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Rethinking the lessons from Za'atari refugee camp
Melissa N Gatter
gatter.pdf
Humanitarian efforts to build a model refugee camp when constructing Azraq camp in Jordan – drawing on what was supposed to have been learned in Za'atari camp – missed crucial aspects of Za'atari's governance.
Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, the second largest camp in the world and temporary home for 80,000 Syrians, was built in 2012, materialising over two weeks as thousands of Syrians fled the city of Dara'a in southwestern Syria. The physical infrastructure of the camp was poor in its early days. Tents collapsed in the muddy sand in the winter, refugees demonstrated against both the conditions in the camp and the war at home, and the environment was one of general distrust. Two years later, humanitarians in Jordan attempted to build a new model camp: Azraq. However, although Za'atari is considered by humanitarians to have failed in many respects, it is by far the more popular camp among refugees.
Za'atari
Za'atari's rapid development into the fourth-largest city in Jordan[1] is often credited solely to the resilience of its entrepreneurial camp dwellers. But the camp's humanitarian governance also played a key role in this, as public spaces for refugees were allowed to form on an impromptu basis using facilities provided by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as schools, bread distribution centres and medical clinics. When the first arrivals took advantage of regular foot traffic along the camp's main road to open up independent shops, creating what is known as the Shams Élysées (playing on the name of the Avenue des Champs Élysées, a prestigious street in Paris, with Sham meaning Syria in Arabic), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, did not shut it down but rather negotiated with shopkeepers to regulate its size and electricity usage. In fact, NGOs make constant concessions to allow a degree of camp development that can be regulated for the sake of security but that allows conditions to remain livable for residents. Former camp manager Kilian Kleinschmidt made it a part of his job to get to know the leaders of Za'atari's informal networks, many of which had transferred from Dara'a, in order to establish trust between humanitarian and refugee leadership.
The original blueprints for Za'atari had envisaged tents, and eventually caravans, organised in neat symmetrical rows – easier to manage and more presentable for visiting donors. Those in charge even created a map of Za'atari, the first ever satellite map of a refugee camp.[2] But as refugees shifted their temporary homes to be closer to relatives or to join up with other caravans, the map became less aesthetically geometric, revealing unplanned cul-de-sacs, improvised home expansion and uneven crowding. As Za'atari appears today, no two caravans look the same, much of the infrastructure has been painted to imitate Dara'a's greenery, and hundreds of small private and public gardens have been planted in the desert terrain.
Za'atari's humanitarian apparatus, while limiting refugee activity, has also made an effort to engage with refugees on an individual level. Although humanitarian interventions in the camp could do better to address men's needs, many women are being supported in taking on the role of primary provider for their families. Young women who attend NGO programming are finding the courage to resist early marriage in favour of school or work. Young men who need to earn money can train in technology, barbering and sewing so they do not have to resort to physically arduous and often exploitative labour for little pay, such as transporting wheelbarrows of gravel around the camp. Aid workers have acted as mentors to children to encourage them to attend school regularly and work towards the profession they want.
Azraq
The drive into Azraq reveals a striking contrast to Za'atari. The entrance to Za'atari is always filled with aid workers and refugees coming and going. In Azraq, NGO vehicles are the only traffic heading down a long one-way road. At first glance, rows upon rows of caravans conceal any evidence of activity. Neglected basketball courts give the camp an air of dereliction. Azraq looks more like a storage depot than a long-term home for people fleeing violence.
Azraq's planners wanted to construct the camp in such a way as to create villages within the camp in order to preserve traditional Syrian community structures while also accommodating the needs of those deemed more vulnerable: single women and mothers, people with disabilities, and the elderly. However, there was also an overarching – and overwhelming – objective to ensure security. Built in an isolated region of the northeastern desert, Azraq is far more secluded than Za'atari. Jordanian army vehicles are stationed at high points on the outskirts of Azraq, facing outward to the desert, as well as at the camp's entrance and exit where officers check permits for both aid workers and vehicles. While these measures point to efforts to keep the camp's refugees safe from external threats, a drive through Azraq reveals that security in reality prioritises the safety of humanitarian workers. The administrative base camp for NGO offices is a ten-minute car ride to the nearest of Azraq's villages. Compared with Za'atari's dense layout of markets, NGO centres and caravans across twelve districts in five square kilometres, Azraq's four villages, designed to accommodate up to 130,000 refugees, are separated across 15 square kilometres by large plots of unoccupied space – and the emptiness is overwhelming. Ironically, the abundance of space in Azraq is designed to limit refugees' movement; political demonstrations are harder to organise when mobilisation is a challenge and the community is physically disconnected.
Many aid workers state that Azraq's organisation is what sets it apart as a model camp. In addition to the security benefits, it is meant to make things more convenient for aid workers, with one humanitarian citing camp NGOs' unprecedented use of data sharing via Google Drive. This implies that the camp runs more efficiently than Za'atari but instead it has in fact introduced layers of bureaucracy that Za'atari's comparative disorderliness has managed mostly to circumvent. The result: a heavily controlled, miserable and half-empty enclosure of symmetrical districts that restricts economic activity, movement and self-expression. Some refugees have likened the camp to an outdoor prison, while humanitarian observers have described it as a dystopian nightmare.
Critical differences
Azraq's humanitarian planners missed a critical difference between the populations of both camps. Za'atari is refuge to Syrians who fled Assad's crackdown on Dara'a, the city where their revolution began, and many had participated in the early demonstrations against Assad. Some of those who arrived or were assigned to Azraq had also come from Dara'a but many had fled from Homs and Aleppo, and a significant portion fled ISIS in Raqqa and are less likely to be politically active than their Dara'awi counterparts in Za'atari. Thus, despite Azraq's extensive planning of the first two villages constructed (Villages 3 and 6) to prevent the kind of political expression witnessed in Za'atari, those in charge found themselves continually improvising, adding the next two villages (5 and then 2) to respond to groups of Syrians fleeing new developments in the Syrian conflict. 21,000 Syrians who were kept at the Rukban border after fleeing ISIS in 2016 were accepted into Jordan on condition that they would be held in Village 5 until cleared to move to the newly built Village 2.[3] Two years later, the lack of electricity in both of these villages is in stark contrast to the image of preparedness projected in 2014.[4]
By prioritising organisation and security, Azraq's humanitarian system has restricted the potential for refugee livelihoods activities. Separating the villages to limit political mobility also interferes with daily routine, making it difficult for refugees to go to the supermarket or to attend meetings hosted by NGOs. Aid workers are also affected, having to wait hours sometimes for transport to travel between villages. Unlike in Za'atari, where unofficial public spaces arose spontaneously in the many areas where refugees were undertaking daily activities, Azraq's endless space has actually left little room for meaningful communal areas. Featuring a few rows of benches squared in by caravan offices, the community centres in each village are designed more for refugees to wait to speak to officials than for community building. Created and managed by Azraq's governing agencies, the marketplaces are quieter and emptier than Za'atari's bustling Shams Élysées and offer only a small number of shops that refugees are allowed to run. Apart from the market, Azraq runs an incentive-based volunteering scheme for refugees to work for NGOs on a rotational basis but the high demand means that the 14,000 refugees who have registered usually spend 11 months of each year waiting for their turn.
Of course, the resilience of Azraq's residents can be seen: families enjoying tea in the shade in the mornings, the makeshift shelving units that transform one-room caravans into a more functional space, the gardens that many have planted, and the small independent shops or salons run out of caravans. As the Syrians of Za'atari have adapted, so too have the Syrians of Azraq. But what makes Za'atari work – for a refugee camp – is everything that Azraq has chosen to prevent from the start: organic development, economic opportunity, a sense of community. While Za'atari did not have time to prepare for the arrival of refugees, it has nevertheless grown into a space where there is always something for residents to participate in. Azraq, on the other hand, is designed for waiting: waiting for services, waiting for work, waiting for return.
Melissa N Gatter mg745@cam.ac.uk
Doctoral candidate, University of Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk
[1] www.oxfam.org/en/crisis-syria/life-zaatari-refugee-camp-jordans-fourth-biggest-city
[2] Maps for Za-atari and Asraq available at (respectively):
http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/download.php?id=13263
http://bit.ly/Azraq-map
[3] https://apnews.com/5782dcbf32af4fb19f78de317717bd1b
[4] www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2014/4/5360b21b6/jordan-opens-new-desert-camp-syrian-refugees-azraq.html
Book traversal links for Rethinking the lessons from Za'atari refugee camp
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The neglected health needs of older Syrian refugees in Jordan ›
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Le système de zones humides d'Ørland est un site Ramsar situé à Ørland dans le Trøndelag et créé en 1985. Il se compose d'une réserve naturelle et trois aires protégées pour les oiseaux. L'ensemble a une superficie de , terres et mers confondues.

Le système de zones humides se compose de quatre zones côtières peu profondes: réserve naturelle de Grandefjæra, zones de protection animale de Hovsfjæra, Innstrandfjæra et Kråkvågsvaet.

Plusieurs de ces endroits sont découverts à marée basse, de sorte que des vasières apparaissent. Ces vasières et les zones d'eau peu profonde sont attrayantes pour plusieurs types d'oiseaux, à la fois ceux qui y vivent et ceux qui n'y font que passer lors de leur migration. La région est particulièrement importante pour les canards, les cygnes et les échassiers lors de leur migration au printemps et en automne. Parmi les espèces typiques de la zone, on trouve macreuse noire, macreuse brune, eider à duvet et cygne.

Liens externes

Références

Aire protégée créée en 1985
Site Ramsar en Norvège

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Greatness Agenda
America's Talking
Winston 84 Facebook Twitter Parler
Fake Russia and Ukraine Scandals Expose a True One
Trump's enemies are exaggerating what is entirely normal and trying to turn disagreements over policy and tone into "high crimes and misdemeanors."
By Christopher Roach
There is a striking symmetry between the charge that Donald Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to sway the outcome of the election and the Democrats' current effort to impeach President Trump. Both involve our relations with countries that Americans do not think of very often, but over which the elites obsess.
The rhetoric in each case is crafted carefully to turn conservatives' patriotic instincts jiu jitsu-style against the president. And both cases feature overwrought rhetoric that transforms the ordinary and the unremarkable into "high crimes and misdemeanors."
The official Russian interference story became more grim in the retelling. While there were hacking efforts against the DNC, and Hillary campaign advisor John Podesta was a victim of a phishing scam, this is fairly modest stuff. Anyone who has used the internet is aware of the risk of hacking and accustomed to ignoring suspicious emails. None of these efforts affected the election process itself.
In addition to these events—that may or may not have originated from the Russian government—there were also official Russian information operations, which included social media content designed to amplify divisions between Americans.
As a consequence, a vanishingly small number of people may have seen an advertisement or two. To call these actions, which hurt no one and changed no votes, a "digital 9/11" or the equivalent of Pearl Harbor is ridiculous and grotesque.
There was also an outreach effort to the Trump campaign by two Russians that went nowhere—this face-to-face outreach was sui generis and may very well have been part of a CIA plot to entrap then-candidate Trump.
That's it. Trump didn't "collude," had nothing to do with any of it, and "it" was not that big of a deal. There was no changing of votes, hacking tabulating equipment, or any other action that directly affected the election process.
Mere influence of elections through speech is not corrosive to our democracy. Media figures, politicians, and educational institutions have promoted cosmopolitanism and internationalism for decades. We were supposed to travel to that hip café in Bratislava and meet the native peoples of Peru.
Following the cosmopolitan spirit, public relations efforts from other countries are a normal part of American political life, and they are eagerly reported by our media. We heard from former Mexican President, Vicente Fox, that he didn't want Trump to be elected. Mexico's government also engaged in direct efforts to defeat candidate Trump. In 2004, presidential candidate John Kerry said that other countries' leaders wanted George W. Bush gone and told him so in secret. No one thought any of this was foreign interference or a threat to our democracy.
Direct foreign lobbying is permitted because we assume foreign nations and businesses have an interest in the goings-on in America—the world's preeminent power. While foreigners cannot vote, nor can they legally donate to American political campaigns, our system presumes that we may benefit from hearing what they have to say.
The premise of free speech is that the truth is best found in a "marketplace of ideas" and that truthful speech can counteract bad speech. On this basis, America still has Radio Free Europe, some 28 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. And America funds numerous non-governmental organizations in other countries, including Russia.
The Establishment Hates Russia
It's true that Russia is neither England, France, or Mexico for that matter. We are not at war with Russia, but our relations are less-than-friendly.
Western elites' chief problem with Russia is that it has not complied with the script Western advisors provided after the downfall of Communism. Russia was supposed to embrace the ever-changing kaleidoscope of modern values, including capitalism, secularism, multiculturalism, and sexual liberation.
Under Boris Yeltsin, Russia did exactly that, but these reforms led to chaos during the 1990s. A handful of oligarchs became rich by looting the country, while prosperity declined and gangsters ruled the streets. Vladimir Putin restored law and order, as well as Russia's ability to project power abroad. Now Russia is a moderately authoritarian county that is largely white, nationalist, conservative, and increasingly Christian. As such, it is an obstacle to the Western elites' desire to make the whole world look like San Francisco.
In addition to a conflict of values, the United States had friction with Russia over Ukraine and, before that, over Georgia. By way of context, in 2014 the Obama Administration and its CIA director, John Brennan, engineered a coup in Ukraine against its democratically elected, pro-Russian president. Russia responded with a bloodless takeover of Crimea, an ethnic Russian province of Ukraine with historic significance to Russia.
Provocative actions, unsurprisingly, tend to provoke.
But even taking into account Russia's lack of liberal bona fides, no one talked quite like this about China in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre, or even when Bill Clinton's campaign was embroiled in the Chinese fundraising scandal in 1996. Certainly, no one said it was a "virtual Pearl Harbor" or that Clinton was a literal Manchurian candidate. Perspective and context are completely absent.
The hostility of the ruling class to Trump, coupled with their hostility to all that a nationalist Russia represents, has allowed them to describe a relatively small intrusion and social media trolling exercise as a "digital 9/11" and all the rest. Such inflammatory rhetoric conflated a genuine horror with something far more benign and from which our system is fairly resilient. Robert Mueller tried in vain to connect Trump to it, but no such connections were forthcoming.
Impeachment Effort Rooted in Horror at the Mundane
As with the anti-Russian propaganda, a similar sleight of hand is at work in the impeachment effort. Consider the facts. There was a call between Trump and the newly elected leader of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky. This, by itself, is completely normal.
Some months prior to the call, Congress allocated funding for Ukraine—a substantial sum of $300 million that included military aid—to shore up Ukraine's defenses against Russia. This kind of funding is somewhat unique; the United States does not give military aid to many countries, and few get funding at this level. Like all spending, the mechanics and timing of it, once appropriated by Congress, are largely in the hands of the executive branch.
Another important factor largely unexamined by the American press is that the new Ukrainian leader is more pro-Russian than his predecessor. Zelensky has announced his intention to follow the Minsk accords, which were supposed to bring an end to fighting in the east, but failed to be observed by either side.
One rightly would expect any American president to ensure that the money will not support an unfriendly government. By way of analogy, President Trump stopped F-35 sales to Turkey, and President Obama stopped the sale of F-16s to Taiwan.
The paeans to the stalwart Ukrainians also fail to mention that Ukraine has a significant corruption problem. Whatever happened between then-Vice President Joe Biden, his son, and the Burisma gas company is a symptom of its political culture and its entanglement with major American political actors. The former darling of the West, Yulia Tymoshenko, was imprisoned for her natural-gas-related corruption. Ukrainians also have endured the theft of $5.5 billion from Privat Bank by the various oligarchs connected to it—5 percent of their GDP! One of those oligarchs has substantial business ties to Ukraine's new president. It remains to be seen if his promises of reform, like those of his predecessors, leave Ukrainians disappointed.
Ukraine's political arena appears, in fact, to have certain features of a money-laundering operation, where increasing American antipathy to Russia is part of the scam. The more anti-Russian feeling there is here at home, the more money goes to Ukraine, which then sloshes around various connected officials' pockets.
Some portion of the loot gets doled out to western political advisors like Paul Manafort, Paul Begala, and Tony Podesta. This in turn gets recycled into the American political system to generate more anti-Russian feeling, encouraging Congress to open its coffers even further.
Hillary Clinton's campaign, for example, had open and direct cooperation with Ukraine in 2016, back when candidate Trump was saying sensible things about having better relations with Russia. What money changed hands and between whom for this direct connection remains unknown.
If the concern is foreign collusion, it appears the only country anyone is worried about is Russia. Our allies get a pass, not-so-democratic countries in the Middle East get a pass, the cartelocracy of Mexico gets a pass, and even Communist China gets a pass.
The Zelensky Call Showed Trump Was Doing His Job
Trump's impeachment foes allege that he allowed personal considerations to interfere with his dispensing of aid to Ukraine by demanding an investigation of Biden and his son in order to benefit himself politically. But isn't it reasonable for Trump, who has toed the U.S. line on Russia, to see if the new leader of Ukraine is an honest partner, to see if this substantial sum of money is going to get siphoned off through the country's endemic corruption, and, finally, to see if he was dealing with someone who is working with corrupt elements in the American government to undermine him as president? The talk of "quid pro quo" imports the language of campaign finance law into the operations of foreign policy, conflating goods done for the country with activity undertaken solely to benefit a candidate.
There is always something expected when foreign aid is dispensed. It is not meant to be a gift; it is supposed to advance the national interest. The fact that there may be an incidental benefit to Trump from a Ukrainian investigation of Biden is irrelevant.
The United States has an interest in reducing corruption in Ukraine, particularly if we are providing Ukraine's government hundreds of millions of dollars. Almost anything a president does can be deemed to have this dual effect of benefiting his political fortunes. Didn't Obama benefit when Osama bin Laden was killed? Or when he dispensed money to ACORN and other allied political groups?
The premise of the quid pro quo theory of impeachment is similar to the flawed reasoning of lower court rulings regarding Trump's travel ban or the inclusion of a citizenship question on the census. These courts said, in effect, that Trump's subjective motives rendered his use of a statutorily authorized power impermissible, even if it might be authorized if it had sprung from what they deemed a permissible motive.
In effect, this appropriates authority to make foreign policy to persons not elected and therefore not delegated that authority by the sovereign people of the United States.
A common law principle sheds some light on this expansive interpretation of election law: no one exercising his rights does actionable harm to another. In other words, a mixed motive cannot convert an otherwise lawful act into an unlawful one. Here, the president is acting within the scope of his foreign policy power. The mind-readers who see something untoward in the transcript can't escape the fact that Trump has control over the manner and conditions of dispensing foreign aid.
The people elect presidents because of their policies, their character, and their presumed fidelity to the country as a whole. We wouldn't expect any president not to enforce a law, simply because its enforcement might harm some opponent. Indeed, we would expect the opposite. The channeling of such ambition is precisely what the framers intended when they wrote the Constitution.
It's not Trump's fault that Biden and his family are knee-deep in Ukrainian corruption, nor is Trump duty-bound to ignore these circumstances in disbursing $300 million in foreign aid. His confidence in the normality of his actions led him quickly to release the transcript of his call with Zelensky. As with the earlier Russian interference story, Trump's enemies are exaggerating what is entirely normal and trying to turn disagreements over policy and tone into "high crimes and misdemeanors."
About Christopher Roach
Christopher Roach is an attorney in private practice based in Florida. He is a double graduate of the University of Chicago and has previously been published by The Federalist, Takimag, The Journal of Property Rights in Transition, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Marine Corps Gazette, and the Orlando Sentinel. The views presented are solely his own.
Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience. For licensing opportunities for our original content, please contact licensing@centerforamericangreatness.com.
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HomeMilitary AviationReally Bad African Paratroops Demonstrate Every Jump Ramp Error in One Jump
Really Bad African Paratroops Demonstrate Every Jump Ramp Error in One Jump
March 9, 2019 Tom Demerly Military Aviation 0
We don't know what unit was executing the jump, and the video has since disappeared from social media, but we managed to make a video of the video before it disappeared. (Video: YouTube via Facebook)
Jumpers Execute Dangerous Exits, Ramp Strikes and Falls in One Jump Exercise.
Military static line parachuting is safe when practiced correctly, but minor mistakes can quickly turn a jump into a disaster. Take a look at these.
This video appeared on social media early this week from the Flintlock 2019 military exercise in the Sahel region of Africa. Whoever the unit is in the video- and no one is giving them credit (or blame…), they demonstrate about every aircraft exit mistake a static line parachutist can make short of actually forgetting to hook up their static line.
The video has disappeared from social media, but we managed to make a video of the video before it disappeared.
The first man looks like he is trying to do a side-door exit from an aircraft, when he's actually using the tailgate. It's weird, because tailgating an aircraft- jumping from the rear cargo ramp, is easier than exiting the side door of an aircraft. U.S. paratroopers look forward to the rare opportunity to do a "Hollywood tailgate party", a daytime static line jump from a rear cargo ramp without carrying heavy combat gear. It's the safest, easiest jump a paratrooper can make. The first troop makes a safe exit, but his parachute deployment probably had some twisted parachute risers.
The third guy should be commended for his motivation, if not his style. It looks like he is doing a freefall exit, not a static line exit. It likely went OK for him, but the opening shock probably spun him around some, making for an uncomfortable parachute deployment.
The third man out executes a pretty nice exit; feet and knees (sort of) together, relatively tight body position, hands protecting his reserve parachute. The black hat instructors at the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning might give this exit a "Go".
Things really go south for the fourth guy, who face plants on the exit ramp. He may have been hesitant to exit, he may have tripped on the non-skid surface of the exit ramp, hard to say, but he makes an incredible mess of the exit and belly-flops out the rear exit ramp. This is extremely dangerous because falling on your reserve parachute, worn in front by these jumpers, could accidentally deploy it. It may get tangled in the jumper's main parachute and, at low jump altitudes of around 600-800 feet and sometimes even less, could cause a catastrophic malfunction with way too fast of a descent rate and no way to untangle the two chutes before impact. Expect broken bones at best.
The rest of the jumpers seem justifiably freaked out by this. But the fifth man sucks it up and makes a passable, if messy, exit. His feet are too far apart. Static line parachute jumpers must "maintain a tight body position and count" to insure the parachute does not accidentally deploy between their legs. I don't have to explain why having the static line become high speed dental-floss deal between your legs would be bad.
Jumper number six just isn't sure about this whole "Airborne!" thing. He decides to sit down on the exit ramp for a minute and contemplate his participation in the elite parachute infantry. Someone on the aircraft, presumably the jumpmaster, motivates him by shouting "GO!". After his moment of quiet reflection on the future of his military career, he apparently decides that being an elite airborne trooper is worth a bit of a risk and tentatively tumbles off the ramp. He may have also calculated that leaving the aircraft from the seated position got him about two feet closer to the ground upon exit, thereby presumably making the jump safer.
Jumpers seven and eight both execute fairly decent exits, at least relative to the other jumpers, but that's a pretty low bar.
Jumper nine defies description. He apparently deduces that using his butt as a kind of braking device upon exit may make his jump somehow safer or easier. Whatever the reason he smacked against the exit ramp on exit, that had to hurt. He also kind of flaps his arms in a bird-like motion. Maybe he doesn't trust his 'chute.
This had to hurt. (Video: YouTube via Facebook)
That was it for this stick of jumpers. It would seem as though these guys need to head back to the jump ramp simulator and practice some exits if they are going to continue their Airborne careers. Whatever the case may be, nearly every exit on this jump demonstrates what can go wrong when a static line tailgate parachute jump is executed poorly. For that reason, we owe these guys for 32 seconds of video that is destined to go down in Airborne history as a documentary on how not to leave an aircraft.
The Author of this article was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army.
parachute jumping
parachuters
Paradropping
About Tom Demerly 318 Articles
Tom Demerly is a feature writer, journalist, photographer and editorialist who has written articles that are published around the world on TheAviationist.com, TACAIRNET.com, Outside magazine, Business Insider, We Are The Mighty, The Dearborn Press & Guide, National Interest, Russia's government media outlet Sputnik, and many other publications. Demerly studied journalism at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. Tom Demerly served in an intelligence gathering unit as a member of the U.S. Army and Michigan National Guard. His military experience includes being Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia (Cycle C-6-1) and as a Scout Observer in a reconnaissance unit, Company "F", 425th INF (RANGER/AIRBORNE), Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU). Demerly is an experienced parachutist, holds advanced SCUBA certifications, has climbed the highest mountains on three continents and visited all seven continents and has flown several types of light aircraft.
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Take A Look At These Shots Of The Airdrops Performed During Operation "Market Garden" Celebrations in the Netherlands
October 10, 2018 David Cenciotti Military Aviation 0
Each year, waves of paratroopers commemorate Operation Market Garden fought in the Netherlands in September 1944. Operation "Market Garden" is the name of an unsuccessful Allied military operation launched during World War II and fought […]
Parachute jumping from inside a C-130J
March 26, 2009 David Cenciotti Aviation, Italian Air Force, Military Aviation 0
Stefano Romito (who I met for the first time during a flight inside a P-180 of the 71° Gruppo – his previous unit), a C-130J pilot of the 46^ Brigata Aerea of the Aeronautica Militare […]
We Fly In The Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Learn Why The Dakota Remains Eternal
September 15, 2017 Tom Demerly Military Aviation 6
Airlifter, Gunship, Spy Plane, VIP Transport and More: It's Important to Understand the C-47. It is a bit bumpy despite calm weather. She skids back and forth on her tail in light crosswinds and level […]


Having just left Paris now can't wait to get back, for the arrival of the angels. Yes the Victoria's Secret angels will be heading off to rock'n roll in Paris. City of lights will be city of angels.
The girls plan to have a lot of fun, rocking the streets of Paris, and I am gonna get my buddy to make some cook VS cocktails at Wos Bar.
Here are the girls Check it out.
Models set to make their repeat appearance include veterans Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Lily Aldridge, plus relative newbies Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell and Taylor Hill.
Here is a look back at some of the fun some angels of the past and present with a tribute to David Bowie.


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Mobile phones that pushed our buttons: From the 1980s 'brick' to the Galaxy S4
A Motorola DynaTAC was one of the first models of the mobile phone offered on the market in 1983. The first mobile phones were made available after a decade of research after the first call in 1973 (Rex Features)
And here's the finished article - a Motorola DynaTAC ready for public consumption. It was released in 1983 - the product of a decade's-worth of research after Cooper's first call (Rex Features)
A woman speaks on a mobile phone. Bag phones were popular in the 1980s. The handset was attached to a large and heavy metal case containing a transceiver and battery pack. Motorola produced fashion leather bags to house the innovations in to market the sizable gadgets for popular use (TS/Keystone USA / Rex Features)
Bag phones made an appearance in the 1980s. The handset would be attached to a large and heavy metal case containing a transceiver and battery pack. Motorola produced 'fashionable' leather bags to try and encourage more women to buy (TS/Keystone USA / Rex Features)
The Motorola MicroTAC was the first pocket-sized handset. The device was the smallest and lightest phone available at the time of its release in 1989 and featured an innovative
The Motorola MicroTAC was the first pocket-sized handset. The device was the smallest and lightest phone available at the time of its release in 1989 and featured an innovative design where the mouthpiece folded over the keypad (Motorola)
The Motorola StarTAC was the first flip phone. The shell folded up from above the display. It was released in 1996 (Motorola)
The Motorola StarTAC was the first flip phone. The shell folded upwards to reveal the display. It was released in 1996 (Motorola)
The Nokia 7110, released in 1999, was the first mobile device to offer WAP - an early wireless service (Rex Features)
The first Apple iPhone was released in 2007 and revolutionised the market. The touchscreen smartphone offered apps allowing users to send and receive messages, listen to music, access the internet, making calls and other practical devices. The device's sleek and lightweight design helped sell 6.1million units (Rex Features)
3 April 2013, 6:48 am
Mobile phones have changed a great deal since Martin Cooper made the world's first mobile phone call. From cumbersome devices popular with yuppies in the 1980s to the sleek, lightweight designs produced today - innovative technology has transformed mobile phones. The first mobile phone call was made 40 years ago but now the gadgets do more than just call. The £800 billion industry now allows users to access the internet, listen to music, record videos and more. Take a look at this set of innovative handsets that changed the industry.


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HomeChannelsBusinessAsia shares win reprieve as bond rout pauses for now
Asia shares win reprieve as bond rout pauses for now
TOKYO A pause in both the sell-off in global bonds and sharp rise in the dollar following Donald Trump's election victory, together with Wall Street's record high overnight helped Asian shares steady on Wednesday from a four-month low struck a day earlier.
President-elect Trump's plans to cut taxes and boost infrastructure spending would boost demand while his proposals to deport illegal immigrants and impose tariffs on cheap imports, if implemented, are seen likely to drive inflation higher.
That prospect has given rise to expectations that U.S. interest rates will rise faster than earlier anticipated, making the dollar stronger, but investors are still trying to assess what opportunities a Trump presidency will bring.
"The markets are having a bit of a pause at the moment. But people still want to do more of this trade," said Yoshinori Shigemi, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management in Tokyo.
"If you look at the U.S. markets, investors are looking at coming infrastructure spending and so on and they are rotating to stocks from bonds."
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.6 percent on Wednesday, bouncing back from a four-month low touched earlier this week.
The dollar's strength has fanned fears investors could shift funds to the United States from emerging markets. Emerging market stocks managed to rise 0.3 percent on Tuesday after having fallen 7 percent over the previous four sessions.
Japan's Nikkei rose 1.1 percent to nine-month high on Wednesday, thanks to the dollar's retreat from a 5 1/2-month high against the yen.
The dollar was trading at 109.03 yen in late morning trade in Asia, having slipped slightly off high of 109.34 yen struck on Tuesday.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.29 percent to a record high while the S&P 500 gained 0.75 percent.
Since Trump's unexpected victory last week, U.S. shares have rallied while U.S. bond prices tumbled, pushing up their yields sharply.
The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries slipped to 2.207 percent from Monday's 11-month high of 2.302 percent, although that is sharply above its levels around 1.86 percent before the election.
U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in October, pointing to sustained economic strength that could allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.
U.S. interest rate futures are pricing in an 85 percent chance of a rate hike, compared to 75 percent before the election.
The two-year U.S. notes yield fell to 0.989 percent on Wednesday, having hit a 10-month high of 1.029 percent on Tuesday.
Nikko SMBC Securities estimates U.S. two-year notes are currently pricing in five Fed rate hikes in the next two years, said senior strategist Makoto Noji.
"If we base our assumption on (Fed Chair Janet) Yellen's gradualist approach, which can be roughly translated as two rate hikes per year, we could say that the market has already priced in tightening they could reasonably imagine at this point," Noji said.
"But of course if Trump's policies stoke inflation that cannot be contained by two rate hikes per year, the U.S. bond market could see big moves again," he added.
Sharp gains in U.S. bond yields have drawn investors to the dollar, and its index against a basket of six major currencies hit its highest level in almost a year on Tuesday.
It slipped slightly in Asia on Wednesday to 99.982, but was still just 0.5 percent away from reaching its highest level in more than 13-1/2 years.
The euro traded at $1.0724, just above Monday's $1.0709, its lowest level in almost a year.
The Chinese yuan also weakened to 6.8703 to the yuan, its weakest level since December 2008.
Gold traded at $1,232.3 per ounce, not far from a 5 1/2-month low of $1,211.8 seen on Monday.
In contrast, oil prices hovered near their highest levels in about two weeks after having jumped nearly 6 percent on Tuesday on bets OPEC members will agree to cut output when they meet later this month.
U.S. crude futures stood at $45.67 per barrel, after having risen to $46.09 late on Tuesday, their highest since Nov 2.
(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Trump rewards loyalty, considers economic picks as he molds Cabinet
Hugo Boss sees revival plan bearing fruit in 2018


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Nowy Kłopoczyn (dawn. Kolonia Kłopoczyn) – wieś w Polsce położona w województwie łódzkim, w powiecie rawskim, w gminie Sadkowice.

W latach 1975–1998 miejscowość administracyjnie należała do województwa skierniewickiego.

Sadkowice (gmina)


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Q: Highstocks line chart issue after HS upgrade We are current upgrading a four yr old HS application to the newest version.
The following screenshot show a red dashed line going from 1302 down to 0 on the last day.
http://de.tinypic.com/r/10s96a8/8
The same is displayed with the newsted HS version this way:
http://de.tinypic.com/r/10s96a8/8
I tried to play with plotOptions -> line -> step: center|right|left but this does lead to a step within in the line..
so any recommendation how to restore the old correct behavior?

A: This is related with datagrouping, which group points. So when you zoom, points are calculated and merge into single, to increase performance. Try to disable that by option. Ref: http://api.highcharts.com/highstock#plotOptions.series.dataGrouping.enabled

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Item Number: H20-A4138FN Have a question about this item?
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Sylvia Monfort with the SCP Germany team.
On February 24th and 25th, SCP Germany organised 2 "Open Days" in their new premises in Magdala, not far from Weimar in Germany.
During these two days, around 150 professionals were able to enjoy a glass of champagne and take a tour of the new premises, including a 1,000m² warehouse, now belonging to the subsidiary that was recently acquired from SCP Europe.
On this occasion, SCP Germany presented its new collection of spa and pool product ranges.


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U.S. Rep. Phil Roe
Roe: Southern border is open for families
Roe, co-chair of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, recently visited the southern border with caucus members to see how illegal immigrants are processed and to assess medical conditions.
Roe: 'Humanitarian crisis' is at southern border
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, a retired physician, said in the next few weeks he will be going to the border with the GOP doctor's caucus to see firsthand what is happening.
Educators air school safety concerns with Roe
When asked for his position on arming teachers, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe responded: "I can't imagine Miss Childs, my first-grade teacher, carrying a nine millimeter, but there are people, friends of mine, who are extremely well trained in the military and would have no problem with them having a weapon there. I would feel better if they did."
Roe: House Dems won't move on from Mueller Report
"This is over," U.S. Rep. Phil Roe. "There was no collusion. As best I can tell, there was no crime to start with … I don't know how you can obstruct something that wasn't a crime."
Roe cites 'huge surge' in immigrants during town hall meeting
BLOUNTVILLE — "How many people think we need open borders?" U.S. Rep. Phil Roe asked that question to about 30 constituents near the end of an immigration town hall meeting held Tuesday night at the Sullivan County Justice Center. No one raised their hand.
What does law enforcement worry about?
KINGSPORT — New officer recruitment and increasing gang activity were among the top concerns expressed to U.S. Rep. Phil Roe during a law enforcement roundtable discussion on Monday.
Roe: 'What's going on at the border is tough'
Roe: 'We're going to do a Town Hall in the next couple weeks at home just on immigration and hear what's on people's minds about that issue … problems are still the same and getting worse. Over 100,000 people last month came into the country that we apprehended … I don't know how many actually got in here … they think that as the weather warms up, it's going to get worse. The president has tried about everything he can try to get the funding he needs to secure our border. I certainly want to help him do that.'
'I think it's time to move on'
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe was critical of the Mueller Trump-Russia investigation but told reporters in a Thursday conference call that it is time to move on. "Basically he had a team that spent $25 million dollars, almost two years with the actual investigation going on for two and a half years on Russian collusion which included 19 lawyers, none of which had ever donated a penny to Republicans, many of them had donated sizable amounts of money to Democrats."
Roe: Grounding 737 MAX aircraft was right move
"I think the president (Donald Trump) was correct in asking for those planes to be grounded," Roe said in a conference call. "I personally fly four flights a week. I would have been reluctant, quite frankly, to get on a 737 8 or 9 MAX until they figure out what's wrong with it … There's a design flaw or something that is making that airplane difficult to fly."
Rogersville/Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce
Roe calls for tougher border security
That's what U.S. Rep. Phil Roe told a Rogersville/Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce legislative breakfast as the clock ticks down toward a Friday deadline for a conference committee to get a border security deal done or face another partial federal government shutdown.
Roe 'less than 50 percent sure' border deal will happen
"What Customs and Border Patrol told me was (a wall) slows people down, and it forces them into areas they can more easily manage. It gives them time to do their job. They need more agents. … Every place a barrier is used, illegal immigration went down more than 90 percent." — U.S. Rep. Phil Roe R-Tenn.
Roe: 'Literally the shutdown to me makes no sense at all'
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe called the partial government shutdown on Thursday a political game that needs to stop and could be solved in five minutes. Roe also disclosed he has signed a letter refusing his Congressional paycheck as long as the shutdown goes on.
What did Roe think about the HAAP explosion?
U.S. Rep. Phil Roe initially told reporters in a Friday conference call that the U.S. Army had not reached out to him regarding Thursday's fire and explosion at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant. "They have not. I was so deeply involved in what's here. You just presented news to me because I didn't know about it," Roe said.
Why Trump needs Alexander now
If President Trump needs someone to broker a deal to reopen the federal government, Lamar Alexander just might be the guy. Alexander, who now chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has a history of reaching across the aisle to make deals.
Roe: 'I don't want to shut the government down'
The "raw politics" involved in doing a spending deal, said Roe, are complicated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who will run for House speaker when Democrats take control of the House in 2019.


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5 of the Absolute Best Music Videos Katy Perry Has Ever Released
Danielle Van Witzenberg	February 22, 2019	Tagged Katy Perry, Music Video
With the release of Katy Perry's newest music video for her song "365" with Zedd, it got us thinking about all the great music videos the 34-year-old pop star has given us over her ll-year career. From her "I Kissed a Girl" days all the way to her Witness chart-toppers, Katy's always known how to wow her fans with high concept music videos that dazzle onscreen. Whether she's singing "Roar" at the Super Bowl or dancing with Backpack Kid on Saturday Night Live, Perry always brings the kind of fun we know and love her for.
Wondering which music videos we classify as some of Katy's best? Check out our list of her top five best music videos ever right HERE:
5. "The One That Got Away", 2011
This music video made our number five spot because it's the sixth video in Perry's Teenage Dream series. The series focuses on more of Katy's lovesick songs, which is a departure from most of her top hits that tend to be fluffier pop singles. But "The One That Got Away" is a beautiful portrayal of young love and loss. It follows an older Katy as she reminisces about a love lost. It's a nice counterpart to the singer's more produced, commercial music videos.
4. "Birthday", 2014
"Birthday" has to be one of the most underrated music videos in all of Perry's discography. The singer disguises herself as five different party hosts and goes undercover at unsuspecting birthday parties. Some of her disguises include an elderly showgirl who gives a 90-year-old man a lap dance and an animal wrangler. The pure hilarity that ensues as Perry tries to navigate each party as all these wacky characters is simply the best. All we know for sure is that if Katy wanted to come to our birthday party in disguise, we wouldn't be mad.
3. "Waking Up In Vegas", 2009
If you're new to Katy Perry's music, her first album, One of The Boys, is where the world fell in love with her "cherry chapstick." The singer was full of angst from the 2000's punk-rock scene, but with all the fun of great pop music. "Waking Up In Vegas" is a fun and bright depiction of one wild weekend in Vegas. If the song wasn't such a bop in and of itself, sticking around to see Katy's many costume changes is worth the watch alone. If you're not left wanting to book the next flight to Vegas, you're truly missing out on the pure fun of this music video.
2. "California Gurls", 2010
"California Gurls" truly was a revolution. It spawned a plethora of Halloween costumes in 2010 and years to follow. From cotton-candy colored wigs to whipped cream bustiers, this music video is a wild ride through a Los Angeles Candy Land. Also, let's not forget Snoop Dogg. The legendary "Gin and Juice" rapper is the cherry on top of this upbeat summer music video. Such a classic.
1. "Last Friday Night", 2011
The common theme of most of Katy's music is that the songs are usually upbeat and fun pop tunes. "Last Friday Night" truly captures the essence of what her early music career encapsulates, which is a fun campy energy. LFN has a lot of fun cameos, such as Glee's Darren Criss> and Kevin McHale. It also includes an iconic appearance from Rebecca Black, known for her viral YouTube hit "Friday." In addition to that, '80s icons including Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson are in the vid, who play Katy's nerdy alter Kathy Beth Terry's parents. Not to mention, saxophonist Kenny G is slated as Kathy Beth Terry's Uncle Kenny, who plays the Saxophone riff in the music video. It's little Easter eggs like this that add dimension to the video, making it one of her best of all time.
Well, you guys! That's our list of Katy Perry's five best music videos ever. Do you agree? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @Soundigest with your thoughts.
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Mom Jeans. and Their Rushed Nostalgia in "Graduating Life"
A joyous future and nostalgic past merge in Mom Jeans.' new music video for "Graduating Life." The music video opens on clips of home movies starring Mom Jeans.' member Sam Kless as a baby, giggling and toothless as he grasps at his toys and a note to his dad which reads, "Happy birthday Daddy! I…
Jack White Enters Heaven Alive in "Love Is Selfish" Music Video
Last Friday, Jack White released a music video for a new powerful ballad called "Love Is Selfish," off his upcoming album Entering Heaven Alive, out on July 22. This will be the second of two albums the musician plans to put out this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jack White…


There's no better time than now for making films and videos. The versatility and flexibility of today's digital camcorders gives everyone the opportunity to make great films and videos. Digital technology is improving at a tremendous rate and camcorders and their ancillary equipment have never been more affordable. With hundreds of colour images and easily comprehensible diagrams, "The Digital Video Manual" provides an essential port of call for anyone looking to make their first video, or take their production to a new level of expertise. Written in an entertaining and informative style by experienced technical journalists it is detailed but not dull and first and foremost, it aims to inspire.


Do the short days and cold weather have you daydreaming about your next family holiday? It may not feel like it yet, but spring break is just around the corner. You don't have to head to a tropical destination to have fun and create great memories. There are lots of great things to see and do right here in Ohio! With these tips and a rental car from City Auto Rental, you can plan ahead to make this the best spring break yet.
Start with a family planning meeting to brainstorm what everyone would like to do. Depending on the age and interests of your children, you might need to include a range of activities to please everyone. By planning ahead and including the kids, you'll have a much better idea of what to include when you're building your itinerary for the week.
Once you've come up with a list of things to do, don't take the chance that great events might sell out or that you may not get your choice of rental car. Buy event tickets, and reserve your preferred vehicle model now. This will save you time, disappointment, and possibly money as well.
If you want to head further afield, consider a scenic, multi-day road trip down the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. Allow time to be spontaneous and stop along the way to visit state parks, do some hiking, and explore.
For all of your rental car needs in Cleveland, OH, and the surrounding area, you can trust City Auto Rental. Our fleet of well-maintained vehicles includes economy, standard, and premium cars, so you're sure to find exactly what you're looking for. Contact us today at (216) 688-0208, or request a reservation online.


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Tag: kayaking
Picture Yourself Paddling
Published on April 1, 2018 by Cheryl Crooks PhotographyLeave a comment
One of my great pleasures about living in the Pacific Northwest is the past time of paddling in my kayak. It's an activity that I took up many years ago now after moving to this area upon the encouragement of a friend.
When you live in the Puget Sound and Samish Sea area, you are surrounded by water. I can't imagine not taking advantage of the recreational opportunities to be enjoy the natural beauty of being on the water. As I don't own a sail or motor boat, kayaking is the way I do it.
These two geese were just taking off when I caught them with my camera. Wildlife in motion often produces more dramatic images than those that are still and lifeless.
For me, paddling provides time away from the distractions on land. There are no cell phones, no computers, no televisions, nothing to draw your attention from the task at hand, which is how it should be whenever you're out there on the water. Not paying attention to the currents, the wind, the waves and the weather can run you into trouble faster than you realize.
The reflection of light on the water always draws my eye. It's always different and fascinating, truly a 'watercolor.'
I often carry a camera in my boat with me, usually one of my point and shoots so that I don't risk damaging my single-lens reflex digital cameras. I've never invested in a watertight case for my SLRs, something that is on my equipment 'wish list.' Usually, I tuck my little compact camera safely inside my life vest (never go out without one) where I can yank it quickly out if I see something I want to try to capture.
One of the tricks of shooting on the water, especially in a kayak, is how to stay in place, bobbing up and down, in order to get the shot. It's not easy. That's particularly true if you're trying to photograph wildlife on the shore. Without a super long lens, I must quietly slip up close to whatever it is I want to photograph until I think I'm in a good range. Trust me, this is not the way the National Geographic shooters do it but it works for me most of the time. I've become pretty adept at handling my paddles.
The oyster catcher is one of a pair that makes their home on the island in Chuckanut Bay. This Oyster Catcher wasn't disturbed by my efforts to photograph is against the evening sky so I managed to nab a nice profile of it surveying its nesting domain.
I like going out just before sunset. The water is generally smoother then, the light not so glaring and the colors can be stunning. Early morning is a good time too, especially if there are nice clouds.
Even though I tend to paddle in the same waters here in my area, I never lack material to photograph. The water, the shore, the sky seldom look the same. One day there's a seal, the next there's not. Some summers the oyster catchers are there with a new brood, sometimes they're scare. Sometimes that sunset you anticipate never materializes, sometimes it's so saturate in color that you'd swear someone has "photoshopped" it onto the sky.
Paddling together on the water at sunset during the season of luminescence. It's an especially magical time.
And never, never do I go out alone. That's just asking for problems, no matter how expert a kayaker you are. A paddle partner also gives me someone else to photograph against the vast, open scene. My paddle partners have become quite accustomed to serving as models for my photographic expeditions.
Only two of the many photographs I've made while paddling appear in the show at Stone's Throw Brewery, up through April. I've shared with you here a few of the others. Seeing these images in print, however, offers quite a different experience than viewing them here on-line so I hope that if you're in the area you'll stop by and have a look.
This is one of my friends with whom I frequently paddle, Its' the same paddler as the one seen in the large print on display now at Stone's Throw Brewery. I hope you'll see it.
Categories nature, Scenics, Travel•Tags Bellingham Bay, Chuckanut Bay, kayaking, Pacific Northwest, Puget Sound, Samish Sea, Stone's Throw Brewery, sunset photography, wildlife photography
Sip a Brew, Have a View at Fairhaven Artwalk
Published on March 18, 2018 by Cheryl Crooks Photography4 Comments
March is Women's History Month. And while I'm not history yet, I was invited by Stone's Throw Brewery to show some of my photographic art from my portfolio this month because I am a woman photographer .
The collection on display at Stone's Throw Brewery includes images taken at Mount Baker National Forest.
Brewery co-owners Tony Luciano and Jack Pfluege selected six images from my art portfolio to display on their walls in celebration of women, art and adventure. The two are alumni of Western Washington University who returned to Bellingham to follow their dream of creating a brewery that would truly capture the spirit of sustainability, community, and adventure. It's a cozy little place nestled in Bellingham's historic Fairhaven district. Over the past two years, Stone's Throw has developed a steady clientele who come to enjoy the friendly atmosphere, sit on the sunny upstairs deck, warm up by the fire pit in their beer garden or listen to the music by played by locals in the evening while sipping a glass of their tasty beer accompanied by barbecue, pizza or sandwiches provided by nearby restaurants or visiting food trucks.
The Pacific Northwest is a paddler's paradise precisely because of evening's like this.
On March 31st, Stone's Throw will host its second anniversary Block Party, a good way to kick off the spring.
But before then, this upcoming Friday, March 23, the brewery will be one of the stops on the Fairhaven Fourth Friday Art Walk from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Yours truly will be there to welcome gallery strollers and to share stories about the prints in the show and about my photography art work.
One of six prints now on exhibit through April at the Stone's Throw Brewery. The Tulip Truck was taken in the Skagit Valley tulip fields.
The six prints selected represent only a small portion of my portfolio some of which can be found on-line in my Art Prints album or in my Beauty of Bellingham album. Some of the images in these albums you may have seen before on the programs, brochures or websites of the Bellingham Festival of Music or CASCADIA International Women's Film Festival. The prints in the Stone's Throw show are all available for purchase and are large, wall-sized art prints framed and ready to display in your business or home. Some are available in other sizes so if you see one you like but need a different size to fit your space, let me know.
The beauty of Chuckanut Drive has long caught the eye of photographers, my own being no exception.
All the images were made here in Bellingham's backyard: on the water, at the mountain, in town or in nearby Skagit Valley. They represent an aspect of my photography work that I don't often publicly display, although it can be readily found on the Fine Art page of my website. During the two months of the show, I thought it would be fun to share with you the stories behind each here on my blog.
I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do. Please stop by the Brewery on March 23rd during the Art Walk. for a brew and a view.
Categories Personal Projects, Scenics, Special Events•Tags Bellingham photographer, Chuckanut Drive, Fairhaven Fourth Friday Artwalk, Historic Fairhaven, kayaking, landscape photography, microbrewery, photoraphic art, Skagit Valley, Stone's Throw Brewery, sunset photography, Tulip Festival, Whatcom County, Women's History Month
Crewing for TIME at '84 Olympics
Published on August 22, 2016 August 22, 2016 by Cheryl Crooks Photography1 Comment
I wasn't a kayaker in 1984. I had never sat in a kayak, never seen a kayak (except on TV), and didn't know the first thing about paddling one. It wasn't until I moved to the Pacific Northwest that I became a passionate paddler.
Likewise for rowing. Growing up in the Midwest, rowing just wasn't the sport that it was on the coasts even though my youngest brother was on a crew team for Washburn University which had and still does have a respectable rowing team. I never had the opportunity to watch a race firsthand.
Canoeing was something I may have tried once or twice as a kid on a lake with my Girl Scout troop or vacationing with my family somewhere. But I have little memory of it so the experience must not have been impressive.
The Olympic venue at Lake Casitas was a colorful place as you can see here in this photo of me walking through one of the main entrances.
Given my extensive background in each of these sports, I seemed the natural choice to be the reporter to cover those events for TIME Magazine when the 1984 Olympics came to Los Angeles. Once again, my home location then, on the north side of the San Fernando Valley, proved to be to my advantage. To me, this was plum assignment. I had to drive every day during the competition up to the Ojai Valley, about 90 minutes north, to Lake Casitas Lake where the kayaking, rowing and canoeing events were staged. The drive was relatively traffic free as I whizzed up the north side of the Valley and cut across to the 101 freeway to head on up towards Santa Barbara and Ojai.
Traffic during the '84 Olympics was one of the big fear factors. People were urged to work from home, to stagger their work hours if they had to go into the office, to take the time off and go to the Olympics in order to help minimize clogged freeways. In fact, many Angelenos left town, renting out their homes to Olympic ticket holders and cashing in on the demand for housing. So the dreaded deadlock on the freeways and city streets never materialized. In fact, it was some of the fastest-flowing traffic that I could remember in all the years that I lived in that car-loving city.
Men compete in the kayak singles on Lake Casitas. The venue was like a 'mini-resort' to the athletes.
The athletes competing in the Lake Casitas events were located in the Olympic Village in Santa Barbara. Initially, many of the teams complained that the distance between the Village and their venue was too far. But those concerns too soon vanished as people settled in and began to enjoy both the venue and the trip there.
As I wrote for TIME: "The site itself inspired festivity. Bright, Olympic pink roadside banners mark the two-lane highway as spectators near the north short venue. The spectator viewing area is bursting with vivid color. More than 31,000 annuals, marigold and petunias were trucked in and planted along with several sycamore and alder trees to create park-like setting. Spectators spread their blankets on a grassy knoll where they have apanoramic view of the 2,700 acre lake."
The Swedish women's team give each other a big hug on the podium after receiving their gold medal for the 500 meter kayak doubles. Canada took silver and West Germany the bronze.
To the athletes, it was, as then Olympic rowing commissioner Barry Berkus put it: "almost like a resort." Because their primary quarters was located 28 miles away, a mini-village was created at the sight that overlooked the lake complete with a pool built especially for them.
The big names on the U.S. rowing team that everyone was pinning medal hopes upon were John Bigelow from Seattle. Bigelow's chance for a medal chances was washed away by Finland's powerful Pertti Karppinen but Brad Lewis from Los Angeles and his partner, Paul Enquist, also of Seattle, considered 'dark horses' surprised many by taking the gold in their doubles race. All three rowers figure prominently in journalist and author David Halberstam's masterful book about the '84 men's eight row team, "The Amateurs: the Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal." I recently read Halberstam's book, right after having finished another good book about the sport, "The Boys in the Boat," by Daniel James Brown. Both are excellent books, set in different time periods (Brown's takes place before and up to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin) and detailing the drama behind the dream.
A member of the Australian women's coxed four rowing team shows off her bronze medal to an admirer.
But it was the women's eight who thrilled the crowd by taking the first gold medal in for the U.S. in that event. Champagne flowed. Fans cheered. Autographs were signed. As I overheard one observer say: "How things have changed in rowing. They're getting autographs. It used to be lucky to get anyone to come."
Olympic team members signed autographs for the fans.
Indeed, the sport of rowing has grown even more popular. In 1981-82, only 43 NCAA schools had women's rowing teams. Today, that number has more than tripled to 143, including Western Washington University in Bellingham, where I live. Over the years, I'm proud to say that several members of the women's Division II championship crew teams have worked with me as my studio assistant.
As for the '84 Olympic teams, the U.S. took home eight medals tying with Romania, one of the only Eastern bloc countries to participate in those Summer Games. In fact, the Romanians took home more gold medals in rowing than any other country. They also cleaned up collecting 'gold' onshore from spectators as they sold Romanian t-shirts and model wooden shells to earn money to buy and take back with them stereo sound components.
The Romanian crew team sold miniature wooden sculls to spectators to earn money for stereo equipment.
Lake Casitas is again vying for to be the venue for the Olympics in 2024 if Los Angeles is selected in what would be the 40th year reunion of the Olympic Games. If it's successful, I might see you there!
Categories Memories, Personal Projects, Special Events, sports•Tags canoeing, Daniel James Brown, David Halberstam, kayaking, Las Casitas Lake, Los Angeles, Olympics, rowing, sport, sports journalism, Summer Games, U.S. row team, Washburn University, Western Washington University
An Oystercatcher Family Catches My Eye
Published on July 22, 2014 July 22, 2014 by Cheryl Crooks Photography2 Comments
One of the joys of living where I do is being so close to the water. After a long day at work or on the weekend I can paddle in my kayak and escape the distractions of cell phones, computers, televisions, radios and anything else that competes for my attention on shore. It restores me–if the water's not too rough–and I emerge ready to take on the world again. Sitting on top of the water puts me at eye-level with the nature that surrounds me. Often, those surroundings bring pleasant surprises too.
A month ago, for instance, I took an evening paddle with my sister-in-law, who was visiting, to a favorite place where I take visitors who aren't experienced kayakers. It's a sheltered bay where the water tends to be warmer and shallower, especially at low tide and it's just a short paddle out to an island designated as a wildlife and bird preserve.
We had just reached the rock separated from the island at high tide but adjoined by a sandbar during low tide, when I spotted them. Actually, I didn't see them at first. First I saw two sea gulls perched on the rock's highest point, proudly sitting on a nest. Then, coming round to the rock's southern face, I came upon the other birds. "You're in for a treat," I told my sister-in-law coming up behind me. "There are a couple of oystercatchers here."
An oystercatcher looks almost comical with its orange beak and bright orange ringed eye.
Indeed, sitting on a scraggly rocky shelf above the water's edge, were a pair of the jet black and long, narrow orange-billed birds known commonly as oystercatchers. They are almost comical in appearance with that orange ring around their eyes. These shorebirds, about the size of a crow, are exciting because only an estimated 400 of them exist in Washington state. In fact, the Northern Pacific Coast Regional Shorebird Management Plan has identified the Black Oystercatcher as a regional species "of high concern." This pair, I suspected, were probably the same couple I have seen in recent summers when paddling that bay because not only do these birds tend to mate for the long-term but they also return to the same territory year after year.
Then I discovered the surprise, three surprises to be exact. Huddled up against the rock wall were three small fluffy grayish offspring. They barely resembled their parents except for their spindly legs and long beak . In the many years that I had been paddling around this island, I never had seen oystercatcher chicks and here, now, was a complete family!
The oystercatcher parent keeps a close eye on the chick exploring on the water's edge.
My boat drifted quietly towards the rock but floated at a respectable distance so as not to frighten the birds or intrude on their nesting territory. The parents eyed me suspiciously. Satisfied that I had no aggressive intentions, they relaxed a bit. The chicks darted in and out between them, undaunted by my presence. Their beaks were not yet as brightly colored as their parents, nor were their legs. I bobbed up and down in the water watching quietly. After a long while, I backed off slipping my paddle into the water as silently as I could so as not to alarm them with my departure. The family seemed to content to let me leave.
Two weeks later, I paddled back out to the same spot to check on the young birds. They had relocated from their home on the rock over to the main island. I guessed that they had walked across at low tide as the chicks couldn't yet fly. The family found a comfy new spot on the south side, where there was plenty of space for the five of them to move freely about. The chicks were now quite a bit larger from when I first met them.
Two of the family's chicks stroll down towards the water. They don't yet have the bright beaks nor the ability to fly.
Two were scrambling and playing down towards the water while mother keep a watchful eye on them (and me) from her place on the shelf above. A third chick was clinging precariously to the side of the rock, scaling it as if rock climbing. But unlike rock climbers, the young bird had no belay and when suddenly lost its footing, tumbled down several feet to the hard ground below. "Ouch!" I thought seeing it hit with a thud. Was it hurt? The concerned mother bird got up to check on her youngster, 'tsk-tsking' her baby as she moved in. But in typical youngster fashion, the bird bounced back on its feet after being momentarily stunned.
The antics of these young chicks entertained me as I attempted to capture a few images of the chicks with my telephoto lens. Finally, as the sun started to set, I reluctantly turned my kayak around and started towards shore.
Whether the chicks will still be there the next time I paddle out I don't know. But it's precisely these kinds of little surprises that turn an ordinary end of the day into an extraordinary adventure.
As the sun sets, the lone oystercatcher keeps guard over its island home.
Categories Personal Projects, Scenics•Tags bird, birdwatching, kayak, kayaking, nature, nature photography, oystercatcher, Pacific Northwest
9/11 Pacific Coast Time
Published on September 11, 2012 by Cheryl Crooks PhotographyLeave a comment
I saw the film, "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close," last night. I had missed it in theatre but was glad to find it on cable. Most appropriate that I should have seen it the evening before 9/11 as it's about a young boy who lost his father on that day and also about how the tragedy brought New Yorkers together. It's a moving and uplifting movie based on a book of the same name.
To mark this day, which for many of my generation could be considered "our Pearl Harbor", I thought I'd reprint the essay I wrote on the day after as everyone was still trying to sort out what had happened. It's longer than my usual blog posts so I hope you'll excuse me as it wasn't written for this format. But also hope that it will cause you to stop and remember, if even for just a moment.
I awoke this morning to the sound of an aircraft flying overhead. I thought it was a commercial jet from Vancouver B.C. "The airports must have been reopened," I said to Mike. It was just after 6 a.m. The last thing I saw on television last night was that Sea-Tac expected flights to resume at 9 a.m. this morning. But it was not a commercial airliner, it was a military jet patrolling the Puget Sound. I telephoned my friend, Pat, to ask if she'd like to take the kayaks out this morning. The water looked calm and peaceful and I thought that it would be a good way to start this particular morning. She said she wasn't sure because she hadn't been feeling too well since yesterday. Her brother-in-law works in the Army side of the Pentagon too. He was also lucky and escaped injury. But I insisted, telling her that I thought it might help to clear her head. So she agreed.
"The water looked calm and peaceful…"
I ran the boys to school and then headed down to the boatyard where we keep our kayaks. We hauled them out and pushed off into the strangely still
water. Our kayaks moved quietly and smoothly through the rippleless water. We talked about all that had happened the day before and all that we had heard on the latest news reports. Pat had heard more than I as she had been up since 4:30 a.m., unable to sleep. I had already been to three places in town that regularly stocked the New York Times. All three had sold out. I telephoned the news stand downtown that carries the Times; they too were out and told me that everyone in town was out of the paper. "I thought the paper would do an overrun," I said.
"They did," the young woman on the phone replied.
"Well you can get it on the Internet," Pat reminded me as we paddled past the shipyard's pier.
"I know," I said. "I did that yesterday but I somehow wanted to have something in my hands."
In fact, I had logged onto the NY Times website late yesterday afternoon just as Bush was finishing his address. I read everything, consuming every little bit of information that the Times had available. Even as I read, the paper was updating its website to include Bush's remarks and the latest updates. How busy my buddies in the working media throughout the country must be, I thought. One of them is a "special projects" editor for the New York Times in D,C, Yesterday's events would certainly qualify. I haven't even bothered to e-mail him. Or anyone else that I know in that business, for that matter. In some ways, I feel disconnected. I suppose almost anyone who has ever worked in the news media has similar feelings. At least they are getting answers, or attempting to get answers. The rest of us just have to wait.
Last night at dinner, my son commented on how poor the news coverage was at first. I explained to him that in situations like that, no one knows exactly what is going on. At first, you get reports that there is a fire somewhere, an explosion in the World Trade Tower, maybe a bomb. But I can just imagine the disbelief when the word comes across that an airliner has just crashed into the Towers. Then there's word that not just one, but two have crashed into the Towers. What chaos and confusion there must have been. I doubt that not even the eyewitnesses on the street or those taping what was happening in their videocamera could believe it. It just didn't seem real.
"You know that air crews have a code that they are supposed to punch in if the plane is being hijacked," Pat told me this morning. "Not one of the four planes sent that code," she said. We both shook our heads. How could that happen? How could any of this have happened? Answers. There simply are no answers.
"Our kayaks moved quietly and smoothly through the rippleless water…"
Our silence was broken by the sound of rotary propellers overhead. We looked up. A Coast Guard helicopter passed above. We watched it go by knowing that it probably wasn't searching for lost fishermen or boaters today.
"My sister said that she thinks she heard the plane go into the Pentagon," Pat said. "Then she called up her husband and told him to 'Get the hell out of there,' just as he got the word to evacuate."
We traded more stories that we had read or heard about others who had survived. In a way , we too were survivors. We had arisen, dressed, eaten breakfast, gotten our kids off to school and were now doing what I suspect many other Americans are doing today, talking between themselves about yesterday's events. We were trying to make sense of a senseless acts of terrorism. Or was it so senseless?
Somewhere in the world, someone is feeling very good about what happened yesterday. Feeling good about having shown the world that we, in America, are not as invincible as we often think that we are. It is difficult to understand exactly how this could be possible. And yet, as anyone who's ever been abroad can tell you, not everyone is as enamored about America as we might like to think. We do, sadly, have enemies. Identifying exactly who they are is not always so easy. And that's what's so frustrating about yesterday's assault on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It's clear to me, that whomever it was in charge was making a statement in their own sick way. They targeted two institutions–one symbolizing this country's financial strength and the other the country's military strength. The fourth downed plane, I believe, was not headed for Camp David but probably also for the Pentagon. And what does this mean for us? I'm not sure but I am certain that someone out there in this world that has grown so small with the Internet, is very angry with us and we'd better pay attention.
"It's a little odd, isn't it?" I said to Pat, "to think that this morning no one can fly in or out of, or around the country."
"Yeah," she said.
We watched the ferry cruise out towards San Juan Island just as it always does at 9 a.m. every morning. Our little part of the world seemed so quiet compared to what was going on elsewhere.
I am amazed by the stories filtering out about those who fled and survived. I fear that there were be many, many who did not. I am hoping that our friends and family of our friends are not among the casualties. But I know that someone's friends and familiy members will be. One of the passengers on one of the planes was someone a friend of ours knew personally. And, as the days go by, I expect that will more the case. I think I am still numbed by all that has happened in the past 24 hours. I think a lot of people are.
I just learned on the local radio station that the jets to which I awoke this morning had forced a Lear jet to land at Bellingham airport. The Lear jet, headed from Alaska to Seattle, was, as it turns out, carrying transplant organs to a Seattle hospital where a recipient was waiting. The jet was grounded but the organs were airlifted on by helicopter. One more person would survive. So will we.
Categories Personal Projects•Tags 9/11, kayaking, New York City, World Trade Center
Along the Waterfront
Published on August 17, 2012 August 17, 2012 by Cheryl Crooks PhotographyLeave a comment
One of the great pleasures of living in the Pacific Northwest, and Bellingham in particular, is being able to take advantage of our natural beauty on the water. I went out earlier this morning before going in to work at the studio.
I was introduced to kayaking a few years after settling here and now paddle year-round as often as I can. My paddling partner, Pat, and I purchased our first kayaks together at least ten years ago and had been going out together ever since. Neither of us ever tires of taking the boats up and down the shoreline of the bay in either direction. There is always something new to see.
The Pan American Fisheries building (left) sits on the Fairhaven waterfront, a reminder of a busy cannery era gone by.
From the water, you can better imagine Bellingham as it was in the early 20th century when sailing ships lined the waterfront loading lumber and fish and coal into their holds. Pilings protrude upwards from the shallower sections of the bay where the canneries and loading docks once stood. The "rock" of tin, as it is known locally, is a reminder of a time when the leftover material used in canning the fish was just tossed down into the water until it solidified into the boulder it is today. At low tide you get a full view of its size. Today only the Pacific American Fisheries building in Fairhaven survives from the once very prosperous cannery era.
The Alaska Ferry docks at the Fairhaven terminal on the waterfront coming and going on Fridays to and from Alaska.
At the Fairhaven terminal, just next door, the Alaska Ferry ties up on Fridays and, during the summers, every other Saturday. The ferry carries cars, trucks and people back and forth from Bellingham to as far north as Skagway on the Alaska Marine Highway. It is a popular route for people travelling up the coast. And the horn of the ferry can be heard all over Bellingham as it cruises in and out of the harbor.
For me, kayaking is a great way to relax and "destress", even though you must always be careful and attentive to the conditions surrounding you on the water. I manage to snag some good photos when I take a camera with me, tucking it safely into my life jacket to protect it from the damaging salt water. With the warmer, sunny summer weather, the lure of the water makes it very hard to stay indoors in the studio. But grabbing a few shots during an early morning or late evening paddle is a wonderful way to start or end a summer's work day.
Categories Personal Projects, Scenics•Tags Alaska ferry, alaska marine highway, Bellingham, Fairhaven, Fish canneries, kayaking, nature, outdoors, transportation, Travel


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U.S. State Department Says al-Baghdadi's 'Number Two' was Killed in Separate Attack
The Islamic State spokesman, a man poised to become the next terror leader of the group, was killed in Syria by U.S. forces, according to the U.S. State Department.
#terrorism
#ISIS
ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed in US Raid
Over the weekend, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a US raid in Syria, according to NBC News.
#Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
The Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: 4 Steps to Defeating ISIS
President Trump made an announcement Sunday morning that has dominated global headlines: "Last night, the United States brought the world's No. 1 terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world."
Airline Mechanic Accused of Plane Sabotage May Have Ties to ISIS
On July 17, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 was approaching the departure runway in Miami and powering up its engines. Then the crew got an error message and aborted the takeoff.
Former ISIS Solider Leaves Terrorist Group, Wants to Return to Israel
A former ISIS soldier says he now believes Israel is a democratic state and wants to return to the country.
FBI Arrests Syrian Refugee Planning to Bomb Christian Church in Pittsburg in the Name of ISIS
The FBI arrested a Syrian refugee on Wednesday who was planning to bomb a Pittsburg church in the name of ISIS.
200 Daycares with Ties to ISIS Are Shut Down in Australia
Australian police have shut down almost 200 daycare centers after discovering the private businesses were linked to the Islamic state, motorcycle gangs and fraud schemes.
ISIS May Be a Bigger Threat than the Taliban in Afghanistan, Report Says
The Islamic State may have lost its strongholds in Syria and Iraq, but reports say the group is growing in parts of northeastern Afghanistan.
#Afghanistan
Dangerous Asteroids and a Global ISIS: Finding Hope in a Surprising Story
Apophis was the ancient Egyptian spirit of evil, darkness, and destruction. In ten years, an asteroid named for this frightening deity will come closer to our planet than the orbit of our weather satellites.
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Easter Sunday Bombings in Sri Lanka
The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the coordinated suicide bombing attacks across the South Asian island of Sri Lanka.
#Sri Lanka


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