the building was surplus to requirements, so the Canal Board of Trustees briefly rented, and then sold, the building. It passed through a number of owners, but was owned for a long period in the mid-19th century by George Gaylord (1820–1883), a prominent Lockport merchant,Canal Corridor site, Gaylord history: " Gaylord had been in business long before he came to the building that now bears his name. Like many who rose to prominence in Illinois in the 19th century, George Gaylord had roots in the east. Born in White Hall, New York, Gaylord came to Illinois in 1839, finally settling in Lockport in 1847. Gaylord engaged in a variety of work, including farm laborer, school teacher and blacksmith before he and a partner (Dennis Smith), opened up a dry goods store in 1847. (Smith retired in the fall of 1849.)</p><br>
<p>During the Civil War Gaylord went into the grain business in a big way, handling up to 400,000 bushels a year. According to one account, he was the first in Lockport to buy grain at legal weights, eventually convincing others to do the same. For a time Gaylord also owned Oak Hill Quarry just south of Lockport.</p><br>
<p>In 1878 Gaylord bought the building from George B. Martin, the man behind the 1859 storefront addition." Shortly after Gaylord’s death Norton & Company, who owned other properties in Lockport, bought the building for $7,500. The many warehouses in Lockport were quite busy.</p><br>
<p>The 1859 addition was in a significantly different style. The property continued to change hands, going through many uses, as a warehouse, machine shop, foundry, printing facility, and finally (with an addition of a third story on the original section) a plumbing supply warehouse.</p><br>
<h2>Restoration</h2><br>
<p>In 1983 Gaylord Donnelley, George Gaylord&#39;s multimillionaire grandson and the retired chairman of Chicago’s R. R. Donnelley & Sons publishing house, became interested in the building (reportedly on the urging of his niece). He formed a private development company, The Gaylord Lockport Company, named for Donnelley’s grandfather, and spent four years and $2.8 million restoring the derelict building to its former beauty, including removing the third story and restoring the roofline as it was in 1859.</p><br>
<p>At the same time, impetus was growing for the creation of a Heritage Corridor to document, preserve and interpret the I&M Canal, and in 1984 President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation to create it. In 1987 the building opened to the public, featuring the Public Landing restaurant and a museum featuring canal exhibits. Reagan recognized the Gaylord Building and the project by personally presenting Mr. Donnelley with a President’s Award for Historic Preservation, and the project and became a model for preserving historic sites for new uses.</p><br>
<h2>Management and location</h2><br>
<p>The National Trust for Historic Preservation now owns the Gaylord Building Historic Site and the Canal Corridor Association manages it as part of the Lockport National Historic District</p><br>
<p>. The building is a hub of canal exhibits, tours and programs. The canal trail runs past the building along the old canal towpath, and it leads visitors to other parts of historic downtown Lockport, including the Norton Building, home to the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery.</p><br>
<p>Gallipolis Island is an island on the Ohio River along the bank at Gallipolis, Ohio and across from Mason County, West Virginia, USA.</p><br>
<p>Although located within the boundaries of West Virginia, Gallipolis Island historically belonged to the city of Gallipolis, Ohio until the city and a private landowner, Michael Hoeft, from Milton, W.Va., donated their ownership shares of the island in 2016 to the.</p><br>
<p>The land trust protects the island as essential habitat for fish, mussels, birds and other animals, as well as for public recreation.</p><br>
<p>The intends to stabilize stream banks to keep it from eroding—the island was once more than 85 acres, but erosion reduced its size over the years to just a few acres.</p><br>
<p>Once the West Virginia Land Trust completes its restoration, after 10 years, the island’s ownership will be transferred to the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Service for its inclusion in the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, a collection of 22 protected islands along the 362-mile stretch of the Ohio River from Pennsylvania to Kentucky.</p><br>
<p>"According to information collected from Gallia County Historical Society Director Mary Lee Marchi, when the original French 500 found Gallipolis Island in 1770, they discovered wild grapes. Those grapes were then used to produce a local wine which may have been considered one of the town’s first exported products.</p><br>
<p>In the 1840s, the island was turned into a kind of resort with beach access, a picnic area and a playground. In the 1860s, steamboats were made on the island."</p><br>
<p>Read a West Virginia Land trust about Gallipolis Island.</p><br>
<p>Camden State Park is a state park on the Redwood River in southwestern Minnesota near Marshall. It is used for picnics, camping, hiking, and other outdoor recreation.</p><br>
<p>The park was acquired in 1934, and development started in 1935 with workers from the Veterans Conservation Corps, an offshoot of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The landscape design in the park was planned by the National Park Service, and the master-planned development allowed the Redwood River to determine the placement of various functional areas in the park. After the VCC finished their development in 1936, the Works Progress Administration dismantled the VCC camp buildings and built the Swimming Instructor&#39;s Cabin and the Ice and Wood House. Thirteen buildings and structures, built by the VCC and the WPA, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p><br>
<p>Silver Star Mountain is an extinct volcano in the southwestern Cascade Mountains in the USA state of Washington, named for the pattern of five prominent ridges that radiate from the summit in the shape of a star. The two peaks of the mountain dominate the horizon east of Vancouver, Washington. The mountain is the focus of the Silver Star Scenic Area. In September 1902 Silver Star Mountain was the center of the Yacolt Burn, the largest fire in Washington history until 2014, which took 38 lives and burned over 238,000 acre The smoke was so thick that street lights glowed at noon in Seattle 160 mi away.</p><br>
<p>With the loss of vegetative ground cover, a series of rockslides occurred on the slopes of Silver Star Mountain and neighboring uplands that also were affected by the fire. The result is a landscape that has resisted natural reforestation for more than a century. Wildflowers and other species of flora that thrive above the timberline, elsewhere in Washington, are found here despite the altitude being 2,000 ft lower than the timberline usually is in the region.</p><br>
<p>Silver Star Mountain is the center of a pluton of magma that was injected into the area 20 million years ago and cooled to solid rock under the surface, producing small deposits of gold, zinc, copper, zeolites, quartz and calcite. Small abandoned gold mines can be found in creek bottoms throughout the area. E.A. Dole, an early settler, struck silver on the mountain in 1874. He named the mine Silver Star Quartz Ledge. The ore gathered was assayed at 41.17 silver and 63.72 lead per ton.</p><br>
<p>The higher north peak was once the site of a fire lookout. There is an unobstructed 360 degree view of the entire Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, as well as views of the Columbia River Gorge, the Pacific Coast Range, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and Mount Jefferson.</p><br>
<p>The area is accessed from the west by a trailhead on County Grade Road 1200 at Grouse Creek Vista, which is a pass between Silver Star Mountain and Larch Mountain. Forest Road 4109 scales the northern ridge to a trailhead 1.9 mi from the summit.</p><br>
<p>The highest point in Clark County, Washington, is Sturgeon Rock, a basalt outcrop that lies on the county line just west of the Silver Star summit. For many years an error on United States Geological Survey topographical maps has misnamed a broad wooded peak lower on the ridge near the Tarbell Trail as Sturgeon Rock.</p><br>
<p>Mount Subasio is a mountain of the Apennine mountains, in the province of Perugia, Umbria, central Italy. On its slopes are located the ancient towns of Assisi and Spello.</p><br>
<p>The mountain stands about 1290 metres above sea level.</p><br>
<p>Its pink colored stones were used for many Franciscan buildings at the World Heritage site of Assisi. The area is included in the natural park Parco del Monte Subasio.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Castle Sasso Rosso ("Redrock") on the slope of Mount Subasio was the site of Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Agnes of Assisi&#39;s childhood since according to tradition they were the daughters of Favorino Scifi, Conte of Sasso-Rosso, the wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a large palace in Assisi as well.</p><br>
<p>The Benedictine Abbot of St. Benedict of Monte Subasio gave the little church of Porziuncola around 1208 to St. Francis of Assisi, on condition of making it the mother house of his religious family.</p><br>
<h2>Sources and references</h2><br>
<p>Wilson Peak is a 14,023 ft mountain peak in the USA state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest, in the southern San Juan Mountains. It is the highest point in San Miguel County.</p><br>
<p>Its base is accessible by four wheel drive roads 11 mi west of Telluride, Colorado.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Wilson Peak is in the western part of the San Juan Mountains. The western San Juans are also known as the San Miguel Mountains or the Wilson Massif. Two additional fourteen thousand foot peaks are within 2 mi of its summit: Mount Wilson (14,256 ft) and El Diente Peak (14,159 ft). Gladstone Peak (13,913 ft) is located on the ridge between Wilson Peak and Mount Wilson.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>Wilson Peak is climbed by hundreds each year, primarily in summer months, but winter ascents are not unusual and sometimes serve as the beginning of backcountry skiing descents. Summer ascents of the peak are considered Class 3 technical climbs, meaning that scrambling over rock is required (with hand holds being used for balance) and ropes typically not employed.</p><br>
<p>The easiest traditional route begins at the end of the Silver Pick Road, climbs south through Silver Pick Basin to the Rock of Ages Saddle (between Silver Pick and Navajo Basins) at 13,100 ft, then east to 13,200 ft on the saddle between Gladstone and Wilson Peaks, then finally northeast to the summit. Round trip distance is 8 mi. Use of this route has come into question since 2004 when private landowners failed to come to an agreement with the US Forest Service regarding hiking access. Government signs now warn against trespassing along the traditional route.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The stately and classically mountainous profile of Wilson Peak as viewed from the East and North has led to its use as a symbol of rugged mountains in advertising. Wilson Peak features prominently in many television advertisements for Coors Brewing Company which is located in Golden, Colorado. The Jeep automobile corporation also often uses Wilson Peak as a backdrop in its television commercials, particularly in advertisements for its off-road models.</p><br>
<p>Wilson Peak is featured prominently in Quentin Tarantino&#39;s movie The Hateful Eight.</p><br>
<p>Because of its proximity to Telluride, Colorado, many local companies and festivals use images of Wilson Peak in the advertising to convey the beauty and mountainous nature of the area.</p><br>
<p>The Taft Museum of Art is a historic house museum holding a fine art collection in Cincinnati. It is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and is a contributing property to the Lytle Park Historic District.</p><br>
<p>The Taft house was first built for Martin Baum and then was the residence of Nicholas Longworth. David Sinton lived in the house with his daughter Anna, who married Charles Phelps Taft, the half-brother of President William Howard Taft. The Tafts lived in the house from 1873 until 1929. William H. Taft accepted his presidential nomination there from its portico in 1908. The Tafts were avid art collectors. They turned their home into a museum, and donated their Greek Revival house and the collection of art that filled it to the people of Cincinnati in 1927. In the Tafts&#39; deed of gift they stated, "We desire to devote our collection of pictures, porcelains, and other works of art to the people of Cincinnati in such a manner that they may be readily available for all." The Taft Museum opened to the public on November 29, 1932.</p><br>
<p>The museum&#39;s collections include European old master paintings, with works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Thomas Gainsborough, Frans Hals, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, and Adriaen van Ostade, among others, and 19th-century American paintings, including the well known murals by Robert Duncanson. The galleries in the historic house also include Chinese porcelains, European decorative arts, Limoges enamels, watches, sculptures, and furniture.</p><br>
<p>Collection highlights include:</p><br>
<p>Joaquin Sorolla, Portrait of Mr. Taft, President of the United States, 1909.</p><br>
<p>Frank Duveneck, The Cobbler&#39;s Apprentice, 1877.</p><br>
<p>Henry Farny, Song of the Talking Wire, 1904.</p><br>
<p>Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair, 1633.</p><br>
<p>J. M. W. Turner, Europa and the Bull, ca. 1840–50.</p><br>
<p>James Abbott McNeill Whistler, At the Piano, 1858–59.</p><br>
<p>Anonymous author of the 13th century, Virgin and Child, from Paris, Abbey of Saint-Denis, ca. 1260–80.</p><br>
<p>Olivuccio di Ciccarello, Madonna nursing the Child with Saints.</p><br>
<p>Frans Hals, Portrait of Seated Man Holding Hat.</p><br>
<p>Gerard Terborch, Sleeping Soldier.</p><br>
<p>Jeronymus Van Diest, Sailboats On River with Fisherman.</p><br>
<p>Corot, Evening:Festival of Pan.</p><br>
<p>Charles Daubigny, Evening on Oise.</p><br>
<p>An appreciable collection of Limoges enamel paintings.</p><br>
<p>The museum reopened in May 2004 after an extensive renovation. The expansion includes a museum shop, the Carl H. Lindner Family Café, and a lecture and performance space, Luther Hall.</p><br>
<p>Black Mountain is a summit on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of west Santa Clara County, California, south of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and west of Cupertino; it is within the Palo Alto city limits though not near the developed part of the city. It is located on the border between Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, with the summit located in the former. Early Spanish explorers commonly named tree- or chaparral-covered summits which look black in the distance Loma Prieta, from the Spanish .</p><br>
<p>The Spanish also called the middle portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains the Sierra Morena meaning (morena-brunette, sierra-mountain range), extending from Half Moon Bay Road (California State Route 92) south to a gap at Lexington Reservoir, and which includes a summit called Sierra Morena.</p><br>
<p>There are over 100 "Black Mountains" in California.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>After extensive logging operations in the nineteenth century, Italian farmers and winemakers settled on the flanks of Montebello Ridge. Dairies in the Santa Cruz Mountains supplied much of the milk for San Francisco and the Peninsula. There was a large dairy near what is now the Montebello Open Space Preserve&#39;s main parking area on Page Mill Road, and cattle freely grazed the slopes of Black Mountain. Ranch buildings dotted the landscape.</p><br>
<p>Oseo Perrone, a physician and immigrant from Mattarana, La Spezia Province, Italy, came to San Francisco in 1881, became interested in viticulture and purchased a large ranch at 2,600 ft on Black Mountain in 1885 where he, and then his nephew of the same name, began production of Montebello Winery (now Ridge Vineyards) wine in 1892.</p><br>
<p>George Morell, founding publisher of the Palo Alto Times and a Trustee of Stanford University, bought the Black Mountain Ranch on the mountain&#39;s summit in 1940. “Nature in the raw” is what led Mr. Morell to buy Black Mountain Ranch, according to his essay, “History of Black Mountain and Monte Bello Ridge,” written in 1959. Morell donated the land comprising the former Johnson, Winship, Morell ranches to Stanford University.</p><br>
<p>In 1975, when the Black Mountain Ranch lands were acquired by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) from Stanford, a commune of about 100 people, called "The Land", were evicted. The Land lived along the Canyon Trail from Page Mill Road to Indian Creek and built a variety of dwellings on platforms scattered amongst the oak woodlands and secluded canyons. A large ranch building was used as a central dining hall, and maintained a woodworking shop, a stained-glass workshop, and a food store selling bulk items. Commune members grew their own food in gardens, engaged in artistic pursuits, and gathered for holiday dinners and celebrations.</p><br>
<p>Three creeks, each with an interesting history, spring from Black Mountain and flow to southwest San Francisco Bay.</p><br>
<p>Stevens Creek originates in the Montebello Open Space Reserve on the west flank of the mountain and flows southeast then north to the Bay. Stevens Creek was originally called Arroyo San José de Cupertino by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza, who camped along the creek on his expedition from Monterey to San Francisco. Anza completed the first overland route to San Francisco Bay when he and Father Pedro Font sighted the bay from a prominent knoll near the entry of Rancho San Antonio County Park. In Anza&#39;s diary on March 25, 1776, he states that he "arrived at the "Arroyo San José de Cupertino", which is useful only for travelers. Here we halted for the night, having come eight leagues in seven and a half hours. From this place we have seen at our right the estuary which runs from the port of San Francisco." The Arroyo San José de Cupertino became Cupertino Creek, but was later re-named for Elijah Stephens (how his name was misspelled is unknown), a South Carolina-born blacksmith and trapper who settled on Cupertino Creek in 1848. Stephens renamed his 160 acre property at the base of Black Mountain "Blackberry Farm". Stephens is notable for being the captain of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada (two years before the ill-fated Donner Party).</p><br>
<p>Adobe Creek, originally named Yeguas Creek then San Antonio Creek, flows down Black Mountain&#39;s north flank to the Bay at the Palo Alto Flood Basin, just west of the Bay Trail on the levee separating it from Charleston Slough. The founders of Adobe Systems, a software company, lived next to Adobe Creek in Los Altos, and named their company after the creek. The upper watershed of Adobe Creek is protected by the Hidden Villa, a nonprofit educational organization founded by Frank and Josephine Duveneck, who purchased the land in 1924 and offered it as a gathering place for discussion, reflection, and incubation of social reform. Over the following decades, the Duvenecks established the first Hostel on the Pacific Coast (1937), the first multiracial summer camp (1945), and Hidden Villa’s Environmental Education Program (1970).</p><br>
<p>Permanente Creek, named Río Permanente by early Spanish explorers because of its perennial flow, descends the east flank of Black Mountain then courses north to the Bay at the Mountain View Slough. Permanente Creek is also the namesake for Kaiser Permanente. Bess Kaiser and her spouse, industrialist Henry Kaiser, had a lodge on the creek&#39;s headwaters above the large Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant, and, in 1945, Bess felt that the name of their attractive and dependable stream would be a good name for their medical program at the shipyards. That medical program became Kaiser Permanente.</p><br>
<h2>Habitat and wildlife</h2><br>
<p>Rainfall on the summit of Black Mountain averages 40 in per year, much higher than the Santa Clara Valley which lies in its rain shadow.</p><br>
<p>From its name, Black Mountain&#39;s dark summit was once covered with forest or chaparral instead of the current grasslands. Evidence of a large historic Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) forest includes the "Skid Road Trail" in the Stevens Creek valley west of Black Mountain. Nineteenth century loggers used oxen to drag huge firs and smaller Tanbark oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) trees along the trail. "Skids" were flat-topped logs doused with water to reduce friction. Although the summit today is mostly grassland and oak, the Stevens Creek valley contains the last remaining Douglas-fir forest in Santa Clara County. Until the 1975 conversion of Black Mountain to open space by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, forest succession was inhibited by grazing dairy cattle. Today, saplings sown by large remnant Douglas-fir trees are distributed widely over the mountain in an example of forest succession.</p><br>
<p>The Monte Bello ridges grasslands include California poppy, checker mallow, purple owls-clover, bluedicks, and blue-eyed grass. Large mammals on the ridge include coyotes, bobcats, deer, badgers and mountain lions. Common raptors include red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and American kestrels, and less commonly, rough-legged hawks, prairie falcons, merlins, and golden eagles can be seen during fall and spring migratory seasons. Monte Bello hosts a wide variety of owl species, including great horned, barn, pygmy, long-eared, western screech, and northern saw-whet. Secretive Virginia rails (Rallus limicola) inhabit the sag pond at the beginning of the Canyon Trail.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The geology of the mountain is complex and has features different from the rest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The San Andreas Fault runs along the base of Monte Bello Ridge, of which Black Mountain is the highest point at 2,812 ft. It is the second highest summit on the Sierra Morena portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains, after Castle Rock at 3,214 ft. Everything west of the San Andreas fault rides to the northwest on the Pacific Plates Salinian Block, which is made up largely of Mesozoic-era granitic rocks, similar to those of the Sierra Nevada, and overlain by more recent sedimentary rocks of marine origin. East of the fault, the North American Plate rides to the southeast, and here the bedrock is the Franciscan Assemblage, made up of rocks common in the Bay Area such as sandstone, basalt, and metamorphics. On the very summit of Black Mountain are Calera limestone rocks which are relatively unique in the Bay Area. Microfossils in the limestone deposits suggest that the mountain originated as a seamount at 22 degrees north in the tropical Pacific about 100 million years ago and was transported to Los Altos by the Pacific Plate. These rocks occur as jagged gray boulders and outcrops just southwest of the radio towers on the summit, as well as in the large Permanente Quarry downhill east of the preserve where the limestone is mined to produce cement. Calera is the Spanish word for limekiln&#39;, reflecting how limestone was burned historically to produce lime, a key ingredient for mortar. The summit is also unusual as it is higher than the Skyline Ridge to the west, allowing a view of the ocean on a clear day.</p><br>
<p>Small quantities of gold and mercury have been mined from the mountain. Legend has it that a lone Indian eked out a living on gold extracted from a "lost mine". The location has since been lost.</p><br>
<h2>Black Mountain today</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is a popular destination for hikers and mountain bikers. The summit is most easily accessed from the Monte Bello parking area on Page Mill Road, via a 2.5 mi route from about 2,200 ft. The summit can also be reached from the northwestern entrance of Rancho San Antonio on Rhus Ridge Road in Los Altos Hills by a 5 mi route from about 400 ft. This strenuous hike is not recommended for novice or beginning hikers.</p><br>
<p>The summit can also be reached by Montebello Road which begins near the Stevens Creek Reservoir. This maintained road can be followed most of the way to the summit. It has an average grade of 15% and while it is open to motor vehicles the traffic is comparatively light. On the summit there are two broadcasting stations. One is a private radio station owned by Stanford University, and the other is owned by the Federal Aviation Administration.</p><br>
<p>There are several wineries along Montebello Road, including Ridge Vineyards, Fellom Ranch Vineyards and Picchetti Brothers Winery.</p><br>
<p>Fort Gorges is a former United States military fort built on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. Built from 1858 to 1864, no battles were fought there and no troops were stationed there. Advancing military technology, including iron clad ships and long range guns, made the fort obsolete before it could be used. The fort is now a park, accessible only by boat. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Following the War of 1812, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed that a fort be built on Hog Island Ledge, in Casco Bay at the entrance to the harbor at Portland, Maine. Named for the colonial proprietor of Maine, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, it was constructed to support existing forts, including Fort Preble in South Portland and Fort Scammel built on nearby House Island in 1808. Congress, however, did not fund construction of Fort Gorges until 1857. The walls of the fort were begun the next year, and when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, work quickly advanced.</p><br>
<p>The fort was designed by Colonel Reuben Staples Smart. The chief architect in charge of construction was Thomas Lincoln Casey, who later became Chief of Engineers. It is similar in size and construction to Fort Sumter, but is built of granite instead of brick.</p><br>
<p>The fort was completed in 1865 as the war ended. Modern explosives made the fort obsolete by the time it was completed. A modernization plan was begun in 1869, but funding was cut off in 1876, with the third level of the fort still unfinished. During the modernization project, sod-covered sand was added to the top level of the fort to protect gun encasements and powder magazines from attacks.</p><br>
<p>The Forts armament consisted of thirty-four 10-inch Rodman guns mounted in the forts casemates. In 1898, all guns were removed from the fort except a large 300-pounder (10 in) Parrott rifle which was on the top of the fort but not mounted. The 300-pounder Parrott rifle still remains in place and is one of the largest surviving specimens of Civil War vintage artillery.</p><br>
<p>The fort was last used by the Army during World War II, when it was used to store submarine mines.</p><br>
<p>It was acquired by the city of Portland in 1960 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is now open to the public as a park, and is accessible only by private boat or hired water taxi, including Atlantic Water Taxi which offers a specially designed land craft for beach landings. Visitors are recommended to carry a flashlight to enter the powder magazines. The fort is in need of restoration.</p><br>
<p>Charles Mound is a gentle, 1,235 ft high hill in northern Jo Daviess County, Illinois, near the small town of Scales Mound and 11 mi northeast of Galena. It is the highest natural point in the state; thus, it is considered a highpoint.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Charles Mound is the highest natural point in Illinois. (The highest point is the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.) The top of the hill is about 0.25 mi from the Wisconsin border. It is within the Driftless Area, a region of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that was not covered or ground down by the last continental glaciers. The hill itself is an erosional remnant, similar to that on which the original village site of Scales Mound was located.</p><br>
<h2>Settlement</h2><br>
<p>Elijah Charles, one of the region&#39;s first permanent settlers, arrived in 1828 and settled at the base of the mound and the hill assumed his name.</p><br>
<h2>Access</h2><br>
<p>Charles Mound is located on rolling farmland. The land owners, Jean and Wayne Wuebbels, allow public access only on the respective first full weekends of the months of June, July, August, and September.</p><br>
<p>United Office Building, now known as the Giacomo, is a historic Mayan Revival, a subset of art deco, skyscraper located in Niagara Falls, New York, US.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The United Office Building was designed by architect James A. Johnson of Esenwein & Johnson, one of the most successful architectural firms in Buffalo at the time. It was built by Frank A. Dudley, president of the United Hotels Company of America (later United Hotels of America), and completed in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression. The building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown Niagara Falls. It is constructed of steel and brick with a terra-cotta facade. The building&#39;s Mayan Revival art deco elements of sculpture and pressed terra-cotta brick draw inspiration from the iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.</p><br>
<p>The upper five stories of the building include two floors of approximately 3,000 square feet and three top floors of approximately 1,000 square feet each, which were constructed to house mechanical and elevator equipment.</p><br>
<p>The United Office Building, at 20 stories, was the tallest building in Niagara Falls until 2005, when it was surpassed in height by the nearby Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel. The top floors offer spectacular views of the American and Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls.</p><br>
<h2>Renovation</h2><br>
<p>The building was abandoned in the 1980s and was vacant for over 15 years.</p><br>
<p>In 2004, the building was purchased by the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary to the States Economic Development Agency, for one dollar. Carl Paladinos Ellicott Development Co. undertook extensive renovations of the building, totaling $10 million. In 2010, after the renovation, the building was renamed The Giacomo Hotel and Residences, and now houses 27 apartments, office space, and a 38-room hotel, the Giacomo.</p><br>
<p>The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.</p><br>
<p>Great Blue Hill  is a hill of 635 feet  located within the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton and Canton, Massachusetts 10 miles  southwest of downtown Boston. It is the highest point in Norfolk County. The modern name for the hill was given by early European explorers who, while sailing along the coastline, noticed the bluish hue of the exposed granite faces when viewed from a distance . The Blue Hills&#39; eastern slopes face the ocean and lie within Quincy. The area attracted quarrying for its "blue granite".</p><br>
<p>The name of the Massachusett Indian tribe and their language (and thus the name of the Bay, Colony, Commonwealth/State, etc.) derive from the Massachusett name for the hill: massa-adchu-es-et, where massa- is "large", -adchu- is "hill", -es- is a diminutive suffix meaning "small", and -et is a locative suffix, identifying a place.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The north and west sides of Great Blue Hill drain into the Neponset River, and thence into Boston Harbor. The south and east sides of Great Blue Hill drain into the Blue Hill River, thence into the Farm River, Monatiquot River, Weymouth Fore River, and into Boston Harbor.</p><br>
<p>Its summit is the highest point in Norfolk County and also the highest within 10 miles of the Atlantic coast south of central Maine. For this reason, American meteorologist Abbott Lawrence Rotch chose Great Blue Hill as the site for an observatory, which became known as the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory after its completion in 1885. Rotch conducted ground-breaking studies of the atmosphere at Blue Hill for many years, and meteorological data is still gathered at the site. From the Eliot Tower at the summit, the city of Boston and many of the surrounding hills of the Milton and Canton area are visible.</p><br>
<h2>Other information</h2><br>
<p>Great Blue Hill, and the Blue Hills Reservation in general, is a popular hiking destination, valued as much for its splendid trails and views as for its proximity to the metropolitan area. There is also alpine skiing available at Blue Hills Ski Area, consisting of eight trails served by a double chair and two surface lifts.</p><br>
<p>There is a steep paved road to the top, with gradients up to 16%, but is generally closed to cars except for employees of the weather observatory. The road is however open to hikers and cyclists.</p><br>
<p>The well-known Boston public television and radio station WGBH takes its call letters from Great Blue Hill, the original location of the station&#39;s FM and TV transmitters. WGBH-FM still transmits from the site, though the TV station moved its antenna to a taller tower in the 1960s. The NOAA Weather Radio station serving Metro and Greater Boston and adjacent coastal waters, KHB35, also transmits atop the hill.</p><br>
<p>In 1980, the hill was the subject of a prank by WNAC-TV&#39;s news department, where it was alleged that the former volcano was erupting.</p><br>
<p>Great Blue Hill and the Blue Hills Reservation is the last remaining area in Greater Boston where the timber rattlesnake and copperhead can be found. The snakes are so rare in the state that they are rarely encountered by people. They are both considered endangered, making it illegal to harass, kill, collect, or possess.</p><br>
<p>Loch Tummel  is a long, narrow loch, 7 kilometres north west of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The loch is approximately 11 kilometres long from east to west, and is just under 1 kilometre wide. It became part of the Tummel Hydro-Electric Power Scheme when the Clunie Dam was constructed by Wimpey Construction at its eastern end in 1950, raising the water level by 4.5 metres. The loch is traversed by roads on both north and south banks, offering splendid views of the surrounding countryside. The best is probably the well-known Queens View&#39; from the north shore, which Queen Victoria made famous in 1866, offering a magnificent vista over the loch with Schiehallion in the background. It is also claimed that the view was originally named after Queen Isabel, wife of Robert the Bruce.</p><br>
<p>Above the head of the loch, Tummel Bridge crossing the River Tummel actually has two bridges. The original bridge built by General Wade in 1730 has a modern replacement alongside carrying the traffic from Aberfeldy. Notable visitors who have stayed in this area include Mendelssohn and Swinburne. The northern side of the loch has many duns, forts and cairn circles. At the eastern end, high in Glen Fincastle to the north, sits Fincastle House, a 17th-century seat of a branch of the Stewarts, with links to the 1745 rebellion. At the head of the glen are the standing stones of Clachan Aoraidh in the Allean Forest.</p><br>
<h2>Leisure use</h2><br>
<p>The loch is popular with anglers who fish for trout. Loch Tummel Sailing Club (LTSC) is based at Foss on the south west shore of the loch. The Loch is also very popular with campers during the spring and summer.</p><br>
<p>White House Farm, also known as White House Tavern and the Dr. John McCormick House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Jefferson County, West Virginia, near the small town of Summit Point, about six miles from Charles Town, West Virginia. The farm consists of a ca. 1740 farmhouse, a stone barn , a springhouse of about the same age, a wooden curing shed, and 60+ acres of pasture and woods. The farm is one of the oldest in the county and has a rich history.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In May 1740, Dr. John McCormick, a Scots-Irish immigrant, purchased 395 acre from Jost Hite, a German land developer who had obtained 30,000 acres (120 km²) from John and Isaac Van Metre. By 1742, Dr. McCormick had built a three-story stone farmhouse. He was a prosperous and prominent country doctor, as evidenced by the inventory of his estate completed upon his death in 1768. He and his wife Ann had six sons (James, Francis, John Jr., William, George, and Andrew) and two daughters (Mary, wife of Magnus Tate, and Jean, wife of James Byrn). George Washington completed a survey of McCormick’s land in 1752 and James McCormick served as the chain carrier and John Jr. as the pilot on several of George Washingtons early surveys. White House Farm was noted for the horses bred there during Dr. McCormicks lifetime.</p><br>
<p>Upon Dr. McCormicks death in 1768, the farm was bequeathed to his youngest son, Andrew. During the Revolutionary War, Andrew and his wife Nancy provided food, lodging, and horses to Washingtons troops. After the war, Andrew apparently operated an inn on the farm, for he paid for an "ordinary” license on February 18, 1794. For such an endeavor, the site benefited from its location on the most direct route between Frederick, Maryland and Winchester, Virginia.</p><br>
<p>On September 9, 1807, Andrew sold the farm to John Locke and John’s brother George managed the ordinary, which had become known as White House Tavern. By 1845, Eleanor Locke, John’s daughter, was living in the house with her husband, Joseph Morrow, a farmer who also operated a blacksmith shop across the road near the springhouse during the Civil War. During the Civil War, Major Harry Gilmor, Confederate States Army and his men were attacked by a group of Union soldiers led by Captain George Somers as the Confederates were resting in front of the house. Major Gilmor shot and killed Captain Somers as his men took cover behind the barn. The house was renovated in the late 1800s by the Morrows and subsequent owners added a few rooms.</p><br>
<p>Between 1929 and 1940 the farm was owned by Luther and Lelia Naylor, who converted the stone stable into a milking barn and constructed a silo. The black and white photograph shows the house as it appeared in the 1930s. This dairy operation continued until about 1950 when Col. and Mrs. Edward Blake purchased the property, which was passed on to John and Alice Blake Van Tol in 1974.</p><br>
<p>Zakynthos  or Zaente , is a city and a former municipality on the island of Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zakynthos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Zakynthos. Apart from the official name Zakynthos, it is also called Chora , a common denomination in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the principal town.</p><br>
<p>The municipal unit of Zákynthos lies in the easternmost part of the island and has a land area of 45.788 km² and a population of 16,810 at the 2011 census. It is subivided into the communities Zakynthos (pop. 9,773), Ampelokipoi (1,930), Argasi (1,266), Vasilikos (799), Gaitani (1,899) and Bochali (1,143). The municipal unit also includes the Strofades islands, which lie about 50 km south of Zákynthos Island.</p><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Dionysios (16th century), patron saint of Zakynthos</p><br>
<p>Pavlos Carrer (1829–1896), composer</p><br>
<p>Ugo Foscolo (1778–1827), writer, revolutionary and poet</p><br>
<p>Andreas Kalvos (1792–1869), poet</p><br>
<p>Dionysios Solomos (1798–1857), poet</p><br>
<h2>International relations</h2><br>
<h3>Twin towns – sister cities</h3><br>
<p>Zakynthos is twinned with:</p><br>
<p>Limassol, Cyprus</p><br>
<p>Serravalle, San Marino</p><br>
<p>Kiryat Bialik, Israel</p><br>
<p>Gannett Glacier is the largest glacier in the Rocky Mountains within the United States. The glacier is located on the east and north slopes of Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in Wyoming, on the east side of the Continental Divide in the Wind River Range. Gannett is but one of dozens of glaciers located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness of Shoshone National Forest.</p><br>
<p>As is true with many glaciers around the world, Gannett Glacier is slowly disappearing. Photographic evidence clearly demonstrates that there has been an enormous reduction in the area of the glacier since the 1920s. The area of the glacier was estimated in 1950 to be 4.6 km&sup2; and was measured in 1999 to be 3.63 km&sup2;. Measurements taken in 1958 and again in 1983 showed a depth reduction of 18.6 m over 25 years. A general warming pattern and a reduction in moisture is widely believed to be the reason for the glacier retreating. Numerous other glaciers are located in the immediate area including six more that are within the top ten in size within the Rocky Mountains of the USA</p><br>
<p>In a 1989 study, both Gannett and Dinwoody glaciers were researched to determine the amount of melt water they supplied to streams. Both glaciers supply melt water which flows into Dinwoody Creek, which in turn flows into the Wind River. The melt water was found to have contributed increasingly lower amounts to the total water supplied to Dinwoody Creek. This has been attributed to the glaciers thinning and retreating, especially since 1950, when Gannett Glacier was measured to be almost 20 percent larger than in 1999. The impact on reduced stream flow from Gannett Glacier due to glacial retreat affects more than just the amount of water available for the local ecosystem and downstream agricultural and ranching interests.</p><br>
<p>Corfu or Kerkyra  is a city and a former municipality on the island of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality of Corfu island. It is the capital of the island and of the Corfu regional unit. The city also serves as a capital for the region of the Ionian Islands. The city  is a major tourist attraction, and has played an important role since antiquity. The ancient city of Corfu, known as Korkyra, took part in the Battle of Sybota which was a catalyst for the Peloponnesian War, and, according to Thucydides, the largest naval battle between Greek city states until that time. Thucydides also reports that Korkyra was one of the three great naval powers of fifth century BC Greece, along with Athens and Corinth. Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the city are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans. The city has become known since the Middle Ages as Kastropolis  because of its two castles. In 2007, the old town of the city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The municipal unit of Corfu city has a land area of 41.905 km&sup2; and a total population of 39,674 inhabitants. Besides the city of Corfu/Kérkyra, its largest other towns are Kanáli , Potamós , Kontokáli , Alepoú , and Gouviá .</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>The old fortifications of the town, formerly so extensive as to require a force of from 10,000 to 20,000 troops to man them, were in great part thrown down by the English in the 19th century. In several parts of the town may be found houses of the Venetian time, with some traces of past splendour. The Palace of St. Michael and St. George, built in 1815 by Sir Thomas Maitland (1759–1824; Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands) is a large structure of white Maltese stone. Near Gasturi stands the Pompeian style Achilleion, the palace built for the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and purchased in 1907 by the German emperor, William II.</p><br>
<p>Of the thirty-seven Greek churches the most important are the cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave; St. Spiridon&#39;s, with the tomb of the patron saint of the island; and the suburban church of St Jason and St Sosipater, reputedly the oldest in the island. The city is the seat of a Greek and a Roman Catholic archbishop; and it possesses a gymnasium, a theatre, an agricultural and industrial society, and a library and museum preserved in the buildings formerly devoted to the university, which was founded by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford (1766–1827, himself the first chancellor in 1824) in 1823, but disestablished on the cessation of the English protectorate.</p><br>
<p>Based on the ICOMOS evaluation of the old town of Corfu, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. The ICOMOS experts have noted that "about 70% of the pre-20th century buildings date from the British period" and that "whole blocks were destroyed" in the Old Town by the German World War II blitzes; these were "replaced by new constructions in the 1960s and 1970s". The urban fabric was classified as being predominantly of the Neoclassical period "without special architectural features for which it could be distinguished".</p><br>
<h2>Layout</h2><br>
<p>The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the Venetian citadel (Παλαιό Φρούριο) is cut off from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a salt-water ditch at the bottom, that serves also as a kind of marina known as Contra-Fossa. The old city having grown up within fortifications, where every metre of ground was precious, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones, sometimes tortuous but mostly pleasant, colourful and sparkling clean. These streets are called "kantounia" (καντούνια) and the older ones sometimes follow the gentle irregularities of the ground while many of them are too narrow for vehicular traffic. There is promenade by the seashore towards the bay of Garitsa (Γαρίτσα), and also an esplanade between the town and the citadel called (Λιστόν) where upscale restaurants and European style bistros abound. The origin of the name Liston has several explanations: many former Venetian cities have a square of that name, coming from a Venetian word meaning evening promenade, but it can also refer to the closed-list aspect of an up-scale area reserved to the nobility registered in the Libro d&#39;Oro.</p><br>
<p>The citadel was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 500 drachmas banknote of 1983-2001.</p><br>
<h2>Culture</h2><br>
<p>The city of Corfu has a long tradition in the fine arts. The Philharmonic Society of Corfu is part of that tradition. The Museum of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu presents in detail the musical heritage of the island.</p><br>
<h2>Sports</h2><br>
<p>Corfu is the only place in Greece where cricket is popular. It was imported into the island during British rule. The Hellenic Cricket Federation is based in Corfu and it is the only Greek sport federation that is based outside Athens. The most Greek cricket clubs are based in Corfu and they star in the Greek Championship. Notable cricket clubs of Corfu are Kerkyraikos Gymnastikos Syllogos (KGS), founded in 1893, GSK Vyron, founded in 1925 and AO Phaeax founded in 1976.</p><br>
<p>In other sports, Corfu has two teams with presence in higher divisions. The football club AOK Kerkyra, founded in 1969 originally as "AO Kerkyra", that plays in A Ethniki and the water polo club NO Kerkyra founded in 1935, with earlier presence in A1 Ethniki Polo.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>Corfu city has a Mediterranean climate. The summers are hot, rainless but humid with temperatures reaching 33 &deg;C. The winters are mild and wet, temperatures around on or above 10 &deg;C.</p><br>
<h2>Government</h2><br>
<h3>Mayors</h3><br>
<p>Up until 1866, Corfu had no mayors. This list starts from 1866 and on.</p><br>
<p>Nikolaos V. Manesis (1866–1870)</p><br>
<p>Christodoulos M. Kiriakis (1870–1879)</p><br>
<p>Georgios Theotokis (1879–1885)</p><br>
<p>Ioannis Padovas (1885-1887)</p><br>
<p>(1887–1895)</p><br>
<p>(1895–1899)</p><br>
<p>Dimitrios Kollas (1899–1911)</p><br>
<p>Ioannis Mavrogiannis (1914–1925)</p><br>
<p>Spiridon Kollas (1925–1951)</p><br>
<p>Stamatios Desyllas (1951–1955)</p><br>
<p>Maria Desylla-Kapodistria (1956–1959), first female mayor in Greece.</p><br>
<p>Panagiotis Zafiropoulos (1959–1964)</p><br>
<p>Spyros Rath (1964–1967)</p><br>
<p>Konstantinos Alexopoulos (1974–1975)</p><br>
<p>Spyros Rath (1975–1978)</p><br>
<p>Ioannis Kourkoulos (1979–1990)</p><br>
<p>Chrisanthos Sarlis (1991–2002)</p><br>
<p>Alexandros Mastoras (2003–2006)</p><br>
<p>Sotirios Micallef (2007–2010)</p><br>
<p>Ioannis Trepeklis (2011–2014)</p><br>
<p>Kostas Nikolouzos (2014–)</p><br>
<h3>Consulates</h3><br>
<p>Corfu is home to many foreign consulates.</p><br>
<p>Austria:</p><br>
<p>Belgium</p><br>
<p>Denmark</p><br>
<p>France</p><br>
<p>Germany</p><br>
<p>Italy</p><br>
<p>Netherlands</p><br>
<p>Norway</p><br>
<p>Portugal</p><br>
<p>Romania</p><br>
<p>Serbia</p><br>
<p>Spain</p><br>
<p>Sweden</p><br>
<p>Switzerland</p><br>
<p>United Kingdom</p><br>
<h2>Twin cities</h2><br>
<p>Corfu is twinned with:</p><br>
<h2>Quarters</h2><br>
<p>Paleòpolis</p><br>
<p>Nèo Froùrio</p><br>
<p>Paleò Froùrio-Aghios Geòrgios</p><br>
<p>Faliraki</p><br>
<p>Aghios Vlàsios-Old Port</p><br>
<p>New Port</p><br>
<p>Platytèra</p><br>
<p>Sarròko-Kostèlla</p><br>
<p>Menekràtous</p><br>
<p>Anàlipsi</p><br>
<p>Aghia Triàs</p><br>
<p>Neràtsicha</p><br>
<p>Anemòmylos-Aghios Iàsson</p><br>
<p>Figarèto-Kardàki</p><br>
<p>Stratià</p><br>
<p>Kyrà Chrysikoù</p><br>
<p>Aghios Spyridon</p><br>
<p>Spianàda-Listòn</p><br>
<p>Aghios Antònios</p><br>
<p>Aghios Iàkovos</p><br>
<p>Mandràki</p><br>
<p>Aghios Ioànnis</p><br>
<p>Garitsa</p><br>
<p>Kanòni</p><br>
<p>Kanàlia</p><br>
<p>Alepoù</p><br>
<p>Potamòs</p><br>
<p>Kontòkali</p><br>
<p>Evropoùloi</p><br>
<p>Gouvià</p><br>
<p>Kommèno</p><br>
<p>Templòni</p><br>
<p>Lefkada City  is a city and a former municipality on the island of Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lefkada, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital and main town of the island of Lefkada, located in the northern and northeastern part of the island. The city had a population of 8,673 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The municipal unit has a land area of 60.628 km² and a population of 13,490. Its next largest towns are Lygiá , Nikiána , Apólpaina , Frýni , Kariótes , and Tsoukaládes .</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Lefkada is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Lefkada City (Lefkada City, Fryni, Kalligoni)</p><br>
<p>Agios Nikitas</p><br>
<p>Alexandros (Alexandros, Kollyvata, Nikiana)</p><br>
<p>Apolpaina</p><br>
<p>Kalamitsi</p><br>
<p>Kariotes</p><br>
<p>Katouna (Katouna, Episkopos, Lygia)</p><br>
<p>Tsoukalades (Tsoukalades, Kalavros)</p><br>
<p>Sfakiotes</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<h2>Culture</h2><br>
<h3>Architecture</h3><br>
<p>The buildings of Lefkada City is a characteristic sample of anti-earthquake structure. The houses is built by wooden material, whole logs, stone chip and other more light materials. The city plan is based in the medieval city plan of Lefkada City. This was developed during the Venetian rule. Lefkada City has old temples built with local traditional architecture. The more famous are the temple of Agios Spyridon, Agioi Anargyroi and Panagia ton Xenon.</p><br>
<h3>Sports</h3><br>
<p>Lefkada City hosts sport clubs in several sports. The most historic is Tilikratis F.C., that was founded in 1925 and recently has played in Gamma Ethniki (third division).</p><br>
<p>Long Grass Plantation is a historic house and national historic district located along what was the Roanoke River basin. In the 1950s most of it was flooded and became the Buggs Island Lake/John H. Kerr Reservoir in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. The house was built circa 1800 by George Tarry on land belonging to his father, Samuel Tarry and Long Grass Plantation encompassed approximately 2000 acres .</p><br>
<p>Today, most of the land once belonging to the plantation is submerged and is owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Only 27 +/- acres of privately owned land make up the grounds of Long Grass plantation. The property was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Registry and the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1995.</p><br>
<h2>Evolution of the main structure</h2><br>
<p>The original C. 1797 hall and parlor structure still exists. This small dwelling probably already existed when George Tarry moved to Long Grass Plantation. It was added to during renovations and expansions in four major phases, two in the nineteenth century and two in the twentieth century, from the 1830s to the mid 1990s.</p><br>
<p>The current structure is dominated by the additions made in 1832 by the builder-architect Jacob W. Holt of Warrenton, North Carolina. In 1831-1832, Holt was commissioned to add a 2-story, single-pile, 3-bay structure to the front of the original 1797 1.5 story house. The two sections were connected via a 1-story hyphen with large windows on its side walls. The 1832 Greek Revival home in the front is much larger in scale and mass than the original 1797 hall and parlor house. The new front has a neoclassical entrance and porch (probably salvaged from an earlier home in Warren County or along the Roanoke River), This porch features many "Jeffersonian" details, and the double front door surrounded by glass transom and sidelights which were mentioned in the book, Life on the Roaring Roanoke. This spacious new addition was an indication of the family&#39;s improving economic fortune generated from tobacco cultivation by slave labor. It was built as a wedding present in 1832, when George Tarry married Mary Euphemia Hamilton.</p><br>
<p>Around 1857, Holt was commissioned to make improvements to the original 1797 structure. By this time, Holt had adopted elements of the popular mid-Victorian Italianate style of architecture in his designs. He raised the roof of the original hall and parlor to make a full second story and designed a relatively ornate single-story Victorian Italianate porch across the rear of the house.</p><br>
<p>During the Depression years, the house was leased to a tenant farmer. The Tarry family returned to live at Long Grass in the late 1950s.</p><br>
<p>In the 1950s, the house was renovated and retrofitted with modern mechanical systems. The one-story hyphen connecting the two structures was raised to two stories. Two new bathrooms were created – one upstairs in the new hyphen space and one downstairs in the 1832 dining room just off of the hyphen hall. The Tarrys changed the dining room into a bedroom, and used the original 1797 parlor as their family dining room. They also added a kitchen adjoining and attached the original 1797 structure at that time. This kitchen was adjacent to the 1797 dining room.</p><br>
<p>The most recent renovation occurred in 1992–1994 after Bruce and Sudie Park of Raleigh, North Carolina purchased the property. Michael Denton of Clarksville, Virginia and Trent Park, son of the owners managed the renovation project, including manufacture of custom moldings at the farm workshop. The property was completely renovated. Spaces between the original hall and parlor and the Holt addition, on either side of the hyphen, were enclosed and a breakfast room and library were added on the first floor, and two new bathrooms upstairs. New closets were added in such a way as to maintain the symmetry of the existing rooms throughout the home. The 1950s bathroom was removed from the 1832 Holt dining room. New, updated mechanical systems were installed. Exterior and interior repairs were made to the entire structure. New foundations were built for the exterior porches when new floors were laid. A new terne metal roof was installed.</p><br>
<p>The 1831 entry hall walls are covered in an 18th-century Chinese hand-painted wall covering which was donated to Long Grass by the Marshall Cooper Family of Henderson, North Carolina. The Cooper Family owned Harriet Henderson Mills. The home that this wall covering came from was owned by Marshall Cooper, Sr. and upon his widow&#39;s death the home was demolished by the family. It was located on Charles Street in Henderson, North Carolina.</p><br>
<h2>Outbuildings</h2><br>
<p>Several outbuildings or dependencies have been preserved: the ice house, smokehouse, kitchen/laundry, schoolhouse, tobacco pack house, two tobacco barns, and a Fox Trott-style tenant dwelling. The tenant house is probably C. 1850-1880. It is a hand-hewn log structure, now in an advanced state of decay. The pack house is also nearing disrepair. All of the other buildings are structurally sound. An 1857 wooden carriage house/livestock barn which, after the flooding of the reservoir sat on Army Corps of Engineer land was struck by lightning in the early 1980s. It eventually was sold to the Parks by the Corps.</p><br>
<p>However, by then, it was beyond repair and was demolished. The purchase agreement between the Parks and the Army states that a new carriage house or similar building may be constructed within the foundation footprint of this destroyed building. The building may not be used as a residence, however. The Parks have maintained this foundation for future building on this site.</p><br>
<p>Items of note:</p><br>
<p>The frame ice house (c. 1832, probably built by Jacob Holt) is a two-story wood-frame building, unusually large for an ice house or dairy. The structure contains a deep ice pit underneath, with two exterior doors on the building&#39;s sides to allow access to the cold storage area at ground level. In winter months, ice was harvested from shallow ponds located in fields around the plantation. After a thick layer of ice was added to the pit, a thick layer of sawdust was added. These alternating layers filled the 14-foot hole to the level of the access doors. The volume of frozen ice/sawdust kept the ice from melting during hot Virginia summers. A series of vents just above the ground level of this building, and vents above the two access doors, aided in keeping a consistent cold temperature below the building. In time the first story was used to store corn, and the second story was used as a pigeon coop. The interior of the second story still has a lead lining to protect the building from pecking pigeons. The squab or "baby" pigeons provided the family with Sunday morning breakfasts. In the 1960s the family got rid of their pigeons.</p><br>
<p>The one-room school house (c. 1800) was renovated and expanded in the 1950s for use as a lake cottage with kitchen, bathroom and sleeping loft. This building is a square-hewn wood log cabin. The Tarry family sheathed this building in barn siding and added a tin roof when the cottage was built. It was a girls&#39; school for families in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, until the early 1900s. The teacher slept in an upstairs loft. After the school closed, the structure was used as a blacksmith shop.</p><br>
<p>The smoke house (c. 1832) was noted in 19th-century letters as being one of the largest and most secure in the region. Remnants of a large, "strong arm" lock were discovered behind it. The door on this building was two layers thick, with wood on the outside running vertically, and the interior wood running horizontally with a strong reinforcement of iron "peg" nails every inch through it. Since the 1960s this building has been used mostly to house poultry.</p><br>
<p>The kitchen and laundry outbuilding (c. 1832 (Holt) and c. 1857 (Holt)) is a one-story frame building with two doors and two louver windows on its front side. The rear side of this building originally had two louvered windows. In modern times, one of these windows was replaced with a door. In 1832, the building was only half as large as it is today, and contained a kitchen with a wooden floor and a massive stone "cooking" fireplace with a brick chimney. Viewed from the front, the kitchen door is on the right side. Later (probably during Holt&#39;s 1857 renovation), the structure was doubled in size by adding a laundry to the original kitchen building. One can still see exterior boards from the kitchen building inside of the laundry side next to the fireplace. The original stone fireplace for the kitchen was accessed as a shared fireplace for both sides. During a storm in 2016 that blew down a giant nearby oak tree, the fireplaces collapsed. The wooden mantles survive as does the brick chimney top.</p><br>
<p>The tobacco pack house has suffered serious structural damage but is relatively well-protected. This is the building where Burley tobacco was sorted, hung on tobacco sticks, cured in a damp cellar, then dried in the second floor, before being packed into wooden casks. The barrels were then rolled to the Roanoke River and shipped to market. The structure is two stories high with an open cellar area which can be accessed from interior or exterior which is fully open at the foundation. In its current configuration, it is roughly rectangular with four irregularly shaped rooms on the first story and a large loft area above. There are few window openings. A large, stone-lined humidor pit underneath a portion of the structure was used for storage of cured tobacco.</p><br>
<p>A "two-seat" outhouse was still in existence when the Plantation was purchased by the Parks, but has since been demolished. This building was very much in the style of the Holt C.1857 addition to the main house. The brackets on the eaves were a close match to the brackets on the Italianate back porch, and the building had plaster walls. Also extant at that time was a small, portable corncrib built out of small diameter tree trunks with spaces between, and a tin roof.</p><br>
<p>Many additional foundations for tobacco curing barns can be found throughout the fields. There are two tobacco curing barns standing today which are of the turn of the century log construction.</p><br>
<p>When Buggs Island Reservoir is drained periodically for maintenance by the Corps of Engineers, many more foundations are visible along the old flooded road bed which once led to Palmer Springs. These buildings yield many fragments of metal parts, and other clues as to the uses that they served on the Plantation. There was a mill, a ferry, a mill works, a tannery, a brick making area, and a blacksmith shop. In the garden there are still two millstones from Tarry&#39;s mill. There was a ferry and a landing owned by the Tarry family.</p><br>
<p>It is rumored that George Tarry bought Bugg&#39;s Island, which the Virginia side of the Reservoir is named for. The North Carolina side of the lake is named The James H. Kerr Lake Reservoir for a North Carolina congressman responsible for getting the funding to build the lake.</p><br>
<p>According to a Civil War period map, Tarry&#39;s slave quarters were not close to the big house. The house servants stayed in the house; field hands lived approximately where the small homes are located, around and across from Center Hill Farm, from the junction of Eppes Fork Rd. and Mill Creek Rd. to the North Carolina border. After the Civil War, the Tarry family gave acreage to their former slaves, much of which is still owned by their descendants. There seemed to be a continued freed man work force at Long Grass for many years.</p><br>
<h2>Other history</h2><br>
<p>The land on which Ivy Hill and later Wildwood were built resulted from land grants from the Commonwealth of Virginia to Edward Tarry, Sr. These land grants were signed by Governors Patrick Henry, John Page, and "Light Horse" Harry Lee. The original grant documents remain in the possession of the Tarry family today. Framed copies of them hang at Long Grass. Samuel Tarry built Ivy Hill Plantation House (the Tarry family seat) in the early 1730s. He had three sons, Edward, Jr., a lifelong bachelor, who inherited Ivy Hill (flooded by the construction of Buggs Island Reservoir, and now an archaeological park), George Tarry, who moved Long Grass with an extant small home on the land when he took over the property, and William, who inherited land that joined Ivy Hill Plantation to Long Grass Plantation, which would later be called Wildwood.</p><br>
<h2>Historic trees</h2><br>
<p>Planted in the front yard of Long Grass is the "Constitution Oak" given as a remembrance gift to George Patrick Tarry when he served as a delegate from Mecklenburg County to the constitutional convention of 1901–1902. The tree is a Burr Oak and is an unusual, slow-growing species in Virginia. Each of the delegates to this constitutional convention was given a sapling to plant in their county to commemorate the event.</p><br>
<p>In 1951 there was a fiftieth anniversary celebration of the 1901 convention. A man came to Long Grass to ask Evelyn Tarry, the widow of William Tarry, if he could collect enough burr acorns to raise saplings to give out at the ceremony. He told her that he had visited all of the counties where delegates planted the original saplings, and very few had survived. The next spring he brought Mrs. Tarry a sapling, and she proudly planted her "Baby" in the back yard, where it grows today. So, Long Grass has "Big Daddy" tree in the front, and the "Son" in the back.</p><br>
<p>The huge Osage orange tree, Maclura pomifera, or hedge apple grows in the side yard of Long Grass House. Family legend says this tree came from Tarry cousin Meriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806.</p><br>
<p>Each time a child was born to George Patrick Tarry, a walnut tree was planted; two of the three remain. One is next to a mature boxwood hedge at the front porch, and one is covered with ivy and Virginia creeper next to the kitchen door on the back porch.</p><br>
<p>Nanda Kot  is a mountain peak of the Himalaya range located in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state in India. It lies in the Kumaon Himalaya, just outside the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, 15 km southeast of Nanda Devi itself. The name Nanda Kot literally means "Nanda&#39;s Fortress" and refers to the abode of one of the sacred forms of the Hindu Goddess Parvati who in legend has made her sanctuary amongst the ring of lofty mountains in the region.</p><br>
<p>Nanda Kot is connected to the Sanctuary wall by a high pass known as the Pindari Kanda, 5,269 m. This pass, Nanda Kot itself, and the ridge proceeding south from the peak together form the divide between the Pindar and Ghori Ganga River valleys, with Dana Dhura Pass connecting the two sides. The Kaphni (or Kafani), Pindar, Lawan, and Shalang Glaciers drain the south, west, north, and east sides of the peak respectively.</p><br>
<p>The first attempt to climb Nanda Kot was made in 1905 by T.G. Longstaff, who proceeded by way of the Lawan Valley and Lawan Glacier. The first successful ascent of the summit came in 1936 by a Japanese team led by Y. Hotta. A new route involving a direct ascent of the south face was successfully undertaken by a British expedition led by Martin Moran in 1995. Mountaineering expeditions to Nanda Kot today typically follow the route through Loharkhet, Dhakuri Pass, Khati Village to Dwali base camp.</p><br>
<p>Outlying subpeaks of Nanda Kot include:</p><br>
<p>Changuch, 6,322 m</p><br>
<p>Kuchela Dhura, 6,294 m</p><br>
<p>Nandabhaner (or Nandabhanar), 6,236 m</p><br>
<p>Dangthal, 6,050 m</p><br>
<p>Lespa Dhura (or Laspa Dhura), 5,913 m</p><br>
<p>Lamchir, 5,662 m</p><br>
<h2>Nanda Devi/Nanda Kot nuclear controversy</h2><br>
<p>In 1965, a covert mission was launched by an Indo-American team with the goal of installing a surveillance device on the top of Nanda Devi mountain to monitor Chinese nuclear and missile activity in Tibet. Shortly after delivery to the mountain, the thermonuclear generator designed to supply power to the sensor was lost during a storm and threatened to become a source of radioactive contamination to the area. Following upon at least three futile attempts between 1966-1968 to locate and recover the lost apparatus, it is said that in 1968 a similar device placed only the year before on Nanda Kot was dismantled. After more than a decade of secrecy, this story hit the Indian news media in 1978. There is still debate over these expeditions and whether any remnants of the radioactive materials remain in the vicinity of Nanda Kot to this day.</p><br>
<p>Grand-Pré National Historic Site is a park set aside to commemorate the Grand-Pré area of Nova Scotia as a centre of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755, and the British deportation of the Acadians that happened during the French and Indian War. The original village of Grand Pré extended four kilometres along the ridge between present-day Wolfville and Hortonville. Grand-Pré is listed as a World Heritage Site and is the main component of two National Historic Sites of Canada.</p><br>
<h2>History of Settlement</h2><br>
<p>Grand-Pré (French for great meadow) is located on the shore of the Minas Basin, an area of tidal marshland, first settled about 1680 by Pierre Melanson dit La Verdure, his wife Marguerite Mius d&#39;Entremont and their five young children who came from nearby Port-Royal which was the first capital of the French settlement of Acadia (Acadie in French).</p><br>
<p>Pierre Melanson and the Acadians who joined him in Grand-Pré built dykes there to hold back the tides along the Minas Basin. They created rich pastures for their animals and fertile fields for their crops. Grand-Pré became the bread basket of Acadia, soon outgrew Port-Royal, and by the mid-18th century was the largest of the numerous Acadian communities around the Bay of Fundy and the coastline of Nova Scotia (Latin for "New Scotland").</p><br>
<h3>Colonial Wars</h3><br>
<p>During Queen Anne&#39;s War, the Raid on Grand Pré (1704) happened and Major Benjamin Church burned the entire village. After the war, in 1713, part of Acadia became Nova Scotia, and Port-Royal, now called Annapolis Royal, became its capital. Over the next 40 years the Acadians refused to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to the British crown. Some were motivated not to sign for fear of losing their religion, some were afraid of repercussions from their native allies, some did not want to take up arms against the French and others were anti-British (see Military history of the Acadians).</p><br>
<p>During King Georges War the French made numerous attempts to regain Acadia (See Siege of Annapolis Royal (1744) and in 1745). As a result of British attempts to secure their control over the Bay of Fundy region, they were defeated by some local Acadians, Mikmaq and Canadiens in the Battle of Grand Pre.</p><br>
<p>Father Le Loutres War began with the establishment of Halifax, which became the new capital for the colony in 1749. The British established Fort Vieux Logis at Grand Pre, which a Mikmaq and Acadian militia attacked in the Siege of Grand Pre.</p><br>
<p>During the French and Indian War, the British sought to neutralize any military threat Acadians posed and to interrupt the vital supply lines Acadians provided to Louisbourg and the Mi&#39;kmaq by deporting Acadians from Acadia.</p><br>
<p>After the Battle of Fort Beauséjour, the British began the removal of the Acadians. During the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755), Lieutenant Colonel John Winslow arrived in Grand-Pré with troops on August 19, 1755 and took up headquarters in the church. Winslow also built a palisade, which was recently uncovered through archeological research. The men and boys of the area were ordered into the church on September 5. Winslow informed them that all but their personal goods were to be forfeited to the Crown and that they and their families were to be deported as soon as ships arrived to take them away. (At exactly the same time, the Acadians in the neighbouring village of Pisiguit were informed of the same declaration at Fort Edward.)</p><br>
<p>Some Acadians escaped the deportation and continued their armed resistance against the British throughout the expulsion campaigns. Before the first year was over, however, more than 6,000 Acadians were deported from the Bay of Fundy region. Many villages were burned to the ground to ensure the Acadians would not be able to return. Thousands more would be deported in the second wave of the Expulsion of the Acadians, which involved the deportation of the Acadians from Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island (1758). The deportation continued until England and France made peace in 1763. In all, 12,000 Acadians were deported. Many Acadians died from drowning, starvation, imprisonment, and exposure.</p><br>
<h2>Evangeline</h2><br>
<p>When the poem, Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was published in the United States in 1847, the story of the Deportation and le Grand Dérangement, the great uprooting, was told to the English-speaking world. Grand-Pré, forgotten for almost a century, became popular for American tourists who wanted to visit the birthplace of the poem&#39;s heroine, Evangeline. But nothing remained of the original village except the dykelands and a row of old willows. There is a bust of Henry W. Longfellow on site by Sir Thomas Brock.</p><br>
<h2>Preservation of the site</h2><br>
<h3>John Frederic Herbin</h3><br>
<p>In 1907, John Frederic Herbin, poet, historian, and jeweller, and whose mother was Acadian, purchased the land believed to be the site of the church of Saint-Charles so that it might be protected. The following year the Nova Scotia legislature passed an act to incorporate the Trustees of the Grand-Pré Historic Grounds. Herbin built a stone cross on the site to mark the cemetery of the church, using stones from the remains of what he believed to be Acadian foundations.</p><br>
<h3>Dominion Atlantic Railway</h3><br>
<p>Herbin sold the property to the Dominion Atlantic Railway in 1917 on the condition that Acadians be involved in its preservation. Acadian history had already become a staple for tourism traffic on the Dominion Atlantic and the Grand Pre site was located beside the railway&#39;s mainline. The railway made substantial investments in developing the park and promoting the history and lore of Acadians. Extensive gardens were planted at the site and a small museum was opened. In 1920 the Dominion Atlantic erected a statue of Evangeline conceived by Canadian sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert and, after his death, finished by his son Henri. The railway deeded a piece of the land and funds were raised to build a memorial church in Grand-Pré. Construction began in the spring of 1922 and the exterior was finished by November. The interior of the church was finished in 1930, the 175th anniversary of the Deportation, and the church opened as a museum.</p><br>
<h3>Parks Canada</h3><br>
<p>As railway tourism declined in the face of subsidized highway construction, the Dominion Atlantic sold the park to the Canadian federal government in 1957. The Canadian Parks Service took over operation of the park. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1982. The Visitor Reception and Interpretation Center features exhibits about the history of Grand-Pré and Acadia. A video presentation presents the story of the Acadian deportation.</p><br>
<h3>Archaeological activities</h3><br>
<p>Grand-Pré National Historic Site is also the location of an archaeological site sponsored by St. Mary’s University, Parks Canada, and Sociéte Promotion Grand-Pré. While excavations have been undertaken by Parks Canada since 1971, the field school has been operational for ten years, during which archaeologists have identified the cemetery for the Acadian period, the cellar of an Acadian house immediately to the east of the Memorial Church, and has conducted test pits throughout the site looking for evidence of the parish church, St-Charles-des-Mines; Pierre-Alain Bugeauld (Bujold) was the Church Warden; was also a Notary (1706) and a Judge/Justice (1707). Acadian artefacts that have been unearthed include fragments of Saintonge ceramic, nails, wine bottle glass, window pane glass, a 1711 French silver coin, spoons, belt buckles, buttons, clay pipes, etc. There seems to also be evidence of the occupation by New England troops, as well as considerable evidence of the New England Planter occupation period beginning in 1760.</p><br>
<h2>Historic designations</h2><br>
<p>The "Landscape of Grand Pré" was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 30, 2012, having been added to Canada&#39;s tentative list of potential World Heritage Sites in 2004. The 1,300 hectare of polderised marshland and archaeological sites in the Grand-Pré area were recognized as an "exceptional example of the adaptation of the first European settlers to the conditions of the North American Atlantic coast" and as "a memorial to Acadian way of life and deportation".</p><br>
<p>In 1982, on the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the first Acadians in the region in 1682, the Grand-Pré memorial park was designated the "Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada" in commemoration of the settlement and later deportation of the Acadians. In 1995, the site and surrounding region were designated the "Grand-Pré Rural Historic District National Historic Site of Canada" in honour of the rural cultural landscape which features one of the oldest land occupation and use patterns of European origin in Canada.</p><br>
<p>The "Grand Pré Heritage Conservation District" was designated under the provincial Heritage Property Act in 1999, and encompasses the area in and around the hamlet of Grand-Pré as well as the Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada.</p><br>
<p>The General Artemas Ward House is a historic house at 786 Main Street in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Commonly known as the "Artemas Ward House", it was the lifelong home of Artemas Ward, American Major General in the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p><br>
<p>The house was built by Ward&#39;s father, Nahum, in 1727 to house tenants on his farm; Artemas Ward moved into the house in 1763. Its location is along the original Boston Post Road, and an original mile marker of that road is still visible across Main Street on the Dean Park side.</p><br>
<p>The building was enlarged by the General in 1785, raising the roof and nearly doubling its size, to accommodate the family of his son Thomas Walter Ward alongside his own household. It was enlarged again in 1820 by Thomas Walter Ward, adding a two-story ell to the rear. The main structure was occupied by Ward family members until 1909. From 1909 until 1954 descendants of the general lived in a second structure situated behind the colonial home. The property was donated by the family to Harvard University in 1925.</p><br>
<p>The home is now operated by Harvard as a museum and is open to the public for limited hours during the summer months. The property also includes a four-story barn, the largest structure of its kind in New England. The barn was created by joining together two separate barn structures in 1848.</p><br>
<p>The Panjkora River is a river in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwestern Pakistan.</p><br>
<h2>Course</h2><br>
<p>The river&#39;s headwaters are high in the glaciers of Hindu Kush Mountains. It flows south through the Upper Dir District and the Lower Dir District.</p><br>
<p>Its confluence with the Swat River is in the Malakand District near Chakdara. The Swat River is a tributary of the Kabul River, part of the Indus River basin.</p><br>
<h2>Archaeology</h2><br>
<p>The Panjkora Valley contains important sites of the Gandhara grave culture.</p><br>
<p>Timergara, 40 km from Chakdara, is the site of excavated ancient graves, dating from 1500 to 600 BC.</p><br>
<p>On the west side of the Panjkora River is the excavated site of Balambat. The site has been occupied continuously since 1500 BC. Houses dating from 500 BC have been discovered here. Fire altars were also discovered, evidence of Yajna, a ritual practice which is part of Hinduism. The Gandhara grave culture is the earliest phase of Indo-Aryan migrations into the Indian subcontinent. It was part of the Early Vedic culture.</p><br>
<p>The Talash Valley, 13 km from Chakdara, has many Buddhist sites. Buddhist stupas and monasteries, which have not been excavated, are on both sides of the road towards Dir. At the west end of the valley is the Kat Kala Pass. Olaf Caroe identified this place with Massaga which was captured by Alexander the Great in 327BC. There are also crumbling remains of a massive Parthian fort of the 8th to 10th centuries.</p><br>
<h2>Fishing</h2><br>
<p>The Panjkora River is the natural habitat of trout and other freshwater fish sought by anglers. The most common species are Rainbow trout and Brown trout.</p><br>
<p>Palmer Glacier is a glacier on the south slopes of Mount Hood in the USA state of Oregon. The glacier is situated at an elevation range of 9300 to 6200 ft, and was named for Joel Palmer, an Oregon pioneer. Palmer Glacier is the most well-known of the twelve glaciers on the mountain, and is a popular destination for snow sport enthusiasts. Some of the lower part is within the Timberline ski area, and can be accessed by Sno-Cat or chairlift, conditions permitting.</p><br>
<p>The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last ice age, and is the only location in North America that provides skiing and snowboarding all twelve months of the year.</p><br>
<p>The glacier was considered a snow field until a Mazama committee investigated on October 19, 1924 and determined it was, in fact, a glacier and should be named on maps. For some time after that it was known as Salmon River Glacier as it is the headwaters of the Salmon River.</p><br>
<p>Silcox Hut is a small lodge originally built as a warming hut for skiers and climbers, but is now available for group rental for events and rustic overnight accommodation. It is located near the base of the glacier, about 1,000 ft vertically up from Timberline Lodge near the upper terminal of the Magic Mile ski lift.</p><br>
<p>The glacier is bounded on the east by a ridge shared with White River Canyon (which contains White River Glacier) and on the west by Zigzag Glacier and Zigzag Canyon, the source of the Zigzag River. The upper glacier narrows to a vertex near the base of Steel Cliff, an area known as Triangle Moraine. Below the glacier, its snowfield varies significantly seasonally, varying in length by almost 2 mi.</p><br>
<p>During the summer ski season (approximately May through September), the upper half of the Palmer Chairlift terrain is divided into lanes. Lanes nearest the lift are open to the public, while the others are allocated to ski and snowboard camps, ski coaches and other organizations.</p><br>
<p>Between late summer and the first snowfalls of autumn, the glacier is generally unusable for skiing.</p><br>
<p>Cabot Tower is a tower in Bristol, England, situated in a public park on Brandon Hill, between the city centre, Clifton and Hotwells. It is a grade II listed building.</p><br>
<p>The tower was built in the 1890s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to land which later became Canada. Public access to the viewing platforms at the top of the tower was suspended from 2007 to 2011 for repairs.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The site of the tower was occupied in the Middle Ages by a chapel which may have belonged to St James&#39; Priory. During the 16th century the chapel was replaced by a windmill.</p><br>
<p>The tower was constructed in memory of John Cabot, 400 years after he set sail in Matthew from Bristol and landed in what was later to become Canada. It was paid for by public subscription. The foundation stone was laid on 24 June 1897 by the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava and the tower was completed in July 1898. The architect was William Venn Gough and it was built by Love and Waite of Bristol. A lift was originally planned but never installed.</p><br>
<p>The tower gives its name to the area and Council ward of Cabot.</p><br>
<h3>Restoration</h3><br>
<p>After closure to the public in 2007, the tower reopened on 16 August 2011 following completion of repair works costing an estimated £420,000 to cracked stonework caused by corroded reinforcing steel, which had made the tower unsafe.</p><br>
<p>The final stage of the restoration was completed in 2014 with the reinstatement of a light flashing "Cabot Tower, Brandon Hill, Bristol" in Morse code, which had been turned off in 2001 after developing a technical problem.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>The tower is 105 ft high and built from red sandstone with cream Bath Stone for ornamentation and emphasis. It consists of a spiral staircase and two viewing platforms where balconies with wrought iron railings overlook the city, the higher of which is approximately 334 ft above sea level. The tower is supported by diagonal buttresses and its top by flying buttresses; it is surmounted by an octagonal spirelet topped with a ball finial and a carved winged figure representing commerce.</p><br>
<p>On three sides of the base of the tower are commemorative plaques. They read as follows:</p><br>
<p>The foundation stone of this tower was laid by the Marquess of Dufferin & Ava on the 24 June 1897, And the completed tower was opened by the same nobleman on the 6 September 1898.</p><br>
<p>W.Howell Davies, Chairman of the executive committee</p><br>
<p>E.G.Clarke, J.W.Arrowsmith Hon. Secretaries</p><br>
<p>This tablet is placed here by the Bristol branch of the Peace Society in the earnest hope that peace and friendship may ever continue between the kindred peoples of this country and America</p><br>
<p>Glory to God in the highest and on Earth, peace, good will towards men Luke 2.14</p><br>
<p>This tower was erected by public subscription in the 61st year of the reign of Queen Victoria to commemorate the fourth centenary of the discovery of the continent of North America, on June 24, 1497, by John Cabot.</p><br>
<p>Who sailed from this port in the Bristol ship Matthew, with a Bristol crew, under letters patent granted by King Henry VII to that navigator and his sons Lewis, Sebastian and Sanctus</p><br>
<p>The Potaro River is a river in Guyana in northern South America.</p><br>
<p>The source of the Potaro River is in the Mount Ayanganna area of the Pakaraima Mountains in the North Rupununi Savannahs. The river runs for approximately 225 km before flowing into the Essequibo River, Guyana&#39;s largest river.</p><br>
<p>Nine waterfalls are found on the Potaro River, most notable being Kaieteur Falls and Tumatumari Falls. Below Kaieteur Falls lie Amatuk Falls and Waratuk Falls.</p><br>
<p>A 1930 Suspension bridge, the Garraway Stream Bridge crosses the river. As well, Two Islands is found on the Potaro River.</p><br>
<p>Chenapau is a small Amerindian village located in forested terrain along the Potaro River south of Kaieteur Falls. Menzies Landing, a small settlement that is a 20-minute walk upriver from Kaieteur Falls, is the main staging area for up river travel. Up river from the falls, the Potaro Plateau stretches out to the distant escarpment of the Pakaraima Mountains.</p><br>
<p>Placer gold and diamonds are extracted from the river in this mineral-rich area. Individuals who pan for gold are referred to as Porkknockers.</p><br>
<p>In the first half of the 20th century miners, employing primitive methods, recovered significant quantities of gem-quality diamonds from the area&#39;s rivers and streams. In fact the two largest gem-quality diamonds recovered in Guyana to date - 56.75 carats (11.35 g) from Little Uewang River and 25.67 carats (5.134 g) from Maple Creek - were recovered in the Potaro area.</p><br>
<p>Many thousands of ounces of placer gold have been recovered from the area&#39;s stream gravels, residual placers and saprolites.</p><br>
<p>The mineral Potarite is named for the river where it was first discovered.</p><br>
<p>The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is located at 609 S. Lamar Avenue in Denison, Grayson County, in the USA state of Texas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in the house on October 14, 1890, the first United States President to be born in Texas.</p><br>
<h2>Background</h2><br>
<p>Eisenhowers military success as Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II prompted local Denison school principal Jennie Jackson to correspond with General Eisenhower. She inquired if he was from the Eisenhower family she remembered in Denison. His family had moved to Kansas when he was two years old, and until he received Jacksons letter, he was unaware he had been born in Denison. Eisenhowers mother Ida Elizabeth Stover was still alive at the time, and he put his mother in touch with Jackson. Upon hearing from Eisenhowers mother that this was indeed his birthplace, Jackson set about to raise funds to purchase the two-story frame house. After the purchase, the house was then donated to the city of Denison, Texas. The museum was established in 1955. After Eisenhower was elected President, the Eisenhower Foundation was formed in 1953 for restoration. The Foundation created a park by removing several other houses in the nearby vicinity, and doing landscaping improvements. In 1958, the restored home and surrounding park was donated to the State Parks Board. On January 1, 2008, the Eisenhower Birthplace was transferred from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission.</p><br>
<p>The home was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.</p><br>
<p>The Stephen Collins Foster Memorial is a performing arts center and museum which houses the Stephen Foster Archives at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is dedicated to the life and works of American songwriter Stephen Foster.</p><br>
<p>It is a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District, is designated as a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historical Landmark, It is located along Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as Pitt.</p><br>
<p>The main structure houses the two theaters that serve as performance spaces for the universitys Department of Theatre Arts: the 478-seat Charity Randall Theatre and 151-seat Henry Heymann Theatre. The left wing of the building houses the Stephen Foster Memorial Museum and the Center for American Music which contains the University of Pittsburghs Stephen Foster Collection and archive that includes manuscripts, copies of over 200 of his musical compositions, examples of recordings, songsters, broadside, programs, books, various memorabilia, and several musical instruments, including one of Fosters pianos. The memorial is also home to the universitys Ethelbert Nevin Collection and the Society for American Music.</p><br>
<h2>Building</h2><br>
<p>The Stephen Foster Memorial, dedicated in 1937, is a steel-framed structure faced with the same Indiana Limestone used for the universitys Cathedral of Learning. It is one of two buildings, the other being Heinz Memorial Chapel, designed by its architect, Charles Klauder, to accompany his centerpiece Cathedral of Learning on the gothic revival portion of the universitys campus. The W.F. Trimble & Son&#39;s Company was contracted to help erect the building on March 2, 1935.</p><br>
<p>The stone courtyard that is adjacent to the rear of the memorial, and sits between it and the south entrance to the Cathedral of Learning, is dedicated to memorial benefactor Josiah Kirby Lilly and is named in his honor. On the grounds of the memorial, near the Foster Shrine pavilion, sits a sundial on a stone base, currently missing its gnomon, that was dedicated May 1914 to the Pittsburgh Blues of the War of 1812 by the Dolly Madison Chapter, USA Daughters of 1812. The sun dial was rededicated there on May 9, 1941.</p><br>
<p>The memorial building houses two theaters and, connected via a hallway, a memorial shrine dedicated to displaying items from the universitys Foster Hall Collection. The Stephen Foster Memorial serves as the home for the Society for American Music and the University of Pittsburghs Center for American&#39;s Music which encompasses a research library, archive and museum dedicated to expanding and documenting knowledge of American music and its role in American life.</p><br>
<h3>Fred Kelly Lobby</h3><br>
<p>The Fred Kelly Lobby, which serves as the lobby/foyer of the Charity Randall Theatre, is entered through the memorials main Forbes Avenue-facing double red doors and contains two rectangular chandeliers by master metalworker Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia. The lobby also contains Charles Connick stained glass windows depicting Shakespeare (misspelled "Shakespere") and Beethoven that are dedicated to memorial benefactor Josiah Kirby Lilly. The 2003 renovation of the memorial added new pieces of furniture to the lobby/foyer which including an octagonal upholstered banquette, a ticket and concession stand, as well as a new wrought iron ring wheel chandelier. These three additions were designed by Pittsburgh architect Michael Chirigos whose work was inspired by the memorials Gothic arches. The banquettes seats enclose arched cabinets showcasing playbills for future productions along with college and career memorabilia associated with Gene Kellys youngest brother, Fred. Both Kellys were Pitt graduates, and it was Fred who taught Gene and many others to dance. The displays cost was underwritten by Fred Kellys family as an honor to his achievements as an influential choreographer who later became a pioneering television producer and director. The lobby also commemorates outstanding Pitt Theater alumni who are recipients of Department of Theatre Art&#39;s annual Fred Kelly Award.</p><br>
<h3>Charity Randall Theatre</h3><br>
<p>The main 478-seat traditional proscenium theater, formerly known as the Foster Memorial Theatre, was renamed as the Charity Randall Theatre following a $2 million renovation in 2003. The theater was reconditioned to bring it up to code, update its equipment, and replicate the original conditions of the auditoriums features. These renovations were undertaken with donations from the Charity Randall Foundation which was established in 1977 to remember the sister of Pitt graduate and businessman Robert Randall and to support her interest in the arts after her death in a car accident. The plush, deep red seats, identical to those first installed New Yorks Radio City Music Hall, were reupholstered and their wrought iron frames and oak arms refinished to their original 1930s condition. The number of seats were reduced from 572 to 478, including the addition of 24 new freestanding balcony seats. Other auditorium improvements include new carpeting and new lighting that highlights the vaulted stone ceiling, as well as a restoration of the original Samuel Yellin designed chandelier. In addition, state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and production equipment was added, as well as a new rigging system, actors&#39; restroom, and various stage improvements.</p><br>
<h3>Henry Heymann Theatre</h3><br>
<p>The downstairs of the memorial houses the 153-seat Henry Heymann Theatre, featuring a thrust stage with seating on three sides. The theater honors the universitys longtime scenic designer, and theater donor, Henry Heymann, who taught scenic design from 1968 until he retired in 1993. The Heymann Theatre was created in 2000 in a space that formerly served as the memorials social room, which hosted USO dances during World War II. A little-known tunnel also extends from the Heymann Theatre to under the loading dock level of the Cathedral of Learning, connecting the two buildings. During the 2003 renovations to the memorial, the downstairs dressing room area was reconfigured to accommodate three "star" dressing rooms and mens and womens showers. Another basement room serves as headquarters for the still-active Tuesday Musical Club, which initiated the original idea and drive for the construction of the Stephen Foster Memorial.</p><br>
<h3>Foster Shrine</h3><br>
<p>The left wing, composed of the pavilion of the Foster Shrine, is entered from the left of the buildings foyer, which serves as the lobby of the Charity Randall Theatre, and through an entrance corridor that features Foster artifacts, a Foster bust, and five small casement windows featuring Connick stained glass windows devoted to symbols of Stephen Foster and his songs. Moving along the corridor to the shrine, on the right is the entrance to the Foster Reading Room and library, which is home to much of the Foster collection, including its more fragile contents, that can be examined by appointment. Continuing on, the corridor opens into a 12-sided gothic chamber with lancet windows containing Connick stained glass medallions which illustrate various Foster songs. On display in the Shrine in and around Gothic-arched alcoves are Fosters piano, sheet music, broadsides, recordings, and other personal items and memorabilia. The 2003 renovation left the memorial shrine untouched, except for the addition of an unobtrusive fire suppression systems.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The memorial itself was conceived In 1927 when the Tuesday Musical Club, founded in 1889 by affluent female musicians, and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor John Bowman agreed to collaborate on a performance hall dedicated to Stephen Foster that would house the clubs recitals. Bowman donated land adjacent to where the foundation for the Cathedral of Learning was being laid for the memorial. However, little progress on the memorial was made until 1932 when Bowman learned of Josiah Kirby Lillys Foster Hall Collection. After Lilly pledged more than 10,000 Foster items, fund-raising began in earnest, with almost half the $550,000 cost coming from Lilly and his son, Eli. Construction began January 13, 1935, the 71st anniversary of Fosters death. A dedication ceremony took place on June 2, 1937, Pitts 150th anniversary.</p><br>
<p>The Foster Hall Collection itself was established in 1930 by Josiah Kirby Lilly, noted for being the president of the prominent Indianapolis pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company. The collection originally began as a retirement hobby based upon his lifelong love of Stephen Foster s music, but it eventually grew into one of the major collections of American music and history. Lilly and his staff, with the help of some of Fosters relatives, as well as through contributions prompted by the publication of the Foster Hall Bulletin, accumulated over 10,000 Foster items. This initial collection was housed in Indianapolis in a small limestone building he called "Foster Hall." Before his effort began, there had been no exact knowledge concerning the total number of Fosters works, nor any accurate literature published about the composer. Foster Halls staff identified 201 original works, and Foster Hall became a resource center for John Tasker Howards biography Stephen Foster: Americas Troubadour (1934). Concerned about the future of his collection, Lilly donated the Foster Halls holdings to the University of Pittsburghs new Stephen Foster Memorial and the collection was moved to its new home in 1937. Since then, some additional 20,000 items reflecting Foster, composers influenced by him, and music in American life have been added.</p><br>
<p>The university&#39;s Center for American Music also houses the Ethelbert Nevin Collection, which was previously housed in the Theodore M. Finny Music Library until 1999. The Nevin Collection was acquired by the University of Pittsburgh between 1933 and 1956. The materials in the collection were either purchased or donated by Mrs. Ethelbert Nevin, other family members, and friends. The collection consists of original manuscripts, letters, mementos, furnishings, printed matter, and special gifts.</p><br>
<p>Aside from maintaining the collections and museum, The Center for American Music&#39;s projects include Voices Across Time, a curriculum support package that allows teachers to integrate historic American Music into their classrooms. The Center also has undertaken Resources of American History II that will provide global online access to music scores, papers, sound recordings, and other American music-related materials in its archives.</p><br>
<p>Heinz Memorial Chapel is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The chapel was a gift of German-American Henry John Heinz, founder of the H.J. Heinz Company, who wanted to honor his mother, Anna Margaretta Heinz, with a building at the university. Upon his death in 1919, Heinz’s three surviving children (Howard, Irene, and Clifford) added to his bequest in order to memorialize their grandmother and honor their father. Their choice of a chapel for a memorial was guided by the concepts of education and religion which Anna Margaretta Heinz imbued in her children.</p><br>
<p>Howard Heinz, Chancellor John Gabbert Bowman, and Joh Weber, business manager and university secretary, were the driving energy behind the chapel’s concept and execution. Working with them were other members of the Heinz family, and two well-known clergymen, Dr. Hugh Thomson Kerr, pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, and Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, president of Union Theological Seminary.</p><br>
<p>Ground was broken in 1933 and the cornerstone laid in 1934. At the chapel’s dedication on November 20, 1938 Howard Heinz spoke of the meaning of the memorial chapel:</p><br>
<p>“It is located in a community where my father was born and lived his life. It is on the campus of a university. As part of that university, it is dedicated to culture, and understanding response to beauty, and religious worship.”</p><br>
<p>Chancellor Bowman commented at the cornerstone laying:</p><br>
<p>“The chapel is designed as a fitting center of worship which in various ways will rise at the University. The character, intensity, the level of that worship may change from generation to generation. The spiritual tide in men rises and falls. Through these changes though, the Chapel will stand, calm and undisturbed.”</p><br>
<p>Since its dedication, the Heinz family and their philanthropies, as well as private donations from other various individuals, have provided ongoing financial support. In 1996, an addition to the chapel’s north side containing an elevator provided a permanent structure that allows complete accessibility for those with disabilities. This $1.25 million addition, designed by Landmark Design Associates, was funded with grants from the Heinz Endowments and University capital funds.</p><br>
<h2>Historical timeline</h2><br>
<p>January 1914 – The Pittsburgh Gazette Times announces the gift of $100,000 from Henry John Heinz to erect a building in memory of his mother, Anna Margaritta Heinz. A letter addressed to the University of Pittsburgh board of trustees from H. J. Heinz states that the building be "exclusively used for the religious and social activities of the student body of the university".</p><br>
<p>November 4, 1929 – A Deed of Gift is drawn up between Howard Heinz, Clifford Heinz, and Irene E. Given and the University of Pittsburgh.</p><br>
<p>August 15, 1933 – Groundbreaking is held for the Heinz Memorial Chapel by W. F. Trimble and Sons, General Contractors.</p><br>
<p>February 1934 – Cornerstone setting ceremonies were held.</p><br>
<p>June 20, 1934 – A contract was signed by Howard Heinz for $24,000 to purchase Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ Opus 922; the instrument contained approximately 4,295 pipes, and 89 stops.</p><br>
<p>November 20, 1938 – The chapel was dedicated at 2:30 p.m., as soon as the Skinner instrument installation was complete. Dr. Russell G. Wichmann, the first organist at Heinz Chapel, played at the dedication. Shadyside Presbyterian Church quartet, which he directed, and the University of Pittsburgh Chorus, participated.</p><br>
<p>November 23, 1938 – The first student service was held in the chapel—a Thanksgiving Day service held a day early. Dr. Wichmann served as organist, accompanying the University of Pittsburgh Choir. The Alumni Review reported that all seats were filled well before the scheduled start of the service. According to the student ushers present, several hundred students were turned away.</p><br>
<p>1938 – Rev. Raymond F. Brittain of the University&#39;s Department of History of Religion, was appointed director of religious programs in the chapel.</p><br>
<p>January 4, 1939 – Daily 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. programs instituted with fifteen minutes of organ music, followed by ten minutes of responsive reading, singing and prayer.</p><br>
<p>December 18, 1939 – The first Vespers service in the chapel was held at 2:30 p.m.</p><br>
<p>April 9, 1939 – A program first mentioned the "University Symphony Orchestra", for Easter Vespers. The ensemble included four violins, two violas and one cello.</p><br>
<p>January 11, 1946 - The first wedding ceremony was held in the chapel.</p><br>
<p>1992 - A scene for the movie Lorenzo&#39;s Oil is filmed in Heinz Chapel.</p><br>
<p>1996 - An addition was added to the north side of the chapel.</p><br>
<h2>Uses</h2><br>
<p>Heinz Memorial Chapel is used for various religious services, but as intended from its beginning, it is interdenominational. The Chapel is open daily throughout the year except for University holidays, and approximately 1,500 events involving more than 100,000 people take place there annually including religious services, weddings, concerts, classes, memorial services, and guided tours. Between 170 and 190 weddings, which are restricted to affiliates of the University of Pittsburgh and the Heinz employees, are held each year in the Chapel. It also serves as the home of the Heinz Chapel Choir</p><br>
<p>Throughout the school year, the 20-voice Pittsburgh Compline Choir, directed by Dr. Alastair Stout, sings Compline at 8:00 on Sunday evenings. The Order of Service used by the choir is an expanded version of the Order for Compline in the Lutheran Book of Worship. Compline at Heinz Chapel is a ministry of the Lutheran University Center and First Lutheran Church in Downtown Pittsburgh.</p><br>
<h2>Design</h2><br>
<h3>Architecture</h3><br>
<p>The neo-Gothic chapel was designed by Charles Klauder who also designed the Cathedral of Learning and the Stephen Foster Memorial on Pitt’s campus. He was assisted by University architect A. A. Klimcheck. Dr. John G. Bowman, Chancellor of the University, and Mr. John Weber, Secretary of the University, whom Dr. Bowman sent to Europe to study church architecture for background on the Chapel, worked closely with Mr. Klauder in the attempt to achieve on this campus a physical representation of the meaning of a University Chapel.</p><br>
<p>It form is that of a modified cruciform plan, stone vaults, high ceilings, repeated arches, and extensive use of glass that were typical of American academic and religious architecture of this period. It is 146 ft long, 55 ft wide at the transept, and 100 ft high at the nave with its steeple reaching 256 ft above the ground. The Chapel’s walls, inside and out, are of Indiana Limestone.</p><br>
<p>Sadly, Klauder died only a few weeks before the Chapel’s dedication.</p><br>
<p>In 1996, a $1.3 million elevator housing was added to north side of Heinz Chapel in order to bring in into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The small addition was designed to architecturally mesh with the remainder of the chapel.</p><br>
<h3>Stonework</h3><br>
<p>Both inside and out, the walls of the Chapel are of grey Indiana limestone. The interior ceiling is lined with a structural acoustical tile which, although it is a ceramic product, approximates stone. The floor of the Chapel is crab orchard stone with Vermont green slate in the side aisles. The floor of the Chancel is marble while the altar itself is of Numidian marble, imported from Egypt.</p><br>
<p>The Chapel’s wall carvings, by master stoneworker Joseph Gattoni of New York, follow the Gothic tradition of pictorial instruction and express the Chapel’s theme of spiritual values in education. Charles Connick’s studio, who is best known for designing the stained glass windows, also designed a large portion of the chapel’s stonework, including the Gothic-style shields adorning the stone walls and the tympanum above the main door that portrays the figure of Jesus with symbols of the Alpha and the Omega.</p><br>
<h4>Exterior Façade Carving</h4><br>
<p>The tympanum, or recessed arch over the main portal, reflects both the medieval craft of pictorial instruction and the interest of Henry Heinz in the spiritual teachings of his church through his own Sunday school experiences, thus setting the theme for the entire Chapel.</p><br>
<p>The main figure is that of the boy Jesus, relating His youthful revelation to the doctors in the Temple (Luke 2:46-57). He holds a book inscribed with the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, between which all human thought is contained.</p><br>
<p>To the left of the figure of Jesus is the small figure of Moses with the Tables of Law. Beneath Moses, entwined within the branches of a Tree of Life design, are medallions with portraits of the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, the Priests Aaron and Melchezedech, and King David.</p><br>
<p>On the right of the figure of Jesus is the small figure of St. Luke, beneath which are again medallions within a Tree of Life. These represent St. Luke’s and Jesus’ spiritual progeny: in charity, St. Francis of Assisi; in imagination, Leonardo da Vinci; in understanding, Newton; in healing, Pasteur; in eloquence, Wordsworth; in leadership, Lincoln; in thought, Emerson.</p><br>
<p>Outside, the insignia of Europe’s twelve oldest universities are carved on shields on the gables. Below that on the balustrade parapets are college and universities founded in the United States before 1820. The spandrels beneath show seals of those founded after 1820 and the seals of women’s colleges are on the buttresses.</p><br>
<h4>Seals and Shields</h4><br>
<h4>=Entrance Portal=</h4><br>
<p>The seal of the University of Pittsburgh, the 1930s candle version, is just above the main entrance and is flanked by the seal of the City of Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Inside, the stone carvings include the Torah and the Bible, the New Testament beatitudes, and shields of the twelve Apostles. The carvings often take up and extend the theme of the window nearest them.</p><br>
<h4>=Parapets=</h4><br>
<p>In the gables and balustrade circling the transept at its highest point and signifying the Chapel’s dedication to education, are shields bearing the insignia of the twelve oldest European universities in order of their founding.</p><br>
<p>Along the lower balustrade parapet are carved the seals of American colleges and universities founded before 1820, in order of their founding. The seals of those founded after 1820 are on the spandrels beneath the parapet, and the seals of women’s colleges are carved on the buttresses.</p><br>
<h4>=Narthex=</h4><br>
<p>To the right and left of the entrance, in the Narthex, two shields represent the Old and New Testaments with the Pentateuch and the Bible.</p><br>
<h4>=Chancel=</h4><br>
<p>At the base of the Faith, Hope and Charity windows are the shields of the twelve apostles, each represented by his symbol.</p><br>
<p>Under the Justice and Wisdom windows are fourteen shields representing the fourteen beatitudes, or gifts of the soul, as they appear in the carving of the Cathedral of Chartres.</p><br>
<h4>=North Door=</h4><br>
<p>Over the small door to the left of the Chancel as one faces it, is carved the Sacred Monogram above a Tree of Life. Flanking the door are the unicorn, symbol of goodness, and the phoenix, symbol of immortality.</p><br>
<h4>=Ambulatory Doors=</h4><br>
<p>On either side of the doors leading into the ambulatory are shields representing the four Major Prophets: Isaiah (tongs and burning altar coal), Jeremiah (star-tipped wand), Ezekiel (tetramorph), and Daniel (ram with horns.)</p><br>
<h4>=Memorial Window Shields=</h4><br>
<p>Echoing the theme of the window are symbols of music, the harp and the lyre, early instruments used in songs of praise.</p><br>
<h4>=Transept=</h4><br>
<p>In the spandrels of the great arches of the transept crossing, eight large shields represent the eight beatitudes given in the Sermon on the Mount.</p><br>
<h4>=Aisle Window Shields=</h4><br>
<p>North Aisle Shields – symbols of the Doctors of the Western, or Latin Church.</p><br>
<p>South Aisle Shields – symbols of the Doctors of the Eastern, or Greek Church.</p><br>
<h4>=Clerestory Shields=</h4><br>
<p>At the base of the clerestory windows, between the small arches of the triforium gallery are fourteen shields which represent the seven liberal arts and the seven medieval crafts and trades.</p><br>
<h4>=Narthex Shields=</h4><br>
<p>At the base of the Narthex windows are twelve shields which echo the theme of each window.</p><br>
<h3>Wood and Iron work</h3><br>
<p>All the visible wood in the Chapel is oak, including its entrance doors, each of which weighs 800 pounds. The reredos, choir stalls, chancel rails, pulpit, lectern, and narthex screen are of English pollard oak. The pews and narthex ceiling are of Appalachian Mountain oak. Wood carvings were done by Irving and Casson, A.H. Davenport Company of Boston. The four figures carved in the reredos represent the saints Peter, John, Paul the Apostle, and James the Major. All the wrought iron work, including the lanterns, door fittings, stair railings, altar cross, and candlesticks, were created by Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia. (Yellin was also responsible for major working in the adjacent Cathedral of Learning including the Commons Room Gates and most of the metal work in the Nationality Classrooms.)</p><br>
<h2>The Windows</h2><br>
<h3>Designer</h3><br>
<p>The Chapel’s 23 windows were designed by Charles Connick and created at his Boston studio. The windows total approximately 4,000 ft&sup2; and contain nearly 250,000 pieces of glass. There are 391 identifiable people in the windows, a large supporting cast of anonymous individuals, and an extensive variety of flora and fauna.</p><br>
<p>Connick was an artist once on the staff of the Pittsburgh Press, and author of Adventures in Light and Color, a work which he has modestly subtitled An Introduction to the Stained Glass Craft. Mr. Connick also has windows in the Cathedrals of St. Patrick and St. John the Divine in New York City, the Princeton University Chapel, the American Church in Paris, and in the Calvary Episcopal and East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. Heinz Memorial Chapel has the distinction of having all its windows by Mr. Connick, a practice unusual in most churches which prefer to represent in their sanctuaries as many kinds of stained glass artistry as possible. However, because in Heinz Chapel all the windows can be seen at once, and because Mr. Connick began to work so closely with those planning the Chapel, and was so widely respected as a worker in stained glass, he was soon commissioned to design and make all of the windows in Heinz Chapel.</p><br>
<h3>Design Elements</h3><br>
<p>Just as in the language of stone carvings, symbols were used in place of words, there was established a language of color in which the colors themselves had meanings and values. In his Divine Comedy, Dante set forth the traditions of this symbolism, and Mr. Connick used this language in Heinz Chapel to express emotions beyond the reach of words.</p><br>
<p>Red - the warm active color; suggesting passionate devotion, divine love, self-sacrifice, heroism and valor.</p><br>
<p>Blue – the cool contemplative color echoing the light of heaven; symbolic of divine wisdom, profound meditation, enduring loyalty, eternity.</p><br>
<p>White – spiritual achievement, treasure in heaven.</p><br>
<p>And in combination:</p><br>
<p>Gold – yellow merging into brown, changing to gold, symbolic of the treasures of earth; bounty.</p><br>
<p>Green – unites the wisdom of blue with the wealth of gold; hope and victory, happiness and gaiety; spring, youth.</p><br>
<p>Violet – unites the wisdom of blue with the love of red; justice, humility, royalty.</p><br>
<p>While the dominant theme of the Chapel is Charity, as declared by the Charity window, centered high above the chancel, blue is the most prominent color used in the windows, due to the requirements of stained glass artistry. “Blue is light itself,” Mr. Connick has said, and he regarded it as the most valuable and lovely color in stained glass.</p><br>
<h3>Chancel Windows</h3><br>
<p>The five chancel windows represent the virtues of justice, faith, charity, hope, and wisdom. These feature acts of Jesus and characters from the Old and New Testament. These windows are complemented on each side by smaller windows over the choir stalls that celebrate music and recognize its importance in worship.</p><br>
<p>The theme of each window is further developed through the use of symbols related to the Tree of Life. The symbol of love, the rose, appears in the Charity Window; the fig tree symbolizes Faith; the pomegranate, Hope; the grapevine, Justice; and the Twelve Golden Fruits of the Tree of Life, Wisdom.</p><br>
<h3>Transept Windows</h3><br>
<p>The 73 ft tall transept windows are among the tallest stained glass windows in the world and represent temperance, truth, tolerance, and courage. An equal number of men and women are depicted in these windows, unusual in that the equal emphasis on the contributions of both sexes was not typical of the period of their creation. There are a tremendous variety of individuals depicted in these windows drawn from religion and all aspects of secular history, music, science, philosophy, poetry and literature. Secular figures range from Beethoven and Bach to Clara Barton; from Da Vinci to Daniel Boone; from Charlemagne to Chaucer to Confucius; from Emily Dickinson to Keats to Sir Isaac Newton; form Napoleon to Ben Franklin and George Washington; from Rousseau to Shakespeare to Florence Nightingale; from Pocahontas to Pasteur and Edgar Allan Poe; from Tennyson to Thoreau, and a myriad in between including Johnny Appleseed.</p><br>
<h3>Clestory Windows</h3><br>
<p>The four celestory windows, high above the aisles, present great teachers and interpreters of Christian thought. The three gallery windows at the west end of the Chapel represent three great Christian literary works:</p><br>
<p>St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun Also called the Praise and Thanksgiving window, the left narthex window preserves in stained glass the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi. The canticle is pictured in the series of medallions and forms, articulated by stars, birds, fishes and hovering flames. The great surmounting figures are Brother Sun and Sister Moon, below which are personifications of the four elements – Air, Water, Fire, Earth. The small medallion designs are related to the life of St. Francis. The center tracery piece contains the figure of God as the Divine Creator.</p><br>
<p>John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress The central Narthex window presents John Bunyan’s allegoric Pilgrim’s Progress, symbolically tracing the pilgrim’s journey from angular shapes at the window’s base to the bursting fruit of the Tree of Life at its top. The dominant figures of Christian and Hopeful surmount the lancets. The center tracery piece presents the New Jerusalem, with Enoch, Moses and Elijah welcoming the Pilgrim at journey’s end.</p><br>
<p>The Quest for the Holy Grail from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Also called the Holy Grail Window, the right narthex window traces the story of the search for the Holy Grail as told in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Sir Galahad and Sir Percivale’s sister are the dominant figures surmounting the lancets. The growing forms most often take the shape of lilies, symbols of Purity. In the corners are designs of heraldic lions (symbols of Courage), Unicorns (symbols of Virginity), and Serpents and Dragons (sinfulness and the Power of Evil), suggesting the ideals of Chivalry and the temptations besetting the searchers. The center tracery piece presents the Vision of the Grail at the end of the search.</p><br>
<h2>The Organ</h2><br>
<h3>Original Instrument</h3><br>
<p>The Chapel organ was originally a four manual Aeolian Skinner pipe organ with 3,770 pipes.</p><br>
<p>The organ pipes range in size from the size of a pencil up to wooden boxes two feet square. The console itself was in a sunken recess at the right of the Chancel and the pipes were concealed behind the Chancel triforium gallery and the gold and blue ecclesiastical cloth above the gallery.</p><br>
<h3>Updated Instrument</h3><br>
<p>In the 1960s, the cloth was gradually removed, it was deteriorating, had a detrimental effect on the organ sound and presented a fire hazard. By this time, the organ was in serious need of attention and in 1969 work was begun on the installation of a new instrument by the M. P. Möller Company. This included the addition of a small Gallery Console which could be used to play only those pipes in the rear Gallery, useful for duets or if the main instrument required emergency service.</p><br>
<p>The new Moller instrument was dedicated on 21-Mar-1971 by University Organist, Dr. Robert S. Lord and Dr. Russell G. Wichmann, organist at Chatham College. This instrument had approximately 3,954 pipes and 82 stops and 70 ranks (unique sounds). The Heinz Endowments funded this purchase.</p><br>
<p>The organ was greatly enhanced by the addition of three electronic 32’ ranks by the Allen Organ Company in January 1989 under the supervision of Dr. Lord made possible by a grant from the Heinz endowments. This permitted the organ to produce deep, resonant bass tones. It was one of the first uses of electronic sounds to enhance an existing pipe organ.</p><br>
<h3>Current Instrument</h3><br>
<p>In the early 1990s, the Moller became increasingly unreliable and it was deemed necessary to perform major work on the instrument. This coincided with the work done in 1994 to make the Chapel accessible for those with physical disabilities. The Reuter Organ Company was engaged to do this work.</p><br>
<p>The renovated Reuter instrument was dedicated in concert on 24-Sep-1995. Re-created in 1994-95 by the Reuter Organ Company, it represents a trend in American organ building to re-use existing materials in an environmentally friendly and musically sound manner. The Chancel console has three manuals (keyboards) and pedalboard that control all 4,272 pipes (73 ranks) and three electronic 32’ pedal stops. For concerts, this console may be moved to the front of the chancel in full view of the audience. A second console (two manuals and pedal) located in the rear gallery controls pipes located in the alcoves adjacent to the gallery. The main console also has access to the rear gallery pipes. While most of the main organ pipes are located around the front chancel a commanding “tuba” (trumpet) stop is located 90 ft above in a ceiling chamber.</p><br>
<p>A complete history of the organ is available in the Docent Guide for the Organ at Heinz Chapel the first edition of which was prepared in 2003 by Jon J. Danzak. A copy of the book as well as two CDs were placed on deposit at the Music Library of the University of Pittsburgh by Dr. Robert S. Lord (Professor Emeritus) who served as University organist for over 40 years.</p><br>
<p>These are the specifications for</p><br>
<p>The Gokak Falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha River in Belagavi district of Karnataka, India. The waterfall is six kilometers away from Gokak town.</p><br>
<p>After a long winding course, the Ghataprabha river takes a leap of 52 m over the sand-stone cliff amidst a picturesque gorge of the rugged valley, resembling Niagara Falls on a smaller scale. The waterfall is horse shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 m. During rainy season, the thick reddish brown water sweeps far over the brink of the cliff with a dull roar that can be heard from some distance. There is a hanging bridge across the river, measuring about 201 m. Its height above the rock bed is 14 m.</p><br>
<p>There is an old electricity generation station and electricity was generated here for the first time in 1887</p><br>
<p>One interesting feature of this place is the monuments from the Chalukya era that are found on either bank of the rocky gorge. Another attraction of this place is the very old river-front temple dedicated to Lord Mahalingeshwara, built in the Later Chalukya style of architecture.</p><br>
<p>Many suicides have taken place at Gokak Falls.</p><br>
<h2>Commutation</h2><br>
<p>Distance from Kolhapur: 100 km</p><br>
<p>Distance from Sangli/Miraj: 66 km</p><br>
<p>Distance from Gokak: 6 km</p><br>
<p>Distance from Belgaum: 65 km</p><br>
<p>Distance from Panaji: 140 km</p><br>
<h3>Nearest Airports</h3><br>
<p>Belgaum - Domestic Airport</p><br>
<p>Pune - International Airport</p><br>
<p>Bangalore - International Airport</p><br>
<p>Goa-International Airport</p><br>
<p>Hubli-Domestic Airport</p><br>
<p>Mumbai - International Airport</p><br>
<h3>Nearest Railway Junction</h3><br>
<p>Miraj junction railway station on Central Railway which is 90 km from Gokak Water Falls.</p><br>
<p>Miraj junction is well connected to important cities of India by express trains.</p><br>
<p>Though Miraj Junction is one of major station well connected to most of important cities of India by Express trains, nearest railway station is Gokak Road(GKK) for passenger trains & Ghatprabha (GPB) for express trains both being on Miraj-Belgaum-Hubli route.</p><br>
<h3>Nearest Railway stations</h3><br>
<p>Gokak-Road Railway station is about 10 km from Gokak city</p><br>
<p>Ghataprabha railway station is about 15 km from Gokak city</p><br>
<p>Belgaum railway station is about 70 km.</p><br>
<p>Hubli railway station 125 km</p><br>
<p>Miraj railway station 80 km</p><br>
<p>The best option to reach Gokak Water Falls is by taking a Train.</p><br>
<h3>Trains to reach Gokak Road railway station or Ghatprabha railway station</h3><br>
<p>Important trains passing via Miraj junction & Belgaum railway stations are below and Visitors can alight at Ghatprabha railway station to reach the waterfall.</p><br>
<p>Goa Express Vasco Da Gama to Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin</p><br>
<p>Karnataka Sampark Kranti express via Pune Miraj Hubli</p><br>
<p>Mumbai-Tirunelveli express</p><br>
<p>Mumbai-Puducherry Chalukya express</p><br>
<p>Yeswantpur Miraj SF express</p><br>
<p>Bangalore-Kolhapur Rani Chennamma Express via Belagavi -</p><br>
<p>Bangalore Ajmer Garib Nawaz Express</p><br>
<p>Bangalore Jodhpur Express</p><br>
<p>Bangalore Gandhidham Express</p><br>
<p>Mumbai-Mysore express</p><br>
<p>Hubli Miraj express</p><br>
<p>Delhi-Mysore Swarna Jayanti Express</p><br>
<p>Kolhapur Hyderabad Express (via Belgaum)</p><br>
<p>Hubli Mumbai LTT express ( Ghataprabha stop)</p><br>
<p>Please check Indian Railway timetable for the correct timings.</p><br>
<h3>Road</h3><br>
<p>KSRTC and city buses ply regularly from Gokak and Belgaum to the falls. You can also hire a private car from Belgaum or Sangli and reach Gokak water falls.</p><br>
<p>The best time to visit Gokak falls is around July - October.</p><br>
<p>It experiences moderate climate throughout the year, however the nights are too cool and days are warm.</p><br>
<p>Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is a nonprofit, volunteer-run living museum specializing in iris flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. The gardens are situated on 6.5 acres. Adjacent to the gardens is a Victorian house, the Walther House. The house is open to the public and is home to a museum shop and headquarters for the Citizens Committee that oversees the gardens.</p><br>
<p>Following financial problems in 2008 and 2009, ownership of the gardens was transferred to Essex county, who bought the Walther House for $1.1 million in order to give the gardens a better financial standing. The county then leased the gardens back to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for $1. While Essex County owns the property, the actual iris beds are maintained without taxpayer funds. Rather, they are maintained by private donations and volunteer effort.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The Gardens are in a park-like setting and open to the public without charge. Donations, however, are greatly appreciated. Each year Presby has over 10,000 visitors. Normally, the blooming season is May 14 to June 4. Check the Presby website (see External Links below) for the exact status of the current season.</p><br>
<p>The gardens were established in 1927 to honor Frank Presby, a noted horticulturalist and a founding member of the American Iris Society. This world-class collection now includes approximately 10,000 individual plants, representing 6 species and over 3,000 different named varieties of irises. It is the largest non-commercial garden dedicated to irises in the world.</p><br>
<h2>Vandalism</h2><br>
<p>In August 2005, 157 historic rhizomes were vandalized. One year later, Montclair Police were tipped off to the culprits who were later arrested and sentenced. The three men, minors at the time, had clubbed the plants practicing golf swings, while intoxicated. In 2008, a theft was attempted on some irises, by removing them and putting them in a plastic bag, but they were recovered.</p><br>
<p>Nine Ladies is a Bronze Age stone circle located on Stanton Moor, Derbyshire, England. Part of the Peak District National Park, the site is owned by English Heritage and is often visited by tourists and hill walkers. Druids and pagans occasionally celebrate summer solstice there.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>There are nine upright stones, each of local millstone grit, each less than a metre high, in a clearing in a modern wood planted on Stanton Moor. They sit in a rough circle with a gap at the south side of the circle where no stone-hole has been found. However, an additional stone, lying flat rather than upright, was discovered after being exposed as a crop mark in the dry weather of 1976. It is now visible. The circle is built on an embankment which levelled the local terrain. The small "King Stone" lies forty metres from the circle to the west-south-west and is clearly visible from it.</p><br>
<p>The Nine Ladies were among the 28 archetypal monuments in England and Wales included in General Pitt-Rivers’ Schedule to the first Ancient Monuments Protection Act, which became law in 1882. It was taken into state care the following year.</p><br>
<p>Although there have long been concerns over such an isolated archaeological site being exposed to damage, towards the end of the 20th century these fears led to a series of surface surveys and exploratory excavations being undertaken. Ground surveys were undertaken by Trent & Peak Archaeological Trust between 1988 and 1997, leading to small-scale excavations in 2000 with the purpose of determining whether modern-day disturbance causes loss of archaeological deposits.</p><br>
<h2>Quarry protest</h2><br>
<p>The site has been the focus of a long-running environmental protest. In 1999 Stancliffe Stone Ltd submitted a planning application to re-open two dormant quarries (Endcliffe and Lees Cross) on the wooded hillside beside Stanton Moor. The proposed quarry was only 200 m from Nine Ladies, on land owned by Haddon Hall estate and leased to Stancliffe Stone.</p><br>
<p>A local protest group SLAG (Stanton Lees Action Group) was set up to oppose the quarry. The group was joined by environmental protesters who set up a long-running and controversial protest camp. They built many tree houses, from which the inhabitants were hard to evict. The protesters defied a court eviction order in February 2004, and continued to occupy the site until the winter of 2008–09.</p><br>
<p>In 2004 the High Court classified the two quarries as dormant. There was an appeal against the decision, but the classification was upheld in June 2005. This meant that the quarries could not re-open until the Peak District National Park Authority agreed on a set of working conditions for them. In 2008 permission to quarry near the circle was finally revoked.</p><br>
<h2>Modern druid activity</h2><br>
<p>Fort Hancock is a former United States Army fort at Sandy Hook in Middletown Township New Jersey. The coastal artillery base defended the Atlantic coast and the entrance to New York Harbor, with its first gun batteries operational in 1896. Between 1874 and 1919, the adjacent US Army Sandy Hook Proving Ground was operated in conjunction with Fort Hancock. It is now part of Fort Hancock Memorial Park. It was preceded by the Fort at Sandy Hook, built 1857–1867 and demolished beginning in 1885.</p><br>
<p>The Sandy Hook Light, built in 1764 and the oldest working lighthouse in the United States, is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Fort at Sandy Hook</h3><br>
<p>The Sandy Hook area was first fortified as part of the third system of US fortifications. Construction on the Fort at Sandy Hook began in 1857 and ceased in 1867, with the fort serviceable though largely incomplete. This fort was never officially named, but since the area was named Fort Hancock in 1895 it is often called by that name. It was sometimes locally called Fort Lincoln or Fort Hudson. Originally two tower forts were proposed, but a much larger single fort was decided on instead. The initial design of the fort was by then-Captain Robert E. Lee of the Army Corps of Engineers. The fort was designed as a five-bastion irregular pentagon, with two tiers (one casemated, one barbette) of cannon totaling 173 guns on three seacoast fronts, with another 39 guns covering the landward approaches. As was common in Third System forts in the Northeast, it was built primarily of granite. At some point, with the casemate tier of the three seacoast fronts largely complete, the fort was redesigned to speed its overall completion, basically by eliminating the landward bastion and simplifying its neighboring bastions. Following the Civil War, it was determined that masonry forts were vulnerable to rifled guns, and funding for their construction was cut off in 1867. The fort remained incomplete until 1885, when almost all of it was cannibalized to build the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, the new Fort Hancock, and supporting structures such as a seawall. A small portion of one wall remains in place with four cannon ports.</p><br>
<h3>Fort Hancock</h3><br>
<p>In 1874 the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was established as a weapons testing area, primarily for coast defense weapons. This was operated by the Ordnance Department and was organizationally separate from Fort Hancock.</p><br>
<p>In 1890 construction began on the artillery batteries at Fort Hancock, which was named for Major General Winfield Scott Hancock in 1895. These resulted from the large-scale Endicott Program, which in 1885 proposed a new, comprehensive system of forts defending port cities. Fort Hancock was one of the first forts built and prototyped several weapon installations. The first batteries begun at Fort Hancock were Battery Potter and Battery Reynolds (later Reynolds-McCook), initially the "Gun Lift Battery" and the "Sandy Hook Mortar Battery", both of which were built with high walls all around for land defense, a feature not found in most subsequent US installations.</p><br>
<p>Battery Potter was the prototype battery for the steam-hydraulic "gun lift" carriage. The Endicott Program centered on disappearing guns, which would remain concealed behind a concrete-and-earth parapet until raised to fire. Most of the weapons in the program were mounted on Buffington-Crozier disappearing carriages. However, early on there was doubt that this carriage could successfully raise and lower a 12-inch (305 mm) gun. The alternative developed for this was the gun lift carriage, essentially a barbette carriage mounted on a hydraulic elevator. A steam plant powered the hydraulic system. One advantage of the gun lift carriage not found in most US disappearing gun installations was 360° all-around fire. Battery Potter (known as "Gun Lift Battery No. 1" until named in 1903) received its first gun in 1892 (a 12-inch gun M1888, Watervliet serial no. 11, the first operational gun of the Endicott Program) and was completed in 1894, but for some reason was not accepted for service until 1898, possibly due to extensive testing. The gun lift system proved expensive to build and operate, as the steam plant had to be running continuously to provide pressure for elevator operation. Other early 12-inch gun installations were on simple non-disappearing barbette carriages until the M1896 Buffington-Crozier carriage was developed for the 12-inch gun. Although a few installations such as Battery Torbert at Fort Delaware were begun as gun lift batteries, these were completed with disappearing guns, and Battery Potter was the only gun lift battery completed. In 1903 Battery Potter was named for Joseph H. Potter, a Civil War general. By 1907 several additional batteries were built at Fort Hancock, and with the construction of Battery Arrowsmith under way to cover its sector, Battery Potter was disarmed. Three spare gun lift carriages were modified as barbette carriages, designated Altered Gun Lift Carriage M1897, and emplaced at Fort Flagler (2) and Fort Worden (1) in the Puget Sound area of Washington state.</p><br>
<p>Battery Reynolds (half of which was renamed as Battery McCook in 1906) was a battery of 16 12-inch (305 mm) mortars in the "Abbot Quad" arrangement. This was designed to place the mortars as closely together as possible, in the hope of scoring multiple hits on an enemy ship by firing simultaneously. The battery had four pits in a square arrangement, with four mortars per pit, also in a square. The pits were separated by walls and were surrounded by a high concrete wall covered with earth for land defense. This arrangement was used at a number of Endicott forts. However, simultaneously reloading the mortars in each pit proved cumbersome, and in later forts the pits were arranged in a line with open backs. During World War I the two rear mortars in each pit were removed at most forts to further improve reloading.</p><br>
<p>By 1909 the following batteries were constructed:</p><br>
<p>Facilities for planting and controlling an underwater minefield were built as well. Battery Dynamite was one of a few built for Zalinski pneumatic dynamite guns; these used a dynamite-loaded projectile with a much larger explosive charge than conventional guns of similar bore. However, they also had a much lower velocity with consequent fire control problems and were withdrawn from service by 1902. Batteries Bloomfield, Richardson, Halleck, and Alexander together formed the "Nine Gun Battery" with one of the longest continuous gun lines in the Endicott system. They were begun as the seven-gun Battery Halleck in 1896, built on top of the third system fort, and were divided in 1904 after expansion to nine guns. The unnamed one-gun battery contained a 4.72-inch (120 mm) French-made Schneider gun unique in the US artillery system; it was probably a test gun from the Proving Ground pressed into service after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. The 3-inch batteries were often called "mine defense" guns, intended to defend a minefield against minesweepers.</p><br>
<h3>Organization</h3><br>
<p>Fort Hancock was originally part of the New York Artillery District, part of which became the Coast Defenses of Southern New York in 1913, along with Fort Hamilton and Fort Wadsworth. However, circa 1915 Fort Hancock became its own coast defense command as the Coast Defenses of Sandy Hook. In 1924 this was renamed as the Harbor Defenses of Sandy Hook. In 1942 Fort Hancock became part of the Harbor Defenses of New York and the Sandy Hook command was disestablished.</p><br>
<p>In 1901 coast artillery companies were created by redesignating the heavy artillery companies which previously garrisoned forts, and in 1907 the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps was established to operate the country&#39;s new defenses.</p><br>
<h3>World War I</h3><br>
<p>Following the American entry into World War I a number of changes took place at forts in the US, with a view to getting US-manned heavy and railway artillery into service on the Western Front. Fort Hancock was less affected than most forts, probably due to its being a primary defense for New York City. One 10-inch gun of Battery Halleck was removed for potential service as railway artillery; several other weapons including the other guns of Battery Halleck and the three 8-inch guns of Battery Arrowsmith were listed for removal but remained at the fort. Battery Engle&#39;s single 5-inch gun was removed for service as a field gun on a wheeled carriage and not returned to the fort, as were almost all of the 5-inch M1897 guns forcewide. Also, four mortars (one from each pit) of Battery Reynolds-McCook were removed in 1917 to be remounted at the Highlands Military Reservation to the south of Sandy Hook. In 1917 construction began on two 12-inch batteries at Fort Hancock with two guns each on long-range barbette carriages; these were completed in 1921 and named Battery Kingman and Battery Mills.</p><br>
<h3>Interwar period</h3><br>
<p>Following World War I a number of additional changes took place in the Coast Artillery, and Fort Hancock was no exception. The proving ground functions were relocated to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The three 8-inch guns of Battery Arrowsmith were removed. Unusually, Battery Reynolds-McCook was stripped of all its mortars, and the mortars at Highlands were also removed. The 3-inch M1898 guns of Battery Urmston were removed in 1920 as one of several weapon types withdrawn from service at this time. The new long-range 12-inch batteries and a 16-inch gun battery at Fort Tilden had become the primary gun defenses for Greater New York; however, the older guns remained in place until World War II. The new 12-inch batteries originally had open emplacements which were casemated against air attack in 1942–43. Fort Hancock was generally in caretaker status from 1919 until the 1930s. Around 1930 Batteries C and E of the 52nd Railway Artillery Battalion, totaling two 12-inch mortars and two 8-inch guns, were stationed at the fort. Subsequently, the fort was used as a practice range for other railway artillery units.</p><br>
<h3>World War II</h3><br>
<p>In 1940–41 Fort Hancock served as a mobilization center, with first a tent city and subsequently numerous temporary buildings accommodating trainees. With Batteries Kingman and Mills and 16-inch batteries at Fort Tilden and the Highlands Military Reservation providing adequate gun defenses for Greater New York, Fort Hamilton&#39;s other 6-inch through 12-inch weapons were gradually scrapped in 1942–43. In 1943 a harbor entrance control post was built on the long-defunct Battery Potter, and Battery Gunnison was rebuilt to accommodate the 6-inch pedestal-mounted guns of Battery Peck as an examination battery. This battery also became known as Battery New Peck. Two Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) batteries were established at the fort, each with an authorized strength of four 90 mm guns, two on fixed mounts and two on towed mounts. AMTB 7 was at a location that is unclear from references, while AMTB 8 was at the "old" Battery Peck.</p><br>
<h3>Cold War</h3><br>
<p>In 1946 it was determined that gun defenses were obsolete, and Fort Hancock&#39;s guns were scrapped. The fort was deactivated with the demise of the Coast Artillery Corps in 1950, but a year later was re-activated as a base for 90 mm and 120 mm antiaircraft guns, the first stateside Cold War defenses. The fort was deactivated again in 1953, but reactivated in 1956 as a Nike missile base (site NY-56). This lasted through 1974, when the stateside Nike missile system was deactivated.</p><br>
<h2>Present</h2><br>
<p>Fort Hancock was decommissioned as an active USA Army installation in 1974. It is now part of the National Parks of New York Harbor under the National Park System. A museum is managed as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. In 2013, the Park Service introduced Nubian goats to the fort in order to clear away poison ivy that has been growing unchecked on the six-acre property for about 40 years.</p><br>
<p>The NPS is soliciting proposals for renovation and use to the more than 35 buildings in the fort complex.</p><br>
<p>A 20-inch Rodman gun (the biggest gun produced in the Civil War era), a 10-inch Rodman gun, several Nike missiles, and two rare 6-inch M1900 guns at Battery New Peck a.k.a. Battery Gunnison are displayed at the fort.</p><br>
<p>Fort Hancock has one of the largest collections of preserved Endicott batteries anywhere, including various experimental batteries at the former proving ground. Significant remains include the dynamite gun battery and the test battery for the 14-inch gun turrets of Fort Drum in Manila Bay, Philippines. Many of the garrison buildings survive. However, only a small part of one wall of the third system fort, with four embrasures, remains. Nike Site NY-56 is partially preserved, with a radar area and some display missiles.</p><br>
<p>Nosy Boraha , previously known as Île Sainte-Marie , is an island off the east coast of Madagascar, to which it belongs. The main town is Ambodifotatra. The island forms an administrative district within Analanjirofo Region, and covers an area of 222 km. It had a population estimated at 26,547 in 2013.</p><br>
<h2>Government</h2><br>
<p>The island is organized as the city (commune urbaine) and district of Nosy Boraha in Analanjirofo Region, and is part of the nation of Madagascar.</p><br>
<p>The population has changed over the centuries. Originally it was Austronesian, as on the larger islands of Madagascar and then reverted to pirate control, however most inhabitants now are similar to the rest of the northeast coast of Madagascar.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>This island is 60 km long and less than 10 km wide.</p><br>
<h2>Whale watching</h2><br>
<p>The channel between Nosy Boraha and Madagascar is known for whale watching. Substantial groups of humpback whales (Megaptera) migrate from the Antarctic to this breeding ground. The whales find conditions here that are well suited to their courtship and favourable for the growth of their young and before their annual migration to colder water. Although scarce, southern right whales, as a part of the recolonization of their former ranges, are known to appear along the coast from time to time.</p><br>
<h2>Pirates</h2><br>
<p>Ile Sainte-Marie, or St. Marys Island as it is known in English, became a popular base for pirates, starting with Adam Baldridge in 1685, in the 17th and 18th centuries due to several reasons: it was not far from the maritime routes along which ships returning from the East Indies sailed in transit, their holds overflowing with wealth; it was provided with bays and inlets protected from storms; and finally, it had abundant fruit and was situated in quiet waters. Legendary pirates including William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur, Henry Every, Abraham Samuel and Thomas Tew lived in the île aux Forbans, an island located in the bay of Sainte Maries main town, Ambodifotatra. Many of them would found a family line. Numerous vestiges of this history remain on Nosy Boraha, but at this time the remains have not been yet identified.</p><br>
<p>The utopian pirate republic of Libertalia was also rumored to exist in this area, although the republic&#39;s existence, let alone its location, has never been proven.</p><br>
<h2>Diving</h2><br>
<p>Free from sharks, the lagoon of the island is endowed with significant coralline growth. Its underwater fauna is conserved as a natural heritage and popular diving site in the Indian Ocean.</p><br>
<p>On 7 May 2015, a large 55 kg "silver" ingot, which was believed to be Captain Kidds treasure, was found off the coast of the island. After further analysis, UNESCO determined that the large piece of silver believed to be Captain Kidds was actually 95% lead; they judged the piece to be "a broken part of the Sainte-Marie port constructions."</p><br>
<h2>Traditions</h2><br>
<p>On Nosy Boraha, the inhabitants are attached to traditions. The social or family events are faithfully linked to practices invoking the ancestors&#39; spirits. The wealth and variety of these rituals underline the authenticity and depth of the "Saint-marien" cultural identity.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The island is the setting for the fourth Uncharted game, which was released for the PlayStation 4. In the game, the main characters explore the island while on a quest to discover the rumored pirate utopia of Libertalia and the fictitious bounty of the famed pirate Henry Avery.</p><br>
<h2>Fauna and flora</h2><br>
<p>The insular character and the coralline soil encouraged various adaptations, as much of animal as of plant structure. Thus, Sainte Marie is endowed with a rich fauna and flora. Sainte-Marie has several species of lemur as well as numerous orchid species, among which is the "Queen of Madagascar" (Eulophiella roempleriana). The island was the only place where Delalande&#39;s coua, a non-parasitic cuckoo, was known to occur; this species became extinct in the late 19th century, probably due to predation by feral cats.</p><br>
<p>Myos Hormos was a Red Sea port constructed by the Ptolemies around the 3rd century BC. Following excavations carried out recently by David Peacock and Lucy Blue of the University of Southampton, it is thought to have been located on the present-day site of Quseir al-Quadim , eight kilometres north of the modern town of Al-Qusayr in Egypt.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Myos Hormos, after the Ptolemies, was with Berenice (further south on the Red Sea coast) one of the two main ports in Roman Egypt for trade with India, Africa and probably China.</p><br>
<p>Some of its main destinations were the Indus delta, Muziris and the Kathiawar peninsula in India. The coastal trade from Myos Hormos and Berenice along the coast of the Indian Ocean is described in the anonymous 1st century AD handbook Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.</p><br>
<p>According to Strabo (II.5.12), by the time of Augustus, up to 120 ships were setting sail every year from Myos Hormos to India:</p><br>
<p>The port of Myos Hormos was connected to the Nile valley and Memphis by a Roman road, built in the 1st century.</p><br>
<p>After the 4th century the port was abandoned, because of the Roman Empire crisis and the end of the trade between Rome and India.</p><br>
<p>Only in the 17th century the port started to get again some importance, mainly because of holy travel from Cairo to Mecca. The city of old Qusair is the actual Myos Hormos.</p><br>
<p>Patenga  is a sea beach located 14 kilometres south of the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is near the mouth of the Karnaphuli River.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>Patenga is a popular tourist spot. The beach is very close to the Bangladesh Naval Academy of the Bangladesh Navy and Shah Amanat International Airport. Its width is narrow and swimming in the seas is not recommended. Part of the seashore is built-up with concrete walls, and large blocks of stones have been laid to prevent erosion. During the 1990s, a host of restaurants and kiosks sprouted out around the beach area. Lighting of the area has enhanced the security aspect of visiting at night.</p><br>
<p>Nowadays, alcohol peddling is very common at the beach. Vendors from the city sell their ice creams, cold drinks and food to the hundreds of tourists who come to Patenga Beach. According to the local people, Patenga is the best place for delicious, mouth-watering street food at very low costs. One of the popular dishes of the food stands is the fried, spicy mud crab served with a small plate full of falafel, garnished with cucumber and onion. The beach has a wonderful cool atmosphere even at the evening, and people come to enjoy the soothing breeze. The beach is lined with massive shady palm trees and fishing boats. It also has an array of speed boats for visitors. The beach, however, is quite sandy, with a few rocky patches.</p><br>
<p>Most visitors come to Patenga Beach as it is known for having some of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises in Bangladesh.</p><br>
<p>Patenga beach Russell john.jpgSunset at Patenga Beach</p><br>
<p>Patenga Beach Cloudy Weather.jpgCloudy weather at Patenga beach</p><br>
<p>Washing net at Patenga (03).jpgFishing net washing</p><br>
<p>Road in Patenga (01).jpgSea Beach Road, entrance to the beach</p><br>
<p>Patenga Road (02).jpgPatenga Road</p><br>
<p>Ferris wheel at Patenga (1).jpgTraditional ferris wheel at Patenga</p><br>
<p>Kite flying at Patenga beach.jpgKite flying at Patenga</p><br>
<p>Wood Lawn, also known as Woodlawn, is a plantation house built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located near Mount Mourne, Iredell County, North Carolina 1 mi north of Davidson, North Carolina, the house was built about 1840 and is a fine example of the Federal-Greek Revival style of architecture often built in the Piedmont area during this period. The house was built by Dr. George Washington Stinson, one of the first trustees of Davidson College, which was founded in 1837.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The original structure consisted of 8 rooms (each with its own fireplace and mantle) on 2 levels off center hallways. The -story staircase features a walnut, spiral-turned handrail believed imported from Charleston, South Carolina. Tradition relates that Dr. Stinson&#39;s home was popular among the Davidson College students, not only because he had several eligible daughters, but also because he permitted square dancing, which was strongly discouraged by the Presbyterians of the day. Stinson was a member of Centre Presbyterian Church, where he and his wife are buried. Their son, Edgar Burett Stinson, graduated from Davidson in 1856, fought in the Civil War, and then returned to the family home where he later died. The house remained in the Stinson family until the twentieth century.</p><br>
<p>In 1981, an upstairs bathroom was installed, heat pumps were placed into service, and the front porch was restored. In 1985, a significant, architecturally compatible addition was made to the back of the house. This included a kitchen and breakfast area, bathroom, and wraparound deck. The nearby carriage house was also constructed at this time, and a potting shed was finished in the early 1990s.</p><br>
<p>In 2002, the house and its 61 acre parcel were purchased for use by a new independent, private school - Woodlawn School. One year later, the house was renovated to serve as the school&#39;s administration building, and was dedicated as Stinson Hall, in honor of its builder.</p><br>
<p>The Tidal Basin is a partially man-made reservoir between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in Washington, D.C. It is part of West Potomac Park and is a focal point of the National Cherry Blossom Festival held each spring. The Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the George Mason Memorial are situated adjacent to the Tidal Basin. The basin covers an area of about 107 acre and is 10 ft deep.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The concept of the Tidal Basin originated in the 1880s to serve both as a visual centerpiece and as a means for flushing the Washington Channel, a harbor separated from the Potomac River by fill lands where East Potomac Park is situated. Peter Conover Hains, an engineering officer in the USA Army, oversaw the design and construction. The basin was initially named Twining Lake, in honor of Major William Johnson Twining (USA Army Corps of Engineers), Washington DCs first Engineer Commissioner. According to testimony given to a Congressional subcommittee in 1917, it was Major Twinings idea to create a tidal reservoir and use that water to help "flush" the Washington Channel, and the design was carried out by Colonel Hains. A 1917 Army Corps of Engineers map of Washington already shows the basin with the name "Twining Lake". The Tidal Basin which exists today was not laid out until after World War II. It was built in 1949 by the construction firm of Alexander and Repass, which was unusual at that time because Alexander was of African descent and Repass was of European descent.</p><br>
<h2>Design</h2><br>
<p>The basin is designed to release 250 e6USgal of water captured at high tide twice a day. The inlet gates, located on the Potomac side of the basin, allow water to enter the basin during high tide. During this time, the outlet gates, on the Washington Channel side, close to store incoming water and block the flow of water and sediment into the channel. As the tide begins to ebb, the general outflow of water from the basin forces the inlet gates to close. This same force is applied to the outlet gates, which open into the channel. Silt build up is swept away by the extra force of water running from the Tidal Basin through the channel. The gates are maintained as navigable by the USA Army Corps of Engineers, which has recently completed a project to restore the functioning of the gates.</p><br>
<p>The northern lobe of the basin is crossed by the 433 foot Kutz Memorial Bridge, named in honor of Brigadier General Charles W. Kutz the Commissioner of Engineering for the District of Columbia during the first half of the 20th century, carrying eastbound Independence Avenue traffic in three lanes. The bridge was designed by Paul Cret, begun in 1941, completed 1943 and altered with dedication in 1954. It is of concrete and steel on pilings, all granite faced.</p><br>
<p>As part of the restoration and redesign of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, completed in 2012, water is pumped from the Tidal Basin to fill the pool.</p><br>
<h2>Incidents</h2><br>
<p>The Tidal Basin was the scene of a scandalous drunken incident involving the Chairman of the USA House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, Democratic Congressman Wilbur Mills. On October 7, 1974, Mills&#39; car, with an Argentine stripper known as Fanne Foxe in the back with Mills and driven by a former Nixon staffer, was stopped by US Park police late at night because the driver had not turned on the headlights. Mills was intoxicated and his face was cut from a scuffle with Foxe. When police approached the car, Foxe leapt from the car and jumped into the nearby Tidal Basin. Despite the scandal, Mills was re-elected to Congress in November 1974 with 60% of the vote, but in December he drunkenly staggered onstage at a Boston strip club where Ms. Foxe was performing. Soon after this second embarrassment Mills was forced to step down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. Mills eventually acknowledged his alcoholism, sought treatment at the West Palm Beach Institute, and joined Alcoholics Anonymous. He did not seek re-election in 1976.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>From mid-March until October, paddle-boats are available for rent. The activity is very popular during the Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place in April. Both two and four person paddle-boats are available.</p><br>
<p>The Basento  is a river in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. It rises at Monte Arioso in the southern Apennine Mountains, southwest of Potenza in the province of Potenza. The river flows northeast near Pignola and Potenza before curving east near Vaglio Basilicata. It curves southeast and flows near Brindisi Montagna, Trivigno, and Albano di Lucania. A right tributary coming from Lago di Ponte Fontanelle flows into the river in this area. The river forms the border between the province of Potenza and the province of Matera for a short distance before flowing into the province of Matera. It flows eastward near Tricarico, Calciano, and Grassano before curving southeast. The river flows near Grottole, Miglionico, Pomarico, Ferrandina, and Monte Finese before curving eastward. It flows near Pisticci and Bernalda before flowing into the Gulf of Taranto, which is part of the Ionian Sea, near Metaponto. The main city on the Basento is Potenza, the capital of Basilicata.</p><br>
<p>Tintinhull Garden, located in Tintinhull, near Yeovil in the English county of Somerset, is a small 20th century Arts and Crafts garden surrounding a 17th-century Grade I listed house. The property is in the ownership of the National Trust. It is visited by around 25,000 people per year.</p><br>
<p>The house started as a small farmhouse in 1630 but was enlarged into its current form in the 18th century. The house was the property of the Napper family for centuries. It was given to the National Trust in 1954. The Arts and Crafts style garden is modeled on that at Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire. It was originally laid out by Phyllis Reiss and developed by Penelope Hobhouse.</p><br>
<h2>House</h2><br>
<p>The original farmhouse which forms the basis of the current Tintinhull House was built of Hamstone 1630. It was reshaped and enlarged around 1722 when the west façade was added.</p><br>
<p>The house was the property of the Napper family, who acquired the manor after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and also owned Tintinhull Court, and was passed down in the family until they sold it sometime after 1814.</p><br>
<p>The Nappers let it to the Pitt family until the death of John Napper in 1791. It passed through several hands until 1835, when it was bought by Jeremiah Penny. In 1898 the then owner, Arthur Cobbett, added a single-storey extension to the east front before selling it to his tenant the botanist, Dr. S.J.M. Price. In 1933 it was bought by Phyllis Reiss and her husband, Capt. F.E. Reiss.</p><br>
<p>The house includes several paintings from the National Trust&#39;s collection, including a painting of the front of the house by John S. Goodall.</p><br>
<p>The house is a Grade I listed building and can be booked for holiday lets from the National trust.</p><br>
<h2>Garden</h2><br>
<p>The garden is laid out into areas separated by walls and hedges.</p><br>
<p>The garden layout was developed in the early 20th century, by Dr. Price, including laying down traingular and diamond shaped flagstone paths. The ornamental domes of box were planted in the 1920s. The early landscaping was expanded and planted starting in 1933 by Phyllis Reiss in a Arts and Crafts "Hidcote" style. The 1.5 acre garden is separated into "rooms" by Yew hedges and walls. The different areas include Eagle Court (the former courtyard), Middle Garden, Fountain Garden and Pool Garden. The pool garden is the site of a former tennis court.</p><br>
<p>In 1954 Reiss gave the house and garden to the National Trust, but continued to live in the house and care for the garden until her death in 1961. From then on, the Trust let the house to a variety of tenants, including the garden designer and writer Penelope Hobhouse and her husband Prof John Malins from 1980 to 1993.</p><br>
<p>The gardens are included in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and include small pools and an azelea garden.</p><br>
<p>Hofsá river, in Vopnafjörður fjord, Iceland, is one of Iceland&#39;s most productive salmon rivers. Every year, a large number of foreign visitors come to fish in the river. Charles, Prince of Wales came to fish in Hofsá in his youth.</p><br>
<p>The average annual catch between 1974 and 2013 was 1119 salmon. The maximum catch during that period was in 1992, when 2239 salmon were caught. The minimum catch was only 141 salmon in 1980. The average weight is usually between 3.0-3.5 kg. The exact number for 2013 was an impressive average of 3.1 kg.</p><br>
<p>Hofsá has salmon for 30 km up from the river-mouth, and trout for about 6 km.</p><br>
<p>The salmon fishing season in Hofsá starts in early July, and ends in the middle of September. The best time to fish is late July and the first 2 to 3 weeks of August.</p><br>
<p>Fishing is currently limited to 7 rods (one per beat). All beats offer excellent opportunities to catch fish and have a differing number of pools per beat. Beat 7 is closest to the sea, with Beat 1 starting at the base of the waterfall, where salmon that have made it that far gather. All pools are accessible by 4 x 4 vehicle, with the exception of the majority of Beat 1 where you have to walk 2/3 km to the start of the beat, by the waterfall. Its a bit of a trek in waders over rough ground, but well worth the effort. The drive to Beat 1 is truly spectacular with the road&#39; rising around 100m above Beat 2, with a near vertical drop to it.</p><br>
<p>In 2007, any fish landed over 72 cm (and in a condition where they would survive) had to be returned or placed into boxes in the river by some of the pools, to be used in the breeding programme.</p><br>
<p>The Zürichberg is a wooded hill rising to 679 m , overlooking Lake Zürich and located immediately to the east of the city of Zürich, Switzerland, between the valleys of the Limmat and the Glatt rivers. Its highest point is about 270 metres above the Limmat and it is part of a chain of hills, such as Käferberg, Adlisberg, Forch and Pfannenstiel, between the Greifensee/Glattal and Lake Zürich.</p><br>
<p>It is a picturesque location, and the lower western side of the hill is now part of the residential district of Zürich. The Zürich Zoo and FIFA&#39;s headquarters are located on the Zürichberg as well. There are grand mansions on the roads up the hill, and it is also the location of restaurants and hotels. The upper part of the hill is mostly woodland and a popular recreational area. Zürich tram route 6, the Rigiblick funicular and the Dolderbahn rack railway all run up to different parts of the hill. The Dolderbahn runs up to the Adlisberg, whilst the Zürichberg Tunnel carries trains of the Zürich S-Bahn underneath the hill.</p><br>
<p>In 1962, the faculty of science of the University of Zürich proposed to establish the Irchelpark campus on the Strickhofareal. The first stage the construction of the university buildings was begun in 1973, and the campus was inaugurated in 1979. The campus also houses the anthropological museum Anthropologisches Museum, and the cantonal Staatsarchiv Zürich. Built in 1901 as Rigiblick restaurant, the former Gastsaal was re-opened as Theater Rigiblick in 1984.</p><br>
<p>The Bramble Bank, otherwise known simply as "The Brambles" is an arrowhead-shaped sandbar in the central Solent which is uncovered at low water spring tides. At other times it presents either a significant navigational hazard or a useful escape from the strong Solent tides. The bank is moving very slowly westward. It is marked at its southeastern limit by the Brambles post sea mark and on its western limit by the West Knoll buoy.</p><br>
<p>The Brambles post has comprehensive weather and sea state monitoring equipment which is relayed in realtime to a website.</p><br>
<p>The sandbar is known for the annual cricket match held there, when the Royal Southern Yacht Club (RSrnYC) play the Island Sailing Club.</p><br>
<h2>Cricket match</h2><br>
<p>Each year, the Royal Southern Yacht Club (RSrnYC) and the Island Sailing Club meet on the sandbar for a game of cricket. The match takes place when the bank is exposed but never lasts very long before the tide returns. The undulating surface with large puddles ensures it is more a social occasion than a serious cricket match, and the scoring reflects this - the victor of the game is pre-determined, and the two clubs simply take it in turns to "win" the match, regardless of play. The first match is said to have been played in the 1950s at the behest of pioneering British boatmaker Uffa Fox.</p><br>
<p>The Brambles cricket match has been described as "quintessentially English" and has even drawn the attention of a House of Commons Standing Committee, when it was mentioned as a light-hearted example of an event which falls geographically between the boundaries of two different licensing authorities.</p><br>
<h2>Accidents</h2><br>
<p>On Tuesday 11 November 2008, on approaching Southampton Docks for her last visit prior to retirement, the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground on the Bramble Bank at approximately 0530 hrs. She required four tugs to pull her clear on the rising tide and arrived in Southampton approximately 90 minutes late.</p><br>
<p>On 3 January 2015 the car transporter was beached on the bank after developing a list. A 200-metre maritime exclusion zone was put into in place around the ship until the salvage operation took place, and airspace below 2,000 ft was also closed to aircraft within 1 mi. She was refloated on the rising tide on the 7th of January 2015, and was towed 2 miles east of the bank and moored between East Cowes and Lee on the Solent to await further salvage operations.</p><br>
<p>Shortly before 10pm on 13 February 2016 the 368 m container ship APL Vanda ran aground on the bank. Several tugs and crew from Calshot lifeboat station attended and, within a couple of hours, the ship was refloated on the rising tide.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>Bramble Bank is shown and labelled on maps of the Solent in Ship Simulator 2008 and Ship Simulator Extremes, but doesn&#39;t pose any threat to the player due to an absence of low tide in those games.</p><br>
<p>Jabal al-Lawz   is a mountain located in northwest Saudi Arabia, near the Jordan border, above the Gulf of Aqaba at 2580 metres above sea level. The name means mountain of almonds. The peak of Jabal al-Lawz, consists of a light-colored, calc-alkaline granite that is intruded by rhyolite and andesite dikes which generally trend eastward.</p><br>
<p>In discussions about the location of biblical Mount Sinai, Jabal Maqlā (Burnt Mountain) is often confused with and misidentified as Jabal al-Lawz by various authors such as Bob Cornuke, Ron Wyatt, and Lennart Moller as shown by local and regional maps In contrast to the real Jabal al-Lawz, the summit of Jabal Maqlā consists mainly of dark-colored hornfels derived from metamorphosed volcanic rocks that originally were silicic and mafic lava flows, tuff breccias, and fragmental greenstones. The middle and lower slopes of Jabal Maqlā consist of light-colored granite, which has intruded into the overlying hornfels. This is the same granite that comprises Jabal al-Lawz. Jabal Maqla is about 7 kilometers to the south, and a few hundred meters lower.</p><br>
<p>Claims made by some writers, including Bob Cornuke, Ron Wyatt, and Lennart Moller, that Jabal Maqlā, misidentified as Jabal al-Lawz, is the real biblical Mount Sinai have been rejected by such scholars as James Karl Hoffmeier (Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology), who details what he calls Cornuke&#39;s "monumental blunders".</p><br>
<p>Remains both of pillars and cairns at the site have been described as "similar to rock cairns of uncertain use and often uncertain date found at other sites throughout northern and western Arabia."</p><br>
<p>The Goddard Rocket Launching Site is a National Historic Landmark commemorating the launch site of the world&#39;s first successful liquid-fueled rocket. It is located at 20 Upland Street, Auburn, Massachusetts, within the Pakachoag Golf Course. The launch site is indicated with two markers accessible to visitors while the golf course is open. It is at the "9th Fairway, between Tee and Green," of the Pakachoag Golf Course.</p><br>
<p>Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched his historic rocket on March 16, 1926, from what was then the Asa Ward Farm. The 10 ft rocket reached an altitude of 41 ft, flew for two-and-a-half seconds, and fell to the ground 184 ft from the launching frame.</p><br>
<p>Goddard&#39;s final launch from Auburn, on July 17, 1929, was also a historic first. The 11 ft rocket carried an aneroid barometer, thermometer, and a camera triggered when the parachute opened. All three instruments operated successfully and were recovered. The rocket achieved a maximum altitude of 90 ft in an 18.5-second flight covering a distance of 171 ft.</p><br>
<p>The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.</p><br>
<p>The Bolton Center Historic District is the historic center of the town of Bolton, Massachusetts. The district encompasses what is essentially a linear town center, strung out principally along Main Street . Although the towns first meetinghouse  lay outside the current center, by the early 19th century the towns focus had moved to the main east-west road through the town . The district includes a variety of houses from the 18th century onward, including the house of the first town minister . Institutional buildings in the district include the 1853 Town House, four historic school buildings , and the 1928 Colonial Revival Federated Church of Bolton.</p><br>
<p>The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.</p><br>
<p>The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island  through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks and canals during the early 19th century.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The initiative for the canal came from Providence, where a merchant community wished to profit from trade with the farming country of the Blackstone Valley and Worcester County. The people of Worcester and the Blackstone Valley, eager for transport that would enable them to get better prices for their produce, welcomed the plan. However, since the trade of central Massachusetts was at that time going overland through the port of Boston, Massachusetts commercial interests succeeded in stalling the project for several years. Finally, in 1823, the Blackstone Canal Company was organized through an act of the Massachusetts legislature, with a Rhode Island company soon following. The canal&#39;s construction may have been motivated by competition among rival industrialists to curtail "water rights".</p><br>
<p>Construction began in 1825 and cost $750,000 (twice its initial estimate). The canal opened on October 7, 1828 when the packet boat Lady Carrington arrived in Worcester, the first vessel to make the trip. The canal brought immediate prosperity to Worcester and the Valley; farmers&#39; profits increased and mills were built, especially in Worcester. Using water to transport goods was a great improvement over the rough roads of the era. At the time of its construction, it represented the best available transportation technology.</p><br>
<p>It was a two-day trip for the canal boats from Worcester to Providence and another two-day trip to return to Worcester. The overnight stopping point was in Uxbridge. Boston merchants moved to recapture the trade moving down the canal to Providence, opening a rail line to Worcester in 1835. (Boston merchants opened three railroads in 1835, one to Lowell, one to Worcester, and one to Providence, RI. These were very new technology.) In 1847 the parallel Providence and Worcester Railroad began operation, and the canal closed in 1848.</p><br>
<p>The canal was 35 feet or more in width. It ascended 451 feet, passing through an original 49 locks. The canal used "slack-water" to bypass narrow valley areas and intersected the Blackstone River 16 times over its 45-mile course. It ran in the river itself for 10% of its length. These portions proved troublesome since in summer, water was sometimes too low for navigation. In other periods, flooding was the problem. Winter added ice to the issues.</p><br>
<p>Each lock was 70 feet long by 10 feet wide and apparently 4–4.5 feet deep. All, except the wooden tide lock at Providence, were built of granite on a wooden foundation. The average lift of each lock was 9.2 feet, but there were variations.</p><br>
<p>The canal was engineered by Benjamin Wright (chief engineer of the Erie Canal) and Holmes Hutchinson (later Chief Engineer of New Yorks canals) as they were concluding work on the original Erie Canal. Its locks are therefore similar, although smaller, than the original Eries.</p><br>
<p>The canal followed the course of Mill Creek from the center of Worcester, MA to the southern part of that community. It then followed the Blackstone River downstream to Ashton, RI. At Ashton, it paralleled the river&#39;s west bank, maintaining elevation until it entered Cranberry and Scotts Ponds on the divide of the watershed with the Moshassuck River. It then locked down into the Moshassuck Valley and followed that stream into Providence, RI.</p><br>
<h2>The canal today</h2><br>
<p>Since the canal&#39;s closure, parts of its watercourse were filled and other segments are now heavily overgrown with brush and trees. Other sections were converted to hydraulic canals for textile mills. Much of the lock masonry was sold for other purposes. Its remains, however, are still visible in many locations. About 85% of the canal remains. Two long sections of the canal exist in the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Massachusetts and the Blackstone River State Park in Rhode Island. Other sections are also publicly owned.</p><br>
<p>The canal is the subject of several listings on the National Register of Historic Places. The southernmost portion of the canal, between Providence and the Ashton Dam in Lincoln, Rhode Island, was listed in 1971; this list was expanded in 1991 to include the entire Rhode Island section. A 3.5 mi section of the canal in Uxbridge and Northbridge, Massachusetts was listed in 1973; this listing was expanded in 1995 to encompass the entire historic footprint of the canal in Massachusetts.</p><br>
<h2>Significance</h2><br>
<p>The Blackstone Canal is historically significant as a transportation network arising from a canal-building frenzy of the early 19th-century. The canal played a key role in stimulating the industry between Providence and Worcester and the towns and villages along the Moshassuck</p><br>
<p>and Blackstone Rivers. Though its useful service life was just twenty years long, the canal and the parks incorporating the canal are "visible and tangible parts of the citys and the states history of growth, planning, commercial ambition and prosperity".</p><br>
<p>The Lacandon Jungle  is an area of rainforest which stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, into Guatemala and into the southern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. The heart of this rainforest is located in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas near the border with Guatemala in the Montañas del Oriente region of the state. Although most of the jungle outside the reserve has been partially or completely destroyed and damage continues inside the Reserve, the Lacandon is still the largest montane rainforest in North America and one of the last ones left large enough to support jaguars. It contains 1,500 tree species, 33% of all Mexican bird species, 25% of all Mexican animal species, 44% of all Mexican diurnal butterflies and 10% of all Mexico&#39;s fish species.</p><br>
<p>The Lacandon in Chiapas is also home to a number of important Mayan archeological sites including Palenque, Yaxchilan and Bonampak, with numerous smaller sites which remain partially or fully unexcavated. This rainforest, especially the area inside the Biosphere Reserve, is a source of political tension, pitting the EZLN or Zapatistas and their indigenous allies who want to farm the land against international environmental groups and the Lacandon Maya, the original indigenous group of the area and the one who has legal title to most of the lands in Montes Azules.</p><br>
<h2>Environment</h2><br>
<p>The Lacandon has approximately 1.9 million hectares stretching from southeast Chiapas into northern Guatemala and into the southern Yucatán Peninsula. The Chiapas portion is located on the Montañas del Oriente (Eastern Mountains) centered on a series of canyonlike valleys called the Cañadas, between smaller mountain ridges oriented from northwest to southeast. It is bordered by the Guatemalan border on two sides with Comitán de Domínguez to the southwest and the city of Palenque to north. The core of the Chiapas forest is the Montes Azules Biosphere reserve, but it also includes some other protected areas such as Bonampak, Yaxchilan, Chan Kin, Lacantum and the communal reserve of La Cojolita. Dividing the Chiapas part of the forest from the Guatemalan side is the Usumacinta River, which of the largest in Mexico and the seventh largest in the world based on volume of water. The abundance of rain supports a large number of small rivers and streams many of which are fast moving and have waterfalls, such as the Agua Azul and the Lacanja waterfalls. The soils of the area are mostly clay and lacking phosphorus but sufficient to support a large diversity of plant species.</p><br>
<p>Despite the fact that much of the area has been reduced to a patchwork of clearings for cattle ranches and peasant communities, The Lacandon is the best known of Mexico’s rainforest areas because of the attention it has received in the press and efforts by international organizations to protect what is left of it. The Lacandon is one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the world, with as much as 25% of Mexico’s total species diversity. are reported, though rare, in Selva Zoque.</p><br>
<p>Its size and biodiversity has designated it as a “biodiversity hotspot” by the Washington DC based environmental group Conservation International and under the Puebla-Panama Plan. It is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which aims to link similar sites from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec down through Central America for conservation purposes. This is especially true for those “hotspots” located in remote trans-border tropical forests.</p><br>
<p>There are two major attractions within the Chiapas portion of this rainforest, the El Chiflón Waterfall and the Gruta de San Francisco cave. El Chiflón is located 53 km west of Comitán de Domínguez formed by the San Vicente Rivers. The water fall from a height of over seventy meters surrounded by steeply sloped hills. El Chiflón is preceded by two smaller falls called Suspiro and Ala del Angel, which are about six meters in height. A cascade after it is called the Velo de Novia. The Gruta de San Francisco is located in the La Trinitaria municipality near the community of Santa María. The cave has a number of chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites with capricious shapes, formed by the dripping of water through the cavity. These caves were considered sacred in the pre Hispanic period as passages to the underworld. The cave is also home to millions of bat which emerge at night to feed in the surrounding jungle.</p><br>
<h2>Archeological sites</h2><br>
<p>The jungle is also home to some of Mexico’s most numerous and impressive archaeological sites, all of which belong to the Mayan civilization. Palenque lies on the edge of the Lacandon, where the Eastern Mountains meet the Gulf Coast Plains. It is not the largest Mayan archaeological site, but it has some well-preserved sculpture and architecture the culture produced. Major structures include the Temple of Inscriptions, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Cross; however, only a small fraction of it has been excavated. Away from the ceremonial center and on the way to the site museum are smaller buildings around the Otolum stream with a small waterfall.</p><br>
<p>Yaxchilan flourished in the 8th and 9th centuries. The site contains extensive ruins, with palaces and temples bordering a large plaza upon a terrace above the Usumacinta River. The architectural remains extend across the higher terraces and the hills to the south of the river, overlooking both the river itself and the lowlands beyond. Yaxchilan is known for the large quantity of excellent sculpture at the site, such as the monolithic carved stelae and the narrative stone reliefs carved on lintels spanning the temple doorways. Over 120 inscriptions have been identified on the various monuments from the site. The major groups are the Central Acropolis, the West Acropolis and the South Acropolis. The South Acropolis occupies the highest part of the site. The site is relatively natural with howling monkeys, bats, toucans and other wildlife to be seen in and around the buildings.</p><br>
<p>The city of Bonampak features exceptionally well-preserved Maya murals, depicting Mayan clothing, rituals, games, food and other aspects of life from that time. The realistically rendered paintings depict human sacrifices, musicians and scenes of the royal court. The name means “painted murals”. It is centered on a large plaza and has a stairway that leads to the Acropolis. There are also a number of notable Maya stelae.</p><br>
<p>Toniná is a set of progressively smaller terraces going up a mountain instead of a cluster of buildings. Many of the stones are carved including those of residences belonging to various social strata. The site was only discovered in the 1980s and it is still being excavated, with tourists still outnumbered by archaeological workers. However, there is a site museum including photographs of what it looked like before discovery, completely covered in jungle and hidden.</p><br>
<p>Tenam Puente is on the west side of the Lacandon near Comitán de Domínguez. The site was initially built on a hill overlooking the area as a fortification. It contains about 160 buildings with thick stone walls with access by ramps which act as buttresses. The main areas in the site are the Mesoamerican ballcourt and the Acropolis.</p><br>
<p>Lagartero is located 74 km south of Comitán in La Trinitaria. The site contains various mounds covering eight hectares with the largest containing burials. Excavations of burials have yielded clay figures, multicolored pottery shards and musical instruments. One area has been determined to be a Mesoamerican ball court and another as the Acropolis, for the ruling elite. About two-thirds of the buildings have been determined to be for government or religious purposes. Religious structures contain a number of stelae and low reliefs of figures with detailed faces. The site is surrounded by the Lagos de Colón or Columbus Lakes.</p><br>
<p>Other ruins include those at Lacanja.</p><br>
<h2>Lacandon people</h2><br>
<p>The population of the area is mostly subsistence peasants. These include indigenous groups of Chiapas such as the Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Ch&#39;ol, Tojolabal and Lacandon Maya as well as non- indigenous.</p><br>
<p>Until the early 18th century, the Lacandon Jungle and bordering areas of Guatemala were occupied by the now-extinct Lakandon Chol., who lived along the tributaries of the upper Usumacinta River and the foothills of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. Most of the Lakandon Chol were forcibly relocated to the Huehuetenango area of Guatemala by the Spanish in the early 18th century. The resettled Lakandon Ch&#39;ol were soon absorbed into the local Maya populations there and ceased to exist as a separate ethnicity. Prior to the Spanish conquest, the Xocmo were a Cholan-speaking group; they occupied the remote forest somewhere to the east of the Lacandon. The Xocmo were never conquered and escaped repeated Spanish attempts to locate them; their eventual fate is unknown but they may be ancestors of the modern Lacandon people. After the fall of the Itza capital Nojpetén to the Spanish invaders in 1697, a mix of Itza, Kejache and Kowoj refugees fled into the Lacandon Jungle, where they too became the ancestors of the modern Lacandon people.</p><br>
<p>The Lacandons are descendents of the ancient Maya. Since the 16th century, they have been able to survive as a culture by living deep in the rainforest, with many communities out of contact with the rest of the world until the 20th century. Before the Conquest, the Lacandon dominated about a million hectares of these lands, but since then they have been encroached upon, mostly by indigenous from other areas of Chiapas since the early 20th century. This has dramatically altered their lifestyle and worldview. Today the Lacandon Maya are primarily found in three villages called Naja, Lacanja Chansayab and Metzobok. near the ruins of Bonampak and Yaxchilan. Local lore states that the gods resided here when they lived on earth.</p><br>
<p>The traditional dress an undyed tunic called a xikul. Some Lacandon still wear traditional clothing but other use modern clothes and conveniences as well. Traditional Lacandon shelters are huts made with fronds and wood with an earthen floor, but this has mostly given way to modern structures. The Lacandon Maya have supported themselves for centuries practicing a method of “agro-forestry” in which they rotate areas in which they plant crops. This features a fallow period to allow for soil regeneration.</p><br>
<p>In the mid 20th century, the Lacandon had all but disappeared. Today, the Lacandon Maya numbers have increased and are estimated to be anywhere from 600 to 1000 people in about a dozen villages.</p><br>
<h2>Deforestation</h2><br>
<p>The deforestation of the Lacandon in Mexico has been dramatically high, with the rate increasing over the past decades. It is estimated that only 10% of virgin rainforest still exists with the rest having been strip-mined, logged and more. Most of what is left hugs the Guatemalan border. Of the remaining forest, about 5% is still lost per year in spite of conservation efforts.</p><br>
<p>This deforestation began in the mid 19th century by loggers and “chicleros” who tapped trees for sap to make chewing gum. By the 1940s, much of the old growth forest had already been destroyed. While migration of people into the lowland rainforests had been going on since the 1930s, it accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s, as there was high population growth in the highlands areas. The government encouraged people, especially the indigenous, to move to the lowlands and claim lands there. During the 20th century, the population of municipalities in this area, such as Altamirano, Las Margaritas, Ocosingo and Palenque has risen from 11,000 in 1920 to over 376,000 in 2000. In 1990, a World Bank study declared that the following decade would make or break the Lacandon Selva&#39;s chances for survival as the rainforest had been "reduced to the minimum size essential for the integrity of its ecosystem." The destruction of the jungle has been such that satellite photos show the Mexico-Guatemalan border where the deforestation on the Mexican side stops.</p><br>
<p>Much of the destruction of the rainforest has occurred through slash and burn farming, which allows for little to no fallow time and creates soil erosion. It also depletes what little nutrition there is in the soil, which is then also polluted by the use of fertilizers and pesticides. As of the first decade of the 21st century, it is estimated about two thirds of the Lacandon outside the main biosphere reserve has been converted into pasture or cropland. Once this land has been cleared and used, it is very difficult to revert it to rainforest, even after it has been abandoned. Grass for pasture is particularly problematic because after it takes hold, does not allow natural vegetation to compete with it. In addition, the soil becomes compacted by the trampling of livestock. This degradation causes streams to dry up as evaporation rates rise from the lack of shade.</p><br>
<p>In the latter 1970s, the government changed its policies in regards to the Lacandon, establishing the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. It evicted some squatters, and granted the tiny group of Lacandones ownership of huge tracts in the reserve. That caused resentment in some indigenous communities, and would be a factor in the Zapatista uprising two decades later. However, even with the establishment of the reserve, the government did not sufficiently protect it, and many squatters made their way onto the lands, creating patchworks of squatter camps. Even today, there are only about twenty forest rangers for the entire reserve.</p><br>
<h2>Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve</h2><br>
<p>The Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve was established in 1978 as Mexico’s first biosphere reserve. This reserve covers part of the Lacandon Jungle, covering 331,200 hectares, only one fifth of the original rainforest in Chiapas. In 1992 the 61,874-hectare Lacantun Reserve, which includes the Classic Maya archeological sites of Yaxchilan and Bonampak, was added to the original biosphere reserve.</p><br>
<p>It was financed in 1994 by the World Bank’s Global Environmental Fund. It is recognized by the UN Environment Program for its global biological and cultural significance. Its management plan endeavors to strike a balance between habitat conservation and the demand for research into its vast genetic resources.</p><br>
<p>There is a significant difference in vegetation between the reserve areas and the jungle outside of it. However, areas of the Reserve have been damaged as it is carved in disconnected patches. In many areas, tapirs, howler monkeys and parrots are already gone. Reserve managers say even small-scale development within the conservation area is a threat, since its natural balance has been altered over the centuries. According to Conservation International, there are 140 peasant settler communities in the Biosphere Reserve and 225 including those in other protected areas in the Lacandon. All but thirty two of these have a certain amount of legal protection as they were registered as ejidos before the Reserve was created.</p><br>
<p>Since the Reserve was created, the thirty two have been in limbo, which some efforts by the government to force them to move with promises of other lands in Chiapas. However, these farmers have resisted with support of the EZLN. EZLN believes the evictions are a pretense to dislodge them from their base of support and the turn over the Lacandon to “corporate exploitation” as the area is still rich in timber with oil, hydro electric and even genetic resources.</p><br>
<h2>The Reserve and the Zapatistas</h2><br>
<p>EZLN, commonly known as the Zapatistas, came to the forefront of Chiapas politics in the mid 1990s. Since then, their bases of support have mostly come from indigenous communities in the settled areas of the Lacandon Jungle and the areas around San Cristobal de las Casas. While migration to the Lacandon had been occurring earlier in the 20th century, it accelerated even more in the 1990s, with the Zapatistas encouraging people to seize “unoccupied jungle.”</p><br>
<p>The Zapatistas claim that as indigenous farmers, they are the best protectors of the rainforest, and that they want to turn Montes Azules into an “Indian Farmers’ Reserve”, a patchwork of farms and jungle.</p><br>
<p>This pits them against the Lacandon Maya and environmentalist groups who state that the jungle cannot take any more farming. They also state that the agricultural methods do not help alleviate the migrants’ economic system as they can only farm a plot for a couple of harvests before the soil is depleted.</p><br>
<p>The Zapatistas have accused the environmentalists of siding with the government and corporate interests, and the Lacandons are too small in number to challenge the other groups, despite being the legal owners of much of the reserve. There were some attempts to evict settlers from the Reserve, especially from the thirty two undocumented settlements, but it was met by fierce resistance by the Zapatistas and their allies.</p><br>
<p>In 2005, some Zapatista allied communities decided to relocate on their own, while still opposing forced resettlement. These included the settlements of Primero de Enero, Santa Cruz, Ocho de Octubre and San Isidro, with all moved to areas outside the Reserve. Since then in a communiqué, EZLN leader Subcomandante Marcos warned against trying force the removal of any Zapatista allied community.</p><br>
<p>In 2008, Zapatistas and allied prohibited the entrance of federal police and army into ejidos such as La Garrucha, San Alejandro and Hermenegildo Galena to search for marijuana fields. It claims that these forces are outside their jurisdiction to do so. However, as late as 2010, illegal settlements, new and old, were being dislodged by police and military forces and moved to areas outside the conservation zones. In 2011, EZLN issued another warning that operations against these settlements pose a threat to indigenous people in the state. They and certain NGOs such as Maderas del Pueblo de Sureste oppose programs such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) as it “commodifies” indigenous culture, giving a commercial value to it vis-à-vis the environment. One aspect of the REDD program is to pay local ejido or other communal land owners to keep parts of their lands in a wild state and/or participate in reforestation of them.</p><br>
<h2>"Bio-piracy"</h2><br>
<p>Its management plan endeavors to strike a balance between habitat conservation and the demand for research into its vast genetic resources. There are some researchers collecting plants in the reserve but they are looked upon with suspicion and considered to be thieves by many in indigenous communities. One of these is a station run by Conservation International to map the flora and fauna of Montes Azules. Mexican agro-business and biotech enterprise Grupo Pulsar also has research stations in Chiapas. However, the pressure from academics, biotech firms, pharmaceutical companies and others to explore the area’s natural resources have raised concerns of “bio-piracy” or the patenting of wild plants and animals at the expense of native peoples.</p><br>
<p>Various groups with cultural and environmental interest in the area have generally opposed research into the rainforest’s biodiversity. In 2002 a coalition of traditional Maya healers called Chiapas Council of Traditional Indigenous Midwives and Healers (COMPITCH) managed to get a USA funded program into indigenous herbal cures canceled. In the same year, a venture between the Mexican government and the USA firm Diversa was cancelled as well due to public pressure, causing the Mexican attorney general to state that the agreement with the national university UNAM was invalid.</p><br>
<h2>Oil</h2><br>
<p>Several decades ago deeply buried rock strata of the type associated with oil deposits have been found in the Lacandon area in both Mexico and Guatemala. There has been some exploration and pumping in the area, but it seems likely that there is far more. Some of these rock formations are in Zapatista held areas of the forest, but many geologists and the Mexican government have insisted there is little promise of oil in these areas. There is some contradicting data. The Zapatistas claim that the government is hiding the presence of oil in the area as they try to force them and the indigenous people who support them off the lands.</p><br>
