Lexus hosts the world debut of the new UX at the 2018 Geneva Motor show, a free-spirited crossover crafted expressly for the modern urban explorer who seeks a fresh, contemporary and dynamic take on a luxury lifestyle.
Chika Kako, Chief Engineer of the UX said: "Right from the start, I focused on the target customer – mid-30s, millennials, men and women – and tried to understand how they would expect a premium compact vehicle to change their lives and enable new experiences. That's what led us to the basic vehicle concept for the UX of Creative Urban Explorer – a new genre of crossover.
The UX is a new gateway vehicle for Lexus, it is rich in the qualities that define the brand: brave design, superior craftsmanship, exhilarating performance and imaginative technology.
Led by Chief Engineer Kako and Chief Designer Tetsuo Miki, the development teams have worked closely together to produce a car in which the exterior and interior appear almost seamlessly linked. Powerful bodywork, notable for its impressively flared front and rear wings, clothes a cabin that provides a driver-focused cockpit and an open, relaxing space for passengers. While still offering a commanding view from the steering wheel, the UX offers a driving position that makes the crossover feel more like a responsive hatchback to drive, rather than an SUV.
The UX further marks a series of technical innovations, including the first use of the new GA-C global architecture platform, which delivers fundamental high structural rigidity and a low centre of gravity, thus securing excellent ride quality and stability. New powertrains are also deployed for the first time: a new 2.0-litre petrol engine that reaps the performance and fuel economy benefits of high thermal efficiency; and a new mid-power, fourth generation self-charging hybrid system.
A full gallery of high resolution images can be downloaded from here.
Lexus has produced a design for the UX that expresses the sense of security that is expected of a crossover, but which equally communicates agility and a fun-to-drive quality with sleek, attractively condensed appearance. The result is a model with a unique identity in its segment that makes a strong and appealing design statement. There was close collaboration among all the team members, resulting in a harmonious shape that almost seamlessly links the inside and outside of the car.
The rear combination lamps have an original and advanced design that is not only eye-catching but also aerodynamically efficient, helping improve vehicle handling. The right and left units are connected by a continuous, single line of light across the back door to give the UX's rear a unique appearance. Formed by a sequence of 120 LEDs, this tapers gently towards the centre, measuring just 3mm thick at its narrowest point. This design is set to become a world-first Lexus signature feature.
The car's proportions allow for excellent manoeuvrability, with a best-in-segment 5.2m turning radius. For the driver, a reduced distance between the hip and heel points gives the feel of driving a hatchback rather than an SUV-type vehicle.
The interior of the car is the place where driver and car connect. As such, the designers sought to eliminate the boundary between exterior and interior, creating a seamless continuity. The effect is to give the driver an excellent field of vision with a clear sense of the vehicle's body dimensions. Looking from the driver's seat, the upper section of the instrument panel appears to extend out beyond the windscreen. Conversely, seen from outside, the bonnet looks as though it connects directly to the instrument panel. This effect is inspired by a traditional Japanese design concept which blurs the boundary between the inside and outside of a house.
The human-centred approach extends to the design of the UX's interior, with a "seat-in-control" approach that focuses operation of all the principal vehicle functions around the driver's side of the cabin.
Chief Engineer Kako has drawn on her earlier experience in materials development and time spent working in Europe to help define the quality and appearance of the interior, in particular applying an uncluttered, "less is more" approach to achieve the desired effect.
The human-centred design thinking included paying particular attention to the appearance and ease of use of the centre console, with audio switches integrated into a palm rest. The seatback shape has been defined to make operation of controls possible while maintaining a comfortable, natural posture.
The superior craftsmanship that defines Lexus vehicles is evident both in the overall high build quality of the new UX – built at Lexus' Kyushu factory, home also to production of the CT, NX and RX models – and in fine detailing, such as the application of different, unique finishes in the cabin.
The smooth leather upholstery available for the UX is made using sashiko, a traditional Japanese quilting technique that is also applied in the making of judo and kendo martial arts uniforms. The quilted leather is decorated with new perforation patterns that form mathematical curves and gradations in perfect alignment, enhancing the appearance of the seats.
The UX is the first Lexus model to offer a new trim grain finish that's inspired by the grain of Japanese paper, known as washi, familiar from the screens used in traditional Japanese homes. Created using slush-moulding and a carefully chosen surface finish, it evokes a calm and warm feeling.
A leather grain finish is also available, shared with the LC coupe and LS flagship saloon and building a consistency of quality across the Lexus brand.
The UX has been engineered to deliver "elegant performance with peace of mind" consistent in all Lexus models. The foundation is the new GA-C global architecture platform, used for the first time in a Lexus.
Two new powertrains make their debut: a new, fourth generation self-charging hybrid system with 176bhp/131kW and the choice of front-wheel drive or E-Four all-wheel drive in the UX 250h; and a new 2.0-litre petrol engine with high thermal efficiency, available with a new direct shift continuously variable transmission (Direct Shift-CVT) in the UX 200.
Suspension, steering and tyres have also all been developed to support Lexus' dynamic and performance ambitions for the UX.
The UX is the first Lexus to be constructed using the new GA-C global architecture platform, the foundation for the car's dynamic performance. Its development focused on giving the UX nimble and instant response to the driver's inputs, while communicating a sense of stability and safety.
The platform allowed for an increase in rigidity, including the use of high-tensile steel and a ring structure around the rear and back door openings. Highly rigid adhesive and Laser Screw Welding have been used in key locations, greatly enhancing overall rigidity.
The UX has the lowest centre of gravity of any vehicle in its class, thanks to the design of the GA-C platform. This characteristic, central to the car's fine ride and handling quality, is also supported by weight-saving measures in the body construction, including the use of lightweight aluminium for the side doors, wings and bonnet, as well as a resin material for the back door.
An Electric Power Steering system with a new, compact and highly rigid column assist has been adopted for the UX, with a larger diameter column shaft. This supports handling with crisp, immediate response to driver inputs, with good steering feel.
The Lexus UX 250h will also use a new fourth generation hybrid electric system that features a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). It will be available both with front-wheel drive and with Lexus's E-Four.
The new engine is notable for its high thermal efficiency and output, with provisional performance figures for the full hybrid self-charging system (engine and electric motor combined) anticipating a maximum 176b hp/131kW.
The powertrain development programme focused not just on outstanding fuel economy, but also on a high level of driving appeal. Particular efforts were made to reduce any "rubber band" effect in the operation of the hybrid system and transmission, by optimising the level of electric motor assistance and engine rpm to generate a sense of linear acceleration without the engine running at high revs. Engine rpm are synchronised with the increase in vehicle speed to create an immediate and continuous acceleration feel, responding to the driver's intentions and creating a pleasant driving feel.
The E-Four system gives the UX 250h all-wheel drive capability by placing an additional electric motor on the rear axle. Power distribution between the front and rear axles is automatically optimised when accelerating, cornering, or driving on slippery surfaces. When a loss of rear-wheel grip is detected, the amount of power that can be directed to the rear of the car has been increased from 60 to around 80 per cent, at speeds up to 44mph (70km/h), contributing to excellent handling stability.
The UX 200 is powered by a new 2.0-litre petrol engine, engineered to provide a high level of dynamic and environmental performance with excellent fuel economy. The in-line four-cylinder unit uses high-speed combustion to achieve enhanced thermal efficiency.
Features which enable this across a wide range of driving scenarios include multi-hole direct fuel injectors, a continuously variable capacity oil pump, a variable cooling system and VVT-iE intelligent variable valve-timing on the intake side. The result is a maximum thermal efficiency of around 40% – a best-in-class level for a passenger vehicle engine.
The new 2.0-litre engine featured in the UX 200 is matched to Lexus's first Direct Shift-CVT, engineered to provide the smooth, fuel-efficient performance of a conventional continuously variable transmission, but with a direct driving feel.
A conventional system uses two pulleys, connected by a belt, that can change their radius seamlessly, and thus change the effective gear ratio, without any "step" effect.
The new Direct Shift-CVT has additional gears to achieve acceleration at start-up like a manual transmission. This gives the smooth acceleration of a CVT, but with a direct acceleration feel.
In addition, this use of gears for acceleration from start-up reduces the need for the CVT's pulleys and belt mechanism to be used in the low gear range. This allows more room to be dedicated to the higher gear range.
High-speed, high-response gear-shifting technology, using a multi-plate wet clutch developed for use in automatic transmission, is used to switch power from the gear to the belt and pulleys. This secures performance in response to different situations, from smooth and fuel-efficient driving to sporty performance with fast shifts.
The UX is available with the latest version of Lexus Safety System+, including a Pre-Collision System (PCS) developed to be able to recognize pedestrians at night. Additionally, PCS radar detection has been extended to enable detection of cyclists during the day – road users who are involved in a high number of traffic accidents. The package provided on the UX also includes Lexus Co DRIVE (featuring Lane Tracing Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control), Automatic High Beam/Adaptive High-beam System, and Road Sign Assist.
Lexus took a new approach to achieve the best possible aerodynamic performance from the UX's rear combination lamps, wheel arch mouldings and, in a world first concept, aerodynamic wheels.
The Aero Stabilising Blade Lights in the rear incorporate fins with a distinctive design that helps prevent airflow from wrapping around the rear of the vehicle. They make a noticeable contribution to keeping the rear of the car stable when turning and driving in crosswinds.
The wheel arch mouldings have flat sides and a stepped top section, which generates an airflow that helps reduce roll and keep the vehicle stable when the car is cornering, changing lanes or being driven in a straight line. Millimetre-precise adjustment of this step feature kept an optimal balance between the stabilising effect and design considerations.
The UX's aluminium wheels have a world-first aerodynamic design that helps both keep the brakes cool and reduce wind resistance. Computer simulations and wind tunnel testing produced a profile shape for the wheel's spokes that increased the amount of airflow that could be directed to cool the disc brakes, without compromising the car's coefficient of drag (Cd).
At the rear there is an exclusive bumper design with chrome highlights, projecting a secure, sporting image. Using a jet black ornamentation on the front and rear mouldings created a unified appearance, while the sporty quality is further reflected in exclusive 18-inch alloy wheel designs.
In the cabin the F Sport-exclusive features include sports seats, made with a highly supportive integrated foaming technique, an eight-inch TFT colour display and an instrument meter with a moving outer ring. The F Sport steering wheel has a dimpled leather covering (featured also on the shift knob) and there are sports aluminium pedals and footrest.
The F Sport models benefit from exclusive tuning of the suspension, with adjustment to both springs and stabiliser bars, and the use of rear performance dampers to provide accurate, stable and responsive handling. They are also available with a specifically adapted version of the new high-response Adaptive Variable Suspension system featured on the Lexus LC flagship coupe. The aim is to provide a level of damping force that contributes to a rewarding drive, but doesn't detract from comfortable ride quality. This damping force is reduced in straight line driving and increased when cornering or changing lanes to provide stability with minimal roll. Where AVS is fitted, its functionality is linked to the Sport S+ mode in the car's Drive Mode Select.
The driving experience can be further enhanced with Active Sound Control (ASC), generating an audio feedback that gives the aural effect of up and downshifts like those experienced with a geared automatic transmission. And additional Sonic Interaction Design (SID) function adjust the sound the vehicle makes when drive in Sport S+ mode (S+ Sound). This can be switched off, if desired, using the ASC switch.
 Availability of features might differ depending on local market specifications.
11 risposte a "La nuova #Lexus #UX"
mi può chiarire le motorizzazioni di questo nuovo modello ??? Con il mio scarso inglese non vorrei interpretare erroneamente.
ma almeno una traduzione… copiaincollare e basta, tanto vale leggersi la cartella stampa originale, perlomeno adblock riposa un pò.
Il Salone di Ginevra ospiterà l'esordio sulla scena mondiale di UX il primo Urban Crossover compatto di Lexus, progettato per i clienti dallo stile di vita moderno e attivo, che reinterpreta il concetto di Luxury Car.
In Italia UX verrà commercializzato all'inizio 2019, con un obiettivo di vendita ambizioso; quello di raddoppiare i volumi di Lexus in Italia.
Il nuovo UX apre così una nuova era per Lexus, mantenendo però invariate le proverbiali caratteristiche del brand: un design audace, straordinaria maestria artigianale, una performance esaltante e tecnologie all'avanguardia.
Lexus UX presenta un'identità unica che spicca nel segmento grazie ad uno stile senza precedenti realizzato con la collaborazione dei team di sviluppo, capaci di creare la massima armonia tra gli interni e gli esterni della vettura. Un design in grado di esprimere il senso di sicurezza offerto da un crossover, ma che riesce comunque a trasmettere agilità e divertimento alla guida attraverso linee fluide ed accattivanti. Con il nuovo UX, l'obiettivo era di allontanarsi dalle classiche linee dei crossover per ottenere un design più compatto, capace di unire solidità ed eleganza, rompendo con le convenzioni del segmento e realizzando un prodotto maggiormente dinamico e distintivo. Lo stile è visibile dal modo in cui i parafanghi anteriori e posteriori si sviluppano con linee sinuose verso l'esterno rispetto alla scocca, che nasce dalla nuova griglia a clessidra delineando il carattere esclusivo della vettura, con superfici lavorate che esprimono allo stesso tempo solidità e dinamismo. All'anteriore, i gruppi ottici e la griglia a clessidra sono incastonati tra il cofano e il paraurti per creare un forte senso di sicurezza. Al posteriore, il contrasto tra forme condensate e la sinuosità dei parafanghi enfatizza le credenziali dinamiche del nuovo crossover. Il nuovo UX sarà equipaggiabile con la scelta tra quattro cerchi in lega di alluminio, con diametri da 17 e 18 pollici. I cerchi a cinque razze da 17 pollici sfoggiano un disegno incredibilmente aerodinamico.
Il nuovo UX misura 4.495 mm di lunghezza, 1.520 mm di altezza e 1.840 mm di larghezza, con un passo di 2.640 mm. La distanza tra il punto d'anca dell'occupante del sedile anteriore e quello posteriore , pari a 870 mm, garantisce un comodo spazio agli occupanti dei sedili posteriori, con un vano di carico lungo ben 791 mm.Le proporzioni della vettura assicurano una manovrabilità eccellente, per un raggio di sterzata ai vertici della categoria (5,2 metri). La distanza ridotta tra il punto dell'anca e quello del tallone assicura un grande coinvolgimento alla guida, tanto da offrire al cliente la sensazione di essere al volante di una hatchback piuttosto che di un SUV.
Il team di design ha voluto cancellare il confine tra gli interni e gli esterni della vettura con l'obiettivo di realizzare una continuità tra le due cifre stilistiche: un concetto che appare evidente se si osserva il lato guida, dove la sezione superiore del quadro strumenti sembra estendersi fino ad oltrepassare il parabrezza. Di contro, il cofano sembra quasi congiungersi con la plancia, un effetto ispirato ad un approccio ben radicato nella cultura giapponese, quello di engawa, che modula la relazione tra lo spazio interno ed esterno di una casa: in questo modo i designer hanno potuto assicurare un eccellente campo visivo enfatizzando allo stesso tempo le possenti proporzioni della vettura. Il principio "Seat in Control' concentra le funzioni principali del veicolo attorno alla posizione di controllo del guidatore. La visione "Human-Centered" implica una particolare attenzione nei confronti del design e della fruibilità della consolle centrale, in questo caso integrando tutti i comandi del sistema audio in uno spazio grande quanto il palmo di una mano. Lo schienale dei sedili è stato realizzato per assicurare la migliore postura possibile anche durante la gestione dei diversi controlli.
La superba maestria artigianale che contraddistingue i prodotti Lexus appare evidente tanto nella qualità costruttiva del nuovo UX, fabbricato nell'impianto Lexus di Kyushu – già casa dei modelli CT, NX ed RX – quanto dalla straordinaria attenzione al dettaglio, ad esempio per l'applicazione di superfici diverse all'interno dell'abitacolo. Gli eleganti rivestimenti in pelle sono stati realizzati secondo la tradizionale tecnica giapponese di imbottitura sashiko, utilizzata nella produzione delle uniformi per le arti marziali judo e kendo. Il nuovo UX è il primo modello Lexus ad offrire un nuovo rivestimento ispirato alla velinatura del washi, la carta giapponese, molto diffusa nelle abitazioni del Sol Levante: realizzata secondo la lor tradizionale tecnica, questa superficie assicura all'abitacolo un senso di calore e di comfort.
È disponibile inoltre un rivestimento in pelle, lo stesso della coupé LC e della LS, per offrire al cliente la proverbiale eleganza e qualità degli interni firmati Lexus.
Il nuovo UX è progettato per fornire "una performance avvincente e la massima serenità alla guida", caratteristiche imprescindibili di tutti i prodotti Lexus. La vettura è la prima ad essere impostata sulla nuova piattaforma globale denominata GA-C. In Italia sarà disponibile con il solo sistema Self Charging Hybrid, con un motore da 178 cavalli/131 kW e la scelta tra trazione anteriore oppure sistema E-Four per l'UX 250h.
Il nuovo UX diventa il primo modello Lexus progettato sulla piattaforma GA-C, la base portante delle credenziali dinamiche della vettura. Il suo sviluppo è stato incentrato per assicurare all'UX una risposta pronta e i massimi livelli di sicurezza e stabilità.
La piattaforma garantisce una straordinaria rigidità strutturale grazie all'utilizzo di materiali ad elevata elasticità e di una struttura ad anello sul posteriore. Alle aree chiave sono state dedicate innovative tecniche di incollaggio e saldature laser per garantire al corpo vettura la massima rigidità. Il baricentro è più basso della categoria, un particolare dovuto alla struttura della piattaforma GA-C. Questa caratteristica, di fondamentale importanza per la maneggevolezza e per la qualità della marcia, è supportata dalle numerose misure atte a ridurre il peso della vettura, tra cui l'impiego di pannelli in alluminio per le portiere, per i parafanghi e per il cofano, e di materiali in resina per il portellone posteriore.
Il nuovo Lexus UX 250h monta un sistema ibrido/elettrico di nuova generazione, dotato di un motore termico 2.0 4 cilindri e di cambio elettronico a variazione continua (E-CVT). La trasmissione sarà disponibile tanto con trazione anteriore quanto con sistema E-Four di Lexus. La nuova unità dimostra un'elevatissima efficienza termica e una straordinaria potenza, pari a 178 cavalli/131 kW. Il sistema monta un nuovo differenziale e una nuova Unità di Controllo della Potenza leggeri e compatti, progettati per minimizzare le perdite di potenza dovute al calore e agli attriti. La nuova batteria al nichel-metallo idruro (NiMH) prevede una struttura rivista e un sistema di raffreddamento più compatto che ne riducono le dimensioni, consentendo la sistemazione dell'unità sotto la seduta posteriore, minimizzandone quindi l'intrusione nel vano di carico.
Il carattere unico del nuovo UX si esprime attraverso l'applicazione di tecnologie innovative in specifici aspetti della vettura, che ne enfatizzano la qualità agli occhi dei clienti, in particolare quelli orientati all'acquisto di un'automobile Premium per la prima volta nella vita. Il nuovo UX è disponibile con la più recente versione del pacchetto Lexus Safety System +: il sistema Pre-Crash (PCS) riesce a rilevare la presenza di ciclisti nelle ore diurne e quella dei pedoni nelle ore notturne, due tipologie di utenti che maggiormente vengono coinvolte negli incidenti stradali. Il pacchetto include inoltre il sistema Lexus Co DRIVE (dotato di Lane Tracing Assist e Adaptive Cruise Control), Automatic High Beam/Adaptive High-beam e Road Sign Assist. Con lo scopo di ridurre le conseguenze di un impatto in fase di parcheggio, il sistema Parking Support Brake riduce automaticamente la velocità della vettura, aiutando il guidatore ad evitare i possibili impatti mediante il controllo della frenata e l'attivazione di un avvertimento acustico.


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Q: How to disable a warning which gets re-enabled in third-party code? My project requirement is to have no warnings at all, treating them as errors, but third party tools generate their own warnings whose code I cannot access.
So I have to disable specific warnings before including the third-party headers:
#pragma warning( push )
#pragma warning( disable : 4005 ) // macro redefinition
#pragma warning( disable : 4505 ) // unreferenced local function has been removed
#include <cuda_runtime_api.h>
#pragma warning( pop )

This approach sometimes works, sometimes it does not, depending on the header file.
Could it be due to the fact that considering all the warnings as errors, #pragma warning does not apply?
Or could it be that inside the included code there are #pragmas that disable mine?
How can I suppress them?
P.S.: The program is built with the /WX (treat warnings as errors) Visual Studio flag. How can I disable it in some parts of the source code, especially for third-party code I include, with the preprocessor?

A: From experience with very similar issues (but with the in-built Windows 'system' headers, rather than 3rd-party stuff), I have reluctantly accepted the fact that the #pragma warning (push|pop) system doesn't really work! This seems especially true when the "Enable all warnings" (/Wall) option is set, as the #pragma warning(pop) doesn't understand what 'level number' to restore.
The only workable technique I have (so far) come up with is to explicitly disable the relevant warnings before inclusion of the '3rd-Party' headers, then (again, explicitly) reset them afterwards. Here is a short extract from the "global" header (the one I use to generate the pre-compiled header) I use for building my projects:
// Turn off warnings generated by the "standard" and "MFC" header files.  *** Note: using "#pragma(push, 2) ...
// #pragma(pop)" to embrace these header files doesn't work! ***  [For some reason (possibly something weird in
// one of the headers), warnings such as 'unused parameters' and 'signed/unsigned' are not re-enabled.] ...
#pragma warning(disable:4091)   // 'typedef' ignored on left of tagGPFIDL.
#pragma warning(disable:4191)   // unsafe conversion to AFX_PMSG(W) (MMAP)
#pragma warning(disable:4239)   // Non-standard: conv. <class> to &<class>
#pragma warning(disable:4251)   // class 'XXX' needs to have dll-interface
#pragma warning(disable:4263)   // member function does not override . ...
//... and around 30 or so other, similar lines.

#include <afxwin.h>             // Minimal set of afx... (MFC) headers for the things we want to do ... (?)
#include <afxwinappex.h>        // Required for the base application class: MFC's CWinAppEx
#include <afxmdiframewndex.h>   // Base frame windows "CMDIFrameWndEx" and "CMDIChildWndEx"
#include <mmsystem.h>           // Mulitmedia APIs: allows playing of sounds in various alert message boxes
#include <MsiQuery.h>           // Required for DLL interface to the MSI installer (itself #includes msi.h)
//... and all other warning-prone headers ...

#pragma warning(default:4091)   // 'typedef' ignored on left of tagGPFIDL.
#pragma warning(default:4191)   // unsafe conversion to AFX_PMSG(W) (MMAP)
#pragma warning(default:4239)   // Non-standard: conv. <class> to &<class>
#pragma warning(default:4251)   // class 'XXX' needs to have dll-interface
#pragma warning(default:4263)   // member function does not override . ...
//... and all the others corresponding to those that were disabled

Note that, by using the #pragma warning(default:nnnn) (rather than #pragma warning(enable:nnnn)) you are resetting the warning to the project's setting, rather than blindly enabling it.
I understand that this is rather clumsy - and, almost certainly, not what you are looking or - but it does work. Also, once you have established the basic list of warnings, it's a relatively low-maintenance solution.
PS: As far as I am aware, there is no option available to the MSVC pre-processor to either detect or change the /WX (treat warnings as errors) compiler option, although you can set this for any specific warning, with #pragma warning(error:nnnn), and 'unset' it using default.

EDIT: Another possible way of disabling the following:

warning C4505: 'bar': unreferenced local function has been removed

is to actually reference the 'offending' function. But I'm not here being sarcastic - you can include a dummy static inline function that references bar (in your header) and that will silence the warning (it isn't given for functions defined as static inline). So, assuming the function bar is defined (in the 3rd-party header) like this:
static int bar(int b)
{
    return b * b;
}

but bar is never referenced in (some of) your build units, then adding this line to your 'global' header (after the inclusion of the 3rd-party header) will kill the warning (for MSVC,  but not for clang-cl):
static inline int foo(int a) { return bar(a); }

Of course, if there are many such warnings, this method could become a bit cumbersome; but again, once you have the code written, it's low-maintenance.

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text:
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zh-cn:鄂图曼帝国
The Ottoman Empire (sometimes referred to in diplomatic circles as the "Sublime Porte" or simply as "the Porte") was a Turkish state that comprised Turkey, part of the Middle East, North Africa and south-eastern Europe in the 14th to 20th centuries, established by the Seljuq Turkish tribe of Söğüt in western Anatolia. The Ottoman Empire was among the world's most powerful polities in the 16th and 17th centuries when the countries of Europe felt threatened by its steady advances through the Balkans.
1.1 Rise
1.1.1 Early Expansion
1.1.2 Conquests of Murad I
1.1.3 Beyazid the Lightning Bolt
1.1.4 Interregnum and Restoration
1.1.5 The Wars of Murad II
1.1.6 Mehmed the Conqueror
1.2 Decline
1.2.7 Russian Expansionism
1.2.8 Crimean War
1.2.9 Loss of the Balkans
1.2.10 Internal Collapse
1.2.11 Final Destruction and Rebirth
1.2.12 Reasons for Decline
The Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman I (in Arabic Uthmān, hence the name Ottoman Empire). As sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, the state grew into a mighty empire. The Empire reached its apex under Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century when it stretched from the Persian Gulf in the east to Hungary in the northwest; and from Egypt in the south to the Caucasus in the north. After its defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, however, the empire began a slow decline, culminating in the defeat of the empire by the Allies in World War I.
In the late 13th century the Seljuq empire had collapsed and Anatolia was divided into hundreds of small states. One of these states was Söğüt, a small tribe settled in river valley of Sakarya. The founder and bey (chief) of the tribe was Ertoğrül, the father of Osman I. When Ertoğrül died in 1299 (or 1281 (?)) Osman became the leader of the tribe.
Early Expansion
In 1299 the Byzantine city Bilecik fell to Osman I. It was but the first of many cities and villages to fall into the hands of the turks during the 1300s and 1310s. Osman also conquered some of the nearby turkish emirates and tribes. During the late 1310s Osman I laid siege to several important Byzantine forts. Yenişehir was captured and with it as a base the turks could lay siege to Bursa and Nicaea, the largest Byzantine cities in Anatolia. Bursa fell in 1324, just before Osman's death.
The son of Osman, Orhan I, conquered Nicaea in 1331 and Nicomedia in 1337 and established the capitol in Bursa. During Orhan's reign the empire was organized as a state with new currency, government and a modernized army. He married Theodora, the daughter of Byzantine prince John VI Cantacuzenus. In 1346 Orhan openly supported John VI in the overthrowing of the emperor John V Palaeologus. When John VI became co-emperor (1347-1354) he allowed Orhan to raid the peninsula of Gallipoli which gained the Ottomans their first stronghold in Europe.
Conquests of Murad I
Orhan died in 1360 and left a growing empire to his son and successor, Murad I. Murad advanced the reformation of the state and founded such entities as the divan (the government and advisors), the beylerbey (great chief), the kaziasker (military judge) and the defterdar (financial minister). He also appointed a grand visir like the arabic rulers of Middle East. He also founded the Janissary corps.
In the early 1360s the ottoman armies marched into Thrace through Gallipoli and captured Adrianople (Edirne) and Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and forcing the Byzantines to pay tribute. In 1366 the count Amadeus VI of Savoy (cousin to John V Cantacuzenus, the Byzantine emperor) initiated a minor crusade to aid the Byzantines. The count drove away the Turks from all of Europe except Gallipoli. The very next year Murad attacked anew and regained most of Thrace, including Adrianople.
During the early 1370s Murad launched his forces deeper into Europe. At the river Maritsa they encoutered a 70,000 man strong Serbian-Bulgarian army under the Serbian king Vukasin. The ottoman army was smaller, but due to superior tactics the enemy was defeated and king Vukasin killed. Now that the Serbian coalition was weakened by such a blow Murad was quick to advance further into Bulgaria and capture the cities of Dráma, Kavála and Seres (Serrái).
In 1383 Murad declared himself sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Shortly thereafter he began a new campaign in Europe. Sofia, the Bulgarian capitol, fell in 1385 and the city of Niš the year after. The Ottoman Conquest halted in 1387 when the Serbs won the battle of Plocnik but two years later Murad marched anew into the west. The Ottomans won a great victory over the Serbs in the Battle of Kosovo but the sultan himself was killed by the assassin Miloš Kobilic. (Though some have it that the Ottomans were defeated at Nicopolis.)
Beyazid the Lightning Bolt
Beyazid I succeeded to the sultanship upon the assassination of his father Murad. In a rage over the attack, he ordered all Serbian captives killed; Beyazid became known as Yildirim, the lightning bolt, for his temperament.
He conquered most of Bulgaria and northern Greece in 1389-1395 and laid siege on Constantinople in 1391-1398. On September 25, 1396 at Nicopolis, his forces met the Venetian-Hungarian army led by king Sigismund of Hungary. The Ottomans won and signed a peace treaty with Hungary. Beyazid then turned his attention to the east, conquering the Turkish emirate of Karaman in 1397.
Around 1400 Timur Lenk entered the Middle East. Timur Lenk pillaged a few villages in eastern Anatolia and the conflict with the Ottoman Empire was a fact. In August, 1400 Timur and his horde burned the town of Sivas to the ground and advanced into the mainland. The war culminated at the Battle of Ankara in July, 1402. Timur won, captured Beyazid, and was free to raid and pillage Anatolia. Beyazid died in captivity in 1403.
Interregnum and Restoration
After the defeat at Ankara followed a time of total chaos in the Empire. Mongols roamed free in Anatolia and the political power of the sultan was broken. Beyazid was captured and his remaining sons, Suleiman Çelebi, İsa Çelebi, Mehmed Çelebi, and Mûsa fought each other in what became known as the Ottoman Interregnum.
When Mehmed Çelebi stood as victor in 1413 he crowned himself in Edirne (Adrianople) as Mehmed I. His was the duty to restore the Ottoman Empire to its former glory. The Empire had suffered hard from the Interregnum; the Mongols where still at large in the east, even though Timur Lenk had died in 1405; many of the Christian kingdoms of the Balkans had broken free of Ottoman control; and the land, especially Anatolia, had suffered hard from the war.
During his reign, Mehmed moved the capitol from Bursa to Adrianople (Edirne), reinforced control over Bulgaria and Serbia, drove the Mongols from Anatolia and assaulted Albania, Cilicia, the Turkish emirate of Candar and Byzantine controlled areas in southern Greece.
The Wars of Murad II
When Mehmed died in 1421, one of his sons, Murad, became sultan. Murad spent his early years on the throne disposing off rivals and rebellions, most notably the revolts of the Serbs. In 1423 he paid a short visit to Constantinople, laid siege on it for a couple of months and forced the Byzantines to pay additional tribute.
In 1423 the first regular war against Venice began. During Murad's siege of Constantinople, the Byzantine Emperor's control over the Greek city-states was weakened. On the request of the inhabitants, Venetian troops took control of the city of Salonika (Thessaloniki). But the Ottoman army that laid siege to the city knew nothing of the transfer of power, and so several Venecian soldiers were killed. Murad II had been on peaceful terms with Venice for some time, so the Venetians deemed the act irresponsible and declared full war.
Murad acted swift, raised the siege of Constantinople and sent his armies to Salonika. The Venetians had gained reinforcements by sea but when the Ottomans stormed the city the outcome was given and the Venetians fled to their ships. But when the Turks entered and plundered the city the Venetian fleet suddenly started bombarding the city from the sea-side. The Ottomans fled and the fleet was able to hold off the Ottomans until new Venetian reinforcements could arrive to recapture the city. The outcome of the Battle of Salonika was a setback for Murad and when Serbia and Hungary allied themselves with Venice, the young sultan was involved in one of the Ottoman Empire's worst conflicts ever, with all odds against it. Pope Martin V encouraged other Christian states to join the war against the Ottomans, though only Austria ever sent any troops to the Balkans.
The war in the Balkans began as the Ottoman army moved to recapture Wallachia, which the Ottomans had lost to Mircea cel Batran during the Interregnum and that now was an Hungarian vassal state. As the Ottoman army entered Wallachia, the Serbs started attacking Bulgaria and, at the same time, urged by the Pope, the Anatolian emirate of Karaman attacked the Empire from the back. Murad had to split his army. The main force went to defend Sofia and the reserves had to be called to Anatolia. The remaining troops in Wallachia were crushed by the Hungarian army that was now moving south into Bulgaria where the Serbian and Ottoman armies battled each other. The Serbs were defeated and the Ottomans turned to face the Hungarians who fled back into Wallachia when they realized they were unable to attack the Ottomans from the back. Murad fortified his borders against Serbia and Hungaria but did not try to retake Wallachia, instead he sent his armies to Anatolia where they defeated Karaman in 1428.
In 1430 a large Ottoman fleet attacked Salonika by surprise. The Venetians signed a peace treaty in 1432. The treaty gave the Ottomans the city of Salonika and the surrounding land. The war between Serbia and Hungaria and the Ottoman Empire had come to a standstill in 1441 when the Holy Roman Empire, Poland, Albania, and the emirates Candar and Karaman (in violation of the peace treaty) intervened against the Ottomans. Niš and Sofia fell to the Christians in 1443 and the year after the Empire suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Jalowaz. July 12, 1444 Murad signed a treaty that officially gave Wallachia and the Bulgarian province of Varna to Hungary, western Bulgaria (including Sofia) to Serbia and forced Murad to abdicate in favor of his twelve-year-old son Mehmed. Later the same year the Christians violated the peace treaty and attacked anew. In November 11, 1444, Murad defeated the Polish-Hungarian army of Janos Hunyadi at the Battle of Varna.
Murad was reinstated with the help of the Janissaries in 1446. Another peace treaty was signed in 1448 giving the Empire Wallachia and Bulgaria and a part of Albania. After the Balkan front was secured, Murad turned east and defeated Timur Lenk's son, Shah Rokh, and the emirates of Candar and Karamn in Anatolia. He died in the winter 1450-1451 in Edirne. Some have it that he was wounded in a battle against Skanderbeg's Albanian guerilla.
Mehmed the Conqueror
Many doubted the young Mehmed II when he became sultan (again) following his father's death. But by conquering and annexing the emirate of Karaman (May-June, 1451) and by renewing the peace treaties with Venice (September 10) and Hungary (November 20) he proved his skills both on the military and the political front and was soon accepted by the noble class of the Ottoman court. Although, when he in 1452 proposed to attack Constantinople most of the divan, and especially the Grand Vizier, Kandarli Halil, was against it and critized the sultan for being too rash and overconfident in his abilities.
On April 15, 1452, Mehmed ordered the construction of a castle on the shore of the Bosphorus. It was completed on August 31 and was named the Rumeli Hiskari (the European Castle). In September, Mehmed began mobilizing his troops, setting up a large camp surrounding the city. On March 3, 1453, he presented the Byzantine emperor Constantine XI with an ultimatum, but the emperor declined to surrender the city. The Siege of Constantinople began on April 6 and lasted for almost three months. On May 29 the city was finally captured. Mehmed had the city rebuilt as his new capital, turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque and constructing the Topkapi Palace in 1462.
When Constantinople was captured and the Byzantine Empire extinguished, Mehmed turned south to Morea (Pelleponessos) where a last Greek kingdom still remained in Christian hands, and west to the Balkans. In 1456 Mehmed laid siege to Belgrade. On August 13 the Janissaries advanced into the city but were ambushed and fled. Mehmed never succeded in taking Belgrade. Mehmed entered Athens in 1460, until then ruled by emperor Constantine's two brothers, Thomas and Demetrios. The following year Mehmed launched a campaign into Anatolia defeating Sinope and Armenia under Uzun Hasan before capturing the Empire of Trebizond August 15, 1461.
The Ottoman Empire failed to keep up technologically with its European rivals, especially Russia. It suffered a huge naval loss at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. After its defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the Ottoman Empire began a long decline, culminating in the defeat of the empire by the Allies in World War I. After the great defeat of the Ottomans at Vienna, Prince Eugene of Savoy lead Austrian forces to further victories. By 1699, the whole of Hungary had been conquered from the Ottomans by the Austrians.
Russian Expansionism
Fringe territories were lost to Russia in the north, but more importantly the Empire began to fall behind technologically compared to the west. The outside world was still mostly unaware of the extent of the Empire's decline until the 1820s, when it became clear that the Ottoman armies had no way to put down the Russian backed revolt in southern Greece. The great powers of Europe decided to intervene to give Greece its independence.
Thus Greece became the first independent country created out of a section of the Ottoman Empire. Russian aspirations for a section of the empire and bases on Russia's southern flank provoked British fears over naval domination of the Mediterranean and control of the land route to India.
When in 1853 Russia destroyed the entire Ottoman fleet at Sinop, Britain and France concluded that armed intervention on the side of the Ottomans was the only way to halt a massive Russian expansion, on the grounds that that the Ottoman armies could do nothing to stop a Russian march on Constantinople.
The Crimean War illustrated how modern technology and superior weaponry were the most important part of a modern army, and a part that the Ottoman Empire was sorely lacking. While fighting alongside the British, French, and even the Piedmontese, the Ottomans could see how far they had fallen behind. While the industrial revolution had swept through western Europe, the Ottoman Empire was still relying mainly on medieval technologies. The vast empire had no railroads, and few telegraph lines. It took days before the major naval defeat at Sinope was learned of in the capital. The poor communications made it very difficult for Constantinople to control its provinces. Thus the provinces in the Balkans, Africa, and Asia became almost autonomous. Serbia was now an independent nation in all but name, paying only token tribute to the Sultan. Most of the other provinces also paid only fractions of the tribute required by law. Even the areas under the Sultan's direct control had an outdated and corrupt tax system, drastically depleting revenues. The disorganization and corruption permeating the nation also discouraged trade, hurting both itself and its relations with other nations. Compared to any other European power the Ottoman empire also had virtually no industry, and its raw materials were not being harvested. It is not surprising then that at the mid point of the 19th century the Ottoman Empire was at the mercy of the Russians until outside forces intervened.
Things began to change after the Crimean war. The western powers had invested a great deal of resources in the Crimean war and they did not wish to come to the aid of the faltering Empire again. Thus the nation was invaded by British, French, and Austrian businessmen and administrators who came to reform and rebuild the economy. This period known as the Tanzimat saw great changes. During the period after the Crimean war a national bank was created, the tax system was revised and strengthened, the law was altered to emulate the Napoleonic Code, a public education system based on that of the French was created, the Orient Express railroad was constructed, as well other railroads were built that travelled along the coast of Anatolia and into the Balkans. Another change was that Serbia was permanently granted its independent status. This pleased both Austria, who feared a Serbian revolt on its borders, and Russia who long supported the Slavic nation's independence. Other changes began to occur as Europeans for the first time saw the trading opportunity of Turkey. The amount of money entering the nation through trade was soon dramatically increased. As well the government received a great deal of extra money from a uniform tax system with little corruption. The Sultan also managed to get a tighter grip on the provincial beys and increased the tribute they had to pay. Regrettably Abd-ul-Aziz, the Sultan at the time, used much of this money on furnishing and creating great palaces to rival the great ones in England and France, which he had visited. The Empire was undergoing a revolution, throughout Anatolia a new Ottoman nationalism was appearing, and for the first time the Empire had a middle class. It seemed as though it might be possible for the Empire to turn its decline around.
Loss of the Balkans
Then on Friday, May 9, 1873 disaster struck. The Vienna stock market crashed and took with it the economy of Europe. The money and loans from abroad stopped pouring into Constantinople and the government entered a financial crisis. Unable to deal with this the Sultan began to rapidly switch Grand Viziers. Unable to repay foreign loans the empire was forced to default on them, and ask for assistance from Europe. Soon the Sultan could avoid a fetva no longer and he was deposed. Eventually Abd-ul-Hamid II was girded with the sword of power. The monetary and governmental collapse combined with a new threat from Russia began the final stages of the Empire's collapse. Russia had been forced by the Crimean War to give up its ambitions of owning Constantinople and controlling the Bosphorus. Instead it decided to focus on gaining power in the Balkans. The population of much of the Balkans were Slavs, as were the Russians. They also mainly followed the Eastern Orthodox Church, as did the Russians. When new movements in Russia, such as that of the Slavophiles, started to enter the area, it became agitated and prone to revolution. When the government in Constantinople tried to initiate measures to prevent an economic collapse throughout the empire it touched off a revolt in Herzegovina. The revolt in Herzegovina, quickly spread to Bosnia and then Bulgaria. Soon Serbian armies also entered the war against the Turks. These revolts were the first test of the new Ottoman armies. Even though they were not up to western European standards the army fought effectively and brutally. Soon the Balkan rebellions were beginning to falter. In Europe, however, a new problem was developing. The papers of Russia were filled with reports of Turkish soldiers killing thousands of Slavs. Soon more than Russian propaganda was moving southwards and a new Russo-Turkish war had begun.
Despite fighting better than they ever had before the advanced Ottoman armies still were not equal to the Russian forces. This time there was no help from abroad, in truth many European nations supported the Russian war, as long as it did not get too close to Constantinople. Ten and a half months later when the war had ended the age of Ottoman domination over the Balkans was over. The Ottomans had fought well, the new navy of Ironclads had won the battle for the Black Sea, and Russian advances in the Caucasus had been kept minimal. In the Balkans, however, the Russian army, supported by rebels, had pushed the Ottoman army out of Bulgaria, Walachia, Romania, and much of East Rumelia and by the end of the war the artillery firing in Thrace could be heard in Constantinople.
In response to the Russian proximity to the straits the British, against the wishes of the Sultan, intervened in the war. A large task force representing British naval supremacy entered the straits of Marmara and anchored in view of both the royal palace and the Russian army. The British may have saved the Ottoman empire once again, but it ended the rosy relations between the two powers that had endured since the Crimean War. Looking at the prospect of a British entry into the war the Russians decided to settle the dispute. The treaty of San Stephano gave Romania and Montenegro their independence, Serbia and Russia each received extra territory, Austria was given control over Bosnia, and Bulgaria was given almost complete autonomy. The hope of the Sultan was that the other great powers would oppose such a one-sided resolution and a conference would be held to revise it. His desire became reality and in 1878 the Congress of Berlin was held where Germany promised to be an "honest broker" in the treaty's revision. In the new treaty Bulgarian territory was decreased and the war indemnities were cancelled. The conference also again hurt Anglo-Turkish relations by giving the British the island of Cyprus. While annoyed at Disraeli and the British, the Sultan had nothing but praise for Otto von Bismarck who forced many of the major concessions upon Russia. These close Germano-Turkish relations would persist until the empires' very end.
Internal Collapse
The autocratic Sultans of the Ottoman Empire had remained unchanged in centuries, while the rest of the world slowly became more democratic and liberal. The loss of nearly a quarter of the Empire's territory added to the already existing economic problems to make a situation ripe for revolution. The situation was especially dangerous in Constantinople, which contained thousands of refugees fleeing the Balkans. A number of small coups broke out, trying to overthrow the Sultan. None of them were well organized or even remotely successful, but they filled Abd-ul-Hamid II with a paranoia that lead to a self-imposed isolation in the palace of Yildiz. The entire Ottoman Empire was built around the Sultan, but this Sultan never left his palace and would only see a few trusted advisors. Unlike in the other states of Europe, such as Germany, where a weak ruler could be made up for by a powerful Prime Minister, there was no one who could make up for a weak Sultan. While in his self-imposed exile the Sultan's Empire continued to fall apart. Egypt had long been only loosely connected to the Ottoman Empire and in 1882 the British incorporated it into their empire to protect the Suez canal. In 1896 Crete revolted and received aid from the Greeks. This soon lead to a war between the Ottoman Empire and its former province. For the first time in centuries the Ottoman Empire won a war unaided. Greece was invaded from the North and the Ottoman armies marched south as far as Thermopylae before King George I of Greece agreed to an armistice. Greece lost some of Macedonia, and had to pay an indemnity to Turkey. Crete was, however, given almost complete autonomy to appease Britain and Russia who did not want to see its Christian inhabitants returned to the Turks.
The military victory did nothing to stop the rise of revolutionary sentiments. In 1902 a meeting in Paris brought together the leadership of the "Young Turks" - a group, mainly made of students, who were fervent Turkish nationalists wishing to do away with the archaic Empire. In Bulgaria and Macedonia terrorists started bombing Ottoman banks and government buildings demanding total independence. The two rebellions eventually joined in 1908 when an army regiment stationed in Macedonia rebelled and fled into the hills. It was joined by Macedonian rebels as well as large numbers of Young Turks. This group called itself the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP). Soon other regiments in Bulgaria and Rumelia mutinied as did many of the Anatolian soldiers sent in to end the rebellion. Abd-ul-Hamid had no choice but to give into the revolutionaries' demands. A constitution was adopted and a parliament created, Abd-ul-Hamid was now the leader of an Ottoman constitutional monarchy. Soon after the first election, which CUP won easily, there was a counter coup by the more conservative military officers. The coup failed to destroy the new government, mainly due to the skill of an unknown Adjutant-Major named Mustafa Kemal. When the liberals discovered that the Sultan had aided the coup they decided that he must go. Thus a fetva was issued and Abd-ul-Hamid II's long reign was at an end.
Final Destruction and Rebirth
Italy declared war on the Empire on September 29, 1911, demanding the turnover of Tripoli and Cyrenaica. When the empire did not respond, Italian forces took those areas on that November 5 (this act was confirmed by an act of the Italian Parliament on February 25, 1912). Three years later on November 5, 1914 the United Kingdom annexed Cyprus, and together with France declared war on the empire.
The final end to the aged and crippled empire came in the First World War. Close relations with Germany and the continued enminity towards Russia pushed the empire into joining the Central Powers. The empire at first held its own honourably. Its armies did well in the Balkans preventing any Russian advance, and under the comand of the dynamic Mustafa Kemal the Ottoman forces won a great victory against ANZAC forces at Gallipoli. This was all quickly reversed however by the British supported revolt of the Arabs, who lead by T. E. Lawrence defeated the Ottoman forces in the Middle East. At the end of the war the Ottoman government collapsed completely and the empire was divided amongst the victorious powers. France and Britain got most of the Middle East while Italy and Greece were given much of Anatolia. At the same time an independent Armenian state was established in eastern Turkey, and an autonomous Kurdish area was also created.
The Turkish people refused to accept this arrangement, however, and under Mustafa Kemal the remnants of the Young Turk movement formed a government in Ankara and created an army. They defeated the Greeks and forced them out of Anatolia. The Italians had never managed to get a substantial presence in their holdings and in the weakened state could do little to try to recapture them after they were in Turkish hands. The British and French, exhausted by the war had no interest in intervening, especially to stop of movement of national self-determination of the type they had been supporting in other lands. The Turks also destroyed the states given to the Armenians and the Kurds and reabsorbed these areas into their domain. During this series of conflicts the Armenian Holocaust and Hellenic Holocaust took place, and by 1923, at least 2.5 million Christian Armenians and Pontic Greeks had been massacred, with the rest fleeing for their lives to Greece and the then-USSR, or had been converted to Islam by force. Thus the new state of Turkey was proclaimed on January 20, 1921 and Mustafa Kemal, who took on the name Kemal Atat�rk, became its first president.
Reasons for Decline
Main article: Reasons for the Decline of the Ottoman Empire
The main reason that the Ottoman Empire declined was because of its weak leadership. The government was extremely unstable due to its hierarchy. However, widespread fratricide and the corruption of janissaries also brought down the empire. The lack of outside assistance to the empire hurt it badly.
List of Ottoman Sultans
Janissary
Evliya Celebi
Osmanli
Bashi-bazouk
Yerliyya
Spahis
Topkapi Palace
The Ottoman Khilafa - An encyclopedic website detailing many aspects of the Ottoman history and society.
Ottoman Web Site
Fact-index.com financially supports the Wikimedia Foundation. Displaying this page does not burden Wikipedia hardware resources.
This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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I have been modelling King Canute in the last days of this heavenly Summer break. It's a role I play well, substituting waves of water with white-tipped breakers of passing time.
Because, Dear Reader, I procrastinate. I create an art form out of attempting to hold back the waves of reality which wash over me.
My friends and family will concur with the fact that I only deal with any facet of reality when it has me by the collar and is eyeing me aggressively with intent.
Motherhood has necessitated a degree of mastery over this dangerous vice. As the children grew and vital deadlines came and went, I learnt that there were times when, instead of running from the raging ring-nosed bull that is an impending change, sometimes you just have to turn around, wave your red silk cloak in the air and yell "Ole!".
Well, the time for the great Ole of the year has arrived. Six days remain to my children before they must don red and white and head for our lovely little school up the road.
And this is the last year Maddie will return.
Next year, she will go to big school, and I will be very poor indeed, unless I can become a multimillionaire in the intervening twelve months.
And she will take some important steps towards growing up.
Independence is a funny old thing. The secret seems to be not only knowing when to let go, but by how much.
By the time they're five, the challenge is developing friends at school. Hearing tales come home which make one's hair stand on end: but trusting that little community to deal with the high moments and pitfalls.
Aged eight, Maddie came with us to a small Cornish village hugging the edge of Bodmin Moor. My sister-in-law has a rather lovely cottage with a fairytale garden and whitewashed walls. It also has swifts at the end of the road.
Maddie was enthralled; but the family simply could not spend ten hours standing at the end of the road watching the birds fly in and out. So Phil said, Off you go Maddie, you can go and watch by yourself.
I was as twitchy as a house spider on a hotplate, watching her walk down the lane and stand at the corner. But she handled it.
An unequivocal answer. The best bit, my daughter said, was when her friend's mother walked them down to the park, and left them for a little while to play.
"How did you feel?" I enquired, my heart thumping foolishly.
"Rather like a fledgeling", she said simply.
And she needed to say no more. In my head was a picture of an unco-ordinated bundle of newly-grown feathers, sitting on the edge of its nest, and launching itself on a tiny flight- just to the next branch over, nothing too ambitious.
To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under Heaven.
Today I launched my latest Canute Initiative. We're Still In The Holidays, part iii): a trip to Windsor with the fledgeling and her brother.
A tip: don't take large people carriers round Windsor's multi story car park. I did, and it wasn't pretty. Grown men were cursing mightily behind car windows as I negotiated my stately way round the corners. How I failed to decorate each level with pretty silver car paint is beyond me.
Remember Spirograph, anyone? I was tracing intricate patterns for ages trying to get into a space.
Felix informed me politely but firmly that dinner was imperative. We tracked down Pizza Hut and ate all we could for a very small fee.
We walked the riverbank, watching wild geese acting with more tameness than was seemly, and swans grooming themselves in sun that has not shown itself for weeks.
And on the way to a toy shop, we happened upon the Castle Maze.
Felix insisted on a detour and set to work running along the path with gusto, solving one of his favourite puzzles as if it were a beloved old story.
Maddie stood with me, handbag in hand.
It took about a minute. I noticed Maddie's feet beginning to move and shuffle, and finally dance as she watched her brother running rings around the intertwining paths.
Finally, she handed her handbag to me. She walked in a measured fashion, modelling what she felt was grown-up decorum, around the brick footways, slowly, enjoying each moment for itself.
In some ways, she's still very young. For her, change must happen gradually.
One of Phil's stories keeps playing through my mind. It was his first day doing work experience as a new reporter at a radio station, and he was almost paralysed with fear of the unknown. He paused at the foot of the steps which ran to the imposing front doors. He was fighting the impulse to run far away and give up on the whole idea of radio journalism.
And from somewhere, the thought came: just put one foot in front of the other. When you get to the top, make the choice to open the door.With one increment at a time, change will happen. Just do the next thing.
Some change is cataclysmic. But a lot is just small change.
Maddie won't grow all at once. She'll change gradually, and each change I can handle.
The School term won't explode all at once. Each step will take me where I want to go.
POSTSCRIPT: That fabulous illustration? Take a look at http://fleck-tesseract.tumblr.com .
Par petit pas, j'irai tres loin.
You as well as Maddie.
Big changes are nearly always disastrous. Look at the National Curriculum.
The big one's aren't always of our choosing, as Churchill found out… but wise words, Dad. Hope you had a nice day.
Thanks Cindy. Hope your daughter is feeling better.
I am liberal with my favours, as you know, Lydz:-D Glad you enjoyed it. Looking foward to hawking! In the literal sense of the word, that is….
I love the graphic you used at the beginning. I enjoyed your blog, too.
Have a look at the site listed at the bottom – its magic!
Good blog Kate. The end of the holidays are like the sand in the egg timer as it gets to the end. It begins to go very fast. I feel the same. I think it is because as soon as you start the new term, it almost feels like you have never been away!
Routine is a strange thing:-) I'd like this one to be a bit different.
I have a nine year old sister who is ten years younger than I am. It takes some reminding to act like her sister sometimes because I've seen her grow up. I understand what you mean, you can't stop them from changing and its not necessarily the big things that make you sit back and realize how old they are getting, its the little things. Like learning French, or having a boyfriend, or even a change in the way they wear their hair. Its at these points of realization that everything they are and everything they are soon to become hits you.
You put that so well:-) I'm glad it happens gradually….
Oh, my.The memories you have brought, yet again.
My daughter's first day at school. We lived in Singapore at the time. Children were collected by bus, and returned at the end of the school day at the bottom of the road by some shops. There we were, her in her brand new uniform clutching her new schoolbag, lunch and drink inside. The bus arrived, the old hands climbed aboard. I turned to have a last hug, and to tell my child to have a wonderful day and make sure she knew I'd be right there when she came back. But said child had disappeared. Immediate panic, where was she? Had someone kidnapped her while my attention strayed? Tears blinded me as I searched around me. How far could anyone get in a few seconds?
A friend nudged me in the ribs and pointed at the bus. There my child sat, a beatific smile on her face, waving at me with not a care in the world, while other children fought their mothers' attempts to get them aboard.
She always was advanced for her age, and independent, soaked up every bit of learning, but, did she have to be so keen to leave me standing there, feeling lost and empty, with tears on my cheeks?
What a wonderful recollection, Liz. We want them to be happy whether we are or not, but it doesn't stop one feeling a little forlorn when the little planet begins to drift out of our orbit….
I look forward to your posts more as each day passes. Thank you for that.


text:
Wole Soyinka in Zero G
The Lifeboat Foundation and its donors are sponsoring Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka into Zero G.
December 29, 2008 — Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka would like to use a Zero G ticket so the Lifeboat Foundation is raising the funds to pull this off. Zero G is the weightless experience that Stephen Hawking recently took as shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmurxp8m9Dk.
Wole has a compelling story. From his bio:
Wole has played an active role in Nigeria's political history. In 1967, during the Nigerian Civil War he was arrested by the Federal Government and put in solitary confinement for his attempts at brokering a peace between the warring parties. While in prison he wrote poetry which was published in a collection titled "Poems from Prison". He was released 22 months later after international attention was drawn to his imprisonment. His experiences in prison are recounted in his book "The Man Died: Prison Notes".
Wole is a 74-year old in above average shape. And as he says: "Is ready to give up on one or two indulgences to pass physicals if required."
Our goal of providing a Zero G ticket to Wole has now been backed with a donation by celebrity, actor, and dedicated environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., who is on our Sustainability Board.
About Lifeboat Foundation
The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards a technological singularity.
Lifeboat Foundation News office
1468 James Rd
Gardnerville, NV 89460, USA


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The encyclical, published this morning, contains the welcome assertions that "concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion" (No. 120) and "that demographic growth is fully compatible with an integral and shared development" (No. 50).
However the omission of any reference to Church teaching on the use of contraception leaves Catholics ill-prepared to resist the international population control agenda.
Professor Hans Schellnhuber was among those chosen by the Holy See to present the encyclical to the press this morning. Schellnhuber has previously stated that the "carrying capacity of the planet" is "below 1 billion people". The global population would have to be reduced by more than 80% to meet this target.
Yesterday it was revealed that Professor Schellnhuber has been appointed a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) by Pope Francis.
In November 2015 the PAS will be holding workshops to discuss how to use "children as agents of change". The programme involves strategising on how to deploy children to advance the environmental agenda worldwide. Such efforts seem to be endorsed by the encyclical in paragraphs 209-215. Some of those involved in the workshops, such as Jeffrey Sachs, are among the most vehement promoters of contraception and even abortion as necessary elements of population control.


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"Hmmm. The Wallabies?" "Hai!" says Mr X. Another pause. On 16 December 2013, the 42nd Victory Day of Bangladesh, 27,117 Bangladeshi people gathered in the National Parade Ground in Dhaka's Sher e Bangla Nagar and created a "human flag" which was recorded in Guinness World Records as the world's largest human national flag. The participants take 6 minutes and 16 seconds standby to hold the placards over their head. Go https://www.nfljerseysshow.com/ Bangladesh Go!!!! Salute to you..
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If Conte is the 30 foot shark in the BALCO case, then Bonds is the great whale. A grand jury is investigating whether Bonds lied when he allegedly said under oath several years ago that he didn't knowingly take banned steroids. In a previous magazine interview, Conte said he gave drugs to Bonds' longtime trainer, Greg Anderson.
"I wasn't interested in being a pioneer, or making history, or doing any of that," says Perry Wallace, who, in 1966, helped break the color barrier in college basketball's Southeastern Conference, when he played for Vanderbilt University. "That was not and still isn't, quite frankly my personality. My attitude was just: Drop me off at Detroit and leave me the hell alone.".
33. Anthony Gill, senior forward, Virginia. It's Gill, the unheralded senior forward for Virginia who played in the shadow of Justin Anderson and Malcolm Brogdon but might have been just as important to his team's success. Somebody was gonna hurt someone before the night is through. Somebody was going to lose a tooth. Or maybe an eye.
House of Representatives. Another of John's sons, Thomas Boylston Adams, was a legislator in Massachusetts. Representative. Somewhere, a 15 year old LiveJournal user is probably contemplating a plagiarism lawsuit right now. Naturally, the general public's interest in Korn waned after five consecutive albums of teenage angst as expressed by 30 year old dudes. But the band is still at it and is reportedly working on a new album.
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This Child Was Both Served AND Protected By The Police StateWhy Are Police Becoming More And More Violent?Why are police becoming more and more violent? It's all rather simple, really, police are becoming more and more violent because we are allowing them to kill our dogs, our children, and beat our husbands and wives, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors. We are allowing police to beat and kill us because we are stupid. Why are we stupid? Because we allow ourselves to be stupid.


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Diamondbacks News
Dodgers at Diamondbacks: 5 Players to Watch
By Thomas Lynch
Jun 27, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) doubles during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
2-Paul Goldschmidt
The soon-to-be starter at first base at this year's All-Star Game, Goldschmidt has compiled some hefty numbers against the Dodgers in 2015. In 37 plate appearances, he is hitting .417 with four home runs and ten RBI's. Gonzalez once led Goldy in All-Star voting but the D'backs' best player has pulled away and leads by millions of votes (literally). Lifetime, Goldschmidt is a .335 hitter in 285 plate appearances vs. Los Angeles with 17 home runs and 54 RBI's. If Arizona is to win two out of three, it is their MVP candidate that has to go 6 for 11 with a couple of homers.


text:
Historical version for the period April 1, 2009 to December 14, 2009.
and includes a person eighteen years of age or more charged with having committed an offence while the person was sixteen years of age or more but under eighteen years of age, but does not include an inmate or a person charged with having committed an offence while the person was twelve years of age or more but under sixteen years of age. ("adolescent") R.S.O. 1990, c. M.22, s. 1; 2000, c. 40, s. 1; 2002, c. 17, Sched. F, Table; 2002, c. 18, Sched. N, s. 18 (2, 5); 2006, c. 19, Sched. D, s. 12 (3, 4, 7, 10); 2009, c. 2, s. 16.
(e) of the Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board or of the Custody Review Board. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.22, s. 58; 2000, c. 40, s. 16; 2002, c. 18, Sched. N, s. 54; 2009, c. 2, s. 25.
(v) defining any word or expression used in this Act that is not already expressly defined in this Act. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.22, s. 60; 1997, c. 17, s. 7; 1997, c. 39, s. 10 (1); 2000, c. 40, s. 18; 2002, c. 12, s. 2 (1-3); 2002, c. 18, Sched. N, s. 56 (1, 2, 4, 6); 2009, c. 2, s. 27 (1-6).


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Border Partners fuels change for neighboring communities Columbus, NM, and Palomas, Mexico
Jana Renner
Special to the El Paso Times
Now more than ever it's important to work together to create opportunities for our community and help change the lives of our neighbors.
That idea is the driving force behind one of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation's Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) grantees, Border Partners, and it's an idea that is closely tied to the foundation's goals.
Border Partners is now in its sixth year as a HEAL grantee. The nonprofit works to deliver programs to residents of the small border colonia of Puerto Palomas, Mexico, which suffers from the many effects of poverty, including poor diet and inactivity, leading to poor overall health.
Located just across the border from Columbus, New Mexico, Border Partners delivers programs in the areas of health, education, sustainability and economic growth. These programs help improve nutrition, enhance community recreation resources, improve health education and provide water filtration to a colonia with a population of almost 5,000 people and no drinkable water.
This also includes the hiring of nine promotoras who work in Palomas to provide information and help with the various programs Border Partners has. "We are neighbors and we care about our neighbors," said Border Partners manager Melissa Reyes. "Palomas and the people of Palomas are a beautiful community and we want to help make a difference."
"Improving the health of the residents of Palomas has been one of Border Partners' most important goals ever since it was founded in 2008," Reyes said. "Because of the severe poverty, the lack of resources and the culture, many people are overweight, suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and poor nutrition. Improving the population's health and nutrition is critically important, not only to Palomas but to the region, as well."
Poverty and its effects on health are a complex issue that has ripple effects on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Because there is no hospital in Palomas, Reyes said, residents of Palomas are taken to the nearest hospital in Deming in the event of emergencies. Also, many Palomas children are born in the U.S. and attend school in New Mexico.
"The health of the residents of Palomas has a domino effect on our region and Border Partners has worked hard to make progress," Reyes said. "The HEAL grant we've received through the Paso del Norte Foundation for the past six years has helped make some major health projects possible," Reyes said.
"The HEAL grant has allowed us to create workshops discussing health problems, cooking classes, mental health and physical therapy," Reyes said. "We also have a promotora office in Palomas where residents can come check their blood pressure, blood sugar levels and get other free health information, and we have helped with the creation and care of 40 community gardens that provide fresh vegetables to the community."
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In addition, Border Partners established school greenhouses, provides classes on exercise and home gardening, offers nutritious lunches to three schools and seniors, and maintains fitness facilities and sports leagues.
Perhaps most importantly, especially during the pandemic, Reyes said, Border Partners has provided food deliveries to the elderly and others.
"Many of Palomas residents are agricultural workers and there are no jobs right now due to COVID-19," Reyes said. "Mexico doesn't have the same public assistance programs we have in the U.S., so we've been giving boxes of food to families and the elderly. Many elderly people in Palomas are on their own and they don't take care of themselves. One of our main goals is to help teach people and give them the information they need to begin to help themselves. But right now, during this pandemic, it's also important to lend that helping hand."
Reyes said her organization feels a duty to help its neighbors with a hands-on approach. "We are thankful for the opportunity to serve and to change lives in the process," she said.
Now more than ever, this is an attitude that the entire Paso del Norte region should embrace. There are so many ways to help improve the health and lives of others in our community, and we are grateful for Border Partners and others that are doing just that. And the domino effect that Reyes mentioned also can create positive outcomes for our entire region.
Jana Renner is a program officer with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. She may be reached at 915-218-2616 and jrenner@pdnfoundation.org.
• To learn more about Border Partners, visit https://BorderPartners.org
• To learn more about the Health Foundation's HEAL initiative, its goals, programs and grantees, visit https://bit.ly/30QE3Kn