title: "Western yellow wagtail" content: wagtail (except that the blue tones to the head are paler and more mauve and the white of the head is more extensive, particularly on the throat, ear-coverts, and supercilium) is colloquially referred to as Channel wagtail. In the Pyramid Texts of Old Kingdom Egypt, the yellow wagtail was considered a representation of Atum himself and might have been the first inspiration for the Bennu bird, which, in turn, is the supposed inspiration for the phoenix of Greek mythology. Western yellow wagtail The western yellow wagtail ("Motacilla flava") is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes


title: "West Australian Football League" content: Western Australian players in the AFL. The judges were The West Australian's sports reporter Ross Lewis, Football Budget editor Tracey Lewis, Claremont CEO Todd Shimmon, former players Clint Roberts, Bill Monaghan, Todd Ridley plus historians Greg Wardell-Johnson and Steve Davies. West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the third-most popular league in the nation, behind the nationwide Australian Football League (AFL) and South Australian National Football League (SANFL). The league currently consists of nine teams, which play each other in a 24-round season


title: "The Variable Man" content: first term and protection was lost permanently. The Terran system is growing and expanding all the time. But an old and corrupt Centaurian Empire is holding Terra down, as it encircles the Terran system and will not let the humans grow out of their current empire. For this reason Terra is at war with Proxima Centauri and is trying to find a way of breaking free from the Centaurian's hold upon them. In the war that results, Terra is continually coming up with new weapons to try and break the Centaurian defenses, but Proxima Centauri is also continually updating its


title: "Sam Crawford" content: tales of Tiger teammates such as Cobb, Cincinnati teammates such as deaf player William "Dummy" Hoy, and opponents such as Wagner helped to make the book one of the most admired ever written about baseball. Crawford spent much of his later years working in his garden and reading. During the Ritter interviews, he quoted from the works of philosopher George Santayana and abolitionist Robert Ingersoll, and discussed the works of one of his favorite writers, Honoré de Balzac. As for how he hoped to be remembered, he said: "When I kick off they’ll say, ‘Well, good old Sam, he wasn’t


title: "Plan Colombia" content: the State Department, while others signed contracts with the Defense Department. As enacted in 2000, Plan Colombia called for two U.S. supported actions in Colombia. The first was to cause the “eradication, interdiction, and alternative development” of coca fields which are used to produce cocaine—which in turn provided most of the funding for the FARC. And second, to offer social and economic assistance to the rural areas that the FARC have controlled for half a century. A third more security oriented countermeasure—to provide enhanced intelligence, training and supplies to Colombian armed forces against the FARC—took greater importance post 9/11 under


title: "A6 road (England)" content: River Brock at Brock, and passes the site of a former railway station; a bridge carries the road over the Lancaster Canal. At Catterall, it meets the B6430 – the original A6 route – and crosses the River Wyre, and as Preston Lancaster New Road meets the A586 (for Churchtown). It enters Garstang and crosses the Lancaster Canal again. It meets the B5272 and B6430 – the original A6 coming back to meet us – and enters Cabus. At Forton, it passes close to the Forton service station on the M6. At Potters Brook, it meets a crossroads and enters


title: "Shell (projectile)" content: yield have led some nations to limit their explosive rounds to 20 mm or larger. International Law precludes the use of explosive ammunition for use against individual persons, but not against vehicles and aircraft. The largest shells ever fired were those from the German super-railway guns, Gustav and Dora, which were 800 mm (31.5 in) in caliber. Very large shells have been replaced by rockets, missiles, and bombs, and today the largest shells in common use are 155 mm (6.1 in). Gun calibers have standardized around a few common sizes, especially in the larger range, mainly due to the uniformity


title: "Big Black" content: how I would differentiate what we were doing from what other people were doing." Both Albini and Riley described Big Black as a punk rock band. AllMusic has associated their sound with both hardcore and post-punk and described them as influential to indie rock as well as pioneers of noise rock and post-hardcore. A major component of Big Black's music was the drum machine. Rather than attempt to make it emulate the sound of a normal drum kit, the band chose to exploit the idiosyncrasies of its synthetic sounds. On many songs Albini programmed it to accent the first and


title: "Nelson W. Aldrich" content: Deeply committed to the efficiency model of the Progressive Era, he believed that his financial and trade policies would lead to greater efficiency. Reformers, however, denounced him as representative of the evils of big business. His daughter Abigail married into the Rockefeller family, and his descendants, including namesake Nelson A. Rockefeller, became powerful figures in American politics and banking. Aldrich was born in Foster, Rhode Island, into a middle-class family descended from noted English immigrants John Winthrop, William Wickenden, and Roger Williams. His branch passed through generations of declining circumstances. His father was Anan E. Aldrich, a mill hand, and


title: Dianthus content: Dianthus Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species ("D. repens") in arctic North America. Common names include carnation ("D. caryophyllus"), pink ("D. plumarius" and related species) and sweet william ("D. barbatus"). The species are mostly herbaceous perennials, a few are annual or biennial, and some are low subshrubs with woody basal stems. The leaves are opposite, simple, mostly linear and often strongly glaucous grey-green to blue-green. The flowers have five petals, typically with a


title: Dianthus content: frilled or pinked margin, and are (in almost all species) pale to dark pink. One species, "D. knappii", has yellow flowers with a purple centre. Some species, particularly the perennial pinks, are noted for their strong spicy fragrance. Hybrids include; The name "Dianthus" is from the Greek words Διός "Dios" ("of Zeus") and ἀνθός "anthos" ("flower"), and was cited by the Greek botanist Theophrastus. The color pink may be named after the flower, coming from the frilled edge of the flowers: the verb "to pink" dates from the 14th century and means "to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern".


title: Dianthus content: As is also demonstrated by the name of "pinking shears", special scissors for cloth that create a zigzag or decorative edge that discourages fraying. "Dianthus" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Cabbage Moth, Double-striped Pug, Large Yellow Underwing and The Lychnis. Also three species of "Coleophora" case-bearers feed exclusively on "Dianthus"; "C. dianthi", "C. dianthivora" and "C. musculella" (which feeds exclusively on "D. superbus"). Since 1717, dianthus species have been extensively bred and hybridised to produce many thousands of cultivars for garden use and floristry, in all shades of white, pink, yellow


title: Dianthus content: and red, with a huge variety of flower shapes and markings. They are often divided into the following main groups:- Over 100 varieties have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In the language of flowers, pink Dianthus symbolize boldness. "Dianthus gratianopolitanus" – the Cheddar Pink – was chosen as the County flower of Somerset in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife. "Dianthus Japonicus" is the official flower of Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Japan. Dianthus Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe


title: "The Shield" content: who was the female lead during the fourth season; Forest Whitaker, who guest starred in seasons 5 and 6; Laura Harring, in season 5; Franka Potente, in season 6; and Laurie Holden, in season 7. The series has received critical acclaim as well as several awards and nominations. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2002, and the final season won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series. In 2013, "TV Guide" ranked "The Shield" #50 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time. Chiklis won both the Primetime Emmy


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: Dark-eyed junco The dark-eyed junco ("Junco hyemalis") is a species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. It is a very variable species, much like the related fox sparrow ("Passerella iliaca"), and its systematics are still not completely untangled. Adults generally have gray heads, necks, and breasts, gray or brown backs and wings, and a white belly, but show a confusing amount of variation in plumage details. The white outer tail feathers flash distinctively in flight and while hopping


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: on the ground. The bill is usually pale pinkish. Males tend to have darker, more conspicuous markings than the females. The dark-eyed junco is long and has a wingspan of . Body mass can vary from . Among standard measurements, the wing cord is , the tail is , the bill is and the tarsus is . Juveniles often have pale streaks and may even be mistaken for vesper sparrows ("Pooecetes gramineus") until they acquire adult plumage at 2 to 3 months. But junco fledglings' heads are generally quite uniform in color already, and initially their bills still have conspicuous


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: yellowish edges to the gape, remains of the fleshy wattles that guide the parents when they feed the nestlings. The song is a trill similar to the chipping sparrow's ("Spizella passerina"), except that the red-backed junco's (see below) song is more complex, similar to that of the yellow-eyed junco ("Junco phaeonotus"). The call also resembles that of the black-throated blue warbler's, which is a member of the New World warbler family. Calls include "tick" sounds and very high-pitched tinkling "chip"s. It is known among bird language practitioners as an excellent bird to study for learning "bird language." A sample of


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: the song can be heard at the USGS web site here (MP3) or at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology web site here. The dark-eyed junco was described by Linnaeus in his 1758 "Systema naturae" as "Fringilla hyemalis". The description consisted merely of the laconic remark ""F[ringilla] nigra, ventre albo." ("A black 'finch' with white belly"), a reference to a source, and a statement that it came from "America". Linnaeus' source was Mark Catesby who described the slate-colored junco before binomial nomenclature as his "snow-bird", "moineau de neige" or "passer nivalis" ("snow sparrow") thus: "The Bill of this Bird is white:


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: The Breast and Belly white. All the rest of the Body black; but in some places dusky, inclining to Lead-color. In "Virginia" and "Carolina" they appear only in Winter: and in Snow they appear most. In Summer none are seen. Whether they retire and breed in the North (which is most probable) or where they go, when they leave these Countries in Spring, is to me unknown." [italics in original] The slate-colored junco is unmistakable enough to make it readily recognizable even from Linnaeus' minimal description. "Junco" is the Spanish for rush, from Latin "juncus". Its modern scientific name means


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: "winter junco", from Latin "hyemalis" "of the winter". The several subspecies make up two large groups and three to five small or monotypic ones. The five basic groups were formerly considered separate species (and the Guadalupe junco frequently still is), but they interbreed extensively in areas of contact. Birders trying to identify subspecies are advised to consult detailed identification references. This group has dark slate-gray head, breast and upperparts. Females are brownish gray, sometimes with reddish-brown flanks. They breed in North American taiga forests from Alaska to Newfoundland and south to the Appalachian Mountains, wintering through most of the United


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: States. They are relatively common across their range. The white-winged junco has a medium-gray head, breast, and upperparts with white wing bars. Females are washed brownish. It has more white in the tail than the other forms. It is a common endemic breeder in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Montana, and winters south to northeastern New Mexico. These have a blackish-gray head and breast with a brown back and wings and reddish flanks, tending toward duller and paler plumage in the inland and southern parts of its range. This is the most common form in


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: the west, found in the Pacific coast mountains from southeastern Alaska to extreme northern Baja California, wintering to the Great Plains and northern Sonora. An unresolved debate exists as to whether this large and distinct group is a full species. Often considered part of the Oregon group, it has a lighter gray head and breast than the Oregon group with contrasting dark lores. The back and wings are brown. It has pinkish-cinnamon color that is richer and covers more of the flanks and breast than in Oregon juncos. It breeds in the northern Rocky Mountains from southern Alberta to eastern


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: Idaho and western Wyoming; it winters in central Idaho and nearby Montana and from southwestern South Dakota, southern Wyoming, and northern Utah to northern Sonora and Chihuahua. This subspecies is essentially rather light gray on top with a rusty back. It breeds in the southern Rocky Mountains from Colorado to central Arizona and New Mexico, and winters into northern Mexico. Often included with "J. h. caniceps" as 'gray-headed juncos, it differs from the gray-headed junco proper in having a more silvery bill with a dark upper mandible, a variable amount of rust on the wings, and pale underparts. This makes


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: it similar to the yellow-eyed junco ("J. phaeonotus") except for the dark eye. It is found in the southern mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. It does not overlap with the yellow-eyed junco in breeding range. The extremely rare Guadalupe junco is also considered part of this species by some authors, namely the IUCN, which restores it to subspecies status in 2008. Other authors consider it a species in its own right – perhaps a rather young one, but certainly this population has evolved more rapidly than the mainland juncos due to its small population size and the founder effect.


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: Their breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed forest areas throughout North America. In otherwise optimal conditions they also utilize other habitat, but at the southern margin of its range it can only persist in its favorite habitat. Northern birds migrate further south, arriving in their winter quarters between mid-September and November and leaving to breed from mid-March onwards, with almost all gone by the end of April or so. Many populations are permanent residents or altitudinal migrants, while in cold years birds may choose to stay in the winter range and breed there. In winter, juncos are familiar in and


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: around towns, and in many places are the most common birds at feeders. The slate-colored junco is a rare vagrant to western Europe and may successfully winter in Great Britain, usually in domestic gardens. These birds forage on the ground. In winter, they often forage in flocks that may contain several subspecies. They mainly eat insects and seeds. They usually nest in a cup-shaped depression on the ground, well hidden by vegetation or other material, although nests are sometimes found in the lower branches of a shrub or tree. The nests have an outer diameter of about and are lined


title: "Dark-eyed junco" content: with fine grasses and hair. Normally two clutches of four eggs are laid during the breeding season. The slightly glossy eggs are grayish or pale bluish-white and heavily spotted (sometimes splotched) with various shades of brown, purple or gray. The spotting is concentrated at the large end of the egg. The eggs are incubated by the female for 12 to 13 days. Young leave nest between 11 and 14 days after hatching. Dark-eyed junco The dark-eyed junco ("Junco hyemalis") is a species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate


title: "White-crowned sparrow" content: White-crowned sparrow The white-crowned sparrow ("Zonotrichia leucophrys") is a species of passerine bird native to North America. A medium-sized member of the American sparrow family, this species is marked by a grey face and black and white streaking on the upper head. It breeds in brushy areas in the taiga and tundra of the northernmost parts of the continent and in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast. While southerly populations in the Rocky Mountains and coast are largely resident, the breeding populations of the northerly part of its range are migratory and can be found as wintering or passage visitors


title: "White-crowned sparrow" content: through most of North America south to central Mexico. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name "Zonotrichia" is from "zone", "band", and "thrix, trikhos", "hair", and the species name "leucophrys" is from "leukos", "white", and "ophrus", "eyebrow". Adults are long and have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow, but do not have the white throat markings or yellow lores.


title: "White-crowned sparrow" content: There are five currently recognized subspecies of white-crowned sparrow ("pugetensis", "gambelii", "nuttalli", "oriantha", and "leucophrys"), varying in breeding distribution migratory route. Birds of the subspecies "nutalli" are permanent residents in California, while birds of the subspecies "gambelli" may migrate as far as the Arctic Circle during the summer breeding season. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States and northern Mexico. Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across northern Canada and the western United States. The white-crowned sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It has been sighted in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway. In 2008 a white-crowned


title: "White-crowned sparrow" content: sparrow was spotted in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, England. To commemorate the event an image of the bird was included in a window at St Margaret's Church. These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, but sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects. They mainly eat seeds, other plant parts and insects. In winter, they often forage in flocks. White-crowned sparrows nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs and lay three to five brown-marked gray or greenish-blue eggs. The white-crowned sparrow is known for its natural alertness mechanism, which allows it


title: "White-crowned sparrow" content: to stay awake for up to two weeks during migration. This effect has been studied for possible human applications, such as shift-work drowsiness or truck driving. White-crowned sparrow The white-crowned sparrow ("Zonotrichia leucophrys") is a species of passerine bird native to North America. A medium-sized member of the American sparrow family, this species is marked by a grey face and black and white streaking on the upper head. It breeds in brushy areas in the taiga and tundra of the northernmost parts of the continent and in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast. While southerly populations in the Rocky Mountains


title: "Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" content: months and 4 years of age. It is similar to Scotty Cramp, a genetic disorder in Scottish Terriers. About 1% of Cavaliers are affected by the condition, with 19% being carriers. Dogs with whole coloured coats were more likely to be affected than dogs with parti-coloured coats. As many as half of all Cavalier King Charles Spaniels may have a congenital blood disorder called idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia, an abnormally low number of platelets in the blood, according to recent studies in Denmark and the United States. Platelets, or thrombocytes, are disk-shaped blood elements which aid in blood clotting. Excessively low


title: "Pahlavi dynasty" content: "Keshvar-e Shâhanshâhi-ye Irân") was adopted. Following the 1953 Iranian coup d'état supported by United Kingdom and United States, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's rule became more autocratic and was aligned with the Western Bloc during the Cold War. Faced with growing public discontent and popular rebellion throughout 1978 and after declaring surrender and officially resigning, the second Pahlavi went into exile with his family in January 1979, sparking a series of events that quickly led to the end of the state and the beginning of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 11 February 1979, officially ending the 2500-year-old Persian monarchy. The Pahlavi


title: "Anthony Blunt" content: by the Royal Navy. During that same year he was recruited to MI5, the Security Service. Before the war MI5 employed mostly former Indian policemen, for it was in India that the British Empire faced security threats. MI5 may have known Blunt's views, for an officer later claimed that it had been virtually running the Communist Party of Great Britain and complained about the cost of pension payments to its retired infiltrators. Blunt passed the results of Ultra intelligence from decrypted Enigma intercepts of Wehrmacht radio traffic from the Russian front. He also admitted to passing details of German spy


title: "Battle of the Pelennor Fields" content: book, he has to find Gandalf to prevent Denethor from burning Faramir. This part is very similar to the book. The second side is the battle itself. Théoden's speech is declaimed, followed by music. A vocalist sings how the Rohirrim host rides forth and attacks the forces of darkness. Then the vocalism changes again and one hears Jack May and Anthony Hyde, voicing respectively Théoden and Éomer, saying a Nazgûl is coming. The 'opera' begins again, stating the Witch-king attacks Théoden, smacks him down and prepares to kill him. The vocalism ends here, then one hears Éowyn facing the Witch-king


title: "Length contraction" content: in opposite directions along the x* axis, considered at rest, at the same speed with respect to it. Endpoints A'A" then meet at point A*, and B'B" meet at point B*. Einstein pointed out that length A*B* is shorter than A'B' or A"B", which can also be demonstrated by bringing one of the rods to rest with respect to that axis. Due to superficial application of the contraction formula some paradoxes can occur. Examples are the ladder paradox and Bell's spaceship paradox. However, those paradoxes can simply be solved by a correct application of relativity of simultaneity. Another famous paradox


title: "Democratic Party of Japan" content: Legislative productivity under the DPJ was particularly low, falling to levels unprecedented in recent Japanese history according to some measures. However, the DPJ implemented a number of progressive measures during its time in office such as the provision of free public schooling through high school, increases in child-rearing subsidies, expanded unemployment insurance coverage, extended duration of a housing allowance, and stricter regulations safeguarding part-time and temporary workers. On 27 March 2016 the DPJ merged with the Japan Innovation Party and Vision of Reform to form the Democratic Party (2016) ("Minshintō"). It is not to be confused with the now-defunct Japan


title: "Medellín" content: Medellín was among 200 cities around the world, including New York and Tel Aviv, nominated for Most Innovative City of the Year due to a great advancement in public transportation, with more than 500,000 residents and visitors using its Metro train system each day; a public bike-share program; new facilities and landmarks, including the España Library and a cultural center in Moravia; a large outdoor escalator the size of a 28-story building, enabling residents of the city’s elevated Comuna 13 neighborhood to safely ride down the steep hillside; and a Metro system which reduces Medellín’s CO2 emissions by 175,000 tons


title: Soundproofing content: by installing a combination of different types of materials. The automotive environment limits the thickness of materials that can be used, but combinations of dampers, barriers, and absorbers are common. Common materials include felt, foam, polyester, and Polypropylene blend materials. Waterproofing may be necessary based on materials used. Acoustic foam can be applied in different areas of a vehicle during manufacture to reduce cabin noise. Foams also have cost and performance advantages in installation since foam material can expand and fill cavities after application and also prevent leaks and some gases from entering the vehicle. Vehicle soundproofing can reduce wind,


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: McDonnell Douglas MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliners. It was lengthened and updated from the DC-9. This series can seat from 130 to 172 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. The MD-80 series was introduced into commercial service on October 10, 1980 by Swissair. The series includes the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87, and MD-88. These all have the same fuselage length except the shortened MD-87. The series was followed into service in modified form by the MD-90 in 1995 and the Boeing 717 (originally MD-95) in 1999. Douglas


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: Aircraft developed the DC-9 in the 1960s as a short-range companion to their larger DC-8. The DC-9 was an all-new design, using two rear fuselage-mounted turbofan engines, and a T-tail. The DC-9 has a narrow-body fuselage design with five-abreast seating, and holds 80 to 135 passengers depending on seating arrangement and aircraft version. The DC-9 family was produced in 2441 units: 976 DC-9s, 1191 MD-80s, 116 MD-90s and 155 Boeing 717s.. The development of MD-80 series began in the 1970s as a lengthened, growth version of the DC-9-50, with a higher maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and a higher fuel capacity.


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: Availability of newer versions of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine with higher bypass ratios drove early studies including designs known as Series 55, Series 50 (refanned Super Stretch), and Series 60. The design effort focused on the Series 55 in August 1977. With the projected entry into service in 1980, the design was marketed as the "DC-9 Series 80". Swissair launched the Series 80 in October 1977 with an order for 15 plus an option for five. The MD-80 is a mid-size, medium-range airliner. The series featured a fuselage longer than the DC-9-50. The DC-9's wing design was enlarged


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: by adding sections at the wing root and tip for a 28% larger wing. The initial Series 80 first flew October 19, 1979. It was certified as a version of the DC-9. It was the second generation of the DC-9, originally called the DC-9-80 and the DC-9 Super 80. The design was the second generation of the DC-9 with two rear fuselage-mounted turbofan engines, small, highly efficient wings, and a T-tail. The aircraft has distinctive five-abreast seating in the coach class. The aircraft series was designed for frequent, short-haul flights for 130 to 172 passengers depending on plane version and


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: seating arrangement. The MD-80 versions have cockpit, avionics and aerodynamic upgrades along with the more powerful, more efficient and quieter JT8D-200 series engines, which are a significant upgrade over the smaller JT8D-15, -17, -11, and -9 series. The MD-80 series aircraft also have longer fuselages than their earlier DC-9 counterparts, as well as longer range. Some customers, such as American Airlines, still refer to the planes in fleet documentation as "Super 80". This model is still flown extensively by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Comparable airliners to the MD-80 series include the Boeing 737-400 and Airbus A320. The first


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: MD-80, DC-9 line number 909, made its first flight on October 19, 1979. Test flying, despite two aircraft substantially damaged in accidents, was completed on August 25, 1980, when the first variant of MD-80, the JT8D-209-powered MD-81 (or DC-9-81), was certified under an amendment to the FAA type certificate for the DC-9. The flight-testing leading up to certification had involved three aircraft accumulating a total of 1,085 flying hours on 795 flights. The first delivery, to launch customer Swissair took place on September 13, 1980. As the MD-80 was not in effect a new aircraft, it continues to be operated


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: under an amendment to the original DC-9 FAA aircraft type certificate (a similar case to the later MD-90 and Boeing 717 aircraft). The type certificate issued to the aircraft manufacturer carries the aircraft model designations exactly as it appears on the manufacturer's application, including use of hyphens or decimal points, and should match what is stamped on the aircraft's data or nameplate. What the manufacturer chooses to call an aircraft for marketing or promotional purposes is irrelevant to the airworthiness authorities. The first amendment to the DC-9 type certificate for the new MD-80 aircraft was applied as DC-9-81, which approved


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: on August 26, 1980. All MD-80 models have since been approved under additional amendments to the DC-9 type certificate. In 1983, McDonnell Douglas decided that the DC-9-80 (Super 80) would be designated the MD-80. Instead of merely using the MD- prefix as a marketing symbol, an application was made to again amend the type certificate to include the MD-81, MD-82, and MD-83. This change was dated March 10, 1986, and the type certificate declared that although the MD designator could be used in parentheses, it must be accompanied by the official designation, for example: DC-9-81 (MD-81). All Long Beach aircraft


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: in the MD-80 series thereafter had MD-81, MD-82, or MD-83 stamped on the aircraft nameplate. Although not certified until October 21, 1987, McDonnell Douglas had already applied for models DC-9-87 and DC-9-87F on February 14, 1985. The third derivative was similarly officially designated DC-9-87 (MD-87), although no nameplates were stamped DC-9-87. For the MD-88, an application for a type certificate model amendment was made after the earlier changes, so there was not a DC-9-88, which was certified on December 8, 1987. The FAA's online aircraft registry database shows the DC-9-88 and DC-9-80 designations in existence but unused. The second generation


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: (later named MD-80s) was produced on a common line with the first generation DC-9s, with which it shares its line number sequence. After the delivery of 976 DC-9s and 108 MD-80s, McDonnell Douglas stopped DC-9 production. Hence, commencing with the 1,085th DC-9/MD-80 delivery, an MD-82 for VIASA in December 1982, all DC-9s produced were Series 80s/MD-80s. In 1985, McDonnell Douglas, after years of negotiating attributed to Gareth C.C. Chang, president of a McDonnell Douglas subsidiary, signed an agreement for joint production of MD-80s and MD-90s in the People's Republic of China. The agreement was for 26 aircraft, of which 20


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: were eventually produced along with two MD-90 aircraft. During 1991, MD-80 production had reached a peak of 12 per month, having been running at approximately 10 per month since 1987 and was expected to continue at this rate in the near term (140 MD-80s were delivered in 1991). As a result of the decline in the air traffic and a slow market response to the MD-90, MD-80 production was reduced, and 84 aircraft were handed over in 1992. A further production rate cut resulted in 42 MD-80s delivered during 1993 (3.5 per month) and 22 aircraft were handed over. MD-80


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: production ended in 1999. The MD-90 was developed from the MD-80 series and is a , updated version of the MD-88 with a similar electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) (glass cockpit), and improved, and quieter IAE V2500 high-bypass turbofan engines. The MD-90 program began in 1989, first flew in 1993, and entered commercial service in 1995. Several other proposed variants never entered production. One proposal was the MD-94X, which was fitted with unducted fan turbofan engines. Previously, an MD-81 was used as a testbed for unducted fan engines, such as the General Electric GE36 and the Pratt & Whitney/Allison 578-DX.


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: The MD-95 was developed to replace early DC-9 models, which were approaching 30 years of age. The project completely overhauled the original DC-9 into a modern airliner. It is slightly longer than the DC-9-30 and is powered by new Rolls-Royce BR715 engines. The MD-95 was renamed "Boeing 717" after the McDonnell Douglas—Boeing merger in 1997. In February 2010, Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) based in Miami, Florida announced it was beginning a freighter conversion program for the MD-80 series. The converted aircraft use the "MD-80SF" designation. AEI was the first firm to receive a supplemental type certificate for the MD-80 family


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: from the FAA in February 2013. The first conversion was undertaken on an ex-American Airlines MD-82 aircraft, which was used as a testbed for the supplemental type. The MD-80SF made its inaugural flight on 28 September 2012. AEI is certified to perform conversions on MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, and MD-88 aircraft. The launch customer for the conversion service is Everts Air Cargo. In October 2015, the MD-80SF was approved by the EASA. The first MD-80SF was delivered to Everts Air Cargo in February 2013. The MD-80 series has been used by airlines around the world. Major customers have included Aerolíneas Argentinas,


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: Aeroméxico, Aeropostal Aerorepublica, Alaska Airlines, Alitalia, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Aserca, Austral Líneas Aéreas, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, China Eastern Airlines, China Northern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Air System (JAS), Korean Air, Lion Air, Martinair Holland, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), Reno Air, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Spanair, Insel Air, Swissair, Trans World Airlines and Meridiana. American Airlines was the first US major carrier to order the MD-80 when it leased twenty 142-seat aircraft from McDonnell Douglas in October 1982 to replace its Boeing 727-100. It committed to 67 firm orders plus 100 options in March 1984, and in


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: 2002 its fleet peaked at more than 360 aircraft, 360/1191*100round0 % of the 1,191 produced. It will remove all of its MD-80s by 2019, replacing them with 737-800s. Due to the use of the aging JT8D engines, the MD-80 is not fuel efficient compared to the A320 or newer 737 models; it burns of jet fuel per hour on a typical flight, while the larger Boeing 737-800 burns per hour (19% reduction). Starting in the 2000s, many airlines began to retire the type. Alaska Airlines' tipping point in using the 737-800 was the $4 per gallon price of jet fuel


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: the airline was paying by the summer of 2008; the airline stated that a typical Los Angeles-Seattle flight would cost $2,000 less, using a Boeing 737-800, than the same flight using an MD-80. Midwest Airlines announced on July 14, 2008, that it would retire all 12 of its MD-80s (used primarily on routes to the West Coast) by the fall. The JT8D's comparatively lower maintenance costs due to simpler design help narrow the fuel cost gap. References: Flight International's Commercial Aircraft of the World 1981, 1982, 1983, Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1994–1995, and 2004-2005. Dimensions: The basic "long-body" MD-80


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: versions (MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, and MD-88) have an overall length of , and a fuselage length of that is 4.62 m longer than the DC-9-50 and 13.5 m longer than the initial DC-9, the Series 10. Wingspan was also increased by 4.4 m in comparison with earlier DC-9s at . The aircraft's passenger cabin, from cockpit door to aft bulkhead, is long and, as with all versions of the DC-9, has a maximum cabin width (trim-to-trim) of . Powerplant: The initial production version of the MD-80 was the Pratt and Whitney JT8D-209 thrust powered MD-81. Later build MD-81s have been


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: delivered with more powerful JT8D-217 and -219 engines. APU: All versions of the MD-80 are equipped with an AlliedSignal (Garrett) GTCP85-98D APU as standard, which is located in the aft fuselage. Flight deck: The MD-80 is equipped with a two crew flightdeck similar to that on the DC-9 from which it evolved. Later models could be equipped to a higher specification with EFIS displays in place of the traditional analogue instruments, TCAS, windshear detection, etc. An EFIS retrofit to non-EFIS equipped aircraft is possible. Cabin: Typical passenger cabin seating arrangements include: Undercarriage: All versions of the MD-80 are equipped with


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: a tricycle undercarriage, featuring a twin nose unit with spray deflector and twin main units with rock deflectors. The MD-80T, developed for the Chinese, differs in that the main units are each fitted with a four-wheel double main bogey undercarriage to reduce pavement loading. Aerodynamic improvements: From mid-1987, new MD-87-style low-drag "beaver" tail cones were introduced on all series of MD-80s, reducing drag and improving fuel burn. Some operators have been modifying the old DC-9-style cones on earlier-build MD-80s to the new low-drag style. Scandinavian Airlines System has done this, citing the improved economics and cosmetics from the modification. The


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: MD-81 (or as it was originally known the DC-9 Super 81 or DC-9-81) was the first production model of the MD-80, and apart from the MD-87, the differences between the various long-body MD-80 variants is relatively minor. The four long-body models (MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, and MD-88) only differ from each other in having different engine variants, fuel capacities, and weights. The MD-88 and later build versions of the other models have more up-to-date flight decks featuring for example EFIS. Performance: Standard maximum take-off weight (MTOW) on the MD-81 is with the option to increase to . Fuel capacity is ,


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: and typical range, with 155 passengers, is 1,565 nmi. Announced on April 16, 1979, the MD-82 (DC-9-82) was a new MD-80 variant with similar dimensions to those of the MD-81 but equipped with more powerful engines. The MD-82 was intended for operation from 'hot and high' airports but also offered greater payload/range when in use at 'standard' airfields. American Airlines is the world's largest operator of the MD-82, with at one point over 300 MD-82s in the fleet. Originally certified with thrust JT8D-217s, a -217A-powered MD-82 was certified in mid-1982 and became available that year. The new version featured a


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: higher MTOW (), while the JT8D-217As had a guaranteed take-off thrust at temperature of up to 29 degrees C or altitude. The JT8D-217C engines were also offered on the MD-82, giving improved Thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC). Several operators took delivery of the -219-powered MD-82s, while Balair ordered its MD-82s powered by the lower-thrust -209 engine. The MD-82 features an increased standard MTOW initially to , and this was later increased to . Standard fuel capacity is the same as that of the MD-81, , and typical range with 155 passengers is . The MD-82 was assembled under license in


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: Shanghai by the Shanghai Aviation Industrial Corporation (SAIC) beginning in November 1986; the sub-assemblies were delivered by McDonnell Douglas in kit form. China had begun design on a cargo version, designated Y-13, but the project was subsequently cancelled with the conclusion of the licensed assembly of the MD-82 and MD-90 in China. In 2012, Aeronautical Engineers Inc. performed the first commercial freighter conversion of an MD-82. The MD-83 (DC-9-83) is a longer range version of the basic MD-81/82 with higher weights, more powerful engines, and increased fuel capacity. Powerplant: Compared to earlier models, the MD-83 is equipped with slightly more


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: powerful thrust Pratt and Whitney JT8D-219s as standard. Performance: The MD-83 features increased fuel capacity as standard (to ), which is carried in two auxiliary tanks located fore and aft of the center section. The aircraft also has higher operating weights, with MTOW increased to and MLW to . Typical range for the MD-83 with 155 passengers is around . To cope with the higher operating weights, the MD-83 incorporates strengthened landing gear including new wheels, tires, and brakes, changes to the wing skins, front spar web and elevator spar cap, and strengthened floor beams and panels to carry the


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: auxiliary fuel tanks. From MD-80 line number 1194, an MD-81 delivered in September 1985, it is understood that all MD-80s have the same basic wing structure and in theory could be converted to MD-83 standard. In January 1985 McDonnell Douglas announced it would produce a shorter fuselage MD-80 variant, designated MD-87 (DC-9-87), which would seat between 109 and 130 passengers depending upon configuration. The designation was intended to indicate its planned date of entry into service, 1987. Dimensions: With an overall length of , the MD-87 is shorter than the other MD-80s but is otherwise generally similar to them, employing


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: the same engines, systems and flight deck. The MD-87 features modifications to its tail, with a fin extension above the tailplane. It also introduced a new low drag "beaver" tail cone, which became standard on all MD-80s. Powerplant: The MD-87 was offered with either the thrust JT8D-217C or the thrust -219. Performance: Two basic versions of the MD-87 were made available with either an MTOW of and MLW of or an MTOW of and an MLW of . Fuel capacity is , increasing to with the incorporation of two auxiliary fuel tanks. Typical range with 130 passengers, is increasing to


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: with two auxiliary fuel tanks. Cabin: The MD-87 provides typical mixed-class seating for 114 passengers or 130 in an all economy layout (five-abreast 31 in and 32 in seat pitch). The maximum seating, exit limited, is for 139 passengers. The MD-88 was the last variant of the MD-80, which was launched on January 23, 1986 on the back of orders and options from Delta Air Lines for a total of 80 aircraft. The MD-88 is, depending on specification, basically similar to the MD-82 or MD-83 except it incorporates an EFIS cockpit instead of the more traditional analog flight deck of


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: the other MD-80s. Other changes incorporated into the MD-88 include a wind-shear warning system and general updating of the cabin interior/trim. These detail changes are relatively minor and were written back as standard on the MD-82/83. The wind-shear warning system was offered as a standard option on all other MD-80s and has been made available for retrofitting on earlier aircraft including the DC-9. Delta's earlier delivered MD-82s were upgraded to MD-88 specifications. When McDonnell Douglas was asked why these aircraft were MD-88s and not MD-82s, they said the customer, Delta Air Lines, thought its specification was sufficiently different to warrant


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: a new designation. MD-88 deliveries began in December 1987 and it entered service with Delta in January 1988. Performance: The MD-88 has the same weights, range, and airfield performance as the other long-body aircraft (MD-82 and MD-83) and is powered by the same engines. MDC quotes a typical range for the MD-88 as with 155 passengers. Range with 155 passengers is increased to with two additional auxiliary fuel tanks (similar to the MD-83). According to a Wall Street Journal article published March 9, 2015, "pilots and other safety experts have long known that when the MD-88's reversers are deployed, its


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: rudder...sometimes may not be powerful enough to control deviations to the left or right from the center of a runway...safety board investigators, among other things, are looking to see if this tendency played any role in the crash.." referring to the crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 at New York City's La Guardia Airport in March 2015. McDonnell Douglas revealed at the end of 1990 that it would be developing an MD-80 improvement package with the intent to offer beginning in early 1991 for delivery from mid-1993. The aircraft became known as the "MD-80 Advanced". The main improvement was


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: the installation of Pratt & Whitney JT8D-290 engines with a 1.5 in larger diameter fan and would, it was hoped, allow a 6 dB reduction in exterior noise. Due to lack of market interest, McDonnell Douglas dropped its plans to offer the MD-80 Advanced during 1991. Then in 1993, a "mark 2" MD-80 Advanced version reappeared with the modified JT8D-290 engines as previously proposed. The company also evaluated the addition of winglets on the MD-80. In late 1993, Pratt & Whitney launched a modified version of the JT8D-200 series, the -218B, which was being offered for the DC-9X re-engining program,


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: and was also evaluating the possibility of developing a new JT8D for possible retrofit on the MD-80. The engine would also be available on new build MD-80s. The to thrust -218B engine version shares a 98% commonality with the existing engine, with changes designed to reduce NOx, improve durability, and reduce noise levels by 3 dB. The 218B could be certified in early to mid-1996. The new engine, dubbed the "8000", was to feature a new fan of increased diameter (by 1.7 in), extended exhaust cone, a larger LP compressor, a new annular burner, and a new LP turbine and


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: mixer. The initial thrust rating would be around . A launch decision on the new engine was expected by mid-1994, but never occurred. The MD-80 Advanced was also to offer a new flight deck instrumentation package and a completely new passenger compartment design. These changes would be available by retrofit to existing MD-80s, and was forecast to enter service by July 1993. The MD-80 Advanced was to incorporate the advanced flight deck of the MD-88, including a choice of reference systems, with an inertial reference system as standard fitting and optional attitude-heading equipment. It was to be equipped with an


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: electronic flight instrument system (EFIS), an optional second flight management system (FMS), and light-emitting diode (LED) dot-matrix electronic engine and system displays. A Honeywell wind-shear computer and provision for an optional traffic-alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) were also to be included. A new interior would have a 12% increase in overhead baggage space and stowage compartment lights that come on when the doors open, as well as new video system featuring drop-down LCD monitors above. The lack of market interest for the MD-80 Advanced during 1991 led McDonnell Douglas to drop its plans for the development. The MD-90-30 is


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: a stretched variant with two more powerful V2500 engines. The MD-90ER extended range version was also offered. The MD-95 was developed as a replacement for the earlier DC-9-30. After McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged it was renamed and produced as the Boeing 717. There were 298 MD-80 series aircraft in service as of July 2018, with operators including Delta Air Lines (101), American Airlines (43), Allegiant Air (32), LASER Airlines (12), Aeronaves TSM (9), Bulgarian Air Charter (9) and other carriers with smaller fleets. In addition to passenger airlines, several MD-87 planes have been converted for aerial firefighting use by


title: "McDonnell Douglas MD-80" content: Aero Air/Erickson Aero Tanker. As of February 2018, the MD-80 series has been involved in 71 incidents, including 35 hull-loss accidents, with 1,446 fatalities of occupants. McDonnell Douglas MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliners. It was lengthened and updated from the DC-9. This series can seat from 130 to 172 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. The MD-80 series was introduced into commercial service on October 10, 1980 by Swissair. The series includes the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87, and MD-88. These all have the same fuselage length except


title: "Heidelberg School" content: early 1890s. Besides Arthur Streeton and Walter Withers, other major artists in the movement included Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Conder. See below for a list of other associated artists. In August 1889, several artists of the Heidelberg School staged the 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition at Buxton's Rooms, Swanston Street, opposite the Melbourne Town Hall. The exhibition's three principal artists were Charles Conder, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton, with minor contributions from Frederick McCubbin, National Gallery students R. E. Falls and Herbert Daly, and sculptor Charles Douglas Richardson, who exhibited five "sculpted impressions". Most of the 183 works


title: "Emperor Yuan of Han" content: given responsibilities, and further commented that Emperor Yuan would bring the downfall of the Liu imperial clan—words that would turn out to be fairly prophetic. This would also bring his father to consider changing the succession plans, as he was also disappointed by Prince Shi's general lack of resolve. He considered creating Prince Shi's younger brother Liu Qin, the Prince of Huaiyang, crown prince instead, but could not bring himself to do so—remembering how Prince Shi's mother Empress Xu was his first love and had been murdered by poisoning, and also how he depended on his father-in-law in his youth.


title: "Emperor Yuan of Han" content: Prince Shi's position therefore was not seriously threatened. In 49 BC, Emperor Xuan fell deathly ill. Before his death, he commissioned his cousin-once-removed Shi Gao (史高), Prince Shi's teacher Xiao Wangzhi (), and Xiao's assistant Zhou Kan (周堪) to serve as regents. After he died, Prince Shi ascended the throne as Emperor Yuan. As emperor, Emperor Yuan immediately started a regimen of reducing governmental spending, with the objective of reducing the burdens of the people in mind. He also started a program for social assistance to provide stipends for the poor and new entrepreneurs. He also, contrary to his father's


title: "Battle of Fort Sumter" content: relief expedition arrived. The Confederate cabinet, meeting in Montgomery, endorsed Davis's order on April 9. Only Secretary of State Robert Toombs opposed this decision: he reportedly told Jefferson Davis the attack "will lose us every friend at the North. You will only strike a hornet's nest. ... Legions now quiet will swarm out and sting us to death. It is unnecessary. It puts us in the wrong. It is fatal." Beauregard dispatched aides—Col. James Chesnut, Col. James A. Chisholm, and Capt. Stephen D. Lee—to Fort Sumter on April 11 to issue the ultimatum. Anderson refused, although he reportedly commented, "I


title: "Tom Brady" content: previous season's AFC Championship Game. The report concluded that, more likely than not, Brady was at least generally aware of the intentional deflation. On May 11, Brady was suspended for four games by the NFL for his involvement based on "substantial and credible evidence" that Brady knew Patriots employees were deflating footballs and that he failed to cooperate with the investigators. On May 11, Troy Vincent—NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations—penned a letter to Brady that stated in part: "Your actions as set forth in the report clearly constitute conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in


title: "Emperor Ping of Han" content: Emperor Ping of Han Emperor Ping (9 BC – 3 February 6 CE) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty from 1 BC to AD 5. After Emperor Ai died childless, the throne was passed to his cousin Emperor Ping—then a child of eight years old. Wang Mang was appointed regent by the Grand Empress Dowager Wang. Dissatisfied with his father's dictatorial regency, in AD 3, Wang's son Wang Yu (王宇) conspired with Emperor Ping's maternal uncles of the Wei clan against Wang, but after they were discovered, Wang had not only Wang Yu and the Weis (except Consort


title: "Mario Del Monaco" content: and helped launch his career. That career began in earnest with Del Monaco's debut on 31 December 1940 as Pinkerton at the Puccini Theater in Milan. (His initial appearance in an opera had occurred the previous year, however, in Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" in Pesaro.) He sang in Italy during the Second World War and married, in 1941, Rina Filipini. In 1946, he appeared at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for the first time. During the ensuing years he became famous not only in London but also across the operatic world for his powerful voice and heroic acting style. It


title: "Prodigy (online service)" content: headed by Theodore Papes, a career IBM executive, until his retirement in 1992. CBS left the venture in 1986 when CBS CEO Tom Wyman was divesting properties outside of CBS's core broadcasting business. The company's service was launched regionally in 1988 in Atlanta, Hartford, and San Francisco under the name Prodigy. The marketing roll-out plan closely followed IBM's Systems Network Architecture (SNA) network backbone. A nationwide launch developed by ad agency J. Walter Thompson and sister company JWT Direct (New York) followed on September 6, 1990. Thanks to an aggressive media marketing campaign, bundling with various consumer-oriented computers such as


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the mainland to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre. Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years. Environmental concerns have been expressed about the effects of these expansions, in terms of water quality and loss of natural habitat. It has also


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: been proposed that benefits of land reclamation may be less than the effects of decreased harbour width, affecting the number of vessels passing through the harbour. Nonetheless Victoria Harbour still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year. The harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are used as gathering places for tourists and residents. The first reference to what is now called Victoria Harbour is found in Zheng He's


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: sailing maps of the China coast, dated c.1425, which appear in the "Wubei Zhi" ("A Treatise on Armament Technology"), a comprehensive 17th-century military book. While the harbour was charted in later maps, the first map depicting it in detail is an 1810 marine chart prepared for the East India Company by Daniel Ross and Philip Maughan, lieutenants of the Bombay Marine. Some of the first recreational activities to take place in the harbour were water competitions such as swimming and water polo in the 1850s, undertaken by members of Hong Kong's first sports club, the Victoria Recreation Club. During the


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: Taiping Rebellion, armed rebels paraded the streets of Hong Kong. On 21 December 1854, the Hong Kong police arrested several armed rebels who were about to attack Kowloon City. On 23 January 1855, a fleet of Taiping war boats was on the verge of a naval battle against Chinese imperial war boats defending the harbour. The Chinese defenders were ordered away by the British colonial authorities. These incidents caused rising tension that would eventually lead to the Arrow War. The harbour was originally called "Hong Kong Harbour", but was later renamed as "Victoria Harbour", to assure shelter for the British


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: fleet under Queen Victoria. The subject of pollution came to the fore in the 1970s with the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector. The water club races were stopped in 1973 due to pollution in the harbour, a year after the RMS "Queen Elizabeth" burned and capsized there. Studies also showed excessive nitrogen input from discharges of the Pearl River Delta into the harbour for decades. After completion of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Feasibility Study in 1989, the Land Development Policy Committee endorsed a concept for gradual implementation of this additional reclamation. It consists of three district development


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: cells separated by parks, namely, Central, Tamar and Exhibition. The latest proposed reclamation, extending along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay, faced public opposition, as the harbour has become a pivotal location to Hongkongers in general. Activists have denounced the government's actions as destructive not only to the natural environment, but also to what is widely considered as one of the most prized natural assets of the territory. NGOs, including the Society for Protection of the Harbour, were formed to resist further attempts to reduce the size of the waterbody, with its chairman, Christine Loh, quoted as saying


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: that the harbour "...is a precious national asset and we must preserve it for future generations. I believe an insightful and visionary chief executive would support our stance and work with us to protect the harbour". Reclamation work also led to the demolition of Queen's Pier and Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, structures of historic significance, to massive public opposition. Victoria Harbour covered an area of about in 2004. The eastern boundary is generally considered to be the line formed between the westernmost extremity of Siu Chau Wan (小酒灣) and A Kung Ngam. The western boundary is generally considered to consist


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: of a line drawn from the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island to the westernmost point of Green Island, thence a straight line drawn from the westernmost point of Green Island to the southeastern-most point of Tsing Yi, thence along the eastern and northern coastal lines of Tsing Yi to its westernmost extremity, and thence a straight line drawn true north towards the mainland. There are several islands within the harbour: Due to land reclamation, the following are former islands that are now connected to adjacent lands or larger islands: Victoria Harbour is known for its panoramic night view and


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island where the skyline of skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind. Among the best places to view the harbour are the Peak Tower atop Victoria Peak, or from the piazza at the Cultural Centre or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. Rides on the Star Ferry, including the route between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, are another way to view the harbour and cityscape. As the natural centre of the territory, the harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays on


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: the second night of the Lunar New Year. These shows are popular with tourists and locals alike, and the display is usually telecast on local television. To enhance the popularity of the harbour as a sightseeing location, the government introduced a show dubbed "A Symphony of Lights". Also recently opened was the "Avenue of Stars", built along the promenade outside the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it honours the most illustrious people the Hong Kong film industry has produced over the past decades. By the end of November every year, the


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both sides of the harbours are dressed with Christmas-related decorations, and replaced with Lunar New Year-related ones by January. Victoria Harbour is home to most of the port facilities of Hong Kong, making Hong Kong amongst the world's busiest. An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both oceangoing vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers. The Kwai Chung Container Terminals in the western part of the harbour is the main container handling facility, operating round the clock. Some 19.8 million containers (measured in TEUs)


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: were handled by the region in 2016. Some 400 container ships serve Hong Kong weekly, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world. For many years until 2004, Hong Kong handled the most containers TEUs but slipped to sixth place on declining volumes by 2016. There is no bridge crossing the harbour, but there are three cross-harbour road tunnels: Cross Harbour Tunnel (opened 1972), Eastern Harbour Crossing (1989), and Western Harbour Crossing (1997). The three tunnels act as important linkages between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Three Mass Transit Railway routes also run under the Harbour. They are namely:


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: A fourth railway route will soon also pass under the harbour as part of the Sha Tin to Central Link. It will be served by the North-South Corridor, connecting Hung Hom to Exhibition and Admiralty stations. The Star Ferry has been crossing the harbour since the late 19th century. The operated ferry routes today are: Central to Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui, the Wan Chai/Central to Hung Hom services closing in 2011 for lack of patronage. Other regular ferry services also operate in the harbour. The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company used to operate numerous


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: cross-harbour routes between various piers of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many of the routes are now operated by First Ferry. Some of the piers no longer exist because of reclamation projects, or many of the routes became unprofitable. Currently, the company continues to operate vehicular ferry services for vehicles carrying dangerous goods that are prohibited within tunnel crossings. For international passenger traffic and traffic to mainland China and Macau, there are two ferry terminals, namely Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal, and a terminal for cruises, the Ocean Terminal. Another cruise terminal (Kai Tak Cruise


title: "Victoria Harbour" content: Terminal) has recently been opened. Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the mainland to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre. Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years. Environmental concerns have been expressed about the effects of these expansions, in terms of water quality and loss of


title: Lindos content: Lindos Lindos (; ) is an archaeological site, a fishing village and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 178.9 km. It lies on the east coast of the island. It is about 50 km south of the town of Rhodes and its fine beaches make it a popular tourist and holiday destination. Lindos is situated in a large bay and faces the fishing village and small resort


title: Lindos content: of Charaki. Lindos was founded by the Dorians led by the king Tlepolemus of Rhodes, who arrived in about the 10th century BC. It was one of six Dorian cities in the area known as the Dorian Hexapolis. The eastern location of Rhodes made it a natural meeting place between the Greeks and the Phoenicians, and by the 8th century Lindos was a major trading centre. In the 6th century it was ruled by Cleobulus, one of the Seven Sages of Greece. The importance of Lindos declined after the foundation of the city of Rhodes in the late 5th century


title: Lindos content: BC. In classical times the acropolis of Lindos was dominated by the massive temple of Athena Lindia, which attained its final form in around 300 BC. In Hellenistic and Roman times the temple precinct grew as more buildings were added. In early medieval times these buildings fell into disuse, and in the 14th century they were partly overlaid by a massive fortress built on the acropolis by the Knights of St John to defend the island against the Ottomans. Above the modern town rises the acropolis of Lindos, a natural citadel which was fortified successively by the Greeks, the Romans,


title: Lindos content: the Byzantines, the Knights of St John and the Ottomans. This makes the site difficult to excavate and interpret archaeologically. The acropolis has views of the surrounding harbours and coastline. On the acropolis of Lindos today parts of the following buildings may still be seen: Some scenes of the well-known film, "The Guns of Navarone", were filmed here. Excavations were carried out at Lindos in the years 1900 to 1914 by the Carlsberg Institute of Denmark, directed by K.F. Kinch and Christian Blinkenberg. The acropolis site was excavated down to bedrock and the foundations of all the buildings were uncovered.


title: Lindos content: During the Italian occupation of the island (1912–1945) major restoration work was carried out on the Lindos acropolis, but it was poorly done and was harmful to the historic record. The north-east side of the Temple of Athena was restored. The monumental staircase to the propylaea was rebuilt and many of the columns of the Hellenistic stoa were re-erected. Large surfaces were covered with concrete. Bases and inscribed blocks were taken from their locations and placed along the restored walls. Judged by modern standards, this work took insufficient note of the evidence available from the excavations and in its methods


title: Lindos content: did damage to the remains themselves. In recent years Greek and international archaeologists under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture have been working to restore and protect the ancient buildings on the site. Lindos has a very mild climate and according to the National Observatory of Athens station it registers a mean annual temperature of 21.8 °C. Lindos Lindos (; ) is an archaeological site, a fishing village and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is


title: Cercis content: Cercis Cercis , is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised by simple, rounded to heart-shaped leaves and pinkish-red flowers borne in the early spring on bare leafless shoots, on both branches and trunk ("cauliflory"). Cercis is derived from the Greek word κερκις ("kerkis") meaning "weaver's shuttle", which was applied by Theophrastus to "C. siliquastrum". "Cercis" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mouse Moth


title: Cercis content: (recorded on Eastern Redbud).The bark of "C. chinensis" has been used in Chinese medicine as an antiseptic. "Cercis" fossils have been found that date to the Eocene. "Cercis" comprises the following species: The Judas tree ("Cercis siliquastrum") is a small tree to 10–15 m tall native to the south of Europe and southwest Asia, in Iberia, southern France, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and Asia Minor, which forms a handsome low tree with a flat spreading head. In early spring it is covered with a profusion of magenta pink flowers, which appear before the leaves. The flowers have an agreeably acidic bite,


title: Cercis content: and are eaten in mixed salad or made into fritters. The tree frequently figured in the 16th and 17th century herbals. This small, sparsely branched tree is said to be the one from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself after betraying Christ, but the name may derive from "Judea's tree", after the region encompassing Israel and Palestine where the tree is commonplace. A smaller Eastern American woodland understory tree, the eastern redbud, "Cercis canadensis", is common from southernmost Canada to Piedmont, Alabama and East Texas. It differs from "C. siliquastrum" in its pointed leaves and slightly smaller size (rarely over 12


title: Cercis content: m tall). The flowers are also used in salads and for making pickled relish, while the inner bark of twigs gives a mustard-yellow dye. It is commonly grown as an ornamental. The related western redbud, "Cercis occidentalis", ranges from California east to Utah primarily in foothill regions. Its leaves are more rounded at the tip than the relatively heart-shaped leaves of the eastern redbud. The tree often forms multi-trunked colonies that are covered in bright pink flowers in early spring (February - March). White-flowered variants are in cultivation. It buds only once a year. The chain-flowered redbud ("Cercis racemosa") from


title: Cercis content: western China is unusual in the genus in having its flowers in pendulous racemes, as in a Laburnum, rather than short clusters. The status of the following species is unresolved: The wood is medium weight, somewhat brittle, of light tan color with a noticeably large heartwood area of darker brown, tinged with red. The wood has attractive figuring and is used in wood turning, for making decorative items and in the production of wood veneer. Cercis Cercis , is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It


title: "Fouquieria splendens" content: Fouquieria splendens Fouquieria splendens (commonly known as ocotillo , but also referred to as coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus) is a plant indigenous to the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and northern Mexico (as far south as Hidalgo and Guerrero). Ocotillo is not a true cactus. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. With rainfall, the plant quickly becomes lush


title: "Fouquieria splendens" content: with small (2–4 cm), ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months. Individual stems may reach a diameter of 5 cm at the base, and the plant may grow to a height of 10 m (33 ft). The plant branches very heavily at its base, but above that, the branches are pole-like and rarely divide further, and specimens in cultivation may not exhibit any secondary branches. The leaf stalks harden into blunt spines, and new leaves sprout from the base of the spine. The bright crimson flowers appear especially after rainfall in spring, summer, and occasionally fall. Flowers


title: "Fouquieria splendens" content: are clustered indeterminately at the tips of each mature stem. Individual flowers are mildly zygomorphic and are pollinated by hummingbirds and native carpenter bees. Planting ocotillo can be done year-around with care. Ideal plants have been grown from stem cuttings and from seed. Transplanting large bare-root plants has marginal success. They should be planted to the original growing depth and, as with cacti, in their original directional orientation: the original south side of the plant, which has become more heat- and sunlight-resistant, should again face the brighter, hotter southern direction. If their direction is not marked, success is again limited


title: "Fouquieria splendens" content: Ocotillo plants prefer well-drained, sandy or gravely loam soil with low to moderate amounts of organic content. Ideal locations are sunny, open, unrestricted and those where surface water does not collect. Transplanted plants require irrigation to become established, but once established, they can survive on 8 inches of rainfall per year. The three subspecies are: Fouquieria splendens Fouquieria splendens (commonly known as ocotillo , but also referred to as coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus) is a plant indigenous to the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern


title: "16th Street Baptist Church bombing" content: against the suspects, and refused to disclose any evidence his agents had obtained with state or federal prosecutors. In 1968, the FBI formally closed their investigation into the bombing without filing charges against any of their named suspects. The files were sealed by order of J. Edgar Hoover. The Birmingham campaign, the March on Washington, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church, and the later assassination of John F. Kennedy—an ardent supporter of the civil rights cause who had proposed a Civil Rights Act of 1963 on national television—increased worldwide awareness of and sympathy towards the civil rights cause.


title: "Diana Vreeland" content: Hats, hats, hats, for career girls. How I adored Paris." In 1982, she met over dinner with author Bruce Chatwin, who wrote a touching memoir of their dinner conversation in a half-page slice-of-life, entitled "At Dinner with Diana Vreeland". In 1980, she was lauded in an article about social climbing in "The New Yorker". In the 1966 film "Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?", Miss Maxwell (Grayson Hall) portrays an extravagant American expatriate fashion magazine editor. The film's director, William Klein, worked briefly for Vreeland and has confirmed the outrageous character in Polly Maggoo was based on Vreeland. Maggie Prescott, a


title: "Fish ladder" content: the barrel invert to provide some fish-friendly alternative. For low discharges, the baffles decrease the flow velocity and increase the water depth to facilitate fish passage. At larger discharges, baffles induce lower local velocities and generate recirculation regions. Unfortunately, baffles can reduce drastically the culvert discharge capacity for a given afflux, thus increasing substantially the total cost of the culvert structure to achieve the same design discharge and afflux. It is believed that fish-turbulence interplay may facilitate upstream migration, albeit an optimum design must be based upon a careful characterisation of both hydrodynamics and fish kinematics. Fish ladder A fish


title: "Abu Muslim" content: Abu Muslim Abu Muslim Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim al-Khorasani or al-Khurasani ( born 718-19 or 723-27, died in 755), born Behzādān Pūr-i Wandād Hormozd (), was a Persian general in service of the Abbasid dynasty, who led the Abbasid Revolution that toppled the Umayyad dynasty. According to the "Encyclopedia Iranica", "sources differ regarding his original name and his origin. Some make him a descendant of Gōdarz and of the vizier Bozorgmehr and call him Ebrāhīm; some name him Behzādān, son of Vendād Hormoz; and others relate him to the ʿAbbasids or to ʿAlī’s family. These suggestions are all doubtful". He


title: "Chen Long" content: as they lost 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. Chen Long took the blame for the surprise loss of the Chinese Team, casting into doubt his ability to depose Lin Dan as China's MS 'big brother'. Chen's poor start to the season continued deep into the summer, when he saw early round knockouts in the Japan Open to Hu Yun of Hong Kong and Indonesian Open to Denmark's Jan Ø. Jørgensen. However, his fortune reversed at the most important competition of the year. On 31 August, Chen defeated Lee Chong Wei in the finals with a score of 21-19, 21-19


title: "Clay Aiken" content: in the Soundscan era (since 1991). The album debuted at number four on the "Billboard" 200 and tied Céline Dion's record for the highest debut by a holiday album in the history of "Billboard" magazine. "Merry Christmas with Love" sold over 1,000,000 copies retail in six weeks and was the best-selling holiday album of 2004, receiving RIAA Platinum certification on January 6, 2005. Aiken's second studio album, "A Thousand Different Ways", was released September 19, 2006. He worked on the album under the guidance of Canadian producer and A&R executive Jaymes Foster. The album contains ten cover songs and four


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: Red-legged partridge The red-legged partridge ("Alectoris rufa") is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek "alektoris" a farmyard chicken, and "rufa" is Latin for red or rufous. It is a rotund bird, with a light brown back, grey breast and buff belly. The face is white with a black gorget. It has rufous-streaked flanks and red legs. When disturbed, it prefers to run rather than fly, but if necessary it flies


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: a short distance on rounded wings. This is a seed-eating species, but the young in particular take insects as an essential protein supply. The call is a three-syllable "ka-chu-chu". This partridge breeds naturally in southwestern Europe (France, Iberia and northwest Italy). It has become naturalised in flat areas of England and Wales, where it was introduced as a game species, and has been seen breeding as far north as Cumbria and eastern Yorkshire and the western Isle of Man. It is replaced in southeastern Europe by the very similar rock partridge ("Alectoris graeca"). It is a non-migratory terrestrial species, which


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: forms flocks outside the breeding season. This species breeds on dry lowlands, such as farmland and open stony areas, laying its eggs in a ground nest. There are three recognized subspecies: Adult red-legged partridges are sandy-brown above, pinkish-buff on the belly, and pale grey on the breast, with a prominent gorget of black streaking, bold rufous and black flank-bars, a cream throat, pink legs, and a red bill and eye ring. The crown and upper nape of adult red-legged partridge are a warm pinkish-brown; the fore crown and lateral edges of the crown are pale blue-grey, and the bird has


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: a narrow off-white supercilium running from above the lores to the sides of the lower nape. The lores have a solid bar of black feathering above a patch of pinkish-red skin. This black colouration continues behind the eye, where it broadens, and then extends down around the throat-patch to meet the upper edge of the gorget. There is a patch of pale buff-brown feathering on the ear-coverts, adjoining the black. The eye is surrounded by a bright red eye-ring. The chin and upper throat are creamy-white, and are bordered behind and below by a solid black gorget. The black colour


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: continues down onto the lower throat as a patch of broad triangular black streaks on a pale sandy-grey background. Similar, but narrower, black streaks are present on a pale blue-grey background on the upper neck-sides, while the lower neck-sides are warm pinkish-brown. The breast is pale blue-grey, and the belly pinkish-buff. The flanks are marked with bold bright rufous-brown bars, typically between eight and ten; each bar has a narrow black leading edge, the background colour is off-white in front of each bar, and pale grey behind. The upper parts are plain, unmarked dark sandy-grey. The uppertail-coverts are similar in


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: colour, and contrast with the pinkish-rufous tail-feathers. The bill is bright red, the iris is medium brown, and the legs are pinkish-red. Red-legged partridge are bred for shooting, and sold and eaten as game. The natural range of the red-legged partridge is France, Spain and Portugal. However, it was introduced from France to Great Britain in the 18th century, and has since become an important gamebird there. As it is a mediterranean species, it thrives in hot, dry areas with sandy soil. The ability to breed two clutches simultaneously has led to it being extensively reared in captivity, and released


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: for shooting. The breeding of chukars ("Alectoris chukar") and red-legged/chukar hybrids is prohibited, due to its impact on wild populations of red-legs. The red-legged partridge is believed to be in decline across its range. Many red-legged partridges are kept and bred in captivity in New Zealand aviaries where the population is considered secure at the moment. These particular birds are all descendants from one of the last attempts at introducing the species to the wild by the (Auckland) Acclimatisation Society. A consignment of 1500 eggs were sent from the United Kingdom in July 1980. However the boxes were delayed by


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: two days and had evidently over-heated en route. There was further delay getting the eggs through customs and quarantine clearance. By the time they reached Massey University (which had been invested in to take on the project) hopes were not high and only 135 chicks were hatched. Two further consignments totaling 638 eggs were sent mid 1981. From these only 53 chicks hatched. The plan was to rear these birds and put them through six breeding cycles in two years using controlled lighting and thus establish a substantial breeding nucleus. The programme at Massey was soon terminated and all the


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: birds dispersed to other breeders, primarily the game farm at Te Ahoha which had already produced some young, but some were also given to the Wildlife Service. At the end of 1983 breeding season the population had increased to 940 birds. The current actual status of wild, self-sustaining red-legged partridges in New Zealand is questionable. Back-yard aviculturalists and gamebird breeders/preserves hold most of the population. Some zoos and farm-parks exhibit this species. It is not frequently eaten by the public. Similar species is the chukar partridge which is not allowed to be kept in captivity and has been naturalised in


title: "Red-legged partridge" content: the South Island as an upland gamebird since the 1930s. The chukar partridge's population has been in decline since the late 1980s. Other introduced gamebirds are bobwhite quail, brown quail, California quail, guinea fowl, blue peafowl, wild turkey, and pheasant. Major management efforts are made for the more valued of these species, such as bobwhites and pheasants. Red-legged partridge The red-legged partridge ("Alectoris rufa") is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient


title: "Corn bunting" content: Corn bunting The corn bunting ("Emberiza calandra") is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. It is usually placed in the genus "Emberiza", but some taxonomists place it in the monotypic genus "Miliaria". The genus name "Emberiza" is from Old German "Embritz", a bunting. The specific "calandra" is from Ancient Greek "kalandros", the calandra lark. This is an unusual bunting because the plumages of the sexes are similar in appearance, though the male is approximately 20% larger than the female. This large bulky bunting is 16–19 cm


title: "Corn bunting" content: long, with a conspicuously dark eye and yellowish mandibles. Males lack any showy colours, especially on the head, which is otherwise typical of genus "Emberiza". Both sexes look something like larks, being streaked grey-brown above with whitish underparts. The underparts are streaked over the flanks and breast, and the streaking forms gorget around the throat. The lesser wing coverts are distinctively dark and white-tipped. The tail is plain brown. The song of the male is a repetitive metallic sound, usually likened to jangling keys, which is given from a low bush, fence post or telephone wires. It breeds across southern


title: "Corn bunting" content: and central Europe, north Africa and Asia across to Kazakhstan. It is mainly resident, but some birds from colder regions of central Europe and Asia migrate southwards in winter. The corn bunting is a bird of open country with trees, such as farmland and weedy wasteland. It has declined greatly in north-west Europe due to intensive agricultural practices depriving it of its food supply of weed seeds and insects, the latter especially when feeding young. It has recently become extinct in Ireland, where it was previously common. Its natural food consists mainly of seeds but also includes insects such as


title: "Corn bunting" content: crickets, especially when feeding young. Males defend territories in the breeding season and can be polygynous, with up to three females per breeding male. The population sex ratio is generally 1:1, which means some males remain unmated during a season. Males play only a small role in parental care; they are not involved in nest building or incubation, and only feed the chicks when they are over half grown. The nest is made of grass, lined with hair or fine grass, and is usually built on the ground. Average clutch size is four, but commonly varies from three to five,


title: "Corn bunting" content: occasionally six. In England, the government's environmental organisation Natural England offers grants towards implementing measures to conserve this species, under the environmental stewardship scheme. Corn bunting The corn bunting ("Emberiza calandra") is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. It is usually placed in the genus "Emberiza", but some taxonomists place it in the monotypic genus "Miliaria". The genus name "Emberiza" is from Old German "Embritz", a bunting. The specific "calandra" is from Ancient Greek "kalandros", the calandra lark. This is an unusual bunting because the plumages


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: Plitvice Lakes National Park Plitvice Lakes National Park (, colloquial "Plitvice", ) is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north-south road connection, which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with the Adriatic coastal region. The protected area extends over . About 90% of this area is part of Lika-Senj County, while


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: the remaining 10% is part of Karlovac County. Each year, more than 1 million visitors are recorded. Entrance is subject to variable charges, up to 250 kuna or around €34 per adult per day in summer 2018. The national park is world-famous for its lakes arranged in cascades. Sixteen lakes can be seen from the surface. These lakes are a result of the confluence of several small rivers and subterranean karst rivers. The lakes are all interconnected and follow the water flow. They are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae, and


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: bacteria. The particularly sensitive travertine barriers are the result of an interplay between water, air and plants. The encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers which grow at the rate of about per year. The 16 lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of over a distance of some eight km, aligned in a south-north direction. The lakes collectively cover an area of about two square kilometres (), with the water exiting from the lowest lake forming the Korana River. The lakes


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. The name "Plitvice" was first mentioned in a written document in 1777 by Dominik Vukasović, the priest of Otočac. This name was designated due to natural phenomena that have created the lakes. Nature formed shallow basins (Croatian "pličina" or "plitvak", "plitko" means "shallow"), which have been filled with water. For centuries, water has changed the limestone and thus the landscape of this area. The emerging travertine


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: barriers decelerated and retained the flowing water. These dams are continuously growing in height. Some scientists refer to the river Plitvica as origin of the name. This little river flows into the Plitvice Lakes at the lower and final part of the lakes. A nearby village bears the same name. The water masses of the Plitvice Lakes continue as Korana river in northern direction. The national park became famous during the 1960s and 1970s through several Western film productions of Karl May novels. Many scenes have been shot at the lakes or waterfalls. The Plitvice Lakes have formed in a


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: depression between the Mala Kapela mountain in the west and the Plješevica mountain in the east amidst the Dinaric Alps. The national park is located at the national route D1 Zagreb–Split between Slunj and Korenica in the vicinity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other larger municipalities within the surrounding area are Ogulin, Rakovica, Otočac, Gospić and Bihać in Bosnia. The shortest linear distance between the Adriatic coast and the national park is . By road from the coastal town of Senj the distance is about . After traversing the Velebit mountain range travelers reach the Croatian karst plains of Lika. These


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: plains are characterized by many karst poljes (e.g. the "Gacko polje"). The fastest north-south road connection within Croatia, the highway A1 Zagreb–Split is distanced about west of the national park and thus circumvents the protected area. Plitvice Lakes National Park can be reached from "Karlovac exit" in the north, from "Otočac exit" in the west or "Gornja Ploča exit" in the south. The nearest airports are Zadar, Zagreb and Rijeka. The nearest train stations are Josipdol and Plaški, although no direct bus connection from these train stations to the lakes exists. Using public transport the lakes can easily be reached


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: by direct bus lines from Zagreb, Karlovac, Zadar or Split. mm The area of Plitvice Lakes National Park extends across two political subdivisions or counties (Croatian "županija"). Its area is divided between Lika-Senj County (90.7 percent) and Karlovac County (9.3 percent). Hence the national park authority is under national jurisdiction. The overall water body area is about . The two largest lakes, Prošćansko jezero and Kozjak, cover about 80 percent of the overall water body area. These lakes are also the deepest, with a depth of respectively. On Lake Kozjak, low-noise and ecologically-friendly electric boats are being used. None of


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: the other lakes in the park exceeds in depth. The altitude drop from the first lake to the last is . The 16 lakes that can be seen from the surface are grouped into the 12 Upper Lakes ("Gornja jezera") and the four Lower Lakes ("Donja jezera"). The highest waterfalls are the Large Waterfall (kroat. "Veliki slap") at the end of the Lower Lakes, over which the Plitvica river falls, and "Galovački buk" at the Upper Lakes. Within the national park area there are 19 small settlements. Altogether they form the Plitvice Lakes municipality (Croatian "općina Plitvička Jezera"). The municipality


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: is part of Lika-Senj County. The seat is located in Korenica. The Plitvice Lakes area has always been regarded as part of the historic regions of Lika and Kordun. During the Ottoman Wars, the region was part of the Croatian Military Frontier that was under direct control of the Habsburg Council of War. The particular geographic position of the Plitvice Lakes and the specific climate features contributed to the emergence of many natural phenomena and a rich biodiversity within this area. Despite the vicinity to the Mediterranean climatic region, a moderate mountainous climate prevails at the Plitvice Lakes. These climatic


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: conditions prevail due to the Velebit mountain range, which acts as a climatic separator between the coastal region and the Lika high plateau. For centuries, legends have been created about this mythic mountain range. The availability of water, influenced by the configuration of the terrain, has a great impact on the biodiversity of this area. The Plitvice Lakes are surrounded by various mountains. The western side of the national park area is enclosed by the Mala Kapela mountain, while the eastern side is enclosed by the Plješevica mountain, which also represents the border to Bosnia and Hercegovina. Plitvice Lakes National


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: Park is situated in the Plitvice plateau which is surrounded by three mountains that are part of the Dinaric Alps: Plješevica mountain (Gornja Plješevica peak 1,640 m), Mala Kapela mountain (Seliški Vrh peak at 1,280 m), and Medveđak (884 m). The afforested mountain slopes serve as water reservoirs. They are also a refuge for many animal species. The large difference in altitude in a narrow space between the mountains in the south and the Korana river in the north also represents a significant criterion for biodiversity in this region. The overall difference in altitude within the national park area is


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: 912 m (the highest elevation is "Seliški vrh" at 1279 m, the lowest elevation is reached at 367 m at the bridge across the Korana river). The national Park is underlain by karstic rock, mainly dolomite and limestone with associated lakes and caves, this has given rise to the most distinctive feature of the lakes. Right at the lakes, the "Golubnjača Cave" (145 m) before the second Korana waterfall and "Šupljara Cave" (68 m) above Lake Kaluđerovac can be visited. Other caves e.g. are "Mračna Cave" (160 m), "Vila Jezerkinje Cave" (104 m) and "Golubnjača at Homoljačko Field" (153 m).


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: Within the national park, several pit-caves exist, such as the "Čudinka" pit-cave (-203 m) or "Jama" on Vršić (-154 m, length 110 m). In "Rodića Cave" at Sertić Poljana and in "Mračna Cave" at the Lower Lakes, cave bear bones were found, so these sites may be considered paleontologically significant. The Plitvice Lakes originate in the south of the park area at the confluence of "Bijela Rijeka" (English "White River") and "Crna Rijeka" (English "Black River"). These rivers originate south of the municipality of Plitvički Ljeskovac and unite at one of the bridges in this village. From this place onwards


title: "Plitvice Lakes National Park" content: to the lakes, the water masses are referred to as "Matica" (English for "water current," can also mean "root" or "origin"). At the bay of "Liman" (also called "Limun"), a part of "Prošćansko jezero", another little river flows into the lakes. This river is fed by permanent springs; the water quantity, however, varies. Temporarily, water from other, usually dead creeks reaches "Prošćansko jezero" from the west. The river Plitvica reaches the Plitvice lake chain at the northern end via the "Large Waterfall". This place is called "Sastavci" (English "confluence" or "composition"). The water masses of the Plitvice Lakes and the