#gibraltar rock state park

[wisconsinstatepark]

Gibraltar Rock State Park (3/29/22)

[jmpphoto]

First Light by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: First Light Gibraltar Rock Valley of Fire State Park Nevada 1/14/2019

[horsesarecreatures]

101 Reasons Why Zenyatta is a Legend

1. She is the first horse to win two different Breeder’s Cup races (The Breeder’s Cup Classic and The Breeder’s Cup Ladies’ Classic).

2. She had one of the most dramatic running styles of all time. She never failed to start slowly and she never failed to finish powerfully.

3. She is the first and only female horse to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic, the most important horse race in the United States.

4. She won a total of $7,304,580, despite not being raced until she was almost 4

5. She won 19 consecutive races in a row.

6. She is the first horse to win the William H. May Award.

7. She broke the all-time North American record for Grade 1 victories by a mare.

8. She tied the all-time North American record for consecutive victories without defeat.

9. Tied the all-time North American record with 16 consecutive victories in unrestricted races (held by Citation and Cigar).

10. She is the top Breeder’s Cup earner ($4,680,000).

11. On August 7, 2010, Zenyatta broke the world record set by Rock of Gibraltar for consecutive Grade/Group I victories

12. Zenyatta surpassed Tiznow, John Henry, and Alysheba in all-time North American earnings (male or female).

13. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert of triple crown winners American Pharoah and Justify said Zenyatta beating his horses in the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic “...was the only time in horse racing that I didn’t mind getting beat in a race. If they don’t reward her with horse of the year, it would be a travesty. Zenyatta made the Breeders’ Cup. And the way she won! I’ve never seen a crowd so captivated. It felt like a horse winning the third leg of the Triple Crown.”

14. She was purchased for only $60,000.

15. She won a total of four Eclipse Awards.

16. She was named Horse of the Year in 2010, getting in on the first ballot.

17. Her Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic was the second-fastest in Breeders Cup history at 1:46.85 for 1⅛ miles.

18. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

19. She is the first mare to win Vanity International Handicap, Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, and the Lady's Secret Stakes for 3 consecutive years.

20. Zenyatta holds both the speed record and record for most wins in the Lady's Secret Stakes. Her connections Ann & Jerry Moss, John Shirreffs, and Mike Smith hold records for most wins (four) by an owner, trainer, and jockey respectively.

21. She was named by Oprah Winfrey to the 2010 “O Power List” in O Magazine.

22. Zenyatta was selected three years in a row (2008–2010) for NTRA's Moment of the Year Award, for her 2008 Ladies' Classic victory, historic 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic victory, and narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic.

23. On May 10, 2011, Zenyatta's story kicked off the "Inspire" segment of the 2011 Professional Business Women of California (PBWC) Conference.  This organization was founded by California Congresswoman Jackie Speier. Ann Moss, Dr. Dawn Hunkin, and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs and several thousand people attended as Zenyatta was presented with a PBWC Honorary Membership.

24. Zenyatta was the first horse to receive an Honorary Membership to the San Pedro Assistance League. Her photo proudly hangs in their official conference room.

25. According to her jockey Mike Smith, she is the greatest horse of the decade.

26. Her career spanned 4 years and she retired sound as ever.

27. She never suffered a major injury.

28. She has a personality like no other. Her funky pre-race dances entertained thousands.

29. She was a hero to people in times of economic hardships.

30. Her trainer John Sheriffs said, “I’ve been around horses for 50 years, and I’ve never seen a Thoroughbred like Zenyatta. She was that special that I wanted everyone who wanted to meet her personally to be able to do it. There was something about Zenyatta that made you feel good.”

31. At 17.2 hh, the starting gate could barely contain her massive frame.

32. She clocked the second-fastest time for 1 1/8 miles in Breeders’ Cup history when she blazed that distance in 1:46.85 in the Ladies’ Classic in 2008.

33. Zenyatta was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2016.

34. The only race she ever “lost” was her second Breeder’s Cup Classic, where she came in second place, only inches behind Blame, who she had beaten before.

35. She was born on April Fool’s day.

36. She likes beer, preferably stout Guinness.

37. ESPN studied the length of her stride and concluded that it was a whopping 26 feet. For comparison, the average thoroughbred stride is 20 feet and Secretariat’s was 24 feet 11 inches.

38. She was chosen to promote The Dodgers in 2010 and had her very own billboard in Los Angeles.

39. At Del Mar, they use the Trakkus system for clocking how fast a horse is running during a race. When Z won the Clement Hirsch in 2009, they clocked her "closing down the stretch" at 40+ mph.

40. She has beaten every single one of the 135+ horses that have raced against her (yes, this includes Blame).

41. Her heart is the size of a volleyball.

42. While often criticized for primarily running on synthetic surfaces, she started training on dirt and it is what she was most comfortable with.

43. Even though she has broken record after record, people still don’t know how fast she truly is because she always came from the back of the pack and swung all the way to the outside to avoid traffic before winning at the last moment. As her jockey Mike Smith said, she has “another gear.”

44. She loves foals as much as she loves people. Todd Claunch said, “She loves foals more than just about any mare I've ever been around. When she's outside, all the other foals just come up to her, not just her own.… You can even see her going through the thought process of teaching them things."

45. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

46. She’s photogenic and knows how to pose for photos.

47. Her talent and personality are unmatchable. When asked, “How does Zenyatta compare to the other horses you've been on who won these championship races?," Mike Smith replied “She means more to me than all those.”

48. She lived in Hollywood like the celebrity she is.

49. She can dance. Her moves were taught to her by Mike Smith as a positive way to relieve her endless energy.

50. She feeds of the crowd’s energy.

51. Mike Smith said, “I think she could arguably go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest horse of all time." And Mike smith’s ridden a lot of champions.

52. She kicked up so much dirt that Mike Smith once had to change goggles six times during a race.

53. Over a thousand people came to her retirement ceremony, despite below freezing temperatures.

54. She has her own horse race named after her (The Zenyatta Stakes).

55. She was smart enough to control her own energy and exert during the most important part of the race.

56. Her trainer was John Sheriffs, who is known for his kind and patient approach.

57. When she was at Hollywood park she lived on a street named after her.

58. The Dodgers had her on a billboard, with the tagline “This is My Town.”

59. She has her own song written by Liza G. Fly.

60. She blurs the line between a starlet and a horse,

61. She once bowed when the track announcer called her name.

62. Zenyatta’s owners Anne and Jerry Moss love her so much that they almost moved her into their Bel-Air home.

63. A sandwich was named after her at trainer John Sheriff’s favorite coffee shop.

64. She has multiple books written about her.

65. She had her own 60 minutes episode titles “Another Look at Zenyatta.”

66. Her first son, Cozmic One, is the 2018 Retired racehorse Project ambassador.

67. She made “Zenyatta” a word that Urban Dictionary defines as “To meet unrealistic expectations, do things that shouldn't be done, defy all logic, leave observers with a loss for ways to describe awesomeness and be perfect.”

68. She sparked a girl power movement in horse racing.

69. Her fans invented the term “hooves crossed.”

70. She has a trusting soul and a zen-like calm.

71. On June 27, 2009, Zenyatta won the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park for the second straight year. She carried 129 lbs, spotting her rivals from 13 to 18 pounds, and became the first horse to win under such a weight assignment since 1977.

72. Her rivalry with Rachel Alexandra was the most intense one of recent horse racing history.

73. The second time she ran in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, its TV ratings were triple what they were in 2009.

74. A single halter of hers once sold for $6,600.

75. Jonathan Bush, nephew of George W. Bush, named his luxury catamaran after her.

76. She is in the Arcadia Historical Society Walk of Champions.

77. Unlike most racehorses, Zenyatta did not jog or gallop to warm up before a race. Instead, regular pilot Mike Smith would let her stand and look over the crowd and her competition. He figured she did enough stretching doing her little dance.

78. Zenyatta retired as the leading money winner among North American-based fillies and mares

79. For three straight years, one of Zenyatta's races was named the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's “Moment of the Year.” The races selected for this honor were her victory in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (USA-I), her victory in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I) and her narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I).

80. A statue of Zenyatta was unveiled at Santa Anita in 2012, joining the statues of Seabiscuit and John Henry in the Paddock Gardens area near the main grandstand. It took over two years to build.

81. Zenyatta is an honorary member of the San Pedro Assistance League.

82. She stares down anyone who approaches her.

83. The Run the Bluegrass half-marathon in Lexington honors a different Thoroughbred each year, and Zenyatta was the honoree for the 2014 edition.

84. She has her own Breyer model.

85. Her whole pedigree is pretty cool and rare for a top thoroughbred.

86. She is not related to Northern Dancer or Seattle Slew, unlike the majority of thoroughbreds who sometimes feature these horses in their pedigrees multiple times, so she’s not intensely inbred.

87. She outpaces her competitors even in fundraising.

88. Trevor Denman screaming, "If she wins this, she'll be a superhorse" and "This is un-ba-lievable !!" after Zenyatta won the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic.

89. She has raised thousands of dollars for various charities, particularly Canter, which helps place ottbs in forever homes. Thanks to her, it has expanded to several locations in the United States.

90. Even though Blame officially won the 2010 BBC, Zenyatta still pulled herself ahead of him after the wire.

91. Thousands bet on her, even when they only got a 10 cent profit off of two dollars.

92. Zenyatta was an inspiration like no other. One school teacher from Santa Barbara who was in a wheelchair when she first met Zenyatta decided to try and walk afterwards, and she did.

93. Kari Bussel from Tennessee once said, “I am terminally ill and my dying wish was to touch her once. I know in my heart she is the reason I am still alive and have thus far defied the odds and what the doctors told me. She inspired me never to give up. I have refused to go anywhere until her story was finished."  

94. Although she did not retire undefeated, Zenyatta proved in the end that perfection is not always measured in numbers.

95. She proved that mares can be just or even more profitable as racehorses than as broodmares.

96. She started a new era of filly-dominated horse racing. After her, other great fillies like Rachel Alexandra, Black Caviar, Goldikova, and Havre de Grace started dominating the sport as well.

97. She has over 468,000 followers on Facebook.

98. For two years in a row, she finished second in voting for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, narrowly beaten by Serena Williams and Lindsey Vonn.

99. Sports Illustrated rated Zenyatta as number 1 female horse of all time.

100. She helped revive the struggling racehorse industry on the West coast.

101. She turned the sport of kings into the sport of queens.

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Thursday 26th July 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  where ever you are in the world on this little blue planet that’s spinning though the milky way surrounded by twinkling stars and planets waiting for the first contact from other world… Not a cloud in the sky this morning and record temperatures are expected today on the Costa del Sol, and an Orange alert as the heat index will be through the roof today as the forecast is 38c and humid in Malaga not so hot in Estepona and as we are close to the Straights of Gibraltar we have more breezes to remove the humidity…But nevertheless Bella enjoyed her walk this morning and is now recumbent at my feet, so with coffee in hand let’s take a look at what has happened or about to on this little blue plant we call home….

BEACH UMBRELLA IMPALES WOMAN IN CHEST IN OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND…. A woman has been injured by a beach umbrella that flew through the air and impaled her chest in the US state of Maryland, officials say. The 46-year-old woman, who was sitting in a chair on the beach in the resort town of Ocean City, had to be flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. The victim, from Pennsylvania, is expected to make a full recovery. Last week a British woman was injured when a parasol pierced her leg on a beach in New Jersey. In the latest incident, the victim was struck in her upper chest after a rental umbrella that was left unattended was carried by the wind. The pole of the umbrella had to be cut in half by a fire crew in order to be removed, local media report.

CWMBRAN WALES DRINK-DRIVER STOLE MINIBUS WITH PASSENGERS ON….A "completely drunk" driver has been jailed for stealing a minibus with three passengers on board. James Powell, 30, jumped into the bus at Cwmbran train station in January while its driver was unloading luggage. He then drove at "dangerous speeds" with three women on board, running a red light and "lurching from side to side". When the passengers begged him to stop he "simply laughed", Newport Crown Court heard. Powell, from Thornhill, Cwmbran, admitted three counts of false imprisonment. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving with no insurance. He was jailed for 10 months and disqualified from driving for two years.

MEXICAN PRISONERS FLEE SINALOA JAIL DISGUISED AS GUARDS…. Two prisoners have escaped from a jail in Mexico's northern Sinaloa state by disguising themselves as prison guards. The two walked out of the prison's main gate in Culiacán wearing uniforms. They were escorted by two guards believed to have been in their pay who also drove the getaway cars. Officials said Carlos Salmón and Julián Grimaldi were considered "highly dangerous" inmates and had been held in special cells to prevent them from escaping. They had originally been held in federal prisons, which have higher levels of security, but were returned to the Aguaruto prison in Culiacán after they had successfully appealed against the order to hold them in federal penitentiaries. Grimaldi was arrested in February and is accused of being a financial operator for the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organisations in Mexico. He is also suspected of having taken part in an ambush in September 2016 during which five soldiers were killed. Salmón was arrested two years ago on suspicion of being the leader of a gang of hit men. He is accused of carrying out an attack on a police convoy in 2012 in which seven officers were shot dead. The two prisoners managed to sneak past six security checks during their escape. There have been a number of high-profile prison escapes in Mexico in past years, the most famous being that of the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Guzmán escaped from a maximum security prison near Mexico through a tunnel in 2015. He was recaptured six months later and has since been extradited to the US.

AFGHAN AIRPORT BLAST: VP GEN DOSTUM UNHURT AS KABUL BOMB KILLS 14…. Fourteen people have died in a blast which rocked Kabul airport shortly after Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum returned from self-imposed exile, according to police. Gen Dostum was unhurt in the attack on a square he had just passed through. He left for Turkey more than a year ago, after he was accused of ordering his men to kidnap and rape a political rival - accusations he denies. Militant group Islamic State has said it carried out the attack. Hashmat Estankzai, of Kabul police, said nine security forces members and traffic officers were among the 14 who had died, while another 60 people had been injured, according to news agency AFP.

DE BEERS MOVES 200 ELEPHANTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO MOZAMBIQUE…. Diamond producer De Beers says it has started an operation to move 200 elephants from its game reserve in South Africa to Mozambique. The elephant population at the private Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve was too high, and risked causing extensive damage to the ecosystem, the firm said. The relocation of the 200 animals would boost elephant numbers in neighbouring Mozambique, it added. Elephants in Mozambique are threatened with extinction because of poaching. Mozambique suffers from some of the highest rates of poaching for ivory. More than half of its elephant population it thought to have been lost in the last five years because of poaching, according to campaign group Fauna and Flora International. At one park, the Niassa National Reserve, poachers killed nearly 11,000 elephants since 2007, reducing their numbers to about 1,500. De Beers, the world's leading diamond producer, said it would transport 60 elephants to the state-owned Zinave National Park in July and August. The remaining 140 would be moved to parks, which had enough space to accommodate them, from 2019, it added in a statement. De Beers would donate $500,000 (£380,000) over five years to the Peace Parks Foundation conservation group to combat poaching in Mozambique, the company said. Its Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in South Africa could support around 60 elephants but now had 270 as a result of natural population growth, De Beers said. There was "no greater symbol of Africa than the majestic elephant", and the relocation would help secure their future in Mozambique, the firm added. It would also ensure that other species could flourish at the 32,000-hectare (80,000-acre) Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, it said. The park's elephant population had been decimated during Mozambique's 16-year civil war, which ended in 1992. Peace Parks Foundation CEO Werner Myburgh welcomed the relocation, saying it would "bring us one step closer to achieving our dream of restoring the landscape" at the Zinave National Park.

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, morning… …

Our Tulips today are rather special…being shown at the Albany Flower Festival New York..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Thursday 26th July 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

[newstfionline]

Friday, April 30, 2021

Satellites show world’s glaciers melting faster than ever (AP) Glaciers are melting faster, losing 31% more snow and ice per year than they did 15 years earlier, according to three-dimensional satellite measurements of all the world’s mountain glaciers. Using 20 years of recently declassified satellite data, scientists calculated that the world’s 220,000 mountain glaciers are losing more than 328 billion tons (298 billion metric tons) of ice and snow per year since 2015, according to a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature. That’s enough melt flowing into the world’s rising oceans to put Switzerland under almost 24 feet (7.2 meters) of water each year. Almost all the world’s glaciers are melting, even ones in Tibet that used to be stable, the study found. Except for a few in Iceland and Scandinavia that are fed by increased precipitation, the melt rates are accelerating around the world.

Biden Seeks Shift in How the Nation Serves Its People (NYT) President Biden laid out an ambitious agenda on Wednesday night to rewrite the American social compact by vastly expanding family leave, child care, health care, preschool and college education for millions of people to be financed with increased taxes on the wealthiest earners. Invoking the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mr. Biden unveiled a $1.8 trillion social spending plan to accompany previous proposals to build roads and bridges, expand other social programs and combat climate change, representing a fundamental reorientation of the role of government not seen since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society and Roosevelt’s New Deal. Taken together, the collection of initiatives that Mr. Biden has introduced in his first 100 days in office suggest a breathtaking scope of change. But the succession of costly proposals amounts to a risky gamble that a country deeply polarized along ideological and cultural lines is ready for a more activist government and the sort of redistribution of wealth long sought by progressives. Mr. Biden’s Democrats have only the barest of majorities in the House and Senate to push through the most sweeping of legislation and, successful or not, he may have framed the terms of the debate for the next election.

Bioware (The Guardian) The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and a company named Oxitec announced they will release 12,000 invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes each week for 12 weeks from six different locations on the Keys. The plan, which sounds like a Bond villain scheme while authorities insist it is definitely not, is a complicated biological counteroffensive against a bug responsible for spreading dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The mosquitos being released have been specially treated and are all male. When the genetically modified bugs mate with the wild local female mosquitoes, all the subsequent female offspring will be unable to reproduce, controlling the population of the worst pest on the planet. The Aedes aegypti in the Keys make up about 4 percent of the mosquito population, but are responsible for effectively all mosquito-borne disease.

EU Signs The Divorce Papers (NYT) The nearly five-year-long Brexit process has finally come to an exhausted end with a formal vote by the European Parliament (EP) to accept the part of the deal governing trade and customs issues and providing for zero tariffs and zero quotas. While the outcome was never seriously doubted, a ‘no’ vote by the EP would have killed the deal, which neither side wanted. Even so, the EP expressed considerable concerns about the trustworthiness of the current British government to carry out its side of the bargain. That includes the just approved trade deal, which still leaves out key issues like financial services and foreign and security policy. Brits voted to leave the EU in June 2016 after a campaign filled with exaggerations on both sides. Since then the struggle over how to define Brexit and Britain’s future relationship with the EU destroyed both prime ministerships of David Cameron and Theresa May. Boris Johnson is now running the show, and he’s had his own painful entanglements with the thorny issue of the border between Northern Ireland, a part of Britain, and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU.

Want a Peek at Post-Covid Life? Check Out Gibraltar (WSJ) On this strip of densely populated rock jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, people are tasting freedom. Gibraltar, population 34,000, has fully vaccinated around 85% of adults, its government says, and 98% of adults over 60. Gibraltar has been free of Covid-19 cases in its resident population since April 8. Gibraltar, twice Central Park’s size and dominated by a mountain known as The Rock, has embarked on “Operation Freedom,” a plan to fully reopen society while monitoring virus cases. With pandemic restrictions all but gone, its narrow streets and cafe-lined squares are showing life. On a recent evening, pedestrians walked arm-in-arm. Pubs and cafes were bustling with maskless patrons drinking and sharing bowls of bar snacks. “You are seeing people greet each other in the street, shaking hands, hugging for the first time in months,” says one resident, 61. “People are smiling.”

Bulgaria alleges Russian links to arms depot blasts, widening European probes into Moscow agents (Washington Post) Bulgarian prosecutors said Wednesday that they are looking at whether four explosions at weapons depots over the past decade are part of a Russian effort to disrupt the flow of arms from Eastern Europe to battlefields in Ukraine and Georgia. The investigations into the explosions, which took place between 2011 and 2020, are part of wider probes in Europe linked to suspected Russian military intelligence agents. Bulgaria’s announcement followed claims by Czech authorities last week that they suspect two agents from Unit 29155 in Russia’s GRU intelligence agency were linked to blasts at an arms warehouse in the Czech Republic in 2014. In Ukraine, government forces have been battling pro-Moscow separatists since 2014, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Young women, grown up without Taliban, dread their return (AP) Inside Ms. Sadat’s Beauty Salon in Afghanistan’s capital, Sultana Karimi leans intently over a customer, meticulously shaping her eyebrows. Make-up and hair styling is the 24-year-old’s passion, and she discovered it, along with a newfound confidence, here in the salon. She and the other young women working or apprenticing in the salon never experienced the rule of the Taliban over Afghanistan. But they all worry that their dreams will come to an end if the hard-line militants regain any power, even if peacefully as part of a new government. The Taliban banned beauty salons, part of a notoriously harsh ideology that often hit women and girls the hardest, including forbidding them education and the right to work or even to travel outside their home unaccompanied by a male relative. With U.S. troops committed to leaving Afghanistan completely by Sept. 11, women are closely watching the stalemated peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the post-withdrawal future, said Mahbouba Seraj, a women’s rights activist.

U.S. aid en route to India as new cases continue to break records (Washington Post) U.S. flights carrying urgent coronavirus aid for India were en route Thursday, the White House said in a statement, as health officials reported another record number of new cases across the country. The U.S. government will deliver more than $100 million worth of supplies for overstretched hospitals and front-line health-care workers in India, according to the White House. The State Department is urging U.S. citizens to leave India “as soon as it is safe to do” and to avoid traveling there, pointing to “severely limited” access to all kinds of medical care.

China’s Baby Bust (Foreign Policy) China is expected to report its first population decline since Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward in its latest census, which could spark a crisis moment in a country deeply worried about its aging demographics. After the one-child policy was formally lifted in 2015, the government hoped that a baby boom would follow, but the figures show it hasn’t materialized—because having kids in China is just too expensive. Censuses in communist countries have always been politically sensitive, since they often speak to failed policies or hidden disasters. Chinese officials have already delayed the release of the 2020 data—and it may later be buried, either not released or not covered by the media. China recorded more than 1.4 billion people in 2019, and a fall below that number will bring a significant moment closer: when India, with a population of 1.38 billion, officially becomes the world’s largest country. The population decline fundamentally reflects a simple reality, pandemic aside: Having children in China is expensive and burdensome. For the poor, the stress of separation from children due to labor migration, the difficulty of finding education or health care in big cities, and the impossibility of buying apartments—often a social requirement before marriage—present other obstacles.

China's space station (BBC) China launched the first piece of a new space station into orbit today. The Chinese Space Station will eventually be about a quarter of the size of the International Space Station and will have space to house three astronauts and a slew of low-gravity experiments. Beijing hopes to squeeze 10 more launches into the next 20 months and finish the project by the end of 2022. Chinese officials say the station will reserve space onboard for experiments from researchers all over the world—but geopolitical tensions will complicate. The US heavily restricts cooperation between NASA scientists and China, while the European Space Agency has reportedly pressured its researchers not to work with their Chinese counterparts.

Filipinos feel helpless against latest coronavirus surge (NYT) Grim tales are emerging in families across the Philippines, where Southeast Asia’s worst current outbreak has pushed total coronavirus cases beyond 1 million. Many who need treatment must be driven out of the capital, to hospitals as far as five hours away, as the health system buckles under the strain. The Philippines has recorded 16,000 deaths, with patients dying in their homes, on the road and sometimes right outside emergency room doors. Some private hospitals have turned to home care, remote consulting and recruiting health-care workers from the provinces. The Health Department is developing a home care package for patients with mild cases of covid-19.

Religious festival stampede in Israel kills 44, hurts dozens (AP)  A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel killed at least 44 people and injured about 150 early Friday, medical officials said. It was one of the country’s deadliest civilian disasters. The stampede began when large numbers of people thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage during the event, according to witnesses and video footage. People began falling on top of each other near the end of the walkway, as they descended slippery metal stairs, witnesses said. Video footage showed large numbers of people, most of them black-clad ultra-Orthodox men, squeezed in the tunnel. The Haaretz daily quoted witnesses as saying police barricades had prevented people from exiting quickly. The stampede occurred during the celebrations of Lag BaOmer at Mount Meron, the first mass religious gathering to be held legally since Israel lifted nearly all restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ethiopia detains Tigrayans amid war (AP) Ethiopia has swept up thousands of ethnic Tigrayans into detention centers across the country on accusations that they are traitors, often holding them for months and without charges, the AP has found. The detentions, mainly but not exclusively of military personnel, are an apparent attempt to purge state institutions of the Tigrayans who once dominated them, as the government enters its sixth month of fighting in the Tigray region. Detainees, families and visitors spoke of hundreds or even more than 1,000 people in at least nine individual locations, including military bases and an agricultural college. The arbitrary locking up of non-combatants is against international law, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has met with family members of detainees but declined to answer questions. Conditions vary, but some detainees are given just one meal a day and crowded dozens to a room in sweltering metal shelters, at a time when COVID-19 infections are rapidly rising in Ethiopia.

[architectnews]

3dreid Architects Office News

3Dreid, Buildings, Edinburgh Office News, Images, Design, Developments, Scotland Studio, Photos

3Dreid Architects Office

Architecture Projects by 3Dreid in Scotland + England – Design Practice News + Info

19 Mar 2021

3DReid News

3Dreid Architects News

19 March 2021 Collegelands, Glasgow, Scotland Design: 3DReid with LDA, Fairhurst, RSP image courtesy of architects office

Vastint’s emerging proposal seeks to transform vacant and under-used (former railway) land to the East of Glasgow’s historic High Street into a coherent and connected part of the City Centre. The development will provide over 220 new apartments for rent within three stepped blocks.

The proposal includes a new office development facing High Street Station. Based on Vastint’s Business Garden model, the office will provide over 6,000sqm of column free space across 8 floors with café and co-working spaces at ground level.

image courtesy of architects office

Read more at Collegelands Glasgow

17 December 2020 Planning Achieved for 65 London Road in Edinburgh image courtesy of architects practice HG Developments has had planning approved by City of Edinburgh Council at committee yesterday (16th December) for a redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). Designed by 3DReid the proposal will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is provided planning advice for the scheme:

Read more at 65 London Road

28 Aug 2020 Plans submitted for 65 London Road in Edinburgh HG Developments has submitted plans for a proposed redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), designed by 3DReid that will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is providing planning advice for the scheme:

65 London Road in Edinburgh

17 Apr 2018 Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Shortlist, London, England, UK image courtesy of architects Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Design by 3DReid 3DReid one of four designs shortlisted in the architectural competition for the redesign of Oxford Street’s word-famous Christmas lights.

11 Apr 2018 KM Central Edinburgh 3 Star Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland photo © David Cadzow Photography KM Central Edinburgh Hotel 3DReid has completed a £2.7m refurbishment of a former student residence to create a three star, 45 room hotel for Edinburgh First, the commercial arm of the University of Edinburgh.

Working within the confines of the existing student room structure, KM Central offers a quirky ‘left bank’ style interior concept with 3DReid’s design making use of all the available space to create comfortable and well equipped bedrooms and a breakfast room that doubles as a post graduate student common room.

20 Nov 2017 Millbrook Park Master Plan, Barnet / Mill Hill, NW7, North West London, England image courtesy of architects Millbrook Park Master Plan 3DReid have re-imagined the Millbrook Park master plan phase 5 designs which overlook the newly created Panoramic Park and Officers’ Mess Gardens, with 111, 1 and 2 bed apartments and 33 townhouses for Joseph Homes. The scheme gained reserved matters approval from the London Borough of Barnet Planning Committee on 19th September 2017.

31 Oct 2017 132 Princes Street Offices, Edinburgh, Scotland photo : David Cadzow, Cadzow / Pelosi 132 Princes Street Offices in Edinburgh Architecture practice 3DReid has completed a sensitive £2.0 million conversion of three of the few remaining original Princes Street townhouses to office use. By converting the vacant upper storeys of the B-listed buildings and adding a contemporary extension, 3DReid has created 15,810sqft (Gross Internal Area) of light and practical quality office space for client and developer Hazledene House Limited.

31 May 2017 3DReid Appoints Noel Street as Director

Award-winning architecture practice 3DReid has appointed Noel Street as Director to its Birmingham studio to develop strategic business partnerships and build upon the firm’s outstanding reputation for design and delivery excellence.

A leading national practice providing full architectural services from five studios throughout the UK, 3DReid Birmingham – led by Mark Anders and David Burrows – has a number of major projects in Birmingham and the West Midlands currently including the extension of Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley, the redevelopment of the Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and Primark’s new flagship store in Birmingham city centre. A specialist in transforming redundant or poorly performing buildings into distinctive, modern and efficient spaces, 3DReid recently won ‘Refurbishment Architect of the Year’ in the BD Awards 2017.

Noel joins 3DReid from Stephen George + Partners where he was a Director based in their Leicester office and prior to this, Noel was Studio Director for AHR Architects in Birmingham.

“I am delighted to be joining 3DReid. I have admired its multiple award-winning architecture, values and proven delivery models over many years and I am excited to now be part of this great team.” Noel Street, Director, 3DReid

“Attracting someone of Noel’s calibre into the business is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. He brings with him incredibly strong knowledge and experience which will be vital as we continue our plans to expand our regional cross-sector clients and project workload.” Mark Anders, Group Director, 3DReid

Noel’s experience with architectural and multi-disciplinary companies in both the UK and Hong Kong ensures a wealth of client-relations expertise. He has successfully controlled and delivered large scale, complex projects and frameworks across the Public and Private Sectors in the UK for office, leisure, education, healthcare, industrial, transport, retail, residential, mixed-use and the MOD.

Noel is actively involved in a number of professional organisations and industrial committees including the Construction Industry Council, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Royal Institute of British Architects on a regional and national level.

3DReid is an award winning architecture practice. Established in 1979, we have over 130 staff across offices in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. The practice provides full architectural services from masterplanning to interior design. Our reputation has been built on providing creative and intelligent architectural solutions that meet their operational brief without compromise.

We approach every project with the same ambition, whether it is an office refurbishment or a new airport terminal. We bring value to all of our projects though clear analysis and well executed design. Every one of our buildings must not only work beautifully but also positively affect its users and the wider public. We design with consideration for the environment and our legacy to future generations.

The success of our practice relies solely on the quality of the people we employ. Everybody at 3DReid is here because they are exceptionally good at what they do. We encourage all our people to learn, grow and develop with us. We believe that the best buildings and places come from a culture of open discussion and collaboration with our clients, colleagues and fellow consultants. Above all we enjoy the process of making good architecture.

For more information about 3DReid, please go to www.3dreid.com.

Signature Flight Support – London Luton Airport, Bedfordshire, England, UK Design: 3DReid images from architects London Luton Airport Terminal 3DReid has added to its growing portfolio of exclusive VIP terminals with a new facility for global leader in Fixed Base Operations (FBO) Signature Flight Support. A ground breaking ceremony was held at Signature’s London Luton Airport location where it announced that it is commencing construction of a new, 3DReid designed state-of-the-art fixed base operation (FBO) to replace its existing facility.

15 Jan 2013 New Gibraltar Airport Building Design: with bblur Architecture photo : Hufton & Crow Gibraltar Airport Building Gibraltar Airport’s uniquely situated new terminal building is modern, dynamic, transparent and airy. The new terminal is the first building visitors will see when they enter Gibraltar by air, road or on foot and is located immediately at the frontier, with the Rock as a backdrop.

Emirates Arena Glasgow by 3DReid photo : McAteer Photograph Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, Scotland 22 Nov 2012 – Designed by 3DReid, the £116 m Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, is the only major new sports facility for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The building will have a lasting post-Games legacy as a centre for sporting excellence, a community sports facility, and as a catalyst to major investment and regeneration in the area.

3DReid Architects – Joint Project

rotatED – External Learning Environment, UK : 3DReid & Blue Forest Launch image courtesy of architects practice 3DReid – concept design Architects 3DReid in collaboration with Blue Forest have revealed the first images and details of their new, innovative and sustainable external learning environment. ‘rotatED’ has been developed as a single modular entity capable of being turned on any of its seven sides to create an outdoor place with infinite possibilities for activities such as play, learning and performance within a sheltered, natural environment.

3DReid Expansion into Asia Pacific

8 Mar 2010

3DReid has announced the opening of a new operation in Malaysia. The new office, located in the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, will be managed by Azmall Jamaluddin. Azmall has been promoted from within and will bring a wide cross-section of international expertise with him having worked on major projects in Shanghai, Berlin, Moscow and London.

photo © Tom Ravenscroft

Head of International Business Development at the practice, Mark Taylor, said: “Having recently won two major resort projects in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur provides the perfect strategic location as we look to develop the business across the Asia Pacific region. The country has the highest economic growth in the area and there is huge demand for international expertise.”

Malaysian Azmall Jamaluddin added: “This is a really exciting opportunity both personally and for the practice to expand the office’s presence and brand in Asia to deliver exciting architectural opportunities.”

“Beyond the masterplans that we are delivering, we are particularly looking at transferring our sustainability knowledge and expertise within the airport, hotel, retail and education sectors. We will look to supplement these capabilities with regional knowledge and are investigating possible collaboration opportunities with local practices and consultants. We are already working successfully with Malaysian practice W&W Architects on the two resort projects.”

3DReid architecture Building News

Turnberry Hotel, Scotland, UK Design with Fox Linton Associates photo from 3dreid Turnberry Resort Architects 3DReid working with Fox Linton Associates have completed the refurbishment of the iconic Turnberry hotel which has re-opened as part of the renowned Starwood Luxury Collection brand. The works have been completed on behalf of owners Leisurecorp who have invested close to £40m in the restoration.

Co-op Headquarters Manchester, England image from 3dreid Co-operative Group Manchester – head office building The design for The Co-operative Group’s new head office building in Manchester has been revealed. To be built on land on Miller Street, opposite the Co-operative Insurance tower, the new building will serve the UK’s largest mutual retailer which now has a turnover of over £13 billion

Staffordshire Council, England picture from architects Staffordshire County Council HQ With a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating and proposed A-rated performance certificate for its sustainability the scheme has already been hailed as a potential model for UK town centre development.

3DReid – Key Buildings

Air Traffic Control Tower Newcastle Airport, northeast England 2007 image from 3dreid Newcastle Airport building

Commonwealth Games Stadium Glasgow, Scotland, UK 2007- image from 3dreid Scottish Sports Stadium

Edinburgh Airport Control Tower Scotland 2007 image from architects Edinburgh Airport

Farnborough Airport Buildings, southern England, UK 2006 Airport image from REID Architecture Farnborough Airport

Northumbria University Building, Newcastle, North East England, UK 2008 photo © AW Northumbria University

Slough Cultural Centre Building, Berkshire, England, UK 2008- image from 3dreid Slough Building

3dreid Buildings – no images

Princes Street Shopping Development 3D Architects : Princes Street building, Edinburgh, Scotland

Western Isles Schools Project, Scotland 3DReid wins Design Team Contract for £55m Western Isles Schools Project

Holyrood offices, Edinburgh, South East Scotland 2007 Holyrood office building

19 George Road – headquarters building, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England 2007

The Herald Building, Glasgow, South West Scotland 2007 Client: FM Developments

More buildings / projects by 3dreid online soon

3DReid Student Prize

Location: UK

Architects Practice Information

3D Architects & REID Architecture merged the two practices in Jun 2007

The new practice will operate under the name 3Dreid. 3D and REID have an interconnected history, going back 25 years, with several key 3D personnel having spent portions of their careers at REID.

The merger will see 3DReid with a combined workforce in excess of 320 people, with offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, London and Manchester. An expected turnover in the first year in excess of £20m will rank it amongst the UK’s top 10 practices. Current 3D Architects Director Charles Graham-Marr will be Chairman of the new organisation.

Architects in Edinburgh : architecture office

REID architecture : Industrial/R&D Architect – Architect of the Year Awards 2006

World Architects

Buildings / photos for the 3Dreid Architecture page welcome

Website: www.3dreid.com

The post 3dreid Architects Office News appeared first on e-architect.

[digthe60s]

1967

The continued presence of American troops increased further and a total of 475,000 were serving in Vietnam. The peace rallies were multiplying as the number of protesters against the war increased. In the middle east, Israel also went to war with Syria, Egypt and Jordan in the six-day war, and when it was over Israel controlled and occupied a lot more territory than before the war. In the summer, cities throughout America exploded in rioting and looting, the worst being in Detroit on July 23, where 7,000 national guards were bought in to restore law and order on the streets. In England, a new type of model became a fashion sensation by the name of Twiggy, and miniskirts continued to get shorter and even more popular. Also during this year, new discotheques and singles bars appeared across cities around the world, and the Beatles continued to reign supreme with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 1967 was coined the “Summer of Love” when young teenagers got friendly, smoked pot and grooved to the music of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds. The movie industry moved with the times and produced movies that would appeal to this younger audience, including The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, and Cool Hand Luke. TV shows included The Fugitive and The Monkees, and color television sets became popular as the price came down and more programs were made in color.

Major events

• Arab forces attack Israel, beginning the Yom Kippur War.

• Ariel-3, the first all-British made satellite, was launched into an orbit around the Earth during May. The satellite was launched with the help of NASA from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and it carried five experiments from British universities. The experiments measured atmospheric noise, high altitude oxygen levels, low frequency radiation, medium frequency waves, and electron density and temperature. After its launch it orbited the Earth every 95 minutes and relayed data back to the United Kingdom until 1970, when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.

• The first successful human-to-human heart transplant takes place in December. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the operation on the 53-year-old patient Louis Washkansky. The operation took place at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The transplant was successful and Washkansky’s body did not reject the organ, although he did die just 18 days later due to double pneumonia brought on by the immunosuppressive drugs that he had to take. After the success, Barnard continued to perform successful heart transplants with the survival times of patients increasing gradually as technology advanced.

• The arguments in the Loving v. Virginia case were argued at the U.S. Supreme Court in April. The case centered on Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, an interracial couple from Virginia that got married in Washington, D.C., in the late 1950s. When they went back to Virginia they were charged with breaking the state’s law which banned interracial marriage and were jailed. The Lovings sued the state of Virginia and argued that the ban violated the Fourteenth Amendment and was unconstitutional. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional and that they were solely based on racial discrimination. The decision made interracial marriage legal throughout the United States.

• The publication of Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed puts pressure on the government and the automobile industry to improve safety in cars.

• Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Pirate radio stations become illegal.

• On March 18, the SS Torrey Canyon supertanker runs aground off the South of England, causing a large oil spill and ecological disaster. The tanker leaked over 100,000 tons of crude oil into the sea. The oil reached the coasts of the Channel Islands and France, and the oil slick spanned about 270 square miles. The spill was the worst in history at that time and prompted tighter international regulations for ships.

• NASA launches the Lunar Orbiter 3 spacecraft.

• Gibraltar holds referendum on staying with Britain or joining Spain.

• The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, one of rock’s most acclaimed albums.

• The Expo 67 begins during April in Montreal, Canada.

• The town of Winneconne in the state of Wisconsin declares its sovereignty in July.

• The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine is released.

• Dr. James H. Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved after his death in January. Bedford, a 73-year-old psychology professor who died of kidney cancer, asked to be preserved with the hope that he could be revived in the future. He was frozen within hours of his death by the Cryonics Society of California. Robert Prehoda, Dr. Dante Brunol, Robert Nelson, and Dr. Renault Able all took part in the process, during which Bedford’s body was injected with chemicals meant to help preserve him better in cold temperatures, stored in a “cryocapsule” and kept in a bath of liquid nitrogen at -196º C. He has remained at the Alcor Life Preservation Foundation since 1982, after being transferred to several different facilities.

• A series of tornadoes strike the Chicago area, killing more than 60 people and creating millions of dollars worth of damage.

• The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which deals with succession to the Presidency, is ratified.

• Teachers go on strike throughout the U.S., demanding pay increases to keep pace with inflation.

• Cassius Clay is stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing induction into the U.S. Army.

• The RMS Queen Elizabeth II is launched by Cunard.

• Francis Chichester arrives back in Plymouth, after sailing round the world single-handed.

• President Lyndon B. Johnson asks for a 6% increase on taxes to support the Vietnam War.

• The Public Broadcasting Act establishes the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

• Inflation costs of living range from 1.8% to 5.8%.

• Biafra proclaims its independence from Nigeria.

• Race riots break out in a number of cities in the U.S., including Cleveland, Newark, and Detroit.

• United Kingdom and Ireland apply officially for EEC membership.

• Typhoon Emma leaves 140,000 homeless and more than 300 dead.

• The People’s Republic of China tests its first hydrogen bomb.

• Britain devalues the pound by lowering the exchange rate from $2.80 to $2.40.

• The British Road Safety Act, which allows for the use of the “breathalyser” to detect motorists over the legal limit of alcohol, goes into effect.

• 40,000 anti-Vietnam war protesters fill the Kezar Stadium in San Fransisco, California.

• U.S. Navy pilot John McCain is shot down in his A-4 over North Vietnam and spends 5 ½ years in prison.

• A soccer riot in Sivas, Turkey, kills 41 people.

• The Monterey International Pop Festival in California features ‘60s music icons including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, The Steve Miller Band, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Grateful Dead.

• Otis Reading dies in a plane crash, aged 26.

• Barbra Streisand performs on Central Park before an audience of 135,000 people.

• The Carrol Shelby Mustang GT-500 Fastback is released.

• The musical Hair opens off-Broadway.

Top 10 highest-grossing films in the U.S.

1. The Graduate (dir. Mike Nichols)

2. The Jungle Book (dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

3. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (dir. Stanley Kramer)

4. Bonnie and Clyde (dir. Arthur Penn)

5. The Dirty Dozen (dir. Robert Aldrich)

6. Valley of the Dolls (dir. Mark Robson)

7. You Only Live Twice (dir. Lewis Gilbert)

8. To Sir, with Love (dir. James Clavell)

9. The Born Losers (dir. T. C. Frank)

10. Thoroughly Modern Millie (dir. George Roy Hill)

Billboard’s number-one music albums (in chronological order)

1. “The Monkees” by The Monkees

2. “More of The Monkees” by The Monkees

3. “Sounds Like…” Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

4. “Headquarters” by The Monkees

5. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles

6. “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry

7. “Diana Ross & the Supremes: Greatest Hits” by The Supremes

8. “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.” by The Monkees

Source: [x]

[jmpphoto]

Gibraltar Rock Sunrise by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Gibraltar Rock Sunrise Valley of Fire State Park Nevada 1/14/2019

[poorattemptathumour]

Pretty in love with the photos I took of a thunderstorm at Gibraltar Rock State park in Lodi last week, but this “oh shit” look my dog Olive gives is pretty fantastic and one of my faves.

[raghuscolumn]

Hussain Sagar Lake, the most prominent and beautiful place in the Twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad is very close to our house. All the entertainment that is available around the lake is easily accessible to us. The aerial distance from our house to the northern side of the Lake is just about 500 Metres. And by road; this point is 1.2 Kms. from our house, due to twists and turns along the way. At this northern edge, we touch the Necklace Road which would lead us along the periphery of the lake up to NTR Gardens. From there once again along the lake we go on to the Tank Bund Road and in one full circle we come back to the same point from where we started on the Necklace Road. This circumambulation of the lake and the huge Buddha Statue at the center of the lake is of 9.7 Kms. And the distance of this Pradakshina around the lake, starting and ending at our house is 12.3 Kms. long.This circumambulation or a drive on Necklace Road up to IMAX junction and back or trips to the eateries, parks, exhibitions and entertainment shows along this route are common activity for us. It is an easy to choose destination when there is confusion about deciding a place for an outing. The most important places along this route are Sanjeevaiah Park, Yogi bear park, Jalavihar entertainment park with water games, Ohris 1857 restaurant, Eat street with multitude eating options, Water Front restaurant, Peoples Plaza with innumerable exhibitions and entertainment shows from time to time, Horse and Camel rides, smaller eateries, Prasads IMAX which has an IMAX screen and five other screens along with a food court, a shopping mall and entertainment zone, NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park which is popular for boating in Hussain Sagar, musical fountains and Laser shows and small eateries along Tank Bund Road. This entire circular route has wide roads and looks beautiful with well-landscaped lawns, gardens and greenery all around the lake. There are 33 Statues of famous personalities of the State on Tank Bund reminding people of our history and greatness. Lord Sree Venkateshwaraswamy’s Temple made of white marble on the nearby Naubat Pahad more popularly known as Birla Mandir and the world’s largest Buddha Statue which is 72 feet high and located at the center of the lake on Rock of Gibraltar add extraordinary beauty to the place. My sons Srikanth and Srinath go there along with cousins during Sankranti festival to fly Kites as it is an open area with no obstructions and a strong breeze all the time and as there is ample scope for Kite fighting. And as such on Sankranti day there is an International Kite flying Show at Peoples Plaza.Few other important places around the lake are PV Narasimha Rao Ghat, NTR Memorial Ghat, Hyderabad Sailing Club and Secunderabad Boats Club. Within close proximity to Tank Bund are Snow world, Indira Park, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and the State Secretariat. Tank Bund Road which connects the Twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad has heavy traffic throughout the day and in contrast, Necklace Road has negligible traffic. This prompts us to go on frequent rides along the beautiful Necklace road up to IMAX junction which is 6.1 Kms. from our house and return home with no traffic hassles ….. At speeds, we love in the center of a chaotic city!To know the history and technical data of the Lake you may please left-click on the topmost photograph and read the two billboards.

[freddielocks]

Here's part 2: now we turn our attention to the rarest albums in my collection! The values are higher, of course, but twelve tracks will generally be worth more than two!

An honourable mention goes to the Who, with their album My Generation on Brunswick. Despite this technically being the most expensive on the list at a colossal £600 book and £825 maximum sale value, there is a serious gulf between unplayed pristine copies and copies of any lower calibre - it isn't a true rarity. At any rate my copy has no cover.

10) Kevin Ayers - Joy Of A Toy

Label: Harvest, cat. SHVL 763

Year: 1969, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £240

Book value: £150

Paid: £40 in Plastic Wax Records

Notes: couple of scratches but overall a nice playing copy. Cover good. 1st pressing with no EMI box on the label.

Kevin Ayers was a charismatic singer with a demure voice, involved in the Canterbury Scene and the genesis of progressive rock, being a founder member of the Soft Machine. Joy Of A Toy, his first solo record, is a wonderfully anachronistic blast of poppy psychedelia, with not many standout songs but designed to be listened to all the way through. Nevertheless, swinging opener 'Song For Insane Times' and the unsettling 'children's' song 'Lady Rachel' are my highlights.

9) John And Yoko - The Wedding Album

Label: Apple, cat. SAPCOR 11

Year: 1969, 2 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £259

Book price: £600 (bear in mind a complete set has never sold)

Paid: £15, from a 'friend' needing money for a night out!

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's marriage in Gibraltar, for various reasons I can't remember, and their 'Bed Peace' protest were documented in this lavish package. Musically, the album is truly bizarre. The first side is 22 minutes of the pair's heartbeats as they shout each other's names in various ways (yeah) and the flip is a sound collage of a bunch of recordings and interviews made in Amsterdam during Bed Peace. I wanted a copy during my phase of intrigue into the Beatles' experimental solo works, and somehow I got one!

Out of the full package that originally came with the LP, I own the gatefold sleeve that held the record, the large wedding photos, the cartoon poster and the booklet of press clippings. The cardboard in there may be original too, and there's a random photo of John Lennon I was given free at a record fair once. The box is not, it was lovingly replicated from a Reader's Digest box set of show songs. Original boxes had a facsimile wedding certificate glued to the inside. I am sadly missing the 'Bagism' plastic bag, the pop up cutout of the wedding cake and the small strip of passport photos. What a package - it must have cost a lot at the time!

8) Blonde On Blonde - Contrasts

Label: Pye, cat. NSPL.18288

Year: 1969, 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £290

Book price: £175

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: I only have half the cover! Clearly someone wanted to have the pretty girl on their wall... The LP is in playable condition. It took some cleaning though.

This Welsh outfit came at the beginning of progressive rock, and the LP is surprisingly assured and complex straight from the bold opener 'Ride With Captain Max'. Hard rock, baroque stately ballads and in between are all present, with other highlights being the sitar-drenched 'Spinning Wheel' (a cover of Blood Sweat and Tears), the sneeringly humorous 'Conversationally Making The Grade' (I love the line 'America's gonna buy us, turn us into a national park') and the wistful closer 'Jeanette Isabella'.

7) Second Hand - Reality

Label: Polydor, cat. 583 045

Year: 1968, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £295

Book value: £200

Paid: £50 on eBay

Notes: second press, with labels crediting Second Hand instead of their first name, The Moving Finger (also the name of the band who released the gorgeous 'Pain of My Misfortune' single which I'm still looking for). The cover is deliberately 'worn' as a pun on the band name, and the vinyl is not perfect but really nice.

Again, Second Hand were at the forefront of progressive rock, miles ahead of many more popular acts. Band leader Ken Elliott was a keyboard wizard as well as lead vocalist, and the rest of the band were also brilliant musicians, augmented by the cello and flute of Chris Williams on certain tracks. The album has a loose concept about a clown, Denis James, whose life hits difficulties and culminates in his eventual suicide in the bath. The first side contains many brilliant vignettes, with tough rockers alongside orchestrated psychedelia, culminating in the woozy and fatigued 'The World Will End Yesterday'. However, be ready to turn it over. There are four tracks on the second side, the first being a cheery entree to the Denis James character. What follows is a devastating emotional journey that grabs you by the neck, with heavy murk contrasting the swooning cello arrangements and jazzy flute. This culminates in the Bath Song, and the death of D.J. Brutal, and has to be heard to be experienced. I thought it was even more chilling as I was told Bob Gibbons, the lead guitarist, killed himself nine years later. However that's a stupid myth for hype, unfortunately it was an accidental electrocution.

6) The Graham Bond Organization - Sound Of '65

Label: Columbia, cat. 33SX 1711

Year: 1965 (obviously!), 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £300

Book value: £400

Paid: around £40 in Plastic Wax

Notes: looks much rougher than it plays. First press with '33SX' in the catalogue number.

Graham Bond, a former radiator salesman, was an amazing saxophone player and keyboardist (and decent singer) who cut his teeth alongside the now legendary Don Rendell. Also in the Organization, the band he formed after leaving Rendell's Quintet, was the other great saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, and two future members of supergroup Cream, bassist and singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. The album is classy jazzy R&B, covering many well known standards with a few originals in there. 'Baby Be Good To Me' is my standout pick, a scurrying shuffle with darting saxophone and cool organ fills driving it along.

5) The Wailers - Catch A Fire

Label: Island, cat. ILPS 9241

Year: 1973, 9 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £350

Book price: £150

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: the upper part of the cover, which swung off as if a 'Zippo' lighter, is missing. The LP is very scratched, but is the original pink rim 1st pressing.

Bob Marley and The Wailers made this iconic album debut in 1973, starting the ball rolling on their incredible popularity. A classic of the new reggae sound straight from the darkly grooving opener 'Concrete Jungle'. Nuff said really! Check it out, you'll enjoy it.

4) The Graham Bond Organization - There's a Bond Between Us

Label: Columbia, cat. 33SX 1750

Year: 1965, 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £395

Book price: £400

Paid: £35 from Plastic Wax

Notes: slightly shabbier than the other GBO LP (they were bought together). Still a solid player.

This second album sees the GBO expand their sound, and is arguably the stronger of the two. Not only does Jack Bruce's suave and strong voice get more of an outing, but the three instrumentals make it impossible to sit down listening to the album! Have a dance to the punchy opener 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' and listen to the Eastern-flavoured Baker-led 'Camels and Elephants'.

3) The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire

Label: Pye, cat. NPL.18317

Year: 1969, 12 tracks

Highest on Discogs: £421

Book price: £150

Paid: £20 in Plastic Wax

Notes: much rarer mono issue. Comes with original Queen Victoria lyric insert, but cover and record are very battered. 'Victoria' will not play as there is something up with the grooves. Maybe an industrial clean is in order.

This album, the last in the series of roughly conceptual Kinks LPs, is a delightfully quirky musical take on end-of-empire Britain, taking various melodic cues from music of the time and combining them with distinctly British themes and some serious danceability. One could argue that 'Victoria' invented pub rock. 'Brainwashed' is a cool mod dancer and 'Shangrila', the second single from the album, is a complex ode to humble home life and a shrewd observation on class. The hits and commercial success was gone by now, but is now the most acclaimed part of the Kinks' oeuvre.

2) Trees - On The Shore

Label: CBS, cat. S 64168

Year: 1970, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £483

Book price: £400

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: two large grievous scratches on the A-side - but they barely even sound, it's a great player!

Acid folk was practically invented by Trees, who had already laid down the wonderful Garden of Jane Delawney LP. The characteristic soaring vocals of Celia Humphris delightfully interplayed with fuzzy rock to create a new exciting edge on traditional folk songs and some startling original material. The short opener 'Soldiers Three' signals their intent clearly. Their arrangement of the infamous folk ballad 'Streets of Derry' lends it an excellent charging energy, but arguably the standouts are the ominous and cryptic 'Fool' and the soaring and energetic 'Murdoch', showing staggering songcraft. As if the album didn't have more than enough going for it, 'Geordie' was sampled by Gnarls Barkley on their track 'St. Elsewhere', leading to a renaissance of the band's work. Despite appearing on numerous samplers put out by the record label, Trees never became a commercial success, a fact which boggles the mind.

1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland

Label: Track, cat. 613008/9

Year: 1968, 16 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £645

Book price: £300

Paid: I will never know!

Notes: second press with white text on the sleeve instead of turquoise. Yes, stupid things like that make a difference. One record contains Sides 1 and 4, the other sides 2 and 3, which isn't standard.

Arguably Hendrix's masterpiece, this album needs little introduction, mixing psychedelia, jazz, R&B and even more into a great cosmic double album. Just listen to '1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be') and you'll understand the sheer power and weight of this record. Glorious from start to finish.

Thanks again!

[larrytcamp]

The Top 20 Places to Visit in Toronto, Canada

Toronto is a wonderful place to explore if you ever before find a chance to see, as it is the funding of Ontario along with the largest city in Canada. In addition, Toronto is one of the most expensive locations to live in Canada. It's a stunning location to check out all year 'round with countless things to do that satisfy a broad target market. I recommend you check it out! Below, I have actually created a listing of 20 unique and also unique locations that deserve a check out.

20 Must-See Places in Toronto

We will take a look at each distinct location and discuss the highlights of these spots. From Old Fort York to Air Canada Facility, allowed's take an excursion of the exhilaration that awaits as featured listed below.

1. Heavy Steam Whistle Developing Business

You can check out the Heavy steam Whistle Brewing Firm free of charge, or you can spend for a tour that also includes beer sampling. The brewery utilizes only four ingredients in their beer (sparkling water, malted barley, jumps, and yeast) as well as prides itself on being the most eco-friendly beer manufacturing firm in all of Canada. The area was once made use of as a steam locomotive cleaning center and also was called the John St. Roundhouse. While going to the brewing company, check out the historical roundhouse and also railway gallery.

2. Medieval Times Torture Musem

Although Medieval Times has a number of areas throughout The United States and Canada, the Toronto place is the only one in Canada. Exploring the gallery is an one-of-a-kind experience that will take you back in time. Your ticket price includes supper and a show, that includes horses, falconry, jousting, as well as much more. Inside, you will locate a medieval torture museum as well as a gift shop to supply all of your middle ages demands. Lots of people most likely to the museum for birthdays, bachelorette as well as stag party, in addition to various other special events.

3. Toronto's Chinatown

Toronto's Chinatown is the second largest Chinatown in North America as well as is an exceptional place to get hold of a bite to eat or opt for some shopping. You can find Chinatown fixated the Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue junction. They have a huge selection of food and drinks, apparel, devices, as well as whatever else you can consider-- all at amazing rates. Make sure to check out the Chinatown Facility as well as the Dragon City Shopping center for indoor purchasing and also food.

4. The CN Tower

Constructed by the Canadian National Railways in 1976, the CN Tower is thought about to be among the globe's modern marvels. It once held the document as the highest structure in the world and also is presently among the highest free-standing frameworks. The top of the structure has a glass-bottom floor in addition to a revolving restaurant, known as the 360 Restaurant. At the dining establishment, you can delight in a remarkable dining experience while overlooking the whole city of Toronto.

5. Old Fort York

In the heart of midtown Toronto is a historical site like nothing else: Old Ft York. Formerly known as York, Ft York was the native home of modern Toronto. The fort was the website of several fights throughout the war of 1812. It is a place full of artifacts and also displays, and also it is a fantastic place to find out historical realities about the United States, Canada, and also the Battle of 1812.

6. The Hockey Hall of Popularity

If you are a sporting activities fan, then the Hockey Hall of Fame ought to not be missed out on! From NHL prizes to a TSN/RDS broadcast area, this area is a suitable tribute to all points hockey.

7. The Royal Ontario Gallery (ROM).

The Royal Ontario Gallery, or ROM, is a museum of natural history and multiculturalism. It is Canada's largest gallery of its kind. The outdoor structure is distinctly designed and advised for its distinctive architecture.

8. Ontario Scientific Research Center.

The Ontario Scientific Research Facility is an interactive scientific research center that has been around for 40 years. The Ontario Science Facility produces a fascinating see that's fun for the whole household.

9. The Distillery Area.

The Distillery District is a historic area filled with old buildings from the Victorian age. Once a busy commercial field, the area is now a favored place to have a bite as well as choose a stroll. Go into a world with no cars and trucks, as the streets of the distillery area are for pedestrians just. There are lovely stores, shops, premium food places, and also art galleries, good to go in an architectural paradise. In the process, you can take pleasure in a few of the old equipments as well as commercial components that were when utilized for the distillery. There are additionally giant sculptures located throughout the walkways of the location to highlight your route.

10. The Toronto Eaton Center.

This shopping mall has more than 250 stores, yet it isn't just for those with a keen eye for fashion-- the glass-domed structure of the mall is a beautiful website to take pleasure in. It is among one of the most popular destinations in all of Toronto and an excellent location to check out on a rainy day.

11. Spadina Historic Home and also Gardens.

The Spadina Historic Home is a historical home that was formerly the residential or commercial property of James Austin. Now open up to the general public, it's a gorgeous, old house, packed with beautiful antique furnishings and art.

12. Casa Loma.

In the heart of downtown Toronto lies an ancient-looking castle. If you delighted in the idea of going to the Spadina Historic House and Gardens, after that you need to certainly go to the Casa Loma castle. This beautiful castle was created in the 20th century by an affluent business person called Sir Henry Pellat. You can take a trip of the inside of the castle as well as the yards.

13. Air Canada Center as well as Rogers Center.

Neither the Air Canada Center nor the Rogers Facility are to be missed if you appreciate real-time sporting activities and also home entertainment. The Air Canada Center is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club, the Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Rock lacrosse group. The Rogers Center (formerly known as the Skydome) is the house of the Toronto Blue Jays. The facility is a large stadium where you can appreciate baseball, football, and a wide variety of shows.

14. Toronto Islands.

The Toronto Islands are a wonderful getaway from the stress of midtown. There are no roadways to the islands, but do not stress; the ferry will take you there in an issue of mins. There are three major areas to check out: Center Island, Wards Island, and Hanlan's Factor. Take pleasure in a selection of outdoor tasks such a kayaking, canoeing, carousels, and also cable car excursions. There is also a theme park, the Gibraltar Factor Lighthouse, and Franklin's Kid Garden.

15. Canada's Paradise.

This outdoor entertainment and also water park has online amusement. Do not miss out on the lately opened up Dinosaurs Alive display. Canada's Heaven lies north of midtown Toronto and only regarding a 30-minute drive from the location.

16. Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

With over 80,000 artworks, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of one of the most extensive art galleries and also museums in The United States and Canada. The gallery has a huge collection of jobs, from modern developments to some pieces that are as old as 100 CE. Delight in both the irreversible collection along with a variety of scheduled, momentary exhibits.

17. St. Lawrence Market.

According to National Geographic, St. Lawrence Market is thought about to be the best grocery store on the planet. Below you can take pleasure in food, wines, buying, vintages, collectibles, and also whatever in between. St. Lawrence Market has an abundant history and diverse amount of products assured to please the pickiest of customers.

18. Bata Footwear Museum.

The Bata Footwear Gallery is a gallery that would make Imelda Marcos envious. The Bata Footwear Gallery has over 10,000 sets of unique, stunning, and also unique shoes from throughout the globe. It is assured to be an unforgettable quit on your following browse through to Toronto.

19. Broadway in Toronto.

If you appreciate Broadway shows, what better place than Toronto to get your solution? Choose from a range of prominent Broadway shows. Some shows that have played in the past are Elegance and also the Monster and War Steed, among others.

20. Ontario Location.

Situated exactly on Lake Ontario, Ontario Place is a theme park as well as home entertainment area. Visit the marina, the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, as well as the Atlantis Structure where you can dine while delighting in a breathtaking view of the city.

The post “ The Top 20 Places to Visit in Toronto, Canada “ was first seen on Wander Wisdom by Katee Shew

Vitamin Therapy Toronto - The IV Lounge

[newstfionline]

Sunday, January 3, 2021

States Are Shutting Down Prisons as Guards are Crippled By Covid-19 (NYT) Battered by a wave of coronavirus infections and deaths, local jails and state prison systems around the United States have resorted to a drastic strategy to keep the virus at bay: Shutting down completely and transferring their inmates elsewhere. State and local officials say that so many guards have fallen ill with the virus and are unable to work that abruptly closing some correctional facilities is the only way to maintain community security and prisoner safety. Experts say the fallout is easy to predict: The jails and prisons that stay open will probably become even more crowded, unsanitary and disease-ridden, and the transfers are likely to help the virus proliferate both inside and outside the walls. There have been more than 480,000 confirmed coronavirus infections and at least 2,100 deaths among inmates and guards in prisons, jails and detention centers across the nation, according to a New York Times database. Among those grim statistics are the nearly 100,000 correctional officers who have tested positive and 170 who have died.

Once a model, California now struggles to tame COVID-19 (AP) Ambulances waited hours for openings to offload coronavirus patients. Overflow patients were moved to hospital hallways and gift shops, even a cafeteria. Refrigerated trucks were on standby, ready to store the dead. For months, California did many of the right things to avoid a catastrophic surge from the pandemic. But by the time Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Dec. 15 that 5,000 body bags were being distributed, it was clear that the nation’s most populous state had entered a new phase of the COVID-19 crisis. Now infections have been racing out of control for weeks, and California remains at or near the top of the list of states with the most new cases per capita. It has routinely set new marks for infections and deaths. California’s woes have helped fuel the year-end U.S. infection spike and added urgency to the attempts to beat back the scourge that has killed more than 340,000 Americans.

D.C. is becoming a protest battleground (Washington Post) For years, West Coast cities have borne the brunt of violent confrontations between far-right extremists and counterprotesters who come to meet them. Brawls broke out in Berkeley, Calif. White-supremacist rallies in Sacramento ended in bloodshed. Violent clashes have become common in Portland, Ore., where gunfire broke out at demonstrations over the summer. Demonstrators in Olympia, Wash., recently fired weapons into a crowd, wounding at least one person. Up and down the western United States, protests have devolved into violent clashes replete with thrown rocks, exploding fireworks and streams of chemical irritants. But the nation’s capital—with its strict gun laws and history of orderly, peaceful protest—has largely avoided these violent conflicts. Until now. Experts warn that D.C. is on a path to become the next battleground in increasingly violent confrontations between right- and left-leaning demonstrators. During two weekends of pro-Trump demonstrations in November and December, violent melees spilled into the streets of downtown Washington. More confrontations are expected in January.

Gibraltar Gets Its Own Last-Minute Brexit Deal on Borders (NYT) The recent Brexit trade deal generated relief in Britain and the European Union, but some issues were left on the negotiating table—including what to do about Gibraltar, the British territory at the southern tip of Spain whose sovereignty has long been disputed by Madrid. On Thursday, the Spanish foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, announced a last-minute agreement with negotiators in Britain and Gibraltar that avoids the possibility of travelers and goods being stranded at the border. The draft agreement will allow passport-free travel between Gibraltar and Spain. As part of the deal, a European agency will monitor sea and air arrivals in Gibraltar. People arriving from Britain will need to go through passport control, as they do now. “We believe that we may now be able to reset our relationship with Spain and cast it in a more positive light,” Fabian Picardo, the leader of Gibraltar, told a separate news conference after the deal was struck. “We are going to avert the worst effects of a hard Brexit.”

China senior diplomat says U.S. relations at ‘new crossroads’ (Reuters) China’s relationship with the United States has reached a “new crossroads” and could get back on the right track following a period of “unprecedented difficulty”, senior diplomat Wang Yi said in official comments published on Saturday. Relations between the world’s two biggest economies have come under increasing strain amid a series of disputes over trade, human rights and the origins of COVID-19. In its latest move, the United States blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies it said had ties to the military. Wang, China’s state councillor and foreign minister, said in a joint interview with Xinhua news agency and other state media outlets that recent U.S. policies towards China had harmed the interests of both countries and brought huge dangers to the world. But there was now an opportunity for the two sides to “open a new window of hope” and begin a new round of dialogue, he said. The election of Joe Biden as U.S. President has been widely expected to improve relations between Washington and Beijing after four years of escalating tensions under the administration of Donald Trump.

Bangkok to close schools for two weeks as number of COVID-19 cases rise (Reuters) The Thai capital of Bangkok will close all schools for two weeks after the New Year holiday as it tightens measures to control a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the city said on Friday. All schools, daycare centres for the young and elderly, preschool and tutorial centres will be close from January 4 to 17 while other public facilities including amusement parks, playgrounds, public baths and massage parlours will be closed starting from Saturday, said Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, the spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Pongsakorn also said the city is considering restrictions on eating-in at restaurants.

In Abrupt Reversal of Iran Strategy, Pentagon Orders Aircraft Carrier Home (NYT) The Pentagon has abruptly sent the aircraft carrier Nimitz home from the Middle East and Africa over the objections of top military advisers, marking a reversal of a weekslong muscle-flexing strategy aimed at deterring Iran from attacking American troops and diplomats in the Persian Gulf. Officials said on Friday that the acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, had ordered the redeployment of the ship in part as a “de-escalatory” signal to Tehran to avoid stumbling into a crisis in President Trump’s waning days in office. American intelligence reports indicate that Iran and its proxies may be preparing a strike as early as this weekend to avenge the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Senior Pentagon officials said that Mr. Miller assessed that dispatching the Nimitz now, before the first anniversary this Sunday of General Suleimani’s death in an American drone strike in Iraq, could remove what Iranian hard-liners see as a provocation that justifies their threats against American military targets. Some analysts said the return of the Nimitz to its home port of Bremerton, Wash., was a welcome reduction in tensions between the two countries.

Reginald Foster, Vatican Latinist Who Tweeted in the Language, Dies at 81 (NYT) Reginald Foster, a former plumber’s apprentice from Wisconsin who, in four decades as an official Latinist of the Vatican, dreamed in Latin, cursed in Latin, banked in Latin and ultimately tweeted in Latin, died on Christmas Day at a nursing home in Milwaukee. He was LXXXI. A Roman Catholic priest who was considered the foremost Latinist in Rome and, quite possibly, the world, Father Foster was attached to the Office of Latin Letters of the Vatican Secretariat of State from 1969 until his retirement in 2009. By virtue of his longevity and his almost preternatural facility with the language, he was by the end of his tenure the de facto head of that office, which comprises a team of half a dozen translators. If, having read this far, you are expecting a monastic ascetic, you will be blissfully disappointed. Father Foster was indeed a monk—a member of the Discalced Carmelite order—but he was a monk who looked like a stevedore, dressed like a janitor, swore like a sailor (usually in Latin) and spoke Latin with the riverine fluency of a Roman orator. He served four popes—Paul VI, John Paul I and II, and Benedict XVI—composing original documents in Latin, which remains the Vatican’s official language, and translating their speeches and other writings into Latin from a series of papal languages. (He was also fluent in Italian, German and Greek.)

A high school student needed help with tuition, so an unlikely group stepped up: Prison inmates (Washington Post) Shortly before Sy Newson Green’s sophomore year in high school, a family health crisis ate up the money that would have paid his tuition at the private Catholic school he’d been attending for a year. His father needed a heart transplant, his mother lost vision when a softball hit her eye—and both parents lost their jobs. Sy was thriving and happy at the all-boys Palma School, in Salinas, Calif., and the school could provide some scholarship help, but not enough to cover the $12,900 annual tuition. That’s when an unlikely group of people stepped up with the remainder of the tuition: inmates at the nearby Correctional Training Facility, also known as Soledad State Prison. Inmates pooled the money they earned bit by bit from doing prison jobs such as cleaning and clerking. They raised a total of $32,000 over about three years—a remarkable feat considering prisoners in California earn a base wage of 8 cents an hour for many of their daily jobs, such as mopping the floors. “I broke down and started crying because I knew where it was coming from,” said Sy’s father, Frank Green, about the donation.

[wiremagazine]

SPOTLIGHT FILMS: PREVIEW 15 OF THE EXCEPTIONAL SELECTIONS FOR MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL GEMS 2019

Photos provided by Miami Film Festival GEMS 2019

BY THE GRACE OF GOD (Belgium, France, 2019) Director: François Ozon In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: In By the Grace of God, acclaimed filmmaker François Ozon dramatizes the story of three Preynat victims – Alexandre Guérin (Melvil Poupaud), a lawyer and devoted Catholic family man, François Debord (Denis Ménochet), a declared atheist who wants to bring media attention to the case, and Emmanuel Thomassin, an emotionally damaged younger man who carries the heaviest burden and the effects of prolonged trauma.

CLEMENCY (U.S., 2019) Director: Chinonye Chukwu In English

GEMS Synopsis: Clemency is an indelible character study and a searing look at the toll of capital punishment on the lives of all it touches – including the families of victims seeking justice. Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu, the first African-American woman to win Sundance's highest prize, is observant to the disproportionate toll death row reaps on black men, but also alive to the possibility of hope, and humanity finding its way back from even the darkest emotional places.

HONEY BOY (U.S., 2019) Director: Alma Har'el In English

GEMS Synopsis: Artists often draw from real-life experience, but few approach this practice quite like actor Shia LaBeouf. Having received court-ordered therapy writing while in rehab, LaBeouf – who over the years has been the subject of numerous public misbehavior headlines – took the mandated writing and turned it into something tremendous: the screenplay for Honey Boy.

LES MISÉRABLES (France, 2019) Director: Ladj Ly In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Victor Hugo's 1862 classic novel Les Misérables unforgettably depicted the abject poverty and state violence endured by residents in the Paris suburb Montfermeil, a setting symbolically representing a greater view of French society. Taking Hugo's title for his fiction feature debut, director Ladj Ly returns to modern-day Montfermeil and finds that the tensions between the racially diversified, impoverished community and the police enforcing the status quo are remarkably similar to the world of Jean Valjean and Hugo's characters, even more than 150 years later.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (U.S., 2019) Director: Alan Berliner In English

GEMS Synopsis: For 40 years, filmmaker Alan Berliner has clipped out from the pages of The New York Times photos that caught his eye, keeping them meticulously filed and cross-indexed as a self-appointed archivist and librarian. Driven by his obsession, Berliner has completed the work of nearly a lifetime, transforming and reinterpreting his collection of images into a statement about the nature of humankind. Letter to the Editor is a film essay with multiple themes and a stunning array of thousands of photographs from Alan Berliner's collection. This film delivers poignant reflections on the power of photography, the importance of print publications, and what it means when technology brings a dramatic change to century-old traditions.

LITUS (Spain, 2019) Director: Dani de la Orden In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: A big chill has descended upon a group of Barcelona thirtysomething friends. Six months before, their cherished friend Litus inexplicably took his own life. His loving friends gather to celebrate his memory, but a bombshell secret awaits them: Litus left behind a goodbye letter for each of them. A moving drama with impeccably timed moments of humor, Litus is an invitation to reflect on life, relationships and our connections to those we hold most dear in life.

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (U.S., 2019) Director: Edward Norton In English

GEMS Synopsis: Twenty years in the making, Edward Norton's passion project Motherless Brooklyn finds the famed actor working quadruple duty as writer, director, producer and star of this inventive adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's novel of the same name. Growing up an orphan with Tourette syndrome, Lionel (Norton) spent his early years trying to find his place in the world. Then private detective Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) took him under his wing. Now a full-fledged employee of Frank's agency, Lionel finds his world turned upside down when Frank is murdered. Determined to solve the mystery of who killed his mentor, Lionel sets off on a quest that takes him from Brooklyn to Harlem, where he discovers a trail of shocking political corruption in the process.

PAIN AND GLORY (Spain, 2019) Director: Pedro Almodóvar In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Pain and Glory is legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's most personal, semi-autobiographical film to date. The film centers on Salvador Mallo (played by Antonio Banderas, who won Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival for this role), a Spanish film director in his 60s. Salvador receives an invitation by the Madrid Cinematheque for a retrospective screening of Sabor, a film that he made more than 30 years ago. The invitation triggers a comical, edgy reunion with Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), the actor who starred in Sabor, and then later a reunion with Federico Delgado (Leonardo Sbaraglia), the Argentinian man who was Salvador's first adult love just as many years ago. Floating in and out of Salvador's memories is his unresolved relationship with his deceased mother (played in her younger years by Penélope Cruz, and later years by Julieta Serrano).

PARASITE (South Korea, 2019) Director: Bong Joon-ho In Korean, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: At once hilariously funny and nail-bitingly tense, Bong Joon-ho's class satire Parasite is quite possibly the most unique and unforgettable film of the year, and has had international critics swooning since it won the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Defying convention and predictability at every step, the film centers on two families whose paths become inexorably linked and the wild events that result: the affluent Park family and the street smart but poor Kim family. The Kim's children, led by college-aged Ki-woo, manage to forge their way into the Park family's lives as tutors and art therapists. In exchange for their services, the Kim family finally has a path out of poverty, but this fragile balance built on lies will quickly unravel.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (France, 2019) Director: Céline Sciamma In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Following the unexpected death of her sister, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) is brought back from a convent and betrothed to an unknown man from Milan. Héloïse's mother, La Comtesse (Valeria Golina), is set on having Héloïse's portrait painted, but she refuses to pose, in rebellion against the arranged marriage into which she is being forced. So La Comtesse slyly hires Marianne, a rare female professional artist in the period, to secretly paint Héloïse's portrait, all the while posing as her ostensible companion. Through walks, profound conversations, and long-held, tantalizing looks, the relationship between Héloïse and Marianne evolves with delicacy and intimacy.

STAFF ONLY (France, Spain, 2019) Director: Neus Ballus In Catalan, French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: In a time where new generations are often aggressively pursuing some stark definitions of political correctness, Staff Only hits a zeitgeist nerve with a young protagonist who is as intelligent as she is inexperienced. Catalan director Neus Ballús turns an honest and critical eye to a rich cast of characters, all of them compassionate, flawed human beings trying to live their best lives – yet often at unforeseen costs. Embracing the rich Senegalese landscape, Staff Only is as charming as it is poignant, while asking fundamental questions about how we grow individually, and in relation to others.

TAXI TO TREASURE ROCK (Spain, 2019) Director: Alejo Flah In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Freshly released from a Madrid prison, Argentinian con artist and professional charmer Diego has one idea to rebuild his life: finding a lost stash of gold hidden inside the legendary Rock of Gibraltar. Diego puts his snake charmer ways to convince León (Dani Rovira of the Ocho appellidos vascos films), a misanthropic, miserly taxi driver flooded with debt and rage against the system, to drive him from Madrid to Gibraltar. On their chaotic road trip they meet Sandra (Ingrid García-Jonsson), a runaway bride-to-be who is just enough of a misfit to connect with Diego and León, and join their eccentric, life-changing adventure.

THE TRUTH (France, Japan, 2019) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: To iconic actress Fabienne (Deneuve), nothing is more important than giving the perfect performance. Her commitment to her work has long put a strain on her personal life, and when her new memoir comes out, those closest to her find it harder and harder to stay by her side. When her longtime assistant suddenly quits, her estranged daughter Lumir (Binoche) – who's in town visiting along with her actor husband, Hank (Ethan Hawke) – steps into the role of assisting Fabienne while on the set of her new sci-fi film Memories of My Mother. With a mother and daughter so unable to communicate their complicated feelings to one another, Fabienne's new film (based on the Ken Liu short story of the same name) is a resonant, meta example of life imitating art.

THE TWO POPES (Argentina, Italy, UK, U.S., 2019) Director: Fernando Meirelles In English, French, Italian, Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: When Pope Benedict XVI (Hopkins) breaks with tradition and decides to retire from the papacy, he invites his soon-to-be successor Cardinal Bergoglio (Pryce) – who will become the future Pope Francis – for a meeting. At first, it seems like an ideal opportunity for the two men to exchange pleasantries and put their differences aside. As one of Pope Benedict's harshest critics, Cardinal Bergoglio is a progressive, forward-thinking leader, one who feels strongly that the Church should listen to its followers instead of blindly adhering to the ways of old. It's an outlook that leads to a fierce debate between the two men – a debate on sticking to tradition vs. growing with the times, and about what it means to pave a religious path for more than a billion followers around the world.

TOP END WEDDING (Australia, 2019) Director: Wayne Blair In English

GEMS Synopsis: Lauren's demanding boss has given her just ten days of leave to get married to her doting fiancé, Ned, before she makes partner. But when Lauren's mother disappears in the midst of a major midlife crisis, leaving her father in shambles, all wedding plans are off until they can find her. Lauren and Ned set off on a breathtaking road trip through northern Australia (the "top end" of the country) in which multiple generations of the family must come to terms with the past in order for Lauren and Ned to be able to forge their future together.

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Issue 19.2019

[architectnews]

3dreid Architects Office News

3Dreid, Buildings, Edinburgh Office News, Images, Design, Developments, Scotland Studio, Photos

3Dreid Architects Office

Architecture Projects by 3Dreid in Scotland + England – Design Practice News + Info

3DReid News

3Dreid Architects News

17 December 2020 Planning Achieved for 65 London Road in Edinburgh image courtesy of architects HG Developments has had planning approved by City of Edinburgh Council at committee yesterday (16th December) for a redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). Designed by 3DReid the proposal will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is provided planning advice for the scheme:

Read more at 65 London Road

28 Aug 2020 Plans submitted for 65 London Road in Edinburgh HG Developments has submitted plans for a proposed redevelopment of the site at 65 London Road to form a high quality 76- bed Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), designed by 3DReid that will replace the disused car wash buildings that are currently present. Planning and development consultancy Turley is providing planning advice for the scheme:

65 London Road in Edinburgh

17 Apr 2018 Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Shortlist, London, England, UK image courtesy of architects Oxford Street Christmas Lights Competition Design by 3DReid 3DReid one of four designs shortlisted in the architectural competition for the redesign of Oxford Street’s word-famous Christmas lights.

11 Apr 2018 KM Central Edinburgh 3 Star Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland photo © David Cadzow Photography KM Central Edinburgh Hotel 3DReid has completed a £2.7m refurbishment of a former student residence to create a three star, 45 room hotel for Edinburgh First, the commercial arm of the University of Edinburgh.

Working within the confines of the existing student room structure, KM Central offers a quirky ‘left bank’ style interior concept with 3DReid’s design making use of all the available space to create comfortable and well equipped bedrooms and a breakfast room that doubles as a post graduate student common room.

20 Nov 2017 Millbrook Park Master Plan, Barnet / Mill Hill, NW7, North West London, England image courtesy of architects Millbrook Park Master Plan 3DReid have re-imagined the Millbrook Park master plan phase 5 designs which overlook the newly created Panoramic Park and Officers’ Mess Gardens, with 111, 1 and 2 bed apartments and 33 townhouses for Joseph Homes. The scheme gained reserved matters approval from the London Borough of Barnet Planning Committee on 19th September 2017.

31 Oct 2017 132 Princes Street Offices, Edinburgh, Scotland photo : David Cadzow, Cadzow / Pelosi 132 Princes Street Offices in Edinburgh Architecture practice 3DReid has completed a sensitive £2.0 million conversion of three of the few remaining original Princes Street townhouses to office use. By converting the vacant upper storeys of the B-listed buildings and adding a contemporary extension, 3DReid has created 15,810sqft (Gross Internal Area) of light and practical quality office space for client and developer Hazledene House Limited.

31 May 2017 3DReid Appoints Noel Street as Director

Award-winning architecture practice 3DReid has appointed Noel Street as Director to its Birmingham studio to develop strategic business partnerships and build upon the firm’s outstanding reputation for design and delivery excellence.

A leading national practice providing full architectural services from five studios throughout the UK, 3DReid Birmingham – led by Mark Anders and David Burrows – has a number of major projects in Birmingham and the West Midlands currently including the extension of Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley, the redevelopment of the Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull and Primark’s new flagship store in Birmingham city centre. A specialist in transforming redundant or poorly performing buildings into distinctive, modern and efficient spaces, 3DReid recently won ‘Refurbishment Architect of the Year’ in the BD Awards 2017.

Noel joins 3DReid from Stephen George + Partners where he was a Director based in their Leicester office and prior to this, Noel was Studio Director for AHR Architects in Birmingham.

“I am delighted to be joining 3DReid. I have admired its multiple award-winning architecture, values and proven delivery models over many years and I am excited to now be part of this great team.” Noel Street, Director, 3DReid

“Attracting someone of Noel’s calibre into the business is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. He brings with him incredibly strong knowledge and experience which will be vital as we continue our plans to expand our regional cross-sector clients and project workload.” Mark Anders, Group Director, 3DReid

Noel’s experience with architectural and multi-disciplinary companies in both the UK and Hong Kong ensures a wealth of client-relations expertise. He has successfully controlled and delivered large scale, complex projects and frameworks across the Public and Private Sectors in the UK for office, leisure, education, healthcare, industrial, transport, retail, residential, mixed-use and the MOD.

Noel is actively involved in a number of professional organisations and industrial committees including the Construction Industry Council, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Royal Institute of British Architects on a regional and national level.

3DReid is an award winning architecture practice. Established in 1979, we have over 130 staff across offices in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester. The practice provides full architectural services from masterplanning to interior design. Our reputation has been built on providing creative and intelligent architectural solutions that meet their operational brief without compromise.

We approach every project with the same ambition, whether it is an office refurbishment or a new airport terminal. We bring value to all of our projects though clear analysis and well executed design. Every one of our buildings must not only work beautifully but also positively affect its users and the wider public. We design with consideration for the environment and our legacy to future generations.

The success of our practice relies solely on the quality of the people we employ. Everybody at 3DReid is here because they are exceptionally good at what they do. We encourage all our people to learn, grow and develop with us. We believe that the best buildings and places come from a culture of open discussion and collaboration with our clients, colleagues and fellow consultants. Above all we enjoy the process of making good architecture.

For more information about 3DReid, please go to www.3dreid.com.

Signature Flight Support – London Luton Airport, Bedfordshire, England, UK Design: 3DReid images from architects London Luton Airport Terminal 3DReid has added to its growing portfolio of exclusive VIP terminals with a new facility for global leader in Fixed Base Operations (FBO) Signature Flight Support. A ground breaking ceremony was held at Signature’s London Luton Airport location where it announced that it is commencing construction of a new, 3DReid designed state-of-the-art fixed base operation (FBO) to replace its existing facility.

15 Jan 2013 New Gibraltar Airport Building Design: with bblur Architecture photo : Hufton & Crow Gibraltar Airport Building Gibraltar Airport’s uniquely situated new terminal building is modern, dynamic, transparent and airy. The new terminal is the first building visitors will see when they enter Gibraltar by air, road or on foot and is located immediately at the frontier, with the Rock as a backdrop.

Emirates Arena Glasgow by 3DReid photo : McAteer Photograph Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, Scotland 22 Nov 2012 – Designed by 3DReid, the £116 m Emirates Arena and The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, is the only major new sports facility for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The building will have a lasting post-Games legacy as a centre for sporting excellence, a community sports facility, and as a catalyst to major investment and regeneration in the area.

3DReid Architects – Joint Project

rotatED – External Learning Environment, UK : 3DReid & Blue Forest Launch picture from architect 3DReid – concept design Architects 3DReid in collaboration with Blue Forest have revealed the first images and details of their new, innovative and sustainable external learning environment. ‘rotatED’ has been developed as a single modular entity capable of being turned on any of its seven sides to create an outdoor place with infinite possibilities for activities such as play, learning and performance within a sheltered, natural environment.

3DReid – Expansion into Asia Pacific

8 Mar 2010

3DReid has announced the opening of a new operation in Malaysia. The new office, located in the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, will be managed by Azmall Jamaluddin. Azmall has been promoted from within and will bring a wide cross-section of international expertise with him having worked on major projects in Shanghai, Berlin, Moscow and London.

photo © Tom Ravenscroft

Head of International Business Development at the practice, Mark Taylor, said: “Having recently won two major resort projects in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur provides the perfect strategic location as we look to develop the business across the Asia Pacific region. The country has the highest economic growth in the area and there is huge demand for international expertise.”

Malaysian Azmall Jamaluddin added: “This is a really exciting opportunity both personally and for the practice to expand the office’s presence and brand in Asia to deliver exciting architectural opportunities.”

“Beyond the masterplans that we are delivering, we are particularly looking at transferring our sustainability knowledge and expertise within the airport, hotel, retail and education sectors. We will look to supplement these capabilities with regional knowledge and are investigating possible collaboration opportunities with local practices and consultants. We are already working successfully with Malaysian practice W&W Architects on the two resort projects.”

3DReid architecture Building News

Turnberry Hotel, Scotland, UK Design with Fox Linton Associates photo from 3dreid Turnberry Resort Architects 3DReid working with Fox Linton Associates have completed the refurbishment of the iconic Turnberry hotel which has re-opened as part of the renowned Starwood Luxury Collection brand. The works have been completed on behalf of owners Leisurecorp who have invested close to £40m in the restoration.

Co-op Headquarters Manchester, England image from 3dreid Co-operative Group Manchester – head office building The design for The Co-operative Group’s new head office building in Manchester has been revealed. To be built on land on Miller Street, opposite the Co-operative Insurance tower, the new building will serve the UK’s largest mutual retailer which now has a turnover of over £13 billion

Staffordshire Council, England picture from architects Staffordshire County Council HQ With a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating and proposed A-rated performance certificate for its sustainability the scheme has already been hailed as a potential model for UK town centre development.

3DReid – Key Buildings

Air Traffic Control Tower Newcastle Airport, northeast England 2007 image from 3dreid Newcastle Airport building

Commonwealth Games Stadium Glasgow, Scotland, UK 2007- image from 3dreid Scottish Sports Stadium

Edinburgh Airport Control Tower Scotland 2007 image from architects Edinburgh Airport

Farnborough Airport Buildings, southern England, UK 2006 Airport image from REID Architecture Farnborough Airport

Northumbria University Building, Newcastle, North East England, UK 2008 photo © AW Northumbria University

Slough Cultural Centre Building, Berkshire, England, UK 2008- image from 3dreid Slough Building

3dreid Buildngs – no images

Princes Street Shopping Development 3D Architects : Princes Street building, Edinburgh, Scotland

Western Isles Schools Project, Scotland 3DReid wins Design Team Contract for £55m Western Isles Schools Project

Holyrood offices, Edinburgh, South East Scotland 2007 Holyrood office building

19 George Road – headquarters building, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England 2007

The Herald Building, Glasgow, South West Scotland 2007 Client: FM Developments

More buildings / projects by 3dreid online soon

3DReid Student Prize

Location: UK

Architects Practice Information

3D Architects & REID Architecture merged the two practices in Jun 2007

The new practice will operate under the name 3Dreid. 3D and REID have an interconnected history, going back 25 years, with several key 3D personnel having spent portions of their careers at REID.

The merger will see 3DReid with a combined workforce in excess of 320 people, with offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, London and Manchester. An expected turnover in the first year in excess of £20m will rank it amongst the UK’s top 10 practices. Current 3D Architects Director Charles Graham-Marr will be Chairman of the new organisation.

Architects in Edinburgh : architecture office

REID architecture : Industrial/R&D Architect – Architect of the Year Awards 2006

World Architects

Buildings / photos for the 3Dreid Architecture page welcome

Website: www.3dreid.com

The post 3dreid Architects Office News appeared first on e-architect.

[felipeandletizia]

One kiss or two? Charles and Camilla don't know where to turn as they greet Queen Letizia and King Felipe as Britain rolls out the red carpet for the Spanish royals' first state visit to the UK            

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain arrived in London last night for a three-day state visit

Today they were greeted by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in a ceremony on Horse Guards Parade

The visit is seen as an important step in securing relations with Spain as the UK leaves the EU

The last incoming state visit by a Spanish king - Felipe's father King Juan Carlos - was 31 years ago

It is expected to be 96-year-old Philip's last state visit before he retires from public duties this autumn

Spanish royals have been formally greeted by Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade

King Felipe, 49, is expected to raise the thorny issue of Gibraltar during his stay in London this week

The etiquette of cheek kissing can be something of a minefield for even the most senior members of the Royal family, as these awkward images show.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall didn't know which way to turn when they leaned in to greet their eminent guests, the King of Queen and Spain, who are embarking on a three-day state visit to the UK.

The awkward encounter between Charles and Camilla, and their guests King Felipe and Queen Letizia, came ahead of today's grand Ceremonial Welcome.

The couple were formally greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade this afternoon in what is expected to be 96-year-old Philip's last state visit before he retires from public duties in the autumn.

The Captain of the Guard of Honour Major Charlie Gair, presented his Guard of Honour to Felipe in fluent Spanish while Major General Ben Bathurst, Major General Commanding the Household Division, commanded all troops on the parade. A total of more than 1,000 troops are expected to take part in the state visit.

Letizia, 44, then travelled to Buckingham Palace in the State Landau - the carriage which was built for the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 - alongside Prince Philip, while her husband travelled with the Queen.

This week's visit is seen as an important step in securing relations with Spain as the UK leaves the EU; the last incoming state visit by a Spanish king - Felipe's father Juan Carlos I - was 31 years ago in 1986.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's trip had been postponed twice - firstly because of a political crisis in Spain in March 2016, and then again when the rescheduled date clashed with June's snap general election.

The action-packed tour will see the King and Queen enjoy a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, afternoon tea at Clarence House and a State Banquet at the Palace with senior members of the Royal family.

The King will also attend a UK-Spain Business Forum at Mansion House with the Duke of York, the couple will visit Westminster Abbey accompanied by Prince Harry, and they will both meet Theresa May at No. 10 Downing Street.

The royal couple are expected to meet Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they are feted with the grand state banquet in the ballroom on Wednesday evening. It will be the first time full-time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit.

Felipe, 49, is expected to raise the thorny issue of Gibraltar during his stay this week. He will deliver an address at Westminster from the Royal Gallery to parliamentarians on Wednesday, and meet Mrs May for talks at Downing Street on Thursday.

Last September, he used his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York to call for a negotiated handover of what Gibraltarians affectionately call 'the Rock'.

'I invite the UK, on this first occasion at the UN after Brexit, to end the the colonial anachronism of Gibraltar with an agreed solution between both countries to restore the territorial integrity of Spain,' he declared.

The future of Gibraltar, a rocky British enclave on Spain's southern tip, is set to be a major point of contention in the British EU exit talks with the EU offering Spain a right of veto over the relationship between Gibraltar and the EU.

It comes after the European Union's top court ruled last month that Gibraltar and the United Kingdom can be treated as a single EU member for certain aspects of EU law, a finding that could complicate the territory's hopes of winning a special status after Brexit.

On Tuesday afternoon, the royal couple were given an official farewell with honours at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport as they set off for London, where they were later greeted on behalf of The Queen by The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting.

Former anchorwoman Letizia - mother to 11-year-old Leonor, Princess of Asturias and 10-year-old Infanta Sofía of Spain - displayed her sartorial prowess in a chic white Hugo Boss ensemble, paired with oversized shades and towering snakeskin heels from Spanish label Magrit.

Security will be tight for today's ceremonial welcome and carriage procession, in what will be the first state visit to take place since the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London.

The Mall was decked out in Spanish flags this week and on Wednesday morning, gun salutes were fired from Green Park and the Tower of London to welcome the King and Queen of Spain.

The Royal Mews staff were decked out in their Full State Livery – a uniform that has changed little in over 200 years - ahead of the Ceremonial Welcome, while horses were hitched to their respective carriages, ready to be inspected by The Master of The Horse before departing.

The royal visit is beginning one day later than is usual, meaning Theresa May will miss Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons in order to attend the Horse Guards welcome.

This afternoon, the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will formally welcome The King and Queen on Horse Guards Parade where presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Spanish National Anthem will be played.

The Spanish King, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will inspect the Guard of Honour, which will be the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. Afterwards, The King and Queen will join The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh for a state carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Following a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, given by the Queen, she will invite The King and Queen of Spain to view an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Spain.

In the afternoon the Spanish couple, who wed in Madrid 2004, will meet the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for tea at nearby Clarence House.

Afterwards, The King and Queen will visit the Palace of Westminster, where they will be welcomed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker. The King will deliver an Address in the Royal Gallery to Parliamentarians and other guests, followed by a reception with Members and invited guests ahead of tonight's State Banquet.

On Thursday, Prince Harry will accompany the royal visitors to Westminster Abbey. Felipe will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and Harry will join them on a short tour of the Abbey, including the Tomb of Eleanor 'Leonor' of Castile - the 13th century Spanish princess who married Edward I.

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