<p>The Guadalupe Mountains  are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 ft, and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both of which are located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The Guadalupe Mountains are bordered by the Pecos River valley and Llano Estacado to the east and north, Delaware Mountains to the south, and Sacramento Mountains to the west.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Archaeological evidence has shown that people lived over 10,000 years ago in and among the many caves and alcoves. The first humans to live here were hunter-gatherers who followed large game and collected edible vegetation. Artifacts that support this include projectile points, baskets, pottery, and rock art.</p><br>
<p>The first Europeans to arrive in the area were the Spaniards in the 16th century, but they did not make serious attempts to settle in the Guadalupe Mountains. The Spanish introduced horses into the area, and nomadic indigenous tribes of the area such as the Apaches soon found horses to be an asset for hunting and migrating. Mescalero Apaches were nomadic and followed the game and harvested the agave (or mescal) for food and fiber. Mescalero is Spanish for mescal-maker. Agave-roasting pits and other artifacts of Mescalero culture can be found in the park.</p><br>
<p>The Mescalero Apaches remained in the mountains through the mid-19th century, but they were challenged by an American transportation route at the end of the American Civil War. During the 1840s and 1850s, many people immigrating west crossed the area. In 1858, Pinery station was constructed near Pine Springs for the Butterfield Overland Mail. The Butterfield Overland Mail traveled over Guadalupe Pass located at 5,534 ft above sea level. A cavalry was known as the Buffalo Soldiers was ordered to the area to stop Indian raids on settlements and mail stage routes. During the winter of 1869, Lt. H.B. Cushing led his troops into the Guadalupe Mountains and destroyed two Mescalero Apache camps. The Mescalero Apache were eventually driven out of the area and into US Indian reservations.</p><br>
<p>Felix McKittrick was one of the first European settlers in the Guadalupe Mountains; he worked cattle during the 1870s. McKittrick Canyon is thought to be named after him. Frijole Ranch was the first permanent ranch house; it was constructed in 1876 by the Rader brothers. Frijole Ranch House was the only major building in the region; it served as a community center and regional post office from 1916-1942. Today, the Frijole Ranch House has been restored and operates as a cultural museum. In 1908, Williams Ranch House was built, and it was named after one of its inhabitants, James Adolphus Williams. Judge J.C. Hunter from Van Horn consolidated most of the smaller ranches in the area into the Guadalupe Mountain Ranch. In 1921, Wallace Pratt, a geologist for Humble Oil and Refining Company, was impressed by the beauty of McKittrick Canyon and bought the land to build two homes in the canyon. Both constructions were used as summer homes by Pratt and his family until 1960. Wallace Pratt donated about 6,000 acre of McKittrick Canyon which became part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Guadalupe Mountains reach their highest point at Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, with an elevation of 8,751 ft. The range lies southeast of the Sacramento Mountains and east of the Brokeoff Mountains. The mountain range extends north-northwest and northeast from Guadalupe Peak in Texas into New Mexico. The northeastern extension ends about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Carlsbad, near White&#39;s City and Carlsbad Caverns National Park; the southwest tip ends with El Capitan about 90 mi east of El Paso. The mountains rise more than 3,000 ft above the arid floor of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Guadalupe Mountains are surrounded by the South Plains to the east and north, Delaware Mountains to the south, and Sacramento Mountains to the west.</p><br>
<p>The northwestern extension, bounded by a dramatic escarpment known as "The Rim", extends much further into New Mexico, to near the Sacramento Mountains. The range is bounded on the north by Four Mile Canyon; on the east by the valley of the Pecos River; and on the west by Piñon Creek, Big Dog Canyon, Valley Canyon, Middle Dog Canyon, and West Dog Canyon. Much of the range is built from the ancient Capitán Reef that formed at the margins of a shallow sea during the Permian period. The Guadalupian epoch of the Permian period is named for these mountains, and the Capitanian age within this epoch is named for the Capitan reef. For details on the area&#39;s geology, see Delaware Basin. As the range is built up almost entirely of limestone, upland areas have little or no surface water. The only significant surface water is McKittrick Creek, in McKittrick Canyon, which emerges from the eastern side of the massif, just south of the New Mexico border. Elevations at the base of the range vary from 4,000 ft above sea level on the western side to 5,000 ft on the east. Several peaks on the southern end exceed 8,000 ft.</p><br>
<p>The Guadalupe Mountains experience relatively hot summers, calm, mild autumn weather, and cool to cold weather in winter and early spring. Snow storms, freezing rain, or fog may occur in winter or early spring. Frequent high-wind warnings are issued during winter through spring. Late summer monsoons produce thunderstorms. The nights are cool, even in summer.</p><br>
<h2>Ecology</h2><br>
<p>Three major ecosystems are contained within the mountain range. First, deserts exhibit salt flats on the western side of the national park and creosote desert, with low elevations on the east covered with grassland, pinyon pine, and junipers such as alligator juniper and one-seeded juniper. Secondly, canyon interiors such as McKittrick, Bear, and Pine Springs Canyon on the southeast end exhibit maple, ash, chinquapin oak, and other deciduous trees. These trees are able to grow in the desert due to springs of water recharged by wet uplands. Finally, alpine uplands known as "the Bowl" exceeding elevations of 7,000 ft are covered with denser forests of ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine, and douglas-fir, with small stands of aspen.</p><br>
<p>The range contains many world-class caves, including Carlsbad Caverns (the best known) and Lechuguilla Cave, discovered in 1986. The history of the range includes occupation by ancient Pueblo and Mogollon peoples, and by the Apache and various Anglo outlaws in the 19th century.</p><br>
<p>The Wordie Ice Shelf  was a confluent glacier projecting as an ice shelf into the SE part of Marguerite Bay between Cape Berteaux and Mount Edgell, along the western coast of Antarctic Peninsula.</p><br>
<p>In March 2008, the British Antarctic Survey reported that it appeared ready to break away from the Antarctic Peninsula. By April 2009 it had done so, vanishing completely.</p><br>
<p>Discovered by the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) under Rymill, 1934-37, who named this feature for Sir James Wordie, Honorary Secretary (later President) of the Royal Geographical Society, member of the Discovery Committee, and chairman of the Scott Polar Research Institute. He also had been geologist and Chief of the Scientific Staff of the British expedition, 1914-16, under Ernest Shackleton.</p><br>
<p>Lake Wyangan is a recreational lake located immediately to the northwest of the town of Griffith in New South Wales, Australia. The lake was formed in 1950 and is surrounded by many orchards. It was formed with the remnants of a gypsum mine and also there was a natural swamp at the location as well. The lake is a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike. It is popular for many activities which include such things as boating, fishing, skiing, sailing, picnicking, walking, jogging, running, driving and other such activities. There are also some animals in the area. They are fenced off in secure enclosures and include such animals as deer. There is as well a playground where children can play and it includes such facilities as swings. It is one of the component wetlands of the Griffith Wetlands Important Bird Area.</p><br>
<p>The Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake is a rowing lake in the United Kingdom, named after the Olympic rowers Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. The lake and its boathouse are specifically designed for training use, and will provide training, medical, and scientific facities for the GB rowing squad, and for Oxford University in preparation for the Boat Race. The lake is also available for crews from University College, Oxford to use, as well as rowing crews from Oxford Brookes University.</p><br>
<p>The lake is situated in the South Oxfordshire parish of Eye & Dunsden between the Reading suburb of Caversham and the village of Sonning Eye. It was created by the selective dredging and reclamation of part of the Caversham Lakes, a string of lakes that adjoin the River Thames and which were originally created as a result of gravel extraction by Sonning Works. The project to create the facility was sponsored by a partnership of the Caversham Lakes Trust, Sport England, the Amateur Rowing Association and the Thames and Kennet Marina. The budget was £13 million and the lake was officially opened in April 2006 by the two men after which it is named.</p><br>
<p>Berry Brook starts close to the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake, running northeast through the Thames floodplain, before joining the river at Hallsmead Ait.</p><br>
<p>The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. The Five Great Mountains refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history, and they were the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. They are associated with the absolute God and the five main cosmic deities of Chinese traditional religion. The group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism , and the group associated with Taoism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism .</p><br>
<p>The sacred mountains have all been important destinations for pilgrimage, the Chinese expression for pilgrimage being a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain".</p><br>
<h2>The Five Great Mountains</h2><br>
<p>The Five Great Mountains or Wu Yue are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center as a direction. The grouping of the five mountains appeared during the Warring States period (475 BC – 221 BC), and the term of Wu Yue (Five Summit) was made famous during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty 140-87 BC. In Chinese traditional religion they have cosmological and theological significance as they represent on the physical plane of earth the natural order emanating from the primordial God (Tian-Shangdi), inscribing and designing China as a tán 壇, "altar", the Chinese concept equivalent of the Indian mandala.</p><br>
<p>The five mountains are among the best-known natural landmarks in Chinese history, and since the early periods in Chinese history, they have been the ritual sites of imperial worship and sacrifice by various emperors. The first legendary sovereigns of China went on excursions or formed processions to the summits of the Five Great Mountains. Every visit took place at the same time of the year. The excursions were hunting trips and ended in ritual offerings to the reigning god.</p><br>
<p>The emperors, starting with the First Emperor of Qin, formalized these expeditions and incorporated them into state ritual as prescribed by Confucianism. With every new dynasty, the new emperor hurried to the Five Great Mountains in order to lay claim to his newly acquired domains. Barring a number of interruptions, this imperial custom was preserved until the end of the last dynasty, when, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Yuan Shikai had himself crowned as emperor at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. But just to be safe, he also made an offer to the mountain god of the northern Heng Shan.</p><br>
<p>In the 2000s formal sacrifices both in Confucian and Taoist styles have been resumed. The Five Great Mountains have become places of pilgrimage where hundreds of pilgrims gather in temples and caves. Although the Five Great Mountains are not traditionally canonized as having any exclusive religious affiliations, many of them have a strong Taoist presence, thus the five mountains are also grouped by some as part of "Sacred Taoist Mountains". There are also various Buddhist temples and Confucian academies built on these mountains.</p><br>
<h3>Nature conservation</h3><br>
<p>In ancient times mountains were places of authority and fear, ruled by dark forces and faithfully worshipped. One reason for such worship was the value of the mountains to human existence as a spring of welfare and fertility, as the birthplace of rivers, as a place where herbs and medicinal plants grew and as a source of materials to build houses and tools. A basic element of Taoist thought was, and still is, an intuitive feeling of connectedness with nature. As early as the fourth century, the Taoists presented the high priests with the 180 precepts of Lord Lao for how to live a good and honest life. Twenty of these precepts focused explicitly on the conservation of nature, while many other precepts were indirectly aimed at preventing the destruction of nature. Respect for nature has been a key component of Taoism from the very outset and, in its own right, explains why the Five Great Mountains are considered sacred. In addition, Taoists consider mountains as a means of communication between heaven and earth and as the place where immortality can be found. The sanctity of the Five Great Mountains is the reason why even today these mountains still host an exceptional diversity of plants, trees and animal species.</p><br>
<h3>East Great Mountain (Dōngyuè): Tài Shān</h3><br>
<h3>West Great Mountain (Xīyuè): Huà Shān</h3><br>
<p>Shaanxi Province (Shănxī), 34&deg;29&prime;N latitude, 110&deg;05&prime;E longitude</p><br>
<h3>South Great Mountain (Nányuè): Héng Shān (Hunan)</h3><br>
<h3>North Great Mountain (Běiyuè): Héng Shān (Shanxi)</h3><br>
<h3>Center Great Mountain (Zhōngyuè): Sōng Shān</h3><br>
<p>Alternatively, these mountains are sometimes referred to by the respective directions: the "Northern Great Mountain" (北嶽/北岳 Běi Yuè), "Southern Great Mountain" (南嶽/南岳 Nán Yuè), "Eastern Great Mountain" (東嶽/东岳 Dōng Yuè), "Western Great Mountain" (西嶽/西岳 Xī Yuè), and "Central Great Mountain" (中嶽/中岳 Zhōng Yuè).</p><br>
<p>According to Chinese mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the body of Pangu (盤古/盘古 Pángǔ), the first being and the creator of the world. Because of its eastern location, Mount Tài is associated with the rising sun which signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often regarded as the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains. In accordance with its special position, Mount Tài is believed to have been formed out of Pangus head. Mount Heng in Hunan is believed to be a remainder of Pangus right arm, Mount Heng in Shanxi of his left arm, Mount Song of his belly, and Mount Hua of his feet.</p><br>
<h2>The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism</h2><br>
<p>In Buddhism the Four "Sacred Mountains of China" are:</p><br>
<h3>Wǔtái Shān</h3><br>
<p>Wutai is the home of the Bodhisattva of wisdom, Manjusri or Wenshu (Traditional: 文殊) in Chinese.</p><br>
<h3>Éméi Shān</h3><br>
<p>The patron bodhisattva of Emei is Samantabhadra, known in Chinese as Puxian (普贤菩萨).</p><br>
<h3>Jǐuhuá Shān</h3><br>
<p>Many of the mountain&#39;s shrines and temples are dedicated to Ksitigarbha (known in Chinese as Dìzàng, , in Japanese as Jizō), who is a bodhisattva and protector of beings in hell realms</p><br>
<h3>Pǔtuó Shān</h3><br>
<p>This mountain is considered the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin), bodhisattva of compassion. It became a popular pilgrimage site and received imperial support in the Song Dynasty.</p><br>
<h2>The Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism</h2><br>
<p>The "Four Sacred Mountains" of Taoism are:</p><br>
<h3>Wǔdāng Shān</h3><br>
<h3>Lónghŭ Shān</h3><br>
<p>Simplified Chinese: 龙虎山; Traditional Chinese: 龍虎山; literally "Dragon and Tiger", Jiangxi. Main peak: 247.4m. {{coord|28|06|48.999|N|116|57|29.998|E|type:mountain_region:CN|display=inline}}</p><br>
<h3>Qíyūn Shān</h3><br>
<h3>Qīngchéng Shān</h3><br>
<p>Kinver Edge is a high heath and woodland escarpment just west of Kinver, about four miles west of Stourbridge, and four miles north of Kidderminster, and is on the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire, England. It is now owned by the National Trust.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Kinver Edge is a remnant of the Mercian forest, although much planting dates from post-1945. There are two Iron Age hillforts on Kinver Edge the larger one Kinver Edge Hillfort, is at the northern end, while the other is at the southern end, on a promontory known as Drakelow Hill.</p><br>
<p>The area has been a popular local tourist destination since Edwardian times, when an electric tramway, the Kinver Light Railway, connected Kinver to the Birmingham tram system.</p><br>
<h3>Holy Austin Rock Houses</h3><br>
<p>Kinver Edge is home to the last troglodyte dwellings occupied in England, with a set of complete cave-houses excavated into the local sandstone. One of the rocks, "Holy Austin", was a hermitage until the Reformation. The Holy Austin rock houses were inhabited until the 1960s. They are now owned by the National Trust and are open for tour. One house has been restored to a Victorian appearance, and the Martindale Caves show what life was like in the 1930s.</p><br>
<p>The cottage gardens and an orchard are being replanted and restored.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Kinver Edge is situated to the east of the Severn Valley, and is in the South Staffordshire/Wyre Forest Districts. It is situated in green belt land, and is at the very edge of the urban metropolitan West Midlands. Kinver Edge rises to 164 metres above sea level at the summit, and provides views to the Clent Hills, Shatterford Hill, Dudley, Wenlock Edge, Malvern Hills and the Shropshire Hills.</p><br>
<p>The rock houses are in kinver edge</p><br>
<p>The Edge is topped with Bunter pebbles, and is subject to erosion.</p><br>
<p>The heathland and woodland on Kinver Edge are inhabited by wildlife, including adder and common lizard present on the heaths, and common buzzard, Eurasian jay, great spotted woodpecker, badger, red fox, and many other bird species present in the woods. The area around the summit is mainly heathland, with birch, oak and sweet chestnut trees in the woods at the northern end. Kingsford, Worcestershire Country Park is on the southern end of the edge, and entirely in Worcestershire. It is made up of coniferous plantation woodlands.</p><br>
<h2>Contemporary uses</h2><br>
<p>The primary economic activity is tourism and estate management. The Staffordshire Way long-distance footpath passes over the summit. The Country Park is used for mountain biking.</p><br>
<p>Khirbet Beit Lei or Beth Loya is an archaeological tell in the Judean lowlands of Israel. It is located about 5.5 km southeast of Beth Guvrin on a hill 400 m above sea level.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>During the construction of a road in 1961, an ancient burial complex was discovered ten miles west-northwest of Hebron. An archaeological expedition by the Israel Antiquities Authority led by Joseph Naveh of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found a cave consisting of three chambers cut into the chalky limestone. Eight skeletons lay on limestone ledges around the sides of the chambers. A ring, a bronze earring and a bronze plaque were also found in the cave, which contained carved drawings and inscriptions. Three of the drawings were of human figures: a man holding what might be a lyre, a man raising his arms, possibly in a prayer gesture, and a man wearing a headdress. Two sailing vessels were sketched on another wall.</p><br>
<h2>Archaeology</h2><br>
<p>Khirbet Beit Lei was first surveyed by R.A.S. Macalister of the Palestine Exploration Fund, who found a rock-cut chapel and burial caves.</p><br>
<p>In 1961, two Iron Age II multi-chamber burial caves were excavated by Joseph Navehat in the eastern part of the site. The caves had been unearthed by road construction. One cave contained eight skeletons that had been untouched since being laid to rest. Drawings and inscriptions were carved into the walls of the cave. The other cave had been looted at some point, and analysis revealed that the interred individuals belonged to a group of different origin than the first group. The drawings depicted three human figures, two ships, and two other figures that may be an encampment and a tent. The ships lead scholars to believe that the chambers were reused by Israelite refugees fleeing the Chaldaean armies in the sixth century BCE, probably Levites. Ships are a common motif in ancient Near Eastern burial chambers.</p><br>
<p>Between 1972 and 1973, the site was surveyed by Yehuda Dagan. This survey revealed that the site had been settled from the Hellenistic period until at least the Mameluke period. No Iron Age remains were found. A number of hewn subterranean installations, including columbaria, olive presses, water cisterns, quarries, a stable and hideaways are attributed to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.</p><br>
<p>From 1979 to 1983, Yotam Tepper and Y. Shahar investigated the caves at the site.</p><br>
<p>In 1983 and 1986 Joseph Patrich and Yoram Tsafrir excavated a basilica church at the site, as well as an olive press, a wine press and a burial cave nearby, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The church is thought to have been built around the year 500 CE, and to have functioned well into the 8th century. The church complex was thought to be on the outskirts of a village. The mosaic floors of the church reflect iconoclastic activity, and then repair.</p><br>
<p>The excavations at the site were renewed in 2005 under the direction of the Oren Gutfeld, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with funding from a Mormon non-profit foundation.</p><br>
<h2>Hebrew inscriptions</h2><br>
<p>Seven inscriptions in Hebrew remained in various states of preservation, and there is disagreement about how they should be read. It appears that the words YHWH (Yahweh) and YRSHLM (Jerusalem) feature in the inscriptions, which Joseph Naveh dated to the late 6th century BCE.</p><br>
<p>Of particular interest is one inscription which is the oldest known appearance in Hebrew of the name (Jerusalem).</p><br>
<p>Naveh read it as</p><br>
<p>which he translated as "Yahweh (is) the God of the whole earth; the mountains of Judah belong to him, to the God of Jerusalem".</p><br>
<p>Frank Moore Cross disagreed with many of Naveh&#39;s readings of the letters, instead interpreting the inscription as a poetic rubric in the first person: "I am Yahweh thy God: I will accept the cities of Judah, and will redeem Jerusalem". Cross speculated that it was "the citation of a lost prophecy", perhaps written by a refugee fleeing the 587 BCE destruction of Jerusalem.</p><br>
<p>Other scholars, including Lemair and Puech, have proposed additional readings. Patrick Miller read it almost the same as Cross did: " Yahweh your God. I will accept the cities of Judah. I will redeem Jerusalem."</p><br>
<p>The Valdai Hills  are an upland region in the north-west of central Russia running north-south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk Oblasts.</p><br>
<p>The Valdai Hills are a popular tourist destination, particularly for fishing. The towns of Ostashkov and Valday are also remarkable for their historical associations.</p><br>
<p>Valdaysky National Park was established in 1990 in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast to protect the landscapes of the highest part of the hills. The park includes Lake Valdayskoye and the northern section of Lake Seliger, as well as the town of Valday. Since 2004, the National Park has the status of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.</p><br>
<h2>Geography and geology</h2><br>
<p>The hills are a northward extension of the Central Russian Upland. The ridge is overlain by deposited glacial materials in the form of terminal moraines and other detritus. The Valdai Hills reach their maximum height of 346.9 m near Vyshny Volochyok.</p><br>
<p>The Volga, the Daugava (the Western Dvina), the Lovat, the Msta, the Dnieper, the Syas, and other rivers originate in the Valdai Hills. The region thus is divided between the drainage basins of the Caspian Sea (the Volga), the Black Sea (the Dnieper), and the Baltic Sea (the Msta and the Lovat via the Volkhov, the Syas via Lake Ladoga and the Neva, and the Daugava).</p><br>
<p>It is a place of many lakes, among them Lake Volgo, Lake Peno, Lake Seliger, Lake Brosno, and Lake Valdayskoye.</p><br>
<p>During the last glacial period the Valdai Hills with its hard rocks posed an obstacle to the glacier ice that advances from northwest diverting the ice into the lowlands.</p><br>
<p>The Gudbrandsdalslågen  is a river which flows through the valley of Gudbrandsdal in Norway.</p><br>
<h2>Overview</h2><br>
<p>The Gudbrandsdalslågen begins in the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet (or Lesjavatn), which lies in Lesja municipality in Oppland. Lesjavatn is the only lake in Norway which has two outlets; they flow into two of Norway’s more famous rivers. In the southeast at Lesjaverk village the lake serves as the headwaters for the Gudbrandsdalslågen, while in the northwest at Lesjaskog village, Lesjavatn is the headwaters for the Rauma river.</p><br>
<p>The Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the Gudbrandsdal. Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen include the Gausa River flowing through the Gausdal valley, the Otta River flowing through the Ottadalen valley, the Vinstra River flowing through the Vinstradal valley, and the Sjoa River, flowing through the Heidal valley. The eastern rivers, Jora, Ula, Frya, Tromsa and Mesna are shorter and drop precipitously from the heights of the Rondane. Although relatively placid for extended stretches of its 200 km path, the Gudbrandsdalslågen drops rapidly through the Rosten Gorge in Sel.</p><br>
<p>Between the municipalities of Ringebu and Øyer the river widens out and creates the large so-called "riverlake," Losna).</p><br>
<p>The Gudbrandsdalslågen terminates in the lake of Mjøsa at Lillehammer. It is the largest river flowing into this lake, which discharges into the short Vorma River. The Vorma joins the Glomma River at Nes.</p><br>
<p>Norwegian rivers crest in the spring as the snow melts. The Gudbrandsdalslågen, draining higher elevations and being primarily glacier fed, typically crests later than the Glomma river, which drains the east valleys. In the rare year when both crest at the same time, their confluence at Nes is the site of great floods. The most famous simultaneous crest of the Gudbrandsdalslågen and Glomma resulted in the flood of 20–23 July 1789, with crests over 50 feet above mean level at Lake Øyer below Nes and extensive damage, including 68 casualties.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>Lågen is the finite form of låg (Old Norse lǫgr m) water; river. The meaning is just the river, and this term must have replaced an old name that is now forgotten and unknown. (Compare with Numedalslågen.)</p><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands consist of two groups of islands located close to the entrance to Spencer Gulf in South Australia. They are well known as a venue for great white shark tourism.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands consists of two groups of islands, the North Neptune Islands and the South Neptune Islands. These both sit on the southern aspect of the Australasian continental shelf separated by a distance of 9 km. The North Neptune Islands which are 27.8 km south south-east from the mainland at Cape Catastrophe, consist of a large island of 49 m height and a small islet of 29 m height located 300 m from the main island&#39;s north-east point with a combined area of 2.43 km&sup2;. The South Neptune Islands which are 38.9 km south-south-east from the mainland at Cape Catastrophe are more evenly portioned in height with the northern island being 35 m high and the southern island (also known as Lighthouse Island) rising to 37 m. The Southern group has an area of 2.02 km&sup2;. A third feature associated with the overall island group is an outcrop of rocks known as Low Rocks located about 6.5 km north-north-east of the northern group of islands.</p><br>
<h2>Formation, geology and oceanography</h2><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands were formed between 10800 and 12000 years ago when sea levels rose at the start of the Holocene.</p><br>
<p>The islands are remnant igneous inselbergs which have survived the erosive process associated with sea level rise. The remnant rock is described as being ‘a porphyritic granite gneiss and pink granite intruded with dolerite dykes‘. Remnants of the once-overlying calcarenite layers are also present on the upper platforms of the island. The soil is mainly derived from the weathering of the granite with a minor contribution from the weathering of calcarenite strata.</p><br>
<p>The seabed falls steeply away from the coast of both island groups. Water depths of 80 m are reached within a distance of 1.5 km from the Northern group and within 1.5 km to 2 km from the Southern group.</p><br>
<h2>Flora and fauna</h2><br>
<h3>Plants</h3><br>
<p>While the low profile of the islands do limit what can grow due to wind exposure and salt spray, surveys have shown that the Northern island group (excluding the ‘small satellite islet’) has 35 plant species while the Southern group has 28 species on its north island while Lighthouse Island has 13 species. The latter is attributed to combination of the disturbance caused by activity associated with the formerly-manned lighthouse, airstrip, an introduced goat population that was eradicated in 1968 and burrows made by the large numbers of short-tailed shearwaters. Plant species include sea celery, leek lily, flax lily, coast tussock grass, salt couch, billy button daisies, variable groundsel and an introduced Northern Hemisphere grass, rat&#39;s-tail fescue.</p><br>
<h3>Terrestrial animals</h3><br>
<p>The only mammals present are bush rats which are found on North Neptune Island.</p><br>
<p>Birds of prey include white-bellied sea-eagles, peregrine falcon and swamp harrier with Australian kestrels mainly concentrated on the northern island in the South group. Breeding colonies of Cape Barren geese are present on the Northern group while short-tailed shearwaters, silver gull and greater crested tern are present on the South group island. Other landbirds include white-fronted chats, masked plovers, rock parrots, welcome swallows, silvereyes and stubble quails. Sparrows, an introduced species, have established themselves on Lighthouse island.</p><br>
<p>Reptiles identified during surveys include marbled geckos on both island groups while the following are limited to the main island in the Northern group - four-toed earless skink, bull skinks and western brown snakes. The latter are believed to prey on bush rat and bull shinks.</p><br>
<h3>Marine animals</h3><br>
<p>New Zealand fur-seals and Australian sea lions are common on all islands, using the island group for breeding. In turn, the presence of these two colonies of sea mammals supports a migratory population of both great white sharks and bronze whaler sharks.</p><br>
<p>Little penguins were previously found on the Neptune Islands. None were found in 2006 and the colony is now believed to be extinct. Penguins were present there in 1840, 1876, 1925 and 1934. In 1899, it was reported that South Neptune Island was "the island abounded with penguin, and the sandy beach was a favourite resort of the hair seal." In 1901, a visiting party on the Governor Musgrave described the island thus: "Penguins are fairly numerous; but excepting an occasional seal or two the mutton birds monopolize the island." Another account of the visit said of the muttonbirds "At night these birds create an indescribable din, in company with the penguins, of which also there is a large number about the various rocks of its coastline."</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The islands were first sighted by Europeans on Sunday 21 February 1802 from HMS Investigator whilst under the command of Matthew Flinders. The islands were named ‘Neptunes Isles’, for they seemed to be inaccessible to men.&#39;</p><br>
<p>The islands were subsequently visited by John Lort Stokes in 1840 and later in 1873-74 by Captain F. Howard, RN as part of an ongoing South Australian Government program to map the colony’s waters, identify shipping hazards and assess the suitability of the coastline for settlement.</p><br>
<p>During World War II, the Neptune Islands became a strategic military site due to its lighthouse’s location at the approaches to both Spencer Gulf and Investigator Strait. This is evident in the act of the placement of a mine field approximately 25 mi west-south west of the Neptune Islands by the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin during November 1940.</p><br>
<p>A naval depot including huts and observation towers was established on South Neptune Island along with a gun which was regularly fired.</p><br>
<p>The South Neptune Island Lighthouse Complex is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.</p><br>
<h2>Navigation aids</h2><br>
<p>Navigation aids have been located on islands within the Neptune Islands Group since the early 20th century.</p><br>
<p>A light mounted on a 12 m tower located on the largest island in the northern group commenced operation in 1983 and was removed during the year 2002-2003.</p><br>
<p>The need for a lighthouse in the Neptune Islands was considered for many years during the 19th century due to the Islands’ relatively low elevation. In 1901, the light tower from the Port Adelaide Entrance light was relocated to South Neptune Island. This was eventually replaced by a new structure in 1985 and was transported to Port Adelaide on MV Cape Don to become part of the collection of the South Australian Maritime Museum which opened in 1986. The new lighthouse was converted to automatic operation in 1990 resulting in the departure of the lighthouse keepers and their families.</p><br>
<h2>Climate</h2><br>
<p>Neptune Island has a Mediterranean Climate (Csb) with mild summers and cool winters. The island gets only 45.6 clear days annually. Coastal weather observations have been obtained by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology at the South Neptune Islands since 1957. Initially, observations were made by the lighthouse keepers residing on the Island at three hourly intervals. As of 2014, observations are made via an automatic weather station (AWS).</p><br>
<h2>Economic activity</h2><br>
<h3>Guano</h3><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands were one of the island sites from which guano was mined under licence from the South Australian Government prior to 1919.</p><br>
<h3>Fishing</h3><br>
<p>The waters around the Neptune Islands outside of the protected area (see below) are commercially fished for abalone, marine scalefish, rock lobster and sardine. Bycatch includes commercially attractive species such as giant crab and octopus.</p><br>
<h3>Tourism and other spin-offs</h3><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands, particularly the North Neptune Islands, have been one of the sites used for shark cage diving to view great white sharks in South Australia since the late 1970s. Since 2002, it is the only site within Australia where this activity is legally permitted. The availability of cage diving has attracted professional photographers and others whose efforts are considered by individuals such as Rodney Fox as having significantly contributed to worldwide knowledge of shark physiology and behaviour, because film, video, television and print media associated with shark viewing and research activities at the Neptune Islands, have reached a very large global audience.Other tourist activities include charter fishing, marine mammal watching and cruise ships visits.</p><br>
<h2>Protected areas</h2><br>
<h3>Neptune Islands Conservation Park</h3><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands Conservation Park includes all the islands in the Group to low water mark with the exception of Lighthouse Island in the South Neptune Islands and Low Rocks. The park was proclaimed in 1967 mainly to conserve the New Zealand fur seal breeding colony on the southern island of the North Neptune Islands which is one of the largest in Australia. Other features that contributed to the declaration include the small breeding population of Australian sea lions on the North Neptune Islands, Australian sea lion haul out areas located on the South Neptune Islands, and the breeding/nesting populations of Cape Barren goose, white-bellied sea eagle, osprey and peregrine falcon. A marine extension of 2 nmi width was declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (SA), to regulate and manage shark berleying activities around both groups of islands.</p><br>
<h3>Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park</h3><br>
<p>The Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park consists of two separate areas - the waters within two nautical miles of the coastline of both the North Neptune Islands and the South Neptune Islands at median high water. The northern area is zoned as a habitat protection area with a smaller sanctuary area immediately adjoining the island group while the southern area is zoned for habitat protection. Both areas are also zoned as restricted areas in order to manage access to both the islands and the surrounding waters. The marine park came into existence on 29 November 2012 as part of a state wide network of marine protected areas. When announcing the launch of the marine park network, Jay Weatherill, the South Australian Premier, announced the renaming of the Neptune Islands Group Marine Park to the Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park in recognition of the Taylors contribution to the conservation of sharks, sea lions and other marine species.&#39;</p><br>
<h3>Administration</h3><br>
<p>Administratively, the Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park entity overlays the entirety of the Neptune Islands Conservation Park. Activities within the dual entity is restricted to scientific research, tourism operations, competitions and organised events, commercial film-making (including sound recording and photography), installation of vessel moorings and any activity that can be argued on a merit basis. Access to both terrestrial and marine areas is controlled by a permit system administered by one government agency.</p><br>
<h2>Cultural heritage</h2><br>
<h3>Aboriginal heritage</h3><br>
<p>Little is known about Aboriginal heritage associated with the Neptune Islands. While it is likely that the islands can be seen from the Eyre Peninsula coastline and that the Islands may have more accessible to aboriginal people during the recent ice age than during the present day, Native Title claims lodged in 1996 and 1997 respectively for southern Eyre Peninsula by the Barngarla and the Nauo peoples did not include the Islands.</p><br>
<h3>Lighthouse facility</h3><br>
<p>The keepers&#39; cottages, store, outbuildings, stone fences, stone rainwater tanks, grave sites & footings of the now-removed first lighthouse collectively known as the South Neptune Island Lighthouse Complex are protected under the Heritage Places Act 1993 (SA) and the Development Act 1993 (SA).</p><br>
<h3>Shipwrecks</h3><br>
<p>Frances, cutter, wrecked at South Neptune Island on 29 August 1840.</p><br>
<p>Venus, cutter, wrecked at North Neptune Island on 14 June 1946.</p><br>
<p>Yandra, motor vessel, ran aground in dense fog onto South Neptune Island on 25 January 1959.</p><br>
<p>Saint Michele, fishing boat, wrecked at South Neptune Island on 30 March 1965.</p><br>
<p>Gloridia V, cray-fishing boat, wrecked at North Neptune Island on 12 March 1977.</p><br>
<p>Cinderella, fishing boat, wrecked at Low Rocks on 24 May 1982.</p><br>
<p>Gypsy Rose, fishing boat, wrecked on South Neptune Island on 14 January 1988.</p><br>
<p>As of October 2013, the only major shipping casualty has been Yandra which, ironically, was serving as the lighthouse’s supply ship at the time of her loss.</p><br>
<p>Mesak Settafet is a massive sandstone escarpment in southwest Libya. It sits at an elevation of up to 300m. The outcropping is abundant in prehistoric rock art and stone tools, particularly at the Wadi Mathendous site.</p><br>
<h2>Rock art</h2><br>
<p>There are many distinctive and large prehistoric carvings at the Mesak Settafet escarpment, especially at Wadi Mathendous. The outcropping&#39;s exposed stones are covered in a dark varnish or patina containing minerals not currently present in the sandstone. The microns-thick patina of iron and manganese oxides were likely laid down on the rock when the area was much wetter, up to 5000 years ago. The majority of the rock carvings in the area were probably first scratched then ground, likely with water, to create a purposeful finish.</p><br>
<h2>Rock tools</h2><br>
<p>The Mesak Settafet is littered with stone tools from the Pleistocene and later ages. A recent survey of randomly selected areas in the region estimated the tool density to be as high as 75 per 1 m&sup2; in places. The researchers for the Libyan Department of Antiquities used this figure to call the escarpment the earliest evidence of an anthropogenic environment. The discarded tools and stone fragments are so thick that if their average were continued over the surface of Africa, there would be enough human-made stone tools and production débitage to be comparable in volume to between 1.3 and 2.7 great pyramids of stone tools and fragments every 1 km&sup2; through Africa, or 42 to 84 million pyramids. That is 2.1 x 10 cubic meters of rock total, all made of fragments each averaging only 7 cm3. The researchers estimated this figure and suggested it might be "conservative."</p><br>
<p>Piercefield House St. Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a, largely ruined, neo-classical country house. The central block of the house was designed in the very late 18th century, by, or to the designs of, Sir John Soane. It is flanked by two pavilions, of slightly later date, by Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The house sits within Piercefield Park, a Grade I listed historic landscape, that was created in the 18th century as a notable Picturesque estate.</p><br>
<p>The house is now a shell, along with its extensive stable block, but its status as a Grade II* listed building reflects its importance. It is currently owned by the Reuben brothers, London-based property developers. A campaign to save and restore the building was launched by SAVE Britain&#39;s Heritage in 2013.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>18th–19th centuries</h3><br>
<p>Records since the 14th century refer variously to Peerfield, Peersfield, Persfield and Piersfield, the area taking its name, according to some sources, from the nearby manor of St. Pierre. The land was owned by the influential Walter family from medieval times until the 18th century. Local historians report an enlargement of the existing house under John Walter in the 1630s, and a later extension around 1700 is believed to have been the work of the architect William Talman, also responsible for Chatsworth House.</p><br>
<p>In 1727, the estate was sold for £3,366, 5.6d to Thomas Rous of Wotton-under-Edge. His son then sold it again in 1740, for £8,250, to Colonel Valentine Morris. Morris (c 1678–1743) was born in Antigua, the son of a sugar planter and merchant, and is thought to have been descended from the Walter family. The estate was then inherited by his son, also Valentine Morris (1727–1789), who began living at Piercefield with his family in 1753. At this time, tourism in the Wye Valley was in its infancy. Morris landscaped the parkland, with the help of Richard Owen Cambridge in the style of Capability Brown. The work was largely undertaken by architect Charles Howells and builder William Knowles of Chepstow, who had also undertaken work at nearby Tintern for the Duke of Beaufort. Piercefield was developed into a park of national reputation, as one of the earliest examples of picturesque landscaping. Morris laid out walks through the woodland, and included a grotto, druids temple, bathing house and giants cave. He also developed viewpoints along the clifftop above the River Wye, and opened the park up to visitors. One of the many tourists to marvel at this view was the poet Coleridge, who wrote: "Oh what a godly scene....The whole world seemed imaged in its vast circumference". The scientist and traveller Joseph Banks wrote: "I am more and more convinced that it is far the most beautiful place I ever saw".</p><br>
<p>In the 1770s Valentine Morriss gambling, business and political dealings bankrupted him, and he was forced to leave Piercefield for the West Indies. In 1785, Piercefield was sold again, for £26,200, to George Smith, a Durham banker, father of the linguist Elizabeth. Smith continued to open the walks, but straightened some of them. He also commissioned a young architect, John Soane to design a new mansion in the neo-classical style, which would incorporate Morriss house. Work began in 1792, and the new three-storey stone building had reached roof level when Smith found himself in financial difficulties. He sold Piercefield in 1794 to Colonel Mark Wood, Member of Parliament for Newark-on-Trent, who continued and modified the work with architect Joseph Bonomi, incorporating a Doric portico and wings, and commissioning the long stone wall which runs along the edge of the estate. Wood was also the owner of Llanthony Priory. In 1802, Wood in turn sold the house and estate to the mixed race planter Nathaniel Wells, for £90,000 cash. Wells was born in St. Kitts, the son of William Wells, a sugar merchant and planter originally from Cardiff, and Juggy, one of his house slaves. With his inherited fortune, Wells continued to add to the Piercefield estate until it reached almost 3,000 acres (12 km²). In 1818 he became Britain&#39;s only known black sheriff when he was appointed Sheriff of Monmouthshire.</p><br>
<p>It is rumoured that Admiral Nelson spent a night at Piercefield House on one of his visits to Monmouthshire. Nelson was closely connected to the town of Monmouth through his mistress Lady Hamilton. It is possible that he stayed in the summer of 1802 with her and her elderly husband Sir William Hamilton, on a journey to a friend&#39;s Pembrokeshire estate via Monmouth and Kymin Hill.</p><br>
<p>In 1848, Samuel Lewis&#39;s Topographical Dictionary of England described Piercefield in the following terms: From Piercefield Park, a splendid seat, the views are remarkably magnificent, and embrace numerous reaches of the Wye, the Severn, and a great range of the surrounding country. The mansion, situated on an eminence, in the midst of fine plantations, is a superb elevation of freestone, consisting of a centre and two wings, and much admired for its tasteful architecture: on the spacious staircase are four beautiful pieces of Gobelin tapestry which belonged to Louis XVI, representing subjects in the natural history of Africa.</p><br>
<p>Wells left the area in the 1840s and his tenants closed the walks to the public. After Wells death, the estate was leased to John Russell (1788–1873, High Sheriff of Monmouthshire 1855),who owned the neighbouring estate of Wyelands. In 1855 Russell bought the estate. The walks were occasionally reopened to the public, but for a charge. Around this time suggestions were made in the national press that the estate would be a suitable residence for the Prince of Wales. However, following the explosion at his Risca Blackvein Colliery, Russell sold the estate in 1861 to Henry Clay, a banker and brewer from Burton-on-Trent. In 1874 the estate passed to Clays eldest son, also Henry Clay, who lived there until his death in 1921 aged 96.</p><br>
<h3>20th century</h3><br>
<p>The Clay family sold the house and much of the estate on the death of Henry Clay to the Chepstow Racecourse Company (of which the Directors were all members of the Clay family), who opened the new racecourse there in 1926. The house, already in a poor state of repair, was abandoned and stripped, gradually decaying to its current ruinous condition, with just the main walls still standing. The woods overlooking the river became established as a nature reserve, and footpaths which now form part of the Wye Valley Walk were reopened in the 1970s. Plans to develop the site as a hotel or outdoor pursuits centre have so far been unfulfilled, with emergency repairs to the house carried out in 2008–09.</p><br>
<p>The Estate was marketed for sale in October 2005 with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Estate Agents, with an asking price of £2 million. It reportedly had planning and listed building consent for the restoration of the house, stable block and kitchen gardens, together with their associated cottages. The estate was withdrawn from sale in early 2012.</p><br>
<p>A festival with a central environmental focus, the Green Gathering, was held in the grounds of Piercefield House in July 2011. It was later announced that the site would be the venue of future annual festivals.</p><br>
<p>In July 2013, a campaign and petition were launched by Marcus Binney of SAVE Britain&#39;s Heritage to seek the protection of the building.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture and description</h2><br>
<p>The available sources make clear that George Smith commissioned designs for rebuilding from Sir John Soane in 1784–85. The architectural historian John Newman suggests that Soane produced further designs, for a completely new house, in 1792 and that construction commenced, to this design, in 1793. Cadw disagrees, contending that the new building, in the late 1780s, was undertaken under the direction of George Vaughan Maddox. Cadws designation report acknowledges that the design was "very dependent on Soanes ideas" and closely followed his design for Shotesham Park, Norfolk, which was built between 1785 and 1788.</p><br>
<p>There is agreement that the West and East pavilions, which flank the main mansion, were undertaken to the designs of Joseph Bonomi the Elder for the new owner, Colonel Wood, in 1795 to 1799.</p><br>
<p>Skopelos  is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island of Euboea. It is part of the Thessaly region. Skopelos is also the name of the main port and the municipal center of the island. The other communities of the island are Glossa and Neo Klima . The geography of Skopelos includes two mountains over 500 m; Delphi  in the center of the island, and Palouki  in the southeast. With an area of 96 km² Skopelos is slightly larger than Mykonos  and Santorini . The nearest inhabited islands are Skiathos to the west and Alonissos to the east.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>According to the legend, Skopelos was founded by Staphylos or Staphylus (Greek for grape), one of the sons of the god Dionysos and the princess Ariadne of Crete. Historically, in the Late Bronze Age the island, then known as Peparethos or Peparethus (Πεπάρηθος), was colonised by Cretans, who introduced viticulture to the island.</p><br>
<p>Perhaps because of the legend of its founding by the son of the god of wine, the island was known throughout the ancient Greek cities of the Mediterranean Sea for its wine. The play Philoctetes (first performed at the Festival of Dionysus in 409 BC) by Sophocles includes a wine merchant lost on his way to "Peparethos, rich in grapes and wine".</p><br>
<p>Pliny the Elder, in his book Natural History writes:</p><br>
<p>The physician Apollodorus, in the work in which he wrote recommending King Ptolemy what wines in particular to drin—for in his time the wines of Italy were not generally known—has spoken in high terms of that of Naspercene in Pontus, next to which he places the Oretic, and then the Aeneatian, the Leucadian, the Ambraciotic, and the Peparethian, to which last he gives the preference over all the rest, though he states that it enjoyed an inferior reputation, from the fact of its not being considered fit for drinking until it had been kept six years.</p><br>
<p>In 1936 excavations in the area of Staphylos/Velanio uncovered a royal tomb of the era of Mycenaean Greece. The island was briefly under the control of the city-state Chalcis, Euboea since at least the 8th century BC.</p><br>
<p>In turn the island would come under the political influence or direct domination of:</p><br>
<p>Athens</p><br>
<p>the Kingdom of Macedon (338–146 BC)</p><br>
<p>The Roman Republic (146–27 BC)</p><br>
<p>The Roman Empire (27 BC – 330 AD)</p><br>
<p>The Byzantine Empire (330–1204)</p><br>
<p>The Latin Empire of Constantinople (c. 1204–1277)</p><br>
<p>The Byzantine Empire (1277–?)</p><br>
<p>The Ottoman Empire (?–1403)</p><br>
<p>The Byzantine Empire (1403–1456)</p><br>
<p>The Republic of Venice; known as Scopelo (1456–1538)</p><br>
<p>The Ottoman Empire (1538 until the Greek War of Independence)</p><br>
<p>Skopelos became part of the First Hellenic Republic under the London Protocol confirming its sovereignty (3 February 1830). During World War II, Skopelos fell under Axis occupation. At first it was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy (June 1941 – September 1943) and then by Nazi Germany (September 1943 – October 1944). Skopelos and the rest of Greece returned to democratic-style government in 1944.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Skopelos has the shape of a saxophone, with the "neck" pointing northwest, and the "bell" lying on the east. There are not many bays and natural harbors, and cliffs steeply fall into the sea in the greatest part of the coast. Mountains dominate the western and eastern parts of the island. There are several plains; in Staphylos, Ditropon, and Panormos. The main port of Skopelos can sometimes be closed due to northerly gales. The smaller bays of Staphylos, Agnondas on the south coast and Panormos on the west offer better protection. The municipality has an area of 96.299 km&sup2;.</p><br>
<h3>Communities</h3><br>
<p>The main port and municipal center of the island (Skopelos or Chora) is situated in the bay on the northern coast. It is noted for its architectural heritage. On the census of 2011, it had 3,090 inhabitants.</p><br>
<p>The second largest settlement is Glossa village, situated on the northwestern tip of the island, just above Loutraki harbour, with an elevation ranging from 200 to 300 m. It is 25.4 km from Skopelos town. It is a tranquil village with traditional houses, with 993 residents.</p><br>
<p>Neo Klima or "Elios" is a purpose-built village constructed after the great 1965 earthquake to resettle the displaced residents of the severely damaged village of (Old) Klima. It is situated by the coast on the west side of the island. The village had 463 inhabitants in the 2001 census.</p><br>
<p>Other settlements include Stafylos, Agnondas, Panormos, Ananias, Klima, Atheato, Loutraki, Kalogiros, and Myloi.</p><br>
<h2>Economy</h2><br>
<p>The economy of Skopelos is now fully dependent on the tourism industry, which supports construction and other development related industries. Though tourism is greatest during the summer months, Skopelos is also a year-round retirement destination for Northern Europeans. Some residents expected an increase in tourism due to the filming of Mamma Mia! on the island in September 2007.</p><br>
<p>Agriculture, once a staple of the local economy, is in decline.</p><br>
<p>Plum and almond orchards exist but are less extensive than in the past. Wine production from local grapes is minimal ever since the phylloxera blight of the 1940s destroyed the vineyards. Though there is local small scale wine production using local grapes, most wine produced on the island is for home use and much is pressed from grapes imported from Thessaly. Herding of domestic goats and domestic sheep continues and a local feta type cheese is produced from these stocks. Beekeeping and honey production have increased in recent years. Skopelos supports a small fishing fleet which fishes local waters.</p><br>
<p>The island once had a vital wooden shipbuilding industry and contributed many ships to the War of Greek Independence (1821–1831). Shipbuilding began to decline after the introduction of steamships. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) stated "Almost every householder in both islands (Skopelos and Skiathos) is the owner, joint owner or skipper of a sailing ship." Today the art of building ships and boats in the traditional style is virtually nonexistent and is seen only in the repairing of small wooden vessels. Skopelos cannot support its population with locally produced food and goods. Most of what is used and consumed must be imported by ship from the mainland. Prices for food and consumer goods reflect the added expense of transportation. By law the Greek government collects less Value Added Tax for food and drink purchased on the islands (8% - 16%) than for similar items purchased in mainland Greece (11% - 23%). Still, purchases of food and drink run 10 percent higher in Skopelos than on the mainland. Most building materials, including sand, must also be imported. Gasoline or petrol costs are, at minimum, 15 percent higher than on the mainland.</p><br>
<p>Skopelos is a matrilineal society. Wealth is passed on via the female line. By custom, the parents of each Skopelitan bride provide the new couple with at least a house and some property. The house and property remain in the bride&#39;s name. This custom is particularly insular as in most other parts of Greece, especially on the mainland and Crete, wealth is patrilineal.</p><br>
<h3>Local food production</h3><br>
<p>Olives and olive oil: Olive oil plays a role in the Skopelos diet, being the basis of all recipes of traditional cuisine. The most prevalent olive is the "Pelion" variety, larger and rounder than the "Kalamata". For eating the olives are cured both in the unripened and the ripened stages.</p><br>
<p>Feta: A semi-soft, crumbly, well-salted white cheese made from goat milk. Used in Skopelos cheese pie and other vegetable pies, added to salads and served with meals.</p><br>
<p>Cheese Pie: Not by definition a real pie, but a tiropita, a deep fried spiral of cheese stuffed phyllo dough. The pie is generally about 15 cm in diameter and 3 cm high.</p><br>
<p>Honey: Honey in Skopelos is mainly pine honey from conifer trees and flower-honey from the nectar of fruit trees and wild flowers.</p><br>
<p>Prunes: Oven or sun dried Blue or Red Plums.</p><br>
<h2>Environment</h2><br>
<p>Skopelos is one of the greenest islands in the Aegean Sea. The island has a wide range of flowers, trees and shrubs. The local vegetation is chiefly made up of forests of Aleppo Pines (Pinus halepensis), Kermes Oaks (Quercus coccifera), a small forest of Holm Oaks (Quercus ilex), Oleo-Ceratonion maquis, fruit trees and olive groves. The pine forests on Skopelos have replaced oak species that predominated in the past; this is due to a preference for pine trees, since their timber is widely used for ship construction.</p><br>
<h3>Ecology</h3><br>
<p>As "The Green and Blue Island", Skopelos lags behind urban Greece in rubbish recycling and sewage treatment. Currently there is no rubbish recycling program in Skopelos. Solid and hazardous waste is deposited in a landfill or dumped unofficially on untended public or private land. Periodically families of Romani people come to Skopelos to collect scrap metal from areas around the island where trash has been illegally dumped. The scrap metal is removed from the island by lorry and sold on the mainland. Beer and bulk wine bottles are recycled by the distributors. There is a deposit collected for each bottle at time of purchase which is redeemed upon return.</p><br>
<h3>Water resources</h3><br>
<p>The sources of the municipal water supply are various spring fed tanks located around the island. The three island communities supply water within a limited but expanding part of their jurisdictions. Homes outside the municipal water system use wells or cisterns to collect rain water. There are plans to construct an artificial lake in the area of Panormos to supply water to farmers. Private water wells supply some agricultural needs and water from these wells can be transported by lorry to outlying areas to refill cisterns or swimming pools. The municipal water is good quality. As most natural source water in limestone environments, the water has a high calcium content.</p><br>
<h3>Alternative energy</h3><br>
<p>Over the past 30 years residents have begun to use solar collectors for hot water. With about 2,400 hours of sunlight per year, Skopelos has the potential to increase its solar energy use and to develop alternative sources for energy which make use of a frequent and steady northerly wind. Major construction and mass tourism development projects for hotels and tourist housing have not yet embraced the concept of alternative resources. Most recently built projects rely on electricity generated on the mainland, even for hot water.</p><br>
<h2>Wildlife</h2><br>
<h3>Birds</h3><br>
<p>Skopelos has a variety of fauna - including about 60 species of wild birds-native and migratory. There are several birds of prey, most common being the Eleonoras falcon (Falco Eleonorae), the European scops owl (Otus Scops) and the common buzzard (Buteo buteo). Also to be seen are kestrels, eagles, and vultures, and very obvious throughout the island is the hooded crow (Corvus cornix). Occasionally grey herons and kingfishers and, more commonly, the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), the herring gull (Larus argentatus) and the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) are seen along the coast. Severe winter weather can temporarily introduce rarely seen mainland birds. In March 2007 the Municipal Authorities cleaned a wetland habitat near the town beach at the outlet to the sea of Skopelos only permanently flowing stream. The area had been home to frogs and the birds that fed on them.</p><br>
<h3>Mammals</h3><br>
<p>The Northern Sporades are one of the prime breeding areas of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) an endangered species. The main threat to Monachus monachus is man and his activities. Often deliberately killed or accidentally caught in fishing equipment, its food sources are declining also. In addition, marine pollution and uncontrolled tourism are causing the destruction of The seal&#39;s natural habitat. The establishment in 1992 of the National Marine Park of Alonnissos-Northern Sporades was an effort to protect this species by restricting human encroachment on seal breeding areas. Wild land mammals include pine martens (Martes martes), brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice, the southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), bats and, though declining in numbers, European hares. A mating pair of fallow deer (Dama dama) have been privately reintroduced to the island. A population of feral cats exists in and around areas of human habitation.</p><br>
<h3>Reptiles</h3><br>
<p>The island is home to a variety of reptiles. The Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) can be found near fresh water along with the Greek marsh frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri), though this habitat is slowly disappearing due to development. The Balkan wall lizard (Podarcis taurica) is seen regularly in daylight in warm weather and the Hemidactylus turcicus at night. A larger lizard is the Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata). Several varieties of snakes can be observed: the Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus), the leopard snake (Elephe situla), the large whip snake (Coluber jugularis), the grass snake (Natrix natrix), and a species of viper.</p><br>
<h3>Amphibians</h3><br>
<p>In or near fresh water there is sometimes found the Balkan frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) and the European tree frog (Hyla arborea). Near or away from water there are common toads (Bufo bufo).</p><br>
<h3>Domesticated animals</h3><br>
<p>The island has its own acknowledged breed of goat, named after it. The Skopelos goat is one breed in the southern multicoloured group. It is a relative of the wild goat of the island of Gioura. The main occurrences of this species are in Skopelos, Alonissos and Skiathos. Sheep herds on the island belong to a distinctive group called the "Skopelos Sheep" breed.</p><br>
<h2>Architectural heritage</h2><br>
<p>The town of Skopelos was honoured as a Traditional Settlement of Outstanding Beauty (19/10/1978 Presidential Decree 594,13-11/78, signed by President of Greece Konstantinos Tsatsos). This is the Greek equivalent of a site of Outstanding Architectural Inheritance. The building code for new construction and renovation within the village reflects some restrictions due to the Traditional Settlement decree. Some restrictions stipulate that no new buildings shall be of more than two stories, there must be a sloped cermamic or stone roof in the traditional style, and doors, windows and balconies be made of wood.</p><br>
<h3>Churches</h3><br>
<p>The island has more than 360 churches and chapels. Most are closed through the years except for the feast day of to whom or whatever the church has been dedicated, and the majority have been privately built. The oldest existing ecclesiastical structure is the basilica of Agios Athanasios, built in the 11th century and located in the Kastro area. All except one of the churches on the island observe the Greek Orthodox faith. The remaining church hosts a small enclave of Jehovahs Witnesses. Christianity was formalized in Skopelos by the appointment of the Bishop Riginos in the 4th century. Under the Reign of the Emperor Julian the Apostate, Riginos was martyred in 362 AD. The saints feast day is February 25 —- a holiday on the island.</p><br>
<h2>Transport</h2><br>
<p>Car ownership in Greece between 1990 and 2004 increased by 121% Skopelos reflects this trend and the local authorities are hard pressed to deal with the increased traffic and parking issues. Along with the resident population of cars, the burden of tourist and summer resident vehicles and the availability of rental cars and motorbikes has created problems for which solutions have not yet been found. The construction of a large asphalt parking area along the waterfront in the late 1990s has done little to address the parking problems facing the town of Skopelos. During the summer the population of the island increases from about 5,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000 (est. 1993). The island is served by commuter hydrofoils and ferryboats from the ports of Volos Magnesia and Agios Konstantinos, Phthiotis on mainland Greece which also allows connections to and from Alonissos and Skiathos. In summer there is a ferry to and from Kymi in Euboea. Skopelos has one main road which links the three main villages by coach several times daily. In the mid-1980s the mayor&#39;s council voted to apply to the Ministry of the Interior for the construction of an airport. The application was denied. There is a heliport in case of medical emergencies.</p><br>
<h2>Province</h2><br>
<p>The province of Skopelos (Επαρχία Σκοπέλου) was one of the provinces of the Magnesia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current regional unit Sporades, and included the islands Skopelos, Skiathos, Alonnisos. It was abolished in 2006.</p><br>
<h2>Beaches</h2><br>
<p>The length of the coastline of Skopelos is 67 km. Due to the island&#39;s mountainous terrain most of the coast is inaccessible. The following are beaches accessible by road or trail:</p><br>
<p>Staphylos, Velanio (official nudism beach since 2011), Agnondas, Limnonari, Panormos, Adrines, Milia, Kastani, Elios, Hovolo, Armenopetra, Kalives, Glyfoneri, Glysteri, Perivoliou, Keramoto, Chondrogiorgos.</p><br>
<h2>Notable Skopelitans</h2><br>
<p>Diocles of Peparethus - (late 4th-early 3rd century BC) was a historian from Peparethos.</p><br>
<p>Fani Palli-Petralia - Former Minister of Employment and Social Security 2007-2009. Former Minister of Tourism 2006-2007</p><br>
<p>Nikolaides family: Nikolakis Hatzistamatis, the founder of the Nikolaides family was born in the island of Skiathos around 1770. He moved to Skopelos where he served as one of the island&#39;s highest officials. Nikolakis Hatzistamatis is mentioned by the Greek author Alexandros Papadiamantis in the novel "Hatzopoulo". His only son Jannios (1800–1885), changed the family name to Nikolaides. Jannios also served in high offices. Descendants of the above are the present donators of the Folklore Museum of Skopelos.</p><br>
<p>Cat Cora (Katerina Karagiozi) - a Greek-American professional chef best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on the Food Network television show Iron Chef America.</p><br>
<p>Ivan Rebroff, the German singer, owned a villa on the island and became an honorary citizen.</p><br>
<h2>Cinema</h2><br>
<p>Skopelos and its neighbour Skiathos were the filming locations of the 2008 film Mamma Mia!. The wedding procession was filmed at the Agios Ioannis Chapel near Glossa.</p><br>
<h2>Books</h2><br>
<p>Held, Marc (1994).</p><br>
<p>Parsons, Heather (2004). "Skopelos Trails - A Nature and Walking Guide to Skopelos"</p><br>
<p>St. George Island is an island off the Florida Panhandle in the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is in Franklin County, Florida, United States.</p><br>
<h2>Physical characteristics</h2><br>
<p>St. George is a barrier island 28 mi long and 1 mi wide at its widest point. St. George Island is adjacent to Cape St. George Island, also known as Little St. George Island. It is connected to the mainland at Eastpoint, Florida by the 4 mi long St. George Island Bridge over Apalachicola Bay. Nearby towns include Eastpoint, Carrabelle, and Apalachicola.</p><br>
<p>St. George Island is informally divided into three regions: the Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park; a public strip of restaurants, bars, small businesses, homes and public beach; and a private, gated, highly exclusive housing community with its own airstrip that includes some of the most expensive multimillion-dollar beach homes along the Gulf of Mexico.</p><br>
<p>The island is known for being quiet and tranquil due to its small size. Many occupants of the island rent out their homes during the spring and summer months., the island has no central sewage system and receives very little funding for road and infrastructure improvements, leading some to believe the island should form its own special taxing district. Saint George Island is said to be one of the most expensive islands on the Gulf to rent or own, and many purchase land on the island as an investment.</p><br>
<p>St. George Island State Park occupies the eastern nine miles (14 km) of the island. People can camp there as well as swim with reservations. Many fishing reservations are also available in the area. The park has a series of hiking trails, boardwalks and observation platforms. Bird watching is a popular activity there. The area is well known for its excellent variety of Apalachicola Bay and Gulf of Mexico fish and seafood including oysters, scallops, grouper, flounder, redfish, snapper, trout, mullet, and others.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>St. George Island was first inhabited by the Creek Indians between the 10th and 15th centuries, who were all killed off by disease. With the arrival of European colonists to the area in the late 18th century came an intense struggle for control. In 1803, the Creek Indians ceded a large tract of land, which included St. George Island, to trader John Forbes and Company, known as the Forbes Grant.</p><br>
<p>In 1823 John Lee Williams sought refuge there. With a shortage of food supplies, his crew depended on the island’s ample store of oysters and crabs. Soon afterwards, the island experienced a surge in trading activities especially along the banks of the Apalachicola River. This led to the construction of the central lighthouse on the island in 1833. It was used in those times as a navigational tool for incoming ships. However, it was destroyed in 2005 by a storm, much to the chagrin of native islanders. The lighthouse has since been reconstructed.</p><br>
<p>During the early and mid-20th century the island&#39;s pine forest was used for turpentine production in naval stores.</p><br>
<p>During World War II, St. George Island was a practice range for B-24 bombers from nearby Apalachicola.</p><br>
<p>In 1954, the USA Army Corps of Engineers constructed the ship channel known as Bob Sikes Cut across St. George Island creating Cape St. George Island or "Little St. George Island" and enhanced its remoteness. The cut is used by the fishing fleet from Apalachicola and provides an access to the Gulf waters from the bayside.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The island is composed of mostly sand dunes with sea oats and pine trees. The west end of the island is known as the St George Plantation. Its over 1,200 acre with 24/7 security and accessible only to owners and their rental designees. It is quite a bit wider than the eastern portion of the island.</p><br>
<h2>Vegetation</h2><br>
<p>Scrub and sea oats can be found on the newer dunes, slash pine flatwoods in the older relic dunes. The western part of the island is more forested while the eastern two-thirds is more sparse in trees.</p><br>
<h2>Wildlife</h2><br>
<p>St. George Island is a known nesting ground for loggerhead sea turtles. They come to the beach to lay their eggs between the months of May and October.</p><br>
<p>Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia, is a 4,472 acre, 21 mi reservoir on the New River, created for an Appalachian Power Company hydroelectric project. It is named for W. Graham Claytor, Sr.  of Roanoke, Virginia, a vice president of Appalachian Power who had supervised the construction of the Claytor Dam, which created the lake.</p><br>
<p>Three miles of Claytor Lakes shoreline is bordered by Virginias Claytor Lake State Park.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In 1910, the New River Power Company began acquiring land on the New River south of Radford, Virginia for the impoundment for several hydroelectric dam projects. By 1925, these projects had been combined, and control of the project passed to Appalachian Power Company. The construction of Development No. 6, later called the Claytor Dam, began in 1937 and was completed in 1939. By the Spring of 1940, the New River was fully impounded, and Claytor Lake was formed.</p><br>
<p>Claytor Dam is a concrete gravity dam, impounding an estimated storage capacity of 225,000 acre-feet. The plant is the largest of the power company&#39;s 12 hydroelectric plants, with a total generating capacity of 75 megawatts.</p><br>
<p>In early 1944, the people of the surrounding area expressed an interest in the establishment of a state park on the new lake. The idea continued to grow, and in 1946 private citizens and businesses from Pulaski, Radford and Blacksburg raised the money needed to purchase 437 acre from Appalachian Power. This land was given to the state to be developed as Claytor Lake State Park.</p><br>
<h2>Friends of Claytor Lake</h2><br>
<p>Friends of Claytor Lake is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the environmental conservation of Claytor Lake. They operate a clean-up crew to remove debris from Claytor Lake, averaging 6,000 tons of debris and trash each year. They also support programs in boater safety, water quality, hydrilla control, and other areas related to recreation and the environment.</p><br>
<h2>New River Trail</h2><br>
<p>The New River Trail State Park, a rail trail that was built on top of an abandoned Norfolk Southern Railway right-of-way, follows part of the shoreline of Claytor Lake and crosses it on the Hiwassee Bridge. The 951 ft bridge was built in 1931 by the Virginia Bridge and Iron Co. of Roanoke, a subsidiary of the Norfolk and Western Railway.</p><br>
<h2>Recreational activities</h2><br>
<p>Popular activities at Claytor Lake include powerboating, sailing and various watersports.</p><br>
<p>Fishing has also become a major attraction at Claytor Lake. The most plentiful fish in the lake are bluegill, a form of sunfish. Most commonly they are in the 6" to 8" (15–20 cm) range and weigh less than a pound. Catfish are also popular in Claytor Lake, some of them getting quite large (well over 50 lb (22 kg)). The main sporting varieties are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and striped bass. Large and small mouth bass fishing tournaments are a regular seasonal event at Claytor Lake with weights of 15 to 20 lb (7 to 9 kg) per fisherman being an average winning catch. All tournament fishing is catch and release and most is done by local clubs. Striped bass fishing occurs year-round with various techniques. The average "striper" (as they are commonly known) is about 8 lb (4 kg) but catches close to 30 lb (14 kg) have been reported.</p><br>
<p>Several high cliffs of shale rock ring the lake shoreline. This material is generally loose and unstable, and therefore climbing is not permitted.</p><br>
<p>The Blue Ridge Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America operates the Claytor Lake Aquatics Base on the shore of the lake. It offers sailing, rowing, and other watersports such as wakeboarding to the Boy Scouts who spend a week there during the summer. It also offers a program to earn a PADI scuba diving certification over the course of the week.</p><br>
<p>Oxshott Heath and Woods is an area of woods and heathland in Oxshott, Surrey, England covering approximately 200 acres, as an area of common land. It is owned by a local authority, however historic rights of access and gathering dead wood where necessary for individual fires are shared and exercised by landowners in the parish of Oxshott which has existed since the end of the 19th century, created from the east of the village of Stoke D&#39;Abernon which in this area was extremely scantly populated until the construction of Oxshott railway station.</p><br>
<h2>Description</h2><br>
<p>This area of 0.81 km&sup2; has a geology simply shaping its topography where the London Clay stratum meets an overlying sand/sandstone stratum and the latter emerges to the surface. The area is centred on a tall outcrop of left behind (uneroded) sand escarpment, from which views to Box Hill (near Dorking) can be made out to the south. Its lightly raised summit has a war memorial. The area is part of Esher Commons in council definitions and terms of habitat and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.</p><br>
<p>The woodland contains varied patches of deciduous and coniferous trees depending on soil type:</p><br>
<p>mature and young oak</p><br>
<p>beech</p><br>
<p>birch</p><br>
<p>silver birch (on relatively dry heath)</p><br>
<p>Scots Pine (on relatively dry heath)</p><br>
<p>It is bordered to the south by the New Guildford Line (the local railway), to the east by the north-south A244 running between Esher and Leatherhead, to the north by the (Portsmouth Road) as aligned since the late 20th century followed by a wooded area that continues north towards Esher as Esher Commons, and the west by a large cluster of residential development of Oxshott itself. Oxshott Woods provide a healthy recreational area for visitors, set on a sloping escarpment with almost flat and more challenging walks.</p><br>
<p>Unlike the neighbouring Esher Commons proper, Oxshott Heath is managed by a board of conservators originally established by a provisional order made under the Commons Act 1876, and confirmed by a 1904 Order. and the award made under the order.</p><br>
<p>A common land status applies as to access and rights to domestic (own use) firewood for particular households and subject not to misuse and it is owned by the local authority.</p><br>
<p>In 1935 a circular Anglo-Saxon bronze brooch of the early tenth century was found, deposited in the British Museum where it is an exhibited collection piece. It is believed to be manufactured in England and has very fine detailing of snakes carved into it.</p><br>
<p>In 2007 prospective major tree felling was scaled back.</p><br>
<p>Pamalican Island is a small island of the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea, between Palawan and Panay, in the north part of the Palawan Province of the Philippines. The island is set in the middle of a 7 km&sup2; coral reef. It has a length of 2.5 km, and measures only 500 m at its widest point.</p><br>
<p>The island was originally exploited as a struggling family-owned plantation. It was then purchased by Andrés Soriano Jr., a successful businessman. His children then decided to build a resort on the island and leased the management responsibility to establish an exclusive resort. The island is private property and belongs in totality to 7 Seas Resort (owned by the Sorianos). It is part of the high-end resort group, Aman Resorts, under the name Amanpulo. About 40% of the employees are from the neighbouring Manamoc island. The resort has been nominated as one of the best island resorts in the world.</p><br>
<p>The island is serviced by a Dornier 228-202K plane flying from Manila, which is used to ferry customers and to bring supplies to the resort. Each bungalow (casita) comes with a personal buggy for free circulation throughout the island. The atmosphere around the island is extremely tranquil and secluded.</p><br>
<p>Diving activities are available, allowing for nice coral viewing and encounters with large turtles and rays. Several windsurf boards and sails are provided at the "Windsurf hut" on the north shore. The shallow protected lagoon there allows for easy windsurfing on a flat surface, and is especially favourable during the northern monsoon season (November to May), when the wind blows onshore.</p><br>
<h2>Weather</h2><br>
<p>Mugodzhar Hills , Kazakh: Mughalzhar, Mugalzhar) is a series of mountain ranges in Aktobe Region  275 miles  long. Latitude : 48° 38&#39; 38 N Longitude : 58° 32&#39; 47 E. They are considered to be a continuation of Ural Mountains and connected with Southern Ural by Guberlinskiy hillocks . They form the divide between the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea basins.</p><br>
<p>The Mughodzhary proper are of length about 200 km with width up to 30 km. They start at the Or River (река Орь) as a narrow range that further splits in two: Eastern Mugodzhary and Western Mugodzhary. The highest place (657 metres) is at Eastern Mygodzhars, Mount Boktybay (Boqtybay, Боктыбай). Major rivers that run from Mughodzhary are Or River, Emba River and Irgiz River.</p><br>
<p>In a wider sense, Mughodzhary also include a number of other highlands and hillocks, in particular, Ural-Tobolsk Plateau, and the Northern Mughodzhary, which actually connect with Guberlinskiy hillocks.</p><br>
<p>Manamoc is an island-barangay in the Sulu Sea, in the northeastern part of the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is a part of the Quiniluban group of islands of the Cuyo Archipelago between the islands of Palawan and Panay.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Manamoc, like most of the islands of Cuyo, is of volcanic origin. The almost circular island has a diameter of about 1 3/4 mi (3.8 km) and has a total land area of 1,275 acres (516 hectares). It is surrounded by coral reefs and abundant marine life. A break in the reef permits boat to enter the lagoon in the southwestern part of the island. This lagoon has about 3 feet of water at low tide.</p><br>
<p>The highest point of the island is Mt. English which is about 220 m (721 feet) and is open for trekking.</p><br>
<h2>Economy</h2><br>
<p>The island is essentially supported by fishing, seaweed cultivation and farming.</p><br>
<p>Three miles northeast of Manamoc is the exclusive resort of Amanpulo, on Pamalican Island. Since its opening, a large percentage of the inhabitants has found work as employees in the neighboring resort. The establishment also provided the residents of Manamoc and the other neighboring islands with other means of livelihood like supplying some food products and materials for the resort.</p><br>
<h2>Infrastructures</h2><br>
<p>Seacology has provided solar energy system to provide power to the community&#39;s schools, barangay hall and medical clinic in exchange for an agreement to protect the marine area for 20 years.</p><br>
<p>There is cell phone service in the island provided by Smart with the tower located on Mt. English. The Zip code of the island is 5318.</p><br>
<h2>Tourism</h2><br>
<p>Tourism on the island is still developing. The island is for guests who love to commune with nature. It is popular with tourists from all over the world who hope to get off the beaten track and spend time with local people. Foreign tourists from the Pamalican resort who are curious about island community life are regular visitors.</p><br>
<p>The island is a good place for snorkeling. With the help of Seacology Germany, a non-profit organization with the purpose of preserving the highly endangered biodiversity of islands around the world, the villagers established a 267-acre Marine Protected Area around Manamoc in 2002.</p><br>
<p>There are only a few bars and restaurants on the island that cater mostly to locals.</p><br>
<h2>People</h2><br>
<p>The main religion on the island is Roman Catholicism.</p><br>
<h2>Weather</h2><br>
<p>The weather is broadly regulated by the dry and windy Northeast monsoon from January to May, and the rainy Southwest monsoon from June to November, with a high probability for cyclones between August and November.</p><br>
<p>Vikramashila  was one of the two most important centres of learning in India during the Pala Empire, along with Nalanda. Vikramashila was established by King Dharmapala  in response to a supposed decline in the quality of scholarship at Nalanda. Atisha, the renowned pandita, is sometimes listed as a notable abbot. It was destroyed by the forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1200.</p><br>
<p>Vikramashila (village Antichak, district Bhagalpur, Bihar) is located at about 50 km east of Bhagalpur and about 13 km north-east of Kahalgaon, a railway station on Bhagalpur-Sahebganj section of Eastern Railway. It is approachable through 11 km long motorable road diverting from NH-80 at Anadipur about 2 km from Kahalgaon.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>A number of monasteries grew up during the Pāla period in ancient Bengal and Magadha. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila, the premier university of the era; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious, Somapura, Odantapura, and Jagaddala. The five monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and there existed "a system of co-ordination among them. It seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.</p><br>
<p>Vikramashila was founded by Pāla king Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century. It prospered for about four centuries before it was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji along with the other major centres of Buddhism in India around 1200.</p><br>
<p>Vikramashila is known to us mainly through Tibetan sources, especially the writings of Tāranātha, the Tibetan monk historian of the 16th–17th centuries.</p><br>
<p>Vikramashila was one of the largest Buddhist universities, with more than one hundred teachers and about one thousand students. It produced eminent scholars who were often invited by foreign countries to spread Buddhist learning, culture and religion. The most distinguished and eminent among all was Atiśha Dipankara, a founder of the Sarma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Subjects like philosophy, grammar, metaphysics, Indian logic etc. were taught here, but the most important branch of learning was tantrism.</p><br>
<h2>Organisation</h2><br>
<p>According to scholar Sukumar Dutt, Vikramashila appears to have had a more clearly delineated hierarchy than other mahaviharas, as follows:</p><br>
<p>Abbot (Adhyakṣa)</p><br>
<p>Six gate protectors or gate scholars (Dvārapāla or Dvārapaṇḍita), one each for the Eastern, Western, First Central, Second Central, Northern, and Southern Gates</p><br>
<p>Great Scholars (Mahapaṇḍita)</p><br>
<p>Scholars (Paṇḍita), roughly 108 in number</p><br>
<p>Professors or Teachers (Upādhyāya or Āchārya), roughly 160 in number including paṇḍits</p><br>
<p>Resident monks (bhikṣu), roughly 1,000 in number</p><br>
<p>According to Tāranātha, at Vikramashilas peak during the reign of King Chanaka (955–83), the dvārapāla were as follows: Ratnākaraśānti (Eastern Gate), Vāgīsvarakīrti (Western Gate), Ratnavajra (First Central Gate), Jñanasrimitra (Second Central Gate), Naropa (Northern Gate), and Prajñākaramati (Southern Gate). If this is correct, it must have been toward the end of Chanakas reign given the generally accepted dates for Naropa (956–1041).</p><br>
<h3>Tantric preceptors</h3><br>
<p>Vikramaśīlā was a centre for Bajrayana and employed Tantric preceptors. The first was Buddhajñānapāda, followed by Dīpaṁkarabhadra and Jayabhadra. The first two were active during Dharmapāla&#39;s reign, the third in the early to mid portion of the 9th century. Jayabhadra, a monk from Sri Lanka, was the first prominent commentator on the Cakrasamvara tantra. He in turn was succeeded by three more prominent Cakrasamvara commentators, Bhavyakīrti, Durjayachandra, and Tathāgatarakṣita. Durjayachandra collaborated with the renowned Tibetan translator Rinchen Zangpo and his commentary became particularly important for the Sakya school, and Tathāgatarakṣita collaborated with Rin-chen grags.</p><br>
<p>In chronological order:</p><br>
<p>Buddhajñānapāda</p><br>
<p>Dīpaṁkarabhadra</p><br>
<p>Jayabhadra</p><br>
<p>Śrīdhara</p><br>
<p>Bhavabhaṭṭa</p><br>
<p>Bhavyakīrti</p><br>
<p>Līlavājra</p><br>
<p>Durjaychandra</p><br>
<p>Samayavajra</p><br>
<p>Tathāgatarakṣita</p><br>
<p>Bodhibhadra</p><br>
<p>Kamalarakṣita</p><br>
<h2>Layout and excavation</h2><br>
<p>The remains of the ancient university have been partially excavated in Bhagalpur district, Bihar state, India, and the process is still underway. Meticulous excavation at the site was conducted initially by B. P. Sinha of Patna University (1960–69) and subsequently by Archaeological Survey of India (1972–82). It has revealed a huge square monastery with a cruciform stupa in its centre, a library building and cluster of votive stupas. To the north of monastery a number of scattered structures including a Tibetan and a Hindu temple have been found. The entire spread is over an area of more than one hundred acres.</p><br>
<p>The monastery, or residence for the Buddhist monks, is a huge square structure, each side measuring 330 metres having a series of 208 cells, 52 on each of the four sides opening into a common verandah. A few brick arched underground chambers beneath some of the cells have also been noticed which were probably meant for confined meditation by the monks.</p><br>
<p>The main stupa built for the purpose of worship is a brick structure laid in mud mortar which stands in the centre of the square monastery. This two-terraced stupa is cruciform on plan and about 15 metres high from the ground level accessible through a flight of steps on the north side. On each of the four cardinal directions there is a protruding chamber with a pillared antechamber and a separate pillared mandapa in front. In the four chambers of the stupa were placed colossal stucco images of seated Buddha of which three were found in situ but the remaining one on north side was possibly replaced by a stone image after the clay image was somehow damaged.</p><br>
<p>About 32 metres south of the monastery on its south west corner and attached with the main monastery through a narrow corridor is a rectangular structure identified as a library building. It was air-conditioned by cooled water of the adjoining reservoir through a range of vents in the back wall. The system was perhaps meant for preserving delicate manuscripts.</p><br>
<p>A large number of antiquities of different materials, unearthed from this place in the course of excavation, are displayed in the site museum maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.</p><br>
<h2>The Stupa</h2><br>
<p>The Stupa is a sacred solid structure raised over the body remains or belongings of Buddha or a distinguished monk; or to commemorate any event associated with them. But some stupas are merely symbolic made for worship by the monks. A votive stupa is a miniature stupa erected by a devotee in gratitude of fulfilment of his desire.</p><br>
<p>The Vikramashila stupa built for the purpose of worship is a brick structure laid in mud mortar and stands in the centre of the square monastery. This two terraced stupa is cruciform on plan and about 15 metres high from the ground level. The lower terrace is about 2.25 metres high from the ground level and the upper terrace is at a similar height from the lower side. At both terraces there is a circumambulatory path, the lower about 4.5 metres wide and the upper about 3 metres wide.</p><br>
<p>The main stupa placed over the upper terrace is accessible through a flight of steps on the north side on each of the four cardinal directions. There is a protruding chamber with a pillared antechamber and a separate pillared mandapa in front, placed beyond the circumambulatory passage. In the four chambers of stupa were placed colossal stucco images of seated Buddha of which three were found in situ, but the remaining of the north side was possibly replaced by a stone image after the clay image was somehow damaged. All the stucco images are unfortunately broken above the waist. The images are placed over a brick pedestal having traces of painting in red and black pigments. The walls and floors of the chamber and antechamber were plastered with lime.</p><br>
<p>The walls of both the terraces are decorated with mouldings and terracotta plaques which testify the high excellence of terracotta art flourishing in the region during Pal period (8th to 12th centuries). The plaques depict many Buddhist deities like Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Manjusri, Maitreya, Jambala, Marichi, and Tara, scenes related to Buddhism, some social and hunting scenes, and a few Hindu deities like Vishnu, Parvati, Ardhanarisvara and Hanuman. Many human figures, like those of ascetics, yogis, preachers, drummers, warriors, archers, snake charmers, etc., and animal figures like monkeys, elephants, horses, deer, boar, panthers, lions, wolves, and birds, are also depicted.</p><br>
<p>The architecture of the stupa and the terracotta plaques bear great resemblance to the Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur (Bangladesh) which, too, was founded by the same king Dharmapala. In plan both are very much alike with the significant difference that Somapura is centred on a central temple rather than a stupa. Vikramashila monastery is also larger and has fort-like projections on its outer wall.</p><br>
<h2>Restoration work</h2><br>
<p>Vikramashila was neglected for years which contributed to extensive damages to the monument ASI is now planning to develop the excavated site of Vikramashila.</p><br>
<p>Since 2009, there has been considerable work in maintaining and beautifying the place to attract tourism. There has been inflow of western tourist as well, during their river cruises on the Ganga River.</p><br>
<h2>Cultural activities</h2><br>
<p>The Vikramashila site is the place for Vikramashila Mahotsav, which is held annually during the month of February.</p><br>
<h2>How to reach there</h2><br>
<p>The nearest big town is Kahalgaon about 13 km, It is approachable through 11 km long motorable road diverting from NH-80 at Anadipur, about 2 km from Kahalgaon.</p><br>
<p>Lately river cruises from Kolkata to Varanasi have started, which also stop by the Vikramashila ruins.</p><br>
<h2>In popular culture</h2><br>
<p>An Indian Railways train recognises this place by running a Train No. 2367/2368 Vikramashila Express that runs from Delhi to Bhagalpur, Bihar.</p><br>
<p>Tílos  is a small Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, and lies midway between Kos and Rhodes. It has a population of 780 inhabitants . Tilos is part of the Rhodes regional unit.</p><br>
<p>Popularly, Telos was the son of Helios and Halia, the sister of the Telchines. He came to the island in search of herbs to heal his ill mother, and later returned to found a temple to Apollo and Neptune. However, Telos (Telo or Tilo) does not appear in Greek mythology and the name probably has an unknown pre-Hellenic origin. Pliny the Elder notes that in antiquity Telos was known as Agathussa (Αγαθούσσα) (also Agathusa and Agathousa). In the Middle Ages, it was known by the Italian as Episcopio, either because it was a Bishop Seat or because its position as Vantage Point. The island has also been called in Turkish İlyaki and in modern Italian Piscopi.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Neolithic</h3><br>
<p>Pottery and stone tools discovered in Charkadio cave indicate human activity on Tilos in the early Neolithic period (8000 BC to 7000 BC), along with the large assembly of bones of 1.2 to 1.6 m dwarf elephants, carbon dated to between 4000 and 7000 BC (some now in the museum). Masseti (2001) suggests coexistence of these animals with humans, possibly into the historic period.</p><br>
<h3>Aegean Bronze Age</h3><br>
<p>Excavation has identified Pelasgian masonry, as well as suggesting Tilos was successively dominated by Minoans, Mycenaeans and Dorians.</p><br>
<h3>Classical antiquity</h3><br>
<p>The island flourished during the classical era, minting its own coinage and being famed for clothing and perfumes.</p><br>
<p>Telos claims that poet Erinna (said to be Sappho&#39;s equal) was born on the island around 350 BC. Charles Anthon (1853) describes her thus: "Erinna (Ήριννα) friend & contemporary of Sappho (about 612 BC) died at 19, left behind her poems which were thought worthy to rank with those of Homer. Her poems were of the epic class; the chief of them was entitled Ήλακάτη, " The Distaff" it consisted of three hundred lines, of which only four are extant. It was written in a dialect which was a mixture of the Doric and Aeolic, and which was spoken at Rhodes, where, or in the adjacent island of Telos, Erinna was born. She is also called a Lesbian and a Mytilenean, on account of her residence in Lesbos with Sappho. There are several epigrams upon Erinna, in which her praise is celebrated, and her untimely death is lamented. Three epigrams in the Greek Anthology are ascribed to her, of which the first has the genuine air of antiquity, but the other two, addressed to Baucis, seem to be a later fabrication."</p><br>
<p>In the 7th century BC, colonists from Tilos and Lindos settled in Sicily and founded the city of Gelas.</p><br>
<p>Herodotus (484 BC &ndash; c. 425 BC) described the centuries preceding him as the golden age of Tilos.</p><br>
<p>In the 5th century BC, Tilos was a member of the First Delian League and kept its independence until the end of the Peloponnesian War.</p><br>
<p>From the turn of the 4th century BC, for the next 200 years, Tilos was subject to the Seleucid Empire, Caria and then Ptolemaic Egypt under the influence of Rhodes, until in 200 BC, the island was incorporated into the Rhodian confederacy.</p><br>
<p>The island was conquered by the Romans in 42 BC. Archaeological finds from Roman and early-Christian times demonstrate the prosperity of the island until the 551 Beirut earthquake.</p><br>
<h3>Byzantine</h3><br>
<p>Tilos followed Rhodes into the Byzantine Empire following the death of Theodosius I and was a member of the naval Theme of Samos between the 9th and 14th century.</p><br>
<h3>Crusaders</h3><br>
<p>The Knights of Saint John took control of Tilos from 1309, restoring the Byzantine castles, and building new ones in order to defend against pirate raids. It was evacuated in 1470 as the Ottomans began the Siege of Rhodes and control passed to Suleiman I in 1522 when Rhodes fell.</p><br>
<h3>Ottoman</h3><br>
<p>In 1523, Tilos was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and the island was put under the privileged administrative and tax system known as "maktou." Christian pirates pillaged the island constantly.</p><br>
<h3>20th Century</h3><br>
<p>Ottoman rule lasted until May 12, 1912, when Italian sailors landed in the bay of Eristos during the Italo-Turkish War. Tilos then became part the Italian possession of the Isole Italiane dell&#39;Egeo. After the Italian Armistice of September 8, 1943, Tilos was occupied by German troops, and in 1948 it joined Greece together with all the Dodecanese islands. Since 1948, the population of the island has declined rapidly, as many Tilians migrated to the United States or Australia.</p><br>
<p>In June 2008, Anastassios Aliferis, the Socialist mayor of the island performed the first same-sex marriages in Greece, citing a legal loophole and defying claims of illegality by a Greek prosecutor.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Tílos has an inverted S shape, is about 14.5 km long, north-west to south-east, with a maximum width of 8 km and an area of about 61 km². The island has a mountainous limestone interior, volcanic lowlands, pumice beds and red lava sand, like its north western neighbour Nisyros. It is well supplied by springs, and is potentially very fertile and productive. Its coasts are generally rocky or pebbled, but there are also a number of sandy beaches.</p><br>
<h2>Landmarks</h2><br>
<p>At the north-west end of the island, the Monastery of Áyios Pandeleímon, (also the islands patron saint), sits on the slopes of Mount Profítis Ilías (654 m). The monastery features fresh cold water springs as well as an enormous loquat tree (called Musmulla in Greek). The mountain borders a fertile plain running across the islands width, with the settlements of Áyios Andónis to the north and Éristos to the south. To the north-east of the plain is the island&#39;s capital, Megálo Chorió, built in the early 19th century at the foot of the ancient city of Telos. The archaic ruins stretch up to the site of the acropolis of the ancient city, dedicated to Pythios Apollo and Poliada Athina, and the Venetian Kástro, built over it. To the west is Kharkhadió Cave, where excavations in 1971 unearthed Neolithic finds and bones of dwarf elephant.</p><br>
<p>Above the cave stand the ruins of the medieval Fortress of Mesariá. At southern end of the island, bordered by more fertile meadows, is Livádhia, the major harbour and economic centre of the island. The island&#39;s old capital, Mikró Chorió, first settled in the 15th century by the Knights of the Order of St John, overlooks the bay. It has been completely abandoned since 1960, its inhabitants having moved down to the harbour in the 1930s. A number of other settlements such as Lethrá, Gherá, and Panó Méri have similarly been abandoned. Mount Áyios Nikoláos (367 m) stands to the south of the bay.</p><br>
<h3>Castles</h3><br>
<p>Kástros (castles) have protected the island&#39;s inhabitants from pirate raids since the Dark Ages.</p><br>
<p>Megálo Chorió</p><br>
<p>Mesariá</p><br>
<p>Mikró Chorió</p><br>
<p>Agrosikiá</p><br>
<p>Stavroú Lámbrou</p><br>
<p>The Old Crown a pub in Deritend, is the oldest extant secular building in Birmingham, England. It is Grade II* listed, and claims to date back to c. 1368, retaining its "black and white" timber frame, although almost all of the present building dates from the early 16th century.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>It is believed the building was constructed between 1450 and 1500 with some evidence dating to 1492 (the same year the Saracen&#39;s Head in nearby Kings Norton was completed). Leland noted the building, upon entering Birmingham, in 1538 as a "mansion house of tymber". It is thought to have been originally built as the Guildhall and School of St. John, Deritend. This Guild owned a number of other buildings throughout Warwickshire, including the Guildhall in Henley in Arden. The building was purchased in 1589, by "John Dyckson, alias Bayleys", who, in the 1580s, had been buying a number of properties and lands in "the street called Deritend" and in Bordesley. Described as a tenement and garden, running alongside Heath Mill Lane, the building remained in the Dixon alias Baylis (later Dixon) family for the next hundred years.</p><br>
<p>In the original deed, John Dyckson is described as a "Caryer", which in the West Midlands at this time, when roads were nothing more than hollow-ways and bridle paths, implied that he owned several trains of pack-horses. These would have needed stabling, and Dixon would have needed warehouse space to store goods awaiting dispatch, and arrived goods awaiting collection. Such facilities would be useful to other travellers, and it may well be that the use of the house as an Inn, dates from this time. Indeed, since England was in the grip of a patriotic pother over the failed Armada the previous year, it would have been opportune to adopt the name: the Crown. However, the earliest documentary evidence of the building’s use as an Inn is from 1626; and it being "called by the sign of the Crowne", from 1666.</p><br>
<p>Heated skirmishes were fought around the building when Prince Rupert&#39;s forces raided Birmingham during the English Civil War.</p><br>
<p>The building was converted into two houses in 1684 and then converted into three houses in 1693. It remained three houses until the 19th century. In 1851, Joshua Toulmin Smith saved the Old Crown from demolition when the Corporation proposed demolishing the building in order to "improve the street". Again in 1856 and 1862 the Corporation proposed to demolish the building; Smith saved the building each time.</p><br>
<h2>Construction</h2><br>
<p>The building is wide and deep on the ground floor. On the first floor, which overhangs the front, it is deep. When built, the original building had a central hall with a length of and a width of. Below this were a number of arched cellars. On the upper floor were just four rooms. The building had a courtyard to its rear which contained a well. It was deep and surrounded by large stones. The well was excavated and deepened to produce a total depth of. The new section of the well was lined with square bricks. At the top, it was at its narrowest diameter and at its widest diameter. It widened to around at the bottom. The well was cleaned in 1863 and Smith added an iron gate to the top of it to preserve it whilst keeping it accessible.</p><br>
<p>Cape Farewell  is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Nunap Isua Archipelago, Greenland. As the southernmost point of the country, it is one of the important landmarks of Greenland.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Located at 59&deg;46&prime;23&Prime;N latitude, 43&deg;55&prime;21&Prime;W longitude this cape is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as St Petersburg, Oslo and the Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated minor islands are known as the Cape Farewell Archipelago. The area is part of the Kujalleq municipality. King Frederick VI Coast stretches from Cape Farewell to Pikiulleq Bay (former spelling Pikiutdleq) in the north along the eastern coast of Greenland.</p><br>
<p>Cape Farewell is a headland in New Zealand, the most northerly point on the South Island. It is located just west of Farewell Spit. First mapped by Abel Tasman, it was named by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1770 —it was the last land seen by his crew as they departed on the ship&#39;s homeward voyage.</p><br>
<p>Owing to its remote location it is one of the less visited of New Zealand&#39;s major capes. The "Clifftop walk" (2–3 hours one-way along the heights of the coast East of the cape) joins the area with the beginning of Farewell Spit, and has stunning vistas of the Tasman Sea to one side, of the sand dunes in the northeast and of the towering cliffs and rocky, primal landscapes to the shoreward (east) side.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>The cape and its cliffs are composed of late Cretaceous quartz sandstones. The erosion of the cliffs into fine sand carried on the sea currents creates Farewell Spit further east.</p><br>
<p>Lesjaskogsvatnet  is a lake in Lesja, Norway.</p><br>
<p>The lake is unusual by having two outlets, one in each end: It flows both East into the Gudbrandsdalslågen and west into the Rauma river in the Romsdalen valley. The lake serves as the headwaters for two major rivers: Gudbrandsdalslågen (literally the Gudbrand Valley water course, flowing south/east) and for Rauma River (flowing west). Gudbrandsdalslågen (Lågen) flows through the Gudbrandsdalen valley floor, ending in lake Mjøsa. The lake sits on the watershed in the north-western corner of Glomma drainage system that includes large parts of eastern Norway.</p><br>
<p>The lake was dammed to serve the Lesja Iron Works in the 1660s. The east end was lifted 3 meters, the west end (Rauma) was lifted by a small stone wall. Earlier the lake was shorter and concentrated in what is now the west end of the lake. About 67% of the water flows to Rauma, at low water level about 80% flows to Rauma. Rotting plants and fish on the bottom produces gas that in winter is captured under the ice. The watershed has over thousands of years shifted east because rivers and glaciers to west dig more into the bedrock, notably in the upper part of Rauma river near Verma village.</p><br>
<p>European route E136 and the Rauma Line run along the lake.</p><br>
<h2>Norwegian campaign 1940</h2><br>
<p>No. 263 Squadron RAF operated with 18 Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters from a landing strip on the frozen Lesjaskogsvatnet in late April 1940 as part of the Norwegian campaign.</p><br>
<p>The British air force chose Lesjaskogsvatnet because of the relatively short distance to the front line in the Gudbrandsdalen Valley as well as proximity to the British base at Åndalsnes. The British also planned to bring in large amounts of explosives from Scotland to blow up the railway tunnels at Dombås (this would block railway connections to Åndalsnes and Trondheim), but the German forces advanced too fast. The ice was covered by at least 40 cm snow and a few hundred locals cleared a 750 meter long and 70 meter wide runway. Snow clearing began on April 20 and the same day Norwegian Fokker C.V surveillance planes landed with skis. The workers on the ice were attacked by German fighter planes, and most snow clearing was then done during night. Some 100 ground crew arrived on April 23. The runway was used on April 24 and the 18 planes completed about 40 flights and attacked 37 enemy planes. That same night was extremely cold and engines did not start. Early morning April 25 the makeshift airfield was attacked by Heinkel 111 og Ju 88. Two British plane that were unharmed but unable to fly were burned by the crew. At the end only five planes survived and were moved to Setnesmoen camp at Veblungsnes on April 26.</p><br>
<p>The Gate of Trajan or Trajan&#39;s Gate  is a historic mountain pass near Ihtiman, Bulgaria. It was named so after Roman Emperor Trajan, on whose order a fortress by the name of Stipon was constructed on the hill over the pass, as a symbolic border between the provinces of Thrace and Macedonia.</p><br>
<p>The pass is primarily known for the major medieval battle of 17 August 986, during which the forces of Byzantine Emperor Basil II were routed by Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria, effectively halting a Byzantine campaign in the Bulgarian lands.</p><br>
<p>Today, a tunnel of Trakiya motorway similarly known as the Gate of Trajan Tunnel (тунел „Траянови врата“) is near the fortress, 55 km from Sofia.</p><br>
<p>The saddle Trajan Gate on Graham Land in Antarctica is named after the Gate of Trajan.</p><br>
<p>Faughan Hill is a low hill approximately five miles to the northwest of Navan, County Meath, Ireland. It is owned by the McCabe, Dunne, English and Moriarty families, and is not open to the public. The highest point is owned by the McCabe&#39;s.</p><br>
<p>Because the surrounding area of Meath is so flat, the hill is the most prominent feature in the local topography. Historians and folklorists believe that the hill&#39;s name originated from fraughan berries which in mediaeval times were recorded as growing all around it.</p><br>
<p>According to legend, Niall of the Nine Hostages, Irish Árd Rí (High King) and ancestor of the Uí Néill, is buried in a cave on the hill.</p><br>
<p>The small village of Greetiagh is located at the foot of the hill. In 1920, the local Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in the village was attacked and burned by republicans during the Irish War of Independence.</p><br>
<p>The hill was wooded with a hunting gap through its centre until it was cleared in 1962 by the McCabe&#39;s. In the 1970s, Sean Dunne opened a large quarry on its southern side; later closed, the quarry was reopened in the 1990s and in the 2000s. Since then, a telecommunications mast has been erected which provides coverage to a wide area.</p><br>
<p></text></p><br>
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<p>The Futaleufú River, located in northern Patagonia, is one of the premier whitewater rivers in the world. The river is fed by glacial snow melt in the Andean lakes region of Argentina and Chile. The river gorge drops as low as 1,700 m below the surrounding glaciated peaks. The name Futaleufú is an indigenous Mapuche word meaning "Big River.” Locals refer to the valley as "un paisaje pintado por dios"—a landscape painted by God.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Futaleufú is fed by the lakes in the Los Alerces National Park in Chubut Province, Argentina. The watershed drains the Southern Andes Mountains from Argentina into Chile and drains into Yelcho Lake. From this point the river is renamed Rio Yelcho and continues to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean. The exact source of the Futaleufu is in Amutui Quimey Lake. From its source in Argentina, the river flows 35 km to the Chilean border and enters the Palena Province, in Los Lagos (X) Region. Whitewater enthusiasts generally paddle the Chilean side of the river. During its course through Chile, the Futaleufú River has three major tributaries, the Rio Chico, the Rio Espolon, and the Rio Azul. All three major tributaries of the "Futa" can be rafted or kayaked in season, with the exception of a magnificent gorge on the Espolon called "The Devil&#39;s Throat," which is better viewed than paddled. The Futaleufú watershed also includes several pristine Patagonian lakes, the largest being Espolon and Lonconao.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>The Futaleufú (The &#39;Fu&#39; or ‘Futa’ for short) is known world over for its turquoise waters, a phenomenon produced by glacier till. Although the official whitewater season on the Futaleufú runs from December to April, when temperatures are warmest and water levels typically range between 340 and, it is increasingly common to see world class paddlers braving the Fu in wetsuits all year round. Specialized media consider the river to be one of the top three whitewater destinations in the world. Several international whitewater events have been staged on the river. Every summer, the town of Futaleufú stages an annual river festival called "Futafest" attended by river enthusiasts from around the world. The Futaleufú and its tributary streams and lakes are equally well known for fly fishing.</p><br>
<h3>Rapids</h3><br>
<p>The internationally acclaimed rapids are all on the Chilean side of the river. Paddlers describe the Chilean side of the Futaleufú in four distinct sections—the Upper, Middle, Lower, El Macal whitewater (Bottom), and El Macal flatwater. Rapids range in difficulty from Class II to Class V+ on the International Scale of River Difficulty, and each section offers a unique spread of difficulty. The most difficult and dangerous is the upper section, 22 km, containing 6 class V rapids and the highly continuous “Wild Mile” class IV section. The middle 7 km contains what many consider to be the longest and most technical rapid on the river, Terminator (class V+), along with several other difficult class IV rapids. Because most of these are conducive to avoiding or portaging, however, the middle section less demanding than the upper. The lower section, 13 km, is very popular for its high-quality, continuous, class IV big water rapids, and a few class Vs. El Macal is popular with beginner paddlers for its class III rapids in the upper section, 4 km, which are a safer introduction to the Futaleufú’s big water, and for its lower flatwater section, also 4 km.</p><br>
<h2>Dams</h2><br>
<p>Currently, the Futaleufú is dammed once near its source in Argentina and is free flowing through Chile. The Futaleufú Hydroelectric Complex in Argentina, also known as Dam Amutui Quimey, is a 120 m high embankment dam with 472 megawatt generation capacity that was finished in 1978. Amutui Quimey lake, the reservoir behind the dam, is now in place of what used to be three natural glacial lakes. After leaving the dam, the Futaleufú is free flowing for the remainder of its 105 km journey until Yelcho Lake.</p><br>
<p>The multinational corporation Endesa proposed a large-scale hydroelectric project on the Chilean side of the Futaleufú watershed. The Endesa proposal would have built three dams, quelling the river’s free flow and covering many of the rapids with a series of reservoirs. Several Chilean as well as international non-profit organizations joined forces to fight the dam project and protect the natural areas and communities of the Futaleufú watershed, regarding the area as an international treasure. In October 2014, citing international opposition, Endesa removed the Futaleufú from its list of future projects.</p><br>
<p>Despite their initial victory, international environmentalists remain vigilant in their advocacy for the Futaleufu. Chile’s extensively privatized economy has allowed Endesa to purchase water rights throughout the country—effectively owning a portion of the Futaleufú’s water to use at its discretion. In addition, mining companies have filed claims to extract mineral deposits beneath and surrounding the Futaleufú. These companies need only the infrastructure and power supply brought by the dams to begin capitalizing on their claims. In addition, Endesa could reasonably sell water rights to any other company, which could then actualize plans for hydroelectric development in the future. Any such large-scale development project, hydroelectric or mining, is subject to an environmental impact assessment and permitting by the Chilean government, which wields power to override ownership rights in the face of unacceptable impact or risk. This legal tool has been used to halt projects elsewhere in the past, but the policy implications of a would-be impact assessment in the Futaleufú watershed remain unclear.</p><br>
<h2>Usage conflicts</h2><br>
<p>The Futaleufú area of Palena District Chile, is rich in natural resources of timber, water, precious metal, and natural scenery that attract competing interests concerning utilization. This predominantly rural region relies on small-scale agriculture and fisheries as its principal industries, and currently ranks among Chile’s lowest in economic performance. Adventure travel and ecotourism have been steadily contributing to growth in recent years, as Chilean and international visitors are attracted to the area’s rugged mountains and whitewater rivers. X Region is, in fact, visited by international tourists more than any other rural region of Chile. These same mountains and rivers, however, are prime targets for resource development by mining and hydropower companies.</p><br>
<p>Hydropower development promises affordable electricity and creation of new jobs in the region, and mining industry would likely follow with more jobs and transfer of wealth from international markets. However, such activities would exclude much traditional economy and tourism around the Futaleufú, possibly displacing more jobs than they create for local residents. Reservoirs, new roads, land degradation, and mining sites are largely incompatible with previous land uses in areas where this new infrastructure would be established. If completed, dams and their accompanying infrastructure would open previously remote areas to mining activities—for which some companies already have listed claims. This raises issues of environmental justice, as many local people, including some of indigenous heritage, would be disenfranchised by changing land use and economic structure. Some energy from hydropower companies would be used locally by residents, mining operations, and other industry, but Endesa’s previous plans suggest that most electricity would be transmitted northward to Chile’s metropolitan areas, which commonly experience power shortages.</p><br>
<p>Many residents and community organizers believe that tourism may be the key to a more sustainable path toward development in Palena and be better for its communities in the long run. In the absence of hydropower and extractive development, tourist visitation is expected to continue increasing in coming years, drawn by the Futaleufú’s pristine whitewater and unspoiled natural scenery. Ecotourism is already bringing an influx of money to the region and can multiply benefits in the future. However, the industry must be managed carefully to minimize environmental impact and empower local communities. High traffic during the tourism season can cause degradation from transportation demands, energy use, and waste. Additionally, if tourist attractions and infrastructure are not owned and operated locally, revenue may escape the region rather than capturing benefit for the people who live there.</p><br>
<h2>Nonprofit organizations and activists that advocate for the Futaleufu</h2><br>
<p>When Endesa retracted its plans for building three large hydroelectric dams, the company acknowledged widespread international opposition as a major reason for the decision. This is a major victory for activists, but no one denies that the watershed is still threatened. Endesa could reopen plans or sell its development rights to another company at any time.</p><br>
<p>Futaleufú Riverkeeper, Ecosistemas, and International Rivers are notable NGOs that currently advocate for the Futaleufú. Futaleufú Riverkeeper--based in New York City, USA, and Futaleufú Chile--has been outspoken on the front line of much debate surrounding the river. It is the only keeper organization dedicated to the Futaleufú. Executive Director Rocio Gonzalez is a Chilean native and lives in Futaleufú with her family. Patrick J. Lynch, the organization’s International Director, is a public interest lawyer licensed in New York. Another U.S. attorney involved with the Futaleufú is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., well-known luminary of environmental law and president of Waterkeeper Alliance.</p><br>
<p>Chilean attorney Juan Pablo Orrego is president of the Chilean NGO Ecosistemas and board member of International Rivers, a US-based NGO involved with rivers worldwide. International Rivers and the broader coalition Patagonia Defense Council (CDP) popularized the “Patagonia Sin Represas” (Patagonia without dams) campaign. This internationally supported movement was influential in opposition to the proposed HidroAysén hydropower project, which was disapproved by Chile’s Committee of Ministers in June 2014.</p><br>
<p>"Fighting for the Futaleufú," a documentary film directed and co-produced by Stephanie Haig, was released in 2013 and has toured international film festivals. The film highlights the effects that hydroelectric dams would have on the watershed and the people living there.</p><br>
<p>As a response to widespread protests for the Futaleufú and other rivers in recent years, Endesa is revising its project planning strategies. The company promises more thorough environmental assessment, community-level consultation with local leaders, NGOs, and indigenous groups, and also studies on hydropower company-community interactions in other countries.</p><br>
<p>The Yarmuk River , sometimes spelled Yarmouk, is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It runs in Jordan, Syria, and Israel and drains much of the Hauran plateau. Its main tributaries are the ʾawdiya of &#39;Allan and Ruqqad from the north, Ehreir and Zeizun from the east. Although it is narrow and shallow throughout its course, at its mouth it is nearly as wide as the Jordan, measuring thirty feet in breadth and five in depth. The once celebrated Matthew Bridge used to cross the Yarmuk at its confluence with the Jordan.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Prehistory</h3><br>
<p>The Yarmukian Culture is a Pottery Neolithic culture that inhabited parts of Palestine and Jordan. Its type site is at Sha&#39;ar HaGolan, on the river mouth. Early Bronze Age I is represented in the Golan only in the area of the river.</p><br>
<h3>Ancient</h3><br>
<p>Yarmuk forms a natural border between the plains to the north - Hauran, Bashan and Golan - and the Gilead mountains to the south. Thus it has often served as boundary line between political entities. The Aramean kingdoms and the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), of the Hebrew bible, might have settled this way occasionally. Under the Assyrian and Persian empires the province of Ashteroth Karnaim laid to the north, and that of Gal&#39;azu (Gilead) to the south. In Hellenistic times, the territory of Hippos was across from those of Gadara and Abila (Abel) on the south, while Dion sat on the eastern tributaries. Abila (Tel Abil) is attested in the 14th-century BC Amarna Letters. This is possibly the case also for Geshur, assumed to have laid north of the river.</p><br>
<p>The Battle of Yarmouk, where Muslim forces defeated those of the Byzantine Empire and gained control of Syria, took place north of the river in 636.</p><br>
<h3>Modern</h3><br>
<p>Today the lower part of the river, close to the Jordan Valley, forms part of the border between Israel and Jordan. Further upstream it forms part of the border between Syria and Jordan (a border largely inherited from the 1923 Franco-British Boundary Agreement). The area of Al-Hamma, or Hamat Gader in the valley is held by Israel but claimed by Syria.</p><br>
<p>A fork of the Hejaz Railway (connecting to the Jezreel Valley railway in Samakh) ran in the river valley from 1905 to 1946. It was deprecated after being bombed by the Jewish Haganah in the Night of the Bridges on 16 June 1946. The hydroplant of Naharayim, on the junction with Jordan River, served Mandatory Palestine from 1932 to 1948. The Al-Wehda Dam was constructed in Jordan and Syria in the 2000s. There are political agreements between Jordan and Syrian (1953 and 1987) and between Jordan and Israel (1994), about the management and allocation of the shared waters of the Yarmouk River.</p><br>
<p>The Oradell Reservoir is a reservoir formed by the Oradell Reservoir Dam on the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Oradell Reservoir Dam is located primarily in the borough of Oradell, but the reservoir also extends across the borders of the nearby boroughs of Haworth, Emerson, Closter, and Harrington Park. The reservoir is fed by the Pascack Brook and Dwars Kill in addition to the Hackensack River. Upstream from the Oradell Reservoir are three other reservoirs: Woodcliff Lake Reservoir, also in Bergen County; Lake DeForest in Rockland County in New York; and Lake Tappan, traversing the borders of Bergen and Rockland counties across the state line.</p><br>
<p>The reservoir is transversed by a CSX Transportation bridge carrying crude oil.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Construction on the Oradell Reservoir began in 1901 by the dredging of a mill pond. The mill pond dam was replaced in 1911 by a low timber-crib dam that increased reservoir storage. In 1921, a 22 ft high concrete Oradell Reservoir Dam was built to expand reservoir storage even more. The reservoir was completed in 1923. The Oradell Reservoir and its tributaries are currently protected with Category 1 water purity status in New Jersey. The reservoir is managed by United Water New Jersey, a unit of United Water, a private utility. It provides drinking water for an estimated 750,000 residents of Bergen and Hudson counties.</p><br>
<p>The Howgill Fells are hills in Northern England between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, lying roughly in between the vertices of a triangle made by the towns of Sedbergh, Kirkby Stephen and Tebay. The name Howgill derives from the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill or barrow, plus gil meaning a narrow valley.</p><br>
<h2>Geography and geology</h2><br>
<p>The Howgill Fells are bounded by the River Lune (and the M6 motorway to the west), to the north by upper reaches of the River Lune, and to the east by the River Rawthey. Unlike the Carboniferous Limestone Yorkshire Dales, they are made of Ordovician and Silurian slates and gritstones.</p><br>
<p>The fells include two Marilyns: The Calf - 2,218 ft and Yarlside - 2,096 ft and a number of smaller peaks, including five Hewitts. They lie within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though they have been within the modern county of Cumbria since the county boundary changes in 1974. They were originally shared by the West Riding of Yorkshire and Westmorland.</p><br>
<p>Boundary Islet, historically known as North East Islet, part of the Hogan Island Group, is a 2 hectare islet that straddles the border of the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania.</p><br>
<p>The islet is Tasmania&#39;s only land boundary, and at 85 m long, it is the shortest land border between any Australian states or territory.</p><br>
<p>It is located at latitude 39°12′ S, about 56 km east of the southernmost point of mainland Victoria.</p><br>
<p>The boundary between Victoria and Tasmania is a parallel similarly at latitude 39°12′. The position of the island was surveyed in 1801 by Captain John Black, who erred in placing the islet further north than it is. It was later found that the border at 39°12′ S passed through the islet.</p><br>
<p>The Minnesota Governor&#39;s Residence serves as the official home of the governor of Minnesota. The house, located at 1006 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, is on 1.5 acre of land. The building is slightly more than 16,000 ft&sup2; in size.</p><br>
<p>The house was designed by Minneapolis architect William Channing Whitney for Saint Paul lumber businessman Horace Hills Irvine and his family. The 20 room English Tudor house has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and nine fireplaces. The Irvine family lived in the home from 1912 until 1965, when the Irvines&#39; youngest daughters, Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated it to the people of Minnesota to serve as the official residence of the First Family.</p><br>
<p>The Minnesota Legislature in 1965 passed a law accepting the donation and designating the house as the State Ceremonial Building for official public use for state ceremonial functions and as a governor&#39;s residence. The law placed the house and its management under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Department of Administration. From 1965 until 1980, governors were permitted to propose changes to the house. The Legislature provided renovation funds and the Department of Administration supervised the improvements. From 1965 to 1967, a committee assisted with furnishing the house, but the governor retained the authority to make changes.</p><br>
<p>In 1974, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With this designation, any renovation to the exterior of the residence must be reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Society. It is also a contributing property to the Historic Hill District.</p><br>
<p>Every year a forester from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources selects a giant Christmas tree, harvested from a Minnesota State Forest, to adorn the front lawn each holiday season.</p><br>
<h2>Governor's Residence Council and staff</h2><br>
<p>In 1980, in an effort to establish more consistent management for the house, the Legislature authorized the State Ceremonial Building Council. In 1983, the name was changed to the Governor&#39;s Residence Council.</p><br>
<p>The council has 19 members: the Commissioner of Administration, the governor&#39;s spouse, the executive director of the Arts Board, the director of the Minnesota Historical Society, one member each from the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate, and 13 members appointed by the governor. The council develops restoration plans, approves alterations, and solicits contributions for improvements or furnishings for public areas of the building.</p><br>
<p>There are five staff members at the mansion: a manager, an assistant manager, a chef, a housekeeper, and a groundskeeper. At times during the summer, Minnesota Historical Society guides offer tours free of charge to the public.</p><br>
<p>The Sambhar Salt Lake, India&#39;s largest inland salt lake, is located 96 km southwest of the city of Jaipur  and 64 km northeast of Ajmer along National Highway 8 in Rajasthan. it surrounds the historical Sambhar Lake Town.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The lake receives water from an endorheic basin of 5700 square km catchment area, which is not a part of the Ganga river basin area but is geographically a separate land locked river basin. The lake is an extensive saline wetland, with water depth fluctuating from as few as 60 cm during the dry season to about 3 meters (10 ft) at the end of the monsoon season. It occupies an area of 190 to 230 square kilometers based on the season. The lake is elliptically shaped with a length of approximately 35.5 km and a breadth varying between 3 km and 11 km. The lake stradddles Nagaur and Jaipur districts and borders on the Ajmer district. The circumference of the lake is 96 km, and it is surrounded by the Aravali hills on all sides.</p><br>
<p>The Sambhar lake basin is divided by a 5.1 km long dam made of sandstone. After the salt water reaches a certain concentration, it is released from the west side to the east side by lifting dam gates. To the east of the dam are salt evaporation ponds where salt has been farmed for a thousand years. This eastern area is 80 square km and comprises salt reservoirs, canals and salt pans separated by narrow ridges. To the east of the dam is also a railroad, built by the British (before India’s independence) to provide access from Sambhar Lake City to the salt works.</p><br>
<p>The nearest airport is the Jaipur International Airport and the nearest railway station is Sambhar Station.</p><br>
<p>The water is fed into the lake from streams from the rivers Mendha, Runpangarh, Khandel and Karian. The Mendha and Rupangarh are main streams. The Mendha flows from south to north and the Rupangarh flows from north to south.</p><br>
<p>Temperatures reach 40° Celsius in summer and go as low as 10° Celsius in winter.</p><br>
<h2>Economic importance</h2><br>
<p>Sambhar Salt Lake is Indias largest saline lake and is the source of most of Rajasthans salt production. It produces 196,000 tonnes of clean salt every year, which is around 9% of India&#39;s salt production. Salt is produced by evaporation of brine and is mostly managed by Shambar Salts Ltd.(SSL), a joint venture of the Hindustan Salts Ltd. and the state government. SSL owns 3% of the eastern lake.</p><br>
<p>Tourism and commercial activities on Shakambari Jheel which is the major part of Sambhar salt lake is no longer managed by Shambar Salts Ltd.(SSL), who have signed an agreement with a private company in Jaipur. Shambar Salts Ltd.(SSL) has sold all commercial and tourism rights to this company. One can no longer camp, photograph or organise any activity without prepayment of fees to this company.</p><br>
<p>There are 38 clusters of villages surrounding the lake. Major settlements include Sambhar, Gudha, Jabdinagar, Nawa, Jhak, Korsina, Jhapok, Kanseda, Kuni, Tyoda, Govindi, Nandha, Sinodiya, Arwik ki dhani, Khanadja, Khakharki, Kerwa ki dhani, Rajas, Jalwali ki dhani.</p><br>
<h2>Ecological importance</h2><br>
<p>Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of pink flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia and Siberia. The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colours and support the lake ecology that, in turn, sustains the migrating waterfowl.</p><br>
<p>There is other wildlife in the nearby forests, where Nilgai move freely along with deer and foxes.</p><br>
<p>The salt (NaCl) concentration in this lake water differs from season to season. The salt concentration in the pans Kyars varies and, accordingly, the color of the brine ranges from green, orange, pink, purple pink, red due to the bloom of haloalkaliphilic microorganisms. The first haloalakiliphilic archaeon isolated from this lake was Natrilaba SSL1 (earlier designated as Natronobacterium SSL1 ATCC 43988 by Upasani and Desai (1990). More recently, haloalkaliphilic microalgae namely Dunaliella, Euhalothece, Nitzchia, etc. have also been isolated (Bhatt H. H.and Upasani V. N., 2016). The archaeal isolates can be source of haloalakiphilic enzymes for biotechnological applications.</p><br>
<h2>Mythology</h2><br>
<p>The Indian epic Mahabharata mentions the Sambhar Lake as a part of the kingdom of the demon king Vrishparva, as the place where his priest Sukracharya lived, and as the place where the wedding between his daughter, Devayani, and King Yayati took place. A temple near the lake is dedicated to Devayani.</p><br>
<p>The legend has it that Shakambhari Devi, the tutelary goddess of Chauhan Rajputs and the consort of Lord Shiva, converted a dense forest into a plain of silver as payment for some service. Subsequently, at the request of the inhabitants who dreaded the greed and strife that such a possession would beget, she transformed the silver plain into a lake. The name of the lake, Sambhar, stems from a variation Shakambhari, which happened around the sixth century. Another temple near the lake shore is dedicated to Shakambhari Devi.</p><br>
<p>In 1884, ancient sculpture art was discovered in the area as part of small-scale excavation work done in Sambhar Lake. During that excavation, some terracotta structures, coins and seals were found along with a clay stupa. Sambhar sculpture art appears to be influenced by Buddhism. Later on, around 1934, a large scale systematic and scientific excavation was conducted in which a large number of terracotta figurines, stoneware, and decorated discs were found. A number of these sculptures from Sambhar are present at the Albert Hall Museum.</p><br>
<p>Rivers Inlet is a fjord in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, its entrance off Fitz Hugh Sound, about 125 km southwest of the community of Bella Coola and about 65 km north of the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the western entrance of the Queen Charlotte Strait.</p><br>
<p>The inlet is about 45 km in length from its head at the community of Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, which is a logging and fishing town that is also the home of the Wuikinuxv and their government, the Wuikinuxv Nation, also known variously as the Owekeeno, Awikenox, Oowekeeno and also as the Rivers Inlet people. The main rivers feeding Rivers Inlet are the Kilbella River and its tributary, the Chuckwalla, and the 3km Wannock River, which feeds the head of Rivers Inlet and is fed by the fresh-water fjord Owikeno Lake,50 km in length, and which is fed by the Tzeo, Sheemahant and Machmell Rivers. The Machmell, the largest, is fed from the northern flank of the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield, one of the largest of the southern Coast Mountain icecaps, and which is capped by the Silverthrone Caldera.</p><br>
<p>About 15 km down the inlet, west from the town and the head of the inlet, is the mouth of a 30 km side-inlet from the north, Moses Inlet, which is fed by the Clyak River and which itself has a western side-inlet named Hardy Inlet, 15 km in length.</p><br>
<p>Rivers Inlet was named by George Vancouver for George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1721-1803). Two of his men, Peter Puget and Joseph Whidbey, first charted it in 1792.</p><br>
<p>Rivers Inlet was a major fishing area with huge salmon runs. Three canneries</p><br>
<p>dotted the shorelines until their closure by consolidation through the</p><br>
<p>monopoly of companies, BC Packers, and the consolidation around large</p><br>
<p>centralized ice plants in the 1950s.</p><br>
<p>Diamond Valley Lake is a man-made off-stream reservoir located near Hemet, California, United States. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Southern California and also one of the newest. With a capacity of 800,000 acre.ft, the lake nearly doubled the area’s surface water storage capacity and provides additional water supplies for drought, peak summer, and emergency needs.</p><br>
<p>The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) began the $1.9 billion construction project in 1995. Filling of the lake, by way of the Colorado River Aqueduct, began in 1999 and was completed in 2003. The lake is currently served by the Inland Feeder.</p><br>
<p>The lake features three earth fill dams, two located on either side of the valley and one on the north rim. Construction of the dams utilized nearby materials, and was one of the largest earthworks projects in the United States. Excavation of core materials for the dams resulted in many paleontological finds, all of which are displayed at the Western Science Center at the lake&#39;s East end. The lake is open to boating and fishing, along with hiking and other recreational activities around the lake.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Diamond Valley Lake is located within the Domenigoni/Diamond valleys, between the Domenigoni Mountains and Rawson Mountains, 4 mi southwest of the city of Hemet. The site was chosen because of its location between the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles, and because of the raw materials located on-site for the construction of the three dams. The location was also chosen because of its proximity, about 5 mi, to the existing Colorado River Aqueduct that supplies the lake with water.</p><br>
<h2>Construction</h2><br>
<p>Planning for the lake began in 1987. The main goal was to meet Southern California seasonal, drought and emergency needs. MWD chose the current site because of its geographic location, and began construction planning in 1993. Construction of the lake was the largest construction project by the MWD since building the Colorado River Aqueduct.</p><br>
<p>At its peak in 1997 and 1998, the reservoir construction project employed an average of 1,800 people. At times, more than 1,900 people labored in building the reservoir’s three dams. From start to finish, about 5,000 people were employed by the construction project.</p><br>
<h3>Dams</h3><br>
<p>Construction of the three dams was completed in 1999, requiring the excavation of 31,000,000 m&sup3; of foundation material. The earth fill dam project required about 110,000,000 cubic yards of sand, clay and rock. Much of the materials needed were obtained from the project area. Core materials were obtained from the silty and clayey sandy alluvium in the floor of the reservoir and the rock fill came from the bedrock highlands of the reservoir&#39;s south rim. Design and construction of the dams took into consideration the threat of earthquakes with the San Jacinto Fault Zone, located about 6 mi from the reservoir, and the San Andreas Fault, located about 19 mi from the reservoir.</p><br>
<h4>West Dam</h4><br>
<p>The west dam rises to 285 ft above the valley floor. It spans 1.5 mi over a nearly flat alluvial valley floor between bedrock abutment ridges. About 65% of the dam&#39;s foundation area is founded on quartzite and phyllite bedrock. The remainder is founded on dense alluvium that fills three buried channels, which are up to 120 ft deep. The foundation excavations were extended 90 ft below the original ground surface to remove liquefaction soils that would have made the dam unstable in an earthquake. To minimize foundation seepage through the alluvium, 3 ft thick cut-off walls of plastic concrete were constructed across the three alluvial channels and excavated at least 2 ft into bedrock. To reduce seepage through the rock foundation, the entire core width was consolidation grouted and a double-line grout curtain was installed to a depth of approximately 125 ft. Grouting of the west dam took about two years to complete and required 189 mi of grout holes.</p><br>
<h4>East Dam</h4><br>
<p>The 2.1 mi long East Dam, constructed by a Kiewit-led joint venture, is the longest of the three dams. It measures 1,200 ft wide at the base and 40 ft wide at the top. Before embankment of the dam could begin, more than 18,000,000 cubic yards of alluvium had to be excavated to reach a solid bedrock foundation.</p><br>
<p>The embankment required 43,000,000 cubic yards of crushed rock. An on-site crushing plant crushed and processed over 14 million tons of rock in 20 months to supply the dam&#39;s materials. The cut-off wall, which consists of a 3 ft thick plastic concrete mix constructed through the weathered portion of bedrock, varies in depth from 10 ft to 110 ft and totals 250,000 ft&sup2;. A two-line grout curtain reaches depths of 150 ft below the foundation in the north segment of the East Dam and 100 ft in the south segment.</p><br>
<p>Because of the amount of material used in the construction of the east dam, some of the biggest trucks in the world were used. Twelve Caterpillar 789 dump trucks were used in construction of the East Dam.</p><br>
<h4>Saddle Dam</h4><br>
<p>The Saddle Dam rises 130 ft above the lowest point in the Domenigoni Mountains ridgeline of the north rim and is around 0.5 mi long. The dam was built to increase the storage capacity of the lake, which would have been limited due to the lower ridge in this area. It is founded completely on phyllite and schist bedrock. To minimize foundation seepage, a two-line grout curtain extends up to 100 ft below the foundation.</p><br>
<h3>Filling the lake</h3><br>
<p>Filling of the lake began in 1999 with water from the Colorado River Aqueduct and San Diego Canal. Water first entered the forebay, a 35 acre — 163 e6USgal — basin that held the water before being pumped through the pumping station. The pumping station, named after one of the founders of the MWD, Hiram W. Wadsworth, features twelve 6,000 hp pumps for moving water from the forebay to the intake-outlet (I/O) tower. In 2001, four of the twelve pumps were converted to hydroelectric turbine generators capable of producing 3 megawatts of power each. If all the pumps were converted, the entire facility could produce up to 40 megawatts of power.</p><br>
<p>Water is pumped from the pumping station, located just outside the west dam, through a 2,000 ft long, 16 ft diameter pipe and into the lake via the I/O tower. At peak rate, water flowed into the lake at 1,000 cuft per second. Filling of the lake finished in 2003</p><br>
<p>In 2009, the lake began being filled with water provided by the Inland Feeder after nearly two years without a source. The water replenished much of what was lost after drought conditions required the MWD to tap into the lake. Water from the Colorado River Aqueduct is not being used due to the threat of the Quagga mussel, an invasive species that has already contaminated other Southern California lakes served by the aqueduct.</p><br>
<h2>Paleontological finds</h2><br>
<p>During excavation, bones and skeletons were found from extinct mastodons, mammoth, camel, sloth, dire wolf and long-horned bison.</p><br>
<p>Paleontologists from the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California uncovered thousands of fossils in the Diamond and Domenigoni valleys that will add immensely to the store of public knowledge about the region. Collectively, these animal fossils are named the Diamond Valley Lake Local Fauna.</p><br>
<p>The paleontological finds of mammoth, mastodon, bison, and other Pleistocene Epoch species from Diamond Valley Lake provide a unique snapshot on inland southern California during the Ice Ages, and bridge a massive information gap between fossil deposits at La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California and Ice Age sites in the Mojave Desert. Unofficially, the Diamond Valley Lake area is often referred to as the "Valley of the Mastodons". Fossils from the Diamond Valley Lake site comprise a classic late Pleistocene assemblage, which includes the following extinct animals:</p><br>
<p>Jefferson’s ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii</p><br>
<p>Harlan’s ground sloth, Paramylodon harlani</p><br>
<p>Dire wolf, Canis dirus</p><br>
<p>Giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus</p><br>
<p>Sabre-toothed cat, Smilodon fatalis</p><br>
<p>American lion, Panthera leo atrox</p><br>
<p>American mastodon, Mammut americanum</p><br>
<p>Columbian mammoth, Mammuthus columbi</p><br>
<p>Western horse, Equus occidentalis</p><br>
<p>Small horse, Equus conversidens</p><br>
<p>Flat-headed peccary, Platygonus compressus</p><br>
<p>“Yesterday’s” camel, Camelops hesternus</p><br>
<p>Ancient bison, Bison antiquus</p><br>
<p>Long-horned bison, Bison latifrons</p><br>
<p>Diminutive Pronghorn, Capromeryx minor</p><br>
<p>Many fossils of rabbits, rodents and pond turtles, as well as coyotes, deer and the Black bear, have been recovered as well. One of the most common animals identified from the Diamond Valley Lake site by San Bernardino County Museum scientists was the extinct American mastodon, Mammut americanum. In North American paleontology, mastodons are thought to have been solitary forest-dwelling browsers. The abundance of mastodons in the fossil record from the site suggests that, during the last Ice Age, the Diamond Valley Lake site was more wooded or forested than today. Fossil remains of ponderosa pine and manzanita recovered from the site lend credence to this interpretation. Radiometric dating of fossil plants from the Diamond Valley Lake site confirms an age range of less than 13,000 years ago to more than 60,000 years ago for these fossils.</p><br>
<h2>Recreation</h2><br>
<p>Diamond Valley Lake offers fishing and light boating on the lake. A recreation park, aquatic center, visitor center and the Western Science Center along with the lake marina are located on the eastern end of the lake. A viewpoint, offering views of the pumping station and I/O tower, along with most of the lake is located on the western end of the lake. To the south of the lake is the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve, a 13,500 acre preserve between Diamond Valley Lake and Skinner Reservoir. The reserve is home to at least 16 sensitive, endangered or threatened native California bird, animal and plant species.</p><br>
<p>Stocking of the lake with fish began before the reservoir was filled, with a small rearing pond being placed on the bottom of the valley. The lake has several species of freshwater fish; largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rainbow trout, striped bass, channel catfish, and shad. It is considered one of the best fisheries in California.</p><br>
<p>Much of the area around the lake remains undeveloped and empty. Original plans included large recreation areas on both the eastern and western end of the lake complete with golf courses, campgrounds, swimming lakes, water parks and other amenities. The MWD still plans on building the additional recreation facilities, but lack of funding and lack of support from developers has prevented them from doing so.</p><br>
<p>The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the USA state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome completed in 2002.</p><br>
<p>Oklahomas first capital was Guthrie, Oklahoma, but it moved to Oklahoma City in 1910. Construction began on the Oklahoma State Capitol in 1914 and was completed in 1917. Originally, it housed the judicial branch of Oklahoma, but the states high courts moved most of their operations to the Oklahoma Judicial Center in 2011, leaving only the Supreme Court Hearing Chamber in the capitol building.</p><br>
<p>The state capitol complex is the only state capitol grounds in the United States with active oil rigs.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Early capital of Guthrie (1889–1910)</h3><br>
<p>Oklahoma&#39;s territorial capital and first state capital was located in the city of Guthrie. The settlement of the first state capital began at noon on April 22, 1889, when cannons sounded the start of the Oklahoma land run. The town was designated as the territorial capital in 1890.</p><br>
<h3>Move to Oklahoma City and construction (1910–1917)</h3><br>
<p>State government officials let voters decide on whether or not to move the capital to Oklahoma City. On June 11, 1910, the state seal was taken from Guthrie and moved south to Oklahoma City, where the Oklahoma State Capitol is located today. Lee Cruce, the second Governor of Oklahoma commissioned the architectural construction of the present day structure. Prior to its construction, state government offices were housed in the Huckins Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.</p><br>
<p>Construction on the Oklahoma State Capitol began after a groundbreaking ceremony on July 20, 1914. Architects Soloman Andrew Layton and S. Wemyss-Smith were paid $75,000 to develop the architectural plans, while James Stewart & Company received the construction contract.</p><br>
<p>The building&#39;s exterior is constructed mainly of Indiana limestone, with a base of local Oklahoma pink granite, and Oklahoma black granite for the grand staircase. The interior prominently features marble as well as fixtures from a variety of sources. While original plans called for a dome, it was omitted due to cost overruns discovered in 1915 when the original $1.5 million appropriated by the Oklahoma Legislature proved insufficient to fund the additional structure necessary to support and construct the dome.</p><br>
<p>The building was completed on June 30, 1917.</p><br>
<h3>Earthquake damage</h3><br>
<p>In 1952, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake near El Reno caused several cracks to materialize in walls and ceilings of the Capitol, including one crack measuring about 50 feet in length.</p><br>
<h3>Expansion and change (1998–present)</h3><br>
<p>In 1998, state legislators and the governor enacted legislation to create the Oklahoma Centennial Act, which formed the Oklahoma Capitol Complex and Centennial Commemoration Commission.</p><br>
<p>In 2006, plans were made to move the judicial branch into the old Oklahoma Historical Society building, as the agency was moving into the Oklahoma History Center. The court offices moved to the new Oklahoma Judicial Center in 2011.</p><br>
<h3>Ten Commandments Monument controversy</h3><br>
<h2>Exterior and Capitol complex</h2><br>
<p>The Oklahoma State Capitol, located at 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City is composed primarily of white limestone and Oklahoma pink granite. However, the building&#39;s dome is made of steel-reinforced concrete and reinforced plaster casts.</p><br>
<p>The state capitol complex is famous for its oil wells and remains the only state capitol grounds in the United States with active oil rigs. The capitol building is directly atop the Oklahoma City Oil Field.</p><br>
<p>The state capitol building and the surrounding government buildings, non-government agencies, museums, libraries, and tree lined streets and boulevards form the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex or Capitol Campus. The complex includes the State Capitol Park, the Oklahoma History Center, the Oklahoma Judicial Center, and the Oklahoma Governors Mansion. The 14,000 ft&sup2; mansion has a limestone exterior to complement the Oklahoma State Capitols exterior. The surrounding neighborhood is home to numerous restaurants and bars.</p><br>
<p>The Oklahoma History Center opened in 2005 and is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It preserves the history of Oklahoma from prehistoric Native American tribes to the present day.</p><br>
<h2>Interior</h2><br>
<p>The west wing of the Capitol houses the Oklahoma House of Representatives chamber and offices. The east wing houses</p><br>
<p>the Oklahoma Senate chamber and offices. The ceremonial office of the governor is located on the second floor. Elected state officials such as the state auditor and inspector, state treasurer, and state attorney general have offices on the first floor. The building also contains a museum, a cafeteria, and a barber shop.</p><br>
<h3>Art</h3><br>
<p>Chickasaw artist Mike Larsens mural Flight of Spirit, honoring the Five Moons, notable 20th-century Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma is on display in the Capitol rotunda. Several large paintings by Wayne Cooper are on display in the building. Many of them depict the early heritage and oil history of the state. Seminole artist Enoch Kelly Haneys painting "The Earth and I are One" is on display on the first floor of the building.</p><br>
<p>The Senate lobby includes a 6 x oil-on-canvas painting of the "Ceremonial Transfer of the Louisiana Purchase in New Orleans - 1803" by Mike Wimmer. The Senate Lounge displays a watercolor painting entitled "Community of Boling Springs" by Sonya Terpening.</p><br>
<p>The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southeastern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley.</p><br>
<p>The basin takes its name from the Annapolis River, which drains into its eastern end at the town of Annapolis Royal. The basin measures approximately 24 km northeast-southwest and 6 km at its widest from northwest to southeast.</p><br>
<p>It is a sheltered and mostly shallow water body, framed by the ridges of the North Mountain and South Mountain ranges of the Annapolis Valley; the basin is geologically a continuation of the valley floor. A break in the North Mountain range at the northwestern edge of the basin, called Digby Gut, provides an outlet to the Bay of Fundy.</p><br>
<p>The Bay Ferries Limited ferry service operating across the Bay of Fundy between Digby and Saint John maintains a terminal on the western shore of the basin near the Digby Gut.</p><br>
<h2>Rivers</h2><br>
<p>Rivers which drain into the basin include:</p><br>
<p>Annapolis River</p><br>
<p>Bear River</p><br>
<p>Moose River</p><br>
<h2>Islands</h2><br>
<p>Two major islands are located in the basin:</p><br>
<p>Bear Island</p><br>
<p>Goat Island</p><br>
<h2>Communities</h2><br>
<p>The basin hosts several historic seaports, including:</p><br>
<p>Towns of Annapolis Royal and Digby</p><br>
<p>Village of Bear River</p><br>
<p>Communities of Granville Ferry, Port Royal, Port Wade, Victoria Beach, Clementsport, Deep Brook, and Smiths Cove</p><br>
<p>A former Royal Canadian Navy base and decommissioned Canadian Forces Base is located between Deep Brook and Clementsport on the southeast shore of the basin - see CFB Cornwallis.</p><br>
<p></revision></p><br>
<p>The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as "the world&#39;s toughest foot race". It is a 135 mi course starting at 279 ft below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California&#39;s Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet  at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures can reach 130 &deg;F. Consequently, very few people—even among ultramarathoners—are capable of finishing this grueling race.</p><br>
<h2>Course</h2><br>
<p>Originally, the run was conceived as being between the lowest and the highest points in the contiguous United States: Badwater, Death Valley and Mt. Whitneys summit. The two are only eighty miles apart on the map, but the land route between the two points is substantially longer, 146 mi, because of detours around lakebeds and over mountain ranges. Additionally, since the finish-line is 11 mi from the nearest trailhead, anyone who competes over the 146 mi race-distance must be capable of a total physical effort of 157 mi. Due to the two mountain ranges that must be crossed between Badwater and Whitney, the courses cumulative elevation gain exceeds 19,000 feet (5,800 m).</p><br>
<p>In later years, as the United States Forest Service required summit permits to climb Mt. Whitney, the official course was shortened to end at Whitney Portal. The Badwater-to-Portal course is 135 mi long, with 13,000 feet (4,000 m) of cumulative elevation gain. Forest Service regulations do not allow competitive events in the John Muir Wilderness.</p><br>
<h2>Early history</h2><br>
<p>The hike between Badwater and Mount Whitney (via the treacherous salt flats in Death Valley) was first made in 1969 by Stan Rodefer and Jim Burnworth of San Diego.</p><br>
<p>Al Arnold first attempted running the route in 1974 but was pulled off the course after eighteen miles (29 km) with severe dehydration. After vigorous sauna-training and desert-acclimatization, he attempted the run again in 1975. This time, a knee injury aborted the run at fifty miles. In 1976, training injuries kept him from even beginning his annual attempt on the course.</p><br>
<p>In 1977 he successfully pioneered running the course, summiting Whitney eighty hours after his start at Badwater. Arnold has never returned to the course, except to receive the Badwater Hall of Fame Award.</p><br>
<p>In 1980, Gary Morris of Marina Del Rey California also attempted to beat Arnolds record. When temps hit 120 degrees F, he pulled out and didnt plan to run in 1981. He worked out with Jay Birmingham and Jon Griffin in Marina Del Rey before the attempt, and Jay&#39;s run from Los Angeles to New York City.</p><br>
<p>The second Badwater-to-Whitney running was completed in 1981, by Jay Birmingham.</p><br>
<p>In 1987, the crossing became an official, organized footrace. Five runners competed the first year. During the early years of the race, no particular route between Badwater and Whitney was specified and runners attempted various "shortcuts" between the start and finish. Adrian Crane, one of the competitors in the inaugural race, even used cross-country skis to cross the salt-flats at Badwater.</p><br>
<h2>AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon</h2><br>
<p>Currently, manages the competitive race from Badwater to Whitney Portal. The course route is specified, and the race is held annually. The field is invitation-only and limited in size. Demand to participate in the race usually far exceeds available spots. Rules have changed somewhat over the years: afternoon starts have been discontinued; the use of intravenous fluids now disqualifies a runner.</p><br>
<p>Course support is not provided. Each runner must arrange for his or her own support crew and vehicle. The crew provides their runner with his or her needs, including water, ice, food, gear, pacing, and first aid.</p><br>
<p>In the past, runners were allowed sixty hours to complete the course, but this has been changed to a 48-hour course limit and a 28 hours cutoff at Panamint Springs Resort. Finishers receive a belt buckle and medal but no prize money is awarded.</p><br>
<p>The record for the 146 mi race was set in 1991 by Marshall Ulrich: 33 hours and 54 minutes. Records for the current 135 mi course are 22 hours 51 minutes 29 seconds (men), set by Valmir Nunes, and 26 hours 16 minutes 12 seconds (women), set by Jamie Donaldson.</p><br>
<p>In 2002 Pam Reed was the first woman to become the overall winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon. She subsequently repeated as overall winner of the race in 2003. In 2002, her win also set the women&#39;s course record at the time.</p><br>
<p>In the last few years, 70 to 80 people have competed in each race, with 20–40% failing to reach the finish line. There have been no fatalities.</p><br>
<h2>Race winners</h2><br>
<p>(*) Current course record with night start, effective from 2015.</p><br>
<p>(**) Course record with day start.</p><br>
<h2>Related events</h2><br>
<h3>Multiple crossings</h3><br>
<p>In 1989, Tom Crawford and Richard Benyo completed the first double crossing (which became known as the ""), running from Badwater to Mount Whitney&#39;s summit and back to Badwater again.</p><br>
<p>In 1994, Scott Weber completed the first Triple Crossing going from the Mount Whitney Summit to Badwater, then returning from Badwater to the Mount Whitney summit, then going from the Mount Whitney summit back to Badwater in 10 days. The first leg of the Triple was also done solo unassisted with Weber pushing an unmodified baby jogger cart with his supplies from oasis to oasis spaced from 20 to 30 mi apart. Weber completed the majority of the triple unassisted and solo, being met once or twice a day by Ben on the second leg and for 100 mi of the third leg. Faced with the necessity of completing the Triple before August ended, Weber abandoned his cart at mile 390 to be fully crewed by Denise Jones. Completing this Triple and adding the Badwater race from the previous month made Weber the first runner to complete four full crossings of the Badwater-Mount Whitney summit course in a single July–August window. He remains the only runner to have done a multiple crossing with a solo unassisted section of 146 mi or greater.</p><br>
<p>In 2001, Marshall Ulrich was the first runner to complete the "Badwater Quad", consisting of two back-to-back Death Valley 300s for a total of four consecutive Badwater/Whitney transits. He completed the course, a distance in excess of twenty-two marathons, in ten days.</p><br>
<p>In 2003, Sawyer Manuj became the first Asian-American to complete the Badwater duo.</p><br>
<p>In 2012, Terry Abrams (54) became the first woman to complete a solo Triple 146 crossing, 438 miles, which includes two summits of Mt. Whitney. She is also the oldest woman to complete the Double, 292 miles.</p><br>
<p>In 2014, Lisa Smith-Batchen (54) became the first woman to complete the "Badwater Quad", 584 miles in 15 days.</p><br>
<h3>Unassisted solo crossings</h3><br>
<p>In 1994, Scott Weber became the first runner to cross from the summit of Mount Whitney to Badwater course solo without a crew. He did so by pushing a baby-jogger cart with his supplies going oasis to oasis (20-30 mi apart). Weber then continued on to complete 2 additional crossing with minimal support until being crewed full-time for the final 45 mi of this 438+ mile journey.</p><br>
<h3>Unassisted "self-contained" solo crossings</h3><br>
<p>In July 1999, Marshall Ulrich became the first runner to complete the 146 mi Badwater-to-Summit course without a crew or resupply, denying himself the use of artificial shade or outside aid of any kind. Starting with 225 lb of gear and water loaded in a modified baby jogger, he pushed and pulled the cart to the Whitney trail head, then continued on to the summit with a pack. He reached Whitney&#39;s summit in seventy seven hours and forty six minutes.</p><br>
<p>In July 2004, Jeff Sauter became the second person to attempt a solo self-contained crossing under Marshall Ulrich&#39;s rules, and completed the 135 mile course to Whitney Portal in 72 hours, but succumbed to hypothermia on the way to the summit and failed to finish the 146 mile course.</p><br>
<p>Ben "Badwater" Jones, the reference authority and person who documents Badwater crossings, documented the following attempts on his website.. After 2012, the Badwater 146 crossings and guidelines are maintained at</p><br>
<p>In July 2011, Lisa Bliss became the first woman and second person to complete the 146 mile Badwater-to-Summit course totally self-contained (without crew or resupply of any kind, abiding by the rules set forth in Marshall Ulrich&#39;s 1999 unassisted "self-contained" solo crossing). She pushed and pulled a custom-built 3-wheeled cart filled with water and gear that weighed 240 pounds at the start from Badwater to the Whitney trail head, and then continued the remaining 11 miles to the summit with a pack that she carried from the start. She reached the Mt. Whitney summit in 89 hours and 38 minutes.</p><br>
<p>On July 14th, 2016, Dusty Hardman became the second woman to complete Badwater 146 in 80 hours and 57 minutes while pushing a modified baby stroller. She pushed the stroller from Badwater Basin to Lone Pine and then carried gear and water to the Whitney Summit from Lone Pine.</p><br>
<p>In July 2012, "Bogie" Bogdan Dumitrescu made an unsuccessful attempt. In August 2012, Croix Sather got to the Whitney Portal in 64:55 and summited Whitney in 72:55, setting a new record. A subsequent attempt was made by "Bogie" Bogdan Dumitrescu who got to the Whitney Portal in 56:50 and summited Whitney in 70:40. Bogie started on July 8, 2013 at 7:45am, got to the portal at 12:03pm(52:18) and summited Whitney on 7/10/13 at 20:03 in the evening, setting a new time of 60 hours 18 minutes. In 2014 Bogie started on July 1 and had to stop after Townes Pass due to severe dizziness and breathing problems. But he returned two weeks later, and finished with a time of 57 hours 18 minutes.</p><br>
<h3>Badwater Solo Ultra 135/146</h3><br>
<p>Through the years, runners of all abilities have completed individual Badwater to Mt. Whitney crossings in the spirit of the early crossings, usually aided by crew. In 2005, Hugh Murphy initiated an informal gathering known as the Badwater Solo Ultra 135/146. Runners could finish at Whitney Portal (135 mi.), but were encouraged to continue to the summit of Mt. Whitney (146 mi.) Finishers of either distance were presented with a bronze belt buckle. In 2007, the informal group start was dissolved due to National Park Service permitting regulations. Solo runners continue to complete the course on an individual basis during the months of July and August. The word "solo" is used to designate runners who are not part of the official race. These Solos should not be confused with the unassisted crossings of Ulrich or Weber. In compliance with National Park and Forest Service permitting rules, the Badwater Solo is not a competitive race or an organized event of any kind. In general there are three types of recognized "solos". "Solo badwater" where the runner has a crew. "Solo self supported" or "Solo Oasis to oasis", where the runner does not have a crew but can use/buy/stash water and food. "Solo self contained" where the runner cannot get help and has to carry all food and water (see exact rules established by Marshall Ulrich). Since 2007, Marcia Rasmussen has attempted to award each Solo crossing a buckle for their finish. "Badwater" Ben Jones used to maintain a "Master List" of all Badwater-to-Whitney crossings, including finishers of the official Badwater Ultramarathon and the Badwater Solo. Now all the Badwater 146 crossings are at</p><br>
<p>In 2007, then 19-year-old Ben Eakin – son of Laura Weber and coached and crewed by Scott Weber – completed his first solo crossing, having only finished 2 marathons and 1 50K prior to doing so. Eakin completed the 146 mile solo from Badwater to the summit of Mount Whitney, to become the youngest person to complete the lowest to highest course, as well as the first type-1 diabetic.</p><br>
<p>In 2005, Barbara Szeprethy, then 24, is the youngest woman to finish the course, 3 times total, in consecutive years.</p><br>
<h3>Death Valley Cup</h3><br>
<p>Any competitor who completes both the Badwater Ultramarathon and the Furnace Creek 508 bicycle race (also held in Death Valley) during the same calendar year is awarded the Death Valley Cup. In 1996, Marshall Ulrich became the first ever to finish the Death Valley Cup.</p><br>
<p>Charlie Engle currently holds the Death Valley Cup record, setting it in 2009. That year, he ran Badwater, 25:45:11 (4th place) and Furnace Creek, 33:19:25,</p><br>
<p>(4th place) for a total time of 59:04:36.</p><br>
<h3>Badwater World Cup BWWC</h3><br>
<p>Badwater World Cup (BWWC) consists of</p><br>
<p>Badwater (race in the desert)</p><br>
<p>Brazil 135 Ultramarathon (race in the mountains)</p><br>
<p>Arrowhead (race in the snow)</p><br>
<p>Europe 135</p><br>
<p>Thornden Park is a 76 acre park in Syracuse, New York, United States, which is the second largest in the city after Burnet Park. It was purchased by the city in 1921 and has become a favorite wedding location in the Syracuse park system. It is located in Westcott, and borders the University Neighborhood and University Hill neighborhoods. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Thornden Park began as a farm owned by Zebulon Ostrom, who sold it to a wealthy salt miner James P. Haskins around 1850. In 1921 the city purchased the land as part of the nationwide City Beautiful movement and added recreational features such as the ballfields and swimming pool. During the 1960s, budget cuts threatened the cleanliness of the park; these were countered by neighborhood initiatives. The 1970s brought Dutch elm disease, which killed approximately 600 elm trees in the park. Maple trees were planted as replacements. The Thornden Park Association was founded in 1983 to advocate for, restore and revitalize the park.</p><br>
<h2>Mills Rose Garden</h2><br>
<p>One of the more popular attractions in the park is the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose Garden, dedicated in 1924 on 2 acre at the southwest entrance to the park, across Ostrom Avenue from Syracuse University. Since 1970, the Syracuse Rose Society has maintained the garden in cooperation with the City of Syracuse Department of Parks. Currently, the garden hosts 368 different varieties of roses (3850 plants in all) that surround a central gazebo.</p><br>
<h2>Amphitheater</h2><br>
<p>Originally named Sylvn Theatre, Thornden Park&#39;s amphitheater was built in 1933 under the Roosevelt era WPA Project (Works Project Administration). The opening day ceremony in 1933 was rained out but the subsequent opening was attended by 10,000 people. It is built to seat 6,000 people in its concentric rings and open lawn in the middle of the amphitheatre. The Syracuse Opera puts on a free show the first Sunday in August each year and, since 2003, the Syracuse Shakespeare Festival has presented its free, Shakespeare-in-the-Park program the second and third weekends of August, before the NYS Fair.</p><br>
<h2>Features</h2><br>
<p>Public swimming pool (50 m)</p><br>
<p>One multi-purpose sports field</p><br>
<p>Five tennis courts</p><br>
<p>Three basketball courts</p><br>
<p>Playground</p><br>
<p>Fitness trail</p><br>
<p>E.M. Mills Memorial Rose Garden</p><br>
<p>Outdoor amphitheatre</p><br>
<p>Lily pond</p><br>
<p>Corsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles  west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul Methuen, the diplomat. It is currently the home of the present Baron Methuen, James Methuen-Campbell, the eighth generation of the Methuens to live there.</p><br>
<h2>Early history</h2><br>
<p>Corsham was a royal manor in the days of the Saxon kings, reputed to have been a seat of Ethelred the Unready. After William the Conqueror, the manor continued to be passed down through the generations in the royal family. It often formed part of the dower of the Queens of England during the late 14th and early 15th centuries, becoming known as Corsham Reginae. During the 16th century, the manor went to two of Henry VIII&#39;s wives, namely Catherine of Aragon until 1536, and Katherine Parr until 1548.</p><br>
<p>During the reign of Elizabeth I the estate passed out of the royal family; the present house was built in 1582 by Thomas Smythe. The owner of Corsham Court in the mid-seventeenth century was the commander of the Parliamentarian New Model Army in Wiltshire; his wife, Lady Margaret Hungerford, built what came to be known as the Hungerford Almshouses in the centre of town</p><br>
<h2>Methuen family</h2><br>
<p>The house was bought in 1745 by Sir Paul Methuen for his cousin, also named Paul Methuen, whose grandson became Baron Methuen. The house remains the seat of the Methuen family.</p><br>
<p>In 1761–64, Lancelot Capability Brown was commissioned to redesign and enlarge the house and landscape the park. Brown set the style of the present day building by retaining the Elizabethan stables, the Riding School, and the great gabled front to the house, which he doubled in depth and provided gabled wings at either end of the house, creating the Picture Gallery and State Rooms in the east wing and a library and new kitchens in the west wing. The Picture Gallery was designed as a triple cube and boasts a coffered plasterwork ceiling over a high cove stuccoed in scrolls, designed by Brown and carried out by Thomas Stocking of Bristol (1763–66). The Long Gallery contains Italian Old Masters, with a famous marquetry commode and matching pair of candlestands by John Cobb (1772) and four pier glasses designed by Robert Adam (1770).</p><br>
<p>In 1795 Paul Cobb Methuen commissioned Humphry Repton to complete the landscape, left unfinished at Browns death with the lake still to be completed, and in 1796 commissioning John Nash to completely remodel the north façade in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, beating out the experienced James Wyatt for the commission. Nash further embellished other areas of Browns external building works, including Browns Gothic Bath House in the North Avenue, as well as reorganising the internal layout to form a grand hall and a library, at the centre of which is the large library table associated with a payment to Thomas Chippendales partner Haig, in 1779. By 1808 much of Nashs work was replaced with a more solid structure, when it was discovered that he had used unseasoned timber in beams and joists; all of Nashs work at Corsham save the Library was destroyed when it was remodelled by Thomas Bellamy (1798–1876) in 1844–49 during the ownership by Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen, who was Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Wiltshire North.</p><br>
<p>The layout of grounds and gardens by "Capability" Brown represent his most important commission after Blenheim Palace. Brown planned to include a 50,000 m² lake. This lake, however, was not completed until some forty years later, by Humphry Repton, who formed his long working relationship with Nash at Corsham Court. They laid out avenues and planted the specimen trees, including American oaks, Quercus coccineus and Q. phellos, and the magnificent Oriental Plane. The grounds also incorporate a folly ruin, built by Nash c. 1797, incorporating some medieval stonework and some material from the eighteenth-century Bath House built by Brown.</p><br>
<h2>Bath Academy of Art</h2><br>
<p>Following the destruction of their premises during World War II, Bath Academy of Art (now Bath School of Art and Design and part of Bath Spa University) moved to Corsham Court in 1946 at the invitation of Paul Ayshford Methuen, 4th Baron Methuen, who himself was a distinguished painter and at the time president of the Royal West of England Academy. During its stay at Corsham until 1986, teachers at Bath Academy included many key figures of British art such as Kenneth Armitage, Terry Frost, Peter Lanyon, Adrian Heath, Bernard Meadows, William Scott and Howard Hodgkin.</p><br>
<p>In 2008, Bath Spa University returned to Corsham Court, opening facilities for research projects, postgraduate and research studios and study areas for artists and designers undertaking Masters level study and Doctorates.</p><br>
<h2>As film location</h2><br>
<p>Some of the scenes from Stanley Kubrick&#39;s 1975 film Barry Lyndon were filmed at Corsham Court. In 1993 the house was a location for The Remains of the Day.</p><br>
<p>The Severn River is a tidal estuary 14 mi long in Anne Arundel County in the USA state of Maryland, south of the Magothy River and north of the South River.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Severn has a watershed area (including the water surface) of 81 square miles, or 69 square miles of land. Thus, its total watershed area is 15% water. Its source is the beginning of the non-tidal nine-mile long Severn Run in northwestern Anne Arundel County in Severn, Maryland. The river enters the Chesapeake Bay near the major port city of Annapolis, also the capital of Maryland. Most famous for the United States Naval Academy campus situated at the mouth of the river, the Severn provides an access point to the Chesapeake Bay not just for midshipmen but also for fishermen and pleasure boaters. Several tributary creeks drain highly developed areas, including Weems Creek and its nontidal portion Cowhide Branch, which drain most of the Annapolis Mall and the Anne Arundel Medical Center.</p><br>
<p>The Severn River is crossed by two bridges. One, known as the Severn River Bridge or Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, carries US 50/US 301/MD 2 and was first built in 1886. The other carries MD 450, and is now officially named the "US Naval Academy Bridge" because its south end traverses the academy. The latter bridge was built as a drawbridge in the late 1920s and replaced with the current high span in 1994. A former railroad trestle between the two current bridges, built in about 1887 for the Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line Railroad (which became part of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway), was removed post-1968 when it was declared unsafe.</p><br>
<h2>Tributaries</h2><br>
<p>If a tributary has sub-tributaries (commonly the upper, nontidal portion) below, they are listed after the "&".</p><br>
<p>Pointfield Branch</p><br>
<p>Bear Branch</p><br>
<p>Cold Spring Branch (Cool Spring Branch)</p><br>
<p>Chartwell Branch</p><br>
<p>Stevens Creek & Lake Liberty</p><br>
<p>Rock Cove</p><br>
<p>Forked Creek & Sacketts Pond</p><br>
<p>Yantz Creek (Yantz Cove) & Cedar Creek</p><br>
<p>Sullivan Cove</p><br>
<p>Ringgold Cove</p><br>
<p>Asquith Creek (Aisquith Creek)</p><br>
<p>Rays Pond</p><br>
<p>Chase Creek (Timberneck Creek)</p><br>
<p>Cool Spring Cove (or Creek)</p><br>
<p>Winchester Pond (Crouchs Pond)</p><br>
<p>Manresa Pond (Browns Cove or Pond)</p><br>
<p>Woolchurch Cove & Pond</p><br>
<p>Carr Creek</p><br>
<p>Sewell Spring Branch</p><br>
<p>Indian Creek & Indian Creek Branch</p><br>
<p>Cypress Branch</p><br>
<p>Arden Pond</p><br>
<p>Plum Creek & Gumbottom Branch</p><br>
<p>Valentine Creek</p><br>
<p>Old Place Creek (Fox Creek)</p><br>
<p>Browns Cove (on Little Round Bay)</p><br>
<p>Maynadier Creek & Deep Ditch Branch</p><br>
<p>Hopkins Creek & Davids Run</p><br>
<p>Brewer Pond & Arthurs Run</p><br>
<p>Brewer Creek & Howards Branch</p><br>
<p>Clements Creek & Hockley Branch</p><br>
<p>Saltworks Creek & Cabin Branch</p><br>
<p>Martins Pond (Whitehurst Lake)</p><br>
<p>Luce Creek & Howard Creek</p><br>
<p>Cove of Cork</p><br>
<p>Weems Creek & Cowhide Branch</p><br>
<p>Shady Lake</p><br>
<p>College Creek (Dorsey Creek) & Peters Cove</p><br>
<p>Spa Creek (Spaw Creek, Carrols Creek) & Acton Cove, Hawkins Cove</p><br>
<p>Back Creek</p><br>
<h2>Providence</h2><br>
<p>Providence, the first colonial settlement in Anne Arundel County, was founded in the fall and winter of 1649–1650 at the beginning of a mass migration of a group of Puritans and non-conformists from Lower Norfolk County in Virginia to primarily the north side of the mouth of the Severn. It faded away after the 1680s when Annapolis came into favor and, in 1694, became Maryland&#39;s capital. This "lost town" of Providence was originally though to be limited to the Carr Creek and Greenbury Point area across the river from Annapolis on what are now the grounds of Naval Station Annapolis (renamed North Severn Complex.) More recent archaeological research has uncovered homes of this scattered settlement further to the north and northeast as well, on the southern half of the Broad Neck Peninsula, especially near Whitehall Creek.</p><br>
<p>Tenaya Lake is an alpine lake in Yosemite National Park, located between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. The surface of Tenaya Lake has an elevation of 8,150 ft. The lake basin was formed by glacial action, which left a backdrop of light granite rocks, whose beauty was known to the Native Americans. Today, Tenaya Lake is easily accessible by State Route 120 and is a popular lake for water activities.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Tenaya Lake is named after the son of Chief Tenaya, who was murdered by the Mariposa Brigade near the shores of the lake. Tenaya protested that the lake already had a name: Pie-we-ack, or "Lake of the Shining Rocks." This original name is now attached to Pywiack Dome, a granite dome to the east of the lake.</p><br>
<p>As part of the 1864 Yosemite grant, the area became the first park land to be federally protected for preservation and public use. Yosemite became a national park in 1916 with the advent of the National Park Service.</p><br>
<p>In 1868, John Muir wrote about the Tenaya Lake&#39;s beauty and timelessness in My First Summer in the Sierra.</p><br>
<h2>Geology</h2><br>
<p>Tenaya Lake was created by the Tenaya Glacier, which flowed out of the vast Tuolumne Ice Sheet and down to Yosemite Valley. This same glacier created Half Dome. The Tenaya Glacier was lightly loaded with debris, and did not leave a large amount of moraine material near Tenaya Lake.</p><br>
<h2>Hydrology</h2><br>
<p>The lake is supplied by a network of creeks and springs including Murphy Creek to the northwest and Tenaya Creek. Tenaya Creek is an outflow of Cathedral Lakes and serves as both the principle inlet and outlet of Tenaya Lake. Tenaya Creek also runs through Tenaya Canyon into Yosemite Valley.</p><br>
<h2>Access and use</h2><br>
<p>Tenaya Lake can be accessed by car via Tioga Pass Road, which is called California State Route 120 outside the park. Visitors from the east must pass through the Tioga Pass Entrance on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park. Tioga Pass Road starts at the town Lee Vining on USA Route 395 140 miles south of Reno and 330 miles north of Los Angeles. Tioga Pass Road is usually closed by National Park Service during the winter months due to heavy snows. The connecting section to the east is closed by Caltrans when the park closes the entrance station for the winter. The lake can be accessed by automobile from the west via Crane Flat, where the Tioga Pass Road meets the Big Oak Flat Road that connects the Big Oak Flat entrance (and CA120) to the park and Yosemite Valley (and CA41 and CA140).</p><br>
<p>According to the US National Park Service, problems associated with visitor use have been persistent for decades. The Park Service has commissioned The Tenaya Lake Area Plan, a formal study and action plan to address solutions to these issues.</p><br>
<p>In 1992 a campground on the southwest shore of the lake was closed.</p><br>
<p>Hiking is a popular activity. Trailheads that start at Tenaya Lake lead to Cathedral Lakes, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and the Yosemite Valley floor.</p><br>
<p>Fishing is permitted year-round at Yosemite National Park. Visitors over 16 require a valid California fishing license. Various species of trout can be caught in the lake.</p><br>
<p>Visitors can kayak, canoe, or sail on the lake. No formal launch facilities or docks are available, and motorized boats are not permitted. Swimming is permitted, but the water is reported to be very cold.</p><br>
<h2>Conservancy</h2><br>
<p>In 2011, $850,000 was earmarked for restoration of Tenaya lake habitat by the Yosemite Conservancy. The program will reroute hiking trails away from sensitive wetlands.</p><br>
<p>The Peconic River is a river within Suffolk County on Long Island, New York in the United States. The river is located in the eastern end of Long Island. The Peconic River drains an area between the Harbor Hill and Ronkonkoma terminal moraines, and flows into Flanders Bay which in turn connects to Peconic Bay east of Riverhead.</p><br>
<p>The river originates in bogs and wetlands in central Long Island near the Brookhaven National Laboratory and flows eastward to the Peconic Bay. It is the longest river on Long Island and is almost entirely within the Central Long Island Pine Barrens which was set up in 1993 to protect its relative wilderness standing.</p><br>
<p>It is fresh water until about the center of Riverhead where it becomes an estuary.</p><br>
<p>The river is slow-moving, making it ideal for canoeing and kayaking.</p><br>
<p>It forms the border between Brookhaven and Riverhead towns as well as the border between Riverhead and Southampton.</p><br>
<h2>List of crossings of the Peconic River</h2><br>
<p>Wading River-Center Moriches Road (former Suffolk CR 25)</p><br>
<p>David Terry Street</p><br>
<p>Connecticut Avenue</p><br>
<p>Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road</p><br>
<p>Edwards Avenue</p><br>
<p>Long Island Expressway</p><br>
<p>Forge Road</p><br>
<p>Unnamed dead end street to LIPA Sub-station from NY 25</p><br>
<p>Suffolk CR 94A</p><br>
<p>Peconic Avenue (former NY 24-113 overlap)</p><br>
<p>Suffolk CR 105</p><br>
<p>Mljet  is the most southerly and easterly of the larger Adriatic islands of the Dalmatia region of Croatia. The National Park includes the western part of the island, Veliko jezero, Malo jezero, Soline Bay and a sea belt 500 m wide from the most prominent cape of Mljet covering an area of 54 km.</p><br>
<p>The central parts of the park are Veliko jezero with the Isle of St. Mary, Malo jezero and the villages of Goveđari, Polače and Pomena.</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>According to the 2011 census, Mljet has population of 1,088. Ethnic Croats make up 97.93% of the population.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Mljet was discovered by ancient Greco-Roman geographers, who wrote the first records and descriptions. The island was first described by Scylax of Caryanda in the 6th century BC; others prefer the text, Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax. In both texts, it is named Melite and supported by Apollonius of Rhodes. Agathemerus and Pliny the Elder call the island Melita.</p><br>
<p>Agesilaus of Anaxarba in Cilicia, the father of Oppian, was banished to Mljet by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (AD 145–211) (or to Malta by Lucius Verus: see Oppian).</p><br>
<p>Mljet is mentioned around 950 by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos in his Of Ruling an Empire as one of the islands held by the Narentines. The island was often a controversy of ownership between them and Zachlumia until the stronger unifications of the Serbian realm in the 12th century. Ancient Greeks called the island "Melita" or "honey" which over the centuries evolved to become the Slavic name, Mljet.</p><br>
<p>Mljet has been regarded as the "Melita" on which Saint Paul was shipwrecked (Acts of the Apostles 27:39–28:11), this view being first expounded in the 10th century, by Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Saint Paul&#39;s shipwreck is generally placed on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Mljet and Malta had the same name in the Greek and Roman sources; the mention of a viper in Acts 28:3–5 was thought to be in favour of Mljet (but there are snakes on both Mljet and Malta). A harbour named after the Saint exists on both islands.</p><br>
<p>The Benedictines from Pulsano in Apulia became the feudal lords of the island in 1151, having come from Monte Gargano in Italy. They came ashore in the Sutmiholjska cove and in 1187–1198 the Serbian Prince Desa of the House of Vojislavljević built and donated to them the Church and Monastery of Saint Mary on the islet in the Big Lake (Veliko Jezero) towards the north-west end of the island. Pope Innocent III issued a document consecrating the church in 1198.</p><br>
<p>The Benedictines renounced their rule over Mljet in 1345, keeping only a third of the land. The island got a statute and a municipality in Babino Polje. It was formally annexed by the Republic of Ragusa in 1410. According to the Contract with the Benedictines, the municipality had to pay 300 perpers each year.</p><br>
<p>In the 16th century, the monastery was the center of the Mljet Congregation (Congregatio Melitensis or Melitana), gathering all the monasteries of Benedictine monks in the area of the Republic of Ragusa. The first president of the Congregation was Mavro Vetranović, the abbot of the Mljet monastery and the famous poet. Another great poet was abbot there—Ignjat Đurđević in the 18th century. As time went by, the Benedictine monastery on Mljet lost its importance, while the seat of the Mljet Congregation moved to Sveti Jakov near Ragusa.</p><br>
<p>In 1809, during the rule of Napoleon, the Mljet monastery was disbanded. When Austria took over the island, it placed the forestry office in the building. Between the world wars, the building was owned by the Ragusa (Dubrovnik) Bishopric. In 1960 it became a hotel, and in 1998 it was returned to the bishopric. The island has a long history of eco-damage. In order to ease their transport problems, the monks dug a channel to the south coast, from the lake Veliko Jezero, thus turning both fresh-water lakes into seawater-based ones.</p><br>
<p>The second incident involves mongooses. Small Asian mongooses were introduced onto the island in the early 20th century in order to reduce the venomous snake population (the island was apparently completely overrun). Whilst the mongooses completed this task, they also disposed of pretty much all the birdlife of the island. To this day, the island is notably short of hedgerow birds, such as sparrows. Mongooses are a hazard for domestic poultry, and are also known to cause damage in vineyards and orchards.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Mljet lies south of the Pelješac peninsula, from which it is divided by the Mljet Channel. Its length is 37 km; its average breadth 3.2 km. It is of volcanic origin, with numerous chasms and gorges, of which the longest, the Babino Polje, connects the north and south of the island. Port Polače, the principal harbour in the north, is a port of call for tourist ferries. Mljet contains one hotel—The Odisej (from the Greek Odysseus) in the north-west corner of the island.</p><br>
<p>The northwestern part of the island includes an inland lake as well as a small island within it. It has been a national park since November 12, 1960. Over 84% of the island of 98.01 km&sup2; is forest. The island&#39;s geological structure consists of limestone and dolomite forming ridges, crests and slopes. A few depressions on the island of Mljet are below sea level and are known as blatine ("mud-lakes") or slatine ("salt-lakes"). During the rain seasons all blatine are filled with water and turn to brackish during dry seasons.</p><br>
<p>The climate is Mediterranean; an average air temperature in January is 9 °C (48 °F) and in July about 24 °C (75 °F). Precipitation (mostly falling between October and April) averages between 35 and 45 inches annually, with the hills receiving the highest amounts.</p><br>
<h3>Settlements</h3><br>
<p>According to the 2011 census, the settlements of Mljet have the following population:</p><br>
<p>Babino Polje (270): largest settlement, police station, school</p><br>
<p>Goveđari (151)</p><br>
<p>Babine Kuće</p><br>
<p>Pristanište</p><br>
<p>Soline</p><br>
<p>Pomena (52)</p><br>
<p>Polače (113): ferry port, Roman ruins</p><br>
<p>Blato (39)</p><br>
<p>Ropa (37): auto camp</p><br>
<p>Kozarica (28)</p><br>
<p>Sobra (131): ferry port</p><br>
<p>Prožura (40)</p><br>
<p>Prožurska Luka (40)</p><br>
<p>Maranovići (43)</p><br>
<p>Okuklje (31)</p><br>
<p>Korita (46)</p><br>
<p>Saplunara (67): beach</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>The island of Mljet has no airport. Dubrovnik Airport on the mainland provides the main international connection for the island. Mljet has ferry lines with Pelješac peninsula and Dubrovnik. Transportation to the island is provided by Jadrolinija ferry service. Sobra, the main port on the island, is connected to Dubrovnik-Gruž and Ston via a car ferry. There are two type of ferries available: a car ferry and a faster catamaran ferry (2.5 hours and 90 minutes to Dubrovnik, respectively).</p><br>
<p>The two-lane paved road runs throughout the island. Scheduled buses on Mljet travel just once or twice a day.</p><br>
<p>Brahmagiri, is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Kodagu district in Karnataka state in the north and Wayanad district of Kerala state on the south. Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction. The top of Brahmagiri Hill is well forested and has a lot of wildlife.</p><br>
<h2>Tourist attractions</h2><br>
<p>Thirunelli Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, lies on the Kerala side of Brahmagiri. This temple is known as Dakshina Kasi or the Kasi of the South. The temple was constructed in an ancient style and includes 30 granite pillars. According to legend, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma himself.</p><br>
<p>Pakshipathalam at an altitude of 1740 m is another attraction on the Kerala side. Pakshipathalam has a cave that is said to have been used by rishis in ancient times. On the Karnataka side it is also known by the name of Munikal cave.</p><br>
<p>Iruppu (or Irpu or Lakshmana Tirtha) Falls of the Lakshmana Tirtha River lies on the Karnataka side of Brahmagiri. According to legend, when Rama and Lakshmana were searching for Sita, they became thirsty. Lakshmana shot an arrow into the Brahmagiri from which the river sprang. Rama is said to have dedicated a Shiva Kshethra known as Rajeshwara Temple on the banks of river Lakshmana Tirtha. The Lakshmana Tirtha river eventually flows into the Kaveri River. One Jain Temple is also present here built by Kadamba dynasty. Nishani Motte is a peak in Brahmagiri range of hills.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>Brahmagiri can be reached by a trek from Mananthavady (29 km east) or from Kutta. From Karnataka side, trek to Brahmagiri from Irupu Falls is 9 km and to Munikal Caves (Pakshipathalam) is 7 km. Trekkers need to seek the permission of Range Forest Officer at Srimangala. Brahmagiri is about 11 km from Tirunelli.</p><br>
<p>The Periya ghat road connects Mananthavady to Kannur and Thalassery. The Thamarassery mountain road connects Calicut with Kalpetta. The Kuttiady mountain road connects Vatakara with Kalpetta and Mananthavady. The Palchuram mountain road connects Kannur and Iritty with Mananthavady. The road from Nilambur to Ooty is also connected to Wayanad through the village of Meppadi.</p><br>
<p>The nearest railway station is at Mysore and the nearest airports are Kozhikode International Airport-120 km, Bengaluru International Airport-290 km, and Kannur International Airport, 58 km.</p><br>
<p>Old Strathcona is an historic district in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now home to many of Edmontons arts and entertainment facilities, as well as a local shopping hub for residents and students at the nearby University of Alberta. Many of the areas businesses are owner-operated but, chains have also made inroads. A good proportion of Edmonton&#39;s theatres and live-performance venues are also in the area. The district centres on Whyte  Avenue and has shops, restaurants, bars and buskers.</p><br>
<h2>Official definitions</h2><br>
<h3>Provincial historic area</h3><br>
<p>In 2007, Old Strathcona was named Alberta&#39;s second Provincial Historic Area. The district comprises an area of five city blocks from 85 Avenue south to 80 Avenue and from 102 Street west to 106 street.</p><br>
<h3>Business revitalization zone</h3><br>
<p>The Old Strathcona and Area Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) is a roughly cross-shaped business revitalization zone, extending along Whyte Avenue from just west of 109 Street in the west, to just east of 99 Street in the east, and along Gateway Boulevard from 86 Avenue in the north to University Avenue in the south.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Old Strathcona was once a municipality separate from Edmonton, achieving town status in 1899 and city status in 1907. The City of Strathcona amalgamated with Edmonton in 1912.</p><br>
<p>A large part of Whyte Avenues popularity is the historical character of its buildings, many of which are one hundred years old. The oldest building is the Strathcona Hotel, built by the railway when it arrived in 1891. Early construction used mostly wood, but this changed in 1902 when the Town of Strathcona passed a bylaw requiring brick buildings in the downtown core to prevent a major fire. Many of the current brick buildings were erected during the 1910–1912 boom that brought thousands of settlers from eastern Canada, Britain and continental Europe, USA and other parts of the world. Whyte Avenue in the early 1890s was dominated by primitive shack homes and quickly-built pioneer stores. These early structures were soon replaced by more substantial wood-frame two-storey buildings or, in the case of the Ross Block, by a brick building even before the towns anti-fire bylaw.</p><br>
<p>In 2005, Edmonton City Council sent a letter to the Province of Alberta requesting heritage status for the area, and the new status of Provincial Heritage Area in 2007.</p><br>
<h3>Historic buildings and government recognition</h3><br>
<p>Old Strathcona is Alberta&#39;s second Provincial Historic Area (downtown Fort Macleod being the first), and has a number of historic buildings.</p><br>
<p>The designation as a Provincial Historic Area applies to roughly 5 square blocks that formed the commercial hub of the former city of Strathcona. It runs from 85 Avenue south to 80 Avenue and from 102 Street west to 106 Street. Within this area are many of the most significant buildings from Strathcona&#39;s early boom from the arrival of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway in 1891 to the Edmonton real estate crash of 1913–14. Heritage buildings within this area include the Strathcona Hotel, the Gainers Block, the Orange Hall, the Canadian Pacific Railway Station, the South Side Post Office, the Douglas Block, the Princess Theatre, the Strathcona Public Library, the Connaught Armoury, and Old Scona Academic High School.</p><br>
<p>Outside of the Provincial Heritage Area in the wider Old Strathcona area are several non-commercial buildings that are also protected as heritage buildings including churches and residences. Within the Edmonton-Strathcona provincial electoral district, which covers most of the former City of Strathcona, there are 18 Provincial Historic Resources and 11 Registered Historic Resources recognized by the Government of Alberta, and 14 Municipal Restoric Resources recognized by the City of Edmonton (some buildings are on both registers).</p><br>
<h2>Present day</h2><br>
<p>After amalgamation of the cities of Strathcona and Edmonton, Strathcona went into an economic slump and little re-development occurred, allowing many of area&#39;s old buildings to continue to the present day. In the 1970s, Edmonton city council bought many properties along 104 Street in preparation for a freeway through the historic area. A "Save-the-district" movement emerged and the plan was abandoned. Old Strathcona then became more Bohemian in tone, as well as performing its historic purpose of supplying goods and services to local residents, students at nearby University of Alberta, and residents of the nearby County of Strathcona whose county offices would first be located in Old Strathcona</p><br>
<p>The Strathcona Hotel, the first building built after the arrival of the railway that had established the hamlet of South Edmonton in 1891 (leading to the town and city of Strathcona) has been in operation ever since (excepting the period of Prohibition, 1916-1923), and other bars were never absent from the district. However, in the 1990s, many new bars were established in Whyte Avenue buildings that had previously held offices and shops. The area&#39;s night-time ambience began to change dramatically. The area has attracted media attention over the years for its revelry.</p><br>
<p>Over time, the area has become the premier entertainment strip in Edmonton and is the locale for events such as the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. Although it has lacked alternative music venues since the 1990s heyday, there is a strong revival of music venues on Whyte Avenue with several offering live entertainment for various genres. The primary location for clubs and nightlife is on Whyte Avenue between 99 and 109 Streets, with the majority of clubs directly on Whyte Avenue or on adjacent side streets.</p><br>
<p>Whyte Avenue arguably remains the centre of Edmonton&#39;s alternative lifestyles, containing various independent clothing and other types of shops catering to a variety of alternative subcultures (ranging from hippie to raver to goth etc.). Clothing is the fastest growing business trend in the area, with retailers all along the avenue. Old Strathcona was a bastion of small, local and independent business.</p><br>
<p>There are a number of restaurants in this area, many locally owned. Several of the bars also have kitchens. In total, there are almost 100 places to eat in Old Strathcona.</p><br>
<h3>Theatre</h3><br>
<p>Old Strathcona is home to a vibrant independent theatre scene, with nine theatre companies operating out of several buildings in the neighbourhood, including the Varscona Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, Northern Light Theatre, The Walterdale Playhouse and Roxy on Gateway. The Varscona Theatre alone is home to several award-winning companies: Shadow Theatre,, the variety show That&#39;s Terrific!, and improvisation troupe Die-Nasty. Every August, Old Strathcona plays host to the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, the largest and oldest Fringe Theatre event in North America. Edmonton historian Lawrence Herzog has called the diversity of material being produced in the Old Strathcona Theatre District "wide and astonishing."</p><br>
<h3>Cinema</h3><br>
<p>Old Strathcona is also known for its art house theatres, The Princess Theatre and the Garneau Theatre. In 2011, Edmonton&#39;s Metro Cinema Society took over management of the Garneau Theatre, while The Princess continued to be operated by Magic Lantern Theatres.</p><br>
<h2>Events</h2><br>
<p>Old Strathcona celebrates all year long. January brings Ice on Whyte, a sculpting competition and outdoor ice playground. June features Improvaganza, an invitational international improv festival, hosted by Rapid Fire Theatre. In mid July, the Whyte Avenue ArtWalk puts more than 230 working artists on the sidewalks of Old Strathcona, and on the final Sunday of Artwalk, Whyte Avenue closes the entire street for a massive Street Sale. In August, the Edmonton International Fringe Festival welcomes hundreds of thousands of theatre goers and festival patrons. The fall brings the Chante Festival and many events during the Edmonton Halloween festival.</p><br>
<p>Old Strathcona has a year-round farmers market that requires all vendors to be primary producers. Edmontons market garden industry finds an average of 10,000 customers every Saturday.</p><br>
<h2>Whyte Avenue</h2><br>
<p>Whyte (82) Avenue is an arterial road in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It became the main street of the City of Strathcona as it formed, and now runs through Old Strathcona. It was named in 1891 after Sir William Whyte, who was superintendent of the CPR&#39;s western division from 1886 to 1897 and was knighted by King George V in 1911.</p><br>
<p>East of 104 Street, Whyte Avenue is the original alignment of Highway 14, while the section between 104 Street and 109 Street was part of Highway 2. The highway designations were moved to Whitemud Drive in the 1980s.</p><br>
<h3>Blue Mile</h3><br>
<p>The Blue Mile or the Copper Kilometre is the name given by the local media to the Old Strathcona District&#39;s Whyte Avenue during the Edmonton Oilers 2006 Stanley Cup playoff run, since it closely resembled the events which took place on the Red Mile in Calgary two years prior.</p><br>
<p>Following the Edmonton Oilers upset victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, several thousand Oiler fans flocked to Whyte Avenue and turned the district into a hockey party strip, as Oiler fans walked the streets cheering, chanting, high-fiving, horn-honking, and flag-waving for their team. Others surfed the crowd in a grocery-shopping cart, and still others climbed trees and traffic lights.</p><br>
<p>Whyte Avenue in Edmonton gained national attention for its level of violence in May 2006. The arrests at the Blue Mile are estimated at least 350 people through the Oilers Stanley Cup playoff run, including breaching the public peace, assaults, impaired driving, mischief, and alcohol-related offences. This rowdy behaviour led the mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, to threaten to close down the strip: "I hope this doesn&#39;t come down to having to shut down Whyte completely... but this will not be tolerated going into the final series."</p><br>
<h3>Neighbourhoods</h3><br>
<p>List of neighbourhoods Whyte (82) Avenue runs through, in order from west to east:</p><br>
<p>Garneau</p><br>
<p>Queen Alexandra</p><br>
<p>Strathcona</p><br>
<p>Ritchie</p><br>
<p>Bonnie Doon</p><br>
<p>King Edward Park</p><br>
<p>Idylwylde</p><br>
<p>Kenilworth</p><br>
<h2>Major intersections</h2><br>
<p>Starting at the west end of University Avenue.</p><br>
<p>For the hydroelectric power plant and HVDC-back-to-back facility in Paraguay, see Acaray Power Plant</p><br>
<p>Acaray, also known as the Fortress of Acaray, is an archaeological site located in the Huaura River Valley on the near north coast of Peru (or the Norte Chico region). The impressive fortress is located on a series of three hilltops, each ringed with a number of perimeter defensive walls that have parapets and bastions, which stand as testaments to the military nature of the site. Radio carbon dating has established it was built about 900-200BC and abandoned 1000–1470AD. Surrounding the hilltop fortress are lower-lying areas of occupation and extensive cemeteries, which have been heavily looted.</p><br>
<h2>History of research</h2><br>
<p>Attention was called to the site early on by the German archaeologist Hans Horkheimer, who wrote about Acaray in 1962 in the Peruvian magazine, Caretas, published in Lima. Calling it the Fortaleza de Huaura (the Fortress of Huaura), he deemed Acaray to be a true fortress, unlike the more well-known neighboring site of Paramonga in the Pativilca River Valley, whose defensive nature has been questioned. Horkheimer noted the abundance of rolled river cobbles on the surface of the site, which were likely used as projectiles or slingstones.</p><br>
<p>During the 1970s interest in Acaray increased, and the first work by archaeologists was initiated at the fortress. Peruvian archaeologist Mercédes Cárdenas, of the Riva Agüero Institute, excavated at Acaray, among other coastal sites, as part of a larger project to understand the use of marine resources in the past on the Peruvian coast and to obtain radiocarbon dates. She led a team that surveyed the Huaura Valley and excavated at several sites, including the hilltop fort at Acaray. She estimated that it was built about 900-200BC and abandoned 1000–1470AD.</p><br>
<p>Around the same time, Peruvian archaeologist Arturo Ruiz Estrada, of the National University José Faustino Sánchez Carrión, and Peruvian engineer Domingo Torero visited the fortress; they wrote a detailed account describing the architectural features of the site.</p><br>
<p>In 2004, North American archaeologist Margaret Brown Vega, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, began research at Acaray, carrying out intensive mapping, surface analysis, and excavations, which lasted for two years.</p><br>
<p>According to Brown Vega, Acaray early megalithic wall constructions may be similar to those of Chankillo from the same period.</p><br>
<p>Lykovrysi , is a town north of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lykovrysi-Pefki, of which it is a municipal unit.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Lykovrysi is situated 11 km northeast of Athens city centre, east of the small river Kifisos. The municipal unit has an area of 1.950 km. The built-up area of Lykovrysi is continuous with those of the neighbouring towns of Metamorfosi, Pefki and Irakleio. Greek National Road 1 passes through the town.</p><br>
<p>Τhere are two primary schools, the 1st and the 2nd Primary School of Lykovrysi, a gymnasium (junior high school), the 1st Gymnasium of Lykovrysi, a lyceum (senior high school), the 1st Lyceum of Lykovrysi, as well as St. Catherine&#39;s British Embassy School.</p><br>
<h2>Historical population</h2><br>
<h2>Education</h2><br>
<p>St.Catherine&#39;s British School in Athens is located in the town.</p><br>
<p>Alonnisos , also transliterated as Alonissos or Alonisos, is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. After Skiathos and Skopelos it is the third member of the Northern Sporades. It is 3 km  E of the island of Skopelos. Alonnisos is also the name of a village on the island, as well as the municipality that encompasses the island and the village.</p><br>
<p>The village of Alonnisos is located on the southern part of the island. It is locally known as Chora and signposted as The Old Village. The main port of the island is located in the southeast and is called Patitiri. There are ferry, catamaran ("flying cat") and hydrofoil ("flying dolphin") services from Patitiri to Volos, Agios Konstantinos, and Thessaloniki on the mainland and to the islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros. The bay at the southern end of the island is also called Alonnisos.</p><br>
<p>The Municipality of Alonnisos includes the nearby islands of Adelfoi, Gioura, Kyra Panagia (Pelagos), Peristera, Piperi, Psathoura and Skantzoura.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In the Middle Ages and until the 19th century, the island was known as Liadromia (Λιαδρόμια). It was renamed in 1838, as it was – mistakenly according to later research – identified with Alonnisos of Antiquity. In reality, the present island of Alonnisos was known as Ikos (Ίκος) to the Ancient Greeks.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The island at its widest is 4.5 km from northwest to southeast and at its longest is 20 km from southwest to northeast. The area of the island is 64 km. The island is mostly limestone. It is located east of mainland Greece and Magnesia, northeast of Euboea and northwest of the island of Skyros.</p><br>
<h2>The island</h2><br>
<p>Agriculture is widespread on Alonnisos, predominantly mixed farming and vineyards. The main products are almonds, grapes, figs and olives. Pine trees are abundant on the island. While fishing is a popular profession on the island, tourism is now the main industry.</p><br>
<p>Housing traditionally consists of closely constructed houses with stone walls, which, until 1965, were centered on the capital. A small fortress protected against enemies and pirates. The island and the village were heavily damaged in the 1965 earthquake. Many inhabitants returned not to the village of Alonnisos, but to Patitiri. The old village has been restored in recent years, with rebuilt houses now utilised for tourism.</p><br>
<p>The beaches around the island consist of pebbles. The ecosystem in the north side of the island is in good condition. The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus-Monachus) is common around the island, and in 1992 the Alonnisos Marine Park was created to protect these seals and other animals.</p><br>
<h2>Communities and subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The Municipality includes several other islands with small resident populations. The total land area of the municipality is 129.607 km². The 2011 census population was 2,750 inhabitants, of whom only 38 persons lived on the other islands.</p><br>
<h3>Alonnisos Island</h3><br>
<p>Ágios Pétros (Άγιος Πέτρος)</p><br>
<p>Alónnisos (Αλόννησος)</p><br>
<p>Chrysi Milia (Χρυσή Μηλιά)</p><br>
<p>Gérakas (Γέρακας)</p><br>
<p>Isiomata (Ισιώματα)</p><br>
<p>Kalamákia (Καλαμάκια)</p><br>
<p>Marpounta (Μαρπούντα) - abandoned</p><br>
<p>Mourtero (Μουρτερό)</p><br>
<p>Patitiri (Πατητήρι)</p><br>
<p>Steni Vala (Στενή Βάλα)</p><br>
<p>Votsi (Βότση)</p><br>
<h3>Other islands</h3><br>
<p>Adelfoi (Αδελφοί)</p><br>
<p>Gioura (Γιούρα)</p><br>
<p>Kyra Panagia (Κυρά Παναγιά)</p><br>
<p>Peristera (Περιστέρα)</p><br>
<p>Piperi (Πιπέρι)</p><br>
<p>Psathoura (Ψαθούρα)</p><br>
<p>Skantzoura (Σκάντζουρα)</p><br>
<h2>Historical population</h2><br>
