<p>Sixth Street is a historic street and entertainment district in Austin, Texas located within the citys urban core in downtown Austin. Sixth Street was formerly named Pecan Street under Austins older naming convention, which had east-west streets named after trees and north-south streets named after Texas rivers .</p><br>
<p>The nine-block area of East Sixth Street roughly between Lavaca Street to the west and Interstate 35 to the east is recognized as the Sixth Street Historic District and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1975. Developed as one of Austin&#39;s trade and commercial districts in the late 1800s, the predominant building style are two- or three-story masonry Victorian commercial architecture. Most structures in the area had already been built by the 1880s, though a few notable exceptions include the Driskill Hotel (1886), the Scarbrough Building (1910), and the Littlefield Building.</p><br>
<p>The area around nearby 4th Street and 6th Street has been a major entertainment district since the 1970s. Many bars, clubs, music venues, and shopping destinations are located on East 6th Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35, and many offer live music at one time or another during the week. Traffic is generally blocked on East 6th Street and most crossroads from I-35 to Brazos Street on weekend evenings, and football home games (depending on pedestrian traffic), as well as holidays and special events, to allow the crowds to walk unfettered to the many venues that line the street.</p><br>
<p>East Sixth Street (known locally as Dirty Sixth) plays host to a wide variety of events each year, ranging from music and film festivals (such as South by Southwest) to biker rallies (such as The Republic of Texas Biker Rally) and the Pecan Street Festival.</p><br>
<p>The area of Sixth Street west of Lavaca is known as the West 6th Street District. Recently, a movement has been growing to develop this area as an entertainment district of its own, geared toward the live-music crowd.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Austin was planned on a 15-block grid plan developed by Edwin Waller that was bisected by Congress Avenue running north-south. The Bastrop Highway linking the town to earlier settlements in East Texas was charted in 1839 and chose the route into Austin along Pecan Street. The stagecoach followed this route when it arrived in Austin in 1840, and used the Bullock Hotel at the northwest corner of Pecan and Congress as the stage stop. The Bullock, built in 1839 by Richard Bullock, was a complex of log building which served as the quasiformal and informal meeting place in Austin for several years. That particular intersection quickly became the focal point of town life.</p><br>
<p>The town grew like a cross up and down Congress and Pecan. Pecan had an obvious advantage for development. The street was far enough from the river to escape flooding, which occasionally spread as far as Cypress Street (3rd Street), and it was the last east-west street flat enough for wagons and pedestrians to travel comfortably. Following an explosive growth in town population between 1850 and 1860, Pecan soon contained not only log and frame houses, but also was lined with wagon yards, livery stables, and saloons to meet the needs of travelers. Austin&#39;s first bridge was built to carry Pecan Street across Shoal Creek in 1865, though the narrow iron footbridge, built by the United States Army, could not carry wagon traffic.</p><br>
<p>While the Civil War interrupted Sixth Streets growth in the 1860s, the two subsequent centuries were the height of Sixth Streets importance as a commercial center. The arrival of the railroad in 1871 was very much to Sixth Streets benefit, as some of Austins most prestigious business enterprises were located here to be near the railroad depot. Lots along the street were in great demand and fine two- and three-story limestone Victorian commercial structures began to line the streets where one-story frame buildings or vacant lots had been. In 1887, a new, larger bridge across Shoal Creek was built to match the full 80 ft width of Sixth Street and permit wagons to cross; this West Sixth Street Bridge is still in use today, and has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places.</p><br>
<p>During the late 1880s, however, Congress Avenue began to pre-empt Sixth Street as the most fashionable shopping destination in the city. The new Capitol building was being built at the head of Congress and most businesses catering to city-dwellers and/or a state government clientele moved to a Congress location. Sixth Street, though, continued to function as a site for offices, warehouses, and showrooms of businesses using the railroad, as well as to businesses catering to farmers or other travelers. In 1886, the famous four-story Driskill Hotel was completed at 122 E. 6th Street. Called "the finest hotel south of St. Louis", the hotel was built in a Romanesque Revival style by Jesse Driskill, a cattleman who spent his fortune constructing it.</p><br>
<p>Scarbrough and Hicks department store, founded on the southwest corner of 6th and Congress in 1893, decided to remain in this same location in 1909 when it undertook the construction of Austin&#39;s first modern skyscraper; the Scarborough Building is an eight-story brick building in the Commercial style. George Littlefield chose the northeast corner of that intersection in 1911 for a 9-story brick and limestone building to be built to house his American Bank.</p><br>
<p>A biracial character was evident along Sixth Street during this period of development, although it became more pronounced in the 1890s and early 1900s. For example, a black physician had an office in the 300 block of East Sixth, and several businesses on the north side of the 400 and 500 blocks were operated by blacks and catered to Austins black community. By the early 20th century, racial and ethnic diversity had become one of Sixth Streets most striking characteristics. Lebanese businesses also began to appear on 6th Street in the 1890s. One of the first Lebanese immigrants to Austin, Cater Joseph, opened a confectionery on Congress in the 1880s. The Joseph family still maintains a business on East 6th Street, as do several other Lebanese and Syrian families who founded businesses there in the early 20th century. By 1940, businesses on 6th Street were owned by blacks, Jewish, German, Chinese, and Mexican-Americans, as well.</p><br>
<p>A steady erosion of the commercial importance of the East 6th Street area occurred in the 1940s and particularly accelerated after World War II. A proliferation of second-hand stores, chain and discount stores catered to a lower-income clientele, followed by an increasing number of vacated buildings. A skid-row atmosphere was fostered in the 1950s and 1960s by the multiplying number of pawn shops, loan companies, and bars in the area. However, a number of owner-operated businesses kept the area alive for commercial activity.</p><br>
<p>One of the last residents on Sixth Street was local architect David Graeber. Graeber purchased the building at 410 E. 6th Street and made it his familys residence until he died in 2010. The building is notable as the last building on Sixth Street to be used exclusively as a primary residence. The buildings interior was modern for the time, including an indoor swimming pool, and substantial sound mitigation.</p><br>
<p>The Ritz, a historic theater, open its doors on 320 E. 6th Street in 1929. Throughout its history, the Ritz was used as a movie theater, music hall, club, comedy house, and more. It reopened after renovations in fall 2007 as the new downtown location for the Alamo Drafthouse. On March 20, 2007, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema announced that they would be relocating their downtown cinema, which was the original theater opened in 1997, to the Ritz. They began construction on April 1, 2007, to revive the Ritz as a movie theater.</p><br>
<p>Since May 2014, a parking ban is enforced from Thursday evening to Saturday night inside the entertainment district (Interstate 35 to San Jacinto Street) which ends at 2 a.m. past midnight which is defined as a Sunday based on the 24 hour clock) - plans to make the Sixth Street district vehicle free was considered prior to a SXSW &#39;14 drunk driving incident back in March where several pedestrians were struck.</p><br>
<h2>Pecan Street Festival</h2><br>
<p>Until the 1970s, Sixth Street was in decline and downtown was scarcely populated, with abandoned buildings scattered about. A pioneering group of Austinites, including Dr. Emma Lou Linn, known as the Old Pecan Street Association, was instrumental in reclaiming the downtown space and starting renovation of the old buildings. The association needed adequate funding for restoration costs and bringing a street fair to life was a solution to their problems.</p><br>
<p>In 1978, the Pecan Street Festival was started and included local food and art vendors along with bands from the surrounding area, establishing a community event for cultural preservation and creativity. Due to the festival’s positive turnout, the celebration became a biannual spring and fall tradition, honoring 6th Street’s original name, Pecan Street. In the past, the event has attracted more than 300,000 people, generating an economic impact around $43 million in 2010.</p><br>
<h2>Peaceful Streets Project</h2><br>
<p>Beginning in 2012, local police accountability group Peaceful Streets Project began to patrol Sixth Street on Friday and Saturday evenings to record interactions between police and the public. While the Peaceful Streets Project spent significant time patrolling communities with a heavy police presence such as Manor, Springdale, Riverside, and Rundberg, their Sixth Street patrols provided the majority share of their videos given the high concentration of police officers, the homeless, and inebriated bar patrons.</p><br>
<p>In retaliation for their cop watch activities, Peaceful Streets Project founder Antonio Buehler has been arrested on Sixth Street three times for filming the police, as have other Peaceful Streets Project activists such as Mike Bluehair Smith of Portland, OR. After Buehler&#39;s second arrest the Austin Police Department indicated that they would seek to create a buffer zone that would prohibit anyone from recording police activity within 60 feet of a police officer. Two of the arrests of Buehler were referenced in a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Austin. Thus far, all the arrests of Peaceful Streets Project activists by the Austin Police Department have been dropped by prosecutors.</p><br>
<h2>National Register of Historic Places listings</h2><br>
<p>The Cordillera Blanca  is a mountain range in Peru that is part of the larger Andes range and extends for 200 km between 8°08 and 9°58S and 77°00 and 77°52W, in a northwesterly direction. The highest mountain in Peru, Huascarán, at 6,768 m high, is located there.</p><br>
<p>The Cordillera Blanca lies in the Ancash region and runs parallel to the Santa River valley (also called Callejón de Huaylas in its upper and midsections) on the west. Huascarán National Park, established in 1975, encompasses almost the entire range of the Cordillera Blanca.</p><br>
<p>Snowmelt from the Cordillera Blanca provides part of northern Peru with its year-round water supply, while 5% of Peru&#39;s power comes from a hydro-electrical plant located in the Santa River valley. The area of permanent ice cover shrank by about a third between the 1970s and 2006.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Cordillera Blanca is the most extensive tropical ice-covered mountain range in the world and has the largest concentration of ice in Peru. It is part of the Cordillera Occidental (the westernmost part of the Peruvian Andes), and trends in a northwesterly direction for 200 km between 8°08 and 9°58S of latitude and 77°00 and 77°52 W of longitude. It has five of the most spectacular peaks above 6,000 m in the Peruvian Andes; the highest peak, Huascarán, rises to an elevation of 6,768 m above sea level. The Cordillera Blanca also acts as a continental divide: the Santa River on the west drains into the Pacific Ocean, whereas the Marañón River on the east drains into the Atlantic Ocean.</p><br>
<h3>Glaciers</h3><br>
<p>A total of 722 individual glaciers are recognized in this mountain range, covering an area of 723.4 km. Most are on the western side of the range, where 530 glaciers cover an area of 507.5 km, while on the eastern side 192 glaciers cover an area of 215.9 km. Most of the glaciers, 91% of the total, are classified as mountain glaciers (they are generally short and have extremely steep slopes); the rest are classified as valley glaciers, except for one ice cap.</p><br>
<p>Like all Andean glaciers, the Cordillera Blanca has witnessed a major retreat of its glaciers during the 20th century due to global climate change. Studies have shown a retreat of over 15% since the 1970s.</p><br>
<h3>Lakes</h3><br>
<p>Among the most important lakes in the range are the Llanganuco Lakes, which are located on the northern side of Huascarán, and are accessible from the town of Yungay; Lakes Ichiccocha and Jatuncocha, which are near Artesonraju and Alpamayo and are accessible only by trekking or on horseback from Caraz.</p><br>
<p>Other notable lakes are Lake 69, Lake Allicocha, Lake Auquiscocha, Lake Palcacocha, Lake Querococha, and Lake Conococha.</p><br>
<h3>Peaks</h3><br>
<p>Huascarán Sur, the highest, has two commonly quoted heights: 6,746 m from the Peruvian National Geographic Institute (IGN) map and 6,768 m from the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV) survey map.</p><br>
<p>Some of the highest peaks in the Cordillera Blanca are listed below.</p><br>
<h3>Hot springs</h3><br>
<p>Among the most important hot springs in the area are Monterrey and Chancos, which have been transformed into thermal bath facilities. They are 7 and 27 km respectively from the regional capital, Huaraz.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>The dry season extends from May through September, June and July having the least rain and more stable weather. The data on the chart correspond to the village of Musho (altitude 3084 m), located at the foot of Huascarán.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>Flora and fauna in the range have adapted to the climate and elevational range of mountainous areas. Almost all of the Cordillera Blanca is protected by Huascarán National Park.</p><br>
<h3>Flora</h3><br>
<p>The main types of plant communities present in the area are the vegetation of inter-Andean valleys (xerophytic plants in the lower elevations and shrubs and grassland at the higher elevations) and high-altitude vegetation (Puna grasslands and patches of high Andean forest).</p><br>
<p>Plants in the range have adapted to the intense solar radiation, low temperatures, and water availability. Most plant species have pubescent leaves, an adaptation that protects the plants from water loss due to the intense solar radiation and low nighttime temperatures of the mountain climate.</p><br>
<p>Examples of typical vegetation of this area include Polylepis racemosa, Escallonia resinosa, Alnus acuminata, Senna birostris, Vallea stipularis, Lupinus spp., Vaccinium floribundum, Puya raimondii, Calamagrostis vicunarum, Festuca dolichophylla, Jarava ichu, Azorella spp., and Ranunculus macropetalus.</p><br>
<h3>Fauna</h3><br>
<p>More than 120 bird species have been reported in Huascarán National Park. The most notable include the Andean condor, the torrent duck, the puna tinamou, the brown pintail, the Andean crested duck, the white-tufted grebe, the giant coot, and the Andean gull.</p><br>
<p>Among the mammals reported in the same area are the colocolo, the Andean mountain cat, the spectacled bear, the taruca deer, the vicuña, the white-tailed deer, the puma, the northern viscacha, the long-tailed weasel, the hog-nosed skunk, and the Andean fox.</p><br>
<p>The Hotel Julien Dubuque is a hotel located in downtown Dubuque, Iowa at Second and Main streets. The hotel currently has 133 guest rooms, Caroline&#39;s restaurant, the Riverboat Lounge, the Potosa Spa, a pool and fitness center, and large banquet facilities. The interior redesign converted the existing 168 guest rooms into 133 luxury rooms and suites and restored the historic lobby and grand ballroom, while at the same time adding modern systems and amenities like a geothermal heating and cooling system, a reflective roof, a swimming pool and fitness facility. It was included as a contributing property in the Old Main Historic District in 1983 as the Julien Dubuque Motor Inn.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The history of the Hotel Julien Dubuque can be traced back to 1839, when the first lodging establishment was built at Second and Main streets. At first, the hotel was called the Waples House. The Waples House was known for fine dining and extravagant furnishings. In 1854 the hotel was renamed the Julien House. The hotel was enlarged and refurbished. It&#39;s believed that Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Julien House when he traveled to Galena, Illinois to attend to legal matters there. During the late 1800s, the hotel became a focal point of downtown Dubuque.</p><br>
<p>In 1913, the Julien House was destroyed by a fire - very little was left standing by the time the fire was over. Construction on the present building began soon after, and was completed in 1915.</p><br>
<p>During the time that Al Capone was the leader of the mob in Chicago, he reportedly owned the Julien. Capone supposedly had a fondness for Dubuque, and when he had trouble in Chicago Capone would come to Dubuque and use the Julien Inn as a retreat and hideout. Local lore says that he had an underground garage in the area in order to hide his personal cars so that he could better disguise his presence in the city.</p><br>
<p>Another famous guest of the Julien was Sylvester Stallone. Stallone stayed at the Julien Inn during the filming of the movie F.I.S.T.</p><br>
<p>Louis Pfohl eventually purchased the hotel, and remodeled the building. He was responsible for many of the features found in the hotel, such as the mirrored staircase leading from the lobby to the second floor.</p><br>
<p>The Julien Inn is currently owned by the Fischer Companies - a company that owns a number of buildings in Dubuque. In 2007, the Fischer Companies began further renovation, intending to restore the building&#39;s exterior to its original appearance, plus renovating the interior of the hotel. As part of the renovation, the hotel also received a new name: Hotel Julien Dubuque. The renovation is now complete and the hotel reopened in Summer 2009.</p><br>
<p>India Buildings is a commercial building with its principal entrance in Water Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Mainly an office building, it also contains an internal shopping arcade and the entrance to an underground station. It was built between 1924 and 1932, damaged by a bomb in 1941, and later restored to its original condition under the supervision of one of its original architects. The building, its design influenced by the Italian Renaissance and incorporating features of the American Beaux-Arts style, occupies an entire block in the city.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>India Buildings was built between 1924 and 1932. The competition for its design was won in 1923 by Arnold Thornely and Herbert J. Rowse, the assessor being Giles Gilbert Scott. It was built as a speculative venture by the shipping firm of Richard Durning Holt and Alfred Holt and Company (the Blue Funnel Line) partly for its own use, and partly for letting offices to other businesses. It was built by Dove Brothers of Islington, its steelwork being made and erected by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. The cost of the building was £1.25 million (equivalent to £ in ). The building replaced an older one on the site known as "India Building", built in the 1830s for George Holt, the father of Alfred. The new building was constructed in two stages, the first stage being alongside the earlier building, and the second stage demolishing and replacing it. India Buildings was badly damaged by bombing in 1941, and was later restored to its original condition under the supervision of Herbert J. Rowse.</p><br>
<p>The property became involved in one of the UK&#39;s largest fraud cases when it was used as collateral for large loans made by a company operated by Achilleas Kallakis and Alexander Williams. They had arranged for loans to be made in excess of the value of the buildings. This money was used to finance an expensive lifestyle including a helicopter and a plane.</p><br>
<p>India buildings was sold to an Irish company called Green Property in 2009 who still owned it in January 2013 when the former owners, Kallakis and Williams were jailed for fraud.</p><br>
<p>In August 2017 it was announced that British multinational financial services company, Legal & General had bought India Buildings. HMRC will lease ten floors of the building to house a contact centre. Around 3,500 HMRC staff are expected to start moving into the building during 2019.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<h3>Exterior</h3><br>
<p>The building occupies a whole block, and is surrounded by Water Street, Brunswick Street, Fenwick Street, and Drury Lane. It has nine storeys, a mezzanine, a basement and a sub-basement. The building is constructed on a steel frame and is clad in Portland stone. It is roofed in green Lombardic tiles. The main entrance is on Water Street, this front having 13 bays. The entrance itself consists of three tall arches that are flanked by four bronze lamps, made by the Bromsgrove Guild, their design being based on those at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. Over the entrance is an ornamental balcony. At the basement level are four decorative shop fronts, and to the right of these is an entrance to the James Street underground station. The Brunswick Street front is similar, except that its entrance has one arch rather than three. The Fenwick Street front and the Drury Lane front have 15 and 14 bays respectively.</p><br>
<h3>Sculpture</h3><br>
<p>All the sculpture on the exterior of the building is by Edward C. Thompson. The keystones in the arches over the doorways and above some of the windows are carved with cherubs. Rather than all being identical, their designs are slightly varied. A frieze runs around the building just below the level of the top floor windows. On both the Water Street and the Brunswick Street fronts and incorporated in the frieze are crests, each of which is carved with a figure of Neptune kneeling in a scallop shell, and two reclining Tritons, reflecting the building&#39;s maritime connections.</p><br>
<h3>Interior</h3><br>
<p>A shopping arcade runs through the centre of the building, with offices on all floors. The entrances in Water Street and Brunswick Street lead into foyers. Each foyer has three painted and coffered saucer domes in the ceiling, supported by fluted Ionic columns in Travertine marble. There are doors to two lifts on each side. The shopping arcade has Travertine walls and floors, and a coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling with pendant lights. Along the sides of the arcade are shops with decorative bronze fronts. Elsewhere on the ground floor are larger areas originally occupied by the bank, the Post Office and the public hall. The upper floors contain offices, some of which have retained their original layout, while others have been altered.</p><br>
<p>Public access to the arcade will be closed as part of the deal to move in 3,500 HMRC staff, with HMRC citing security reasons for the proposed decision.</p><br>
<h2>Appraisal</h2><br>
<p>India Buildings was designated as a Grade II listed building on 14 March 1975. Following a campaign by the Twentieth Century Society, its designation was raised to Grade II* on 5 November 2013. One of the reasons given for this elevation in status is its transatlantic influence, reflecting Liverpool&#39;s historic links with the United States, stating that it "emulates the most impressive early 20th-century commercial buildings of the US", particularly those in New York. Other reasons include its architectural interest, including influences from the Italian Renaissance and the American Beaux-Arts movement, and the eminence of its architects. Also noted are its planning interest, in that it follows the United States grid system of town planning, the high quality of its internal finishes, its degree of survival with its major elements having been retained, and its group value with the nearby listed buildings.</p><br>
<p>Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state park</p><br>
<p>near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet (1,812 m), it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain and also passes over the nearby Grandmother Gap. It is located at the meeting point of Avery, Caldwell (highest point), and Watauga (highest point) counties.</p><br>
<h2>Era of private ownership</h2><br>
<p>Until 2008, Grandfather Mountain was privately owned and operated as a nature preserve and tourist attraction. It was and still is best known for its mile-high swinging bridge, the highest in America, built in 1952 by Hugh Morton. The bridge links two of the mountains rocky peaks, and is known as the "swinging" bridge due to its tendency to sway in high winds. Morton inherited the mountain from his grandfather and developed the tourist attractions. He died on June 1, 2006 at the age of 85. After Mortons death, he donated all of his photographs, including many of Grandfather Mountain, Mildred the Bear, and many other aspects of life on the Mountain to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</p><br>
<h2>North Carolina State Park</h2><br>
<p>On September 29, 2008, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley announced that the state had agreed to purchase 2,600 acre of the undeveloped portions of Grandfather Mountain from the Morton family for $12 million. The area has been added to the North Carolina State Park system, becoming the 34th North Carolina state park. The Morton family established the to continue to operate the travel destination as an educational nature park. Grandfather Mountain State Park was officially established in 2009. The "backcountry" portion of the mountain that comprises the state park is now regularly (in favorable weather) patrolled by state park rangers and other state law enforcement personnel.</p><br>
<p>As part of the purchase agreement, the state acquired part of the mountain commonly referred to as the "backcountry" in fee simple, and it also acquired a conservation easement and right of first refusal over the remaining "attraction side" of the mountain. In addition, the Morton family agreed to form a new non-profit organization and transfer ownership of the attraction to it. This arrangement was made as an alternative to the state acquiring the entire mountain, because some of the traditional activities at Grandfather Mountain conflict with state park management policies.</p><br>
<p>On September 18, 2011, the park had a grand opening celebration for its first office area, which is 3 mi from the Profile Trail-head on NC 105.</p><br>
<h2>Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation</h2><br>
<p>The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Morton family in 2009 to operate the scenic travel attraction Grandfather Mountain in Linville, N.C.</p><br>
<p>The Foundation manages the roughly 720-acre property that includes the Mile High Swinging Bridge, Nature Museum and Animal Habitats. All proceeds from sales of tickets and souvenirs go toward preserving Grandfather Mountain and sharing its wonders in ways that deepen visitors&#39; appreciation of nature and inspire good stewardship of the Earth.</p><br>
<p>The mission statement of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, adopted in 2014, is: "Inspiring conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain."</p><br>
<p>The Stewardship Foundation is managed by a seven-member Board of Directors, which in turn employs the leadership and staff of the Grandfather Mountain attraction.</p><br>
<h2>Physical features</h2><br>
<p>Grandfather Mountain rises 5,946 feet above sea level, and due to the considerable elevation gain the mountain boasts 16 distinct ecological communities. The mountain is famous for its rugged character, and is home to many hidden caves and significant cliffs.</p><br>
<p>It has been reported that Grandfather Mountain has experienced some of the "highest surface wind speeds ever recorded," with unverified speeds in excess of 200 mi/h. More recently, Grandfather Mountain has upgraded their wind equipment in order to help resolve controversy over these high wind recordings. Notably however, the new equipment is located on the Swinging Bridge of the attraction. The new instruments may not record the highest wind speeds on the mountain, which extends another 684 vertical feet above the current location of the equipment.</p><br>
<p>The primary massif (ridge) of the mountain is oriented roughly north to south, and features four named peaks: Calloway Peak (5,964 ft.), Attic Window Peak (5,949 ft.), MacRae Peak (5,844 ft.), and Linville Peak (5,295 ft.). Although not as high as the adjacent Calloway and Attic Window Peaks, MacRae is much more difficult to reach due to difficult and exposed approaches from both the north and south.</p><br>
<p>Two rivers have headwaters on Grandfather Mountain, the Linville River, flowing east, and the Watauga River, flowing west. Many lesser streams originate on the slopes of Grandfather, including: Upper Boone Fork, Little Wilson Creek, Wilson Creek (North Carolina), Stack Rock Creek, and others.</p><br>
<p>On top of Grandfather Mountain, like many mountain peaks above 5000&#39; in North Carolina, grows an "island" of Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest. Though the forest was largely devastated during the 20th century by the introduction of the non-native balsam wooly adelgid, a remnant of this biome still exists on Grandfather Mountain. Many of these fir trees have been permanently bent by the high winds that often prevail from the west. In addition to fir trees, these "mountaintop island" biomes are a valuable and threatened habitat for many other flora and fauna suited to survival at higher elevation.</p><br>
<h2>Access</h2><br>
<p>The attraction side of the mountain, which includes the Mile High Swinging Bridge, is accessed via Grandfather Mountain Entrance Road. Admittance fees are charged at the main gate. Part or all of the attraction is sometimes closed due to frequently inclement weather in the late fall, winter, and spring.</p><br>
<p>Hiking and camping are free in the "backcountry" area now designated as a state park; the required permits are available at all trail heads. Those intending to enter or leave the park via the attraction must still pay admittance, however. In years previous when the whole mountain was privately owned, hikers and campers were required to pay fees. Park regulations are enforced by patrolling state park rangers. Fire is prohibited at many of the higher elevation campsites, due to high winds.</p><br>
<p>The 11 trails on the mountain vary in difficulty, from strolls through the woods to some of the most rugged and intense hiking found in the Eastern USA</p><br>
<p>The east side trails can be accessed at Boone Fork parking area, at milepost 300 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. When the parkway is closed in winter, this trailhead can still be accessed via the Asutsi trail, beginning at Serenity Farm on highway 221. The easiest east side route to Calloway Peak is to follow Tanawha Trail to the Daniel Boone Scout trail. This includes two large fixed ladders that traverse rock faces. Alternatively, a steeper but more scenic option is the Cragway trail, which is narrower and boulder strewn, but offers excellent views of the Boone Fork bowl, or "medicine valley."</p><br>
<p>The west side trails are accessed via NC 105, 0.7 miles north of the intersection with NC 184. There is a wooden sign with yellow lettering that reads "Profile Parking." This references the Profile trail, which climbs steadily for 3.1 miles before intersecting the Grandfather trail at a point 0.4 miles south of Calloway Peak, and 0.8 miles north of Attic Window Peak. It is named for the famous "Profile View" it passes, which is a rock feature resembling a human facial profile.</p><br>
<p>The Grandfather trail traverses the 2.4 miles of ridgeline between Calloway Peak and the Swinging Bridge (Linville Peak), attaining Attic Window and MacRae Peaks along the way. This trail is among the most difficult and technical in the region. In addition to significant steep elevation gain and loss, trail conditions include frequent exposure to very high winds, contiguity to several large cliffs, crossings of cracked boulders, and multiple traverses aided by fixed ladders and cables. This 2.4 miles is normally covered at below half of normal hiking pace. In favorable weather conditions this trail is considered advanced. In poor weather, (throughout the winter and much of spring), this trail should only be attempted by experienced, expert hikers, due to significant formation of ice sheets, accumulation of snow, frequent low visibility, and commonly sub-zero wind chill factors. Significantly, in the early months of 2011, the state park service closed trail access to MacRae peak, something very seldom if ever done under private ownership. The closure notice threatened violators with prosecution under a section of the NC General Statutes.</p><br>
<h2>Attractions</h2><br>
<p>One of North America&#39;s largest Highland Games, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, are held here each year, drawing in visitors from all over the world. The Highland Games celebrate the Scottish ancestry of many of the pioneers who settled around the mountain and feature traditional Scottish games and music. The Grandfather Mountain games have been called "the best" such event in the United States because of the spectacular highland setting (reminiscent of Scotland) and the great percentage of people who attend in kilts and other Scottish regalia. It is considered the largest "gathering of clans" because more different family lines are represented at this event than any other in North America.</p><br>
<p>A paved road leads to one of the mountain&#39;s several peaks (Linville Peak), and there visitors will find a museum, the famous "mile-high swinging bridge", and views of up to 100 mi - on a clear day, it is possible to see the city skyline of Charlotte. The view also overlooks the Grandfather Mountain Golf and Country Club, which lies at the base of Grandfather Mountain. It has two 18-hole golf courses, one championship and one executive, each designed by Ellis Maples. The championship course is consistently ranked as the finest mountain course in the Carolinas.</p><br>
<p>On the road to the summit there are wildlife exhibits and picnic areas. Grandfather has seven environmental habitats for black bear, river otters, cougars, bald eagles and white-tailed deer.</p><br>
<p>Mildred the Bear came to Grandfather Mountain in 1968 at age 2 from the Atlanta Zoo. She was named by Ralph Smith, a cast member of The Arthur Smith Show, which filmed Mildred for one of their songs. A 2-acre habitat for Mildred was added in 1973. Mildred died in 1993 at age 26.</p><br>
<p>Grandfather Mountain and its surrounding communities were served by the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the flood of 1940. The railroad helped make the mountain a favorite vacation spot for excursionists during the early 20th century.</p><br>
<p>The scene in the 1994 film Forrest Gump where the title character runs on a curvy mountain road was filmed here.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>Grandfather Mountain has a humid continental climate, cooler than most of the rest of North Carolina. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers are mild. The mountain receives abundant precipitation throughout the year, with a slight peak in June and September. The average snow depth peaks in February at 3 inches.</p><br>
<h2>Photo gallery</h2><br>
<h2>Nearby state parks and forests</h2><br>
<p>The following state parks are within 30 mi of Grandfather Mountain State Park:</p><br>
<p>The following are about 110 mi miles from Grandfather Mountain State Park:</p><br>
<p>Gasherbrum IV , surveyed as K3, is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.</p><br>
<p>The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three of the world&#39;s 8,000 metre peaks (if one includes Broad Peak). Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to the highly visible west face of Gasherbrum IV; but in fact, it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) and "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain."</p><br>
<h2>Notable ascents and attempts</h2><br>
<p>1958 First ascent by Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri on an Italian expedition led by Riccardo Cassin via the northeast ridge and the north summit. Traversing the pinnacled ridge to the main summit was considered the crux of the climb.</p><br>
<p>1985 First ascent of the 2,500 m high west face ("Shining Wall") by Wojciech Kurtyka (Poland) and (Austria). However, bad weather, depletion of food and fuel, and extreme exhaustion forced them to stop at the north summit. The editors of Climbing magazine considered it the greatest achievement of mountaineering in the twentieth century.</p><br>
<p>1986 First ascent of the northwest ridge by Greg Child, Tim Macartney-Snape and Tom Hargis, involving an open bivouac on the north summit. This was the second ascent of Gasherbrum IV.</p><br>
<p>1997 First complete ascent of the west face by a Korean team, via the central spur. Bang Jung-ho, Kim Tong-kwan and Yoo Huk-jae reached the summit after a sieged ascent quoted as 5.10 A3.</p><br>
<p>1999 Second ascent of the northwest ridge by Kang Yeon-ryong and Yun Chi-won, part of a 13-member Korean team.</p><br>
<p>2008 Third ascent of the northwest ridge by a Spanish team composed of Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo, José Carlos Tamayo, Mikel Zabalza, and Ferran Latorre. The team did not get to the main summit, but stopped at a minor peak a short distance from the true summit.</p><br>
<p>The Trango Towers  are a family of rock towers situated in Gilgit-Baltistan, in the north of Pakistan. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world, and every year a number of expeditions from all corners of the globe visit Karakoram to climb the difficult granite. They are located north of Baltoro Glacier, and are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a sub-range of the Karakoram range. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower at 6,286 m , the east face of which features the world&#39;s greatest nearly vertical drop.</p><br>
<h2>Structure of the group</h2><br>
<p>All of the Trango Towers lie on a ridge, trending northwest-southeast, between the Trango Glacier on the west and the Dunge Glacier on the east. Great Trango itself is a large massif, with four identifiable summits: Main (6,286 m), South or Southwest (6,250 m), East (6,231 m), and West (6,223 m). It is a complex combination of steep snow/ice gullies, steeper rock faces, and vertical to overhanging headwalls, topped by a snowy ridge system.</p><br>
<p>Just northwest of Great Trango is the Trango Tower (6,239 m), often called "Nameless Tower". This is a very large, pointed, rather symmetrical spire which juts 1,000 m out of the ridgeline. North of Trango Tower is a smaller rock spire known as "Trango Monk." To the north of this feature, the ridge becomes less rocky and loses the large granite walls that distinguish the Trango Towers group and make them so attractive to climbers; however the summits do get higher. These summits are not usually considered part of the Trango Towers group, though they share the Trango name. Trango II (6,237 m) lies northwest of the Monk, and the highest summit on the ridge, Trango Ri (6,363 m), lies northwest of Trango II.</p><br>
<p>Just southeast of Great Trango (really a part of its southeast ridge) is the Trango Pulpit (6,050 m), whose walls present similar climbing challenges to those of Great Trango itself. Further, to the south is Trango Castle (5,753 m), the last large peak along the ridge before the Baltoro Glacier.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing history</h2><br>
<p>Overall, the Trango Towers group has seen some of the most difficult and significant climbs ever accomplished, due to the combination of altitude, total height of the routes, and the steepness of the rock. All of the routes are highly technical climbs.</p><br>
<p>Trango towers have only been climbed once by Pakistani rock climbers in history. Imran Junaidi and Usman Tariq successfully reached to the summit of Trango Tower in July 2014 and opened a new route with difficulty 5.10d, A0. They are also the first locals to attempt Trango Tower, in September 2013, but were forced by heavy snowfall to descend from camp 2. Two days later, however, the team climbed a virgin line at Trango Braak, reporting difficulty of 5.10, A1</p><br>
<h3>Great Trango</h3><br>
<p>Great Trango was first climbed in 1977 by Galen Rowell, John Roskelley, Kim Schmitz, Jim Morrissey and Dennis Hennek by a route which started from the west side (Trango Glacier), and climbed a combination of ice ramps and gullies with rock faces, finishing on the upper South Face.</p><br>
<p>The east face of Great Trango was first climbed (to the East Summit) in 1984 by the Norwegians Hans Christian Doseth and Finn Dæhli, who both died on the descent.</p><br>
<p>The first successful climb of and return from the East Summit was in 1992, by Xaver Bongard and John Middendorf, via "The Grand Voyage", a route parallel to that of the ill-fated Norwegians, and the only route ever completed up the 1,340m east-southeast headwall. These two climbs have been called "perhaps the hardest big-wall climbs in the world."</p><br>
<p>The least difficult route on Great Trango is on the Northwest Face, and was climbed in 1984 by Andy Selters and Scott Woolums. This is nonetheless a very serious, technical climb.</p><br>
<h3>Trango (Nameless) Tower</h3><br>
<p>Trango (Nameless) Tower was first climbed in 1976 by the British climber Joe Brown, along with Mo Anthoine, Martin Boysen, and Malcolm Howells. There are at least eight separate routes to the summit.</p><br>
<p>After several unsuccessful attempts, the second and third ascents were achieved in 1987, with the opening of two new routes:</p><br>
<p>The Slovenian Route, better known as the Yugoslav Route, a pure, clean, logical crack route on the south-southeast face, by Slavko Cankar, and Bojan Šrot, and the Great Overhanging Dihedral Route, a spectacular and technical ascent on the western pillar, by Swiss/French team Michel "Tchouky" Fauquet, Patrick Delale, Michel Piola and Stephane Schaffter.</p><br>
<p>The first route that was freed (using fixed lines to return to a base each night), in 1988, was the Yugoslav Route by German team Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Gullich and Hartmut Munchenbach.</p><br>
<p>Another notable route is Eternal Flame (named after a Bangles song), first climbed on 20 September 1989 by Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Milan Sykora and Christoph Stiegler. This route ascends the South-East Face of the Tower, and was climbed almost entirely free.</p><br>
<p>These climbs inaugurated an era of pure rock-climbing techniques and aesthetics on high-altitude peaks.</p><br>
<p>The first female ascent, on 6 September 1990, was achieved in free climbing style, again on the Yugoslav Route, by Catherine Destivelle (with Jeff Lowe, and David Breashears filming).</p><br>
<p>In summer 2009, Franz Hinterbrandner, Mario Walder and Alexander and Thomas Huber did the first free ascent of Eternal Flame.</p><br>
<h3>Other summits</h3><br>
<p>The West summit of Great Trango and the Trango Pulpit were both first climbed in 1999. The West summit was climbed by two separate teams, one American and one Russian, almost simultaneously, by parallel routes. The American team of Alex Lowe, Jared Ogden, and Mark Synnott climbed a long, bold, highly technical line which they called "Parallel Worlds." They reported difficulties up to 5.11 and A4. The Russian team of Igor Potankin, Alexandr Odintsov, Ivan Samoilenko and Yuri Koshelenko climbed an equally proud route (Eclissi) and encountered similar technical challenges. Both climbs were nominated for the prestigious Piolet dor award in 1999. The north east face on the Pulpit was climbed by a Norwegian team ("Norwegian Direct", Robert Caspersen, Gunnar Karlsen, Per L. Skjerven, and Einar Wold) over a total of 38 days on the wall. The team reported of difficulties up to A4/5.11.</p><br>
<p>Other route over Trango Pulpit is More Czech Less Slovak route VII 7-UIAA A2 (Southeast Ridge). It was climbed 1999 Czechoslovak team (Ivo Wondracek, Tomas Rinn, Pavel Weisser, Jaro Dutka, and Michal Drasar).</p><br>
<h3>BASE jump</h3><br>
<p>On 26 August 1992, Australians Nic Feteris and Glenn Singleman climbed Great Trango and then BASE jumped from an elevation of 5,955 metres (19,537 ft) from the Northeast Face (on the other side of the Norwegian Pillar from the 1,340 metre East Face wall), landing on the northern side of the Dunge Glacier at an altitude of 4,200 metres (13,779 ft). This was the highest starting elevation for a BASE jump on record. The world record for a BASE jump starting elevation is held by Valery Rozov for the jump from a point 7,220m (23,680 ft) from Everest on 28 May 2013. Glenn Singleman and partner Heather Swan previously held the record, for their jump from 6604 meters (21,667 ft) from Meru Peak in northern India on 23 May 2006.</p><br>
<p>On 10 August 2013 Andrey Lebedev and Vladimir Murzaev performed a base jump from the same location as Feteris and Singleman on a low budget and with little fanfare.</p><br>
<h3>Recent ascents</h3><br>
<p>Some more recent ascents on Great Trango have focused on the longer routes found on the west and south sides. In particular, in 2004 Josh Wharton and Kelly Cordes completed a new, very long (2,256 metre/7,400 ft) route on the Southwest Ridge, or Azeem Ridge, to the Southwest Summit. Though not as extremely technical as the East Face routes, the climb was notable for the extremely lightweight and fast (5 days) style in which it was done.</p><br>
<p>Over 7 days in August 2005, two Slovak climbers, Gabo Cmarik and Jozef Kopold, climbed a new route, which they termed Assalam Alaikum, to the right of the Wharton/Cordes line on the south face of Great Trango. The climb comprised around 90 pitches, up to 5.11d A2. They used a lightweight style similar to that of Wharton and Cordes.</p><br>
<p>In the same month, Samuel Johnson, Jonathon Clearwater and Jeremy Frimer made the first ascent of the southwest ridge of Trango II, which they termed Severance Ridge. The route involved 1,600 m of climbing over five days, with rock climbing up to 5.11 A2 and ice and mixed climbing up to AI3 M5.</p><br>
<p>Also in August 2005, a South African team, composed of Peter Lazarus, Marianne Pretorius, James Pitman and Andreas Kiefer, climbed to the summit via the Slovenian route. Pretorius was the third woman to reach the summit.</p><br>
<p>During May/June 2008, the Norwegian route on the east face of Great Trango (1984) was repeated by the four Norwegian climbers Rolf Bae, Bjarte Bø, Sigurd Felde and Stein-Ivar Gravdal, spending 27 days in the wall to reach the summit, and three more days for the descent. This is reportedly the first repetition of the route, and thus also the first successful ascent and return. Rolf Bae died later that summer. He was one of 11 climbers who were killed in the 2008 K2 disaster.</p><br>
<p>In mid August 2009, Alexander and Thomas Huber managed to make an all free ascent of "Eternal Flame" on Nameless Tower, with climbing up to French grade 7c+.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The Trango Towers were mentioned in the Hollywood movie Point Break as one of the possible locations for a task by extreme poly athletes as part of Ozaki 8, a list of eight extreme ordeals to honor the forces of nature in their bid to achieve Nirvana.</p><br>
<p>The climb to Trango Towers (specifically Trango II) by a fictional TV character, British climber/mountaineer Oliver Cardiff, was mentioned in The Good Wife, Season 3 Episode 2, "The Death Zone". In the episode, the Trango II ascent and its depiction in a fictional book, Only in May, is discussed during a libel case proceeding for the events on an Everest climb by the same climber.</p><br>
<p>Three pieces of ultimate equipment in the video game Final Fantasy XIIs re-released International Zodiac Job System version are named after mountain peaks, including Trango Tower (Great Trango in the English release), Seitengrat (from Japans Northern Alps), and Gendarme.</p><br>
<p>Lake Manasarovar , Manas Sarovara or Mapam Yumtso, is the highest body of freshwater lake in the world, fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Tibet. The lake is revered a sacred place in four religions: Bön, Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>The Sanskrit word "Manasarovar" is a combination of two sanskrit words; "Mánas" meaning "mind (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers), intellect, intelligence, understanding, perception, sense, conscience" while "sarovara" means "a lake or large pond".</p><br>
<p>According to Hinduism, the lake was first created in the mind of the Lord Brahma after which it manifested on Earth.</p><br>
<p>The Lake Manasarovar is also known as Mapam Yumtso (; -zh圣湖, -zh圣湖 )</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Lake Manasarovar lies at 4,590 m above mean sea level, a relatively high elevation for a large freshwater lake on the mostly saline lake-studded Tibetan Plateau.</p><br>
<p>Lake Manasarovar is relatively round in shape with the circumference of 88 km. Its depth reaches a maximum depth of 90 m and its surface area is 320 km&sup2;. It is connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the natural Ganga Chhu channel. Lake Manasarovar is near the source of the Sutlej, which is the easternmost large tributary of the Sindhu. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Ghaghara, an important tributary of the Ganges.</p><br>
<p>Lake Manasarovar overflows into Lake Rakshastal which is a salt-water endorheic lake. These lakes used to be part of the Sutlej basin and were separated due to tectonic activity.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<h2>Religious significance</h2><br>
<h3>In Hinduism</h3><br>
<p>In Hinduism, Lake Manasarovar is a personification of purity, and one who drinks water from the lake will go to the abode of Shiva after death. He is believed to be cleansed of all his sins committed over even a hundred lifetimes.</p><br>
<p>Like Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar is a place of pilgrimage, attracting religious people from India, Nepal, Tibet and neighboring countries. Bathing in Manasarovar and drinking its water is believed by Hindus to cleanse all sins. Pilgrimage tours are organized regularly, especially from India, the most famous of which is the yearly "Kailash Manas Sarovar Yatra". Pilgrims come to take ceremonial baths in the waters of the lake.</p><br>
<p>Lake Manasarovar has long been viewed by the pilgrims as being nearby to the sources of four great rivers of Asia, namely the Brahmaputra, Ghaghara, Sindhu and Sutlej, thus it is an axial point which has been thronged to by pilgrims for thousands of years. The region was closed to pilgrims from the outside following the Battle of Chamdo; no foreigners were allowed between 1951 and 1980. After the 1980s it has again become a part of the Indian pilgrim trail.</p><br>
<p>According to the Hinduism, the lake was first created in the mind of Brahma after which it manifested on Earth. Hence it is called "Manasa sarovaram", which is a combination of the Sanskrit words for "mind" and "lake". The lake is also supposed to be the summer abode of the hamsa. Considered to be sacred, the hamsa is an important element in the symbology of the subcontinent, representing wisdom and beauty.</p><br>
<p>According to Hindu theology, there are five sacred lakes; collectively called Panch-Sarovar; Mansarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Pampa Sarovar and Pushkar Sarovar.</p><br>
<h3>In the Bon religion</h3><br>
<p>The Bon religion is also associated with the holy place of Zhang Zhung Meri sacred deity. When Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the Bon religion, visited Tibet for the first time – from Tagzig Wolmo Lungring – he washed in the lake.</p><br>
<h3>In Buddhism</h3><br>
<p>Buddhists associate the lake with the legendary lake Anavatapta (Sanskrit; Pali Anotatta) where Maya is believed to have conceived Buddha. The lake has a few monasteries on its shores, the most notable of which is the ancient Chiu Monastery built on a steep hill, looking as if it has been carved right out of the rock.</p><br>
<p>The lake is very popular in Buddhist literature and associated with many teachings and stories. Buddha, it is reported, stayed and meditated near this lake on several occasions. Lake Manasarovar is also the subject of the meditative Tibetan tradition, "The Jewel of Tibet". A modern narration and description of the meditation was made popular by Robert Thurman.</p><br>
<h4>Dalai Lama</h4><br>
<p>According to the legend, Lake Manasarovar is the lake in which a great Tibetan monk saw the letters "Aha", " Kha", " Mha". These three initials helped the search team to locate the current the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The three initials stand for the province, the district, and the monastery in which the current Dalai Lama was born, i.e. Ahamdho, Khunbum, and Taktser respectively.</p><br>
<h3>In Jainism</h3><br>
<p>In Jainism, Lake Manasarovar is associated with the first Tirthankara, Rishabha. As per Jain scriptures, the first Tirthankar, Bhagwan Rushabhdev, had attained nirvana on the Ashtapad Mountain. The son of Bhagwan Rushabhdev, Chakravati Bharat, had built a palace adorned with gems on the Ashtapad Mountain located in the serene Himalayas.There are many stories related to Ashtapad Maha Tirth like Kumar and Sagar&#39;s sons, Tapas Kher Parna, Ravan and Mandodri Bhakti, among many others.</p><br>
<p>The Kanmon Straits or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japan&#39;s four main islands. On the Honshu side of the water is Shimonoseki  to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu side is Kitakyushu, whose former city and present ward, Moji , gave the strait its "mon" . The straits silt up at the rate of about 15 centimetres per annum, and dredging has made it possible to build the New Kitakyushu Airport at low cost.</p><br>
<h2>Population of Kanmon area</h2><br>
<p>The total population of the Kanmon area is about 1.3 million, counting the whole of Kitakyushu (approx. one million) and Shimonoseki (approx. 300,000), although detailed definitions vary widely (see Fukuoka–Kitakyushu). The New Kitakyushu Airport opened in Kitakyushu on March 16, 2006, and is expected to bring further prosperity in the form of increased tourism and trade to the area.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<h3>Fireworks festival</h3><br>
<p>The Kanmon Straits Summer Fireworks Festival is held in August every year.</p><br>
<h3>Boat rides</h3><br>
<p>The Voyager pleasure boat departs from Moji-kō and cruises the straits.</p><br>
<h3>Helicopter and airship flights</h3><br>
<p>Helicopter joyrides are available from Kaikyo Dramaship in Moji-kō.</p><br>
<p>In October 2005, one of the world&#39;s largest airships currently flying (a Zeppelin NT imported from Germany) also passed through Moji on an all-Japan tour. This airship was purchased by Nippon Airship Corporation in June 2004 and was used in the Tokyo area and at the Aichi Expo 2005.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation across the Straits</h2><br>
<p>The Kanmon Straits can be crossed in a number of ways, the oldest of which are the ferries. There is a car ferry between Nishiminato (Kokura) and Hikinoshima (Shimonoseki) which takes about ten minutes, and a passenger ferry from Moji-ko to Shimonoseki (Karato wharf). There is also a bridge which carries an expressway. By far the most used method is a number of Kanmon Tunnels which carry the Sanyō Shinkansen, trains, cars, and even one for pedestrians at the narrowest point.</p><br>
<p>The first railway tunnel was opened on November 15, 1942. The highway tunnel was opened on March 9, 1958. The Kanmonkyo Bridge (see photo) was opened to vehicles on November 14, 1973. The Shinkansen tunnel was opened on March 10, 1975.</p><br>
<h2>Commercial importance</h2><br>
<p>The Kanmon straits is also the connection between the Sea of Japan and the Inland Sea. It is used by many cargo ships as a shortcut to Osaka and Tokyo from Korea and China. The New Kitakyushu Airport is also nearby.</p><br>
<h2>Historical significance</h2><br>
<p>Battle of Dan-no-ura</p><br>
<p>Battle of Shimonoseki Straits</p><br>
<p>Bombardment of Shimonoseki</p><br>
<p>Treaty of Shimonoseki</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>Ferries from Shimonoseki Port International Terminal:</p><br>
<p>The Kanpu ferry to Pusan in South Korea</p><br>
<p>The Orient ferry to Qingdao in China</p><br>
<p>The Orient ferry to Shanghai in China</p><br>
<p>Mount Richard-Molard also known as Mount Nimba is a mountain along the border of Côte dIvoire and Guinea in West Africa. The highest peak for both countries and the Nimba Range is at 1,752 m . The mountain is a part of the Guinea Highlands, which straddles the borders between the two countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The nearest major settlements are the town Yekepa to the west in Liberia and NZoo in Guinea.</p><br>
<h2>Toponymy</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is named after the French geographer Jacques Richard-Molard, who died in an accident at the mountain site in 1951. Before that it was called Mount Nouon.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is rich in iron ore and cobalt. The mix of iron-quartzite sheets, schists and granitogneiss have characterised the geological pedogenesis.</p><br>
<h2>Conservation</h2><br>
<p>Mount Richard-Molard lies within the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, which currently covers 17,540 hectares.</p><br>
<h2>World Heritage status</h2><br>
<p>Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a site with outstanding universal value and therefore was nominated to the World Heritage List in 1981</p><br>
<p>. Unfortunately, it has been listed as World Heritage in Danger since 1992.</p><br>
<p>This site was added to Guinea&#39;s "Tentative List" for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status on 29 March 2001 in the cultural category.</p><br>
<p>Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve has been listed as a World Heritage Site in both Guinea and Côte d&#39;Ivoire under the criteria for natural heritage.</p><br>
<p>Pearse Island is an island in western British Columbia, Canada, in the Portland Inlet, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. The island was first charted in 1793 by George Vancouver during his 1791-95 expedition. It was named by George Henry Richards, captain of HMS Plumper, circa 1860, in honour of William Alfred Rombulow Pearse of the Royal Navy, who had been commander of HMS Alert.</p><br>
<h2>Location and territorial claims</h2><br>
<p>The island is 210 km&sup2; in size. It is separated from the mainland of Alaska by the 2 km wide Pearse Canal, which forms part of the Canada–United States border in this area. The island is 56 km north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It and neighbouring islands figured in one of the territorial and marine-boundary quarrels of the Alaska boundary dispute (the island was formerly claimed by the United States).</p><br>
<h2>Features</h2><br>
<p>The former Pearse Island Indian Reserve No. 43 is on the northeast end of the island. It is now named Wil Milit as a result of the Nisga&#39;a Treaty and is no longer an Indian Reserve, but is fee-simple. Part of the island is in the Cormorant Channel Marine Provincial Park. The park and the island are destinations for wildlife viewing and diving.</p><br>
<h2>Pearse Canal Island</h2><br>
<p>Pearse Canal Island is located at the southern end of the Pearse Canal, at , and is the site of a light operated by the Canadian Hydrographic Service.</p><br>
<p>The Wyoming State Capitol is the state capitol and seat of government of the USA state of Wyoming. Built between 1886 and 1890, the capitol is located in Cheyenne and contains the chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature and well as the office of the Governor of Wyoming. It was designated a USA National Historic Landmark during 1987.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The construction of the capitol began prior to Wyoming gaining statehood. Cheyenne was born in 1867 in the path of the transcontinental railroad, when the Union Pacific crews arrived to lay tracks westward. Cheyenne soon laid claim to a higher status than older Wyoming settlements such as those at Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and the mining town of South Pass City, changing Cheyenne from a village to a city in a matter of months. The seat of the new Territorial government was established in Cheyenne in 1869.</p><br>
<p>In 1886, the Ninth Territorial Legislative Assembly authorized construction of the State Capitol. A five-member commission, appointed by Governor Francis E. Warren, was charged with the selection and purchase of the site, selection of an architect and accepting the lowest bids for construction of the building. The commission chose the firm of David W. Gibbs & Company, Architects, to draw plans and specifications. These were accepted in July 1886 and a contract issued to the lowest bidder, Adam Feick & Brothers, who broke ground on September 9, 1886.</p><br>
<p>The Tenth Territorial Legislative Assembly convened in the unfinished building. The two small wings on the east and west were completed in 1890. Crowded conditions persisted with the growth of the state and in 1915 the Thirteenth legislature approved the construction of the House and Senate Chambers, which were completed in March 1917.</p><br>
<p>The 42nd Legislature in 1974 appropriated funds for the first phase of renovation of the capitol and the project was completed in 1980. Work included stripping and staining all woodwork, painting walls in the original designs and colors, replacing wooden floor beams with steel, concrete and modernizing the wiring, heating, plumbing and air conditioning.</p><br>
<p>The building was designated a National Historic Landmark during 1987.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The capitol is located north of downtown Cheyenne. The exterior approach to the front steps of the capitol features the State Seal in granite as well as two statues. Esther Hobart Morris, who had a significant role in gaining women&#39;s suffrage in the Wyoming Territory. The statue was sculpted by Avard Fairbanks. The Act to grant women the right to vote was passed by the First Territorial Assembly and signed by Governor John Allen Campbell on December 10, 1869. Wyoming was thus first government in the world to grant women the right to vote. Morris was also appointed as the first female Justice of the Peace in the territory during 1870. Chief Washakie of the Shoshone tribe. The statue was sculpted by Dave McGary. Chief Washakie earned a reputation that lives on to this day-fierce warrior, skilled politician and diplomat, great leader of the Shoshone people, friend to white men. Washakie granted right-of-way through Shoshone land in western Wyoming to the Union Pacific Railroad, aiding the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The famed leader and warrior died at the age of 102 in 1900. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Washakie. A replica of Esther Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie are in the National Statuary Hall in the USA Capitol.</p><br>
<p>The architecture of the building is renaissance revival, reminiscent of the National Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The sandstone for the building came from a quarry in Rawlins, Wyoming and Fort Collins, Colorado. The building&#39;s cornerstone was laid on May 18, 1887, with maps, a roster of territorial officers and other papers inside. During the Centennial of the Capitol in 1987; the cornerstone was removed, these documents were replaced and the cornerstone reset.</p><br>
<p>While standing in the center of the rotunda, looking up at the base of the dome directly overhead you see the stained glass, imported from England. From underneath it sparkles with blue, purple, and green hues, but the upper side glistens with red, yellow, and orange. The Dome of the capitol is copper and it tarnished so badly in 1900 they began using gold leaf on the exterior of the dome. The 24-carat gold leaf dome is visible from all roads entering the city. It has been gilded five times, the first in 1900 and the last in 2010. A highly skilled person is needed because, if the gold leaf is touched by fingers in handling, it will disintegrate. The peak of the dome is 146 feet high, and the base is 50 feet in diameter.</p><br>
<p>The first floor rotunda is striking, with the checkerboard marble floors, columns, and impressive staircase made of cherry wood brought out from Ohio.</p><br>
<p>Four of Wyoming&#39;s five elected officials including the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer have their offices in the Capitol on the first floor. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is located a block south in the Hathaway Building.</p><br>
<p>The west wing of the first floor contain several large taxidermy specimens, including two mounted Golden Eagles and a mounted Bison which was raised with the state herd at Hot Springs State Park near Thermopolis. The bison weighed approximately 3,000. lb (1350 kg)</p><br>
<p>The Senate chamber is the west wing of the second floor building; the House chamber is in the east wing of the second floor. Each chamber contains four large murals by Allen Tupper True, who painted them during August 1917 for a cost of $500 each. The murals depicting various aspects of the culture, history, and industry of Wyoming. The murals in the Senate chamber are entitled "Indian Chief Cheyenne", "Frontier Cavalry Officer", "Pony Express Rider", and "Railroad Builders/Surveyors". The House murals are entitled "Cattlemen", "Trappers", "Homesteaders", and "Stagecoach". The ceilings of both chambers are inlaid with stained glass from the Midland Glass and Paint Company of Omaha, NE, with the Wyoming State Seal displayed in the center. Both chambers are accessible to visitors by balconies on the third floor. The House and Senate chambers also include four oil paintings by William Gollings. Two in each chamber. The wood in both chambers is oak.</p><br>
<p>The Nieuwe Kerk  is a 15th-century church in Amsterdam, located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace.</p><br>
<h2>Current uses</h2><br>
<p>The Nieuwe Kerk is no longer used for church services but is used as an exhibition space. It is also used for organ recitals. There is a café in one of the buildings attached to the church that has an entrance to the church (during opening hours). There is a museum store inside the entrance that sells postcards, books, and gifts having to do with the church and its exhibitions.</p><br>
<p>The church is used for Dutch royal investiture ceremonies (as per Article 32 of the Dutch Constitution) most recently that of King Willem-Alexander in 2013, as well as royal weddings, most recently the wedding of Willem-Alexander to Máxima in 2002. The investitures of Queens Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix also took place there.</p><br>
<h2>Burial site</h2><br>
<p>The Nieuwe Kerk is a burial site for Dutch naval heroes, including Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, Commodore Jan van Galen, and Jan van Speyk. The poet and playwright Joost van den Vondel is also buried in the church.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>After the Oude Kerk ("Old Church") grew too small for the expanding population of the town, the bishop of Utrecht in 1408 gave permission to build a second parish church, the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church"). This new church was consecrated to St. Mary and St. Catharine.</p><br>
<p>The church was damaged by the city fires of 1421 and 1452 and burned down almost entirely in 1645, after which it was rebuilt in Gothic style. It underwent major renovation in 1892–1914, which added many neo-Gothic details, and was again renovated in 1959–80. The second renovation proved expensive for the Dutch Reformed Church, forcing the church to be closed most of the time in order to save money on maintenance. To keep the church open, ownership was transferred in 1979 to a newly formed cultural foundation called the Nationale Stichting De Nieuwe Kerk.</p><br>
<p>The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the central North Island down to Wellington, where it comprises the Ruahine, Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges.</p><br>
<p>The Ruahines run northeast-southwest for 110 kilometres from inland Hawke&#39;s Bay to near Woodville. It is separated in the south from the northern end of the Tararua Range by the Manawatu Gorge.</p><br>
<p>The highest point in the Ruahines is Mangaweka, situated along the Hikurangi Range, which at 1733 metres (5686 feet) is the second highest non-volcanic mountainous peak in the North Island after Mt Hikurangi (1754 metres/5755 feet) in the Raukumara Range.</p><br>
<p>The other notable peak is Whariti (920 metres/3017 feet), which visually marks the southern end-point of the Ruahine Range. The dominant geographical landmark in the Manawatu and Southern Hawkes Bay districts, Whariti is perhaps better known in the region for its highly visible television transmission tower, which for a number of decades has rebroadcast national television services to the region.</p><br>
<p>The Rimutaka Range, often referred to as the Rimutakas or the Remutaka Range, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part, where it consists of the Ruahine, Tararua, and Rimutaka Ranges.</p><br>
<p>The 555 metre summit of the road over the range is named Remutaka Pass. The Pass was formally named on 17 December 2015 when the decision of the New Zealand Geographic Board was confirmed by the Minister of Land Information (New Zealand Gazette 141).</p><br>
<p>The Rimutakas run north-east/south-west for 55 kilometres from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley, where they join the southern end of the Tararuas, to Turakirae Head at the eastern end of Palliser Bay. The highest peak is Mount Matthews, at 940 metres.</p><br>
<p>The Wairarapa Line railway used to climb across the Rimutakas, including the famous Rimutaka Incline, a rare example of the Fell mountain railway system. It opened on 12 August 1878 and closed on 30 October 1955, when it was replaced by the Rimutaka Tunnel. The former route is now the popular Rimutaka Rail Trail and part of the Rimutaka Cycle Trail. The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust has plans to rebuild the railway from Maymorn, including the Incline, as a tourist and historical attraction.</p><br>
<p>Lake Wairarapa is a lake at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometers east of Wellington. The lake covers an area of 78 km&sup2, and at its deepest is 2.5 m. The lake is the third largest in the North Island, fractionally smaller than Lake Rotorua. The nearest town to the lake is Featherston, which is located five kilometres from its northern shore.The lake forms part of the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands Park.</p><br>
<p>The lake&#39;s catchment area is large, and includes the eastern slopes of the Rimutaka and Tararua Ranges. The lake takes water from several rivers and was originally the main outflow for the Ruamahanga. This in turn drained slowly into Palliser Bay and Cook Strait ten kilometres south near the settlement of Lake Ferry, via what is now Lake Onoke. The river, however, was diverted in the 1960s to assist flow, thereby reducing flooding for farmers. The lake today therefore covers an area significantly smaller than its historical size of around 210 km²</p><br>
<p>The area around the lake is low-lying and swampy, and recent efforts have been made to preserve its important wetland features and restore wildlife habitat that has been degraded through human use. Agriculture and river development, flood control, and waterway diversions have resulted in the drainage of large areas of the wetlands, reducing their ecological values.</p><br>
<p>Lake Wairarapa is classed as supertrophic on the trophic level index, meaning that it is highly polluted with nitrates which leach from intensified agriculture surrounding the lake. This is in line with the wider trend of agriculture polluting New Zealand rivers and lakes.</p><br>
<p>The lake has long been used by Māori as a source of readily available food, and many species of waterfowl and fish uncommon elsewhere in New Zealand can be found in or around the lake.</p><br>
<p>The Ruamahanga River runs through the southeastern North Island of New Zealand.</p><br>
<p>The river&#39;s headwaters are in the Tararua Ranges northwest of Masterton. From there it runs firstly south and then southwest for 130 km before emptying into the Cook Strait. The towns of Masterton and Martinborough are close to the banks of the river. It is joined by many other rivers, including the Tauweru River near Gladstone.</p><br>
<p>In its lower reaches, the river meanders across a large floodplain, culminating in the wetlands around the edges of Lake Wairarapa. The river once flowed into the lake, but has now been diverted. The river drains at Palliser Bay 10 km further south.</p><br>
<p>Trout fishing is a popular activity and there are many swimming holes in the upper reaches.</p><br>
<p>In popular Maori legend a Taniwha (Mythical monster) lives in the river, he has been angered since the river was diverted and is believed to have been responsible for the death of many people.</p><br>
<p>The river has now become generally polluted from sewage and farming that prevents people from swimming in the river or its tributaries.</p><br>
<p>The Kaweka Range  of mountains is located in inland Hawke&#39;s Bay in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the mountainous spine of the North Island which runs from Wellington to East Cape, including the Tararua and Ruahine ranges.</p><br>
<p>The range lies between the city of Napier, 55 km to the southeast, and Lake Taupo, 50 km to the northwest. It is the source of many rivers which flow into Hawke Bay, including among them the Tutaekuri, Mohaka, and Ngaruroro Rivers.</p><br>
<p>The highest point in the range is Kaweka J (1,724 m). The bush line varies from 1000 m to 1300 m.</p><br>
<p>A tramping track follows the ridge line of the entire range. The Kaweka challenge is a running race held annually in the range since 1990.</p><br>
<p>The Ngaruroro River is located in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It runs for a total of 164 kilometres southeast from the Kaweka Range, Kaimanawa Range and Ruahine Range and then east before emptying into Hawke Bay roughly halfway between the cities of Napier and Hastings, near the town of Clive . The river is mostly a single-thread channel down to Whanawhana , flowing through a greywacke rock gorge. Below Whanawhana, the river opens to wide braided channel and is joined by the Maraekakaho River. The Ngaruroro shares a river mouth with the Tutaekuri, Clive River and Muddy Creek. The meeting of these rivers forms the Waitangi Estuary.</p><br>
<p>The Ngaruroro is one of several rivers that helped form the alluvial Heretaunga Plains at the south end of the coast of Hawke Bay. The course of the Ngaruroro has changed several times, originally flowing down what is now the Clive River. It changed to much of its present course in 1867 during a major flood. In 1969, the bottom 4 km of river was diverted more directly to the coast (near Pakowhai Road) in an effort to reduce flooding. The Karamu and Clive remain as rivers, but drain a smaller catchment.</p><br>
<p>About 40% of the catchment is pasture, and 55% native forest.</p><br>
<p>The upper Ngaruroro drains the Kaweka Forest Park and it is used for trout fishing (mostly rainbow), rafting, tramping and deer hunting.</p><br>
<p>The Ngaruroro River recharges freshwater to the Heretaunga groundwater aquifer (in the order of 4 cubic metres per second). This aquifer feeds several streams in the area (e.g. Raupare, Irongate), in addition to pumping that supports extensive orchards of the Heretaunga Plains. Eventually the aquifer discharges to the sea in submarine springs some 20 km off the coast.</p><br>
<p>The meaning of Ngaruroro is obscure.</p><br>
<p>Forest Hill is an unincorporated community and neighborhood within the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a pre-World War II neighborhood in the North Ward. It is bounded on the west by Branch Brook Park, on the south by Bloomfield Avenue , and on the east by both Summer and Mt. Prospect Avenues, the neighborhood of Broadway. The neighborhood&#39;s ZIP code is 07104.</p><br>
<p>Forest Hill is located on a ridge between the Passaic River and the valley of the Branch Brook. It was first developed by Elias Heller, who owned a file factory in North Newark, on the Belleville border. Heller Parkway is named in his honor. From the 1870s to the 1920s, generations of wealthy Newarkers built hundreds of stately homes in the area in various styles, including Beaux-Arts, Victorian, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, and Spanish Revival. Along with their mansions, the wealthy of Forest Hill also developed scores of social and literary clubs. Other than the homes, landmarks include the old Tiffany factory. The Branch Brook branch of the Newark Public Library serves the neighborhood.</p><br>
<p>The neighborhood is well preserved, and few of the historic homes have been torn down, renovated into apartments, or transferred to institutional use. The northern part of the neighborhood is part of an official historic district. During special times throughout the year, there are special tours made possible by the New Jersey Historical Society where homeowners open their homes to visitors.</p><br>
<p>The Sydenham House located on "The Old Road to Bloomfield" (east of Branch Brook Park) and built in 1712 is the city&#39;s oldest private residence. D.J. and Elizabeth Henderson restored it in the 1950s.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>The Bloomfield Avenue, Davenport Avenue and Branch Brook Park stations of the Newark Light Rail system are all located nearby.</p><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Notable current and former residents of Forest Hill include:</p><br>
<p>Robert Altenkirch, President of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.</p><br>
<p>Peter Ballantine (1791–1883), founder of Newark&#39;s Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840.</p><br>
<p>Dean Faiello (born 1959), non-doctor convicted of killing a patient during a medical procedure.</p><br>
<p>Maria Jeritza (1887-1982), opera singer.</p><br>
<p>Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), artist and designer best known for his work in stained glass.</p><br>
<p>William Hayes Ward (1835-1916) clergyman, editor of The Independent, a leading Abolitionist newspaper.</p><br>
<p>Examilia  is a town in the municipality of Corinth, Greece. It is situated about 5 km south of Corinth, and 6 km west of Kechries .</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The town was first attested in 1676 by French archaeologist Jacob Spon as an Albanian village.</p><br>
<p>According to the inhabitants of the town they are descended from Albanian settlers that arrived in Corinth earlier than the ones of Xylokeriza. Based on Spon and Francis Wheler modern historians assume that the ancestors of Examilians had settled the area at least since the late 17th century. Examilians have been reported to not always be in good terms with the inhabitants of Xylokeriza. According to some scholars the source of these local differences is that Examilians descend from earlier settlers than the ones of Xylokeriza.</p><br>
<h2>Demographics</h2><br>
<h2>Other</h2><br>
<p>The population also has Romani minority. On February 18, 2000, clashes occurred with four police officers and the minorities.</p><br>
<h2>Sources</h2><br>
<p>The Tukituki River is found in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It flows from the Ruahine Ranges to the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of Hawke&#39;s Bay.</p><br>
<p>The river flows for 117 km, east and then northeast, passing through the town of Waipukurau before flowing into Hawke Bay close to the city of Hastings. There, the Tukituki Valley is separated from Havelock North/Hastings by the craggy range of hills that includes Te Mata Peak.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>The Maori name Tukituki roughly translates "to demolish", presumably referring to the power of the river in flood. Maori legend has it that there are two taniwha living in lake at the southern end of the river that fought over a young boy after he fell into the lake. The struggle of the two taniwha was thought to split the river into the Waipawa and Tukituki Rivers and thereby draining the lake.</p><br>
<p>Sigiriya or Sinhagiri  is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 m high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa  for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king&#39;s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.</p><br>
<p>Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Lal Sirinivas and Mirando Obesekara described Sigiriya as a post historical archeology turning point of Ravana. According to them, Sigiriya may be the Alakamandava (the City of the Gods) that was built up before 50 centuries ago by King Kuwera who was the father of Ravana (Ravan) as described in the Ramayanaya.</p><br>
<p>According to the Palm Leaf Book (Puskola potha) of Ravana Watha (About Ravana) the architecture of the Sigiriya was a person called Maya Dannanawa. He built up Sigiriya on the instructions given by King Visthavasa (Vesamuni) the father of Ravana. During that period the Sigiriya was called Alakamandava and during the period of King Kuwera it was called Cithranakuta. After the death of Ravana, Vibeeshana became the king and he shifted the kingdom to Kelaniya. As per this book, Chiththaraja had used Alakamandava as his residence. Chiththaraja was a relation of Vibeeshana and a Patrician of Yakka. It was also stated that Chiththaraja was one of a persons who helped Prince Pandukabhaya to get the kingship. Parents of Pandukabhaya were descended from the tribe of Chiththaraja.</p><br>
<p>In addition, Ravana Watha was also described that Prince Kassapa who was the son of King Daathusena has selected the Chithrakuta as his residence due to the fact that her mother was a follower of Yakka belief and also she descended from them. King Kassapa was the only king who did reconstruction and maintained the Chiththakuta as done by the king Ravana. The famous wall paintings in the Chiththakuta ( Later Sigiriya ) can be treated as displaying about the Sinhala Land i.e. Sri Lanka. The Ravana Watha explains that the picture of blue coloured lady represents the Yakka Tribe and other ladies represent the Tribes of Naga (Cobra), Deva (Divine) and Gandabhbha (Odors) and the beautiful flowers show the unity of the country.</p><br>
<p>The environment around the Sigiriya may have been inhabited since prehistoric times. There is clear evidence that the many rock shelters and caves in the vicinity were occupied by Buddhist monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BCE. The earliest evidence of human habitation at Sigiriya is the Aligala rock shelter to the east of Sigiriya rock, indicating that the area was occupied nearly five thousand years ago during the Mesolithic Period.</p><br>
<p>Buddhist monastic settlements were established during the 3rd century BCE in the western and northern slopes of the boulder-strewn hills surrounding the Sigiriya rock. Several rock shelters or caves were created during this period. These shelters were made under large boulders, with carved drip ledges around the cave mouths. Rock inscriptions are carved near the drip ledges on many of the shelters, recording the donation of the shelters to the Buddhist monastic order as residences. These were made in the period between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE.</p><br>
<p>In 477 CE, Kashyapa, the king’s son by a non-royal consort, seized the throne from King Dhatusena, following a coup assisted by Migara, the King’s nephew and army commander. The rightful heir, Moggallana, fearing for his life, fled to South India. Afraid of an attack by Moggallana, Kashyapa moved the capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to the more secure Sigiriya. During King Kashyapa’s reign (477 to 495 CE), Sigiriya was developed into a complex city and fortress. Most of the elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces, and gardens, date from this period.</p><br>
<p>The Culavamsa describes King Kashyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kashyapa murdered his father by walling him up alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his half-brother Moggallana, Dhatusenas son by the true queen. Moggallana fled to India to escape being assassinated by Kashyapa, but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka, which he considered to be rightfully his. Expecting the inevitable return of Moggallana, Kashyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress as well as a pleasure palace. Moggallana finally arrived, declared war, and defeated Kashyapa in 495 CE. During the battle Kashyapas armies abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.</p><br>
<p>The Culavamsa and folklore inform us that the battle-elephant on which Kashyapa was mounted changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as the king&#39;s having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon him altogether. It is said that being too proud to surrender he took his dagger from his waistband, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly, sheathed it, and fell dead. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, converting Sigiriya into a Buddhist monastery complex, which survived until the 13th or 14th century. After this period, no records are found on Sigiriya until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was used briefly as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy.</p><br>
<p>Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena, with Kashyapa finishing the work in honour of his father. Still other stories describe Kashyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya his pleasure palace. Even Kashyapa&#39;s eventual fate is uncertain. In some versions he is assassinated by poison administered by a concubine; in others he cuts his own throat when deserted in his final battle. Still further interpretations regard the site as the work of a Buddhist community, without a military function. This site may have been important in the competition between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.</p><br>
<h2>Archaeological remains and features</h2><br>
<p>In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British army, while returning on horseback from a trip to Pollonnuruwa, encountered the "bush covered summit of Sigiriya". Sigiriya came to the attention of antiquarians and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the Government of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work began on the entire city for the first time under this project. There was a sculpted lion&#39;s head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago.</p><br>
<p>Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lavish lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock.</p><br>
<h3>Site plan</h3><br>
<p>Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium, and the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The plan combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical plan; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface hydraulic systems, some of which are working today. The south contains a man-made reservoir; these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals.</p><br>
<h2>Frescoes</h2><br>
<p>John Still in 1907 suggested, "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery... the largest picture in the world perhaps". The paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, an area 140 metres long and 40 metres high. There are references in the graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, most have been lost forever. More frescoes, different from those on the rock face, can be seen elsewhere, for example on the ceiling of the location called the "Cobra Hood Cave".</p><br>
<p>Although the frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, the painting style is considered unique; the line and style of application of the paintings differing from Anuradhapura paintings. The lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of volume of the figures. The paint has been applied in sweeping strokes, using more pressure on one side, giving the effect of a deeper colour tone towards the edge. Other paintings of the Anuradhapura period contain similar approaches to painting, but do not have the sketchy lines of the Sigiriya style, having a distinct artists boundary line. The true identity of the ladies in these paintings still have not been confirmed. There are various ideas about their identity. Some believe that they are the ladies of the kings while others think that they are women taking part in religious observances. These pictures have a close resemblance to paintings seen in the Ajanta caves in India.</p><br>
<h2>Mirror wall</h2><br>
<p>Originally this wall was so highly polished that the king could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. Made of brick masonry and covered in highly polished white plaster, the wall is now partially covered with verses scribbled by visitors, some of them dating from as early as the 8th century. People of all types wrote on the wall, on varying subjects such as love, irony, and experiences of all sorts. Further writing on the mirror wall now has been banned for the protection of the old writings.</p><br>
<p>The Sri Lankan archaeologist Dr Senerat Paranavitana deciphered 685 verses written in the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries CE on the mirror wall. One such poem from these long-past centuries, roughly translated from Sinhala, is:"I am Budal. Came with hundreds of people to see Sigiriya. Since аll the others wrote poems, I did not!"</p><br>
<h2>Gardens</h2><br>
<p>The Gardens of the Sigiriya city are one of the most important aspects of the site, as it is among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The gardens are divided into three distinct but linked forms: water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and terraced gardens.</p><br>
<h3>Water gardens</h3><br>
<p>The water gardens can be seen in the central section of the western precinct. Three principal gardens are found here. The first garden consists of a plot surrounded by water. It is connected to the main precinct using four causeways, with gateways placed at the head of each causeway. This garden is built according to an ancient garden form known as char bagh, and is one of the oldest surviving models of this form.</p><br>
<p>The second contains two long, deep pools set on either side of the path. Two shallow, serpentine streams lead to these pools. Fountains made of circular limestone plates are placed here. Underground water conduits supply water to these fountains which are still functional, especially during the rainy season. Two large islands are located on either side of the second water garden. Summer palaces are built on the flattened surfaces of these islands. Two more islands are located farther to the north and the south. These islands are built in a manner similar to the island in the first water garden.</p><br>
<p>The third garden is situated on a higher level than the other two. It contains a large, octagonal pool with a raised podium on its northeast corner. The large brick and stone wall of the citadel is on the eastern edge of this garden.</p><br>
<p>The water gardens are built symmetrically on an east-west axis. They are connected with the outer moat on the west and the large artificial lake to the south of the Sigiriya rock. All the pools are also interlinked using an underground conduit network fed by the lake, and connected to the moats. A miniature water garden is located to the west of the first water garden, consisting of several small pools and watercourses. This recently discovered smaller garden appears to have been built after the Kashyapan period, possibly between the 10th and 13th centuries.</p><br>
<h3>Boulder gardens</h3><br>
<p>The boulder gardens consist of several large boulders linked by winding pathways. The gardens extend from the northern slopes to the southern slopes of the hills at the foot of Sigiris rock. Most of these boulders had a building or pavilion upon them; there are cuttings that were used as footings for brick walls and beams.They were used to be pushed off from the top to attack enemies when they approached.</p><br>
<h3>Terraced gardens</h3><br>
<p>The terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the Sigiriya rock. A series of terraces rises from the pathways of the boulder garden to the staircases on the rock. These have been created by the construction of brick walls, and are located in a roughly concentric plan around the rock. The path through the terraced gardens is formed by a limestone staircase. From this staircase, there is a covered path on the side of the rock, leading to the uppermost terrace where the lion staircase is situated.</p><br>
<h2>Other</h2><br>
<p>Some of the scenes from the music video for the 1982 single "Save a Prayer" by Duran Duran were filmed at the top of Sigiriya.</p><br>
<p>Sigiriya is used as the location of many of the events in the science-fiction novel The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke, although Clarke changed the name to Yakkagala ("Demon Rock") in the book.</p><br>
<p>Sigiriya is Mentioned as Dream City in T.D Ramakrishnan&#39;s Novel Sugandhi Enna Aandal Devanayaki.</p><br>
<p>View from Sigiriya Wewa.jpgSigiriya rock from Sigiriya Wewa</p><br>
<p>View from the top of Sigiriya rock.jpgViews from the top of Sigiriya rock</p><br>
<p>Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock-and-roll pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business. Reputedly the first rock and roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats "Rocket 88" was recorded there in 1951 with song composer Ike Turner on keyboards, leading the studio to claim status as the birthplace of rock & roll. Blues and R&B artists like Howlin Wolf, Junior Parker, Little Milton, B.B. King, James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, and Rosco Gordon recorded there in the early 1950s.</p><br>
<p>Rock and roll, country music, and rockabilly artists, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Feathers, Ray Harris, Warren Smith, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis, recorded there throughout the mid-to-late 1950s until the studio outgrew its Union Avenue location. Sam Phillips opened the larger Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio, better known as Phillips Recording, in 1959 to replace the older facility. Since Phillips had invested in the Holiday Inn Hotel chain earlier, he also recorded artists starting in 1963 on the label Holiday Inn Records for Kemmons Wilson. In 1957, Bill Justis recorded his Grammy Hall of Fame song "Raunchy" for Sam Phillips and worked as a musical director at Sun Records.</p><br>
<p>In 1969, Sam Phillips sold the label to Shelby Singleton, and there was no recording-related or label-related activity again in the building until the September 1985 Class of &#39;55 recording sessions with Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, produced by Chips Moman.</p><br>
<p>In 1987, the original building housing the Sun Records label and Memphis Recording Service was reopened by Gary Hardy as "Sun Studio," a recording label and tourist attraction that has attracted many notable artists, such as U2, Def Leppard, Bonnie Raitt, and Ringo Starr.</p><br>
<p>In 2005, Brian Setzer (of Stray Cats fame) released his Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records album. Although not recorded at Sun it did feature various Sun Records recordings including some hits and other more obscure songs. In 2007, Canadian rockabilly band the Kingmakers recorded a selection of originals and classics such as Elvis Presleys "Thats All Right" at Sun Studio, released as their first CD "Live at SUN Studio". In May 2009, Canadian blues artist JW-Jones recorded with blues legend Hubert Sumlin, Larry Taylor and Richard Innes for his 2010 release at the studio. In July 2009, John Mellencamp recorded nine songs for his album No Better Than This at the studio. In 2011, Chris Isaak released "Beyond the Sun," a collection of songs recorded at Sun Studio, most of which are cover versions of songs originally released on Sun Records.</p><br>
<h2>Beginnings and Phillips Records</h2><br>
<p>In January 1950, WREC radio engineer Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue with his assistant and long-time friend, Marion Keisker. Phillips had dreamed of opening his own recording studio since he was a young man, and now that it was a reality he was overjoyed. However, getting the company off the ground was not an easy task. To create revenue at the beginning, Phillips would record conventions, weddings, choirs, and even funerals. He also held an open door policy, allowing anybody to walk in and, for a small fee, record their own record. Phillips&#39; slogan for his studio was "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime." The purpose of the label was to record "negro artists of the South" who wanted to make a recording but had no place to do so. The label failed to make an impact and folded after just one release; "Boogie in the Park" by Joe Hill Louis, which sold less than 400 copies.</p><br>
<p>After the failure of Phillips Records, Phillips began working closely with other record labels such as Chess Records and Modern Records, providing demo recordings for them and recording master tapes for their artists. It was during this time that Phillips recorded what many consider to be the first rock and roll song, Jackie Brenstons "Rocket 88". Some biographers have suggested that it was Phillips inventive creativeness that led to the songs unique sound, but others put it down to the fact that the amplifier used on the record was broken, leading to a "fuzzy" sound. The Sun Studio tour lends credence to the latter, with the tour guide saying the amplifier was stuffed with wads of newspaper.</p><br>
<h2>Sun Records</h2><br>
<p>In early 1952, Phillips once again launched his own record label, this time calling it Sun Records. During his first year he recorded several artists who would go on to have successful careers. Among them were B.B. King, Joe Hill Louis, Rufus Thomas, and Howlin&#39; Wolf. Despite the number of singers who recorded there, Phillips found it increasingly difficult to keep profits up. He reportedly drove over 60,000 miles in one year to promote his artists with radio stations and distributors. To keep costs down, he would pay his artists 3% royalties instead of the usual 5% that was more common at the time. Phillips turned to alcohol when it looked like his label would once again fail, and he was put into a mental hospital at one point, reportedly getting electric shock treatment.</p><br>
<p>Rufus Thomas "Bearcat", a recording that was similar to "Hound Dog", was the first real hit for Sun in 1953. Although the song was the labels first hit, a copyright-infringement suit ensued and nearly bankrupted Phillips record label. Despite this, Phillips was able to keep his business afloat by recording several other acts, including the Prisonaires; a black quartet who were given permission to leave prison in June 1953 to record their single, "Just Walkin in the Rain", later a hit for Johnnie Ray in 1956. The song was a big enough hit that the local newspaper took an interest in the story of its recording. A few biographers have said that this article, printed in the Memphis Press-Scimitar on July 15, influenced Elvis Presley to seek out Sun to record a demo record.</p><br>
<h2>Elvis Presley</h2><br>
<p>In August 1953, fresh out of his high school graduation the previous June, the 18½ year old Presley walked into the offices of Sun. He aimed to pay for a few minutes of studio time to record a two-sided acetate disc: "My Happiness" and "Thats When Your Heartaches Begin". He would later claim he intended the record as a gift for his mother, or was merely interested in what he "sounded like", though there was a much cheaper, amateur record-making service at a nearby general store. Biographer Peter Guralnick argues that he chose Sun in the hope of being discovered. Asked by receptionist Marion Keisker what kind of singer he was, Presley responded, "I sing all kinds." When she pressed him on whom he sounded like, he repeatedly answered, "I dont sound like nobody." After he recorded, Phillips asked Keisker to note down the young mans name, which she did along with her own commentary: "Good ballad singer. Hold." Presley cut a second acetate in January 1954—"Ill Never Stand In Your Way" and "It Wouldn&#39;t Be the Same Without You"—but again nothing came of it.</p><br>
<p>Phillips, meanwhile, was always on the lookout for someone who could bring the sound of the black musicians on whom Sun focused to a broader audience. As Keisker reported, "Over and over I remember Sam saying, If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars." In June, he acquired a demo recording of a ballad, "Without You", that he thought might suit the teenaged singer. Presley came by the studio, but was unable to do it justice. Despite this, Phillips asked Presley to sing as many numbers as he knew. He was sufficiently affected by what he heard to invite two local musicians, guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and upright bass player Bill Black, to work something up with Presley for a recording session.</p><br>
<p>The session, held the evening of July 5, proved entirely unfruitful until late in the night. As they were about to give up and go home, Presley took his guitar and launched into a 1949 blues number, Arthur Crudups "Thats All Right". Moore recalled, "All of a sudden, Elvis just started singing this song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up his bass, and he started acting the fool, too, and I started playing with them. Sam, I think, had the door to the control booth open... he stuck his head out and said, What are you doing? And we said, We dont know. Well, back up, he said, try to find a place to start, and do it again." Phillips quickly began taping; this was the sound he had been looking for. Three days later, popular Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips played "Thats All Right" on his Red, Hot, and Blue show. Listeners began phoning in, eager to find out who the singer was. The interest was such that Phillips played the record repeatedly during the last two hours of his show. Interviewing Presley on-air, Phillips asked him what high school he attended in order to clarify his color for the many callers who had assumed he was black. During the next few days the trio recorded a bluegrass number, Bill Monroes "Blue Moon of Kentucky", again in a distinctive style and employing a jury-rigged echo effect that Sam Phillips dubbed "slapback". A single was pressed with "Thats All Right" on the A side and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the reverse.</p><br>
<h3>Selling Presley</h3><br>
<p>Within months Phillips saw his label expand significantly owing to the number of Presley records sold. Radio stations and record stores all over the South were eager to play them, and as Presleys profile grew over the next year, Phillips realized Sun was not large enough to break him throughout the United States. In February 1955, Phillips met with Colonel Tom Parker, a man known for his hustling skills as well as his managerial ones. Parker persuaded Phillips that Presley needed a national record label to help him further his career, and after several more months Phillips agreed to sell Presleys contract. He told Parker that he would require a $5,000 down-payment by November 15, as an advance on a $35,000 buy out fee. At the time, $35,000 was an unheard of amount of money for a recording artist&#39;s contract, especially one who had yet to prove himself on the national stage.</p><br>
<p>Although Presley didnt want to leave Sun, according to Sun engineer Jack Clement, Phillips sold his contract because he needed the money to settle debts and pay off costs still associated with Rufus Thomass "Bearcat" copyright-infringement suit. Phillips, however, insisted that he only offered Presley&#39;s contract for $35,000 because he believed it would put off any other record label from purchasing it. Regardless, Presley signed a record contract with RCA Victor in November 1955, and left Sun. Phillips used some of the money to further advance the careers of his other artists, by now featuring Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison.</p><br>
<h3>Million Dollar Quartet</h3><br>
<p>On December 4, 1956 an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash took place at Sun Studio.</p><br>
<p>The jam session seems to have happened by pure chance. Perkins, who by this time had already met success with "Blue Suede Shoes", had come into the studio that day, accompanied by his brothers Clayton and Jay and by drummer W.S. Holland, their aim being to cut some new material, including a revamped version of an old blues song, "Matchbox". Phillips, who wished to try to fatten this sparse rockabilly instrumentation, had brought in his latest acquisition, singer and piano man extraordinaire Jerry Lee Lewis, still unknown outside Memphis, to play piano on the Perkins session.</p><br>
<p>Sometime in the early afternoon, Presley dropped in to pay a casual visit accompanied by a girlfriend, Marilyn Evans. He was, at the time, the biggest name in show business, having hit the top of the singles charts five times, and topping the album charts twice in the preceding 12-month period. Less than four months earlier, he had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, pulling an unheard-of 83% of the television audience, which was estimated at 55 million, the largest in history up to that time.</p><br>
<p>After chatting with Philips in the control room, Presley listened to the playback of Perkins’ session, which he pronounced to be good. Then he went out into the studio and some time later the jam session began. At some point during the session, Sun artist Johnny Cash, who had recently enjoyed a few hits on the country charts, popped in. (Cash wrote in his autobiography Cash that he had been first to arrive at the Sun Studio that day, wanting to listen in on the Perkins recording session.) Cowboy Jack Clement was engineering that day and remembers saying to himself "I think I&#39;d be remiss not to record this" and so he did. After running through a number of songs, Elvis and girlfriend Evans slipped out as Jerry Lee pounded away on the piano. Cash claims in Cash that "no one wanted to follow Jerry Lee, not even Elvis."</p><br>
<p>During the session Phillips spotted an opportunity for some publicity and called a local newspaper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar. Bob Johnson, the newspaper’s entertainment editor, came over to the studio accompanied by a UPI representative named Leo Soroca and a photographer.</p><br>
<p>The following day, an article, written by Johnson about the session, was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title "Million Dollar Quartet". The article contained the now-famous photograph of Presley seated at the piano surrounded by Lewis, Perkins and Cash (the uncropped version of the photo also includes Evans, shown seated atop the piano). This photo proves Cash was there, but the audio doesn&#39;t provide substantial proof he joined in on the session.</p><br>
<h2>Decline</h2><br>
<p>For several years after Presley left Sun, Phillips had success with other acts. Sun Studio became known as a place that nurtured talent and then encouraged it to expand with bigger labels. In 1959, Phillips moved Sun Studio to larger premises at 639 Madison Avenue. By the mid 1960s, Phillips had lost interest in recording and had instead branched out into radio. He opened several radio stations, beginning in the late 1950s, and Sun lost its reputation as an innovative recording studio. In 1968, Sun released its last record. In 1969, Mercury Records label producer Shelby Singleton &ndash; noted for producing the Ray Stevens hit "Ahab the Arab" in 1962, and later Jeannie C. Rileys 1968 hit single "Harper Valley PTA" on his Nashville-based Plantation Records label &ndash; purchased the Sun label from Phillips. Singleton merged his operations into Sun International Corporation, which re-released and re-packaged compilations of Sun&#39;s early artists in the early 1970s. Singleton moved the firm to Nashville, and sold the building to a plumbing company, who eventually sold it to an auto parts store.</p><br>
<p>Since, Sun Records Studio has been used as a setting for the film biopics Walk the Line, Great Balls of Fire, Mystery Train and Elvis.</p><br>
<h2>Re-opening</h2><br>
<p>In 1987, ten years after Presley died, Sun Studio at 706 Union Avenue was converted back into a recording studio, and soon became a tourist attraction for Presley fans and music lovers in general. The studio was also used by several well known acts to record, including U2, Def Leppard, John Mellencamp, the Bogus Bros. and Chris Isaak & Silvertone to name a few. In 2003 it was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark tourist attraction.</p><br>
<p>Sun Studio regularly releases studio session podcasts on YouTube and on Public Television. Sun Studio have announced that PBS affiliate stations will be showing a 30-minute series of Sun Studio Sessions starting in January 2010.</p><br>
<p>The Great Sacandaga Lake  is a large lake situated in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The lake has a surface area of about 41.7 square miles at capacity, and the length is about 29 mi. The word Sacandaga means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is located in the northern parts of Fulton County and Saratoga County near the south border of the Adirondack Park. A small part of it also extends northward into southern Hamilton County. The broader, south end of the lake is northeast of the City of Johnstown and the City of Gloversville.</p><br>
<p>Great Sacandaga Lake is a reservoir created by damming the Sacandaga River. The primary purpose for the creation of the reservoir was to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga River.</p><br>
<h2>Fishing</h2><br>
<p>Fish species present in the lake are walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, rock bass, smelt, brown trout, yellow perch, landlocked salmon, pumpkinseed sunfish, and brown bullhead. There are four different access sites. There is a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch on NY-30, in the village of Northville. There is a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch at the Northampton Beach Campground near NY-30, 1.5 mi south of the village of Northville. There is a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch off County Route 110, 3 mi northeast of the village of Broadalbin. There is a state owned hard surface ramp boat launch on North Shore Road, 5 mi north of the hamlet of Edinburgh.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Damming the Sacandaga River had been proposed repeatedly over the late 19th century. Only after several large floods impacted downstream communities, such as the city of Albany, was there a serious and concerted effort by the state to explore flood control. A public benefit corporation was established to study the feasibility of the dam and later adopted a resolution proposing the dam in 1924. Construction began in the 1920s and completed in March 1930, at a cost of $12 million. The dam was constructed at Conklingville in the Town of Day, Saratoga County. 4 covered bridges and a steel railroad bridge were removed or destroyed. A new 3,075 ft bridge consisting of 21 steel spans was constructed at Batchellerville.</p><br>
<p>This 1930 bridge was replaced in 2012.</p><br>
<p>Land speculation flourished as the plan to control the river and flood a large expanse of land leaked out. Many people chose to remove houses and buildings to new sites outside of the flood zone. Many isolated farms were flooded as well as all or part of ten communities (Batchellerville, Fish House, Osborne Bridge, The Vly, Cranberry Creek, Sacandaga Park, Town of Day, Conklingville, Munsonville and Benedict). 1100 people were forced out of their homes; twenty four cemeteries holding 3,872 graves were moved. Anything left behind as the dam neared completion was burned.</p><br>
<p>The new body of water was called a "reservoir" for many years, but in the 1960s it renamed the Great Sacandaga Lake in an effort to promote tourism to the area. The reservoir is managed by the Hudson River Black River Regulating District.</p><br>
<p>Today, the local businesses benefit not only from the flood protection provided by the lake, but also from the tourist attraction and its economy that the lake has created in the area. People come from not only many local cities and towns to visit the lake for recreation, but also from other areas of the state as well as New England and New Jersey. Like many from the local region, many out-of-state residents are not only visitors, but also come to the lake to stay in their summer camps and second homes. Public access to the lake is via the many public boat launches, and public beaches; plus the campgrounds that are located on the shores of the lake. The I GO INN Restaurant is the oldest continually running establishment in the Sacandaga region, located at 241 South Shore Road, Edinburg on the crystal clear shores of the easterly side of the lake. See Adventures Around the Great Sacandaga Lake authored by Russell Dunn.</p><br>
<p>Although the lake and some lands surrounding it are owned by New York State, no public money is used to manage the reservoir. Approximately 70% of the District&#39;s revenues come from lease agreements with electrical power companies who run the hydroelectric turbines in the dam.</p><br>
<p>Located on the south shore is the David Rayfiel House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.</p><br>
<p>The Northern Pike that is recognized as the North American record fish of that species at 46 lbs. 2 oz (20.9 kg), was caught in the reservoir on September 15, 1940 by Peter Dubuc.</p><br>
<h2>Operation</h2><br>
<p>Location: Lat 43°1857", long 73°5539" (North American Datum of 1927), Saratoga County, NY, Hydrologic Unit 02020002, 800 ft upstream from right end of Conklingville Dam on Sacandaga River at Conklingville.</p><br>
<p>Period of record: January 1930 to current year. Prior to October 1969, published as "Sacandaga Reservoir at Conklingville".</p><br>
<p>Gage: Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is NGVD of 1929, adjustment of 1912.</p><br>
<p>Volubilis  is a partly excavated Berber and Roman city in Morocco situated near the city of Meknes, and commonly considered as the ancient capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC onward as a Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectare with a 2.6 km circuit of walls. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, temple and triumphal arch. Its prosperity, which was derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors.</p><br>
<p>The city fell to local tribes around 285 and was never retaken by Rome because of its remoteness and indefensibility on the south-western border of the Roman Empire. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years, first as a Latinised Christian community, then as an early Islamic settlement. In the late 8th century it became the seat of Idris ibn Abdallah, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty and the state of Morocco. By the 11th century Volubilis had been abandoned after the seat of power was relocated to Fes. Much of the local population was transferred to the new town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, about 5 km from Volubilis.</p><br>
<p>The ruins remained substantially intact until they were devastated by an earthquake in the mid-18th century and subsequently looted by Moroccan rulers seeking stone for building Meknes. It was not until the latter part of the 19th century that the site was definitively identified as that of the ancient city of Volubilis. During and after the period of French rule over Morocco, about half of the site was excavated, revealing many fine mosaics, and some of the more prominent public buildings and high-status houses were restored or reconstructed. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".</p><br>
<h2>Foundation and Roman occupation</h2><br>
<p>Built on a shallow slope below the Zerhoun mountain, Volubilis stands on a ridge above the valley of Khoumane (Xuman). It overlooks a rolling fertile plain north of the modern city of Meknes. The area around Volubilis has been inhabited at least since the Late Atlantic Neolithic, some 5,000 years ago; archaeological excavations at the site have found Neolithic pottery of design comparable to pieces found in Iberia. By the third century BC, the Phoenicians had a presence there, as evidenced by the remains of a temple to the Punic god Baal and finds of pottery and stones inscribed in the Phoenician language. The origins of its name are unknown but may be a Latinisation of the Berber word Walilt, meaning oleander, which grows along the sides of the valley.</p><br>
<p>The city lay within the kingdom of Mauretania, which became a Roman client state following the fall of Carthage in 146 BC. The Punic influence lasted for a considerable time afterwards, as the citys magistrates retained the Carthaginian title of suffete long after the end of Punic rule. Juba II of Numidia was placed on the Mauretanian throne by Augustus in 25 BC and turned his attention to building a royal capital at Volubilis. Educated in Rome and married to Cleopatra Selene II, the daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Juba and his son Ptolemy were thoroughly Romanised kings, although of Berber ancestry; their preference for Roman art and architecture was clearly reflected in the citys design.</p><br>
<p>After Claudius annexed Mauretania in 44 AD, the city grew substantially due to its wealth and prosperity, derived from the fertile lands of the province which produced valuable export commodities such as grain, olive oil and wild animals for gladiatorial spectacles. At its peak in the late 2nd century, Volubilis had around 20,000 inhabitants – a very substantial population for a Roman provincial town – and the surrounding region was also well inhabited, to judge from over 50 villas discovered in the area. It was mentioned by the 1st century AD geographer Pomponius Mela, who described it in his work De situ orbis libri III as one of "the wealthiest cities, albeit the wealthiest among small ones" in Mauretania. It is also mentioned by Pliny the Elder, and the 2nd century Antonine Itinerary refers to its location and names it as Volubilis Colonia. Its population was dominated by Romanised Berbers.</p><br>
<p>The city became the administrative centre of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. It remained loyal to Rome despite a revolt in 40–44 AD led by one of Ptolemys freedmen, Aedemon, and its inhabitants were rewarded with grants of citizenship and a ten-year exemption from taxes. The city was raised to the status of a municipium and its system of governance was overhauled, with the Punic-style suffetes replaced by annually elected duumvirs, or pairs of magistrates. However, the citys position was always tenuous; it was located on the south-eastern edge of the province, facing hostile and increasingly powerful Berber tribes. A ring of five forts located at the modern hamlets of Aïn Schkor, Bled el Gaada, Sidi Moussa, Sidi Said and Bled Takourart (ancient Tocolosida) were constructed to bolster the city&#39;s defence. Sidi Said was the base for the Cohors IV Gallorum equitata, an auxiliary cavalry unit from Gaul, while Aïn Schkor housed Spanish and Belgic cohorts. Sidi Moussa was the location of a cohort of Parthians, and Gallic and Syrian cavalry were based at Toscolosida. Rising tensions in the region near the end of the 2nd century led the emperor Marcus Aurelius to order the construction of a 2.5 km circuit of walls with eight gates and 40 towers. Volubilis was connected by road to Lixus and Tingis (modern Tangier) but had no eastwards connections with the neighbouring province of Mauretania Caesariensis, as the territory of the Berber Baquates tribe lay in between.</p><br>
<p>Rome&#39;s control over the city ended following the chaos of the Crisis of the Third Century, when the empire nearly disintegrated as a series of generals seized and lost power through civil wars, palace coups and assassinations. Around 280, Roman rule collapsed in much of Mauretania and was never re-established.In 285, the emperor Diocletian reorganised what was left of the province to retain only the coastal strip between Lixus, Tingis and Septa (modern Ceuta). Although a Roman army was based in Tingis, it was decided that it would simply be too expensive to mount a reconquest of a vulnerable border region. Occupation of the city continued, however, as fine mosaics such as that of a chariot race conducted by animals in the House of Venus can not have been created earlier than the fourth century. The end of the Roman city probably came in the form of an earthquake towards the end of the century, which buried numerous bronze statues in the wreckage of the houses.</p><br>
<h2>After the Romans</h2><br>
<p>Volubilis continued to be inhabited for centuries after the end of Roman control. It was certainly reoccupied in the sixth and seventh century, when three Christian inscriptions are dated by the provincial year. By the time the Arabs had arrived in 708, the city – its name was changed to Oualila or Walīlī – and it was inhabited by the Awraba, a Berber tribe that originated in Libya. Much of the city centre had been abandoned and was turned into a cemetery, while the centre of habitation had moved to the southwest of the city, where a new wall was built to contain the abridged Roman town.</p><br>
<p>Volubilis remained the capital of the region well into the Islamic period. Islamic coins dating to the 8th century have been found on the site, attesting to the arrival of Islam in this part of Morocco. They are concentrated outside the city walls, which suggests that Arab settlement remained distinct from the Berber settlement inside them. It was here that Moulay Idriss established the Idrisid dynasty of Morocco in 787-8. A direct descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, he escaped to Morocco from Syria following the Battle of Fakhkh in 787. He was proclaimed "imam" in Volubilis, occupied by the Awraba, under Ishaq ibn Mohammad. He married Kanza, from the Awraba, and fathered a son, Idris II, who was proclaimed imam in Volubilis. He, too, lived outside the walls of the city, along the banks of the Wadi Khoumane, where a complex has recently been excavated that may be identified with his headquarters. Idriss I conquered most of Northern Morocco during the three years of his reign, founding the city of Fes. He was assassinated in Volubilis in 791 on the orders of the caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid. On his majority Idriss II removed to Fes which served as his new capital, depriving Volubilis of its last vestiges of political significance.</p><br>
<p>A Muslim group known as the Rabedis, who had revolted in Córdoba in Al-Andalus (Andalusia in modern Spain), resettled at Volubilis in 818. Although people continued to live in Volubilis for several more centuries, it was probably almost deserted by the 14th century. Leo Africanus describes its walls and gates, as well as the tomb of Idris, guarded only by two or three castles. His body was subsequently removed to Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, 3 km, where a great mausoleum was built for it. The name of the city was forgotten and it was termed Ksar Faraoun, or the "Pharaoh&#39;s Castle", by the local people, alluding to a legend that the ancient Egyptians had built it. Nonetheless some of its buildings remained standing, albeit ruined, until as late as the 17th century when Moulay Ismail ransacked the site to provide building material for his new imperial capital at Meknes. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake caused further severe destruction. However, fortunately for posterity, English antiquarian John Windus sketched the site in 1722. In his 1725 book A Journey to Mequinez, Windus described the scene:</p><br>
<p>Visiting 95 years later in 1820, after the Lisbon earthquake had flattened the few buildings left standing, James Gray Jackson wrote:</p><br>
<p>Walter Burton Harris, a writer for The Times, visited Volubilis during his travels in Morocco between 1887–89, after the site had been identified by French archaeologists but before any serious excavations or restorations had begun. He wrote:</p><br>
<h2>Excavation, restoration and UNESCO listing</h2><br>
<p>Much of Volubilis was excavated by the French during their rule over French Morocco between 1912 and 1956, but the excavations at the site began decades earlier. From 1830, when the French conquest of Algeria began the process of extending French rule over much of northern, western and central Africa, archaeology was closely associated with French colonialism. The French army undertook scientific explorations as early as the 1830s and by the 1850s it was fashionable for French army officers to investigate Roman remains during their leave and spare time. By the late 19th century French archaeologists were undertaking an intensive effort to uncover north-west Africa&#39;s pre-Islamic past through excavations and restorations of archaeological sites. The French had a very different conception of historic preservation to that of the Moroccan Muslims. As the historian Gwendolyn Wright puts it, "the Islamic sense of history and architecture found the concept of setting off monuments entirely foreign", which "gave the French proof of the conviction that only they could fully appreciate the Moroccan past and its beauty." Emile Pauty of the Institut des Hautes Etudes Marocaines criticised the Muslims for taking the view that "the passage of time is nothing" and charged them with "let their monuments fall into ruin with as much indifference as they once showed ardour in building them."</p><br>
<p>The French programme of excavation at Volubilis and other sites in French-controlled North Africa (in Algeria and Tunisia) had a strong ideological component. Archaeology at Roman sites was used as an instrument of colonialist policy, to make a connection between the ancient Roman past and the new "Latin" societies that the French were building in North Africa. The programme involved clearing modern structures built on ancient sites, excavating Roman towns and villas and reconstructing major civic structures such as triumphal arches. Ruined cities, such as Timgad in Algeria, were excavated and cleared on a massive scale. The remains were intended to serve, as one writer has put it, as "the witness to an impulse towards Romanization".</p><br>
<p>This theme resonated with other visitors to the site. The American writer Edith Wharton visited in 1920 and highlighted what she saw as the contrast between "two dominations look at each other across the valley", the ruins of Volubilis and "the conical white town of Moulay Idriss, the Sacred City of Morocco". She saw the dead city as representing "a system, an order, a social conception that still runs through all our modern ways." In contrast, she saw the still very much alive town of Moulay Idriss as "more dead and sucked back into an unintelligible past than any broken architrave of Greece or Rome." As Sarah Bird Wright of the University of Richmond puts it, Wharton saw Volubilis as a symbol of civilisation and Moulay Idriss as one of barbarism; the subtext is that "in ransacking the Roman outpost, Islam destroyed its only chance to build a civilised society". Fortunately for Morocco, "the political stability which France is helping them to acquire will at last give their higher qualities time for fruition"—very much the theme that the French colonial authorities wanted to get across. Hilaire Belloc, too, spoke of his impression being "rather one of history and of contrast. Here you see how completely the new religion of Islam flooded and drowned the classical and Christian tradition."</p><br>
<p>The first excavations at Volubilis were carried out by the French archaeologist Henri de la Martinière between 1887 and 1892. In 1915 Hubert Lyautey, the military governor of French Morocco, commissioned the French archaeologists Marcel and Jane Dieulafoy to carry out excavations in Volubilis. Although Jane&#39;s ill-health meant that they were unable to carry out the programme of work that they drew up for Lyautey, the work went ahead anyway under Louis Chatelain. The French archaeologists were assisted by thousands of German prisoners of war who had been captured during First World War and loaned to the excavators by Lyautey. The excavations continued on and off until 1941, when the Second World War forced a halt.</p><br>
<p>Following the war, excavations resumed under the French and Moroccan authorities (following Morocco&#39;s independence in 1956) and a programme of restoration and reconstruction began. The Arch of Caracalla had already been restored in 1930–34. It was followed by the Capitoline Temple in 1962, the basilica in 1965–67 and the Tingis Gate in 1967. A number of mosaics and houses underwent conservation and restoration in 1952–55. In recent years, one of the oil production workshops in the southern end of the city has been restored and furnished with a replica Roman oil press. These restorations have not been without controversy; a review carried out for UNESCO in 1997 reported that "some of the reconstructions, such as those on the triumphal arch, the capitolium, and the oil-pressing workshop, are radical and at the limit of currently accepted practice."</p><br>
<p>From 2000 excavations carried out by University College London and the Moroccan Institut National des Sciences de l&#39;Archéologie et du Patrimoine under the direction of Elizabeth Fentress, Gaetano Palumbo and Hassan Limane revealed what should probably be interpreted as the headquarters of Idris I just below the walls of the Roman town to the west of the ancient city centre. Excavations within the walls also revealed a section of the early medieval town. Today, many artefacts found at Volubilis can be seen on display in the Rabat Archaeological Museum.</p><br>
<p>UNESCO listed Volubilis as a World Heritage Site in 1997. In the 1980s, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) organised three conferences to assess possible nominations to the World Heritage List for sites in North Africa. It was unanimously agreed that Volubilis was a good candidate for the list and in 1997 ICOMOS recommended that it be inscribed as "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire", which UNESCO accepted.</p><br>
<h2>City layout and infrastructure</h2><br>
<p>Prior to the Roman occupation, Volubilis covered an area of about 12 hectare, built on a V-shaped ridge between the Fertassa and Khoumane wadis on a roughly north-south axis. It was developed on a fairly regular pattern typical of Phoenician/Carthaginian settlements and was enclosed by a set of walls. Under the Romans, the city was expanded considerably on a northeast-southwest axis, increasing in size to about 42 hectare. Most of the city&#39;s public buildings were constructed in the older part of the city. The grand houses for which Volubilis is famous are in the newer part, behind the Decumanus Maximus (main street), which bisected the Roman-era part of the city. The decumanus was paved, with footways on either side, and was lined with arcaded porticoes on either sides, behind which were dozens of shops. The Arch of Caracalla marks the point at which the old and new cities merge. After the aqueduct fell into disrepair with the end of the Roman occupation, a new residential area was constructed to the west near the Wadi Khoumane.</p><br>
<p>The city was supplied with water by an aqueduct that ran from a spring in the hills behind the city. The aqueduct may have been constructed around 60–80 AD and was subsequently reconstructed on several occasions. An elaborate network of channels fed houses and the public baths from the municipal supply and a series of drains carried sewage and waste away to the river to be flushed. The aqueduct ran under the Decumanus Secundus, a street that ran parallel with the Decumanus Maximus, and terminated at a large fountain in the city centre near the Arch of Caracalla.</p><br>
<p>Most of the original pre-Roman city wall was built over or destroyed, but a 77 m stretch of the original wall, which was made of mud bricks on a stone foundation, can still be seen near the tumulus. The Roman city walls stretch for 2.6 km and average 1.6 m thick. Built of rubble masonry and ashlar, they are mostly still extant. The full circuit of walls had 34 towers, spaced at intervals of about one every 50 m, and six main gates that were flanked by towers. A part of the eastern wall has been reconstructed to a height of 1.5 m. The Tingis Gate, also reconstructed, marks the northern-eastern entrance to Volubilis. It was constructed in 168/169 AD – the date is known due to the discovery of a coin of that year that was deliberately embedded in the gate&#39;s stonework by its builders.</p><br>
<p>An early medieval wall stands to the west of the Arch of Caracalla; it was built after the end of the Roman occupation, apparently some time in the 5th or 6th centuries, to protect the eastern side of the city&#39;s new residential area. It was oriented in a north-south direction and was constructed using stone looted from ruined buildings elsewhere in the abandoned areas of the city.</p><br>
<h3>Commerce</h3><br>
<p>During Roman times, Volubilis was a major producer of olive oil. The remains of buildings dedicated to olive pressing are still readily visible, as are the remains of the original presses and olive mills. One such building has been reconstructed with a full-size replica of a Roman olive press. Olive oil was central to the life of the city, as it was not just a foodstuff but was also used for lamps, bathing and medicines, while the pressed olives were fed to animals or dried out and used as fuel for the bathhouses. For this reason, even some of the grandest mansions had their own olive presses. Fifty-eight oil-pressing complexes have so far been discovered in Volubilis. They housed a standard set of elements: a mill, used to crush the olives, a decantation basin to catch the oil from pressed olives, and a press that comprised a counterweight, a prelum or cross-bar and the wooden supports within which the prelum was fixed. The olives were first crushed into a paste, then put into woven baskets that were subjected to pressing. The olive oil ran out into the decantation basin, to which water was periodically added to make the lighter oil float to the surface. This was then scooped out of the basin and poured into amphorae. There is also substantial evidence of the city being a lively commercial centre. No fewer than 121 shops have been identified so far, many of them bakeries, and judging from the number of bronzes found at the site it may also have been a centre for the production or distribution of bronze artworks.</p><br>
<h2>Notable buildings</h2><br>
<p>Although only about half of Volubilis has been excavated, a number of prominent public buildings are still visible and some, notably a basilica and a triumphal arch, have been reconstructed. Many private buildings, including the mansions of the city&#39;s elite, have also been uncovered. They are especially notable for the fine mosaics that have been discovered in a number of buildings and which are still in situ in the houses where they were laid. The buildings were mostly made from locally quarried grey-blue limestone. Very little remains of the original Punic settlement, as it lies under the later Roman buildings.</p><br>
<p>A large tumulus of uncertain origin and purpose stands approximately in the middle of the excavated area, between the old and new parts of the city. Various theories have been advanced to explain it, such as that it was a burial site, a religious structure of some kind, a funerary monument or a monument to a Roman victory. However, these remain unproven hypotheses.</p><br>
<h3>Public buildings</h3><br>
<p>Two major public buildings are readily visible at the centre of the city – the basilica and the Capitoline Temple. The basilica was used for the administration of justice and the governance of the city. Completed during the reign of Macrinus in the early 3rd century, it is one of the finest Roman basilicas in Africa and is probably modelled on the one at Leptis Magna in Libya. The building is 42.2 m long by 22.3 m wide and originally had two storeys. Its interior is dominated by two rows of columns framing the apses at each end of the building where the magistrates sat. The outer wall of the basilica, which is faced with columns, overlooks the forum where markets were held. Small temples and public offices also lined the 1,300 m&sup2; forum, which would have been full of statues of emperors and local dignitaries, of which only the pedestals now remain. Not much is known about the public buildings which existed in Volubilis prior to the start of the 3rd century, as the buildings currently visible were built on the foundations of earlier structures.</p><br>
<p>The Capitoline Temple stands behind the basilica within what would originally have been an arcaded courtyard. An altar stands in the courtyard in front of 13 steps leading up to the Corinthian-columned temple, which had a single cella. The building was of great importance to civic life as it was dedicated to the three chief divinities of the Roman state, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Civic assemblies were held in front of the temple to beseech the aid of the gods or to thank them for successes in major civic undertakings such as fighting wars. The layout of the temple, facing the back wall of the basilica, is somewhat unusual and it has been suggested that it may have been built on top of an existing shrine. An inscription found in 1924 records that it was reconstructed in 218. It was partly restored in 1955 and given a more substantial restoration in 1962, reconstructing 10 of the 13 steps, the walls of the cella and the columns. There were four more small shrines within the temple precinct, one of which was dedicated to Venus.</p><br>
<p>There were five other temples in the city, of which the most notable is the so-called "Temple of Saturn" that stood on the eastern side of Volubilis. It appears to have been built on top of, or converted from, an earlier Punic temple, which may have been dedicated to Baal. It is a sanctuary with a surrounding wall and a three-sided portico. In its interior was a small temple with a cella built on a shallow podium. The temple&#39;s traditional identification with Saturn is purely hypothetical and has not generally been accepted.</p><br>
<p>Volubilis also possessed at least three sets of public baths. Some mosaics can still be seen in the Baths of Gallienus, redecorated by that emperor in the 260s to become the city&#39;s most lavish baths. The nearby north baths were the largest in the city, covering an area of about 1,500 m&sup2;. They were possibly built in the time of Hadrian.</p><br>
<h3>Triumphal arch</h3><br>
<p>The Arch of Caracalla is one of Volubilis most distinctive sights, situated at the end of the citys main street, the Decumanus Maximus. Although it is not architecturally outstanding, the triumphal arch forms a striking visual contrast with the smaller Tingis Gate at the far end of the decumanus. It was built in 217 by the citys governor, Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, to honour the emperor Caracalla and his mother Julia Domna. Caracalla was himself a North African and had recently extended Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of Romes provinces. However, by the time the arch was finished both Caracalla and Julia had been murdered by a usurper.</p><br>
<p>The arch is constructed from local stone and was originally topped by a bronze chariot pulled by six horses. Statues of nymphs poured water into carved marble basins at the foot of the arch. Caracalla and Julia Domna were represented on medallion busts, though these have been defaced. The monument was reconstructed by the French between 1930–34. However, the restoration is incomplete and of disputed accuracy. The inscription on the top of the arch was reconstructed from the fragments noticed by Windus in 1722, which had been scattered on the ground in front of the arch.</p><br>
<p>The inscription reads (after the abbreviations have been expanded):</p><br>
<p>IMPERATORI CAESARI MARCO AVRELLIO ANTONINO PIO FELICI AVGVSTO PARTHICO MAXIMO BRITTANICO MAXIMO GERMANICO MAXIMO</p><br>
<p>PONTIFICI MAXIMO TRIBVNITIA POTESTATE XX IMPERATORI IIII CONSVLI IIII PATRI PATRIAE PROCONSVLI ET IVLIAE AVGVSTAE PIAE FELICI MATRI</p><br>
<p>AVGVSTI ET CASTRORVM ET SENATVS ET PATRIAE RESPVBLICA VOLVBILITANORVM OB SINGVLAREM EIVS</p><br>
<p>ERGA VNIVERSOS ET NOVAM SVPRA OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES INDVLGENTIAM ARCVM</p><br>
<p>CVM SEIVGIBVS ET ORNAMENTIS OMNIBVS INCOHANTE ET DEDICANTE MARCO AVRELLIO</p><br>
<p>SEBASTENO PROCVRATORE AVGVSTI DEVOTISSIMO NVMINI EIVS A SOLO FACIENDVM CVRAVIT</p><br>
<p>or, in translation:</p><br>
<p>For the emperor Caesar, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the pious, fortunate Augustus, greatest victor in Parthia, greatest victor in Britain, greatest victor in Germany, Pontifex Maximus, holding tribunician power for the twentieth time, Emperor for the fourth time, Consul for the fourth time, Father of the Country, Proconsul, and for Julia Augusta Julia Domna, the pious, fortunate mother of the camp and the Senate and the country, because of his exceptional and new kindness towards all, which is greater than that of the principes that came before, the Republic of the Volubilitans took care to have this arch made from the ground up, including a chariot drawn by six horses and all the ornaments, with Marcus Aurelius Sebastenus, procurator, who is most deeply devoted to the divinity of Augustus, initiating and dedicating it.</p><br>
<h3>Houses and palaces</h3><br>
<p>The houses found at Volubilis range from richly decorated mansions to simple two-room mud-brick structures used by the citys poorer inhabitants. The citys considerable wealth is attested by the elaborate design of the houses of the wealthy, some of which have large mosaics still in situ. They have been named by archaeologists after their principal mosaics (or other finds):</p><br>
<p>The House of Orpheus in the southern part of the city thus takes its name from the large mosaic depicting Orpheus playing his harp to an audience of trees, animals and birds. As Paul MacKendrick puts it, the mosaic is rather artlessly executed, as the animals are all of different sizes and face in different directions with no relationship to Orpheus. It appears that the mosaicist simply copied patterns from a book without attempting to integrate the different elements. The mosaic is situated in the triclinium, the dining room, where the diners would have reclined on couches set against the walls and admired the central mosaic. Other mosaics can be seen in the atrium, which has a depiction of Amphitrite in a chariot pulled by a seahorse and accompanied by other sea creatures, and in the bathing rooms. One room off the main courtyard has a mosaic of a dolphin, considered by the Romans to be a lucky animal.</p><br>
<p>The House of the Athlete or Desultor, located near the forum, contains a humorous mosaic of an athlete or acrobat riding a donkey back to front while holding a cup in his outstretched hand. It may possibly represent Silenus. The most prestigious houses in the city were situated adjoining the Decumanus Maximus, behind rows of shops that lined the street under an arcade. They were entered from side streets between the shops.</p><br>
<p>The House of the Ephebe was named after a bronze statue found there. It has a prominent interior courtyard leading to a number of public rooms decorated with mosaics, including a depiction of Bacchus in a chariot being drawn by leopards.</p><br>
<p>The House of the Knight next door also has a mosaic of Bacchus, this time showing coming across the sleeping Ariadne, who later bore him six children. The house takes its name from a bronze statue of a rider found here in 1918 that is now on display in the archaeological museum in Rabat. It was a large building, with an area of about 1,700 m&sup2, and incorporated a substantial area dedicated to commercial activities including eight or nine shops opening onto the road and a large olive-pressing complex.</p><br>
<p>The House of the Labours of Hercules is named for the mosaic depicting the twelve tasks that the demigod had to perform as penance for killing his wife and children. It is thought to have been created during the reign of the emperor Commodus, who identified himself with Hercules. Jupiter, his lover Ganymede and the four seasons are depicted in another mosaic in the house. The house was of palatial size, with 41 rooms covering an area of 2,000 m&sup2;.</p><br>
<p>A building dubbed the Gordian Palace is located further up the Decumanus Maximus. It was the largest building in the city and was probably the residence of the governor, rather than the emperor Gordian III; it was rebuilt during Gordians reign in the mid-3rd century. It combined two separate houses to create a complex of 74 rooms with courtyards and private bathhouses serving both domestic and official functions. It also incorporated a colonnaded front with a dozen shops behind the colonnade, and an oil factory consisting of three oil presses and an oil store in the north-east corner of the complex. The decoration of the Gordian Palace is today quite plain with only a few scanty mosaics remaining. Despite its presumed high status, the floors seem to have been mostly rendered with opus sectile rather than decorated with mosaics. Inscriptions found in the palace testify to the citys decline and eventual fall. They record a series of treaties reached with the local Berber chieftains, increasing in number as the city became more vulnerable and the tribesmen pressed harder. By the time of the final treaty, just a few years before the fall of the city, the chieftains were being treated as virtual equals of Rome – an indication of how much Roman power in the area had declined. The last two inscribed altars, from 277 and 280, refer to a foederata et diuturna pax (a "federated and lasting peace"), though this proved to be a forlorn hope, as Volubilis fell soon afterwards.</p><br>
<p>The House of Venus, towards the eastern side of the city under a prominent cypress tree, was one of the most luxurious residences in the city. It had a set of private baths and a richly decorated interior, with fine mosaics dating from the 2nd century AD showing animal and mythological scenes. There were mosaics in seven corridors and eight rooms. The central courtyard has a fanciful mosaic depicting racing chariots in a hippodrome, drawn by teams of peacocks, geese and ducks. The mosaic of Venus for which the house is named has been removed to Tangier, but in the next-door room is a still-extant mosaic showing Diana and a companion nymph being surprised by Actaeon while bathing. Actaeon is depicted with horns beginning to sprout from his head as he is transformed by the angry goddess into a stag, before being chased down and killed by his own hunting dogs. The house appears to have been destroyed some time after the city&#39;s fall around 280; a mosaic depicting Cupids feeding birds with grain has been charred by what appears to have been a fire burning directly on top of it, perhaps resulting from the building being taken over by squatters who used the mosaic as the site of a hearth.</p><br>
<p>The same building was also the site of the discovery in 1918 of a bronze bust of outstanding quality depicting Cato the Younger. One of the most notable artefacts discovered at Volubilis, it is now on display in the Archaeological Museum in Rabat. It was still on its original pedestal when it was found by archaeologists. The bust has been dated to the time of Nero or Vespasian and may be a copy of a bust created in Cato&#39;s lifetime or shortly thereafter. Its inscription identifies its subject as the orator. Another outstanding bust, depicting a Hellenistic prince, was discovered in a bakery across the street. It seems to have been made at the same time as the Cato bust and may well have come from the House of Venus, where an empty pedestal in another room suggests that the Cato had a companion piece. The bust, which is also on display in Rabat, is usually identified as Juba II but other possibilities include Hiero II of Syracuse, Cleomenes III of Sparta, Juba I or Hannibal.</p><br>
<h3>Villa of Idris I</h3><br>
<p>Just outside the walls of the city, on the floodplain of the Oued Khoumane, was found a series of interlocking courtyard buildings, of which the largest contained a hammam, or bath. This is an L-shaped structure, with a cold room paved with flagstones and benches running along the sides. At the end is found a plunge pool with three steps leading into it. From the cold room one moved to a vestibule at the corner of the building, decorated with a relief of a shield taken from the Arch of Caracalla. From there, one moved into the warm room, still covered by a vault, and finally into the hot room. The vault of this has now been restored, but it is possible to see the channels in the floor through which the hot air passed. Beyond this a furnace heated the room, as well as the hot water which would have flowed into basins in the corners. The courtyard of which this hammam formed the western limit was large, and contained numerous large silos for grain storage. To the south of this courtyard was one evidently designed for reception, with long narrow rooms to the east and west, one of which was painted red, with a low bench or divan at one end. Further south a third courtyard, only partially excavated, seems to have been devoted to domestic use. The plan, with its large courtyards and narrow rooms, is very different from the contemporary one or two-roomed structures inside the walls, probably inhabited by the Berbers of the Awraba tribe. It is dated by coins and pottery to the reign of Idris I, and has been identified as his headquarters.</p><br>
<p>The River Lee  is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork&#39;s city centre is built, and empties into the Celtic Sea at Cork Harbour on the south coast, one of the largest natural harbours in the world. The catchment area of the River Lee is 1,253 km.</p><br>
<p>The long-term average flow rate of the River Lee is 40.4 Cubic Metres per second (m/s)</p><br>
<p>A hydro-electric scheme was built on the river, upstream from Cork City, and this part of the river now contains the Carrigadrohid and Inniscarra reservoirs. The river is crossed by 42 bridges, 29 of which are in Cork City, and one tunnel. The river also provides an 8 km stretch of salmon fishing.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<h3>Sources</h3><br>
<p>The River Lee has its source in the Shehy Mountains near Gougane Barra, where there is a forest park, chapel, hotel, and shop.</p><br>
<h3>Course</h3><br>
<p>The Lee flows from the lake of Gougane Barra as a fast paced torrent, but by the town of Ballingeary it eases and flows into Lough Allua. Departing the lough, running east, it again becomes a rapid flow before running into the Inniscarra reservoir created by Inniscarra Dam. Moving on, it flows down from the dam, in normal conditions a gentle river until it comes to Ballincollig Weir in Ballincollig Park; here it is dangerous to swimmers when in high water. The Lee then flows into the city under Inniscarra Bridge and flows parallel to the Carrigrohane road. Along this section gauges monitor the water levels from the Inniscarra Dam. The river flows over the Lee weir and then is split into the north and south channel at a sluice (it historically occupied the city area in a maze of channels). This area is popular for recreation, kayaking and fishing. The two channels join again at the Cork docks and enter the extensive estuary and harbour, south of Glanmire, passing either side of Great Island (Cobh lies on the south coast) to fill the outer harbour, and reaching the open sea between Whitegate and Crosshaven.</p><br>
<h3>Tributaries</h3><br>
<p>The upper tributaries of the Lee include the large Sullane River from near Ballyvourney (tributaries include the Foherish and Laney Rivers), the small Buinea and Glashagariff Rivers, the River Dripsey and its tributary the Ryelane, the River Bride from Crookstown via Ovens, and the Shournagh River (formed from the Blarney and Martin Rivers, and the Owennagearagh River; historically may have been the Awbeg River). City area tributaries include the combined Maglin (from Ballincollig) and Curraheen (occasionally Curragheen) Rivers, capturing the Glasheen River also and joining at the western end of the UCC complex, and the Kiln River which joins by the Christy Ring Bridge in the city centre, a little west of St. Patrick&#39;s Bridge (formed in turn from another Bride River and the Kilnap or Glennamought River, later joined by the Glen River). Estuarine tributaries include Glashaboy River, passing Glanmire (main tributaries the Black Brook, Cloghnageshee River and Butterstown River), the Douglas or Tramore River (joined by the Trabeg River as it flows into the Douglas Channel, its estuary) which drains parts of the southern city, Owennacurra River (joined by the Dungurney River at Midleton), and the Owenaboy River almost at the final mouth of the outer Lee estuary (the Liberty Stream joins this river, with significant flows from Cork Airport).</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>Recreation activities on the Lee include sailing, from a sailing club based on Inniscarra lake, where people also swim. There is a kayak club based on the Lee Road. Water skiing also takes place on Inniscarra lake and several rowing clubs are based on the Lee including the "Lee Rowing Club" and "Shandon Boat Club". Anglers are common at the banks of the Lee Fields.</p><br>
<h2>Flooding</h2><br>
<p>Tidal considerations, combined with low-lying urban developments, and later dam management contribute to repeated flooding events on the Lee. For example, specific streets in Cork city centre have been affected by floods more than 100 times since the mid-19th century.</p><br>
<p>In late 2009 the river flooded, causing some of the most significant damage in Cork city for a number of centuries. The Lee Water Station was forced to shut down after being submerged under six metres of water, and resulted in 40% of Cork City (50,000 people) being without running water for over a week.</p><br>
<p>Independent.ie&#39;s summary on the flood</p><br>
<p>Lower-lying parts of the University College Cork campus were also flooded extensively, resulting in lectures being cancelled throughout the week. UCCs Notification webpage on the floods There was severe damage to the universitys then newly built IT building, the Western Gateway Building, situated next to the river on a known floodplain, where for example a 300-seat auditorium was flooded to near ceiling height. PDF file on the damages</p><br>
<p>To prevent issues upstream, the ESB made a controversial decision to release water from the Inniscarra hydro-electric dam. This released 535 tonnes of water per second into the already flooded river, raising the flood to 1.5 metres in parts of the city centre. The ESB insisted this was an essential move, and if water had not been released, the flooding would have been much worse. Independent.ie News article on ESB&#39;s decision</p><br>
<p>Junipero Serra Peak is the highest mountain in the Santa Lucia Mountains of California. It is also the highest peak in Monterey County. It is named after Franciscan Friar Junípero Serra, founder of the California Missions.</p><br>
<h2>Toponymy</h2><br>
<p>It was originally named Santa Lucia Peak, as it is the highest point in the range of the same name. Wanting to honor Junípero Serra, the Native Daughters of the Golden West had bestowed his name upon a Sierra Nevada peak in June 1905. However, the Sierra Club recommended that the name be transferred to Santa Lucia Peak. The United States Board on Geographic Names officially approved the name change in 1906</p><br>
<p>finding that Junípero Serra was familiar with the Santa Lucia Mountains, but in all likelihood he had never encountered the Sierra Nevada.</p><br>
<p>The peak is also sometimes called Pimkolam, its ancient Salinan Native American name.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>Since the peak is over 5,000 feet (1,500 m), temperatures in winter are low enough to support snowfall and relatively high amounts of precipitation compared to the Salinas Valley and places farther east in the Coast Ranges.</p><br>
<h2>Indians Fire</h2><br>
<p>Along with much of the southern Ventana Wilderness, Junipero Serra was burned extensively in the 2008 Indians fire.</p><br>
<p>Maria Cristina Falls is a waterfall of the Agus River on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is sometimes called the "twin falls" as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. It is a landmark of Iligan City, nicknamed the City of Majestic Waterfalls, because of the presence of more than 20 waterfalls in the city. It is located 9.3 kilometers away southwest of the city proper at the boundaries of Barangays Maria Cristina, Ditucalan, and Buru-un. Known for its natural grandeur, the 320 - feet  high waterfall is also the primary source of electric power for the city&#39;s industries, being harnessed by the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant.</p><br>
<h2>Agus VI hydroelectric plant</h2><br>
<p>Maria Cristina Falls powers the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant, one of the several hydroelectric plants that harness Agus River. The power plant has a 200 MW potential capacity supplied by a water flow of about 130 cubic meters per second.</p><br>
<p>Agus VI is operated by the National Power Corporation and was commissioned on May 31, 1953. Under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo&#39;s Mindanao Super Region development plan, the Agus VI is planned to undergo a 1.856-billion-peso upgrading project.</p><br>
<p>The Piton des Neiges  is a massive 3,069 m  shield volcano on Réunion, one of the French volcanic islands in the Mascarene Archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is located about 800 km east of Madagascar. Piton des Neiges is the highest point on Réunion and is considered to be the highest point in the Indian Ocean. The volcano was formed by the Réunion hotspot and emerged from the sea about two million years ago. Now deeply eroded, the volcano has been inactive for 20,000 years and is surrounded by three massive crater valleys, the Cirques. Piton des Neiges forms the northwestern two thirds of Réunion, with the very active Piton de la Fournaise comprising the rest. Despite its name, snow  practically never falls on the summit.</p><br>
<p>The volcanic island is considered to be about three million years old (Pliocene); the other two islands in the archipelago, Mauritius and Rodrigues, are 7.8 million (Miocene) and 1½ million (Pleistocene) years old, respectively. The island possesses a high endemism of flowering plants (about 225); this has justified the creation of a biological reserve on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>There are three medium-difficulty tracks leading up to the peak, one from the Cirque de Salazie, one from the Cirque de Cilaos and one from La Plaine des Cafres. They meet at a staffed mountain hut about an hour&#39;s walk below the peak at la Caverne Dufour. Walkers often arrive there after a long day trek up the mountain, and start out very early the next day to watch the sunrise from the summit. The hike can be done in a long one-day 10- to 12-hour hike, but it is often preferable to make it a two-day hike - many hikers like to get up early on the second day and make the (easy) remaining ascent with torches, so as to see the sunrise from the mountaintop. The mountain hut offers heated indoor lodging, outdoor tent lodging, and meals. It is best to make reservations.</p><br>
<p>The hike starting from Cilaos is about 6.5 hours up and 4 hours down. To reach the start of the hike, drive through Cilaos toward la Mare à St Joseph. About 3 km (1.9 mi) past Cilaos, you will see a sign and some parking on both sides of the street. You may also leave your car downtown and follow the road to the trail head (sometimes there is no parking at the trail head). The hike is very steep (a climb of 1700m or 5,577 ft from trail head, almost 2000m or 6,562 ft from downtown), and one should be cautious if the trail is wet. The trail is well marked.</p><br>
<p>The hike starting from la Plaine des Cafres is about 8 hours up and 5 hours down with a change in elevation of 1700m (5,577 ft). To access the hike, follow RN3 past Le Tampon, all the way to La Plaine des Cafres and Bourg Murat. 2.5 km (1.6 mi) after Bourg Murat, take a left on the GR R2 road toward Savane Mare à Boue, follow for 2 km (1.2 mi) and park at the trail head. The trail is well marked.</p><br>
<p>Archibald Gracie Mansion  is the official residence of the Mayor of the City of New York. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan. The mansion overlooks Hell Gate channel in the East River.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Before construction</h3><br>
<p>George Washington commandeered a different building on approximately the same site, during the American Revolutionary War, as it strategically overlooked Hell Gate. That building, called Belview Mansion, was the country residence of Jacob Walton, a New York merchant. The British destroyed this house during that war.</p><br>
<p>Archibald Gracie then built another building, now known as Gracie Mansion, on the site in 1799, and used it as a country home until 1823, when he had to sell it to pay debts. In the fall of 1801, Gracie hosted a meeting there of New York Federalists, called by Alexander Hamilton, to raise $10,000 for starting the New York Evening Post newspaper, which eventually became the New York Post.</p><br>
<h3>Later history</h3><br>
<p>Other people lived in the house until 1896, when the municipal government seized it and made its grounds part of Carl Schurz Park. It served various functions as part of that park (at various times it housed public restrooms, an ice cream stand, and classrooms) until 1924. From 1924 until 1936, it housed the Museum of the City of New York, and from 1936 until 1942, it was shown as a historical house.</p><br>
<p>In 1942, Robert Moses convinced Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia to appropriate the house as a mayoral residence. Its main two floors are open to the public on a limited basis for guided tours and serve as a small museum.</p><br>
<p>It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.</p><br>
<h3>Recent usage</h3><br>
<p>The house may only be used for official city business. Only visiting public officials and the mayor&#39;s family may reside with the mayor at the mansion, even for a single overnight stay.</p><br>
<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg never resided at Gracie Mansion, although he used it for meetings and events and used the Mansion as a place for official visitors to stay while in the city. At the beginning of Bloomberg&#39;s term he initiated a major restoration of the mansion, funded by an anonymous donor, suspected of being the billionaire mayor himself.</p><br>
<p>Mayor Bill de Blasio and his family currently live in Gracie Mansion.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>Archibald Gracie built the two-story wooden mansion in the Federal style. The design of the structure is attributed to Ezra Weeks, a prominent builder or John McComb, Jr., the architect of New York City Hall and Hamilton Grange, Alexander Hamilton&#39;s country home in Harlem, New York.</p><br>
<p>By suggestion of Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.&#39;s wife, Susan, plans were initiated for a new west wing, completed in 1966. The architect of the Susan B. Wagner Wing, as it is now called, was Mott B. Schmidt. Though criticized at the time for not being "modern," the wing has come to be regarded as an appropriate solution to the problem of expanding the small house for official functions. The Gracie Mansion Conservancy restored portions of the building during 1981-84, and made substantial decorative and functional restorations in 2002.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The mansion is featured in the film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974).</p><br>
<p>The mansion is featured in the film Ghostbusters II (1989), when the title characters visit the mayor regarding the imminent takeover of New York City by ghosts.</p><br>
<p>Gracie Mansion is also seen in the movie City Hall (1996), featuring Al Pacino and John Cusack.</p><br>
<p>The mansion and its surroundings play a prominent role in the novel Hell Gate (2010), by Linda Fairstein.</p><br>
<p>The original footage from the TV show The Yule Log was filmed on 16 mm film at Gracie Mansion and shown from 1966 to 1969 on WPIX-TV.</p><br>
<p>In Mad Men, the mansion is mentioned by Bert Cooper in the episode entitled "New Amsterdam" (season 1, ep. 04) after Don fires Pete Campbell and is summoned to account for his actions.</p><br>
<p>Kleinhans Music Hall, is a 2,400 seat music venue located on Symphony Circle in Buffalo, New York. The home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, was built in the late 1930s and opened October 1940. The music hall was built as a part of the last will and testament of Edward L. and Mary Seaton Kleinhans, owners of the Kleinhans mens clothing store. The couple left close to 1 million dollars for the music halls construction. The building was designed by Eliel Saarinen with his son, Eero Saarinen and "was recognized as one of the greatest concert halls ever built in the United States". It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and "is renowned for its acoustical excellence and graceful architecture."</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>George F. Rand, the chairman of the Buffalo Foundation (the Kleinhans executors), liked the work of local architects and brothers, F.J. and William Kidd. (The Kidd brothers designed Buffalos Rand Building, built in 1929 and located at Lafayette Square.) In May 1938, the brothers were hired as architects for the music hall. However, their designs were criticized by Esther Link, who had been shown the Kidd drawings by Buffalo Foundation lawyer, Edward P. Letchworth. Link, without any formal architectural education, was a high school music teacher who had travelled in Europe, and had a strong familiarity with architects and artists. She was an admirer of architect Eliel Saarinen, particularly for his design of the central railroad terminal in Helsinki. In July 1938, upon Letchworths request, Link drafted a letter detailing her passion for Saarinens work and the future of Kleinhans music hall. The Buffalo Foundation agreed to offer Saarinen the position of consultant. Saarinen declined. Letchworth did not want to undermine Rand and the Kidd brothers. In September 1938, Letchworth met with Saarinen and his son Eero, and the Kidd Firm. They all agreed that Saarinen would be "designing architect" while Kidd would oversee the project. Saarinen quickly submitted his design one month later.</p><br>
<p>When completed, the cost of the Hall reached $1,500,000, and included funds from President Roosevelt&#39;s Public Works Administration in addition to the $1,000,000 from the estate of Edward L. and Mary Seaton Kleinhans. Kleinhans opened October 19, 1940 with a concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic under Maestro Franco Autori.</p><br>
<h3>Notable events</h3><br>
<p>On November 13, 1949, Margaret Truman, President Trumans daughter, performed in front of a crowd of 1,800 at Kleinhans with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She performed Mozarts Dove Song from The marriage of Figaro, Glazunovs "La Premavare", and "O Mio Bambino" from Puccinis Gianni Schicchi as an encore.</p><br>
<p>On November 9, 1967, four months after the city was rocked by the Buffalo riot, Dr. Martin Luther King visited Kleinhans, and in a speech titled "The Future of Integration" before about 2,500 persons and sponsored by the Graduate Student Association at the University at Buffalo proclaimed: "We are moving toward the day when we will judge a man by his character and ability instead of by the color of his skin."</p><br>
<p>On September 8, 1964, Robert F. Kennedy, then the Democratic candidate to become a United States Senator from New York, gave a speech at Kleinhans in front of a crowd of 6,000 people. The campaign event took place just 10 months after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.</p><br>
<p>The Arabat Spit  or Arabat Arrow is a spit  which separates a large, shallow and very salty system of lagoons named Syvash from the Sea of Azov. The spit is located between the Henichesk Strait to the north and the north-eastern shores of Crimea to the south.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>The spit is commonly called the Arabat Arrow (Арабатська стрілка, Arabatska strilka; Arabat beli; Арабатская стрелка, Arabatskaya strelka) in Russia and Ukraine. "Arrow" is not an idiomatic Russian or Ukrainian name for "spit", rather this peninsula is called an arrow for unknown reasons, perhaps because it is very long and thin and rather straight.</p><br>
<p>The Arabat part of the name presumably comes from the Arabat Fortress, a 17th-century Turkish fort at the southern end of the spit. "Arabat" derives from either Arabic "rabat" meaning a "military post" or Turkic "arabat" meaning a "suburb".</p><br>
<h2>Geography and geology</h2><br>
<p>The Arabat Arrow is 112 km long, and from 0.270 to 8 km wide; its surface area is 395 km&sup2; and thus the average width is 3.5 km. The spit is low and straight on the Azov Sea side, whereas its Sivash side is more convoluted. It contains two areas which are 7 – wide and have brown-clay hills; they are located 7.5 km and 32 km from the Henichesk Strait. The top layers of other parts of the spit are formed by sand and shells washed by the flows of the Azov Sea. Its vegetation mostly consists of various weed grasses, thorn, festuce grasses, spear grass, crambe, salsola, salicornia, Carex colchica, tamarisk, rose hip, liquorice, etc. Offshore water is shallow with the depth reaching 2 m only some 100 – from the shore. Its temperature is around 0 &deg;C in winter (near freezing), 10 – in spring and autumn, and 25 – in summer; air temperature is almost the same.</p><br>
<p>The spit is very young and was created by sedimentation processes around 1100–1200 AD.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The Arabat Arrow was wild until 1835 when a road and five stations at 25 – intervals were built along it for postal delivery. Later in the 19th century, 25 rural and 3 military settlements and one village named Arabat appeared on the spit. The rural population amounted to some 235 people whose occupation was mostly fishing, farming and salt production. The latter activity is traditional for the region due to the vast areas of shallow and very saline water in the Sivash lagoons. Salt production in the 19th century was about 24,000 to ST/year abbr=off on the Arabat Arrow alone.</p><br>
<p>Nowadays, the spit is a health resort and its Azov Sea side is used as a beach.</p><br>
<p>While the spit is geophysically a part of the Crimean Peninsula, politically its northern half belongs to Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, while its southern portion is, de facto since 2014, a part of the Russian Republic of Crimea. The entirety of the spit was occupied during the annexation, although Russia withdrew its forces from the northern Kherson side in December 2014.</p><br>
<h2>Populated places</h2><br>
<p>The rural communities of Henicheska Hirka, Shchaslyvtseve and Strilkove are located in the northern section of the spit, within the Kherson Oblast. The community of Solyane is located in the southern part of the spit, administered as part of the Republic of Crimea.</p><br>
<p>Lake Vidraru  is an artificial lake in Romania. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Vidraru Dam on the Argeș River.</p><br>
<p>It lies in the shadow of the Făgăraș Mountains. A village lies submerged at the bottom of this lake.</p><br>
<p>Vidraru Lake is a reservoir lake created in 1965 on the Arges River for Hydroelectricity. It has 465 million cubic metres of water, with a length of 10.3 km and a width of 2.2 km, thus accumulating a total area of 870 hectares and maximum depth of 155 metres.</p><br>
<p>An underground power station is situated in a massive Cetatuia to a depth of 104 metres and can provide annual energy production of 400 GWh. In an average hydrological year, Vidraru hydroelectric power plant, can produce approximately 400 GWh of electricity. It has an installed capacity of 220 MW. Mount Plesa was famous statue Energia of Prometheus by lightning in his hand, a symbol of electricity.</p><br>
<p>Situated between the mountains and the Massif Ghitu brow, the rivers Capra, Buda and several direct tributaries (River Lady, and Valsan Cernatul, topology, Valea lui Stan and clear) flow into the lake, with a total flow of about 5.5 m3 / s.</p><br>
<p>The total area of the lake is 893 ha, length of 10.3 kilometers, maximum width of 2.2 km in the Wolf Valley – mantis and a circumference of 28 km.</p><br>
<p>Maximum water depth is 155 m high curved dam near 166 m with a length of 307 metres crown. Water volume is 465 million m³. The normal retention is 830.00 metres above sea level (mdM).</p><br>
<p>The construction of the Vidraru dam took five and a half years starting in 1960. For this achievement, it took 42 km of underground tunnel excavation through 1.768 million m3 of rock, of which about 1 million underground bands have 930,000 m3 of concrete of which 400,000 m3 underground and also were installed 6300 tonnes of electromechanical equipment.</p><br>
<p>On completion it was located, measured in height, approximately the 8th place in Europe and ranked 20th in the world.</p><br>
<p>On Lake Vidraru, people can practice the extreme sport of bungee jumping. Only a few hundred metres of the dam tourists can go to the House Argeseana “and the pier where the practice of leisure boat racing.</p><br>
<p>The town of Curtea de Arges coming to DN1 (Cartisoara village, SB), the road passing through hydropower plant to Vidraru the dam, followed by right lake is spectacular Vidraru Transfagarasan (DN7C).</p><br>
<p>The Chambly Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in the Province of Quebec, running along the Richelieu River past Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Carignan, and Chambly. Building commenced in 1831 and the canal opened in 1843. It served as a major commercial route during a time of heightened trade between the United States and Canada. Trade dwindled after World War I, and as of the 1970s, traffic has been replaced by recreational vessels.</p><br>
<p>It is part of a waterway that connects the Saint Lawrence River with the Hudson River in the United States. Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal form the USA portion of the Lakes to Locks Passage.</p><br>
<p>The Canal has 10 bridges—8 of which are hand operated—and nine hydraulic locks.</p><br>
<p>Draft: 6.5 ft</p><br>
<p>Clearance: 29 ft</p><br>
<p>Canal Length: 12 km</p><br>
<p>Dimensions of smallest lock: 110 x</p><br>
<p>Passage time: 3 to 5 hours</p><br>
<p>The Beaulieu River, formerly known as the River Exe, is a small river flowing through the New Forest in the county of Hampshire in southern England. The river is some 12 mi long, of which the last 4 mi are tidal. Unusually, the entire river, including its bed, is owned by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.</p><br>
<p>The Beaulieu River rises near Lyndhurst in the centre of the New Forest, and flows east and then south across the forest heaths to the village of Beaulieu. At Beaulieu the river becomes tidal and once drove a tide mill in the village. Below Beaulieu the tidal river continues to flow south-east through the Forest, passing the village of Bucklers Hard and entering the sea at the Solent.</p><br>
<p>The tidal river below Beaulieu village is navigable to small craft. Bucklers Hard was once a significant shipbuilding centre, building many wooden sailing ships, both merchant and naval, including Nelson&#39;s Agamemnon.</p><br>
<p>Since 2000 the navigable channel at the entrance to the river has been marked by a lighthouse known as the Millennium Lighthouse or the Beaulieu River Beacon.</p><br>
<p>For its final kilometre, it is separated from The Solent by a raised area of salt marsh known as Gull Island.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>The current name "Beaulieu" is French, meaning "beautiful place".</p><br>
<p>The original name, "Exe", is Brythonic, deriving from the Ancient British word *Iska meaning "fishes" or "fish-place" and cognate with the modern Welsh word Pysg (fishes).This derivation applies to many similarly named rivers throughout Britain including the Axe, Exe and Usk, with the names evolving local distinctions over the centuries.</p><br>
<h2>Film appearances</h2><br>
<p>The river was used as a backdrop for some scenes of the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons &ndash; the tree-lined waters were used to portray the 16th century River Thames.</p><br>
<p>The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark located at 304 South Broadway at West 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles, California. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, and their ornate ironwork. The building was commissioned by Los Angeles gold-mining millionaire Lewis L. Bradbury and constructed by draftsman George Wyman from the original design by Sumner Hunt. It appears in many works of fiction and has been the site of many movie and television shoots and music videos.</p><br>
<p>The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, one of only four office buildings in Los Angeles to be so honored. It was also designated a landmark by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and is the city&#39;s oldest landmarked building.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Lewis L. Bradbury (November 6, 1823 – July 15, 1892) was a gold-mining millionaire but Bradbury dismissed Hunts plans as inadequate to the grand building he wanted. He then hired George Wyman, one of Hunts draftsmen, to do the design. Bradbury supposedly felt that Wyman understood his own vision of the building better than Hunt did, but there is no concrete evidence that Wyman changed Hunt&#39;s design, which has raised some controversy about who should be considered to be the architect of the building. Wyman had no formal education as an architect, and was working for Hunt for $5 a week at the time.</p><br>
<p>The building opened in 1893, some months after Bradbury&#39;s death in 1892,</p><br>
<p>In 1991, a $7 million restoration and seismic retrofitting was undertaken by developer Ira Yellin and project architect Brenda Levin Associates. As part of the restoration, a storage area at the south end of the building was converted to a new rear entrance portico, connecting the building more directly to Biddy Mason Park and the adjacent Broadway Spring Center parking garage. The building&#39;s lighting system was also redesigned, bringing in alabaster wall sconces from Spain.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>The building&#39;s undistinguished exterior facade of brown brick, sandstone and terra cotta detailing was designed in the commercial vernacular Italian Renaissance Revival style current at the time. It is the interior that is the most notable part of the building.</p><br>
<p>The narrow entrance lobby, with its low ceiling and minimal light "has the look of a Parisian alley of arched windows", and opens into a bright naturally lit great "awe-inspiring cathedral-like" center court. Robert Forster, star of the TV series Banyon that used the building for his office, described it as "one of the great interiors of L.A. Outside it doesnt look like much, but when you walk inside, suddenly youre back a hundred and twenty years."</p><br>
<p>The five-story central court features glazed and unglazed yellow and pink bricks, decorative terra cotta and polished wood, capped by a skylight that allows the court to be flooded with natural rather than artificial light, creating ever-changing shadows and accents during the day. At the time the building was completed, it featured the largest plate-glass windows in Los Angeles.</p><br>
<p>"Bird-cage" elevators surrounded by wrought-iron grillwork go up to the fifth floor.</p><br>
<p>Geometric patterned staircases and wrought-iron and polished oak railings are used abundantly throughout. The wrought-iron was created in France and displayed at the Chicago World&#39;s Fair before being installed in the building. Freestanding mail-chutes also feature ironwork. The overall effect is "a mesmerizing degree of symmetry and visual complexity".</p><br>
<h2>Construction</h2><br>
<p>During construction an active spring was found beneath the work-site, posing a threat to ongoing work on the building by weakening the foundation. However, Bradbury was very committed to the project, which he believed to be the greatest monument possible to his memory. Consequently, he imported massive steel rails from Europe to bolster the building and allow its construction to continue.</p><br>
<p>The initial estimate for the construction of the building was $175,000, but the final costs at completion was over $500,000—an extremely large amount for those times. Using the GDP deflator method, this amount translates to more than $11 million in 2008 dollars.</p><br>
<p>Lewis Bradbury died months before the building opened.</p><br>
<h2>Building today</h2><br>
<p>The building has operated as an office building for most of its history. It was purchased by Ira Yellin in the early 1980s, and remodeled in the 1990s. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.</p><br>
<p>Since 1996, the building has served as the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department&#39;s Internal Affairs division and other government agencies. The LAPD Board of Rights holds officer discipline hearings here, and within the force it is given the nickname "the Ovens", because officers see it as the place they "get burned." The LAPD has a 50-year lease on their space.</p><br>
<p>From 2001 to 2003 the Museum of Architecture and Design had its home in the building. In 2007, the Morono Kiang Gallery of Chinese art opened in the building.</p><br>
<p>Several of the offices are rented out to private concerns, including Red Line Tours. The retail spaces on the first floor currently house Ross Cutlery, where O.J. Simpson purchased a stiletto that figured in his murder trial, a Subway sandwich restaurant, a Blue Bottle coffee shop, and a real estate sales office for loft conversions in other nearby historic buildings.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>The building is a popular tourist attraction. Visitors are welcome daily and greeted by a government worker who provides historical facts and information about the building. Visitors are allowed up to the first landing but not past it. Brochures and tours are also available. It is close to three other downtown Los Angeles Landmarks: the Grand Central Market and the Million Dollar Theater (across the street) and Angels Flight (two blocks away). The building is accessible from the Los Angeles MTA Red Line via the Civic Center exit three blocks distant.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>The Bradbury Building is featured prominently as a setting in films, television, and literature &ndash; particularly in the science fiction genre. Most notably, the building is the setting in the 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner, for the character J. F. Sebastians apartment, and the climactic rooftop scene. in which much of the films story unfolds.</p><br>
<p>The Bradbury Building appeared prominently in the noir films Shockproof (1949), D.O.A. (1950), and I, The Jury (1953) (the latter filmed in 3-D). M (1951), a remake of the German film, contains a long search sequence filmed in the building, and a notable shot through the roof&#39;s skylight. The five-story atrium also substituted for the interior of the seedy skid row hotel depicted in the climax of Good Neighbor Sam (1964).</p><br>
<p>The Bradbury Building is also featured in The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), Indestructible Man (1956), Caprice (1967), Murphy&#39;s Law (1986), The Dreamer of Oz (1990 TV movie), 1994’s Wolf and Disclosure, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Pay It Forward (2000), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and The Artist (2011).</p><br>
<p>Television series that featured the building include the 1964 The Outer Limits episode "Demon with a Glass Hand". During the season six episodes (1963–64) of the series 77 Sunset Strip, the Stuart "Stu" Bailey character had his office in the Bradbury. In Quantum Leap the building is seen carrying the name "Gotham Towers" in "Play It Again, Seymour", the last episode of the first season (1989). The building appeared in at least one episode of the television series Banyon (1972–73), where it was used as Robert Forsters office, City of Angels (1976) and Mission: Impossible (1966–73), as well as Ned and Chucks Apartment in Pushing Daisies, which debuted in 2007. The building was also the setting for a scene from the series FlashForward in the episode "Let No Man Put Asunder". In 2010 the building was transplanted to New York City for a two-part episode of CSI NY. The Bradbury Building and a fake New York City subway entrance across the street were also used to represent the exterior of New York&#39;s High School for the Performing Arts in the opening credits of the television series Fame.</p><br>
<p>The Bradbury appeared in a 1979 music video by Cher called "Take Me Home" in addition to music videos from the 1980s by Heart, Janet Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire and Genesis, and a Pontiac Pursuit commercial. Part of Janet Jacksons 1989 film short Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation 1814 was filmed in the building as well. The interior appears in the music video for the Pointer Sisters 1980 song, "Hes So Shy". The Bradbury Building was prominently featured in Monicas 1998 single "The First Night" as well in Tony! Toni! Toné!s "Let&#39;s Get Down" music video. In 2016, the interiors were featured in the music video for "The Road" by Chinese musician Huang Zitao.</p><br>
<p>The Bradbury has frequently appeared in popular literature. In the "Nathan Heller" series of detective novels by Max Allan Collins, Hellers A-1 Detective Agencys Los Angeles offices are housed in the Bradbury, as shown in the novel Angel in Black. In the Star Trek novel The Case of the Colonist&#39;s Corpse: A Sam Cogley Mystery, the protagonist works from the Bradbury Building four hundred years in the future. Other appearances occur in The Man With The Golden Torc by Simon R. Green, Angels Flight and The Black Box by Michael Connelly, and the science fiction multiple novel series The World Of Tiers by Philip Jose Farmer.</p><br>
<p>DC Comics and Marvel Comics &ndash; the latter of which has offices in the real Bradbury Building &ndash; both published comic book series based on characters that work in the historic landmark. The building serves as the headquarters for the Marvel Comics team The Order, and in the DC universe, the Human Target runs his private investigation agency from the building.</p><br>
<p>Bewl Water is a reservoir in the valley of the River Bewl , straddling the boundary between Kent and East Sussex. It is about 2 miles south of Lamberhurst, Kent, England. The reservoir was part of a project to increase supplies of water in the area.</p><br>
<p>It supplies not only Southern Water’s customers in the Medway towns, Thanet and Hastings, but is also used by other water companies in the area.</p><br>
<p>Work began to construct the reservoir in 1973 by damming and then flooding a valley. It was completed in 1975 having been filled with over 31,300 million litres of water. The project cost £11 million to build. It is now the largest body of inland water in south east England.</p><br>
<p>In winter, when the flow in the River Medway exceeds 275 million litres per day, river water is pumped to storage in the reservoir. There is an outline plan to raise the water level by a further 3m to increase the yield by up to 30% to help with the growing water demand in south-east England. This will however put further demands on the River Medway to supply the additional water required with the potential for environmental degradation in the river and the eco-systems that it supports.</p><br>
<p>The reservoir in common with most large clean water lakes, is host to a large variety of wildlife.</p><br>
<h2>Leisure use</h2><br>
<p>Many recreational activities take place on and around the reservoir. These include sailing and windsurfing (formerly through</p><br>
<p>Bewl Valley Sailing Club, now through Bewl Sailing Association Ltd), rowing and sculling (through Bewl Bridge Rowing Club), Canoeing and Kayaking (through Bewl Canoe Club), trout fishing, walking and cycling (on a 12½ mile Round Reservoir Route).</p><br>
<p>Bewl Water Outdoor Centre offers a wide range of training, team building and adventure opportunities, on and around Bewl Water.</p><br>
<p>There is also a passenger boat and a restaurant, conference facility and gift shop.</p><br>
<p>Mount Brandon or Brandon Mountain is a 952 m  mountain on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. It is the highest peak of the unnamed central mountain range of the Dingle Peninsula and the ninth highest peak on the island. It is also the highest Irish peak outside the Macgillycuddy&#39;s Reeks. It is classed as a Furth by the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Mount Brandon is named after Saint Brendan and is the end of a Christian pilgrimage trail known as Cosán na Naomh. The small village of Brandon lies at the foot of the mountain, on the north side.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>The mountain takes its name from Saint Brendan or Bréanainn, who is said to have been born in what is now County Kerry. Brendan is chiefly known for his legendary voyage to the "Isle of the Blessed", also called Saint Brendans Island. The tale of Brendans voyage may be a Christianization of the earlier Voyage of Bran.</p><br>
<p>A medieval work about Brendan&#39;s life calls the mountain Sliabh nDaidche (in the Irish version Beatha Bhréanainn) or Mons Aitche (in the Latin version Vita Brendani), and Alan Mac an Bhaird has translated this as "mountain of Faithche". However, some believe the name refers to Slieve Aughty rather than Mount Brandon.</p><br>
<h2>Pilgrimage</h2><br>
<p>Due to its link with Saint Brendan, the mountain is popular with Irish Catholic pilgrims. The path to the peak is marked by small white crosses and the peak itself is topped by a large metal cross. The pilgrimage route called Cosán na Naomh ("The Saints Road") begins at Cill Mhic an Domhnaigh (Kilvickadowning) at the southern end of the Dingle peninsula and ends at Séipéilín Bréanainn ("Brendans Oratory") on the mountains peak. Sáipéilín Bréanainn is the remains of a small stone building that was believed to have been used by Saint Brendan. It is likely that the pilgrimage originated in pre-Christian times and was originally a Lughnasadh ritual. The mountain&#39;s importance may be due to the fact that, being so far west and so high, it is the last place where the sun can be seen before it sets.</p><br>
<p>In 1997, the Heritage Council set up the Pilgrim Paths project to develop walking routes along medieval pilgrimage paths. One of the routes chosen for development was Cosán na Naomh and an 18 km long waymarked trail has been constructed between Ventry Strand and the grotto at Ballybrack at the foot of Mount Brandon. The trail has been developed to the standard required by the Irish Sports Council for National Waymarked Trails in Ireland. For safety reasons, it was decided not to mark the trail to the very end of the traditional route at the summit of Brandon but to finish at Ballybrack. The starting point of the trail at Ventry is one of the places pilgrims arriving by boat would have come ashore. The trail passes a number of important ecclesiastical heritage sites including Gallarus Oratory and Kilmalkedar monastic site. The route has the greatest concentration of stones marked with the "cross of arcs", one of the main symbols of pilgrimage in Ireland.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Brandon is in the middle of a high ridge, sometimes called the Brandon Group, which runs north-south for 10 km across the peninsula. This ridge also includes the peaks of Barr an Ghéaráin at 840 m, Binn Fhaiche 822 m, Más an Tiompán at 763 m, and Piaras Mór at 748 m.</p><br>
<p>Mount Brandon owes its craggy shape to the work of local glaciers during the ice age, which gouged out a series of corries on the eastern flank of the mountain. The summit of Mount Brandon is rounded and smooth because it was a nunatuk, and presents a stark contrast to the conical top of Barr an Ghéaráin, which is almost alpine in appearance. The western slope of Mount Brandon presents a huge contrast from its eastern side, as it largely escaped the gouging effect of the glaciers, with the result that it presents an almost unbroken grassy slope.</p><br>
<p>The glen on the mountain&#39;s east side is a series of rock steps, each of which includes a small Paternoster lake. There at least ten of these lakes, which grow in size as one descends the mountain. From highest to lowest (and smallest to biggest) they are the Locha Chom an Chnoic (Coumaknock Loughs), Loch na Lice (Lough Nalacken) and Loch Cruite (Lough Cruttia).</p><br>
<h2>Aircraft Crashes on Mount Brandon.</h2><br>
<p>Between 1940 and 1943 a number of both Allied and Axis aircraft crashed on Mount Brandon and in the local area.</p><br>
<p>20 August 1940: A Luftwaffe Focke Wulf 200 crash landed on the Faha Ridge above Cloghane, the crew of six survived and were the first known aircrew from Germany to land in Ireland during the Second World War. A plaque commemorating this event is on display in OConnors Bar and Guest House in Cloghane Village.</p><br>
<p>28 July 1943: A BOAC Civilian Short Sunderland III Flying Boat crashed due to a navigation error onto the lower slopes of Mount Brandon while flying from West Africa to Foynes Flying Boat Base. Ten of the twenty five on board were killed in the wreck. A plaque commemorating the dead is on display in OConnors Bar and Guest House in Cloghhane Village along with an anchor recovered from the wreck.</p><br>
<p>22 August 1943: A RAF Short Sunderland III Flying Boat belonging to 201 Squadron crashed while flying a patrol in the Atlantic, out of Castle Archdale. It crashed into the lower slopes of Mount Brandon. Eight of the crew of eleven were killed. A plaque commemorating those killed can be seen in OConnors Bar and Guest House in Cloghane, Co. Kerry.</p><br>
<p>20 December 1943: A RAF Vickers Wellington belonging to 304 Squadron based out of Predannack Airfield crashed directly into Mount Brandon. All of the six Polish crew members were killed. All that is known about the circumstances of the crash is that their last reported position was over Lismore, County Waterford, heading east-southeast presumably towards Predannack Airfield. A plaque commemorating those killed can be seen in OConnors Bar and Guest House in Cloghane along with one of the engines from the wreck.</p><br>
<p>Étang Saumâtre  is the largest lake in Haiti and the second largest lake in Hispaniola, after Lake Enriquillo. It is also known as Lac Azuéi ; Its Taíno name was Yainagua.</p><br>
<p>The Étang Saumâtre, the brackish water lake is a twin of Lake Enriquillo, is 22 km east of Port-au-Prince on the fertile Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, flamingos and American crocodiles, one of the few lakes of its type in the world to harbour such fauna. The colour of the lake is an intense shade of blue and this picturesque lake is skirted by brush and cacti.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Étang Saumâtre is located on the arid part of the valley Cul-de-Sac, 29 km east of Port-au-Prince in the Ouest department. Its eastern side is part of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic; the Dominican city of Jimaní is at less than 1 km from the southeast end of the lake.</p><br>
<p>The lake itself is part of a chain of nearby saline lakes that lie in the Hispaniolan rift valley, (known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic). Because the region was a former marine strait, several areas of the rift valley are below sea level.</p><br>
<p>Étang Saumâtre is landlocked as it has no surface outlet. It is fed by springs emanating from calcareous rocks. The western part of the lake has slightly saline water while the eastern part has fresh water.</p><br>
<p>The lake has a length, from northwest to southeast, of 22 km; its maximum width is 12 km. The total area is 170 km&sup2;. The lake water has an elevation of 15 m with maximum water depth being 30 m. A sandy shore, shallow lagoons and mudflats form the eastern shore line, while the western shores have small fresh water springs and marshes. The eastern shore is state-owned, but parts of the western side of the lake are privately owned. Salinity of the lake water is now reported as 15‰ (parts per thousand). Lake water fluctuations are minimal, at about 50 cm, except during the drought period, when the water level could go down by 2 m. Conversely, the water level rises about 2 m above the average during heavy rainfall years. However, it was once inferred that Azuéi’s level in Haiti and the Enriquillo lake level in the adjoining Dominican Republic had registered a drop, since Columbus had visited the area more than 500 years ago. The present assessment is that the level of the lake has been rising in recent years, forcing Haitians who live in plantation residential areas ("bateyes") around the edge of the lake to seek higher ground.</p><br>
<p>Another inference drawn by a comparison between the two lakes – Azuéi and Enriquillo – which are in the same area and have the same origin (and which also become one water body during years of high rainfall) is that though they are considered "twins," they are two dissimilar bodies of water. Azuéi has a stable shore line, its waters are azure blue in colour, salinity level is low (11‰) and its surface area is relatively stable. However, Enriquillo’s water looks white-greyish in colour, its salinity levels are very high (they have risen from 36‰ to 110‰) and current water surface area (160 km&sup2; compares to 280 km&sup2; in 1968. The climatic conditions for both lakes are similar (low rainfall in the range of 500 -), within similar geological setting.</p><br>
<p>Azuéi&#39;s salinity is about one fifth (1/5) the salinity of sea water. A few small rivers flow into the lake.</p><br>
<h2>Fauna and flora</h2><br>
<p>The lake and its surrounding land are habitat for flora and fauna of several endemic species, including invertebrates, fishes and reptiles. This endemism is also common to the twin lakes, due to proximity and common history.</p><br>
<h3>Fauna</h3><br>
<p>The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl (including flamingos), as well as American crocodiles; fresh water species of turtle, including the Hispaniolan slider and Rhinoceros Iguana. Some fishes, such as tilapia, are also found. Its recognized importance is as a breeding, passage and wintering area for numerous bird species: as many as 300–400 breeding pairs of wading birds in the Ciconiiformes can be found in the eastern zone of the lagoon. Important avian raptor species of the lake include the osprey, Pandion haliaetus.</p><br>
<h4>American crocodiles</h4><br>
<p>American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus, are found in this land-locked, brackish lake in large numbers, and have instilled fear among the local community. It is one factor responsible for the poor development of the lake as an ecotourism project. Extensive studies have been reported on this species of American crocodile, as opposed to the Central American Crocodylus moreletii and the South American Crocodylus intermedius.</p><br>
<p>C. acutus is widely distributed in the coastal region of the neotropics; however, it is conjectured to be surviving on the island of Hispaniola only in the salt water lakes of Enriquillo and Lake Azuéi. In 1984, there were estimated to be more than 400 individuals in and around Azuéi. It is also reported that this population is nearing extinction due to excessive hunting and poaching.</p><br>
<p>American crocodiles generally achieve a length of 4 m, though 6.25 m long or 7 m long specimens have been reported in the Étang Saumâtre. The lake is known for the high concentration of crocodiles at 9.6/km in certain zones, with average density of 6.3/km for all crocodile size classes. The density varies in its habitat zones, over a distance of 1 km and 1.5 km length from the shore line. In the rocky shores, the density was reported to be 0.2/km. However, from 1 km from the shore line called the conocarpus fringe, the density was recorded as 14.5/km. They grow in size up to the age of 2 years when their size is in the range of 0.9 -. They are found in shallow water zones also and feed on Cichlids (Cichlasoma hatiensis). They remain mostly at the bottom of the lake and during bird nesting season they are found around a heron rookery to catch falling eggs of birds. Their foraging techniques vary from an active to a passive mode and they forage on non-aquatic invertebrates and also odonate larvae. Birds and fish (cichilide) are the common items of their diet. Adults also eat domestic animals such as dogs and goats, and turtles. They nest in a 6.6 km stretch within a range of 7 - from the shoreline, of the uninhabited eastern lake shore, near charcoal-making sites and in coralliferous limestone outcrops.</p><br>
<h4>Aquatic fauna</h4><br>
<p>Aquatic fauna of the lake consists of small Poeciliidae (Gambusia dominicensis, Limia melanonotata, Limia nigrofasciata ) and Cichlidae (Cichlosoma haitiensis). In the past, 17,000 mirror carp fingerlings and 50,000 Tilapia mossambica fingerlings (a figure of 6,000 is also mentioned) were reportedly stocked in the lake. Fish productivity figures of the lake are not available. However, the actual catches are reported to be small, as fishing is done only on a small scale. Boats do not ply the lagoon; fishing methods are primitive and no nets are used. Ducks are hunted for food as well.</p><br>
<h3>Flora</h3><br>
<p>The lake is in the region of dry subtropical forest and hence the vegetation around the lake is sparse, with cacti and scrub-type shrubs. Typical vegetation consists of dry-forest plants endemic to the island of Hispaniola. They include trees, shrubs and cacti: caguey (Neoabbottia paniculata), melon espinoso (Melocactus lemairei), palo blanco (Croton poitaei), pitahaya (Harrisia nashii) and oreganillo (Lantana cifferiana).</p><br>
<p>The lagoon itself has several species of algae. In the fringes of the lake, Conocarpus erectus are reported and Typha domingensis are seen in the marshy region and fresh water streams and canals that have inlet into the lake. The lake has halophytic algae laid out as mattresses growing on its lake bed. Buttonwood mangroves (Conocorpus erectus) trees have large growth in the periphery of the lake. These are felled extensively to make charcoal.</p><br>
<h2>Threats to the lake</h2><br>
<p>Even though deforestation and soil erosion are occurring in the catchment of Lake Azuéi, the lake water level has remained relatively stable. However, increased levels of eutrophication in the form of increased growth of algae have been noted due to urban growth in Fonds Parisien. Solid waste is also creating problem for the lake, as during heavy afternoon winds, plastics fly into the lake. And there is no waste management programme either in the vicinity of the lake.</p><br>
<h2>Conservation measures</h2><br>
<p>Haiti and the Dominican Republic and many international agencies are aware of the status of the two water bodies and the catchments drained by them. While Lago Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic has become the first Dominican Ramsar Site and is also a national park since 1996, its twin lake, the Etang Saumâtre has only been studied and is yet to receive the constructive attention for conservation of its American crocodiles and to promote ecotourism in general. However, a transboundary environmental program covering the watershed of the two lakes has been identified by the two governments to jointly initiate measures to improve the condition of the lakes and their respective catchments. This team, with professionals drawn from both countries, and with financial support from the European Union, could ensure that steps are taken to “create wise use practices for both lakes and their corresponding watersheds”.</p><br>
<p>Velo  is a town and a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Velo-Vocha, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 76.952 km. It is situated on the Gulf of Corinth coast, about 15 km west from Corinth, and 5 km southeast of Kiato. Greek National Road 8, the old Corinth-Patras highway, passes through the town.</p><br>
<p>The community has an elementary school, a secondary school, a semi-professional soccer team named Ellas Velou and a square called Liberty square.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Velo is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Velo (Velo, Sataiika)</p><br>
<p>Ellinochori</p><br>
<p>Kokkoni</p><br>
<p>Krines</p><br>
<p>Nerantza</p><br>
<p>Poulitsa</p><br>
<p>Stimagka</p><br>
<p>Tarsina</p><br>
<h2>Historical population</h2><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Stathis Psaltis, actor</p><br>
<p>Alexis Kougias, lawyer</p><br>
<p>Tryfon Papoutsis, actor</p><br>
<p>Bray Head  is a 241 m hill and headland located in northern County Wicklow, Ireland, between the towns of Bray and Greystones. It forms part of the Wicklow Mountains and is a popular spot with hillwalkers. At the top of the head is a concrete cross which was placed there in 1950 during the holy year. Every Good Friday, hundreds of local people climb to the top of the head in a Good Friday procession marking the stations of the Cross as they go along, with the final station being held at the holy year cross.</p><br>
<p>The headland and adjacent lands were designated under a Special Amenity Area Order in March 2008.</p><br>
<p>The most direct way to reach the cross at the top (about 190m above sea level) is via an ascending footpath that begins just outside the free car park on the lower, northern slopes, to the south of Bray Esplanade. This is a half-hour walk for a fit person. The footpath, after the initial section with cut steps, is a rough path formed by rainwater and ascending through natural woodland. A more gradual route can be taken from the Southern Cross, by Bray Golf Club, which is easier underfoot. There is also a route which ascends from the Greystones side of the cliff walk; this route brings you quite directly up the east side of the hill and as a result is quite steep, Upon reaching the top you can the walk the path along to the cross.</p><br>
<p>The Dublin-Wicklow railway line runs outside of Bray Head along the coast, sometimes travelling within feet of the cliffs. This line, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is referred to as Brunel&#39;s Folly, due to the ongoing maintenance costs associated with maintaining a cliff-face line. The line has had to be diverted on four occasions. It is approximately a 45-minute rail trip between Dublin and Bray Head. On the morning of the 14th of April 2012 there was a waterspout just off the coast of Bray Head.</p><br>
<p>The slate sea-cliffs at Bray Head have been established as a minor rock-climbing location since the 1970s, though a few of the climbs were originally recorded in the 1940s. The 2009 guidebook lists 27 single-pitch climbs, generally in the lower grades, up to HVS.</p><br>
<p>Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of the</p><br>
<p>Kootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water. The Kootenay Lake ferry is a year-round toll-free ferry that crosses between Kootenay Bay and Balfour and is the The lake is a popular summer tourist destination.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Kootenay Lake is a long, narrow and deep fjord-like lake located between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. It is one of the largest lakes in British Columbia, at 104 km in length and 3–5 km in width. It is, in part, a widening of the Kootenay River, which in turn drains into the Columbia River system at Castlegar, British Columbia.</p><br>
<p>Although oriented primarily in a north-south configuration, a western arm positioned roughly halfway up the length of the lake stretches 35 km to the City of Nelson. The lake is 532m above sea level,</p><br>
<p>Kootenay Lake was formed through river erosion and, later, glaciation. The erosion began during the late Cretaceous until ice filled the resulting valley in the Pleistocene. When the valley was filled with ice, glaciers from the mountains (the Selkirks and Purcells) fed the valley&#39;s ice mass. The glacier that occupied what is now the west arm of Kootenay Lake flowed into the Kootenay ice mass. As the ice melted from this glacier, drainage flowed over an area near what is now Nelson, causing the west arm of the lake to drain toward the west. A large moraine formed near what is now the large bend in the Kootenay River near Libby, Montana. As ice melted, a lake formed behind the moraine and drained southward over top of it. The southerly drainage over the moraine eventually stopped and the Kootenay River began to follow its present course.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Kootenay Lake is part of the traditional territory of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa peoples. These native populations used the lake and associated river systems as part of their seasonal migration and trading routes.</p><br>
<p>In 1958 the Kootenay Lake Crossing, an electrical power line, was built, running across the north arm of Kootenay Lake. It was destroyed in 1962 by protestors and rebuilt later that year.</p><br>
<p>The lake originally seasonally flooded an approximately 80 km long marsh lying to the lake&#39;s south within the Creston Valley. However, this has now been diked and converted to commercial agriculture. A smaller wetland area has been protected in this area.</p><br>
<p>In 1931, Corra Linn Dam was built at the outflow from Kootenay Lake, where it once again became a river. The dam provides flood control and winter power generation by raising the normal water level by two meters. Just down river is Bonnington Falls, today the site of several hydroelectric dams. In 2003 the lake discharged 16.9 billion cubic metres of water. High water for that year was a normal 533 metres, the record is 537 metres in 1961. In 1967 as part of the Columbia River Treaty the Duncan Dam was constructed above Kootenay Lake on the Duncan River, creating a 7,145 hectare reservoir for flow control. Also part of the treaty Libby Dam in Montana, was completed in 1975.</p><br>
<h2>Fauna</h2><br>
<p>There are seven species of fish in Kootenay Lake: Rainbow trout, Bull Trout, Burbot, Mountain Whitefish, White Sturgeon, Brook Trout, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch and Kokanee Salmon.</p><br>
<p>There was a large decrease in the numbers of Kokanee in the west arm of the lake in the late 1970s. The salmon fishery was closed in 1980 and remains closed as of 2011. The reason for the decline is not known; possibilities include reduced numbers of Mysis relicta (which had been introduced as a food source for the Kokanee in 1949) into the west arm due to the increased control of water levels, the disruption of rearing habitat due to recurring drawdown of the lake, reduced productivity of benthos due to the reduction of the amount of nutrients into the lake (after the close of the fertilizer plant), overfishing in the 1960s to 1970s</p><br>
<h2>Human use and impact</h2><br>
<h3>Settlements</h3><br>
<p>Approximately 19,700 people live within 2.5 km of the Kootenay Lake shore; about 10,250 of those live in the City of Nelson. The remaining are scattered among a number of small towns and villages:</p><br>
<p>Kuskonook,Columbia</p><br>
<p>Boswell, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Crawford Bay, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Ainsworth, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Kasha, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Riondel, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Balfour, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Grey Creek, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Kootenay Bay, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Harrop, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Procter, British Columbia</p><br>
<p>Sirdar, British Columbia</p><br>
<h3>Upstream Influences</h3><br>
<p>In 1953 water quality in the lake was negatively affected when the Cominco phosphate fertilizer plant on the Kootenay River at Kimberley opened. Large quantities of phosphorus entered the Kootenay River; the cause of cyanobacterial blooms from the 1950s until the early 1970s. This plant closed in 1973 eliminating these phosphates. The construction of the Libby Dam on the Kootenai River in Montana and the Duncan Dam 1967 on the Duncan river, combined to further reduce natural phosphorus levels in the lake from the recorded highs.</p><br>
<h3>Ferry</h3><br>
<p>The lake is crossed by the Kootenay Lake Ferry, a toll-free vehicular ferry operating between Balfour and Kootenay Bay. The ferry operates two boats in the summer and one during the winter.</p><br>
<p>Watson Mill Bridge State Park is a 1,018 acre  Georgia state park located near Comer and Carlton on the South Fork of the Broad River. The park is named for the Watson Mill Bridge, the longest original-site covered bridge in Georgia, which spans 229 feet  across the South Fork River. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Watson Mill Covered Bridge and Mill Historic District. The bridge, being more than 100 years old, is supported by a town lattice truss system held firmly together with wooden pins. Georgia once had over 200 covered bridges, but only 20 now remain. The park also offers a scenic nature trail and a new hiking/horse trail that winds through the thick forests and along the rivers edge.</p><br>
<h2>Facilities</h2><br>
<p>21 Tent/Trailer/RV Sites</p><br>
<p>3 Pioneer Camping Sites</p><br>
<p>Group Shelter</p><br>
<p>3 Picnic Shelters</p><br>
<p>Boat Rental</p><br>
<p>Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. It was seen in 1849 by Captain Owen Stanley while surveying the south coast of Papua and named after him. Strictly, the eastern extremity of the range is Mount Victoria 4,038 m, which was climbed by Sir William MacGregor in 1888, and it extends as far west as Mount Thynne and Lilley. But the name is generally used to denote the whole of the chain of the Papuan Peninsula, from Mount Chapman 3,376 m to the south-eastern end of the island, and to include Mount Albert Edward 3,990 m which is really separated from it by the Wharton Chain.</p><br>
<p>The range is flanked by broken and difficult country, particularly on the south-western side. There are few practicable passes, the easiest being the famous Kokoda Track which crosses the range between Port Moresby and Buna and was in use for more than 50 years as a regular overland mail-route. Another route used by the 900 men of the US 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division, was the Kapa Kapa Trail, parallel to but 30 mi to the southeast of the Kokoda Track. They took nearly five weeks to cover the 130 mi track over extraordinarily difficult jungle terrain, from 14 October to 20 November 1942.</p><br>
<p>Vehicular roads, though not impossible, would be very difficult and expensive to construct. In fact one was constructed during World War II crossing from Wau in the north to Bulldog in the south and known as the Bulldog Track. It was largely due to the impossibility of transporting heavy equipment across the range that the Japanese failed to secure Port Moresby as a base early in 1942. The mountains are rough and precipitous, with occasional fertile plateaux which are occupied by native food-gardens.</p><br>
<p>The Equitable Building is a 40-story office building in New York City, located at 120 Broadway between Pine and Cedar Streets in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. A landmark engineering achievement as a skyscraper, it was designed by Ernest R. Graham &mdash; the successor to D. H. Burnham & Company and completed in 1915, when it was the largest office building in the world by floor area: on a plot of just less than 1 acre, the building had 1.2 e6sqft of floor space. Built to be the headquarters of the Equitable Life Insurance Company, the controversy surrounding its construction without setbacks, which does not allow sunlight to reach the surrounding ground, contributed to the adoption of the first modern building and zoning restrictions on vertical structures in Manhattan, the 1916 Zoning Resolution. Although it is now dwarfed by taller buildings in its vicinity, it still retains a distinctive identity in its surroundings on Lower Broadway.</p><br>
<p>The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and a New York City landmark in 1996. It was restored in 1983-90 by Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Whitelaw.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The building is in the neoclassical style, rising 538 ft (164 m) with a total floor area of 1,849,394 square feet (176,000 m²), giving a floor area ratio of 30. Upon its completion, the building was the largest (in total floor area) in the world. It rises as a single tower with the appearance of two separate identical towers standing side by side, connected by a wing for the whole height of the building, such that it appears in the shape of the letter "H" when viewed from above. It has no setback from the street beyond the depth of the sidewalk, rising vertically for all its floors.</p><br>
<p>The building has a through-block entrance lobby with a pink marble floor, sand-colored marble walls, and a vaulted, coffered ceiling. It has approximately 5,000 windows. It originally housed the exclusive Bankers Club on its top three floors. The white marble of the building is Yule marble, quarried in Marble, Colorado, which is also the source of the marble used for the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Lincoln Memorial.</p><br>
<p>The building occupies the entire block and is bordered by Broadway to the west, Cedar Street to the north, Nassau Street to the east, and Pine Street to the south.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The building was constructed as the headquarters of The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. The site had previously been intended in 1906 for a 62-story tower designed by Daniel H. Burnham, but the project had been postponed. When the Equitable&#39;s previous headquarters, the Equitable Life Building was destroyed by fire in 1912, the same site at 120 Broadway was chosen as the location for its new headquarters building. It was originally intended to be 40 stories high, but it was reduced by four floors on the advice of consulting engineer Charles Knox, who determined the lower height as being optimal for its elevators. The building is currently listed as 40 storeys.</p><br>
<p>Opponents of the buildings were outraged at the unprecedented volume of the building, which cast a 7-acre (28,000 m²) shadow on the surrounding streets, casting a permanent shadow on the Singer Building up to its 27th floor, the City Investing Building up to its 24th floor, and completely cutting off sunshine to at least three other buildings shorter than 21 stories. Many New Yorkers reasoned that further construction of buildings like it would turn Manhattan into an unpleasant and dark maze of streets. In response, the city adopted the 1916 Zoning Resolution which limited the height and required setbacks for new buildings to allow the penetration of sunlight to street level. (Ironically, the building currently houses the offices of the New York City Department of City Planning.) Specifically, new buildings were afterwards required to withdraw progressively at a defined angle from the street as they rose, in order to preserve sunlight and the open atmosphere in their surroundings. As a consequence of the new restrictions, the building remained the largest office building by floor area in the world until the construction of Chicago&#39;s Merchandise Mart in 1930.</p><br>
<p>The effort to place restrictions on land use in New York City led to the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act, a key piece of legislation in the history of zoning. The act became the blueprint for zoning in the rest of the country and was accepted almost without change by most states.</p><br>
<p>In March 1942, a seven-inch (17 cm) shell struck the 37th floor of the building but caused little damage and no injuries. The shell was one of eight fired by an anti-aircraft battery near the East River by mistake. The other rounds fell harmlessly into the river. Actually the New York Times article describing the event is in error, as the anti-aircraft battery at the east river would have been a 90mm M1 gun, with a substantially smaller shell (24 lb rather than a 165 lb "seven inch" shell which would have potentially caused considerably more damage).</p><br>
<h2>Current status</h2><br>
<p>The Equitable Building is owned by Silverstein Properties, Inc. After buying the building in 1980, Larry Silverstein had the building renovated and restored at a cost of $30 million, with renovations completed in 1990.</p><br>
<p>The stretch of lower Broadway where the building sits has since become the traditional route of ticker-tape parades in Manhattan. The route past the building is known colloquially as the Canyon of Heroes, in part because of the sheer verticality of the building and others around it.</p><br>
<h2>Tenants</h2><br>
<p>Adam Leitman Bailey</p><br>
<p>Benitec Biopharma LTD</p><br>
<p>Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP</p><br>
<p>Dealogic</p><br>
<p>Downtown Alliance</p><br>
<p>McCall Pattern</p><br>
<p>Handel Architects</p><br>
<p>New York City Department of City Planning</p><br>
<p>New York Life Insurance Company</p><br>
<p>New York State Attorney General</p><br>
<p>Old Mission Capital</p><br>
<p>Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association</p><br>
<p>Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath, & Cannavo</p><br>
<p>World Trade Centers Association</p><br>
<p>The Commonwealth Building is a 14-story  commercial office tower in Portland, Oregon, United States. Located at 421 SW 6th Avenue between Washington and Stark Streets, it was designed by architect Pietro Belluschi and built between 1944 and 1948. The building was originally known as the Equitable Building and is noted as one of the first glass box towers ever built, pioneering many modern features and predating the more famous Lever House in Manhattan.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Construction on the building began in 1944, with it opening in 1948 as the Equitable Building. The building, which was built as the headquarters in Portland of the Equitable Savings and Loan Association, was originally intended to be 12 stories high but was later expanded to 14. It was the first tower to be sheathed in aluminum, the first to use double-glazed window panels, and was the first to be completely sealed and fully air-conditioned. In 1965, the building was renamed as the Commonwealth Building when the Equitable Center (now Unitus Plaza) opened, which was also designed by Pietro Belluschi.</p><br>
<p>The Commonwealth Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the Equitable Building) in 1976. In 1980, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) designated the Commonwealth Building as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. In 1982, the building was the recipient of the Twenty-five Year Award, of the American Institute of Architects. In 1993, Weston Investment Co. LLC bought the building for $1.9 million. Unico Properties and Cigna Realty Investors bought the building in 2007 from Weston for $27 million, and spent $7 million more on renovations to the structure. The building was sold again by Unico in 2013 for $41 million when Unico bought out Cigna. Unico sold the tower to KBS in 2016 for $69 million.</p><br>
<h2>Features</h2><br>
<p>Designed by noted Oregon architect Pietro Belluschi, the 207,864 ft2 tower is of the International Style.</p><br>
<h2>Designations and awards</h2><br>
<p>The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is also designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the ASME. The ASME History & Heritage Committee bestowed this landmark status for the specific feature: the first large commercial building in the United States to pioneer the use of heat pumps for heating and cooling.</p><br>
<p>Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst. It is the site of the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine.</p><br>
<h2>Founding</h2><br>
<p>Augusta Raurica, or Colonia Augusta Rauracorum, was founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus around 44 BC in the vicinity of a local Gallic tribe, the Rauraci, relatives of the Helvetii. No archaeological evidence from this period has yet been found, leading to the conclusion that, either the settlement of the colony was disturbed by the civil war following the death of Julius Caesar, or that Plancus&#39; colony was actually in the area of modern Basel, not Augst.</p><br>
<p>Successful colonization of the site had to wait for Augustus&#39; conquest of the central Alps around 15 BC. The oldest find to date at Augusta Raurica has been dated to 6 BC by dendrochronology.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>The inscription on Munatius Plancus&#39; grave merely states the name of the colony as Colonia Raurica. A fragmentary inscription from the Augustinian period speaks of the Colonia P (?) M (?) (?) naris merita ica (letters in brackets are reconstructions). Apart from this fragmentary reference, the first certain witness to the use of the name Augustus comes from the geographer Ptolemy in the Ancient Greek form Augústa Rauríkon (lat. Augusta Rauricorum).</p><br>
<p>Augusta Raurica played an important role in Augustus&#39; plans of conquest with two other colonies that bear his name: Augusta Praetoria (modern Aosta at the southern end of the Great Saint Bernard Pass) and Augusta Vindelicum (modern Augsburg, an outpost on the Danube). These three Augustae form the corners of a triangle that reaches across the alpine conquests of Augustus, the long base of which form the Rhine knee to the Danube formed the frontier against unconquered Germania.</p><br>
<h2>Layout of the settlement</h2><br>
<p>During excavations it was determined that the city was founded on a high plateau just south of the Rhine river. Two small rivers, the Ergolz and Violen, have carved a triangle in the plateau, the base of which is about 1 kilometer wide along the base of the Jura Mountains, and the apex points northward toward the Rhine, about 1 kilometer from the base. This point is the site of the Roman castrum, or military fortification. The city is, therefore, well-defended by steep slopes to the north, east, and west.</p><br>
<p>The next step in planning the city was the surveying of the area according to the architect&#39;s plans for the city. Every important public building had its specific place, starting with the temple of Jupiter as the sacred high point from which the street network would spread. The architect, who was responsible for executing the plans for the city, next laid a longitudinal axis across the triangle 36˚ west of north to form the main street of the settlement. Other longitudinal streets were laid out parallel to the main street at intervals of 55 meters. The main street was then divided into sections of 66 meters (255 Roman feet), which formed the corners of 10 crossing streets. This created a series of rectangular blocks of around 50 by 60 meters. The streets were laid on a solid bed of gravel and flanked by gutters on both sides. The more important roads featured covered sidewalks behind rows of columns.</p><br>
<h2>Borders</h2><br>
<p>The limits of Colonia Raurica can no longer be determined with absolute accuracy. However the approximate boundaries can be determined by examining the extent of Augst in the Early Middle Ages. This would seem to indicate the colony extended from Basel toward the mouth of the Aare, then up the Aare to the mouth of the Sigger below Solothurn, across to the Lüssel, and then back down the Birs to Basel, though this is still conjecture. New research, based on tiles stamped with the mark of the Vindonissa Legion, indicates some administrative dependence on Vindonissa. This would indicate that the colony reached over the Bözberg toward Frick, with the Thiersteinberg below Frick forming the eastern boundary. The western boundary, was near the mouth of the Birs, possibly marked by a border station. Early Roman cremation remains, found in 1937 by the church in Neuallschwil, show that such a post did exist on the main road north (toward Blotzheim) into Alsace. The Colonia Raurica, on the whole, contained the modern Canton of Basel, the Frick valley, and the eastern Jura Mountains of the Canton of Solothurn. The total area of the colony was around 700 km².</p><br>
<h2>Subsequent history</h2><br>
<p>By the 2nd century AD, Augusta Raurica was a prosperous commercial trading centre and, in its glory days, the capital of a local Roman province. It is estimated that the population reached approximately 20,000 people. Augusta Raurica prospered between the 1st and 3rd centuries, and exported smoked pork and bacon to other parts of the Roman Empire. The city possessed the typical amenities of a Roman city, an amphitheatre, a main forum, several smaller forums, an aqueduct, a variety of temples, several public baths and the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, with 8,000 to 10,000 seats. Many of these sites are open to visitors year-round.</p><br>
<p>In 250 AD, a powerful earthquake damaged a large part of the city. Shortly after, around 260 AD, Alemanni tribes and/or marauding Roman troops destroyed the city. The Romans attempted to maintain their military position by building a fortress on the Rhine, Castrum Rauracense, the walls of which are still partly intact. Augusta Raurica was resettled on a much smaller scale on the site of the castrum. These two settlements form the centers of the modern communities of Augst and Kaiseraugst.</p><br>
<p>In 1442, these communities were divided along the Ergolz and Violenbach rivers. The western portion was given to Basel, which became a canton of Switzerland in 1501. In 1833, Augst became part of the Canton of Basel-Land. The eastern part became part of Habsburg territories and, to differentiate between the two towns, was renamed Kaiseraugst. Kaiseraugst became part of Switzerland in 1803 after the defeat of the Habsburgs during the Napoleonic Wars.</p><br>
<h2>Augusta Raurica today</h2><br>
<p>The excavation site and the late Roman castle, the Castrum Rauracense, are listed as heritage sites of national significance, as are the early Christian baptisterium and the brick kiln at Liebrüti.</p><br>
<h3>Excavations</h3><br>
<p>Many of the Roman buildings have been discovered and conserved through excavations, and most are open to the public:</p><br>
<p>Amphitheatre: only modest remains exist.</p><br>
<p>Aqueduct: supplied Augusta Raurica with drinking water from the Liestal (parts are visible and accessible in Heidenloch in Liestal, as well as northeast of the treatment plant in Füllinsdorf).</p><br>
<p>Main forum: with the temple of Jupiter, basilica, and the assembly chamber of the town council.</p><br>
<p>Theater: forms an architectural unit with the temple across the street.</p><br>
<p>Several private commercial buildings also have been found (a taberna, a bakery, a potter, and a tile kiln), as well as portions of a sewer. Around 80% of the built-up area has yet to be excavated. Augusta Raurica is the best-preserved Roman city north of the Alps that has not been built-over in medieval or modern times.</p><br>
<h3>Museum and Roman house</h3><br>
<p>The Roman Museum houses the most important finds from the Roman city and presents the history of Augusta Raurica. In the museum, visitors will often find special exhibits, as well as most the significant archaeological find at Augusta Raurica: the silver treasure of Kaiseraugst. This treasure hoard was found in the fortress in 1961-1962, and it is presumed to have once been the property of a commander. The museum also has a reconstruction of a Roman house, with artifacts and reconstructions showing daily domestic and commercial life from the Roman period.</p><br>
<p>A.H. Stephens Historic State Park is a 1,177 acre Georgia state park located in Crawfordville. The park is named for Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America, and a former Georgia governor. The park contains Stephens home, Liberty Hall, which has been fully restored to its original 1875 style. The parks museum houses one of Georgia&#39;s largest collections of Civil War artifacts. The park also offers several mill ponds for fishing and nature trails. Bedrock is a complex of granitic gneiss and granite on which deep soils of the Cataula and Cecil series have developed.</p><br>
<p>The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as A.H. Stephens State Park. It includes four contributing sites, twelve contributing structures, and one other contributing object. It includes Colonial Revival and Rustic Style architecture.</p><br>
<h2>Liberty Hall</h2><br>
<p>The Liberty Hall, also known as Bachelor&#39;s Hall, built in 1834, is one of the structures on the site, and is separately listed on the NRHP. It is currently a National Historic Landmark maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. A.H. Stephens bought the estate in 1845, and lived in its house until 1875, when he tore down the main structure to build Liberty Hall. The two-story "big house" is a traditional 4 × 4 with four rooms on each level.</p><br>
<p>Many of Stephens books are housed in a smaller structure behind, where he spent much of his time after the war. After Stephenss death in 1883, Liberty Hall, owned by his surviving relatives, served as a boardinghouse until 1932, when it was donated to the state of Georgia. The vice president&#39;s grave is on the front lawn, beneath a marble statue in his honor.</p><br>
<h2>Facilities</h2><br>
<p>21 Tent/trailer/RV campsites</p><br>
<p>4 Cottages</p><br>
<p>30 Horse stables</p><br>
<p>18 Horse campsites</p><br>
<p>1 Group camp</p><br>
<p>1 Pioneer campground</p><br>
<p>2 Picnic shelters</p><br>
<p>1 Group shelter</p><br>
<h2>Annual events</h2><br>
<p>Junior/Senior Fishing Rodeos (June)</p><br>
<p>Christmas on Lake Liberty (December)</p><br>
<p>Victorian Christmas Program (December)</p><br>
<p>The Llandoger Trow is a historic public house in Bristol, south-west England. Dating from 1664, it is on King Street, between Welsh Back and Queen Charlotte Street, near the old city centre docks. Named by a sailor who owned the pub after Llandogo which built trows, the building was damaged in World War II, but remained in sufficiently good condition to be designated Grade II* listed building status in 1959. The pub is said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write of the Admiral Benbow Inn in Treasure Island and Daniel Defoe supposedly met Alexander Selkirk there, his inspiration for Robinson Crusoe. The pub is also supposedly haunted, with up to 15 ghosts, the best known being a small child whose footsteps can be heard on the top floor.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The building dates from 1664, originally a row of three houses. It was built on a timber box frame, with brick stacks. The pub has an 18th-century shop front, but the main door dates from the 20th century. The pub was partially destroyed by a bomb in World War II, but three of the original five projecting gables remain. It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 8 January 1959.</p><br>
<p>Tradition has it that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, his inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, here, and it was Robert Louis Stevenson’s inspiration for the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. In the Victorian era the pub was associated with the Theatre Royal, which is across the road, and was visited by many performers and musicians including Henry Irving.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>A trow was a flat-bottomed barge, and Llandogo is a village 20 mi north-west of Bristol, across the Severn Estuary and upstream on the River Wye in South Wales, where trows were once built. Trows historically sailed to trade in Bristol from Llandogo. The pub was named by Captain Hawkins, a sailor who lived in Llandogo and ran the pub.</p><br>
<h2>Modern usage</h2><br>
<p>In 1962 it became a Berni Inn, but now belongs to Whitbread and trades as a Brewers Fayre. In 2007, The Llandoger Trow was one of the three locations seen in the Pirates Cove episode of Most Haunted Live! The others were Blackbeards houses and Redcliffe Caves. The most popular ghost story associated with the pub is that of a small child who wore leg braces and haunts the top floor, their footsteps heard at night. The programme claimed that there were at least 15 ghosts at the Llandoger Trow, and since 2009 the owners have organised ghost hunts overnight.</p><br>
