places

(quote)
Greek Presidential guards, or Evzones, walk across the ancient archeological site at the Temple of Hera in Olympia on October 24, 2017 during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. The flame will tour Greece before being flown to the South Korean city of Incheon on Oct 31st for a torch relay that will culminate in the opening ceremony on Feb 9, 2018.
(unquote)

Photo courtesy Getty Images and AFP

Image courtesy CAL FIRE @CAL_FIRE

(quote)

18 Oct 2017 - First floating wind farm, built by offshore oil company, delivers electricity - Anchored, floating turbines allow offshore wind installations in deep waters.
The world’s first floating offshore wind farm began delivering electricity to the Scottish grid today.

The 30MW installation, situated 25km (15.5mi) from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, will demonstrate that offshore wind energy can be harvested in deep waters, miles away from land, where installing giant turbines was once impractical or impossible. At peak capacity, the wind farm will produce enough electricity to power 20,000 Scottish homes.

The installation, called Hywind Scotland, is also interesting because it was built by Statoil, a Norwegian mega-corporation known for offshore oil drilling. Statoil has pursued offshore wind projects in recent years, using the company's experience building and managing infrastructure in difficult open sea conditions to its advantage.

Hywind Scotland began producing power in September, and today it starts delivering electricity to the Scottish grid.

The five 6MW turbines are the first commercial turbines to lack a firm attachment to the seafloor. The towers extend 176m (577ft) above the water and 78m (256ft) below it. Each tower is capable of pitching its blades to reduce unwanted motion and optimize power output depending on the wind direction and strength.  read more »

(quote)

6 September, 2017
A temporary restraining order Wednesday spared a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from being taken down — just hours after the Dallas City Council signed off on the removal.

14 September, 2017
A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from a Dallas park Thursday after a series of delays that included a brief court stay and a fatal accident involving a crane assigned to remove the statue. Fox 4 News reported that workers took nearly three hours to remove the statue from its pedestal and place it on a trailer that would take it to a storage facility until a final decision is made on the statue's fate. Fox 4 News reported that workers took nearly three hours to remove the statue from its pedestal and place it on a trailer that would take it to a storage facility until a final decision is made on the statue's fate.

*update* 28 September, 2017
Fox News: Growing debate over the removal of Confederate monuments Which Confederate statues were removed? A running list
Annapolis, Md.
Under cover of darkness, city workers removed a statue on Aug. 18 of former Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney that had been on the State House’s front lawn for 145 years.

Bradenton, Fla.  read more »

"The group plans to use their 40-meter (130-foot) ship to intercept smuggler boats and return them to the Libyan coast guard."

Image courtesy @DefendEuropeID

(quote)
Golden Gate Bridge: San Francisco, United States
Now over 75 years old, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is arguably the most recognizable bridge in the world.

Sydney Harbour Bridge: Sydney, Australia
Nicknamed "The Coat Hanger" by Sydney locals because of its arch-based design, the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 and is a focal point of Aussie pride and celebrations.
For aspiring bridge climbers, BridgeClimb offers people just that.
Every year for New Year's Eve the bridge itself is used to complement fireworks displays creating various effects like smiley faces and a disco ball.

Ponte Vecchio: Florence, Italy
A Medieval bridge over the Arno River, the Ponte Vecchio is mainly known for its shops of jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers and for being Europe's oldest stone, closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge.
It has a rich history dating back to the time of the Romans. During World War II the bridge was not destroyed by the Nazis -- unlike many other bridges in Europe -- under an express order from Adolf Hitler.

Brooklyn Bridge: New York City, United States
Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. A National Historic Landmark, the Brooklyn Bridge is an iconic feature of New York.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge: Gateshead, England  read more »

Lucky Strike
Storm chaser and Your Shot photographer Vanessa Neufeld captured this scene in Keyes, Oklahoma. "As the evening descended, so did a barrage of lightning in northwest Oklahoma."

Penguin Parade
A group of gentoo penguins cross the beach at sunrise on Saunders Island, the fourth largest island in the Falkland Islands.

Marble Caves
Las Cuevas de Mármol (The Marble Caves) sit in the middle of General Carrera Lake, which lies between Chile and Argentina. The tunnels and caves are only reachable by boat. The swooping arches have been formed by more than 6,000 years of water lapping against the rock, and the waters change color depending on the time of year.

Eagle Training  read more »