Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire UK

Carew Castle, originally uploaded by Pembs Dave.

Carew Castle is a castle in the civil parish of Carew in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire. The famous Carew family take their name from the place, and still own the castle, although it is leased to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which administers the site.

Croatia - Dubrovnik

Croatia - Dubrovnik: Walled City, originally uploaded by John & Tina Reid.

A cable car takes tourists to a hill overlooking the old walled town of Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Vernazza, Cinque Terra, Linguria Italy.

Dawn over Vernazza, originally uploaded by Gavin Hayhurst.

Vernazza is a town and comune located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre region.
Vernazza is the fourth town heading north into the Cinque Terre. It has no car traffic (a road leads into a parking lot on the edge of the town) and remains one the truest "fishing villages" on the Italian Riviera.

Blackmoss Pot, Borrowdale. Lake district UK

Blackmoss Pot, originally uploaded by LuneValleySnapper.

Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.
Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the historic county of Westmorland.

lake Königssee, Germany-Austria

Enjoying his airy cocpit view above lake Königssee, originally uploaded by B℮n.

Salet Moraine is a place located at the end of the Königssee. The nature is protected. Behind the trees there a smaller Obersee lake. No this place is not for sale. The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria. It's all part of the Berchtesgaden National Park. Located at a Jurassic rift it was formed by glaciers during the last ice age. It stretches about 7.7 km. The lake similar to a fjord is surrounded by steeply rising flanks of mountains up to 2700 m. The lake is noted for its clear water and is advertised as the cleanest lake in Germany. For this reason, only electric driven passenger ships, rowing and pedal boats have been permitted on the lake since 1909. Swimming is allowed but no fishing. Due to its picturesque setting, the lake and surrounding parklands are very popular with tourists and hikers. In addition, the lake's position surrounded by sheer rock walls creates an echo, which is known for its clarity. St. Bartholomä, a famous pilgrimage church with a small inn nearby, is located on a peninsula about halfway down the western lakeshore. St. Bartholomä and the southern edge can only be reached by boat or via hiking trails up the surrounding mountains. The major concentration of hang-gliding and paragliding extends over the areas occupied by the Jenner at 1800m of which is located within the National Park’s boundaries. Each year roughly 2000 hang-gliders and paragliders take off from these jumps of which an estimated 85% fly north over the forefield of the National Park once they have gained enough altitude over the Brett and Hoher Göll mountains. The best flying conditions are to be found in spring and in autumn. Due to the fact that hang-gliding and paragliding can greatly disturb wildlife in the National Park, precautionary measures were developed for these sports.

Moonrise - Baily Lighthouse - Dublin

Moonrise - Baily Lighthouse - Dublin, originally uploaded by angus clyne.

Early history
The first lighthouse on this site was built in about 1667 by Sir Robert Reading, and was one of six that Reading had received letters patent to build from Charles II in 1665. The original facility consisted of a small cottage and a square tower which supported a coal-fired beacon. Parts of the original buildings remain. In 1790, the coal beacon was replaced with a set of six Argand oil lamps, each including a silvered copper parabolic and a bulls-eye glass pane. During this period, the lighthouse was maintained by the Revenue Commissioners.
New site
In 1810, the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin took over the operations. The original building's location was high on the headland, so the light was often obscured by fog. On December 5, 1811 a recommendation was issued that the lighthouse be moved south on the headland to Little Baily, or Dungriffen. A new tower and house for the keeper, designed by George Halpin Senior, the corporations’s Inspector of Works, was completed on March 17, 1814. The top of the tower stood 134 feet (41 m) above the sea, and the fixed white catoptric light was provided by a set of 24 Argand lamps and reflectors .
Shipwrecks
The area was the scene of a number of shipwrecks. On August 3, 1846, the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company's paddle steamer Prince ran into the cliffs about 2½ km north of Baily in heavy fog, and as a result it was decided that fog bells should be installed at the lighthouse. This work was delayed due to costs of other construction projects.
The most notable wreck was the tragedy of the PS Queen Victoria on February 15, 1853, in which over 80 passengers and crew died. The fog bell was finally installed in April, 1853, as a result of the Queen Victoria shipwreck and its subsequent Board of Trade inquiry.
Improvements
In 1865, the light source was improved from catoptric to first order dioptric. At the same time, John Richardson Wigham had patented a gas-burning light, so experiments with this new system were tried at Baily. A gas works was built at the station to produce the fuel, first from oil, then shale, and finally rich cannel coal. The experiments were a success, and the system was added to nine other lighthouses.
An air horn was installed in 1871 for times of fog, which was replaced with a siren in 1879. The bell was kept as a standby system until 1890. The siren was replaced by a diaphone in 1926.
In 1892, two additional homes for Assistant Keepers were built. In 1902, a system was installed that caused the gas light to flash once every 30 seconds, instead of shining continually. In 1908, the gas light was replaced with one using incandescent vaporised paraffin. In 1953, a larger house was built for the Principal Keeper below the lighthouse.

1ο Ασφάλτινο Ράλλυ Σπριντ Καρπενησίου

AFISA_RALLY_50X70_final.pdf Download this file

Η Αγωνιστική Λέσχη Αυτοκινήτου Καρπενησίου και ο Δήμος Καρπενησίου διοργανώνουν στις 25 & 26 Ιουνίου 2011 τον Αγώνα 1^ου ΑΣΦΑΛΤΙΝΟΥ ΡΑΛΛΥ ΣΠΡΙΝΤ ΚΑΡΠΕΝΗΣΙΟΥ που προσμετρά στο Κύπελλο Ασφάλτινου Σπριντ Ελλάδος, σε ασφάλτινη διαδρομή μήκους 8.250 km, σε δύο σκέλη.

Ο Αγώνας θα διεξαχθεί στην περιοχή της Παλιάς Ράχης Καρπενησίου.

Αναλυτικά το πρόγραμμα:

Τεχνικός Έλεγχος: ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟ 25-06-2011, 15:30 – 18:00, στις εγκαταστάσεις του Αθλητικού Κέντρου Καρπενησίου.

Πανηγυρική Εκκίνηση: ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟ 25-06-2011, 19:30,  στην Κεντρική Πλατεία Καρπενησίου.

Εκκίνηση: ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 26-06-2011, 10:00, στο Αθλητικό Κέντρο Καρπενησίου.

Απονομή Επάθλων: ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 26-06-2011, 14:30,  στην κεντρική πλατεία Καρπενησίου.

Dubai Skyline at Night, UAE

Dubai Skyline at Night, originally uploaded by Jim Boud.

Dubai (Arabic: دبيّ‎ Dubeii; IPA: [du'beii]; English pronunciation: /duːˈbaɪ/ doo-by) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature.
The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas, and it remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port. In 1966, the year oil was discovered, Dubai and the emirate of Qatar set up a new monetary unit to replace the Gulf Rupee. The oil economy led to a massive influx of foreign workers, quickly expanding the city by 300% and bringing in international oil interests. The modern emirate of Dubai was created after the UK left the area in 1971. At this time Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and four other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates. The following year Ras al Khaimah joined the federation while Qatar and Bahrain chose to remain independent nations. In 1973, the monetary union with Qatar was dissolved and the UAE Dirham introduced throughout the UAE. A free trade zone was built around the Jebel Ali port in 1979, allowing foreign companies unrestricted import of labour and export capital. The Gulf War of 1990 had a negative financial effect on the city, as depositors withdrew their money and traders withdrew their trade, but subsequently the city recovered in a changing political climate and thrived.
Today, Dubai has emerged as a global city and a business hub. Although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, currently the emirate's model of business, similar to that of Western countries, drives its economy, with the effect that its main revenues are now from tourism, real estate, and financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. This increased attention has highlighted labour rights and human rights issues concerning its largely South Asian workforce. Dubai's property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the worldwide economic downturn following the Financial crisis of 2007–2010.

source Wikipedia

The Nelson-Atkins Museum Kansas City, MO, USA

June day 01, originally uploaded by Neal1960.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts and the varied cultures they represent. It is committed through its collections and programs to being a vital partner in the educational and cultural life of Kansas City and a preeminent institution both nationally and internationally.

The Nelson-Atkins strives to achieve this goal by adherence to the highest professional standards in the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of works of art.

Prague, Czech Republic.

Prague by night, originally uploaded by digital deceiver.

In 1526, the Bohemian estates elected Ferdinand I of House of Habsburg The fervent Catholicism of its members was to bring them into conflict in Bohemia, and then in Prague, where Protestant ideas were gaining popularity. These problems were not pre-eminent under Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, elected King of Bohemia in 1576, who chose Prague as his home. He lived in the Prague Castle where his court saw invitations to astrologers and magicians, but also scientists, musicians, and artists. Rudolf was an art lover too and Prague became the capital of European culture. This was a prosperous period for the city: famous people living there in that age include the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johann Kepler, the painter Arcimboldo, the alchemists Edward Kelley and John Dee, the poetess Elizabeth Jane Weston, and others.
In 1618, the famous second defenestration of Prague provoked the Thirty Years' War, a particularly harsh period for Prague and Bohemia. Ferdinand II of Habsburg was deposed, and his place as King of Bohemia taken by Frederick V, Elector Palatine; however the Czech Army under him was crushed in the Battle of White Mountain (1620) not far from the city. Following this in 1621 was an execution of 27 Czech leaders (involved in the uprising) in Old Town Square and an exiling of many others. The city suffered subsequently during the war under Saxon (1631) and Swedish (1648) occupation. Prague began a steady decline which reduced the population from the 60,000 it had had in the years before the war to 20,000. In the second half of the 17th century Prague's population began to grow again. Jews have been in Prague since the end of the 10th century and, by 1708, they accounted for about a quarter of Prague’s population.
In 1689, a great fire devastated Prague, but this spurred a renovation and a rebuilding of the city. In 1713–14, a major outbreak of plague hit Prague one last time, killing 12–13,000 people. The economic rise continued through the 18th century, and the city in 1771 had 80,000 inhabitants. Many of these were rich merchants and nobles who enriched the city with a host of palaces, churches and gardens, creating a Baroque style renowned throughout the world. After the Battle of Prague in 1757 the city was badly damaged during a Prussian bombardment. In 1784, under Joseph II, the four municipalities of Malá Strana, Nové Město, Staré Město, and Hradcany were merged into a single entity. The Jewish district, called Josefov, was included only in 1850. The Industrial Revolution had a strong effect in Prague, as factories could take advantage of the coal mines and ironworks of the nearby region. A first suburb, Karlín, was created in 1817, and twenty years later population exceeded 100,000.
The revolutions that shocked all Europe around 1848 touched Prague too, but they were fiercely suppressed. In the following years the Czech nationalist movement began its rise, until it gained the majority in the town council in 1861. Prague had a German speaking majority in 1848, but by 1880 the German population had decreased to 14% (42,000), and by 1910 to 6.7% (37,000), due to a massive increase of the city's overall population caused by the influx of Czechs from the rest of Bohemia and Moravia and also due to ethnic mixing and assimilation.