<p>Klang River  is a river which flows through Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in Malaysia and eventually flows into the Straits of Malacca. It is approximately 120 km in length and drains a basin of about 1,288 km&sup2;. Klang River has 11 major tributaries.</p><br>
<p>Because the river flows through Klang Valley, which is a heavily populated area of more than four million people, it is considerably polluted. Heavy development has narrowed certain stretches of the river to the point that it resembles a large storm drain in some places. This contributes to flash floods in Kuala Lumpur, especially after heavy rain.</p><br>
<h2>Course</h2><br>
<p>Klang River originates in the highlands, 25 km northeast of Kuala Lumpur. It is joined by 11 major tributaries. These include Gombak River, Batu River, Kerayong River, Damansara River, Keruh River, Kuyoh River, Penchala River and Ampang River. It flows into the Straits of Malacca to the west.</p><br>
<h2>Places named after the river</h2><br>
<p>The rivers confluence with the Gombak River gave rise to the name of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysias capital city. Kuala Lumpur means "muddy estuary". It is also thought that Klang town is named after the river.</p><br>
<h2>Cities and towns on its banks</h2><br>
<p>Kuala Lumpur is situated at the point where Gombak River flows into Klang River. It then flows south of the city of Petaling Jaya. Further downstream, the river flows through Selangor&#39;s state capital, Shah Alam. Klang town is situated on the lower stretches of the river.</p><br>
<p>Malaysia&#39;s biggest sea port, Port Klang, is also situated at the estuary of Klang river.</p><br>
<h2>Dams</h2><br>
<p>There are two major dams upstream of the river; Batu Dam and Klang Gates Dam, which provide water supply to the people of Klang Valley and mitigate floods.</p><br>
<h2>Privatisation</h2><br>
<p>The maintenance of Klang River was privatised. Under 30-year concessions, three firms were to manage a river each and ensure cleanliness.</p><br>
<h2>Flood mitigation</h2><br>
<h3>Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation</h3><br>
<p>Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation is a project to mitigate flash floods from Gombak River into a few stormwater ponds located in Batu, Jinjang and Kepong.</p><br>
<h3>SMART Tunnel</h3><br>
<p>The SMART Tunnel (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel) functions as an innovative solution to mitigating both traffic congestion and flooding. It is a submerged tunnel which can carry both vehicular traffic as well as storm runoff on a lower level. When regular drainage infrastructure is overwhelmed, vehicles are evacuated from the tunnel and the entire tube is used as a gigantic storm drain to prevent Kuala Lumpur from flooding. It diverts water flow from the Kampung Berembang Lake, near Klang River, to Taman Desa Lake, which is near Kerayong River (one of Klang River&#39;s tributaries). Water flow can also go the opposite direction, from Kerayong River to Klang River. SMART opened in May 2007.</p><br>
<h3>Clean Up Efforts</h3><br>
<p>In 2010 Selangor has a stimulus bill that included money to help rehabilitate it. The river&#39;s condition has been described as "between critical and bad" by Gareth Jones of Wessex Water, a UK-based company that is participating in the project. Kamal Zaharin, the project mastermind, states that the plans include river cleaning, new source of drinking water, environmental protection, flood mitigation, commercial, tourism and land development activities. Gareth Jones also stated that they plan on tapping groundwater in order to have a source of water that is not the sea.</p><br>
<p>The project has been estimated take 15 years and attract 15 billion dollars worth of investments.</p><br>
<p>Walla Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, near Keswick. The fell is a popular short walk from Keswick and gives superb views over Derwentwater. The western face is prominent in views across the lake and fine views over Keswick are available from the summit.</p><br>
<h2>Topography</h2><br>
<p>The crag is the terminal cliff on a short ridge running north west from Bleaberry Fell, dropping about 400 ft from the plateau above. Below this are further steep slopes before the gradient slackens on the shore of Derwentwater. The face is heavily wooded — mainly with conifers — almost to the top. The trees continue down through Great Wood to the lake. Walla Crag has one major breach, Lady&#39;s Rake, but this is not a recommended route of ascent.</p><br>
<p>The summit lies a little way back from the brink, the smooth heather-clad hinterland then dropping to the broad depression of Low Moss. Beyond here the ground rises again to Bleaberry Fell. The southern boundary of the fell is formed by Cat Gill, which flows west from Loss Moss to the lake. The gill separates Walla Crag from the neighbouring Falcon Crag, popular with rock climbers. Brockle Beck flows north from Low Moss, before turning west to enter Derwentwater at Strandshag Bay.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The crag itself exposes the plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas of the Birker Fell Formation. The summit area is overlain by drift deposits.</p><br>
<h2>Summit</h2><br>
<p>The top is marked by a large cairn and gives fine views over the islands of northern Derwentwater and the Vale of Keswick. There is also a clear line of sight down Borrowdale to the high fells.</p><br>
<h2>Ascents</h2><br>
<p>Walla Crag makes a half day or evening walk from Keswick and can be climbed via Brockle Beck, Great Wood (a traverse under the face) or Cat Gill. There is also a clear path from Bleaberry Fell.</p><br>
<h2>Height</h2><br>
<p>Fellwalkers of an older generation found the height of Walla Crag an easily memorable 1,234 ft, much as Scafell Pike was once a simple 3,210 ft. More recent work by the Ordnance Survey has now elevated Walla Crag to 1,243 ft.</p><br>
<p>Carl Side is a fell in the English Lake District, forming a part of the Skiddaw "family" near the town of Keswick and prominently visible from its streets. It is listed in Alfred Wainwright&#39;s Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells as one of the Northern Fells.</p><br>
<h2>Summit</h2><br>
<p>The summit is a predominantly grassy plateau smoothly sloping away on all sides except to the north, where some shattered crags look down upon Southerndale. A small cairn marks the highest point. The view southward down Derwentwater is excellent, backed by a wide vista of fells from Clough Head to Sale Fell. Tewet Tarn on High Rigg is the only other significant visible body of water. Nearer at hand the grey flanks of Skiddaw and Little Man loom above the summit.</p><br>
<h2>Topography</h2><br>
<p>A ridge, known as Longside Edge, descends south-westward from the summit plateau of Skiddaw before swinging around to the west and finally north, descending the three fells of Carl Side, Long Side and Ullock Pike. Between Longside Edge and the mass of Skiddaw is the valley of Southerndale. Carl Side stands at the southern extremity of the curving ridge, having a triangular plan with ridges to the north-west, north-east and south.</p><br>
<p>To the north-east the fell is separated from Skiddaw by Carlside Col (2,345 ft), a depression that contains Carlside Tarn, the only standing water found at any altitude in the Skiddaw group. Very shallow and frequently dry in summer, the tarn has no plant life. Set in a particularly windy location, the slight retaining bank at the south-eastern edge may be in danger of erosion. The Skiddaw side of the col is a rough scree slope while the Carl Side slope is gentler and grassed.</p><br>
<p>From the summit of Carl Side a system of ridges descends southward towards Millbeck. The main spur runs straight for a mile, the first half being of gentler gradient and culminating in a large patch of white stones at about 1,600 ft. There is a very short rocky arête here, before the spur falls abruptly to the valley floor. On the eastern side of this section are the crags of Doups. The southern ridge sends out shorter branches on either side, just above the patch of white stones. On the western side across the rocky col of Long Doors is Dodd, a fell on Forestry Commission land that is largely wooded. To the east is Carlsleddam, a steep sided spur that appears sharply peaked from below: though less inspiring close up it does have a narrow and airy summit ridge.</p><br>
<p>The north-western connection to Long Side is a narrower ridge with rough ground to the north, bounding the head of Southerndale. Southerndale Beck, like all of the waters of Carl Side, ultimately finds its way to Bassenthwaite Lake, curving around the northern tip of Ullock Pike.</p><br>
<p>The eastern boundary of the fell is formed by Slade&#39;s Beck, a stream flowing over several dams and weirs to Millbeck. Across the valley is Skiddaw Little Man. To the south west Skill Beck falls from Long Doors through a heavily forested valley between Carl Side and Dodd.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>In common with much of the Northern Fells the Kirk Stile Formation of the Skiddaw Group predominates. This is composed of laminated mudstone and siltstone with greywacke sandstone and is of Ordovician age.</p><br>
<p>A trial level can be found in the little valley between Carlsleddam and the south ridge. This exploited a vein containing baryte and galena and operated in the 1870s.</p><br>
<h2>Ascents</h2><br>
<p>Carl Side is often climbed indirectly via Ullock Pike and Long Side, the narrow ridge providing a fine walk which is often continued to Skiddaw. Millbeck provides the nearest starting point, with variations possible via Carlsleddam, the south ridge, the intervening valley and Slade&#39;s Beck.</p><br>
<p>A start can also be made from Little Crosthwaite, a small settlement at the foot of Dodd along the Carlisle road, climbing through the forestry to Long Doors before joining the south ridge. Indirect climbs via Dodd are also possible although the going can be very rough.</p><br>
<p>From High Side near Bassenthwaite an approach can be made along the length of Southerndale, ascending finally to Carlside Col.</p><br>
<p>Loweswater is one of the smaller lakes in the English Lake District. The village of Loweswater is situated on the banks of the Lake.</p><br>
<p>The lake is not far from Cockermouth and is also easily reached from elsewhere in West Cumbria. The group of fells to the south of Loweswater is known as the Loweswater Fells and consists of Mellbreak, Gavel Fell, Blake Fell, Hen Comb and Burnbank Fell. To the north of the lake lies the Fellbarrow range.</p><br>
<p>The lake is unusual in the radial drainage pattern of the Lake District in draining towards the centre of the Lake District: its outfall, Dub Beck, becomes Park Beck and runs east or south-east into the north end of Crummock Water, close to that lakes exit. By way of the River Cocker and River Derwent, Loweswaters contents eventually reach the sea at Workington.</p><br>
<p>The immediate vicinity of Loweswater consists mainly of rolling hills, in contrast to the rocky mountains found elsewhere in the Lake District (though Mellbreak, part of the Loweswater Fells, is steep and craggy). Loweswater remains relatively untouched by tourism, and is much quieter than the neighbouring lakes, Buttermere and Crummock Water. There is, however, a popular lakeside path, which goes right round the lake. The south side of the lake is the site of Holme Wood, a small forest. Within this forest is Holme Force, a waterfall of great beauty, which is rarely visited as it is not noticeable from the lakeside path. A road follows the north side of the lake, which links the A5086 with the Lorton Vale.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>"This is usually assumed (e.g. PN Cumb) to be the leafy lake (ON laufsær, preserved in various instances of Swed Lövsjö(n)), with the explanatory wæter/water lake added later"</p><br>
<h2>Sport and leisure</h2><br>
<p>Loweswater is owned by the National Trust. Rowing boats can be rented to use on the lake but use of one&#39;s own boat is not allowed. Recently the National Trust has done much work on the north side of the lakeside path, cutting down trees to improve views across the lake.</p><br>
<p>Every year Loweswater is the venue for the, which features traditional Cumbrian sports and has competitions to win farmers&#39; produce</p><br>
<p>Waaihoek is the name of a peak at one of the vertices of a very large, remote, rugged and mountainous rural property called Zuurberg , located about 60 km north-east of Cape Town, on the margin of a great sandstone massif known as the Hex River Mountains. The property is owned by the University of Cape Town and is well known in the Western Cape as the &#39;home&#39; of the University of Cape Town Mountain and Ski Club . The name in Afrikaans means &#39;blow corner&#39;, or perhaps &#39;howl corner&#39;, as in &#39;the corner where the wind blows or howls&#39;. The first part of the name, "waai", is a verb, not a noun. The name is pronounced &#39;Vie hook&#39;, where vie rhymes with eye.</p><br>
<p>Although technically "a farm", Zuurberg is not used as such and never has been in its history of well over a century. Although the property is some hundreds of square kilometres in area, one would be hard pressed to find half an acre of arable soil on it. It is a mountain top, no more and no less. Perhaps half of it is bare rock (sandstone of the Table Mountain Group) and the rest is covered by the poorest of sandy soils that support typical Cape fynbos. The property has no permanent residents, no houses, no fences, no roads and no significant improvements except for a few mountain huts, all of which are several hours walk (steeply uphill) from the nearest roads. In fact, some parts of the property are so remote and inaccessible that they cannot be reached in a days walking even by strong parties. Wildlife includes baboons, dassies, klipspringers, leopards, the rooikat and vaalkat (two smaller carnivores), scorpions, snakes, tortoises, bats and dozens of species of birds.</p><br>
<p>Many of the higher parts of the property lie at altitudes above 1,500 m. In summer the area is usually hot - forty degrees Celsius is not unknown - and dry. Finding water away from the few permanent mountain streams can be a problem. In winter it is much cooler and wetter and at times blizzard conditions develop, often with great speed. A number of people caught in these storms have died of exposure. Snow usually lies on the ground for a few weeks around September and members of the UCTMSC then operate a private ski tow in the vicinity of Waaihoek Peak. The club maintains two huts in the area. Both were built by students, who carried most of the materials up the mountain on their backs. The older and smaller structure, built before the Second World War, is called Pells Hut. There is a newer and much larger hut somewhat higher up the slopes. It was built c. 1970.</p><br>
<p>Stoney Cove is a large flooded quarry which is a popular inland scuba diving site, located between Stoney Stanton and Sapcote in Leicestershire, England.</p><br>
<h2>Background</h2><br>
<p>Stoney Cove quarry was originally a granite mine dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. In 1850 a train line was added to move the granite more easily from the Top Pit to the centre of Stoney Stanton. Spring water was a perennial problem for the quarry, but was a boon in 1958 when quarrying at the site ceased. By 1963 diving pioneers were using the quarry to practise their hobby. Over the next fifteen years Stoney Cove was used to train North Sea oil divers and in 1978 Stoney Cove Marine Trials Ltd was formed to fully exploit the site on a commercial basis.</p><br>
<h2>Scuba facilities</h2><br>
<p>Stoney Cove is used for scuba diving training as well as pleasure dives. On shore facilities include a dive shop, diving school, gas filling station and a public house. The site has a range of depths to 36 m, whilst the underwater attractions include:</p><br>
<p>Stanegarth, claimed to be the largest inland wreck in the UK</p><br>
<p>Viscount aircraft cockpit, small aircraft wreck a Wessex helicopter</p><br>
<p>Nautilus submarine, galleon, wooden boat and a bus</p><br>
<p>Archways beneath the pub</p><br>
<p>Monster (location unknown)</p><br>
<p>Deep hydrobox</p><br>
<p>Submerged trees</p><br>
<p>Tower</p><br>
<p>Blow-off preventer</p><br>
<p>4-metre block house</p><br>
<p>Mungrisdale Common, pronounced mun-grize-dl, with emphasis on grize, is a fell in the English Lake District. Although Alfred Wainwright listed it as one of the 214 featured hills in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells it was his least favourite. He commented that it "has no more pretension to elegance than a pudding that has been sat on". There is some speculation that Wainwright included the fell in his guide simply as a way to fill space, but that has never been proven. Mungrisdale Common is oddly named, as it is a number of miles from the village of Mungrisdale, which lies in a different river catchment.</p><br>
<h2>Topography</h2><br>
<p>Mungrisdale Common lies north of Blencathra of which it is an outlier. Gently graded grassy slopes fall from Atkinson Pike, Blencathra&#39;s northern summit. Upon meeting the head of Blackhazel Beck, the shoulder divides in two, the northeastern arm connecting to Bannerdale Crags and the north western branch continuing to descend to Mungrisdale Common. Beyond an almost imperceptible depression the reascent is only 6 ft.</p><br>
<p>After the brief plateau of the summit the descent continues westward toward Skiddaw Forest. Confusingly, the forest contains no trees other than the windbreak of Skiddaw House, but it is a marshy upland area, at around 400 m (roughly 1,300 ft), surrounded on all sides by higher fells. Three streams flow from Skiddaw Forest, dividing the Northern Fells into three sectors. Dash Beck runs north-west, the River Caldew north east and the Glenderaterra Beck south. The three ranges of the Northern Fells are the Skiddaw massif to the southwest, the Blencathra group including Mungrisdale Common to the south east and the area colloquially known as Back oSkiddaw to the north. Skiddaw House, the lone building in the forest, has variously seen service as a shepherds bothy and a Youth Hostel.</p><br>
<p>The Glenderaterra Beck lies to the west of Mungrisdale Common and its tributary, Roughten Gill, forms the southern boundary. A further feeder on this flank is Sinen Gill, whose waterfall is one of the fells most notable features. The River Caldew lies to the north, across which is Great Calva, most southerly of the Back oSkiddaw fells. Despite its uninspiring appearance Mungrisdale Common does therefore stand on the important Eden-Derwent watershed, though it is not well defined at this point. Water from the southern flanks reach the sea at Workington while rain falling on the northern side heads for the Solway Firth via Carlisle. The watershed continues across Skiddaw Forest between the headwaters of the Caldew and Glenderaterra, linking onward to Lonscale Fell in the Skiddaw range.</p><br>
<p>Mungrisdale Common carries a very small cairn at the approximate summit, constructed only after Wainwright first encouraged climbing of the fell by including it in his 1962 guidebook. Two more prominent ancient cairns also grace the fell, one to the west of the summit and the other on a tongue of ground between Sinen Gill and Roughten Gill. A small stone pillar (marked stake on OS maps) stands on the watershed at the head of Glenderaterra Beck and a further prominent Cloven Stone marks its continuation higher up the slope. Both have served as boundary stones.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>In common with much of the Northern Fells, the Kirk Stile Formation of the Skiddaw Group predominates. It is composed of laminated mudstone and siltstone with greywacke sandstone and is of Ordovician age. Unusually however, it is overlain by considerable beds of peat in the vicinity of Mungrisdale Common.</p><br>
<p>The Glenderaterra valley was the scene of some mining activity in the 19th century. The northern workings were first named Glenderaterra Mine and later Brundholme Mine. They were driven primarily for lead but also copper ore and baryte. The returns were never economic, which led to the mine being abandoned in 1920. A little to the south was Blencathra Mine, which was worked unsuccessfully until about 1880.</p><br>
<h2>Summit</h2><br>
<p>Wainwrights displeasure was not restricted to Mungrisdale Commons profile: he also remarked: "Any one of a thousand tufts of tough bent and cotton-grass might lay claim to crowning the highest point… A thousand tufts, yet not one can be comfortably reclined upon, this being a summit that holds indefinitely all the water that falls upon it."</p><br>
<p>The view includes a striking window to the southwest between Lonscale Fell and Blencathra, revealing unexpectedly a run of high fells from Pillar to Crinkle Crags. Elsewhere, the view is of the nearby fells surrounding Skiddaw Forest.</p><br>
<h2>Ascents</h2><br>
<p>"For people who won&#39;t be told" Wainwright suggested ascents from Keswick or Threlkeld via the Glenderaterra valley. An alternative would be from Scales or Mungrisdale via the Glenderamackin col. Most ascents are likely to be as part of a climb of Blencathra, the intervening ground being gentle of gradient.</p><br>
<h2>Trivia</h2><br>
<p>Apart from the sub 1,000 ft Castle Crag, Mungrisdale Common is the only Wainwright not to feature in Bill Birkett&#39;s Complete Lakeland Fells.</p><br>
<p>Evergreen Cemetery, located at William and University Streets in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is one of the largest early historic cemeteries in the region, with burials dating to 1838. Evergreen is included in the National Register of Historic Places for its age, and because numerous important historical figures are buried there. These include Senator J. William Fulbright, Governor Archibald Yell, educator Sophia Sawyer, industrialist Lafayette Gregg, and many others.</p><br>
<p>The cemetery was founded as a private cemetery by John Thomas in the late 1830s or early 1840s. Later it was owned by the local Masonic Lodge and Independent Order of Odd Fellows chapter. These organizations deeded the cemetery to the city in 1871. It is currently owned and operated by the Fayetteville Evergreen Cemetery Association.</p><br>
<p>Corstorphine Hill is one of the hills of Edinburgh, Scotland, named for nearby Corstorphine. There are traditionally said to be seven hills in Edinburgh in reference to the Seven hills of Rome, but this figure is debatable, and as the city has expanded, even more so. It is a long ridge shaped hill, mostly forested  with broad leaves, and has extensive development on its south side, including Edinburgh Zoo. Much housing has been built on the lower slopes, and houses in other parts of the city have been built using stone quarried from Corstorphine Hill.</p><br>
<p>Barnton Quarry, at the north end of the hill, was the site of a war-time radar station and cold-war nuclear bunker.</p><br>
<p>Part of the hill is adjacent to the neighbourhood of Clerwood where there is a walled garden (); it was featured on the BBC TV programme The Beechgrove Garden and it was awarded the first Green Pennant Award in Scotland in July 2009. On the east slope is Murrayfield Golf Course and the suburb of Craigcrook.</p><br>
<p>On the top are two radio masts, and also a tower dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. There is also some evidence of ancient settlement here, possibly a hillfort of some kind. Cup marks have been found on the hill.</p><br>
<p>The Corstophine Hill Local Nature Reserve is now part of the Edinburgh section of the extended John Muir Way.</p><br>
<h2>Corstorphine Hill Cemetery</h2><br>
<p>Corstorphine Hill Cemetery lies on the lower western slopes of the hill and is now enveloped by housing.</p><br>
<p>It dates from the 1930s and was in private ownership until it was acquired by City of Edinburgh Council under compulsory purchase powers. It is of note due to its incorporation of a woodland cemetery area and due to a large number of Polish war graves from WW2.</p><br>
<p>Blagdon Lake lies in a valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, close to the village of Blagdon and approximately 10 mi south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water , when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1898, to designs by Charles Hawksley, and completing this in 1905. The Wrington Vale Light Railway was constructed primarily to bring building materials for the lake.</p><br>
<p>The reservoir was formed by the construction of a dam and provided water to the pumping station which originally contained four Woolf compound rotative beam pumping engines, built by Glenfield & Kennedy of Kilmarnock, which have now been replaced by electric pumps. Two of the steam engines have been preserved, with one in working order as part of the visitor centre which also includes educational facilities for children. The pumping station is now a Grade II* listed building.</p><br>
<p>The 8,456,000,000 l lake still provides 9,547,000,000 l of drinking water each year, but also acts as a fishing lake. It provides a habitat for a range of flora and fauna and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The original suction tanks, which formed the water supply for the steam boilers powering the pumping engines, are now used for trout rearing.</p><br>
<h2>Reservoir</h2><br>
<p>The lake, which was originally called the Yeo reservoir, covers 440 acre. The River Yeo rises in the centre of Compton Martin village, from there it flows past the village of Ubley and enters Blagdon Lake. From the lake the river flows south of Wrington and Iwood, where there were once a series of watermills along its banks. Its route then takes it around the northern outskirts of Congresbury, and across the North Somerset Levels roughly parallel to the A370 road, past the site of a Roman villa before crossing under the M5 motorway and emptying into the Severn Estuary in Woodspring Bay, downstream from Clevedon and west of the village of Kingston Seymour. The watershed catchment area of the reservoir is 2,144 hectare.</p><br>
<p>The construction of the reservoir was approved by acts of parliament in 1888 and 1889 as part of a plan to provide drinking water to Bristol, supplementing Barrow Gurney Reservoirs and the "line of works" pipe which carries water from the Mendip Hills. Construction required the provision of sewers to local villages to avoid contamination of the reservoir. The work was designed by Charles Hawksley. In conjunction with the construction work the Wrington Vale Light Railway was established connecting Blagdon with Congresbury on the Cheddar Valley Line and Yatton on the main Bristol to Exeter Line. In addition to carrying construction materials for the reservoir and pumping station it also provided passenger services. Later the railway was used to bring coal for the pumps. Passenger traffic ceased in 1931 and the line to Blagdon closed completely in 1950.</p><br>
<p>The lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 14 ft and only 42 ft at its deepest point near the dam at the west end of the lake. The eastern end is the shallowest where the River Yeo enters. It is a hard water area with high mineral content that is vulnerable to eutrophication in the summer, that can cause algal blooms, with transient water layers. As a result, a research programme has been established to observe and measure the limnology of the lake. When full it contains 8,456,000,000 l and supplies 9,547,000,000 l of water each year. Water can also be taken from its larger neighbour Chew Valley Lake to balance the supply.</p><br>
<h3>Dam</h3><br>
<p>The dam extends 175 ft below ground to the solid rock underlying the valley. It was built of puddled clay with a central concrete core and faced with granite on the lake side. A 24 in diameter pipe through the dam leads to the pumping station while a larger one is used to remove silt collecting against the dam. A flow of water is maintained in the River Yeo through a compensation channel and an overflow weir and spillway take flood water downstream.</p><br>
<h2>Pumping station and Visitor Centre</h2><br>
<p>Blagdon Pumping Station and Visitor Centre includes science and environment exhibits and hands-on displays as well as a room dedicated to the charity WaterAid. One of the two steam-driven beam engines is still working occasionally. Outside this is space for picnics and a nature trail.</p><br>
<p>When the lake first opened there were four Woolf compound rotative beam pumping engines, housed in two separate buildings. They were built by Glenfield & Kennedy of Kilmarnock between 1900 and 1905. The engines beam is 34 ft long and weighs 17 tons. The flywheel is 20 ft in diameter and weighs 20 tons, having a crank throw of 3.5 ft. Each beam engine had an output of 170 hp at 17 rpm. The high-pressure cylinders, 21 in in diameter and with a 3.25 ft stroke, were supplied by steam from horizontal Lancashire-type twin flue boilers with Greens economisers at 100 psi. The low-pressure cylinder was 34 in in diameter and has a 7 ft stroke. Three engines with a fourth on standby could pump water at a rate of 7.5 e6impgal per day, whilst the boilers consumed 8.5 tons of coal per day. A mechanical efficiency of 90% was claimed, the 30 in diameter pump bucket, 3.5 ft strike and plunger diameter of 21 in gave a pump output of 107 impgal per stroke. They ran until 1949, when two engines from the north engine house were replaced by electric pumps. In 1950 automatic shutdown equipment was installed to prevent damage in the event of a burst main or overloading of the new electric pumps. This meant that it was no longer essential to have staff on site 24 hours a day. The decorative chimney was shortened in the 1960s. In 2014 new split-case vertical pumps and various other new equipment was installed to replace those installed in the 1940s and 1950s.</p><br>
<p>In 1984 it was decided to preserve the two remaining engines and incorporate them as the central feature in the Visitor Centre, including a Museum in the old boiler house, which opened in 1988 and attracts over 30,000 visitors a year. The flywheel is now driven by an electric motor. The pumping station is now a Grade II* listed building, while the gothic-style meter house is Grade II listed and used as a bat sanctuary.</p><br>
<h2>Fishing</h2><br>
<p>The lake is well known for trout fishing from its banks and the fleet of 18 rowing boats for hire. The suction tanks which originally supplied water to the steam boilers for the pumping engines are now used as rearing pools for the fish before they are transferred into the lake. On average 50,000 trout are reared at Blagdon each year by Bristol Water to stock this and surrounding lakes such as Chew Valley Lake and the Barrow Tanks.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>Blagdon Lake is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of 212.7 hectare, created in 1971, largely because of the variety of species and habitats. The area around the pumping station was laid out as an ornamental woodland which includes Scots pine, Cedar, Larch, Spruce, Oak, Beech, Chestnut, Willow, Lime, Holly and Maple. A variety of orchids including green-winged orchid (Anacamptis morio) and southern marsh-orchids can be seen on the borders of the lake.</p><br>
<p>A variety of water birds can be seen around the lake including: great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae), mute swan (Cygnus olor), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), duck (Anatidae), shoveller (Anas clypeata) and gadwall (Anas strepera). The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) can be seen on the surrounding hills and both Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) and kestrel breed. Occasional visitors include: osprey ("Pandion haeliatis"), goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). The ruddy darter dragonfly (Sympetrum sanguineum) can also be seen. In the wood at the western end of the lake there are populations of badgers, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and foxes.</p><br>
<p>Denny Island is a small rocky island of 0.24 hectare, with scrub vegetation, in the Severn Estuary. Its rocky southern foreshore marks the boundary between England and Wales. Above high water mark, the island is reckoned administratively to Monmouthshire, South Wales. The island also marks the north-western limit of the City of Bristol&#39;s water boundary in the Severn estuary.</p><br>
<p>It is located approximately three miles north of Portishead, midway between Redwick in Wales and Avonmouth in England. It is surrounded by sandbanks known as the Welsh Grounds. Its foreshore area changes dramatically according to the state of the tide, because tides in the estuary and Bristol Channel are the second highest in the world, reaching 13.7 m at the spring equinox. It is known as a nesting-place for gulls, cormorants and other seabirds, which are regularly seen and ringed there.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Denny Island appears in the historical record for the first time as Dunye, in the charter recording the creation of the county of Bristol in 1373.</p><br>
<p>This suggests that the name means, in Old English, island shaped like a down (i.e. a hill with a rounded profile).</p><br>
<p>It gives its name to the Denny Island Fault Zone, a part of the Avon-Solent Fracture zone.</p><br>
<p>In 2004, the island was subject to an unsuccessful appeal under Section 6(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 against it appearing on a map of registered common land.</p><br>
<p>The Hazards are a mountain range located in the Freycinet National Park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. The range is positioned between Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay and are said to be named after local whaler, African-American Captain Richard Hazard.</p><br>
<h2>Features and location</h2><br>
<p>The Hazards are made of granite. Orthoclase, a pink feldspar, gives the mountains their pink tint.</p><br>
<p>The four mountains in the group from west to east are Mayson, Amos, Dove and Parsons. The track to Wineglass Bay and lookout runs over the saddle between Mounts Mayson and Amos.</p><br>
<p>There is also a resort in Coles Bay utilising the name of the geographical feature, and travel information also includes local information about locations from where the hazards can be viewed</p><br>
<p>The Firth of Lorn or Lorne  in origin refers to the waters off the coast of a now obsolete geopolitical region, Lorn or Lorne. A firth in Scottish English is a long estuary, the same as or similar to a fjord, although somewhat arbitrary in application. The name of Lorn descends from the proto-history of Scotland. A nineteenth-century geographical reference defines it as being a district in the county of Argyllshire, where the –shire segment reflects a former political status of Argyll.</p><br>
<p>Lorn was a maritime district, located on Scotlands west coast, on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe and the Firth of Lorn. The northern border was Loch Leven. The eastern and southern borders were the line of Loch Awe, Loch Avich, and Loch Melfort. Lorne lost its geopolitical status with the passage of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, effective in 1975. It had survived the same act of 1947 and again 1972, which retained most of the traditional local structure. In 1975, two Lornes appeared, North and South, both now burghs in the county of Argyll, in the region of Strathclyde. With the abolition of the counties in 1996, Argyll and Bute and part of Dumbarton were united into the Argyll and Bute Council Area. It contains only "towns and villages." None of them are Lorn.</p><br>
<p>Lorn shattered, so to speak, under the exigencies of time and politics. The firth, however, which had long since acquired the name, remains a living concept. In 2005 much of the eastern side became a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) according to European Union&#39;s Habitats Directive. The reefs and skerries of the small islands on that side are deemed habitats of interest.</p><br>
<h2>Geography of the firth</h2><br>
<p>The naming of the firth after Lorn, a major province on its eastern shore, reflecting the geopolitical power distribution of the times, became less apt as Lorn receded and disappeared. Much of Lorn bordered Loch Linnhe, a fiord to the north that, for whatever reason, escaped being included in the firth. Moreover, the firth extended far to the south of Lorn. To some writers, the name was to be extended south to Colonsay, but to others it went only as far south as the Garvellachs. The official maps of the British Empire did not resolve the exact borders of the firth. Admiralty chart 2724, mapping the coast from the North Channel, places the label, “Firth of Lorn,” on only the narrowest part of the firth, leaving the reader to guess how far south it applied, and the concomitant Ordnance Survey map follows the same convention. The waters between the open Atlantic to the north of the North Channel and the named inner firth are an undefined and unnamed lagoon.</p><br>
<p>In the last two or three decades the firth has become the subject of geologic, hydrologic and biologic field studies undertaken by research organizations working for, or with the permission of, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Scottish Government, which implements the acts of the Scottish Parliament. The recommendations of SNH are usually binding. It has responsibility for the study, protection, and allowed use of Scotland’s natural resources including the Firth of Lorn.</p><br>
<p>Although there is no universally binding geopolitical terminology apart from that defined by legislation, the SNH - in promulgating research - has in fact endorsed a more precise definition of the firth. Prior to the establishment of the SAC of 2005, the SNH was one organization of a consortium funding the Broadscale Mapping Project, 1996-1998, conducted by the SeaMap Research Group. It conducted surveys by a variety of methods, mainly electronic, mapping the presence of benthic communities in a number of areas, including the Firth of Lorn.</p><br>
<p>The report of this survey, which was instrumental in getting the SAC designated, defines the firth as follows. The “Inner Firth of Lorn” is the waters directly south of the peninsula between Loch Buie and Loch Spelve on Mull and east of the peninsulas between Loch Spelve and Duart Bay. The waters around the islands on the east side of the firth are included, being in the current SAC, even though they may have their own names. The “Outer Firth of Lorn” is the waters south of the Ross of Mull as far as the west coast of the Isle of Jura. There is no indication that the Sound of Jura is to be considered in the firth, even though its northern portion was in the study area.</p><br>
<p>The inner firth&#39;s northeast end forms a junction with several other arms of the sea, namely Loch Linnhe, the Lynn of Lorne, Loch Etive, and the Sound of Mull. Loch Spelve and Loch Don on the Isle of Mull and Loch Feochan on the mainland are inlets of the Firth of Lorn. On the southeast side, there are also several channels and sounds in the Slate Islands. The Ordnance Gazetteer of 1882 cites a length of 17 mi from the intersection of Loch Linnhe and the Sound of Mull, with widths of from 5 mi to 15 mi, inclusive of the islands on the east side, such as Kerrera and the Slate Islands. The west side is an ample deep-water channel leading ultimately inland to the Caledonian Canal.</p><br>
<h2>Language and legend</h2><br>
<p>Although the English word firth, the Gaelic equivalent linne (as in Linne Foirthe, Firth of Forth), and all the major firth names, have been in use since proto-historic times in Scotland, the combination “Firth of Lorn” was not innovated until the late 19th century. Lorn is presumed in modern Gaelic dictionaries to be a syncope of its Gaelic form Latharna, as is the parallel Larne, of northern Ireland. Whether the –th- originated as a phoneme or as a non-phonetic grapheme, and to what degree Latharna was ever pronounced as such, or whether the syncope took place entirely in English, are matters of regional and historical Scottish Gaelic orthography. Moreover, the etymology of Latharna remains uncertain. Certainly, Lorn or Lorne, earlier Loarn, has been attested for at least several centuries in Latin (Lorna) and English.</p><br>
<p>For example, the 11th Scottish Parliament of James VI in 1587 called for a roster of clans pending legislation that affected them as landlords. Present were the “Stewartes of Lorne, or of Appin” from the “Hielandes and Isles.”. At that time Lorn, like the rest of the highlands, was speaking mainly Gaelic. A Stuart ownership of Appin and Lorne is entirely consistent with the Dál Riata theory; moreover, there is easy access through the valleys of the east to Perth, ancient capital of Scotland. The firth of Lorn was a major conduit to the west of Scotland, yet there was no language concept of it as a separate body of water. It remained the Atlantic, or at most the coast of Lorne.</p><br>
<h2>Some historical considerations</h2><br>
<p>There was an exception to this early Scottish refusal to demark the firth as a separate body: the island of Lismore, Scotland (not to be confused with the various Irish Lismores), blocks the entry to Loch Linnhe in such a way as to create a shelter from weather in the Firth of Lorn. In 1816 the commissioners appointed by the British government to complete the Caledonian Canal reported that ships of 300-400 tons were running into Linnhè Loch to shelter from the weather in the firth. The loch was recognized far earlier, but not under that name. Some crown-sponsored sailing directions by a pilot, Alexandre Lindsay, who navigated for James V of Scotland on his voyage around Scotland in 1535, have survived in French from 1583. The book suggests legs for transit of the vessels of the time down the west coast of Scotland, being careful to avoid dangerous waters, which it also lists. From Ardnamurchan one sails WSW to Lismore, Scotland, necessarily in that direction through the Sound of Mull.</p><br>
<p>Lismore is stated to be located in the mouth of Loch Abir, which is evidence that Loch Linnhe was then called Loch Abir. The name, however, had already transferred itself to the district, Loquahabir, or Lochaber. Lorn is not mentioned among the other fourteen “prouinces” of Scotland, but “Argadia,” or Argyll, is, suggesting that Lorn was part of Argyll. The Coast of Lorne is mentioned in connection with the tides. The islands along the coast of Lorn are listed. The next leg of the circumnavigation doubles back on itself to the harbor of Loch Spelve on Mull, from there to Colonsay, from there to Islay, and from there to Kintyre. This preference for the west of the firth is perhaps clarified by Lindsay’s description of the passage between Jura and Scarba as “the most dangerous waters of Europe.”</p><br>
<p>The same definition of Lochaber used by Lindsay can also be found in the ‘’Britannia’’ of the Elizabethan choreographer, William Camden. He said:</p><br>
<h2>Geology of the firth</h2><br>
<p>The long narrow basin forming the firth is part of the Great Glen Fault, which runs through its namesake, the Great Glen, and Loch Linnhe before joining with the Firth of Lorn, whence it runs further southwest across Ireland.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>Tidal conditions in and around the Firth of Lorn cause a number of phenomena, such as the Falls of Lora at the outlet of Loch Etive, and whirlpools and standing waves in the Gulf of Corryvreckan between Scarba and Jura.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The Firth of Lorne featured as the location for the boat chase near the end of the second James Bond film From Russia with Love, released in 1963. Also the islands of Easdale, Seil and Cuan sound all feature in Florence + the machines video, Queen of peace and long and lost.</p><br>
<p>The Plaza Hotel, formerly the Hilton Hotel, is a landmark skyscraper located at 106 Mills Avenue in El Paso, Texas, USA.</p><br>
<h2>Sheldon Hotel site</h2><br>
<p>The hotel was constructed on the site of the Sheldon Hotel, which burned in 1929. The Sheldon served as the unofficial headquarters for many of the participants in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920s) from both sides of the border.</p><br>
<h2>Hilton</h2><br>
<p>In fall 1929, Conrad Hilton began construction. Nineteen days later the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, yet construction continued. On November 30, 1930, Hiltons first highrise hotel was opened. At 239 feet (73 m) it surpassed the O. T. Bassett Tower to become the tallest building in El Paso; it is still the citys third tallest building. Designed by Trost & Trost, the Plaza is an Art Deco styled 19-story steel-framed building with setbacks at the 16th and 17th floors. It is faced with brown brick and concrete and crowned with a copper-sheathed pyramid. The exterior remains largely unaltered from its original form. Elizabeth Taylor briefly lived in the penthouse of the hotel after she married Conrad’s son, Nicky Hilton.</p><br>
<h2>Plaza Hotel</h2><br>
<p>The hotel was sold in 1963 at which time the name changed to the Plaza Hotel. In 2008, the owner Paul L. Foster announced that the Plaza Hotel would undergo extensive renovations.</p><br>
<h2>Historical markers</h2><br>
<p>Historical markers located on the Plaza Hotel include the First Kindergarten in Texas and The Woman’s Club of El Paso. Historical markers located in the vicinity of the hotel include Chinatown and the Anson Mills Building. Both markers are located across Mills Avenue at El Paso Street.</p><br>
<p>Plaza Hotel El Paso.jpgNortheast side of building</p><br>
<p>The Tegernsee is a Zungenbecken lake in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The lake is the centre of a popular recreation area 50 km south-east of Munich. Resorts on the lake include the eponymous Tegernsee, as well as Bad Wiessee, Kreuth, Gmund, and Rottach-Egern.</p><br>
<p>The lake is some 6.5 km in length, with a width of 1.4 km and an area of 8.934 km². It reaches a maximum depth of 72.6 m, with an average depth of 36.3 m, and the normal water level is 725.5 m above sea level. The lake flows into the River Mangfall, a tributary of the River Inn and thence the River Danube.</p><br>
<p>The buildings of the former Benedictine monastery of Tegernsee Abbey lie on the banks of the lake. Now in private hands, they are now known as Schloss Tegernsee.</p><br>
<p>The area around the lake is linked to Munich by rail through trains of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn, which, in the final part of their journey, travel over the tracks of the privately owned Tegernsee-Bahn. Pleasure boat services serve several points on the lake, and are operated by boats of the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt company.</p><br>
<p>The Historic Caddo Lake Drawbridge at Mooringsport, Louisiana, is a vertical-lift bridge that is listed on the USA National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1914, to replace a ferry, by the Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri, under authority of the Caddo Parish Police Jury. The lift span has been inoperable since the 1940s.</p><br>
<p>This vehicular bridge illustrates the "Vertical-Lift" design of John Alexander Low Waddell of the firm of Waddell & Harrington. This design allowed the entire center span to lift in a vertical direction to allow tall oil equipment to pass through, especially Gulf Oil Company&#39;s pile driver. This design was invented in 1893 and was successfully introduced in Chicago with the South Halsted Street Bridge. The Caddo Lake Drawbridge is a direct descendant of this structure.</p><br>
<p>In the summer of 1941, just prior to World War II, the United States Army held maneuvers in and around Mooringsport as a means of preparing the soldiers for war. During the maneuvers, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton came to Mooringsport and led the Red and Blue armies in the "capture" of the bridge. They also bombed the bridge with sacks of flour.</p><br>
<p>In the mid-1940s, ownership of the bridge was transferred away from Caddo Parish to the Louisiana Department of Highways (LA Department of Transportation & Development, abbreviated as DOTD). Shortly after the transfer, the Department of Highways realized that there was no longer a need for the bridge to open. Consequently, the concrete counterweights were removed from the bridge&#39;s tower and dropped in the lake.</p><br>
<p>In the late 1970s, due to the narrow width of the bridge, the flow of vehicular traffic was changed to one alternating lane. At this time, the DOTD determined that the useful life of the bridge had been exhausted and it was time to consider its replacement. In 1989, the DOTD received funds from the Federal Highway Administration for a bridge replacement project. The project called for the construction of a new two lane bridge approximately fifty feet to the east of the old bridge. The construction proposal also called for the old bridge to be destroyed when the new one was completed. A citizen&#39;s campaign was launched with involvement of Local, State and Federal officials and political leaders. The objective was to save the Historic Caddo Lake Drawbridge and convert its use into a pedestrian walkway, landmark, and tourist attraction. After two years of negotiations, the DOTD and the Federal Highway Administration agreed to use the funds appropriated for removing the structure to refurbish the bridge instead. This agreement was made with the stipulation that Caddo Parish agrees to assume ownership and liability. On June 26, 1991, the Caddo Parish Commissioners voted to accept the bridge into the Caddo Parish Department of Parks and Recreation.</p><br>
<p>On July 24, 1991, The Historic American Engineering Record (USA Dept. of the Interior/National Park Service) rendered their evaluation of the bridge. The evaluation indicated that the bridge is nationally significant due to its designer, its unique design, and the fact that it is the sole surviving example of this bridge type in the State of Louisiana. With this determination, the bridge was eligible to be presented for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Due to a unique state law that forbade the application process, this was delayed until ownership changed.</p><br>
<p>After the bridge was cleaned, painted and barricaded to vehicular traffic, ownership of the bridge was transferred back to the Parish of Caddo on October 3, 1995. A rededication ceremony was held in Mooringsport later that month to mark the saving of the towns chief landmark and to honor those who had contributed to the endeavor. On June 4, 1996, a public hearing was held in Baton Rouge by the States Review Committee regarding nomination of the bridge to the National Register of Historic Places. On October 18, 1996, the Historic Caddo Lake Drawbridge was officially entered into the National Register of Historic Places under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.</p><br>
<p>The Clywedog reservoir  is a reservoir near Llanidloes, Wales. Completed in 1967, the reservoir was built near the B4518 road, Powys, to supply water to Birmingham and the English Midlands by river regulation and to mitigate flooding in the lower Severn by storing excess winter rainfall. The reservoir was formed by damming the Afon Clywedog, a tributary of the River Severn. Its concrete buttress dam is the tallest concrete dam in the UK, with a height of 72 metres and a length of 230 metres. When at capacity the reservoir contains approximately 50,000 megalitres of water. A second, much smaller embankment dam is located at Bwlch-y-gle to prevent overflow into the next valley.</p><br>
<p>Construction of the dam commenced in 1963 after the passing of an Act of Parliament ordering its creation to help prevent flooding of the River Severn in winter and to maintain its water levels in the summer. Local opposition was strong against the construction of the reservoir as it would result in the flooding of much of the Clywedog valley and the drowning of 615 acre of agricultural land. On top of several disruptions and protests, during construction in 1966 a bomb was detonated within the construction site, setting work back by almost 2 months. The political extremist group Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC) was widely suspected of carrying out the bombing.</p><br>
<p>The reservoir was opened in 1967 and till this day has been in continuous usage, generally filling with water over the winter months and gradually releasing it during the summer months. The reservoir is currently owned and operated by Severn Trent Water Limited with oversight and regulation by Natural Resources Wales. Clywedog Sailing Club operates on the lake, and Powys County Councils Staylittle Outdoor Centre delivers a range of adventure education both on the water and in the surrounding area.</p><br>
<p>The dam operating plant runs self-sufficiently from a 500 kW hydro-electric turbine. The area around Clywedog dam is now a popular leisure destination offering scenic walks and wildlife watching.</p><br>
<p>In a TV ad for the Land Rover Defender, a Defender 90 is seen winching up the face of the dam under its own power.</p><br>
<p>The Shehy Mountains  are a range of low mountains situated on the border between County Cork and County Kerry, in Ireland.</p><br>
<h2>Geography and geology</h2><br>
<p>The highest peak (also the highest mountain in County Cork), Knockboy (Cnoc Buí, "yellow hill"), is 706 metres high and most of the other peaks in the range are between 500 and 600 metres high. The River Lee rises in Coomroe, a small valley at the eastern end of the range, before flowing eastwards towards Cork Harbour, where it enters the sea. The peaks mostly consist of Old Red Sandstone laid down in the Devonian period. During the Ice Age, the Shehys took their present form, when glaciers carved out the many deep valleys in the area and also eroded the mountains down to their present height. When the icecaps retreated, they left behind hundreds of lakes in the valleys and on the mountain tops.</p><br>
<h2>Flora</h2><br>
<p>The Shehy Mountains are mostly covered with peat bogs and coarse grassland, but there are also some small conifer plantations scattered around the area. Plants typically found here include butterworts, sundews, heather, and bilberry, among many others.</p><br>
<h2>Fauna</h2><br>
<p>The animal species found in the Shehy Mountains are mostly the same as those found throughout the lowlands, but some are more often seen in the mountains than elsewhere, including:</p><br>
<p>Irish hare</p><br>
<p>Sheep</p><br>
<p>European stonechat</p><br>
<p>Raven</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The area has a very long history of human habitation, going back at least 5000 years. Numerous Neolithic megalithic monuments are found in the foothills and valleys, as well as ringforts, fulachta fia and later antiquities.</p><br>
<p>One of the most historic sites in the Shehy mountains is Gougane Barra in the Coomroe valley, where Saint Finbarr established a hermitage in the 6th century.</p><br>
<p>During the Irish War of Independence, the mountains were an IRA stronghold, and continued to be so for the anti-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War.</p><br>
<h2>Highest Points</h2><br>
<p>The following table lists the 5 highest major mountain peaks of the Shehy Mountains, all with a topographic elevation of at least 625 metres (2,050 ft). After the top five, height does not vary much in the Shehy Mountains, with most peaks ranging between 450 and 600 metres.</p><br>
<p>Changuch is a Himalayan mountain peak situated at the boundary of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district of the Uttarakhand state of India. This peak is situated above the Pindari Glacier. This peak offers a ridge leading to Nanda Kot. On its massif Traill&#39;s pass is situated, which connects Pindari valley to Goriganga valley. The first successful ascent to the peak was made by an Indo-British team on 9 June 2009 at 9 am.</p><br>
<h2>Attempts of 1987, 1997, 2007 & 2009</h2><br>
<p>Attempts were made in the years 1987,1997 and 2007 and all three of them had failed. All these unsuccessful expeditions were through Pindari valley. Indo-British Mt. Changuch Expedition of 1987 was led by B. Mukhoty. They were forced to retreat. The expedition of 1997 was led by G. Murray. This expedition also failed to reach the summit and third attempt for this peak led by navy commander s dam with a joint expedition Indian navy-IMF. the team established summit camp at 5700m but The expedition was again unsuccessful due to an avalanche and death of two member at a height of 5200 mtr before shifting to summit camp. The two following teams also attempted the peak in 2009. One team led by Basanta Singha Roy. Unlike the British, the seven member team from West Bengal was not successful in climbing the peak. They crossed Trail’s pass en route and entered Lawan gad from Pindar valley. They established their summit camp at 5640 m on 29 August on the northwest ridge connecting Changuch with Nandakhat. Technical difficulties stopped the attempt at that point. Another expedition organised by Altitude High Adventure of 14 members Indian team attempted the peak in the post-monsoon season due to bad weather and snowfall they had to call off the expedition. They reached 300 m above their Camp 2, which was established at 5180 m.</p><br>
<h2>British Expedition of 2009 - The First recorded successful ascent</h2><br>
<p>In 2009, a British expedition led by Martin Moran approached the peak from Lawan Valley, an easier route compared to the one taken by previous attempts of 1987, 1997 and 2007 and made a successful ascent on 9 June 2009. Expedition&#39;s original target was Nanda Devi East. However, during the course of expedition, due to difficult conditions and lack of resources to meet original target, they shifted the target to the nearby Changuch.</p><br>
<h2>Indian Expedition of 2011 - The second recorded successful ascent (First Indian ascent)</h2><br>
<p>In 2011 Indian Mountaineering Foundation send an Indian expedition to the peak led by Dhruv Joshi went via Pindari glacier and 5 members made a successful ascent on 17 June 2011 at 0950 am. Expedition consisted of 8 members. The team is as follows: Dhruv Joshi (leader), Dr. Anand Vaidhya (Medical Officer), Wallambok Lyngdoh, Bharat Bhushan, Takpa Norboo, Chetan Pandey, Mahesh S Dharamsaktu & Harish Kumar.No high altitudes porters were employed in this expedition. This is the second ascent of Changuch and first Indian and first from Pindari Glacier side.</p><br>
<p>Mount Somma is a mountain located in the Province of Naples, in the Campania region.</p><br>
<p>Mount Somma is an integral part of the volcanic complex "Somma-Vesuvius." It has a recorded height of 1,132 m.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Mount Somma is the remnant of a large volcano, out of which the peak cone of Mount Vesuvius has grown. Currently, Mount Somma appears to be spread in a semicircle around the north side and north-east of Vesuvius. Vesuvius&#39;s formation began during the collapse Caldera of Mount Somma.</p><br>
<p>Coming from the east, you will encounter the first ridges:</p><br>
<p>the "Cognoli di Trocchia" (961 m)</p><br>
<p>the "Cognoli di Sant&#39;Anastasia" (1,086 m)</p><br>
<p>the "Punta del Nasone (Tip of the nose)" (1,132 m)</p><br>
<p>the "Cognoli di Ottaviano" (1,112 m)</p><br>
<h3>Punta del Nasone</h3><br>
<p>The highest point of Mount Somma, at 1,132 meters, is called "Punta del Nasone" because of its similarity with a nose covered in the profile of a face lying along the top of the mountain. This similarity can be seen by looking the Mount Somma from the peak of Vesuvius.</p><br>
<h3>Lava flows of 1944</h3><br>
<p>In March 1944, a spectacular lava flow interrupted the north outline of the mountain down to the town of San Sebastiano al Vesuvio. A hiking trail (No. 9 in the numbering of the Vesuvius National Park) allows visitors to cross the entire large path of almost 200 meters.</p><br>
<h3>The Olivella</h3><br>
<p>The Olivella is a village more than 400m north of Mount Somma, in the territory of the municipality of Sant&#39;Anastasia. It looks like a natural amphitheater on top of which is located above the outlet Olivella source, a short distance to the outlet is higher than the outlet of the source surmounted by a stone arch that was part of the aqueduct, when at the time Ferdinando of Bourbon wanted to get the water to Naples.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The first evidence of volcanic activity in this area dates back about 400,000 years ago, but the first major eruptive phenomenon of some significance occurred about 25,000 years ago: the eruption of pumice base when the top of the Somma volcano collapsed forming a caldera, in which later formed Vesuvius. Today the caldera is only the northern side, which is Mount Somma.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>Since 1995, Mount Somma has been part of the Vesuvius National Park.</p><br>
<p></revision></p><br>
<p>Djémila , formerly Cuicul, is a small mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Berbero-Roman ruins in North Africa are found. It is situated in the region bordering the Constantinois and Petite Kabylie .</p><br>
<p>In 1982, Djémila became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. Significant buildings in ancient Cuicul include a theatre, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses. The exceptionally well preserved ruins surround the forum of the Harsh, a large paved square with an entry marked by a majestic arch.</p><br>
<h2>Roman Cuicul</h2><br>
<p>Under the name of Cuicul, the city was built at 900 meters of altitude during the 1st century AD as a Roman military garrison situated on a narrow triangular plateau in the province of Numidia. The terrain is somewhat rugged, being located at the confluence of two rivers.</p><br>
<p>Cuicul&#39;s builders followed a standard plan with a forum at the center and two main streets, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus, composing the major axes. The city was initially populated by a colony of Roman soldiers from Italy, and eventually grew to become a large trading market. The resources that contributed to the prosperity of the city were essentially agricultural (cereals, olive trees and farm).</p><br>
<p>During the reign of Caracalla in the 3rd century, Cuicul&#39;s administrators took down some of the old ramparts and constructed a new forum. They surrounded it with larger and more impressive edifices than those that bordered the old forum. The terrain hindered building, so that they built the theatre outside the town walls, which was exceptional.</p><br>
<p>Christianity became very popular in the 4th century (after some persecutions in the early third century) and brought the addition of a basilica and baptistry. They are to the south of Cuicul in a quarter called "Christian", and are popular attractions.</p><br>
<p>Of the bishops of Cuicul, Pudentianus took part in the Council of Carthage (255) concerning the validity of heretical baptism, and Elpidophorus in the Council of Carthage (348). Cresconius was the Catholic bishop who represented Cuicul at the Council of Carthage (411) between Catholic and Donatist bishops; the Donatist bishop of the town died before the conference began. Crescens was one of the Catholic bishops whom the Arian Vandal king Huneric summoned to Carthage in 484. Victor was at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. No longer a residential bishopric, Cuicul is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.</p><br>
<p>The city was slowly abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire around the 5th century and 6th century. There were some improvements under emperor Justinianus I, with wall reinforcements.</p><br>
<p>Muslims later dominated the region, but did not reoccupy the site of Cuicul, which they renamed Djémila ("beautiful" in Arabic).</p><br>
<h2>Famous residents</h2><br>
<p>Several significant Romanized Africans were born in Cuicul:</p><br>
<p>Lucius Alfenus Senecio: governor of Britannia (205 to 207).</p><br>
<p>Gaius Valerius Pudens: governor of Britannia.</p><br>
<p>Claudius Subatianus Aquila: governor of Mesopotamia and Egypt.</p><br>
<p>Claudius Subatianus Proculus: governor of Numidia.</p><br>
<p>Lake Nokoué is a lake in the southern part of Benin. It is 20 km wide and 11 km long and is located at {{coord|6.433333|N|2.45|E|type:waterbody_region:BJ}}. The water covers an area of 4,900 hectare. The lake is partly fed by the Ouémé River and the Sô River, both of which deposit sediments from throughout the region in the lake.</p><br>
<p>The city of Cotonou sits on the southern border of the lake. Sections of the population of Cotonou have been displaced by coastal and lake flooding. On the northern edge of the lake is the town of Ganvié.</p><br>
<h2>Economy</h2><br>
<p>Because of its diverse wildlife, the lake provides an important source of food and economic activity for these towns.</p><br>
<p>The lake is also used for Acadja, a type of fish breeding facility.</p><br>
<h2>Hydrology</h2><br>
<p>The lake, in large part, is a lagoon. With its geometry, the lake is expected to double in size and flood as global climate change affects the sea level. There is also a risk of salinisation, which will change the ecology of the freshwater lake, potentially making it more brackish. Different sections of the lake currently alternate between fresh and brackish ecosystems at an average depth of 1.5 m. Normal temperatures throughout the lake are between 27and29 &deg;C.</p><br>
<p>The lake is a site of deposition of both pesticides and heavy metals from upstream industry and human habitation. Though the pesticides are only present in fish at less than toxic levels, the heavy metals in the waters can reach levels in fish both unhealthy for humans and the fish. on its northern shore</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The floor of the lake has a mixture of sandy, sandy-muddy and muddy bottoms.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>Lake Nokoué has at least 78 species of fish. A number of bird species exploit the wide variety of fish as food, as well as species of otter.</p><br>
<p>Pomme de Terre Lake is located in southwest Missouri at the confluence of Lindley Creek and the Pomme de Terre River . The lake is located in southern Hickory and northern Polk counties, about 50 mi north of Springfield. The name is French and literally translated means "earth apple", which in English is a potato.</p><br>
<p>The lake is part of a series of lakes in the Osage River Basin designed and constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for flood control. Construction began in 1957 and was complete in 1961 at a cost of $14,946,784. Storage of water began on October 29, 1961 and the multipurpose pool was reached on June 15, 1963.</p><br>
<p>The dam is adjacent to Pomme de Terre State Park and is crossed by Route 254. It consists of a 14 ft circular tunnel with two 6.5 X 14 ft hydraulic slide service gates and a single 24 in circular low flow gate. The dam is 7,230 ft long, 30 ft wide at the top and 950 ft wide at the base (maximum).</p><br>
<p>There are two arms of the lake that extend from the dam site. The Pomme de Terre arm follows the Pomme de Terre River and extends for 17 mi. The Lindley arm follows Lindley Creek for 12 mi.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>There are over 650 campsites along the lake as well as two public swimming beaches. Water skiing and many other forms of water recreation are common at the lake. Every 4th of July the local Chamber of Commerce sponsors a fireworks display launched from an island near the dam site.</p><br>
<p>Pomme de Terre Lake is well known locally for its largemouth bass, crappie and white bass fishing. It has wider acceptance as a premier Muskie lake. Muskellunge have been stocked in the lake since 1966, and the lake boasts one of the best catch ratios in the country.</p><br>
<h2>State Park</h2><br>
<p>There are two sections of state park land near Pomme de Terre which total almost 700 acre. The Pittsburg section is located on the south shore, and the Hermitage section is located on the east shore. Each area has 128 campsites, a public beach, picnic sites, and hiking trails. The Indian point hiking trail in the Pittsburg area ends at a rock platform overlooking the lake that has a magnificent view.</p><br>
<h2>Fishing</h2><br>
<p>Pomme De Terre is very popular among anglers and the lake is well known for several different species of fish. The fish that the lake is most popular for, however, is the muskie. Muskies don&#39;t reproduce naturally in Pomme de Terre, so the Conservation Department nets fish each spring and milks them for eggs. After the eggs are fertilized at the lake, the fish are released. The eggs are then taken to the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery near Warsaw to be hatched. By October, when they are released into Pomme de Terre and several other lakes in Missouri.</p><br>
<h2>Statistics</h2><br>
<p>Surface area: 7,821 acres (multipurpose pool) / 16,100 acres (flood pool)</p><br>
<p>Shoreline: 113 mi</p><br>
<p>Elevation: 839 ft above sea level (multipurpose pool) / 874 feet (flood pool)</p><br>
<p>Dam: 7,240 ft long earth and rockfill embankment; 155 ft above streambed</p><br>
<p>The Margalla Hills  is a hill range which is part of the Himalayan foothills located within the Margalla Hills National Park, north of Islamabad, Pakistan. The Margalla range has an area of 12,605 hectares. The hills are a part of Murree hills. It is a range with many valleys as well as high mountains.</p><br>
<p>The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western end and 1,604 meters on its east with average height of 1000 meters. Its highest peak is Tilla Charouni. The range gets snowfall in winters.</p><br>
<p>On 6 January 2012, after almost six years, Pir Sohawa, the city’s highest tourist spot, received few inches of snowfall. Another measurable snow event occurred on 11 February 2016 where 2 inches fell after four years.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>Two different legends describe the origin of the word Margalla. According to the first legend, these hills have always been known as an abode of snakes. Mar means snake in Pashto and Persian galla means herd, therefore Margalla means a place with a lot of snakes.</p><br>
<p>According to the second legend, the word Margalla was derived from Mar Galla, meaning to strangulate. Mar means hit and Galla means neck. It is believed that there were lots of bandits and robbers who used these hills as a sanctuary and would strangle travelers in order to rob them. It has also been suggested that the name derived from Mārĩkalā, the Persian equivalent of Takshaśilã (Taxila).</p><br>
<h2>Infrastructure</h2><br>
<p>Khayaban-e- Iqbal, arises on the north east side from the 4th Avenue (Nur Pur Shahan), runs between E and F sectors and ends at Service road West of F 11 and E 11 (Golra) sectors in the south east. It will be extended up to Grand Trunk (GT) road in the near future and then it will be able to connect Nur Pur Shahan with the GT road.</p><br>
<p>Pir Sohawa road starts from Khayaban-e-Iqbal, near the zoo and traverses across the Margalla hills and connects with Jabbri road.</p><br>
<p>Margalla road starts from setor D 12 and runs across the Margallas to connect with Jabbri road near Khanpur.</p><br>
<p>Grand Trunk road (GT road) passes through Margallas through Tarnol pass near Nicholson&#39;s obelisk.</p><br>
<h2>Paleontology and archeology</h2><br>
<p>The hills&#39; rock formations are 40 million years old, and fossils of marine life abound, indicating that the Margalla Hills were at one time under the sea.</p><br>
<p>According to the research carried out by scientists and archaeologists of the project "Post-Earthquake Explorations of Human Remains in Margalla Hills”, the formation of the Margalla Hills dates to the Miocene epoch. The dominant limestone of the Margalla is mixed with sandstone and occasional minor beds of shale. The archaeologists of the project have also found two human footprints over one million years old here, preserved in sandstone.</p><br>
<p>Saidpur is a Mughal-era village on the slopes of the Margalla Hills and located off the Hill Road to the east of Daman-e-Koh in Islamabad. The village has the footprints of various civilizations, including Gandhara, Greek, Buddhist, Mughal, Ashoka and the British colonial periods, and now serving as a popular recreational spot for both local and foreign visitors.</p><br>
<h2>Flora and fauna</h2><br>
<p>The plant species on Margalla hills belong to various families of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, grasses and fodder crops. The vegetation of the southern slopes is deciduous and evergreen trees with most of flowering trees like Bauhinia variegata, Ficus carica, and trees like Pinus roxburghii, Quercus leucotrichophora. In the north stand pines, eucalyptus, peepal trees (Ficus religiosa), paper mulberry and groves of oak, e.g. silver oaks. Over the years, however, the hills have suffered considerably from illegal logging and wood collection used for cooking and heating. But, the CDA has planted 385,000 saplings every spring.</p><br>
<p>There are around 250 to 300 species of plants on the Margalla hills. As many as two third of them are used by the people for their medicinal effects to treat or cure various diseases.</p><br>
<p>The Margalla Hills are home to various species of wildlife, including monkeys, exotic birds and carnivores such as the rare and presently endangered Margalla leopard.</p><br>
<p>Commonly found animals in the Margallas include rhesus monkeys, jackals (often heard cackling at night near the hills), wild boars, porcupines, mongoose and the pangolin or scaly anteater. The wild boar in particular can be seen at some of the least expected places in the city. While they generally stay close to the hills, occasionally (particularly in winter when the hills are cold and it snows on the peaks of Margalla hills) they can be seen quite far from the Margallas. Often the boars will have small hideouts in the green belts in and around the city. The increasing practice of throwing litter near the hills also attracts both monkeys and wild boar to come and forage through the rubbish. The wild boars can be quite large, very solidly built and usually travel in large groups.</p><br>
<p>Much less common are leopards, which occasionally come down from the Murree area but usually remain high up in the hills. Villagers dwelling in the Margallas do report sighting of leopards off and on.</p><br>
<p>There is another group of animals that deserves mention: the snakes of Margalla Hills. There are a number of species of poisonous snakes in the area, including cobras, Russell&#39;s vipers, kraits—known in local parlance as the half-minute killer and indian phython. The snakes hibernate in the winter months; but tread carefully in the hotter months and particularly the monsoon months, when snakes abound. While they are to be found mainly in and around the hills, occasionally an overgrown garden can prove the ideal home.</p><br>
<p>High diversity of birds in the Margallas is due to the combination many ecological components that together make it a unique location. No other Pakistani location could come even near in the number of species seen. As a result of a series of faunal survey of the park, 54 species of butterflies, 37 species of fish, 9 species of amphibians, 20 species of reptiles, 380 species of birds, 21 species of small mammals and 15 species of large mammals have so far been recorded.</p><br>
<p>Birds in the park include Himalayan griffon vulture, laggar falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, Egyptian vulture, white cheeked bulbul, yellow vented bulbul, paradise flycatcher, black partridge, cheer pheasant, Khalij pheasant, golden oriole, spotted dove, collared dove, larks, shrikes, wheatears and buntings.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<h3>Bird watching</h3><br>
<p>The Margallas are an excellent place for bird watchers. The area is home to a large number of birds, including robins, sparrows, kites, crows, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, shrikes, pheasants, spotted doves, Egyptian vultures, falcons, hawks, eagles, Himalayan griffon vulture, laggar falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, white cheeked bulbul, yellow vented bulbul, paradise flycatcher, cheer pheasant, Khalij pheasant, golden oriole, spotted dove, collared dove, wheatears and buntings.</p><br>
<p>The cheer pheasant, indigenous to the North West Frontier Province, is being reared in Margalla Hills as a part of conservation campaign.</p><br>
<h3>Hiking and trekking</h3><br>
<p>The Margallas are excellent for hiking and cater for both the regular serious hikers and the less serious occasional enthusiasts.</p><br>
<p>The safest and most frequented hike path is from the zoo park to Daman-e-Koh. The best season for hiking is from February to April, when there is less rain and the weather is extremely pleasant.</p><br>
<p>Asian Study Group is a community service organization and conducts hikes in Margalla Hills.</p><br>
<p>For more information check out the Asia Study Group (ASG) publication "Hiking Guide: In and Around Islamabad" (1992, Revised Edition).</p><br>
<h3>Rock climbing</h3><br>
<p>There are many spots for rock climbing in Margalla Hills. Few crags have been developed but, still a lot of potential available to explore virgin lines.</p><br>
<p>Jungle Rock (F 6a:8a), God Rock (F 6b+:7b), Legacy Wall (F 6a:7c+), Jasmin Corner (F 4b:5a), Belvedere (F 4c:6b+), Hidden Rock (F 6a:6c), Music Lounge (F 5c:6c) Beetle’s Nest (F 5b:6c+, including multi-pitch route), Well Hidden Rock (F 5a:8a), Holiday Rock (F 5b:5b), Said Pur View (F 5c:8a) and Shaddarrah (F 5c:6a) have been excellently developed/ bolted.</p><br>
<p>A guide to climb Margalla (updated in 2012) can be downloaded from the website of Pakistan Alpine Institute.</p><br>
<p>For beginner level climbers, following crags are suggested:</p><br>
<p>Although, sport climbing is becoming increasingly popular among the youth of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.</p><br>
<p>but, only few local climbers can climb at advance level. Therefore, most of the crags remain uncrowded.</p><br>
<h3>Paragliding and hang gliding</h3><br>
<p>Facilities for Paragliding and Hang gliding are provided by private clubs based in Islamabad.</p><br>
<h2>Environmental conservation</h2><br>
<p>The ecology of Margallas faces threats from quarrying by crush plants, deforestation, illegal encroachments and buildings, and poachers. Crush plants situated around the hills near Taxila are busy eroding the hills for extracting building material. Deforestation is resulting from fires and illegal felling of trees.</p><br>
<h3>Himalayan Wildlife Foundation</h3><br>
<p>Himalayan Wildlife Foundation is running a project on a sustainable management strategy for the Margalla Hills National Park.</p><br>
<h3>Margalla Hills Society</h3><br>
<p>Margalla Hills Society established in 1989, with objective to preserve the natural environment of Margalla Hills National Park and prevent shrinkage of the green areas; to promote public interest in conservation, development and management of forests, wildlife and other natural resources of Margalla Hills National Park, and to disseminate information about the park, including its history, geography, flora, fauna, culture, and its benefits to the citizens of Islamabad.</p><br>
<h3>World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan</h3><br>
<p>The WWF-Pakistan’s Green School Programme, in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA), carries out Eco-Adventure Activities on the Margalla hills to raise awareness in the school children regarding the conservation of natural environment and about the importance of being environmentally responsible.</p><br>
<h2>Events</h2><br>
<p>On 28 July 2010, Airblue Flight 202 crashed in the Margalla Hills.</p><br>
<p>On 6 January 2012, snowfall over Margalla Hills.</p><br>
<p>On 11 February 2016, snowfall over Margalla Hills.</p><br>
<h2>Popular places</h2><br>
<p>Daman-e-Koh</p><br>
<p>Pir Sohawa</p><br>
<p>Gokeena</p><br>
<p>Mount Happiness</p><br>
<p>Loh-i-Dandi</p><br>
<p>Nicholson&#39;s obelisk</p><br>
<p>Shah Allah Ditta</p><br>
<p>Islamabad Marghazar Zoo</p><br>
<p>Japanese Park</p><br>
<p>Saidpur, Islamabad</p><br>
<p>Nilan Bhotu</p><br>
<p>The Three Sisters are volcanic peaks that form a complex volcano in the USA state of Oregon. They are part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Cascade Range in western North America extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. Each more than 10,000 ft in elevation, they are the third-, fourth-, and fifth-highest peaks in Oregon. Located in the Three Sisters Wilderness at the boundaries of Lane and Deschutes counties and the Willamette and Deschutes national forests, they are about 10 mi south of the nearest town, Sisters. Diverse species of flora and fauna inhabit the area, which is subject to frequent snowfall, occasional rain, and extreme temperature variation between seasons. The mountains, particularly South Sister, are popular destinations for climbing and scrambling.</p><br>
<p>Although they are often grouped together as one unit, the three mountains have their own individual geology and eruptive history. Neither nor has erupted in the last 14,000 years. last erupted about 2,000 years ago and might erupt in the future, threatening life within the region. After satellite imagery detected tectonic uplift near in 2000, the United States Geological Survey improved monitoring in the immediate area.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Three Sisters are at the boundaries of Lane and Deschutes counties and the Willamette and Deschutes national forests in the USA state of Oregon, about 10 mi south of the nearest town of Sisters. The three peaks are the third-, fourth-, and fifth-highest in Oregon, and contain 16 named glaciers, including Collier Glacier, the largest glacier in Oregon. Their ice volume totals 5.6 e9cuft. The Sisters were named Faith, Hope and Charity by early settlers, but are now known as North Sister, Middle Sister and South Sister, respectively.</p><br>
<h3>Wilderness</h3><br>
<p>The Three Sisters Wilderness covers an area of 281,190 acre, making it the second-largest wilderness area in Oregon. Designated by the United States Congress in 1964, it borders the Mount Washington Wilderness to the north and shares its southern edge with the Waldo Lake Wilderness. The area includes 260 mi of trails and many forests, lakes, waterfalls, and streams, including the source of Whychus Creek. The Three Sisters and nearby Broken Top account for about a third of the Three Sisters Wilderness, and this area is known as the Alpine Crest Region. Rising from about 5,200 ft to 10,358 ft in elevation, the Alpine Crest Region features the wilderness area&#39;s most-frequented glaciers, lakes, and meadows.</p><br>
<h3>Physical geography</h3><br>
<p>Weather varies greatly in the area due to the rain shadow caused by the Cascade Range. Air from the Pacific Ocean rises over the western slopes, which causes it to cool and dump its moisture as rain (or snow in the winter). Precipitation increases with elevation. Once the moisture is wrung from the air, it descends on the eastern side of the crest, which causes it to be warmer and drier. On the western slopes, precipitation ranges from 80 to 125 in annually, while precipitation over the eastern slopes varies from 40 to 80 in in the east. Temperature extremes reach 80 to 90 °F in summers and -20 to -30 °F during the winters.</p><br>
<p>When Little Ice Age glaciers retreated during the 20th century, water filled in the spaces left behind, forming moraine-dammed lakes, which are more common in the Three Sisters Wilderness than anywhere else in the contiguous United States. The local area has a history of flash floods, including an event on October 7, 1966, caused by a sudden avalanche that reached the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. Concerned about the hazard of similar flooding events, scientists in the 1980s from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) identified that Carver Lake on South Sister could flood and breach its natural dam, producing a large mudflow that could endanger wilderness visitors and the town of Sisters. Studies at Collier Lake and Diller Lake suggested that both had breached their dams in the early 1940s and in 1970, respectively. Other moraine-dammed lakes within the wilderness area include Thayer Lake on North Sisters east flank, Diller Lake on Middle Sisters east flank, and four members of the Chambers Lakes group between Middle and South Sister.</p><br>
<p>Before settlement of the area at the end of the 19th century, wildfires frequently burned through the local forests, especially the ponderosa pine forests on the eastern slopes. Due to fire suppression over the past century, the forests have become overgrown, and at higher elevations, they are further susceptible to summertime fires, which threaten surrounding life and property. In the 21st century, wildfires have been larger and more common in the Deschutes National Forest. In September 2012, a lightning strike caused a fire that burned 41 square miles in the Pole Creek area within the Three Sisters Wilderness, leaving the area closed until May 2013. In August 2017, officials closed 417 square miles in the western half of the Three Sisters Wilderness, including 24 mi of the Pacific Crest Trail, to the public because of 11 lightning-caused fires, including the Milli Fire. As a result of the increasing incidence of fires, public officials have factored the role of wildfire into planning, including organizing prescribed fires with scientists to protect habitats at risk while minimizing adverse effects on air quality and environmental health.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The Three Sisters join several other volcanoes in the eastern segment of the Cascade Range known as the High Cascades, which trends north–south. Constructed towards the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, these mountains are underlain by more ancient volcanoes that subsided due to parallel north–south faulting in the surrounding region.</p><br>
<p>The peaks form a complex volcanic group that extends for 20 mi. Part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range, the individual volcanoes formed during separate time periods from several variable magmatic sources, and the amount of rhyolite present in the lavas of the younger two mountains is unusual relative to nearby peaks. The Three Sisters form the leading edge of a rhyolitic crustal-melting anomaly, which might be explained by a combination of mantle flow (movement of Earth&#39;s solid silicate mantle layer caused by convection currents) and decompression that has generated similar melting and rhyolitic volcanism nearby for the past 16 million years. Like other Cascade volcanoes, the Three Sisters were fed by magma chambers produced by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate under the western edge of the North American tectonic plate.</p><br>
<p>The three mountains were also shaped by the changing climate of the Pleistocene Epoch, during which multiple glacial periods occurred and glacial advance eroded the mountains.</p><br>
<p>The Three Sisters form the center of a region of closely grouped volcanic peaks. This is in contrast to the typical 40 to 60 mi spacing between volcanoes elsewhere in the Cascades. Among the most active volcanic areas in the Cascades and one of the most densely populated volcanic centers in the world, the Three Sisters region includes nearby peaks such as Belknap Crater, Mount Washington, Black Butte, and Three Fingered Jack to the north, and Broken Top and Mount Bachelor to the south. Most of the surrounding volcanoes consist of mafic (basaltic) lavas; only South and Middle Sister have an abundance of silicic rocks such as andesite, dacite, and rhyodacite. Mafic magma is less viscous; it produces lava flows and is less prone to explosive eruptions than silicic magma.</p><br>
<p>The region was active in the Pleistocene, with eruptions between about 650,000 and about 250,000 years ago from an explosively active complex known as the Tumalo volcanic center. This area features andesitic and mafic cinder cones such as Lava Butte, as well as rhyolite domes. Cinder cones accumulate from the airfall of many pyroclastic rock fragments of various sizes, while the viscous rhyolite domes extrude onto the surface like toothpaste.</p><br>
<p>The Tumalo volcano spread ignimbrites and plinian deposits in ground eruptions across the area, similar to the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii. These deposits spread from Tumalo to the town of Bend. Basaltic lava flows from North Sister overlay the youngest Tumalo pyroclastic deposits, indicating that North Sister was active more recently than 260,000 years ago.</p><br>
<h3>North Sister</h3><br>
<p>North Sister, also known as "Faith", is the oldest and most highly eroded of the three, with zigzagging rock pinnacles between glaciers. It is a shield volcano that overlays a more ancient shield volcano named Little Brother. North Sister is 5 mi wide, and its summit elevation is 10,090 ft. The oldest lava flows on North Sister have been dated to roughly 311,000 years ago, though the oldest reliably dated deposits are approximately 119,000 years old. Estimates place the volcano&#39;s last eruption at 46,000 years ago, in the Late Pleistocene.</p><br>
<p>North Sister possesses more dikes than any similar Cascade peak, caused by lava intruding into pre-existing rocks. Many of these dikes were pushed aside by the intrusion of a 980 ft-wide volcanic plug. The dikes and plug were exposed by centuries of erosion. At one point, the volcano stood more than 11,000 ft high, but erosion reduced this volume by a quarter to a third. The plug is now exposed and forms North Sister&#39;s summits at Prouty Peak and the South Horn.</p><br>
<h3>Middle Sister</h3><br>
<p>Middle Sister, also known as "Hope", is a basaltic stratovolcano that has also erupted more-viscous andesite, dacite, and rhyodacite. The smallest and least studied of the three, Middle Sister began eruptive activity 48,000 years ago, and it was primarily built by eruptions occurring between 25,000 and 18,000 years ago. One of the earliest major eruptive events produced the rhyolite of Obsidian Cliffs about 38,000 years ago on the mountain&#39;s northwestern flank. Thick and rich in dacite, the flows extended from the northern and southern sides. They stand in contrast to older, andesitic lava remains that reach as far as 7 km from its base.</p><br>
<p>With an elevation of 10,052 ft, the mountain is cone-shaped. The eastern side has been heavily eroded by glaciation, while the western face is mostly intact. Of the Three Sisters, Middle Sister has the largest ice cover. The Hayden and Diller glaciers continue to cut into the east face, while the Renfrew Glacier sits on the northwestern slope. The large but retreating, which contains 700 e6cuft of ice and is the thickest and largest glacier in the region, descends along the north side of Middle Sister, cutting into the west side of North Sister. Erosion from Pleistocene and Holocene glaciation exposed a plug near the center of Middle Sister.</p><br>
<h3>South Sister</h3><br>
<p>South Sister, also known as "Charity", is the tallest volcano of the trio, standing at 10,363 ft. It is a predominantly rhyolitic stratovolcano overlying an older shield structure. Its modern structure is no more than 50,000 years old, and it last erupted about 2,000 years ago. Although its first eruptive events from 50,000 to 30,000 years ago were predominantly rhyolitic, between 38,000 and 32,000 years ago the volcano began to alternate between dacitic/rhyodacitic and rhyolitic eruptions. The volcano built a broad andesitic cone, forming a steep summit cone of andesite about 27,000 years ago. South Sister remained dormant for 15,000 years, after which its composition shifted from dacitic to more rhyolitic lava. An eruptive episode about 2,200 years ago, termed the Rock Mesa eruptive cycle, first spread volcanic ash from flank vents from the south and southwest flanks, followed by a thick rhyolite lava flow. Next, the Devils Hill eruptive cycle consisted of explosive ash eruptions followed by viscous rhyolitic lava flows. Unlike the previous eruptive period, it was caused by the intrusion of a dike of new silicic magma that erupted from 20 vents on the southeast side and from a smaller line on the north side. These eruptions generated pyroclastic flows and lava domes from vents on the northern, southern, eastern, and southeastern sides of the volcano. These relatively recent, postglacial eruptions suggest the presence of a silicic magma reservoir under South Sister, one that could perhaps lead to future eruptions.</p><br>
<p>Unlike its sister peaks, South Sister has an uneroded summit crater about 0.25 mi in diameter that holds a small crater lake known as Teardrop Pool, the highest lake in Oregon. Its cone consists of basaltic andesite along with red scoria and tephra, with exposed black and red inner walls made of scoria. Hodge Crest, a false peak, formed roughly around the same time as the main cone between 28,000 and 24,000 years ago.</p><br>
<p>Despite its relatively young age, every part of South Sister other than its peak has undergone significant erosion due to Pleistocene and Holocene glaciation. Between 30,000 and 15,000 years ago, South Sisters southern flanks were covered with ice streams, and a small amount of ice extended below 3,600 ft. On the volcanos northern flank, below the summit peak, erosion from these glaciers exposed a headwall about 1,200 ft high. During the Holocene, smaller glaciers formed, alternating between advance and retreat, depositing moraines and till between 7,000 and on the mountain. The Lewis and Clark glaciers have cirques, or glacial valleys, that made the outer walls of the crater rim significantly steeper. The slopes of South Sister contain a number of other small glaciers, including the Lost Creek and Prouty glaciers.</p><br>
<h3>Recent history and potential hazards</h3><br>
<p>When the first geological reconnaissance of the Three Sisters region was published in 1925, its author, Edwin T. Hodge, suggested that the Three Sisters and five smaller mountains in the present-day wilderness area were the remains of an enormous collapsed volcano that had been active during the Miocene or early Pliocene epochs. Naming this ancient volcano Mount Multnomah, Hodge theorized that it had collapsed to form a caldera just as Mount Mazama collapsed to form Crater Lake. However, in the 1940s, Howel Williams completed an analysis of the Three Sisters vicinity and concluded that Multnomah had never existed, instead demonstrating that each volcano in the area possessed its own individual eruptive history. Williams&#39; 1944 paper defined the basic outline of the Three Sisters vicinity, though he lacked access to chemical techniques and radiometric dating. Over the past 70 years, scientists have published several reconnaissance maps and petrographic studies of the Three Sisters, including a detailed geological map published in 2012.</p><br>
<p>Neither North nor Middle Sister is likely to resume volcanic activity. An eruption from South Sister would pose a threat to nearby life, as the proximal danger zone extends 2 to 10 km from the volcano&#39;s summits. During an eruption, tephra could accumulate to 1 to 2 in in the city of Bend, and mudflows and pyroclastic flows could run down the sides of the mountain, threatening any life in their paths. Eruptions from South Sister could be either explosive or effusive, though an eruption of ash with local volcanic rock accumulation and slow lava flows is considered most likely. The Three Sisters area does not have fumarole activity, although there are a number of hot springs west of South Sister.</p><br>
<p>From 1986 to 1987, the USGS surveyed the Three Sisters vicinity with tilt-leveling networks and electro-optical distance meters, but South Sister was not the subject of close geodetic analysis for the next two decades. However, the volcano was found to be potentially active in 2000, when satellite imagery showed a deforming tectonic uplift 3 mi west of the mountain. The ground began to bulge in late 1997, as magma started to pool about 4 mi underground. Scientists became concerned that the volcano was awakening, but examination of interferograms, or diagrams of patterns formed by wave interference, revealed that only small amounts of deformation occurred. A 2002 study inferred that the composition of intruding magma was basaltic or rhyolitic. A map at the Lava Lands Visitor Center of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument south of Bend shows the extent of the uplift, which reaches a maximum of 11 in. In 2004, an earthquake swarm occurred with an epicenter in the area of uplift; the hundreds of small earthquakes subsided after several days. According to a 2011 study, this swarm may have initiated a significant decrease in the peak uplift rate, which dropped by 80 percent after 2004. By 2007 the uplift had slowed, though the area was still considered potentially active.</p><br>
<p>A study published in 2010 described the magma intrusion as having a volume of about 2.1 e9cuft. Scientists determined in 2013 that the uplift had slowed to a rate of about 0.3 in per year, compared to up to 2 in per year in the early 2000s. Because of the uplift at South Sister, the USGS planned to increase monitoring of the Three Sisters and their vicinity by installing a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, sampling airborne and ground-based gases, and adding seismometers. The agency completed a GPS survey campaign, including planning, documentation, and data processing and archiving, at South Sister in 2001, in addition to annual InSAR radar observations from 1992 to 2001, and it followed up with campaign GPS and tilt-leveling surveys in August 2004. As of 2009, semi-permanent GPS networks have been deployed every year at the Three Sisters complex, continually showing that inflation persists at South Sister.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>The ecology of the Three Sisters reflect their location in central Oregon&#39;s Cascade Range. The westside slopes from 3000 to 6500 ft lie in the Western Cascade Montane Highlands ecoregion, where precipitation is abundant. Forests here consist predominantly of Douglas-fir and western hemlock, with minor components of mountain hemlock, noble fir, subalpine fir, grand fir, Pacific silver fir, red alder, and Pacific yew. Vine maples, rhododendron, Oregon grape, huckleberry, and thimbleberry grow beneath the trees. Douglas-fir is dominant below 3,500 ft, while western hemlock dominates above.</p><br>
<p>Timberline at the Three Sisters occurs at 6,500 ft, where the forest canopy opens and the subalpine zone begins. These forests lie in the Cascade Crest montane forest ecoregion. Mountain hemlock trees dominate the forest in this area, while meadows sustain sedges, dwarf willows, tufted hairgrass, lupine, red paintbrush, and Newberry knotweed.</p><br>
<p>Treeline occurs at 7,500 ft. The vegetation in this harsh alpine zone consists of herbaceous and shrubby subalpine meadows. This zone has a large winter snowpack, with low temperatures for much of the year. There are patches of mountain hemlock, subalpine fir, and whitebark pine near the treeline, as well as wet meadows supporting Brewers sedge, Holms sedge, black alpine sedge, tufted hairgrass, and alpine aster. Near the peaks of the Three Sisters, there are extensive areas of bare rock.</p><br>
<p>The lower eastern slopes of the Three Sisters below 5,200 ft lie in the Ponderosa Pine/Bitterbrush Woodland ecoregion. This ecoregion has less precipitation than the western slopes and has soil derived from Mazama Ash (ash erupted from Mount Mazama). Stream flow changes little throughout the year due to the region&#39;s volcanic hydrogeology. These slopes support nearly pure stands of ponderosa pine. Understory vegetation includes greenleaf manzanita and snowberry at higher elevations and antelope bitterbrush at lower elevations. Mountain alder, stream dogwood, willows, and sedges grow along streams.</p><br>
<p>Local fauna includes birds such as blue and ruffed grouse, small mammals like pikas, chipmunks, and golden-mantled ground squirrels, and larger species like the Columbian black-tailed deer, mule deer, Roosevelt elk, and American black bear. Bobcats, cougars, coyotes, wolverines, martens, badgers, weasels, bald eagles, and several hawk species are many of the predators throughout the Three Sisters area.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>The Three Sisters are a popular climbing destination for hikers and mountaineers. The United States Forest Service requires permits for use from Memorial Day until the beginning of September, and dogs must be kept on leashes on the Green Lakes, Moraine Lakes, South Sister, Soda Creek, Todd Lake, and Crater Ditch trails from July 15 through September 15. Horses are prohibited, and ice axes are required during the winter climbing season for safety reasons. Motor vehicles and other mechanical means of transport such as bicycles, wagons, motorboats, and helicopters are generally prohibited within the Three Sisters Wilderness under the rules of the National Wilderness Preservation System. From Memorial Day to October 31, permits are required for entry to the area.</p><br>
<p>Due to extensive erosion and rockfall, North Sister is the most dangerous climb of the three peaks, and is often informally called the "Beast of the Cascades". However, one of its peaks, Little Brother, can be safely scrambled. The first recorded ascent of North Sister was made in 1857 by six people, including Oregon politicians George Lemuel Woods and James McBride, according to a story published in Overland Monthly in 1870. Today, the common trail covers 11 mi round-trip, gaining 3,165 ft in elevation and lasting 6–7 hours for the average climber. Passing through forest, lava flows, and meadows, the scramble trail provides views of various cinder cones in the Three Sisters Wilderness.</p><br>
<p>Middle Sister can also be scrambled, for a round-trip of 16.4 mi and an elevation gain of 4,757 ft. The trip runs about 12 hours, beginning with a route through dense forest and ending on Middle Sister&#39;s southern summit. In addition to views of North Sister, the summit offers sights of South Sister, Hayden Glacier, and other Cascades volcanoes including Mount Hood.</p><br>
<p>The standard climbing route up the south ridge of South Sister runs for 12.6 mi round-trip, rising from 5,446 ft at the trailhead to 10,363 ft at its summit. Popular starting points are the Green Lakes and Devils Lake trailheads. Traveling over cinder cones, domes and lava flows, the hike becomes demanding from the last mile. In his book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer notes that his first climb of South Sister with his father inspired him to pursue mountaineering. Although this path does not require any technical skills or much in the way of mountaineering knowledge, many environmental dangers are still present, and rescue operations are common during the climbing season.</p><br>
<p>Five Flags Center is a multi-purpose facility in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. It is named for the five flags that have flown over Dubuque; the Fleur de Lis of France , the Royal Flag of Spain , the Union Jack of Great Britain , the French Republic Flag of Napoleon  & America&#39;s Stars and Stripes .</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The site&#39;s first theater was the Athenaeum Theater, built in 1840, which became the City Hotel (also a theater) in 1846 and later the Peosta House.</p><br>
<p>A second theatre was originally built in 1864 or 1877, but then was destroyed by fire in 1910. It had been purchased then renovated during 1909-1910 by local prominent businessman Harker Brentnal Spensley, Sr. and his partner, C. H. Eighmey.</p><br>
<p>The current Great Five Flags Theater was constructed as the Majestic Theater in 1910. The rebuilt theater was designed by George L. Rapp, who eventually became one of the nations premier theater architects. It was converted to a movie house in 1920 and renamed Spensley Theater&#39; in 1929. Constructed in a Renaissance Revival style with French influences, it was later renamed the RKO Orpheum and used to show movies. Eventually, it fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition during urban renewal in 1969.</p><br>
<p>A committee made up of concerned citizens began a fund drive to save the theater, which was incorporated in the Five Flags Center project in 1972. Restoration was begun in 1975, and the theater was reopened in 1976 as the Five Flags Theater. It is currently the home of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, high school musicals, and occasional concerts and ballet productions.</p><br>
<h2>Arena</h2><br>
<p>Five Flags Arena was conceived as part of a project to rehabilitate the Five Flags Theater. Construction began in 1976, and the facility opened in 1979. The first event was a concert by Bob Hope.</p><br>
<p>The arena can seat up to 5,200 for basketball, although in its primary use, ice hockey, actual seating capacity is only about 2,500.</p><br>
<p>It features one side of permanent seating; the other three sides are bleachers, some for Loras College basketball, and most of Dubuque&#39;s major concerts.</p><br>
<p>High school graduation ceremonies for Hempstead High School and Senior High School have been held at the center.</p><br>
<p>The Five Flags Center was formerly the main convention center in Dubuque, but construction of the Grand River Event Center in 2003, moved many events away from Five Flags.</p><br>
<p>It was also the former home of the Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980-2001) of the United States Hockey League from 1980–2001 and the home of the Dubuque Thunderbirds hockey team of the Central States Hockey League from 2001–2010.</p><br>
<p>Dubuque opened a new Ice Arena, the Mystique Ice Center, which opened in Fall of 2010, and now hosts the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints.</p><br>
<p>SMG took over operations of the arena in 2004, which were formerly handled by the City of Dubuque.</p><br>
<p>In 2005, the arena was closed during the summer for concession, entrance, and concourse renovation.</p><br>
<p>The Somerset County Courthouse is located in Somerville, the county seat Somerset County, in New Jersey, United States.</p><br>
<p>Constructed in between 1907 and 1909 in the Neo-classical style Palladian style and is faced with Sylacauga marble. It had once been considered for demolition for not being large enough to accommodate the growing county. A much larger, modern masonry and glass structure behind it (left side of photo), now serves its judicial functions. The courthouse underwent a $US 6 million renovation between 1989 and 1996.</p><br>
<h2>Historic district</h2><br>
<p>Attached to the courthouse is the First Reformed Dutch Church and Cemetery, built in 1898, which has served as the county&#39;s Jury Assembly Room since it was renovated around 1985. A notable burial in the church graveyard is that of Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873), a Governor of New Jersey.</p><br>
<p>The courthouse, church, and grounds comprise the Somerset Courthouse Green, which added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 7, 1989.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>When Somerset County was chartered in 1688 most, if not all, judicial affairs were subject to the jurisdiction of the Middlesex County. This all changed in 1714 because the growing community was in need of its own court. The Colonial Assembly passed an act allowing for the building of a court house in Somerset County. County Freeholders chose Six Mile Run (in Franklin Township), as the site to build the new courthouse and jail. In 1737, the jail and courthouse caught fire and burned to the ground. Everything was destroyed. The Freeholders then decided, due to the fire and due to the inaccessibility of the courthouse, to move its location to present-day Millstone. This courthouse served the county until about 1779. This is when invading British forces burned down the courthouse and again most of the records were lost. A committee was appointed by the county in 1782 to build a new courthouse. The Committee met with members of the Dutch Reformed Church (the Consistory of the Church of Raritan) and voted to join together and build a courthouse. This association between the court and the church lasted until 1788 when the Dutch Reformed Church relinquished its previous agreements for use of the courthouse, located in Somerville.</p><br>
<p>Hall–Mills murder case was tried in the court in 1926.</p><br>
<p>On 24 September 2010 at 10:23 a.m. a bomb threat was called in evacuating the court house and nearby buildings.</p><br>
<p>Monida Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States, at an elevation of 6820 ft  above sea level on the Union Pacific Railroad and 6870 ft  on adjacent Interstate 15.</p><br>
<p>On the Continental Divide in the Bitterroot Range, it marks the transition between the Beaverhead Mountains and the Centennial Mountains. Its name is derived from the states that it separates, "Mon" from Montana and "-ida" from Idaho.</p><br>
<p>The pass forms part of the border between eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and is between the towns of Spencer in Clark County and Lima in Beaverhead County. On the Idaho side is Beaver Creek running through Beaver Canyon, Idaho, which was the route of the Utah and Northern Railway in 1880 and is still used by Union Pacific.</p><br>
<p>Union Pacific once had an icemaking plant at Humphrey, Idaho, which is now a ghost town; Monida, Montana, which is near the top of the pass, is also almost a ghost town, as only seven people now live there. Its elevation is 6780 ft (2067 m), 90 ft (27 m) below the pass on I-15.</p><br>
<p>In the late 19th century, stagecoaches ferried tourists from the railroad at Monida Pass to Yellowstone National Park, until UP built a branch line to the park over Reas Pass. Interstate 15, the "Veterans Memorial Highway," starts in Montana at the Idaho border at Monida Pass and runs north to the international boundary with Canada at Sweetgrass.</p><br>
<p>Chembra Peak  is the highest peak in Wayanad, at 2,100 m above sea level. Chembra is located near the town of Meppadi and is 8 km south of Kalpetta. It is part of the Wayanad hill ranges in Western Ghats, adjoining the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu and Vellarimala in Kozhikode district in Kerala. It is the highest and the largest peak in Western Ghats of India in between Nilgiris and Himalayas. Visits to this peak organized by the Chempra Peak VSS under the control of South Wayanad Forest Development Agency, guides are provided for trekking. Chembra Peak is accessible by foot from Meppady. District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides and trekking equipment on hire charges to tourists.</p><br>
<p>Permission from the forest office in Meppadi is required for trekking up to Chembra Peak. A heart shaped lake on the way to the top of the peak is a major tourist attraction. The lake is believed to have never dried up. You can find the lake halfway to the peak, after getting to the lake need to trek through about a km or two of dense trees. A 5 km journey from Meppadi town through tea estates to Erumakkolli.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>One can reach the forest office, from where a pass has to be acquired to trek the mountain. Also services of a guide can be availed, which might be very useful. The trek to the top takes 3 hours, and one can see almost the whole of Wayanad.</p><br>
<p>Chembra is located in Meppadi (Meppady) Panchayath, 11 km off NH212 (Kollegal - Mysore - Kozhikode). For people who prefer public transport, KSRTC (both Kerala & Karnataka) and a lot of private companies operate overnight deluxe buses between Kozhikode (aka Calicut) and Bengaluru. People taking buses can get down at Kalpetta and catch another bus to Meppadi. Meppadi is 10 km from Chundale, in the SH29, connecting Chundale to Ooty.</p><br>
<p>The Mantiqueira Mountains  are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately 320 km, reaching a height of 2,798 m  at Pedra da Mina. The mountains, which eventually merge with the Serra do Espinhaço, were originally forest-covered, except for the peaks that rise above the tree line. They provide charcoal and pasture for cattle; on the lower slopes there are several health and tourist resorts, such as Campos do Jordão, Brazil&#39;s highest city. The name Mantiqueira derives from a Tupi word meaning "mountains that cry", denoting the large number of springs and streams found there.</p><br>
<p>The name shows the ranges great importance as a source of drinking water, and the waters supply a great number of important cities in the southeast of Brazil. From its brooks are formed the Jaguari River, which supplies the northern region of Greater São Paulo; most left-bank tributaries of the Paraíba do Sul River, which crosses a densely populated and highly industrialized region; and the Grande River, which is the source of the Paraná River, one of the longest and most important in South America and the river with the worlds largest hydroelectric output, through a series of power plants way down the river to Argentina and Paraguay.</p><br>
<p>Many springs of mineral water lie in the regions of Caxambu and São Lourenço in Minas Gerais, and Campos do Jordão and Serra Negra in São Paulo.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>The Serra da Mantiqueira is a part of the Mata Atlântica ecosystem. Despite the clearing of the land for livestock raising, the difficult access to many areas has made possible for sanctuaries of well-preserved forest to still exist, with trees such as the jacarandá, Spanish cedar, canjerana, guatambu, ipê, canela, angico, jequitibá, and also the araucaria, more typical of subtropical South America but found in the area because of altitude. At its closest point, the region is only 100 km from the city of São Paulo.</p><br>
<p>It is also the habitat of a varied fauna: pampas deer (locally known as veado campeiro), maned wolves (lobo guará), cougars (onça-parda or suçuarana), bush dogs (cachorro-vinagre), ocelots (jaguatirica), pacas, howler monkeys (bugio), Atlantic titis (sauá), squirrels, and hedgehogs can still be found there. Birds of note are the azure jay, the toucan, the scaly-headed parrot (maitaca), the inhambu, the jacana, the seriema and the caracara.</p><br>
<h2>Altitudes and climate</h2><br>
<p>The Mantiqueira is a popular region for mountain climbers and trekkers, where in winter, which is the dry season, one can climb some of the highest peaks in the country:</p><br>
<p>Pedra da Mina – 2,798 m (9,180 ft), between Passa Quatro (Minas Gerais), Lavrinhas and Queluz (São Paulo); only recently discovered by GPS measurement to be the highest point in the range, as well the highest of São Paulo state and the third highest in Minas Gerais.</p><br>
<p>Pico das Agulhas Negras – 2,792 m (9,160 ft), in the Itatiaia National Park, between the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro; formerly thought to be the highest in the range.</p><br>
<p>Pico dos Três Estados – 2,665 m (8,743 ft), between the former two peaks, on the border tripoint of the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.</p><br>
<p>Pico dos Marins – 2,421 m (7,942 ft), near Piquete, São Paulo, formerly incorrectly considered the state&#39;s highest point.</p><br>
<p>Here are also some of the highest Brazilian cities:</p><br>
<p>Campos do Jordão, São Paulo – 1,620 m (5,315 ft)</p><br>
<p>Monte Verde (district of Camanducaia), Minas Gerais – 1,550 m (5,085 ft)</p><br>
<p>Senador Amaral, Minas Gerais – 1,505 m (4,938 ft)</p><br>
<p>Bom Repouso, Minas Gerais – 1,370 m (4,495 ft)</p><br>
<p>Maria da Fé, Minas Gerais – 1,280 m (4,199 ft)</p><br>
<p>Munhoz, Minas Gerais – 1,260 m (4,134 ft)</p><br>
<p>Gonçalves, Minas Gerais – 1,250 m (4,101 ft)</p><br>
<p>Visconde de Mauá, Resende, Rio de Janeiro – 1,200 m (3,937 ft)</p><br>
<p>Delfim Moreira, Minas Gerais – 1,200 m (3,937 ft)</p><br>
<p>Bueno Brandão, Minas Gerais – 1,200 m (3,937 ft)</p><br>
<p>Barbacena, Minas Gerais – 1,160 m (3,806 ft)</p><br>
<p>Due to altitude, winter in the Serra da Mantiqueira sees low temperatures, with the occurrence of fog in early morning and frost, giving the landscape the appearance of regions with a much colder climate. In winter, it is common for the thermometer to reach temperatures near 0 °C (32 °F), and then sub-freezing temperatures not rarely occur in the region&#39;s towns. On top of the highest peaks, the cold can be even more intense, and temperatures can drop to -10 °C (14 °F). Snow is rare, but it has been recorded a few times, such as in the winter of 1994, when it snowed in the Itatiaia massif.</p><br>
<h2>Micro-regions</h2><br>
<p>Cidades Altas: region lying on the right bank of the Jaguari River and including the cities of Itapeva, Camanducaia, Munhoz, Senador Amaral, Bom Repouso, Bueno Brandão and Ouro Fino, in the state of Minas Gerais, and Pedra Bela and Serra Negra in the state of São Paulo.</p><br>
<p>Entre Rios: between two rivers, the Jaguari, which flows in a north-south direction and is part of the Tietê River basin, and the Sapucaí-Mirim River, which flows from south to north and forms the Grande River. It includes the cities of Extrema, Monte Verde, Gonçalves and Sapucaí-Mirim in Minas Gerais.</p><br>
<p>Pinhais: contains two relatively large cities, Campos do Jordão and São Bento do Sapucaí, as well as Santo Antônio do Pinhal, in the state of São Paulo, and Brasópolis, Piranguçu, Monte Verde district of Camanducaia and Wenceslau Braz, in the state of Minas Gerais.</p><br>
<p>Terras Altas: containing some of the area&#39;s oldest cities, such as Passa Quatro, Itanhandu, Itamonte, Pouso Alto, Alagoa, Virgínia, Delfim Moreira and Marmelópolis, all in Minas Gerais.</p><br>
<p>Itatiaia: with the Itatiaia National Park, the nearby cities of Bocaina de Minas, Liberdade, and Mirantão in Minas Gerais, Resende and Itatiaia in Rio de Janeiro, and the village of Visconde de Mauá, which lies partly in each state.</p><br>
<p>Ibitipoca: this region is entirely in Minas Gerais, after a sharp northeast turn takes the range away from the state&#39;s southern borders; it includes the cities of Bom Jardim de Minas, Lima Duarte, Santa Rita de Ibitipoca and Barbacena, the latter being the largest city in the Mantiqueira range.</p><br>
<h2>Miscellaneous information</h2><br>
<p>Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim composed a song called "Mantiqueira Range" for his album Jobim (1972). Jobim got his inspiration for the piece from the mountain range of the same name.</p><br>
<p>Griend  is a small uninhabited Dutch island in the Wadden Sea, lying around 12 kilometres south of Terschelling. It is one of the West Frisian Islands, and belongs to the municipality of Terschelling. The island currently has an area of around 0.1 km.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In the Middle Ages, the island was inhabited, and on it a walled settlement and a monastery could be found. As a result of the continuous erosion of the coast, Griend became smaller over time. In 1287 the settlement was almost completely destroyed as a consequence of St. Lucia&#39;s flood. The city was thereafter abandoned and from that time until the eighteenth century, Griend was inhabited by a few farmers, who built their houses on artificial hills. Around 1800, Griend still had an area of 0.25 km, but the island was moving to the southeast at a speed of 7 metres a year. By this time, all of its inhabitants had abandoned the island, and from then on it was used by inhabitants of Terschelling as a grazing area for sheep, and for the making of hay. The eggs of gulls and terns were also gathered for consumption.</p><br>
<p>In 1916, the grazing rights on the island were bought by the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, a union devoted to the protection of nature, which also tried to prevent the gathering of eggs by guarding the bird colonies. After the Afsluitdijk was completed in 1933, the rate of erosion increased even more. However, the island survives to the present day, though it is smaller than before, and its current location is to the southeast of its location in the Middle Ages.</p><br>
<h2>Griend now</h2><br>
<p>Nowadays, the island is uninhabited with the exception of a cabin used in summer by birdwatchers and biologists. Griend is not accessible to the general public.</p><br>
<p>Because Griend is unprotected by dykes, the island is slowly moving eastward. To prevent the island from vanishing altogether, some measures have been made to protect it: along its southern edge, a few dams were built, and around 1990 the island was strengthened by building a low sand dyke along the north side. Since then, the process of erosion has changed into a process of gradual growth.</p><br>
<h2>Nature</h2><br>
<p>The largest colony of Sandwich terns in Western Europe can be found on Griend: every year, around 10,000 pairs breed on the island. Among others, the common tern, Arctic tern, common eider, common shelduck, Eurasian oystercatcher, common redshank, and occasionally the short-eared owl also breed on the island. During the building of the sand dike, the island was colonized by the wood mouse.</p><br>
<p>Griend is currently managed by the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten.</p><br>
<p>Spellman Lake is the name for two small lakes , located 8 miles south of Clarkfield in Normania Township of Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. The lakes and much of the surrounding area are designated as federal waterfowl production areas. There are also state owned public hunting grounds near the lakes. Nontoxic shot is required for all shooting in the area. The use of airboats on North and South Spellman Lakes is prohibited by law at all times. A public water access is maintained on the north lake by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.</p><br>
<p>Hunters should be careful not to shoot protected birds such as bald eagles and swans that frequent the area.</p><br>
<p>The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources began a drawdown of the lakes on November 28, 2006. The water level was brought down to eliminate fish such as carp and bullheads. The water was drained through the summer of 2007, and allowed to refill through precipitation after enough vegetation had grown. There were no plans to stock fish into the lakes and they are managed as a fish-less system. The shallows depths of the lakes make the survival of game fish unlikely.</p><br>
<p>Cresta Blanca Winery was one of the original Livermore Valley wineries. It was founded by Charles Wetmore in 1882 with cuttings of Sauvignon blanc from Chateau d&#39;Yquem and other top Bordeaux properties. Its first vintage, a dry white wine in 1884 won Grand Prize at the 1889 Paris Exposition, becoming the first California wine to win a competition in France. The victory also assured the future of the California wine industry, which had fallen upon hard times.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Named for a white limestone cliff that dominates the Livermore Valley landscape, the winery was thriving prior to Prohibition, at which time it had to be shut down. Wetmore died before Prohibition&#39;s repeal, but it was re-opened by his brother Clarence. It was sold in 1941 to Schenley Distillers, who closed the business in 1965. The name was then sold to the Guild Wine Company in 1965. The land remained fallow until it was purchased by the Wente family in 1981, and revitalized as the "Sparkling Cellars."</p><br>
<p>The winery is registered as California Historical Landmark #586.</p><br>
<h2>Vineyards</h2><br>
<p>The vineyards were located on the South end of Arroyo Road in Livermore, California.</p><br>
<p>Fort Pocahontas was an earthen fort on the north bank of the James River at Wilson&#39;s Wharf, in Charles City County, Virginia which served as a Union supply depot during the American Civil War. The fort was constructed by African-American soldiers of the United States Colored Troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Edward Augustus Wild.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>On May 24, 1864, in the Battle of Wilson&#39;s Wharf, the partially completed fort was attacked by an estimated 2,500 Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. The attack was successfully repulsed by approximately 1,100 troops under General Wild, aided by naval gunfire from the USS Dawn. According to research by Ed Besch, a Virginia military historian who is credited with much of the rediscovery of the "lost" site of the fort, Fitzhugh Lee was humiliated by defeat at the hands of black Union soldiers at a time when he was a candidate to replace J.E.B. Stuart (who had been killed May 11) as head of the cavalry corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. After completion, Fort Pocahontas served as a refuge for escaped slaves and was used to hold suspected Confederate sympathizers during the Siege of Petersburg until hostilities ended in April 1865.</p><br>
<p>The remote site had been largely forgotten and untouched by development for 130 years when, following Besch&#39;s research, it was purchased in 1996 by Harrison Ruffin Tyler (born 1928), grandson of USA President John Tyler, who lives nearby at Sherwood Forest Plantation. It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research of the College of William and Mary in nearby Williamsburg has done extensive work at the site and about the events which took place there. The current owner of Sherwood Forest Plantation, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, is the grandson of President John Tyler, and a descendant of John Rolfe, Pocahontas, President William Henry Harrison and Edmund Ruffin.</p><br>
<p>In recent years, annual Civil War reenactment events have been held at Fort Pocahontas. In 2005, many scenes of the motion picture The New World were filmed on-location at Fort Pocahontas, as well at other places nearby along the James and Chickahominy Rivers.</p><br>
<p>It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.</p><br>
<p>Hodgson Lake is a perennially ice-covered freshwater lake, which is about 2 km  long by about 1.5 km  wide. It is located within the southern part of Alexander Island, west of Palmer Land in Antarctica, at approximately 72°S latitude and 68°W longitude. This lake has a 93.4 m  deep water column that lies sealed beneath a 3.6 to 4.0 m  thick perennial lake ice. The lake is an ultra-oligotrophic lake with very low nutrient content and very low productivity. There is no detectable life living in Hodgson Lake. The lake extends eastward into George VI Sound and the George VI Ice Shelf making it adjacent to the sound. The northern side of this lake is bounded by the Saturn Glacier, which flows east into George VI Sound. The lake lies next to and southeast of Citadel Bastion, a pre-eminent mountain on Alexander Island.</p><br>
<p>Geomorphological and paleolimnological evidence indicates that Hodgson Lake had been a subglacial lake covered by an ice sheet at least 470 m (1,542 ft) thick during the Last Glacial Maximum. This ice sheet started thinning about 13,500 years ago. Eventually, it retreated from the local area of Hodgson Lake and left it covered only by perennial ice sometime before 11,000 years ago. This lake has been covered by perennial ice since that time.</p><br>
<p>The UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee named Lake Hodgson on November 20, 2007 after Dominic Hodgson, a British Antarctic Survey paleolimnologist and lead author of the discovery reports. Although he proposed that this lake be named "Citadel Lake," it was named after him. Dr. Hodgson confirmed the existence of this lake during a field reconnaissance on December 18, 2000. Later in 2009, papers, of which Dominic Hodgson is the senior coauthor, were published about the limnology and paleolimnology of Hodgson Lake in Quaternary Science Reviews.</p><br>
<p>The Pitot House is a historic landmark in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p><br>
<p>The Pitot House is an 18th-century Creole colonial country home located at 1440 Moss Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Pitot House is currently owned by the Louisiana Landmark Society, which uses the building as its headquarters. The house is situated on Bayou St. John and was moved several blocks from its original site in order to prevent its demolition.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The Pitot House was initially constructed in 1799 by Don Bartólome Bosque as a country retreat along Bayou St. John. It is speculated that Bosque&#39;s house was a raised cottage on brick pillars. Bosque was a Spanish colonial official, whose daughter Suzette married Louisiana Governor William C.C. Claiborne.</p><br>
<p>NOTE: The 1790 in architecture article states that the house was finished in 1790 and was built by Don Santiago Lorreins.</p><br>
<p>It is also believed that during the ownership of Madame Rillieux (1805–1810), Edgar Degas&#39; great-grandmother, the ground floor was enclosed with masonry walls of soft brick. Rillieux was also responsible for adding the southern gallery and several outbuildings, which are no longer extant.</p><br>
<p>The house is named for James Pitot, the fourth owner of the house who resided there from 1810 to 1819. Pitot is considered to be the first "American" mayor of New Orleans (1804&ndash;1805); for although he was a native of France, he became a naturalized American citizen before arriving in New Orleans in 1796. Inside are American and Louisiana antiques from the early 19th century, but the antiques are not original to the home. A portrait of Sophie Gabrielle, James Pitot&#39;s daughter, is the only artifact owned by any past resident of the house.</p><br>
<p>Other notable owners of the house include Felix Ducayet and Mother Cabrini, America&#39;s first named saint.</p><br>
<h2>House</h2><br>
<p>The home is within yards of the site of the "bayou bridge" which Governor Claiborne ordered the military "to permit no Negroes to pass or repass the same" during the events known as the 1811 German Coast Uprising. This event, said by some historians to be the largest slave uprising on American soil (a theory not recognized by all) caused white families living upriver in January 1811 to stream into New Orleans along Metairie Road. That road was the "highland" road which crossed the bridge at Bayou St. John, providing access to the traditional "back of town" entrance along Bayou Road into the city.</p><br>
<p>The house was saved from destruction by the Louisiana Landmarks Society in 1964 and restored to its original splendor, showing the double-pitched hipped roof, and the plaster-covered brick-between-post (briquette-entre-poteaux) construction. The wooden posts act as structural support, the brick offers thermal insulation, and the plaster protects this medley from dampness and rot.</p><br>
<p>The style of the Pitot House is ensuite—with no hallways and an outdoor stairway. The house was designed with hot summers and insects in mind. The doors were positioned across from each other to keep cool air moving. The extended galleries on both the bottom and top levels of the house keep the sun off the walls and offer outdoor breezeways.</p><br>
<p>The Pitot House was also designed to withstand floods and was able to survive the floods of Hurricane Katrina due to brick floors on the bottom level of the house which would have originally been caulked with a dry mix of sand and lime, allowing flood waters to drain through. The gallery, back loggia, and sleeping porch were used for outdoor entertaining, dining, and sleeping; they were fitted with shutters to provide relief from the intense Louisiana sun.</p><br>
<h2>Garden</h2><br>
<p>The garden at the Pitot House grows plants traditional to the time period when the Pitot House was built. These plants include indigenous flowers, citrus trees, perennials, bulbs, antique roses, camellias, herbs, and vegetables. The garden is a traditional parterre garden, designed to be viewed from the above gallery, with the boxwood hedges recently restored.</p><br>
<p>A native plants garden showcases Louisiana wildflowers and shrubs along the perimeter of the parterre. Next to the house is a 10,000 ft&sup2; yard, where parties and events are held.</p><br>
<p>The Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site , consisting of rock art, rock shelters, depressions, and caves. It gained its WHS listing in 2001 because of its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peoples, as well as its unique record of human settlement over many millennia. UNESCO estimates that there are over 4500 rock paintings at the site. The site consists of a few main hills known as the Child Hill, the Female Hill, and the Male Hill. These hills are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the San People of the Kalahari.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>There are four chief hills. The highest is 1,400 metres AMSL. This is one of the highest points in Botswana. The four hills are commonly described as the "Male", this is the highest, the "Female", "Child" and an unnamed knoll.</p><br>
<p>There is a managed campsite between the two largest hills, with showers and toilets. It is near the most famous of the San paintings at the site, the Laurens van der Post panel, after the South-African writer who first described the paintings in his 1958 book The Lost World of the Kalahari. The hills can be reached via a good graded dirt road and are about 40 km from Shakawe. Also by the campsite is a small museum and an airstrip.</p><br>
<h2>Archaeology</h2><br>
<p>People have used the Tsodilo Hills for painting and ritual for thousands of years. UNESCO estimates that the hills contain 500 individual sites representing thousands of years of human habitation. The hills&#39; rock art has been linked to the local hunter gatherers. It is believed that ancestors of the San created some of the paintings at Tsodilo, and were also the ones to inhabit the caves and rock shelters. There is evidence that Bantu peoples were responsible for some of the artworks at the hills. Some of the paintings have been dated to be as early as 24,000 years before present.</p><br>
<h3>Rhino Cave</h3><br>
<p>Rhino Cave is located at the North end of the Female Hill and has two main walls where paintings are located. The white rhino painting which the cave is named for is located on the north wall, and is split by another painting of a red giraffe. Excavations of the cave floor turned up many lithic materials from. While the cave lacks ostrich egg shell, bone artifacts, pottery or iron, there were a few mongongo shell fragments found in Later Stone Age layers.</p><br>
<p>Charcoal found during excavations has been dated to the African Iron Age, the Later Stone Age (LSA), and the Middle Stone Age (MSA). Artifacts, mostly stone, from the LSA were made from local materials such as quartz and jasper. MSA artifacts from the cave are mostly prepared projectile points. The points are typically found in various stages of production; some have been abandoned and some are finished.</p><br>
<p>The paintings at Rhino Cave are mostly located on the North wall, and have been painted in red or red-orange pigment excepting the rhino which was painted in white. Around the rhino and the giraffe are various paintings, mostly in red, of geometrics. On the opposite wall, the cave is host to grooves and depressions that have been ground into the rock. They may have been created using hammer stones or grindstones from the LSA period, which have been found at Tsodilo.</p><br>
<h3>White Paintings</h3><br>
<p>The white colored rock art at Tsodilo is associated with Bantu peoples. There are also red paintings in this shelter, but they are in abundance around the hills. The white paintings depict animals, both domestic and wild, as well as human like figures. The human figures are painted with their hands on their hips for the most part. A handful of them are on horseback, which seems to indicate that they were painted no sooner than the mid 1800s, when horses were first introduced to the area.</p><br>
<p>Dates taken from charcoal, ostrich egg shell and bone samples, and the deposits ranged from the LSA to the MSA. There is even some evidence that the site was used in during the historical period in Africa. A nylon button, as well as European glass beads, were found in the top layers of excavations at the site. LSA layers included hammer stones and grindstones, along with bone artifacts and mircolithics. Pottery sherds, ostrich egg shell beads, and mongongo shells were also uncovered. MSA deposits included stone blades as well as other lithic tools.</p><br>
<h3>Red Paintings</h3><br>
<p>The Tsodilo Hills have a myriad of red rock art; it can be found all over the site. In Rhino Cave, some of the red paintings seem to be older than the white rhino. Red paintings here, and around Tsodilo, are attributed to the San.</p><br>
<h3>Depression Rock Shelter Site</h3><br>
<p>Located on the northwest side of the Female Hill, this site gets its name from the depressions that have been ground into the shelter walls. Accompanying these marks are red paintings of what appear to be cattle, as well as geometrics. The rock shelter site, dated from charcoal samples, had its earliest occupation at least 30,000 years ago. Excavations dug up LSA stone tools and Iron Age artifacts. Pottery found in the deepest layers was dated to the first century, and is affiliated with the oldest</p><br>
<p>stone artifacts found in this area. Mongongo nut shells were also uncovered in the various deposits, including the deepest layers, which makes them the oldest mongongo nuts ever found in archaeological context.</p><br>
<h3>Metallurgy</h3><br>
<p>The Tsodilo Hills are made up of a number archaeological sites. Two of these sites, known as Divuyu and Nqoma, have evidence of Early Iron Age metal artifacts Excavated from the two sites contained fragments of jewelry and metal tools, all made from iron and/or copper. Jewelry pieces were from bangles, beads, chains, earrings, rings, and pendants, while tools included chisels, projectiles and arrow heads, and even blades. These two sites share similar fabrication technology, but have different styles of metal working. Slag and tuyères seem to indicate that Divuyu and Nqoma may have been iron smelting areas, making them one of the few Early Iron Age sites in southern Africa with evidence of metal working.</p><br>
<h2>Cultural significance</h2><br>
<p>These hills are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the San peoples of the Kalahari. They believe the hills are a resting place for the spirits of the deceased and that these spirits will cause misfortune and bad luck if anyone hunts or causes death near the hills. Tsodilo is also one of many places that is argued over in the Kalahari Debate.</p><br>
<h3>Oral Traditions</h3><br>
<p>Many local peoples around the Tsodilo Hills have stories of times past that deal with the many painted caves and rock shelters at the site. Oral traditions often tell of the Zhu people, a local San group, using rock shelters for protection from the elements or as ritual areas.</p><br>
<p>One tale claims that hunters would come into the rock shelters to contact ancestors if a hunt was unsuccessful. They would then ask for a good hunt the next time they went out. In thanks, when the hunt was successful, the people would return to the shelter and cook for their ancestors. In some of these alleged campsites, there is little to no evidence of fire remains.</p><br>
<p>Still, there are areas where rituals, such as rain making prayers, are performed. Older people in the area can still remember using some rock shelters as campsites when they were children. The Whites Paintings rock shelter may have been used as a camp during the rainy season as early as 70 – 80 years ago.</p><br>
<p>The local San people believe Tsodilo is the birthplace of all life, art there made by the descendants of the first people. Tsodilo’s geography, trails and grooves in the earth are known as the trails and footprints of the first animals, making their way to the first watering hole ). A natural water spring at Tsodilo, near the Female Hill, is used as both a water collection site and a ritual site. It is seen as sacred, and used by countless peoples to cleanse, heal, and protect.</p><br>
<h2>Alleged as site of earliest known ritual</h2><br>
<p>In 2006 the site known as Rhino Cave became prominent in the media when Sheila Coulson of the University of Oslo stated that 70,000-year-old artifacts and a rock resembling a pythons head representing the first known human rituals had been discovered. She also backed her interpretation of the site as a place of ritual based on other animals portrayed: "In the cave, we find only the San peoples three most important animals: the python, the elephant, and the giraffe. Since then some of the archaeologists involved in the original investigations of the site in 1995 and 1996 have challenged these interpretations. They point out that the indentations (known by archaeologists as cupules) described by Coulson do not necessarily all date to the same period and that "many of the depressions are very fresh while others are covered by a heavy patina." Other sites nearby (over 20) also have depressions and do not represent animals. The Middle Stone Age radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating for this site does not support the 70,000 year figure, suggesting much more recent dates.</p><br>
<p>They also discuss the burned Middle Stone Age points, saying that there is nothing unusual in using nonlocal materials. They dismiss the claim that no ordinary tools were found at the site, noting that the many scrapers that are found are ordinary tools and that there is evidence of tool making at the site. Discussing the secret chamber, they point to the lack of evidence for San shamans using chambers in caves or for this one to have been used in such a way.</p><br>
<p>Wadi El Hitan  is a paleontological site in the Faiyum Governorate of Egypt, some 150 km southwest of Cairo. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest forms of whale, the archaeoceti . The site reveals evidence for the explanation of one of the greatest mysteries of the evolution of whales: the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a previous life as a land-based animal. No other place in the world yields the number, concentration and quality of such fossils, as is their accessibility and setting in an attractive and protected landscape. This is why it was added by the UNESCO to the list of protected World Heritage sites.</p><br>
<p>The fossils found at the site may not be the oldest but their great concentration in the area and the degree of their preservation is to the extent that even some stomach contents are intact. The presence of fossils of other early animals such as sharks, crocodiles, sawfish, turtles and rays found at Wadi El-Hitan makes it possible to reconstruct the surrounding environmental and ecological conditions of the time, adding to its justification to be cited as a Heritage site.</p><br>
<p>The first fossil skeletons of whales were discovered in the winter of 1902-3. with well-developed five-fingered flippers on the forelimbs and the unexpected presence of hind legs, feet, and toes, not known previously in any archaeoceti. Their form was serpentine and they were carnivorous. A few of these skeletal remains are exposed but most are shallowly buried in sediments, slowly uncovered by erosion. Wadi El-Hitan provides evidences of millions of years of coastal marine life.</p><br>
<h2>Fossils</h2><br>
<p>Fossils are present in high numbers and often show excellent quality of preservation. The most conspicuous fossils are the skeletons and bones of whales and sea cows, and over several hundred fossils of these have been documented.</p><br>
<p>The fossils of whales vary from single bones to entire skeletons, and a number of partial skeletons are currently on display in the public part of the park. The two common whales are the large Basilosaurus, and the smaller (3 to 5 metre) Dorudon. At least two other species are known from rarer remains. The whales possess small hind limbs, that are not seen in modern whales, and a powerful skull with teeth similar to those of carnivorous land mammals.</p><br>
<p>Other mammals are represented by the skeletons of three species of sirenia or sea cows. These were fully marine like the whales, and likewise show primitive features not seen in modern species and possess teeth that suggest that they grazed on seagrasses and other marine plants. Bones of the primitive elephant Moeritherium have also been recorded.</p><br>
<p>Fossil reptiles are represented by fossils of crocodiles and sea turtles, and bones of sea snakes have also been recorded.</p><br>
<p>There are many species of bony fish, sharks and rays represented, but most of the fossils are isolated small teeth and these are not often conspicuous. Larger fish fossils include the rostra and pegs of sawfish; a sawfish rostrum of 1.8 metres long is laid out in the park.</p><br>
<p>Fossil shells are not common in the main whale-bearing rocks, but are very common in other rocks; many fallen rocks can be seen to be full of a wide variety of fossil shells. Disc-shaped nummulite fossils are common in places, and often coat the desert floor.</p><br>
<p>A large log is present in the park, and this is full of tubular shipworm fossils. Some fossil seagrasses are also known.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The geology of the valley gives rise to the scenery, with wind and water erosion producing spectacular cliffs and buttes.</p><br>
<p>The rocks present at Wadi El Hitan are all Middle to Late Eocene in age and comprise three main rock units. The Gehannam Formation comprises open marine mudstones, which are largely present on the flatter ground to the East of the public park. The rock unit that contains most of the whale fossils is the Birket Qarun Formation. This comprises yellowish open marine sandstones that form most of the cliffs and buttes. The monotony of these sandstones is broken by a white layer full of well-preserved animal burrows (previously thought to be mangrove roots) and a layer of black mudstone above that. When the cliffs of the Birket Qarun Formation are followed to the East, they are replaced by Gehannam Formation mudstones, indicating a change in water depth from shallower to deeper in that direction. The tops of the higher cliffs are within the Qasr el Sagha Formation, which comprises dark mudstones alternating with limestones full of shells and represents a lagoonal environment.</p><br>
<h2>Wildlife</h2><br>
<p>Wadi El Hitan, is also home to 15 species of desert plants, sand dunes and about 15 types of wild mammals including the North African jackal, red fox, Egyptian mongoose, African wildcat, and dorcas gazelle. Fennec foxes are the most commonly seen mammal and regularly visit the camp site at night. Also, attracted by the lakes at Wadi El Rayan are recorded 19 species of reptiles and 36 species of breeding birds.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>Only about 1,000 visitors a year drive into Wadi El Hitan by 4WD because the track is unpaved and crosses unmarked desert sands. For the most part, visitors to Wadi El Hitan are foreigners, who usually camp in the valley on winter weekends. Because Wadi El Hitan is within the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, the same protection management plan restricts visitors to prearranged guided tours along a prescribed trail. Sustainable tourism is beginning to develop and grow in the area, and the 4WD are alternatively being replaced by foot or camel treks.</p><br>
<p>Since part of Wadi El Hitan was made into a tourist venue, walkways between the main fossils were laid out and small shelters built. This public park is now regularly visited by tourist groups, and a small camp site is present.</p><br>
<p>The valley is located behind a mountain, known as Garet Gohannam, gara (Arabic: قارة) means hill or mountain and garet gohannam means the mountain of hell. In the light of the setting sun, the mountain seems ablaze with an eerie red light.</p><br>
<p>The Egyptian government has alleged that in July 2007 a pair of cars driven by Belgian diplomats entered a protected zone in this area, and caused 10 million US dollars worth of damage. The Belgium government has said no damage was caused by its diplomats. The issue remains unresolved.</p><br>
<p>El Tucuche  is the second highest peak in Trinidad&#39;s northern range and is noted for its interesting plateau shape. It is fabled in Amerindian lore as a sacred mountain. There are Amerindian petroglyphs on a rock outcrop below the mountain. These are the only petroglyphs found in the country.</p><br>
<p>Its summit is home to the Golden Tree Frog (Phyllodytes auratus). On the summit of El Tucuche, elfin woodland can be found. The vegetation is usually gnarled and short, due to the high elevation, exposure to clouds and prevailing winds. At the foot of the mountain lies the village of Lluengo, home to approximately 2,000 residents.</p><br>
<p>Wildlife on El Tucuche includes animals such as the Howler monkey can be seen. The nation&#39;s highest waterfall, Maracas falls, lies at the foothills of El Tucuche, and is 91.5 meters (300 feet) high.</p><br>
<p>El Tucuche is often climbed by hikers. There are two summits, the first summit ascends to above 2,000 feet (800 meters) and displays a 1000 feet sheer-vertical cliff. The second and highest summit is at over 3,000 feet (936 meters) and is plateau-shaped. When clouds arent present, the nations capital, Port Of Spain, the Caroni Swamp and Central Range can be viewed from the summit. The mountain also has views of Maracas Beach.</p><br>
<p>Cranmore Castle is an Iron Age earthwork situated on a hillside above the Devon town of Tiverton in south-west England. Its National Grid reference is SS958118. It is an English Heritage scheduled monument, and has been given a National Monument number of 34256.</p><br>
<p>The earthwork is widely described in guidebooks and histories as an Iron Age hill fort though more recent archaeological evaluations and histories, such as Mike Sampson&#39;s recently published work, point out that it seems inefficient as a fortification, since it is overlooked from the south by the higher slope of Exeter Hill/Newtes Hill. The earthwork is also unusual in that the area it encloses slopes from 120 m to 170 m above sea level. This arrangement does however offer clear lines of sight to Cadbury Castle, Castle Close below Stoodleigh up the Exe Valley, Huntsham Castle, Hembury fort and other significant hills and earthworks, suggesting that all were contemporary. It also manages to overlook the confluence of the rivers Lowman and Exe and the forded crossings on those rivers, which a higher position would not allow.</p><br>
<p>The hillside that Cranmore Castle stands above is called Skrink Hills or Shrink Hills in various early histories of the area. and it is from there that Thomas Fairfax&#39;s artillery laid siege to Tiverton Castle. The promontory of land that links Cranmore to the edge of Newtes Hill is traversed by the old Exeter Road, which travels past the earthwork on its way from Tiverton to Exeter. The hill and road have latterly been known as Exeter Hill, and this road almost certainly follows the path of a prehistoric trackway.</p><br>
<p>Current theories about the nature of the earthwork suggest that it might have been a winter enclosure for livestock or a market site, though the earthworks are very substantial for such applications and could even point to a tribal oppidum. Certainly the area would be large enough. The Ordnance Survey Map of Southern Britain in the Iron Age shows Cranmore as the largest enclosure in Devon (along with Hillsborough) at over 15 acre.</p><br>
<p>During the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 Cranmore Castle became the site of a fierce battle fought between the two sides over whether a child should be baptised according to the new religion or the old. The battle took place near a small chapel that stood at one corner of the site, near the road. The chapel was demolished in the 17th century, and in 1687 bones and musket shots thought to be from the battle were discovered.</p><br>
<p>The etymology of the name Cranmore Castle is unclear. Cranmore is not a local name and does not fit with any local placenames. No record of Cranmore seems to exist in any early records. It is possible that the name is derived from the battle described above. The archbishop at the time of the Prayer Book Rebellion was Thomas Cranmer so it is possible it derives from a variation of Cranmer Castle in reference to the battle fought there.</p><br>
<p>Umm ar-Rasas   is located 30 km southeast of Madaba, which is the capital city of the Madaba Governorate in central Jordan. It was once accessible by branches of the King&#39;s Highway, and is situated in the semi-arid steppe region of the Jordanian Desert. The site has been allied to the biblical settlement of Mephaat mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. The Roman military utilized the site as a strategic garrison, but it was later converted and inhabited by Christian and Islamic communities. In 2004, the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is valued by archaeologists for its extensive ruins dating to the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim periods. Studium Biblicum Franciscanum carried out excavations at the north end of the site in 1986, but much of the area remains buried under debris.</p><br>
<h2>Early history</h2><br>
<p>Particularly during the epochs of the Early Bronze Age III-IV, Iron Age II, and Roman-Byzantine eras, dense populations inhabited the topographical regions beyond the western banks of the Dead Sea. Among these ancient settlements, the site of Mephaat has been mentioned in biblical texts as one of the cities upon the plateau to be condemned to great destruction (Jeremiah 48:21). Many branches of the King&#39;s Highway provided a means for reaching the more remote ancient cities, but the main route served as the forerunner for the Via Traiana Nova built by the Roman Emperor Trajan (53-117 A.D.). This road with its many branches facilitated travel, and Roman military encampments were set in place along the way as a defensive measure against barbarian assaults across the Roman desert frontier known as the Limes Arabicus. Eusebius of Caesarea identified Mephaat as the camp site of a Roman army near the desert in his Onomasticon (K.128:21). Also, the excavation of a Byzantine church here exposed an inscription naming the area as "Castron Mephaa" further supporting the theory that Umm-ar Rasas and the biblical Mephaat are one in the same.</p><br>
<h2>Mosaics</h2><br>
<p>The most important discovery on the site was the mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen. It was made in 785 (discovered after 1986). The perfectly preserved mosaic floor is the largest one in Jordan. On the central panel, hunting and fishing scenes are depicted, while another panel illustrates the most important cities of the region including Philadelphia (Amman), Madaba, Esbounta (Heshbon), Belemounta (Ma&#39;an), Areopolis (Ar-Rabba), Charac Moaba (Karak), Jerusalem, Nablus, Caesarea, and Gaza. The frame of the mosaic is especially decorative. Six mosaic masters signed the work: Staurachios from Esbus, Euremios, Elias, Constantinus, Germanus, and Abdela. It overlays another, damaged, mosaic floor of the earlier (587) Church of Bishop Sergius. Another four churches were excavated nearby with traces of mosaic decoration.</p><br>
<h2>Byzantine period</h2><br>
<p>By the 4th century C.E., the advent of pilgrimage caused Palestine to become the nucleus of the Christian world, and scores of pious men and women traversed the desert seeking sites of scriptural significance as well as communion with their creator. The number of pilgrims intensified by the 5th century C.E., and many Christians chose to settle in the desert establishing monastic communities. Umm ar-Rasas was converted into an ecclesiastical center boasting numerous Byzantine churches. Among the notable finds unearthed at Umm-ar Rasas is the Church of Saint Stephen, which features elaborate and sophisticated mosaics. The discovery of Greek inscriptions within the mosaics confirmed dating to 756-785 C.E. The date range coincides with the Abbasid Caliphate period of Muslim rule, and demonstrates Christian occupation later than surrounding areas. The mosaics illustrate municipal vignettes with explanatory text covering a series of cities in Palestine, Jordan, and along the Nile Delta. Absent from the mosaics at Umm ar-Rasas are portrayals of principal holy places revered by pilgrims such as Bethlehem, Hebron or Nazareth unlike the Madaba Map found nearby.</p><br>
<h2>Muslim conquest</h2><br>
<p>Muslim armies penetrated Palestine during the summer of 634 C.E., and initially assaulted regions along the Mediterranean coast including the Gaza Strip. Discontented with Byzantine control, local Arab-speaking tribesmen living in the desert expanses willingly aided the Muslim invaders easing their conquest. The efficacious campaign was characterized by limited destruction, and many cities of the Holy Land surrendered on terms to Muslim rule. Byzantine churches were infrequently transformed into mosques, but especially during the Abbasid period, the Muslim government actively enforced restrictive laws against Christian images. Mosaics were defaced by the removal and reassembly of colored tessarrae (Tessera) as shown at the Church of Saint Stephen at Umm ar-Rasas. Following the Muslim victory, Christians continued to make pilgrimages to holy places, however, the numbers declined with the threat of imprisonment by Muslim officials. Many of the monasteries and churches built by Byzantine Christians were ultimately abandoned.</p><br>
<h2>Stylite tower</h2><br>
<p>The salient feature of Umm ar-Rasas stands about 1 mi north of the walled ruins. Interpreted to be a Stylite tower, the soaring structure served as a platform for Christian ascetics living in isolation at the top as well as an altar for a call to prayer. Ornamented with carved Christian symbols on all four sides, the square pillar endures in the distance as evidence of the once flourishing community established in the Byzantine era as a center for spiritual enlightenment.</p><br>
<p>Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, the "mother church" of Mothers Day, was incorporated as the International Mothers Day Shrine on May 15, 1962, as a shrine to all mothers.</p><br>
<p>The Shrine was constructed in 1873 and is located along Main Street in downtown Grafton in Taylor County, West Virginia. The International Mother&#39;s Day Shrine was designated a National Historic Landmark October 5, 1992. Its location is approximately one mile south of the junction of USA Route 50 and USA Route 119. The shrine is open by appointment and available for wedding services and tour groups.</p><br>
<h2>The Founding of Mother's Day</h2><br>
<p>Andrews Methodists Episcopal Church is most noted for holding the first official celebration of Mother’s Day in 1908. Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day, conceived the idea as a way to venerate “a mother’s private service to her family.” This reflected Anna’s desire to use Mother’s Day as a sentimental way to remember her own mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, following her mother’s death in 1905. Following the original celebrations of Mother’s Day in 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jarvis’ holiday quickly gained support across America. Jarvis campaigned for recognition of Mother’s Day as an official holiday. Anna chose the second Sunday in May as the annual date for the holiday because it marked the anniversary of her mother’s death. The white carnation became a symbol of the day, and was selected by Jarvis to honor her mother’s favorite flower.</p><br>
<p>The celebration also extended to many foreign countries within only a few years of its conception. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that flags be flown “on the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” The 1914 proclamation by Wilson represents a victory for Jarvis, since it recognized her holiday and mothers across America. The year 2014 represents the 100th anniversary of Wilson’s proclamation and the official national recognition of Mother’s Day as a holiday. The International Mother’s Day Shrine in Grafton, West Virginia holds special commemorations and events in recognition of this anniversary.</p><br>
<h2>International Mother's Day</h2><br>
<p>The adoption of Mother’s Day spread quickly internationally. By the third call for a Mother’s Day celebration by Anna Jarvis in 1909, “forty-five states, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico” participated with celebrations on the second Sunday in May. The rapid adoption of Mother’s day by other nations surprised Jarvis, who stated, “Where it will end must be left for the future to tell. That it will girdle the globe seems now certain.” Jarvis foresaw the international appeal of Mother’s Day and believed the celebration and honor would be adopted around the globe. In May 1932, Mother’s Day was even adopted in Japan, after 19 years of observance by Christians, showing the wide reach of Anna Jarvis and the embracement of Mother’s Day internationally. The international spread and adoption of Mother’s Day creates a larger international connection for the Shrine.</p><br>
<p>Mount Rishiri  is a quaternary stratovolcano located off the coast of Hokkaidō, Japan in the Sea of Japan. The extinct volcano rises out of the sea forming Rishiri Island. Because its cone shape resembles Mount Fuji it is sometimes referred to as Rishiri Fuji. It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan.</p><br>
<p>Mount Rishiri&#39;s opening festival is held annually on July 2 and July 3. This festival officially opens the climbing season.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>Mount Rishiri is made up of alkali and non-alkali mafic volcanic rock dating from the Late Pleistocene, 130,000–18,000 years ago. Otherwise it is covered in quaternary volcanic rock debris.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing route</h2><br>
<p>The ascent of Rishiri is not suitable for novice hikers, it is challenging in places. There is a campsite partway up the mountain from the dock, and an unmanned hut located a short distance below the summit. There is also a small shrine at the summit. On clear days the view extends to Hokkaidō, the adjacent island of Rebun, and as far as Sakhalin Island in Russia.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The package of Shiroi Koibito includes a picture of Mount Rishiri arranged in the centre.</p><br>
<p>The River Dyfi  is a river in Mid Wales. The Dyfi estuary forms the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion.</p><br>
<h2>Sources</h2><br>
<p>The Dovey rises in the small lake Creiglyn Dyfi at about 1,900 ft above sea level, below Aran Fawddwy, flowing south to Dinas Mawddwy and Cemmaes Road, then south west past Machynlleth to Cardigan Bay at Aberdyfi. It shares its watershed with the River Severn and the River Dee before flowing generally south-westwards down to a wide estuary. The only large town on its route is Machynlleth.</p><br>
<p>Because of its origins high in the Cambrian Mountains and its relatively short length, it is prone to flooding and some roads in the lower catchment can become impassable during very wet weather. It has been a relatively pristine river with few polluting inputs and is notable for its Salmon and Sea Trout (migratory Brown Trout).</p><br>
<p>The catchment area was notable for its now defunct lead mines and slate quarries, especially around Corris and Dinas Mawddwy.</p><br>
<h2>Tributaries</h2><br>
<p>The Dovey is joined by the:</p><br>
<p>Angell at Aberangell</p><br>
<p>Twymyn above Cemmaes Road (Glantwymyn)</p><br>
<p>South Dulas above Machynlleth</p><br>
<p>North Dulas at Ffridd Gate</p><br>
<p>Llyfnant at Glandyfi.</p><br>
<h2>Film Location</h2><br>
<p>The Dovey Estuary was used as a location shot in Led Zeppelin&#39;s 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. The segment of the film is where Robert Plant comes ashore on a boat, after which he rides a horse, making his way to Raglan Castle. Plant was obviously behind the choice of the location, being familiar with the area; Bron-Yr-Aur cottage is located on the edge of Machynlleth.</p><br>
<p>Rebun Island  is an island in the Sea of Japan off the northwestern tip of Hokkaidō, Japan. The island sits 50 km off the coast of Hokkaidō. Rebun stretches 29 km from north to south and 8 km from east to west. The island covers approximately 80 km&sup2;. Rebun Island is located 10 km northwest of Rishiri Island, and the two islands are separated by the Rebun Channel.</p><br>
<p>Rebun Island is known for its alpine flowers and the 8-Hour Hiking Course which runs from one end of the island to the other, north to south. The hiking course can be broken into two sections, known as the 4-Hour Hiking Courses. Rebun Island is home to a chashi, or hilltop fortification of the Ainu people. The highest point on the island is Mount Rebun (490 m). The island is part of the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park.</p><br>
<p>Fossilized remains of long-finned pilot whales that are now extinct in the north Pacific have been excavated on Rebun Island, and remains of funerals for orcas, possibly referring them as Repun Kamuy (God of Sea/Offshore) have been found as well. Rebun Island is also the site where the last reliable record of the extinct Japanese sea lion came from in 1974.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>The name of the island comes from the Ainu language, in which "Repun" means "(island) in the open sea" (from rep "the offing, open sea" + -un "to be in ~").</p><br>
<h2>Areas of interest</h2><br>
<p>Mount Rebun</p><br>
<p>Peach Rock, or Momoiwa</p><br>
<p>Jizo Rock</p><br>
<p>Cat Rock, or Nekoiwa</p><br>
<p>Cape Sukoton</p><br>
<p>Cape Kaneda</p><br>
<p>Cape Gorota</p><br>
<p>Cape Sukai</p><br>
<p>Todo Island</p><br>
<p>Lake Kushu</p><br>
<p>Yamunai Valley</p><br>
<p>Rebun Forest Road</p><br>
<p>Rebun Falls</p><br>
<h2>Communities</h2><br>
<p>All communities on Rebun Island are part of the town of Rebun in Rebun District. From roughly from north to south, they are:</p><br>
<p>Sukoton</p><br>
<p>Awabikoton</p><br>
<p>Hamanaka</p><br>
<p>Funadomari</p><br>
<p>Horodomari</p><br>
<p>Uedomari</p><br>
<p>Nairo</p><br>
<p>Kitousu</p><br>
<p>Kafukai</p><br>
<p>Kafuka</p><br>
<p>Shiretoko</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>Ferry link to Rishiri Island, Wakkanai, and Otaru via Rishiri</p><br>
<p>Air link to Wakkanai Airport</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>In Food Wars: Shokugeki no Souma, the island is the last step in Promotion test.</p><br>
<p>The Rookery Building is a historic landmark located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Completed by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiece buildings, and was once the location of their office. The building measures 181 ft, is twelve stories tall and is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. The lobby was remodeled in 1905 by Frank Lloyd Wright. Beginning in 1989, the lobby was restored to the original Wright design.</p><br>
<p>The building was designated a Chicago Landmark on July 5, 1972, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1970 and listed as a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>The name of the building is an allusion to the old City Hall building that occupied the land before the Rookery.</p><br>
<h2>Construction</h2><br>
<h3>Burnham & Root</h3><br>
<p>The Rookery was built in 1888 by the architectural partnership of Daniel H. Burnham and John Wellborn Root, known as Burnham and Root. In the architectural boom that followed the Great Chicago Fire, architects in what would become known as the Chicago School of commercial architecture competed with each other to create the world&#39;s first true skyscrapers. By mixing modern building techniques, such as metal framing, fireproofing, elevators and plate glass, together with traditional ones, such as brick facades and elaborate ornamentation, Burnham and Root sought to create a bold architectural statement. At the same time, they intended their buildings to be commercially successful. This building is one of the few results of their partnership that is still standing.</p><br>
<p>As the master artisan, Root drew upon a variety of influences in designing the interior and exterior spaces, including Moorish, Byzantine, Venetian and Romanesque motifs. He also provided the architectural innovations that brought together many contemporary cutting edge building techniques. Of particular note was a "floating" foundation—a reinforced concrete slab that provided the buildings weight with a solid platform atop Chicagos notoriously swampy soil. The term for the type of foundation that Root designed is grillage foundation, a foundation where iron rails and the structural beams are combined in a crisscross pattern and encased in concrete to support the building&#39;s immense weight without heavy foundation stones. This construction is particularly useful when structural loads are high compared to the natural bearing capacity of the soil.</p><br>
<h3>Light court</h3><br>
<p>Making prodigious use of light and ornamentation, Root and Burnham designed a central light court to serve as the focal point for the entire building and provide daylight to interior offices. Rising two stories, the light court received immediate critical acclaim. "There is nothing bolder, more original, or more inspiring in modern civic architecture than its glass-covered court", wrote Eastern critic Henry Van Brunt. At a time when Chicago&#39;s bold experiment in architecture was looking eastward for affirmation, this was welcome praise. The light court provides natural illumination for the interior offices.</p><br>
<p>Frank Lloyd Wright was a young architectural assistant working with Adler and Sullivan at the time the Rookery was built in 1888. Architect Daniel Burnham was a friend of Wright patron Edward C. Waller. Waller managed the Rookery; Wright had his offices in the building in 1898&ndash;1899. In 1905 Wright received the commission to redesign the lobby in the building; at the time considered the grandest in Chicago. Wright&#39;s work on the Rookery is his only work on any building within the downtown cityscape.</p><br>
<p>Among Wrights most significant alterations was the addition of white marble with Persian-style ornamentation. The marble and decorative details added a sense of luxury to the lobbys steel-laden interior, marked by Burnham and Roots skeletal metal ribbing. The entire interior space is bright and open. A double set of curving, heavily ornamented stairs wind upward from the lobbys second floor into the building&#39;s interior. A wrap-around balcony on the second floor enhances the feeling of being within the interior of a "clockwork." The Wright remodel opened the building up to more of the available light.</p><br>
<h3>Load bearing walls and steel structure</h3><br>
<p>The red marble, terra cotta and brick facade of the building is a combination of Roman Revival and Queen Anne styles that embraced Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The building, which is a combination of iron framing and masonry bearing walls, marked a transition from masonry load-bearing structures to steel skeleton load-bearing structures. In fact, the Landmarks Commission citation commends "development of the skeleton structural frame using cast iron columns, wrought iron spandrel beams, and steel beams to support party walls and interior floors". Aside from the first two floors of metal-framed perimeter walls, the walls are all masonry. The building is known for its semi-circular staircase west of the light court.</p><br>
<h3>Renovations</h3><br>
<p>While much of the Loop&#39;s 19th-century architecture has been lost to demolition and redevelopment, the Rookery has been spared this fate through a series of well executed renovations. The building remains a commercially successful rental office building, as it was when it was first built.</p><br>
<p>Beginning in the early 20th century, the building underwent three major renovations. In the first, from 1905 to 1907, Frank Lloyd Wright was retained to remake the interior spaces. In keeping with contemporary tastes, Wrights design covered Roots elaborate wrought iron finishes with white carved Carrara marble surfaces. Wright was highly regarded by the public at this point, and his changes brought enhanced status to the building, making the Rookery one of the most sought after buildings of Chicago. Some of Wright&#39;s other changes included incorporating simplified ironwork and adding his trademark style planters and light fixtures.</p><br>
<p>The second renovation, completed August 24, 1931 by former Wright assistant William Drummond, modernized many of the interior elements, including new elevators, and brought period touches to the building, such as Art Deco detailing. The third renovation, in 1992, brought the building back to much of its original splendor, reopening the light court ceiling after it had been covered over to protect against leaks.</p><br>
<p>After their purchase of the Rookery in October 2007, the new owners announced plans for an extensive renovation of the building&#39;s common areas. Award-winning state-of-the-art LED lighting was added to the exterior of the building in 2011 to highlight the architectural features and in 2014 The Rookery achieved LEED Gold certification. In 2015 the restrooms were upgraded to marble-rich, five-star quality as well as a full-featured bike room was added. Also a full elevator modernization was accomplished, inclusive of Destination Dispatch and visitor system in 2017.</p><br>
<h3>Tenants</h3><br>
<p>Burnham & Root had their offices at the Rookery for a while upon its completion, and at one time Frank Lloyd Wright had an office in the building as well. Current tenants include US Bank, Brooks Brothers and Interactive Brokers Group.</p><br>
<h2>Current ownership</h2><br>
<p>The building was purchased in October 2007 for $73 million by an investment group controlled by a European family, and advised by Zeb Bradford of Metzler North America Corp. The seller was Broadway Real Estate Partners of New York, which had bought the Rookery for $56 million in April 2006. BREP was reported to have increased occupancy of the building&#39;s 281,000 ft&sup2; from 80% in January 2007 to 96% at the time of the sale.</p><br>
<h2>Visiting</h2><br>
<p>The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust offers tours inside Mondays through Fridays. The Chicago Architecture Foundation additionally provides tours approximately twice a month.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The Rookery Building was featured in the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, in which the exterior and one of the lower levels were modeled as the toy store Duncan&#39;s Toy Chest.</p><br>
<p>The Rookery was used by Frank Norris in his novel The Pit as the site of the office of fictional financial speculator Curtis Jadwin.</p><br>
<p>The Rookery was featured prominently in the 1987 film The Untouchables as the police headquarters of Eliot Ness.</p><br>
<p>Ermoupoli , also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis , is a town and former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is also the capital of the South Aegean region. The municipal unit has an area of 11.181 km.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<h3>Climate</h3><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Ermoupoli was founded during the Greek Revolution in the 1820s, as an extension to the existing Ano Syros township. It soon became the leading commercial and industrial center of Greece, as well as its main port. The renowned Greek Steamship Company was founded in the city in 1856. Thousands of ships were built in the various Syros shipyards.</p><br>
<p>Eventually Ermoupoli was eclipsed by Piraeus in the late 19th century. In the following decades the city declined. Recently, its economy has greatly improved, based on the service industry.</p><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Emmanouil Benakis (1843–1929), merchant and politician</p><br>
<p>Olga Broumas (1949), poet and translator</p><br>
<p>Manos Eleftheriou, lyricist</p><br>
<p>Stelios Mainas (1957), actor</p><br>
<p>Michael Melas, father of Pavlos Melas, fighter of the Greek Struggle for Macedonia</p><br>
<p>Emmanuel Rhoides (1836–1904), writer and journalist</p><br>
<p>Georgios Souris, poet</p><br>
<p>Markos Vamvakaris (1905–1972), rebetiko musician</p><br>
<p>Demetrius Vikelas (1835–1908), businessman, writer and the first president of the International Olympic Committee</p><br>
<p>Franklinton High School is a public high school in Franklinton, Louisiana, United States. As of 2015 the principal is Lisa Tanner, who entered the position for the 2009-2010 school year, replacing long time Principal Beverly Young. Under Young&#39;s leadership, the school went from a small 3A high school with both academic and discipline problems to a top-of-the-line learning facility that is now a 4A school and a model public school for Louisiana. The school colors are purple and gold, and the sports teams are known as the Demons. Franklinton High is a part of the Washington Parish School System.</p><br>
<p>The school building (the old high school, currently the Junior High) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.</p><br>
<h2>Athletics</h2><br>
<p>The Franklinton High School Demon football team went to the Louisiana Superdome for the state championship for the first time in nearly thirty years in 2009, and was well represented with a tide of purple and gold from the hometown fans. The Franklinton High School Demons football team brought home the trophy as runner-up. With the 2009 season, Franklinton High School broke the record for the highest scoring football team in state history, scoring an average of at least 50 points per game. In 2010, the Demons pushed their way through the 2010 season with a 14-1 record to return to the LHSAA State Farm Prep Classic for the second consecutive year. In the 2010 season the Franklinton Demon football team brought home the first state championship in the long history of Franklinton High School under head coach Shane Smith. They again set the state single season scoring record eclipsing their own record set in 2009. Previously the Demons football team had played for the class "A" state championship in 1969 under head coach Buck Hellen but lost to E.D. White 20-7. In 1981 they played for the class "AAA" state championship under head coach Donald Currier but lost to St. Martinville 14-7.</p><br>
<h2>Arts</h2><br>
<p>Franklinton High School&#39;s band program, has grown considerably under the direction of Mr. Loyman Prestenbach. The program offers the following ensembles: the "Demon Regiment" marching band, the "Screamin Demon" jazz band, the "Purple Haze" basketball pep band and the Franklinton High School Symphonic Band. Past directors include: James Bailey, Cecil Tranthom, Alec McGuire, Clay Magee and Chris Talley. The band participates in the Louisiana Music Educators Association Large Ensemble Assessment every spring. Individual students are given the opportunity to audition for various Honor Ensembles throughout the year including: the Tangipahoa Association of Music Educators Parish Honor Band, the Louisiana Music Educators Association District IX Honor Band, the Southeastern Louisiana University Honor Winds Ensembles and the Louisiana Music Educators Association All State Honor Ensembles to name a few. Over the past 10 years, more than 100 students have been selected to these and other honor ensembles.</p><br>
<p>Franklinton High School is one of the few schools in Louisiana to have a show choir. The show choir is called the "Demonaires." It is an ensemble of about 30 students. It has a history of performing for the local area schools and events, like the Washington Parish Free Fair. In 2009, however, the Demonaires participated in their first ever show choir competition, the Mississippi Showchoir Competition, hosted by Pearl River Community College in Hattiesburg, MS. The choirs of Franklinton Jr. High and Franklinton High are currently directed by Mr. Kyle Jones. Past directors include: Ms. Jerry Dick, Ms. Beverly Bailey, Mr. Clay Magee, Ms. Robin Cooke, Mr. Chris Babb, and Mrs. Tonya Matthews. In addition to the show choir involvement, members of the choral department participate in the LMEA district and all-state honor choirs.</p><br>
<p>Other arts programs: Talented Art (IEP), Fine Arts, and Music Appreciation classes. 1</p><br>
<h2>Clubs</h2><br>
<p>Franklinton High School has a substantial array of clubs and organizations, including:</p><br>
<p>BETA Club, National Honor Society, Louisiana Youth For Excellence (formerly the Governor&#39;s Program on Abstinence), Student Council, Family Community and Career Leaders of America, Future Farmers of America, TLC (Teens Living for Christ), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 4-H, Interact, and the American Sign Language Club.</p><br>
<h2>Marine Corps Junior ROTC</h2><br>
<p>In 1996 Franklinton adopted a Marine Corps Junior ROTC unit. Today it is headed by LtCol Claude E. Clark Jr. and Gunnery Sergeant Jeffery Brown, known to the school as the Colonel and Gunny.</p><br>
<h2>Notable alumni</h2><br>
<p>John L. Crain (born 1960), president of Southeastern Louisiana University</p><br>
<p>Katherine Haik (born 2000), Miss Teen USA 2015</p><br>
<p>Ryan Thomas (born 2001) President of the United States of America 2040</p><br>
<p>Jodensavanne  was an agricultural community in Suriname, South America established by Jews fleeing persecution in Spain. It was located in Para District, about 50 km south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River. Sugarcane plantations were established and slaves used. The colony faced an attack and heavy levies imposed by a French captain, competition with sugar beets, disease and revolts from indigenous people and slaves. The community eventually relocated to the capital of Paramaribo. Clearing of gravesites and maintenance of the synagogue ruins has taken place in the 21st century.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In 1639, the English government allowed Sephardi Jews from the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy to settle the area. They came first to the old capital Torarica. In the year 1652, a new group that migrated under the leadership of Lord Willoughby (Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham) settled in the area now known as Jodensavanne. A third group came 1664, after their expulsion from Brazil and then French Guiana, led by David Cohen Nassy.</p><br>
<p>The Jewish community was granted some autonomy and developed a sugar-cane plantation economy. European settlements including in the Jodensavanne were attacked by Carib (Kalina people) in the latter part of 1678 and slaves also revolted.</p><br>
<p>The congregation Beracha ve Shalom ("Blessings and Peace") was founded, with the first wooden synagogue in the community (the 3rd synagogue in South America) built between 1665 and 1671 and a second, made of imported brick, was constructed in 1685.</p><br>
<p>Jodensavanne declined during the mid-18th century, and most of its population moved to Paramaribo. The colony strived to survive until it was destroyed in 1832 by a slave revolt and resulting fire. The location served as a camp for political prisoners in the Second World War.</p><br>
<p>Historian Natalie Zemon Davis is working on a history of 18th century Jodensavanne, focusing on David Isaac Cohen Nassy (born 1747) and relations between blacks and whites in the Jewish community.</p><br>
<p>Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun around 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular stable court , situated in Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset, England.</p><br>
<p>The house was owned by several families by 1745 after which it fell into disrepair and was used as a tenant farm. After repair by architect Alfred Hoare Powell (1865–1960), it was the first house acquired by the National Trust, in 1907, on the recommendation of the antiquarian Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley (1851–1920). In the 1920s the house was renovated, the stable block turned into a residence and several outbuildings, gardens and gateways constructed.</p><br>
<p>The house was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park and in the 17th century a formal garden was constructed. This had largely disappeared until a new garden was laid out by garden designer Gertrude Jekyll (1843—1932) in an Arts and Crafts-style. It now contains walled kitchen gardens, fruit orchards and ornamental gardens.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The estate had been occupied since the 11th century and by the 14th century included a substantial house to the north east of the present building, where traces of a moat can still be seen. In 1446 the owner, Giles Daubeney, 6th Baron Daubeney, died at Barrington and left it to his son, another Giles Daubeney, who was a courtier, diplomat and military commander under Edward IV and Henry VII.</p><br>
<p>The manor was inherited in 1514 by Henry Daubeney, created Earl of Bridgewater for his services to Henry VIII. He spent much of his time in France and little time in Somerset. He may have begun the new house, but he went bankrupt and was involved in the disgrace of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII&#39;s fifth wife. It is unlikely that much, if any, of the current building was his work. The house was forfeit to the crown and then had various owners including Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who in 1552 sold it to William Clifton, a London merchant who had been assembling a Somerset estate. Clifton or his son John Clifton are thought to be responsible for most of the building at Barrington, possibly modeled on earlier work at Kirby Hall or East Anglian manors close to their roots at Kentwell Hall, Hengrave Hall or Channons Hall at Tibenham.</p><br>
<p>It passed down in the Clifton family including Gervase Clifton, who in 1605 sold it to his brother-in-law Sir Thomas Phelips of Montacute House. The house was then mortgaged and, in 1625, sold to Colonel William Strode, Jr. The house and estate were owned by the Strode family from 1625 until 1745 after which it was bought by several different owners but poorly maintained, becoming known as Court Farm.</p><br>
<p>The interior of the house suffered from its demotion to a tenant farm and from a fire in the early 19th century; after being almost derelict it was repaired under the supervision of Alfred Hoare Powell. Barrington Court was acquired by the National Trust in 1907 and was leased to Col. Abram Arthur Lyle of Tate & Lyle in the 1920s. Abram Lyle and his wife, Elsie Ronalds Lyle (nee. Crowdy and known as Ronnie) turned the house around and refurbished the court house and renovated Strode House (built by Colonel Strode&#39;s son, William III, in 1674) which was originally a stable and coach block. It was at this time that the Lyles contracted Gertrude Jekyll to design the three formal gardens on the property that are maintained by the head gardener.</p><br>
<p>The house was one of the first large properties acquired by the National Trust; it was not anticipated just how expensive repairs and maintenance would be, and even thirty years later it was still used as an example of why the Trust should be wary of taking on other country houses.</p><br>
<p>Barrington Court was occupied by a tenant, Stuart Interiors, that took the lease in 1986 from Andrew Lyle, grandson of Col. Lyle. The company sold reproduction furniture. Stuart Interiors left Barrington Court in December 2008, and although the building has no furniture, it is open to visitors.</p><br>
<p>In 2014 it was the site of filming for the BBC&#39;s Tudor-era historical TV serial Wolf Hall. In May 2015 the house was the venue for the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>Like many Elizabethan mansions, Barrington is built in an E shape with large projecting wings with square projections that contain staircases. The house is not truly symmetrical as the hall has two lights and the buttery one. The south front has seven gables supported by octagonal buttresses and decorated with twisted finials with ogee scale-work caps and English Crockets.</p><br>
<p>Its central entry porch leads into a screens passage with the hall on the left and, an innovation, a service passage leading to the kitchen wing that occupies the right wing. A long gallery stretches the entire length of the house on the upper floor.</p><br>
<h3>Strode House</h3><br>
<p>The stables — built in 1674 by William Strode III — were converted into a separate house around 1920, under plans drawn up by the architect J.E. Forbes, when the building was given a new west front. The two-storey brick building has Hamstone dressings and a hipped tile roof. Immediately in front of the building is the "fountain court".</p><br>
<h3>Outbuildings</h3><br>
<p>In the 1920s a "motorhouse" was constructed in a Tudor style to match the other buildings. It is a single-storey building with an attic. The front of the building is decorate with heraldic lions.</p><br>
<p>The two-storey agent&#39;s house, known as Beechams, was also built in the 1920s. There are also row of six thatched cottages in Tudor style, a farmhouse and a barn dating from the same period.</p><br>
<h3>Gateways and walls</h3><br>
<p>There are multiple gateways around the estate and entrances to the house. The gateway to the west of the forecourt was rebuilt in the 1920s with tall piers and moulded stepped caps, permitting a full view of the symmetrical facade of the house. The gateways to the east of the forecourt and to the east of the south lawn have wrought iron gates. The wall around the forecourt is of the same vintage and has rectangular lily ponds at the base.</p><br>
<h2>Gardens</h2><br>
<p>In the 16th century the house was surrounded by a deer park. In the 1550s William Clifton took action, in the Star Chamber court, against local poachers who hunted deer in the park while he was away.</p><br>
<p>The remains of the original gardens include a rectangular raised area or parterre 70 m by 50 m near a liner pond or canal which is 12 m by 110 m. There is also geophysical evidence of a further 17th-century formal garden.</p><br>
<p>Barrington Court is noted for its Arts and Crafts-style gardens for which garden designer Gertrude Jekyll provided planting plans. The gardens were laid out in 1917 by J. E. Forbes, of the partnership Forbes & Tate, for Lieut-Col. A. Arthur Lyle. There are a series of walled areas that include a white garden, a rose and iris garden and a lily garden. The original plans are being used to restore the gardens; however, the planting scheme has been changed from that designed by Jekyll to that designed by Mrs Lyle in the 1960s.</p><br>
<p>The walls of the kitchen garden were built in the 1920s and include two gateways with neoclassical architraves. There are carriage openings with wrought-iron gates.</p><br>
<p>The kitchen garden provides produce for the propertys restaurant located in the adjacent Strode House; this includes many types of fruit and vegetables. The local St Mary & St Peters CE VC Primary School, which has bases at Barrington and Ilton, has a vegetable plot where the children plant, tend and cook the produce; the walls are also strewn with apple, pear and plum trees. Attached to the garden is a squash court.</p><br>
<p>About 20 m south west of the house is an unusual multi-faced sundial. It was built of stone and bronze, on a stone column. It is a dodecahedron surmounted by a heraldic lion. It was imported from California by Colonel Lyle in 1920.</p><br>
<p>The gardens are Grade II* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.</p><br>
