[ By Steve in Food & Health & Geography & Travel & Science & Research. ]
You might think you’re on the track to better health but people in Rawa Buaya, Indonesia, have taken “training” to the next level. Villagers there believe if they lay down on the railway tracks, electrical energy carried within the steel rails will end their suffering… that is, if an onrushing train doesn’t do it first.
Fast Track To Good Health?
(image via: Yahoo! News UK)
Illnesses often start with infection by a single pathogenic bacteria or virus which then spreads, er, “virally”. Such is also the case with rumors, and in Indonesia we have a curious, coincidental case of a rumor about a miracle cure spreading virally and expanding into an epidemic of shared beliefs.
(images via: Sahimkamal and Yahoo! News)
It’s known as Railway Therapy or Electric Therapy, and both terms combine to describe the dangerous practice of undergoing various degrees of electrical shocks from contact with railroad tracks.
(images via: Al Jazeera and ABC News)
According to Al Jazeera, who sent on-scene reporter Step Vaessen to Rawa Buaya on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, to document the odd phenomenon, people of all ages are flocking to nearby railway tracks to get a free hit of electric therapy. Those who have experienced it believe that electricity absorbed from the metal rails can alleviate, even cure, a host of health problems including hypertension, diabetes, rheumatism, gout, obesity and high cholesterol.
Here’s Vaessen’s video report, and kudos to her for risking her health by laying down on the hot rails – pretty much the opposite of the local folks’ intentions.
Indonesians seek ’railway therapy’, via AlJazeeraEnglish
One wonders what the natives thought about Vaessen “doing like the Romans do”… perhaps it reinforced their distrust of western medicine. Nice going there, Al Jazeera.
(images via: WSB-FP, The Muslim Times and Planck’s Constant)
How did it all begin? The apocryphal anecdote that sparked (sorry) this frightening fad seems innocent enough: a man from Rawa Buaya (some say he was a taxi driver) had suffered and stroke which left him partially paralyzed. Unable to work and severely depressed after several physicians were unable to improve his condition using conventional treatments, he decided to end it all by laying down on the nearby train tracks.
(images via: Interfaces, The Misir Post and Telegraph UK)
While waiting for the next train to trundle along and end his misery, the man suddenly realized he wasn’t feeling quite so miserable. While versions of the story don’t exactly state the cabbie leaped up and began tap-dancing to his own whistled accompaniment, rumors of the man’s surprising and FREE cure spread like wildfire. Before long, increasing numbers of people began “riding the lightning” in Rawa Buaya, looking for their own li’l hit of that locomotive ‘lectricity!
Not Your Father’s Electroshock Therapy
(images via: Global Public Square and ImpactLab)
Trains are a popular and ubiquitous form of transportation in Indonesia’s populous urban areas, especially around the capital of Jakarta. Spiderwebs of train tracks spiral out from the city center, linking the inner city with rural and suburban neighborhoods, and often passing through slums where ramshackle housing nestles up to railroad infrastructure. Not only is Railway Therapy free, it’s convenient as well… but does it actually work?
(image via: IB Times)
According to Sri Mulyati it works just fine, thank you, especially when compared to 13 years of ineffective treatments for her diabetes prescribed by expensive doctors. As her body twitched and convulsed with electric current that heralded an approaching train, the 50-year-old Mulyati leaped to safety while stating “I’ll keep doing this until I’m completely cured.”
(images via: Oddity Central, OMG and LINK News)
Besides the aforementioned and largely discredited electroshock treatment, electrical therapy has been known to offer some benefits in the case of certain illnesses. What’s more likely in Indonesia is that people who claim to feel better are at their wit’s end to find effective and affordable cures for their ailments – the trains are their last resort. Call it a placebo effect born of desperation.
(image via: Asiantown)
While rumors of the practice’s beneficial effects continue to spread owing to a critical mass of proponents who report improvements in their condition, at the same time there have been no reports of people adversely affected, either by the electricity or by a wayward train. Judging from the age & infirmity of the people and the nearness of the track switch above, however, we’re guessing the ultimate miracle cure is just one missed signal away.
Engine Near…
(images via: Bossip)
Now just to set the record straight, the Indonesian trains whose tracks are attracting the nation’s tired, poor, huddled masses who yearn to breathe free (among other things) are electrically powered but not in the manner of, say, the New York Subway. That’s why the Rawa Buaya rail-sitters feel mere tingles and not the fatal jolt of the third rail.
(images via: Asiantown and Buffalo News)
No, the power comes from above… not in the way you’re probably thinking, but through overhead cables. Even so, some small fraction of those massive megavolts gets into the rails through the conductive metal bodies, chassis and wheels of the passing trains.
(images via: Hindustan Times and Pro Informasi)
How much power? It depends on many factors: the nearness of the train, the humidity of the air, possibly even the number of people on the tracks getting juiced. The uncertainty involved in the exercise has governmental and corporate authorities worried about being held responsible in case of the inevitable injury(s), which has led to the police posting warning signs at the most popular train therapy locations.
(images via: CTV News and Damn Cool Pictures)
Though threats of penalties of up to three months in prison or fines of $1,800 have reduced the numbers flocking to the railway tracks, people still come and no one has been arrested yet. Times are tough for the state-run railroad company, who can’t afford to secure huge stretches of unguarded track from unwanted visitors.
(images via: Al Jazeera, Jakartad and Telegraph UK
Desperation is the mother of invention, however, and Indonesia’s state-sponsored health system has suffered from severe under-funding over the past dozen years since Suharto, the country’s longtime dictator, was overthrown. “They told us not to do it anymore, but what else can I do?,” explained Hadiwinoto (above, top), who like many Indonesians uses just one name. The 50-year-old has had trouble walking since suffering a debilitating stroke, and his only hope is the glimmering of the steel rails in the hot afternoon sun. “I want to be cured,” said Hadiwinoto, “so I have to come back.” Mr Conductor, all aboard!!
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Land of Giants: Towering Icelandic Super-Sculptures
[ By Steph in Art & Design. ]
Soaring into the sky, electric pylons are an intrusive element in our modern landscapes, seeming to stand as a reminder that much of the infrastructure associated with technology is not meant to be pretty. But why can’t these ubiquitous towers be both practical and aesthetically pleasing? In Iceland, the “Landsnet High-Voltage Transmission Line Tower Design Competition” challenged designers to rethink electric pylons, producing stunning contest entries like ‘Land of Giants’ by Choi + Shine Architects.
The ‘Land of Giants’ concept gives electric pylons a humanoid shape, effectively turning them into 100-foot sculptures that reach up and support the power lines. Made of the same steel frame and concrete footings that are used to build most standard pylons, these expressive figures can be arranged into various poses to change the height of the lines, from holding them over their heads to crouching near the ground. The ‘Land of Giants’ design won honorable mention in the competition as well as the 2010 Boston Society of Architects ‘Unbuilt Architecture’ Award.
Another entry, by Dietmar Koering of Arphenotype, takes a different tack. While this design arguably has less visual impact than ‘Land of Giants’, it is no less of a dramatic change from current pylon designs, especially since the architect chose to use all-new materials and construction rather than adhering to current manufacturing procedures. The pre-fabricated towers are made of “aramid-fibre-matrix bounded with eco resin through thermosetting”, which makes them weather- and UV-resistant.
Korean architect Yong ho Shin shared his second-prize-winning design with ArchDaily. ‘Superstring’ also breaks entirely away from conventional pylon designs with parabolic structures that are simple, lightweight, prefabricated and aerodynamic for easy transportation and construction as well as resistance to extreme weather conditions. With organic shapes that seem to shift depending on the perspective of the viewer, the ‘Superstring’ pylons are made of steel tubing balanced on four stay wires, allowing the pylons to flex in the wind.
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Our Fiend The Atom: INES Rates The Worst Nuclear Accidents
[ By Steve in Energy & Fuel, History & Trivia, Science & Research. ]
Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, damaged by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, joins a listing of 9 major nuclear accidents rated on the IAEA’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) as the worst the world has seen… so far.
Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, Japan, 2004 (INES 1)
(image via: Ayumu Kawazoe)
The INES scale introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is logarithmic, with each increasing level representing an accident approximately ten times more severe than the previous level – similar to the Richter scale used to judge the magnitude of earthquakes. Therefore our listing of the World’s Worst Nuclear Accidents begins with the August 9, 2004 steam explosion at Japan’s Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, given an INES rating of 1.
(images via: NY Times, SMH and China Daily)
The Mihama Nuclear Power Plant is located in Japan’s Fukui prefecture about 320 km (about 200 miles) west of Tokyo. The plant, which was commissioned in 1976, was the site of several small nuclear-related accidents in 1991 and 2003. On August 9 of 2004, a water pipe in a turbine building adjoining the Mihama 3 reactor burst suddenly as workers prepared to conduct a routine safety inspection. Though no radiation was released, the steam explosion killed 5 plant workers and injured dozens of others. Mihama’s notoriety increased in 2006 when 2 plant workers were injured in an on-site fire.
Davis-Besse Reactor, USA, 2002 (INES 3)
(images via: WKSU, Scientific American and NRC)
The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, located about 10 miles (16km) north of Oak Harbor, Ohio, was commissioned in July of 1978 and is scheduled for final shutdown in April of 2017.
(image via: Ohio Citizen Action)
The plant has racked up a number of safety problems over its lifetime, including being struck by an F2 tornado in 1998, but the worst of those occurred in March of 2002 when a serious corrosion issue forced the plant to close for roughly 2 years.
During maintenance, plant workers discovered a 6-inch deep corrosion hole in the top of the carbon steel reactor vessel. Only 3/8” of steel cladding remained to prevent a catastrophic pressure explosion and subsequent loss of coolant. If nearby control rod mechanisms would have been damaged in the explosion, shutting down the reactor and avoiding a core meltdown would have been difficult to say the least.
National Reactor Testing Station, USA, 1961 (INES 4)
(images via: U.S. Militaria Forum and The ’60s At 50)
One of the earliest major nuclear power plant accidents occurred on January 3, 1961 when a steam explosion and meltdown killed 3 workers at Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One (SL-1). The reactor, located at the National Reactor Testing Station roughly 40 miles (60km) west of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was of a now-discontinued design that featured a single large, central control rod.
(images via: Wikivisual, U.S. DOE and Wikipedia)
A maintenance procedure that involved withdrawing the control rod about 4 inches (10cm) somehow went horribly wrong: the rod was lifted 26 inches (65cm) and the nuclear pile went critical. Three plant workers were killed in the resulting explosion and radiation release; one man was found impaled to the reactor building’s ceiling by one of the reactor’s shield plugs. About 1,100 Curies of nuclear fission products were released into the surrounding environment but any damage was mitigated by the station’s remote location in the Idaho desert. In the image above at top, you can see the damaged reactor core being lifted out of the containment building by a heavily shielded crane.
Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia, 1977 (INES 4)
(image via: Kyberia)
Talk about accidents waiting to happen. At the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), all the ingredients for a nuclear disaster were already in place by 1977 when A1, the plant’s oldest reactor, overheated and nearly caused a large-scale environmental disaster. Where to begin? Let’s see… the model KS-150 reactor was of a unique and unproven design from the Soviet Union which was built in Czechoslovakia. Not a good start, and then it gets worse.
(images via: EnergyWeb and IAEA)
Construction of A1 began in 1958 and took an amazing 16 years! The untested design of the KS-150 reactor soon revealed numerous flaws that led to over 30 unplanned shutdowns in the first few years of operation. Two workers were killed by a gas leak in early 1976. Just over a year later a botched fuel changing procedure compounded by human error – workers forgot to remove silica gel packs from the new fuel rods – resulted in a core cooling emergency. It’s expected that ongoing efforts to decontaminate and fully decommission the A1 reactor won’t be completed until sometime in 2033.
Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex, USSR, 1993 (INES 4)
(images via: Jishi Xooob and Girasole Online)
The Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises is a group of factories and nuclear power plants located in the Russian city of Seversk. Formerly a Soviet “secret city”, Seversk was until 1992 known as Tomsk-7, which is actually a post office box number. Though former Russian president Boris Yeltsin relaxed some of the restrictions on Seversk (including its name), to this day non-residents are not allowed to visit the city.
The Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex was one of the “enterprises” at Seversk, and on April 6, 1993, the facility achieved some very unwanted fame. Workers were cleaning out an underground tank at the Tomsk-7 Plutonium Reprocessing Plant using highly volatile Nitric Acid. The acid reacted with residual liquid inside the tank – liquid that contained traces of plutonium. An explosion then occurred which blew a reinforced concrete lid off the top of the tank, punched holes in the building’s roof, short- circuited the plant’s electrical systems and started a fire. Last and not least, the explosion released of a large cloud of radioactive gas into the surrounding environment.
Tokaimura Uranium Processing Facility, Japan, 1999 (INES 4)
(image via: LiveInternet)
Human error compounded by rash business decisions led to the so-called Tokaimura Criticality Accident, which took place on September 30, 1999, at Japan’s Tokaimura Uranium Processing Facility in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo. The facility, formerly operated by JCO Ltd., processed and purified Uranium fuel used by Japan’s many nuclear power plants.
(images via: BBC and SOS: El Planeta te Necesita)
The accident was caused by poorly trained workers at the Tokaimura plant taking shortcuts in the refining procedure. Under pressure to complete their duties on time, the workers skipped several steps in the process. Uranium Oxide powder and Nitric Acid were mixed in 10-liter buckets instead of several dedicated tanks, and ended up dumping 7 times the recommended amount of Uranium/Acid mixture to a precipitation tank. The mixture reached critical mass and a chain reaction lasting 20 hours then ensued. Two of the plant workers died from radiation exposure and dozens of others were exposed to above-normal levels of radiation.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan, 2011 (INES 4+)
(images via: InventorSpot, LA Times and 2Space)
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, located 170 miles or 270 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, is one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world with 6 nuclear reactors supplying power to the Tokyo megalopolis and the Japanese electric power grid. In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 9.0 magnitude Sendai Earthquake on March 11, 2011, power outages caused the reactor coolant pumps to stop. Backup diesel generators had been stored in a low-lying area and were damaged by the quake-related tsunami.
(images via: Edmonton Journal and SOS: El Planeta te Necesita)
By the time a working generator could be set up inside the building housing reactor #1, the core had begun to overheat and hydrogen gas built up to dangerous levels inside the containment building. A spark from the generator likely caused a hydrogen explosion that blew the roof off the containment building. The next day a similar, more powerful explosion occurred the next day in the building containing reactor #3, on March 14 yet another explosion shattered the containment building of reactor #2, and inside reactor #4′s containment building stored fuel may be on fire after water in a storage pool boiled off.
Here is a video of the first explosion:
福島第一原発 爆発の瞬間 Explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant, via Studiomu00
(image via: PopSci)
Though the INES has given the ongoing critical situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant a provisory rating of 4, France’s ASN nuclear safety authority has suggested the rating should actually be much higher. “Level 4 is a serious level,” commented ASN President Andre-Claude Lacoste, speaking at a news conference on March 14, 2011, but “We feel that we are at least at level 5 or even at level 6.”
Three Mile Island, USA, 1979 (INES 5)
(images via: EOEarth, How Stuff Works and Reason)
On March 28, 1979, coolant pumps in reactor TMI-2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, failed and a pressure-relief valve failed to close. Control room staff began to hear alarms and see warning lights. Unfortunately, faulty design of the sensors caused plant operators to miss and/or misread signs that the reactor core was first overheating, then actually melting.
(image via: Timemapped)
By the time the situation was brought under control, half the reactor core had melted and approximately 20 tons of molten uranium was slowly solidifying at the bottom of the reactor’s containment vessel. Venting of steam and gas from inside the containment building allowed significant amounts of radioactive material to escape into the atmosphere and surrounding environment.
(images via: OCRegister, From The Vault Radio, Sodahead and Pennlive)
The Three Mile Island accident caused no deaths or injuries to plant workers or residents of nearby communities but it still is rated as the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history. Extensive – some say sensationalistic – news coverage of the event, comparisons to the plot of the film The China Syndrome (released just 12 days before the accident), and a memorable sketch on Saturday Night Live all contributed to the incident’s prominent place in late 20th century pop culture. It’s no, er, accident that not a single new nuclear power plant has been built in the United States since.
Kyshtym Disaster, USSR, 1957 (INES 6)
(images via: Crashstuff, Wikipedia and Bellona)
In the Soviet Union’s frantic race to catch up with the USA in the post-war, Cold War nuclear arms race, corners were cut and mistakes were made. By far the largest of the latter occurred in September of 1957 at the Mayak nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the closed city of Ozyorsk, formerly (before 1994) known as Chelyabinsk-40. A cluster of reactors at the site produced Plutonium for Soviet nuclear weapons and, as a by-product, nuclear waste. LOTS of nuclear waste. The waste was stored in underground steel cisterns set in concrete and cooled by an unreliable cooling system.
(image via: Bellona)
In the fall of 1957, the cooling system around a vessel containing up to 80 tons of solid nuclear waste failed. Radioactivity quickly heated the waste to the point where the container exploded, sending its 160-ton concrete lid into the air along with a massive cloud of very dirty fallout. Approximately 10,000 people were evacuated from the affected region and about 270,000 in total were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. At least 200 deaths from cancer can be directly attributed to the accident and around 30 town names vanished from Soviet maps.
(images via: Bellona and Narod)
Though the full extent of the Kyshtym Disaster was not revealed by the USSR until 1990, the CIA was aware of the incident yet decided not to reveal any information as it might reflect negatively on the American nuclear power industry. Meanwhile in Kyshtym, the vast East-Ural Nature Reserve (also known as the East-Ural Radioactive Trace) remains heavily contaminated by radioactive Caesium-137 and Strontium-90 over a roughly 300 square mile (800 sq km) area.
Chernobyl Disaster, USSR, 1986 (INES 7)
(image via: Stuck In Customs)
As bad as the Kyshtym Disaster was, the Chernobyl Disaster was worse: 4 times worse, if dispersed radioactivity is the measuring stick. To date, the steam explosion and reactor meltdown of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is the only nuclear accident to rate a 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
(images via: Scrape TV, Stockani News and Stormchaser)
The disaster began on April 26, 1986, when technicians at Reactor 4 were conducting an experimental power-down procedure. Human error led to a series of unexpected power surges that explosively burst the reactor’s containment vessel, starting a fire that impelled clouds of radioactive fission products and fallout into the open air. The cloud would eventually drift over large areas of eastern, western and northern Europe forcing over 335,000 people to be evacuated from a Zone of Alienation. Though only 53 deaths resulted directly from the accident, many thousands of other suffered (and still suffer) debilitating, chronic illness.
(image via: Funny Old Planet)
These days the area around Chernobyl exhibits a strange dichotomy: the abandoned towns of Chernobyl and Pripyat slowly decay while wildlife in the surrounding woods and forests is booming now that the human presence has been removed. Reports of lynxes and even bears, which have not been seen in centuries, prove the eminent resilience of nature and life’s ability to adapt and adjust to even the most hostile of conditions.
(images via: Maison Bisson, Pumachassures and Funny Old Planet)
Chernobyl is the poster child for nuclear accidents, with atomic power protesters warning of “another Chernobyl” as often as anti-war advocates advising against “another Vietnam”. As for the apocalyptically named Zone of Alienation, Ukrainian authorities are finding it difficult to keep self-styled “stalkers” from conducting expeditions into the area aimed at fun and profit. Word to those contemplating such an adventure: what you can’t see, CAN hurt you!
Radiation In Your Nation?
(image via: Market Watch)
Though the Chernobyl Disaster is the only INES-rated Level 7 incident on record, there’s no guarantee that another, even worse nuclear disaster will occur someday. Natural disasters, human errors and aging components are, unfortunately, facts of life (and death) for the nuclear industry. With nearly 500 nuclear power plants around the world in operation and under construction, the question isn’t IF another atomic accident will happen, but WHEN.
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Eco-Bridge Over Troubled Times: Green Design Drives Concept
[ By Delana in Art & Design, Energy & Fuel, Technology & Gadgets. ]
Bridges are constantly exposed to the elements, sitting outdoors as they do in all types of climates and in every kind of weather. It is a wonder that before now no one has thought to harness these massive man-made structures for harnessing natural eco-friendly power. The Solar Wind bridge concept would take advantage of a particular bridge’s location and altitude to capture two separate types of green energy.
Although automotive bridges are part of an infrastructure that can not exactly be called eco-friendly, they are often in unique positions to capture plenty of sun and wind. Their necessary elevation and, of course, their constant exposure to the sun means that they make ideal collectors of solar and wind energy.
This bridge design was meant for s specific site in Italy. As part of the Solar Park Works – Solar Highway competition which asked for designers to remake a section of decommissioned elevated highway between Bagnera and Scilla, three designers put their heads together to come up with this innovative idea. Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino saw the potential in the bridge’s location due to its constant battering by crosswinds and its exposure to the lush Mediterranean sun.
(all images via: Gizmag)
The road itself would be made of not the traditional asphalt, but instead of a dense network of solar cells coated in durable plastic. The solar cells could produce as much as 11.2 kWh per year. The bridge would also contain 26 integrated in the spaces between the bridge supports which would provide an additional 36 million kWh per year. All told, the innovative bridge could power up to 15,000 homes. But the benefits don’t stop there: the designers also envision the sides of the roadways as makeshift small-space farms/market stalls. Farmers could grow and sell their wares right there on the side of the bridge. While we love the idea, we’d much rather see urban planners concentrate on the first part of the design – integrating eco-power collection devices into everyday structures – before getting too fancy with the idea.
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Mapping the Underworld: Digital 3D Cave Exploration
[ By Steph in Geography & Travel, History & Trivia, Technology & Gadgets. ]
Just under the surface of Nottingham, England, there’s hidden world ripe for exploration, from a 14th century dungeon that once reputedly held a king prisoner to a 19th century butchery. Not just anyone can get to most of these 450+ sandstone caves, many of which are located under Nottingham Castle, and they’ve never even been accurately mapped – until cutting-edge laser technology made these incredible 3D scans possible. The Nottingham Caves Survey has already recorded the shape and surface details of 35 caves, layering them with above-ground photos to give us an unprecedented and surprisingly artistic view.
As part of the Caves of Nottingham Regeneration Project, the Nottingham Caves Survey is taking 3D laser scanners into the depths beneath the city to photograph the caves, survey them with the scanner and note their condition. Many of these caves have major historical significance for Nottingham and for England – the earliest written record of caves beneath what was then a Saxon settlement dates to the year 868. The project aims to protect the caves, in the hopes that they won’t simply be forgotten and allowed to deteriorate.
King David’s Dungeon
The soft, carvable sandstone under Nottingham provided an ideal medium for creating these artificial labyrinths. Holes were dug with hand tools to create underground homes as well as space for activities like tanning, pottery production and even beer malting. Some were used as storage areas, hidden passageways and supply tunnels. The medieval caves under Nottingham Castle, which was rebuilt in the 1670s after the original structure was destroyed in the English Civil War, include a dungeon in which King David II of Scotland was reportedly held prisoner in 1346.
Mortimer’s Hole at Nottingham Castle
Another tunnel under the castle has an even more fascinating story. Mortimer’s Hole is named after Roger Mortimer, rebel and lover of the power-hungry Queen Isabella. The duo overthrew Isabella’s husband, King Edward II, and were living at Nottingham Castle when Isabella’s teenage son, King Edward III, invaded to take his rightful place. The King’s troops used the cave to sneak into the castle and capture Mortimer, who was subsequently hanged.
It’s an intriguing legend, and the ‘official’ Mortimer’s Hole has become a tourist attraction at the castle, complete with guided tours. But the survey team have discovered another tunnel that they believe is far more likely to be the actual tunnel used in the invasion. ‘The Real Mortimer’s Hole‘ matches historical records of the capture.
Castle Gate Medieval Malt Kiln & Breweries
Some of the sandstone caves were used for malting and other aspects of beer production, which is a major aspect of Nottingham history. Each complex of caves included a germination room where grain was prepared, the kiln where it was roasted, and a deep well to reach water. The benefit of brewing in caves is the constant year-round temperature.
Drinking Den Under Nobleman’s House
The beer-related activity that went on deep beneath the surface of Nottingham wasn’t limited only to production. This carved underground space beneath Willoughby House, an 18th-century aristocratic manor, was likely a drinking den. It includes built-in banquettes and a wine cellar.
Nottingham Castle Brewhouse Yard
Beer was once stored in the caves at ‘Brewhouse Yard’, a system of caves found adjacent to a group of five 17th century cottages. The cottages are all that remain of a once-thriving community, and now house The Museum of Nottingham Life.
Air Raid Shelters at the Guildhall Caves
The brick-lined passes and cells beneath Nottingham Guildhall, a 19th century building housing the magistrate’s court, central police station and fire station, are some of the most modified underground passages found in Nottingham. They were extensively re-worked during World War II for use as emergency headquarters and air raid shelters.
Peel Street Cave System
The Peel Street mass of subterranean tunnels definitely seems to qualify as a maze. It may seem strangely chaotic for a man-made set of passageways, but that’s because its purpose was different from all of the others in Nottingham: it was actually a sand mine. It’s thought that the mine was in use between 1780 and 1810, but the caves were forgotten until 1892, when they became a tourist attraction called “Robin Hood’s Mammoth Cave”.
Scanners at Work
To capture these strange digital imprints of vast underground spaces, the Nottingham Caves Survey crew hauls equipment below the surface on bike trailers. The scanners send beams of laser light deep into the caves and measure the amount of time it takes for the light to return. The scanners can capture an incredible 500,000 survey points per second, creating a ‘point cloud’ that results in a 3D image.
“The experience of visiting these domestic caves is far removed from the clean regularity of modern urban living and offers a tangible link to medieval Nottingham,” explains the project team. “This is particularly significant in a city with such a strong past personality but so few medieval structures still standing above ground.”
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Positive Quote Wednesday – on Rain
A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain.
Robert FrostA crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.
Frederick The GreatA poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.
James DickeyA wind has blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long.
e. e. cummingsAnd the blood of brave men was shed like unto the shedding of rain from a black cloud.
FerdowsiAnd when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
Gilbert K. ChestertonAny party which takes credit for the rain must not be surprised if its opponents blame it for the drought.
Dwight MorrowClouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
Rabindranath TagoreCriticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.
Frank Howard ClarkDon’t threaten me with love, baby. Let’s just go walking in the rain.
Billie HolidayEverything that we inherit, the rain, the skies, the speech, and anybody who works in the English language in Ireland knows that there’s the dead ghost of Gaelic in the language we use and listen to and that those things will reflect our Irish identity.
John McGahernFor me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain and the noise of battle. It has the power to give grief or universality that lends it a youthful beauty.
John CheeverFor when they see the people swarm into the streets, and daily wet to the skin with rain, and yet cannot persuade them to go out of the rain, they do keep themselves within their houses, seeing they cannot remedy the folly of the people.
Thomas MoreHe was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain.
Douglas William JerroldHealing rain is a real touch from God. It could be physical healing or emotional or whatever.
Michael W. SmithHuman knowledge has been changing from the word go and people in certain respects behave more rationally than they did when they didn’t have it. They spend less time doing rain dances and more time seeding clouds.
Herbert SimonI am a being of Heaven and Earth, of thunder and lightning, of rain and wind, of the galaxies.
Eden Ahbez
Beth
Positive Quote Wednesday – 20 Ancient Quotes
An artistic impression of Epictetus
Before The Secret and other self-help books were the ancients, imparting the same philosophies, only thousands of years earlier!
1.“Every man is the architect of his own future”.
Sallust (86 -35 BC) Roman Historian
2. “Your life is an expression of all your thoughts.”
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180) – Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher
3.“Men are not troubled by things themselves, but by their thoughts about them”.
Epictetus (C. 55 – C. 135) – Greek Stoic Philosopher
4.“He has half the deed done who has mad a beginning”.
Horace (65-8 B.C.) – Roman Poet and Satirist
5.“First say to yourself what would you be; and then do what you have to do”.
Epictetus (C. 55 – C. 135) Greek Stoic Philosopher
6.“The nature of man is always the same; it is their habits that separate them”.
Confucius (551-479 B.C.) – Chinese Philosopher
7.“Take charge of your thoughts. You can do what you will with them”.
Plato (428-327 BC) – Greek Philosopher and Prose Writer
8.“They can do all because they think they can”.
Virgil (70-9 BC) – Roman Poet
9.“Where fear is . . . happiness is not”.
Seneca (4BC – AD65) – Roman Philosopher and Playwright
10.“Give me where to stand and I will move the earth”.
Archimedes (287-212 BC) – Syracusan Mathematician, Astronomer and Inventor
11.“Learn what you are and be such”.
Pindar (522-438 BC) – Greek Poet
12.“What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do”.
Aristotle (383-322 BC) – Greek Philosopher
13.“Our life is what our thoughts are make it”.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180) Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher
14.“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”.
Solomon (10th Century BC) – King of Israel & reputed author of Biblical Books
15.“When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself”.
Plato (428-327 BC) – Greek Philosopher and Prose Writer
16.“What we are is what we have thought for years”.
Gautama The Buddha (560-480 BC) – Indian Spiritual leader and Founder of Buddhism
17.“How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself”.
Publilius Syrus – (1st century BC) – Latin Writer of Mimes
18.“Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be a time. Let it first blossom then bear fruit, then ripen”.
Epictetus (C. 55 – C. 135) Greek Stoic Philosopher
19.“Practice yourself for heaven’s sake, in little things; and thence proceed to greater”.
Epictetus (C. 55 – C. 135) Greek Stoic Philosopher
20.“Perseverance is more prevailing than violence and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little”.
Plutarch (C. A.D. 46 – C 120) – Greek Biographer and Essayist
Source: Trevor Crook Blog
Beth
Can you Say you’re Sorry?
The fascinating book On Apology, by Aaron Lazare begins with this paragraph:
“One of the most profound human interactions is the offering and accepting of apologies. Apologies have the power to heal humiliations and grudges, remove the desire for vengeance, and generate forgiveness on the part of the offended parties. For the offender they can diminish the fear of retaliation and relieve the guilt and shame that can grip the mind with a persistence and tenacity that are hard to ignore. The result of that apology process, ideally, is the reconciliation and restoration of broken relationships.”
A genuine and effective apology can reduce the pain of guilt and shame and help to resolve anger. Effective apology can create a satisfactory asymmetrical balance where genuine remorse is accepted as the only available compensation to offset an irreparable loss.
Apology restores the congruence between what we acknowledge to ourselves and what we acknowledge to others when we blame ourselves for their loss.
Definitions
- A sincere acknowledgement of responsibility, wrongdoing, and regret.
- Restoring power to the injured.
- An encounter between two parties where the offender acknowledges responsibility for an offense or grievance and expresses regret or remorse to the aggrieved.
Root: Latin apologia, from Greek apologi? : apo- + logos, A speech in defense
Commonly used synonyms include: acknowledgment, admission, amends, atonement, concession, confession, defense, excuse, explanation, extenuation, justification, mea culpa, mitigation, plea, redress, reparation, and vindication. These are inexact substitutes because they each refer only to a portion of a full apology.
The Paradox of Apology
A genuine apology provides so much benefit with so little cost, it is surprising and unfortunate it is not more common. The decision to apologize is a tug-of-war between stubborn pride and guilt. Since guilt is authentic, and stubborn pride is not, it seems best to get on with the apology. Making a sincere apology is an act of courage, not a sign of weakness.
Many people are reluctant to apologize because they fear either humiliation or retaliation. This is unfortunate because most genuine apologies elicit gratitude as the response. Failing to apologize can be a costly dominance contest that prolongs bad feelings in a relationship that could have been easily avoided or foreshortened.
Elements of an Apology:
A successful apology includes each of these four elements:
- Accepting personal responsibility; acknowledge the specific offense and the pain it caused and clearly take personal and unconditional responsibility for the offense. Acknowledge directly to each of the injured parties your role in causing the damage and their suffering,
- Showing Remorse; humbly and sincerely describe the painful regret you feel for committing the offense. Look backward to express your regret. Then demonstrate forbearance by looking forward to describe the lessons you have learned and the changes you have made to ensure nothing like it will ever happen again.
- Offering an explanation; honestly, candidly, and simply describe why the offense happened. If it was inexcusable, simply say so.
- Making reparations; fully repair the loss if that is possible, otherwise ask: “Is there anything I can do to make this up to you?”
Beth