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September 2000By David Arias Jr.
Disputed Questions on Virtue (Quaestio Disputata de Virtutibus In Communi and Quaestio Disputata de Virtutibus Cardinalibus). By Saint Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustines Press. 140 pages. $25.
Ralph McInerny has done it again! In addition to his recent work helping to make available once again St. Thomass commentaries on Aristotles De Anima, Physics, Metaphysics, and Nicomachean Ethics, McInerny has freshly translated 17 of the 36 articles of St. Thomass work, Quaestiones Disputatae de Virtutibus. It was at the end of his life and at the height of his intellectual and spiritual development that St. Thomas composed De Virtutibus. Consequently, it expresses the Angelic Doctors mature thought on various questions about the virtues in general and the cardinal virtues in particular. McInernys translation is accessible and his preface situates the articles in their historical and philosophical context.
How to Get More Out of Holy Communion. By Saint Peter Julian Eymard. Sophia Institute Press. 142 pages. $11.95.
This work is that of a Saint who writes in order to help make saints out of his readers. As one who spent his life in Eucharistic adoration, St. Peter Eymard is eminently qualified to teach about true devotion to our Eucharistic Lord. This book is a compilation of 18 short, accessible, and theologically rich essays which the author has designed to teach the nature, unparalleled splendor, and necessity of receiving Holy Communion. St. Peter also explains the necessity of making a proper preparation before and a proper thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion. Only in this way, he says, can the communicant truly appreciate the divine gift of our Lords Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Moreover, teaches St. Peter, it is only through devout and frequent Holy Communion that one can truly live and breathe in the very life of God Himself.
The Secret of Mary. By St. Louis De Montfort. TAN Books. 93 pages. $5.
Here is a Catholic classic on the interior life and Marian devotion, now reissued. At once simple and profound, St. Louiss work describes the surest and most direct road to salvation and sanctification. He argues that the most perfect union with Christ comes about via a perfect union with His Blessed Mother, which comes about via perfect devotion to Her. This devotion, says St. Louis, consists in giving oneself entirely as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through Mary; and after that to do all that we do, with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary. St. Louis orders his entire work around the explanation of the precise meaning and implications of these few profound words. This specific Marian devotion of St. Louis is heartily recommended to the faithful by many popes, including Leo XIII, St. Pius X, Pius XII, Paul VI, and John Paul II.


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Brewer says Ellington staying at Clemson
|2012-01-10 11:04:58.0-
From Xavier BrewerXavier Brewer
RS Jr. Defensive Back
#29 5-11, 190
Jacksonville, FL
View Full Profile's Facebook:
I love Clemson and everybody in it! I guess my dawg Andre EllingtonAndre Ellington
RS Jr. Running Back
#23 5-10, 190
Moncks Corner, SC
View Full Profile aka Lil Bit feels the same way n thats why he's comin back! Good to see everybody last night and got here safely.
Tags: Andre Ellington
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subset: commoncrawl


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One of my favorite designers, Suzanne Kasler, will be speaking at noon at Mrs. Howard in Charlotte on Tuesday, December 1st.
I have featured her designs often on my blog as they are pretty, updated and I appreciate her strong use of color.
She also makes a neutral palette beautiful with amazing choices that seem to complete the room.
I love her furniture line for Hickory Chair. Remember this post?
She will also be signing copies of her new book which I recently bought between 12-5. It is fabulous.
If you are interested in attending please email lkennelly [at] jmhoward [dot] net
Hope to see you there!


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Shambhala is a Sanskrit word meaning a place of peace, happiness or tranquility. In the Buddhist tradition, it is paradise. It is also a meditation technique and, tellingly, the name of Paul Fleming's latest exhibition at Barbara Davis Gallery.
In "Shambhala," Fleming fills the gallery with bright, sleek color as he creates wall installations composed of identically shaped resin-filled objects arranged in straight lines and subtle patterns. The main body of work is All my friends are here, which takes over the first half of the gallery across every available surface. Repeating blocks of pigmented resin are arranged in single file across the walls like some broken code of color samples, available in every color of the crayon box.
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Other installations sprawl across the wall in a controlled chaos. Fractured From the Fall is a massive piece that strikes the back wall, straight strips of hydrocol and resin crossing each other like a broken rainbow. Other pieces aren't as neat and exact. In Papillae, red-tipped cones disperse from a center, while Our Nature features blue objects that climb up the wall and onto the ceiling, like ornate thumbtacks mapping population demographics or the spread of a disease.
Still other pieces emphasis connectivity, with each part making up a tightly wound whole as in These Subtle Agencies II, a punishing square made up of countless blue, green and purple pieces arranged in a flowing pattern.
Between these tight grids and the loose, pixelated wall installations, there can be a lot of white space, and it all makes for a somewhat sparse show. There's not too much going on here for deep contemplation, just a lot of eye candy.
"Paul Fleming: Shambhala" at Barbara Davis Gallery, 4411 Montrose Boulevard, runs now through June 1. For more information, call 713-520-9200 or visit www.barbaradavisgallery.com.


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Posts Tagged 'Opera Today'
mini operas
…as far as 'Minterisms' go ('serendipity'; 'synchronicity'; and the like).. this one wasn't one of my best; I came upon the announcement while randomly reading opera reviews..
..For some reason I was trying to get some 'editorial' judgment on a particular version of Strauss' Die Liebe Der Danaë, and came upon such a review in an earlier online posting of Opera Today.
I read the review (which said to grab the CD, whenever it was possible) –but was distracted out of the last sentence, by an article in a side column, which announced that ENO (English National Opera) was in process of accepting global submissions to it's Mini Opera opportunity..
I went to the site –very excited to read its contents –only to go slack jawed when I noticed that the open call had already been in place for more than 7 months!
It seemed I was reading the announcement –5 days before the deadline..
-but became so engaged by the scope of the company's vision, and the selections of stories (out of which librettos were being solicited) that I suddenly found myself.. well, starting to write a libretto!
The full process of submission is through my own blog site..
I've finished the full, first draft of my piece; I'm letting it.. breathe- a day or so (I've 3 left!), and will then post it here, not only for those judges vetting submissions, but for all who would be interested in reading the dabbling of a fervid hope!
I have chosen to write a libretto (5-7 minutes) on Neil Gaiman's story, The Sweeper Of Dreams..
My piece is called, Below Above.
..more soon.
Well.. 3 days, to be exact!


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National Education Policy Center
Broken up into three sections – Effects size, monetary benefits and costs – the report analyzes three education reform strategies: starting schools later in the morning, favoring K-8 grade configuration instead of a separate middle school, and increasing teacher specialization by grade and subject.
The report generally concludes that the mentioned reforms have the potential to increase student achievement at a comparatively low cost, although there will be slight differences among districts.
For the first two strategies, the study performs a simple cost-benefit analysis with every reform. The idea to start schools later in the day produced a ratio of $9 in benefits to $1 of real cost. Converting schools to K-8 configurations produced a ratio between $40 and $200 to $1 real cost.
The information used for this analysis is drawn from three previous reports on attempts at these reforms in Florida, New York and North Carolina.
To read a free version of this study, please click here.


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Working late at an airport just after dark, two men observed what appeared to be a 'flying saucer' hovering over the observation tower. There were portholes around it and shapes inside which seemed to move around. There was a humming sound. It appeared to change colours, then shot up into the air at great speed. Mark Moravec
Source: Australian Saucer Record - AFSRS PUB
Three young men reported that their car had been followed by a 'disc', and that they had taken a large number of photos of it. Subsequently they were interviewed by the RAAF who reportedly confiscated the pictures.
SUMMER 1954. OYSTER COVE, TAS 0530hrs (CE2)
Witness tells of UFO sighting when as a young girl she was assisting her father to bring in the cows for milking. At first there was a low whining noise and the area seemed to be illuminated. Looking up she saw to the east a silver oval shape with a dome above, also there were white and red lights, plus a beam shinning out from below.
The cows were now making a noise and wanted to get out of the cattle pen. The witness opened the gate and the cows took off across the paddock. Meanwhile the witness' father had raced up to the house to get his camera; he then went down the road to the object and took a number of photographs. The noise from the object increased and it shot off in a second out over the sea.
The father had the photographs developed, then contacted someone in authority to report the event. The witness recalls that three men in dark blue serge jackets came in a Humber or Buick car. They demanded that her father hand over the photograph negatives but he refused to do so. The men became threatening but eventually left with prints of the 5 photographs. Some years later the father had a contract to train German shepherd dogs for the Air Force; some mention was made at the time about the photographs. The negatives were put in a safe place but when the 1967 bush fires swept across south-east Tasmania her fathers' house and contents were destroyed. Keith Roberts TUFOIC.
Source: Melbourne Argus (12.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...."I was watching the sun go down on the cliff top and caught sight of an incandescent light overhead about as large as a tennis ball. It just floated along, looking bigger as it came nearer the earth. Suddenly it was gone, just as a soap bubble bursts. It had none of the characteristics of a meteor or falling star."
01.01.54 MELBOURNE (EAST DONCASTER), VIC 1015hrs
Source: Melbourne Herald (01.01.54)
An ANA pilot, Captain D Barker, believes he saw a flying saucer at 10.15am today not far from Melbourne. Captain Barker, who was at his home in East Doncaster, said he saw a semi-transparent object like a top, shaped roughly like a disc, about 2000ft above the Yarra Valley, in the direction of Templestowe. He estimated that the object was two to two-and-a-half miles away, and said it looked about four times the size of a DC-4 plane at that distance.
"It was travelling at high speed", he said, "and seemed to be oscillating in and out of clouds."
Captain Barker said he reported this to the Civil Aviation Officer at Essendon. He then rang The Herald to see whether anyone else had reported the object. The Herald had no other reports.
Source: The Melbourne Age (02.01.54)
...Barker...said the experience was a little frightening at first..."I sighted it first over the Templestowe brickworks between two-and-a-half and five miles away on the approach path to Essendon. It was four to five times larger than a large passenger aircraft. The object was transparent and a smoky celluloid colour, with a bit of a tail and a mushroom shaped head. It oscillated in and out of clouds, and in about six miles changed its course to a north easterly direction. It was travelling faster than any jet plane that I have ever seen".
Source: The Melbourne Sun (02.01.54)
...Civil Aviation officials said that a Convair was over the Yarra Valley at about that time. Captain Barker retorted when told of this: "I've never seen anything less like a Convair. First of all, it was huge - about four times the size of a DC-4. It was travelling at about 700mph, well below the minimum altitude for the safety of normal aircraft. I see Convairs every day, but this resembled no aircraft I know".
It stayed in sight for about ten seconds. Beneath it hung what looked like an observation car, he said. Metallic and glinting in the sun, shafts of light occasionally shot through the saucer as if it were made of celluloid...
A 'saucer' similar to the one seen by Captain Barker was reported over Mackay, Qld., last year, by another ANA pilot, Captain B L Jones. His report was confirmed at Mackay control tower. All described the strange craft as having a "glass dome" - transparent like Captain Barker's "celluloid".
01.01.54 MELBOURNE (HANGING ROCK), VIC 1420hrs
Source: Melbourne Herald (06.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mrs A E Jerrams, of Camberwell Rd, Camberwell, said she saw the 'flying mushroom' seen by ANA pilot Captain Barker.
"It was at Hanging Rock races on New Year's Day. At about 2.30pm, I saw a perfectly round silver disc in the sky, and pointed it out to my two sisters-in-law. It was visible for about one minute. It was stationary and made no noise. I could see it very clearly through the trees. It turned on its side and disappeared".
03.01.54 MELBOURNE (ST KILDA), VIC 1100hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (12.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A Melbourne astronomer has reported seeing an "unidentifiable object like a rectangular sheet of aluminium" flying over southern suburbs. He is Mr John W Boyle, 41 year old Vice President of the Victorian branch of the British Astronomical Association. Mr Boyle, who is a cartographer with the Department of Lands, has been interested in Astronomy for about 26 years, but he said last night: "I've never before seen anything in daylight that has been as puzzling to see. I have always kept an open mind on the things that people claim to have seen in the sky. Now I am convinced that there is something peculiar going on."
Mr Boyle sighted the object from Carlisle St, St Kilda, at 11am on Sunday, Jan 3, as he was taking his four year old son to the beach. It was in view for 15-20 seconds. "My first impression was that it looked like a piece of paper being blown along by the wind, but it was a calm day with little wind. As it rocked from side to side it flashed in the sunlight like a piece of aluminium. Each time it flashed, a purplish halo appeared around it. I am certain it did not give off any light of its own, and there were no vapour trails or jets".
Mr Boyle's son, Ian, had described the object as a 'silver butterfly'. "That's about as good a description as any", he said. It was impossible to estimate its height, but at the time I calculated its speed to be about five degrees per second. That means that if the object were flying at, say 30000ft, its speed would be about about 1800mph, and it would be about 60ft wide".
Mr Boyle said that none of the explanations he had read so far tallied with the object he had seen. A lot of sightings could possibly be explained by mirages, and many of the things seen at night are almost certainly meteors. "But I cannot find any explanation for what I saw", he said.
03.01.54 MELBOURNE (EDITHVALE), VIC 1230-1300hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (07.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mrs D N Skinner, of Keith Ave, Edithvale, said she was standing with her husband and daughter, 13, in their backyard on Sunday between 12.30 and 1.00pm when two objects flew across the sky. They were light in colour, but not shiny, and round, fairly high, and flying fast and close together.
03.01.54 MELBOURNE (BOX HILL), VIC 1430hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (04.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr A Heinrichs, of Box Hill reports an observation at 2.30pm. "What my wife and I saw was not the sky-writer of like any plane I have ever seen. It was turning slowly over and over. It appeared to be a balloon or large box hanging in the sky. While we were watching, something dived on it at terrific speed at a 45 degree angle. This second object was like a ball of white vapour, with a jet trail behind it. After four seconds they both vanished from view behind some houses...".
06.01.54 MELBOURNE (OAKLEIGH), VIC 1100hrs
Source: Melbourne Age (07.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Bryan Francis Ryan, 17, of Virginia St, Springvale, claimed that he had seen a 'flying saucer' circling over Melbourne at 11am. He said he saw the object while driving along Dandenong Rd, near Oakleigh.
"It looked like a silver disc, with glass observation cockpits top and bottom. It seemed about twice the size of an aeroplane, and was travelling, I would estimate, at between 700 and 800mph".
06.01.54 MELBOURNE (FLEMINGTON), VIC 1415hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (07.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mrs W Elliott, of Farnham St, Flemington, and her husband watched two small bright lights hover over Flemington yesterday at 2.15pm for five minutes. "They circled our district, then flew over towards North Melbourne and back again".
06.01.54 MELBOURNE (NORTH MELBOURNE), VIC 1415hrs
The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Ken Gilbert was working with several mates at North Melbourne railway yards at about 2.15pm when they saw a rotating disc high in the sky overhead. It gave out white flashes at two second intervals. They watched it for about ten minutes. Then it began to climb and quickly disappeared.
06.01.54 MELBOURNE (CARNEGIE), VIC 1930hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (07.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr A J Parr, of Blackwood St, Carnegie, said: "My wife and I were walking along Blackwood St at 7.30pm on our way to the pictures when a man drew our attention to the eastern skies. We saw a disc shaped object travelling from south to north at terrific speed. It was blue, and sent out flashes of silver. The object made no sound and was definitely not a plane. We saw it in broad daylight and there was no wind. With several other people we watched the object for several seconds before it disappeared".
07.01.54 GIPPSLAND LAKES, VIC 0330hrs
Source: Melbourne Herald (07.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr D R McDonald said, ...."At 3.30am I was in a motor boat in the centre of the lakes. I was with two companions. We were crossing the lakes to do some fishing. I was outside the cabin, and I noticed a brightly lit object in the sky. I thought it was a star and didn't say anything. But then I saw that the object was approaching us. It was flying at about 1000ft - quite low, anyway - and was travelling at about the same speed as a Vampire Jet fighter. The object came to within half a mile or so of us, and I could see it quite plainly. You know what a bright new ball bearing looks like" Well, if you cut one in halves, that's exactly what this thing looked like. It had a flat round bottom with a hemispherical top, which seemed to fine down to a tail at the stern. The object had no wings. It flew past us and then turned due east flying directly into the wind."
"The sun was not quite up, but it was plenty light enough to see clearly. I can't say whether it made a noise, because the engine of the boat was running, and the exhaust would have drowned any noise from the object. I would say that the object at half a mile and at 1000ft altitude looked the size of a DC-3 airliner".
07.01.54 HAMILTON, VIC 1620hrs
Source: Hamilton Spectator (12.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Messrs X Karamastos and A Pantazis, of the Victorian Fish Cafe in Grey St, saw a strange object high in the sky over the roof of the Frost Engineering Works at about 4,20pm on Thursday. Its appearance caused a stir among the staff of the cafe, but all except the two men mentioned came out too late to see it, for it remained visible for only about half a minute. They said that it was a silvery object, circular in shape, with a parachute-like adjunct. It remained stationary for about 20 seconds and then, after a short period of vibrations and gyrations, it sped off at a terrific speed and disappeared.
07.01.54 BONBEACH, VIC 2200hrs
Source: Melbourne Herald (31.07.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A woman went to bed about 10pm at Bonbeach. Shortly afterwards she heard a loud humming sound. It sounded as if the noise was in the fuse-box in the hallway or in the electric wires outside. She awakened her husband and they went outside to investigate. They saw nothing, so they went back to bed. The humming continued. Twice the woman went outside again. She was returning to bed to forget the noise when she glanced through the bedroom window. She saw a shinning, gold-coloured object circling in the sky. It was circular, with hazy edges, almost the size of the moon. The woman hurried outside and saw it travel through the sky for another five seconds and disappear over the horizon. It had been brightly illuminated by the light of the moon.
For another three minutes she watched. Then a cigar-shaped object shot up into the sky from the same place where the round body had disappeared. It did three or four loops, with a slight pause between each. It left a puff of white smoke behind it each time it looped. Then it, too, disappeared, and the noise which had continued during the two sightings stopped abruptly.
08.01.54 MELBOURNE (MALVERN), VIC 1305hrs
Source: Melbourne Herald (08.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
The manager of a shoe shop in Glenferrie Rd, Malvern reported seeing a flying saucer at 1.05pm today. The man Mr W Allen, said he saw a shinning circular object passing over Malvern much faster than any aircraft. Giving out a red vapour, the object headed towards the bay at about 2000ft. It seemed to be between 20 and 30ft in diameter, he said...
08.01.54 HAMILTON, VIC 2130hrs
Source: Hamilton Spectator (12.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...."I came out and at half past nine to water these tomatoes", said Mr Brown, "and as I turned around I saw the bright object moving steadily from the north west there and afterwards over towards Coleraine. It was high in the sky and seemed very distant. After 'stooging' along in that direction for three or four minutes it gradually grew smaller until it disappeared in the distance towards Mt Gambier".
Mr Brown described the shape of the object as being like two saucers, the upper one placed upside down against the lower. The bright shape was brightly coloured, something like bright orange, he said, and it left a vapour trail which fanned out a little towards the rear. The vapour trail was smoky white, or whitish grey. "I got my field glasses out after the first couple of minutes, and it showed up just the same, only bigger, of course, in the glasses. There was no alteration in its structural shape, but as it banked to turn away, a sort of spout showed up at the bottom towards the rear, the same bright orange colour as the rest".
Mr and Mrs Brown are both former RAAF personnel. In respect to the question as to whether the object could have been a distant aeroplane, Mr Brown said it was definitely not an aircraft of conventional design. The only aircraft noted on Friday evening was a Douglas passenger plane which passed by at two minutes to eleven. Mrs Brown added: "Even if I'd make a mistake like that, he wouldn't. He's mad on planes..."
....Mr Ryan's description of the experience agreed in detail with those given by his neighbours. The object was halo-shaped, he said, and brightly coloured like an orangey electric light, with a long illuminated trail. "...and I don't think it was just some meteor thing, because it didn't fall, and the whole of the outer ring was illuminated".
09.01.54 ADELAIDE, SA 0230hrs (NL)
Source: 1954 Turner report
White/yellow light. Seen bearing 310-303 degrees, elevation 10-7 degrees. Moving down and SW. Jupiter. Duration: 45 minutes, one witness.
13.01.54 MELBOURNE (CARLTON), VIC 2100hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (15.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Yesterday, Mr Serrall, of Murchison St, Carlton, said he saw an 'enormous yellow globe' over his house at 9pm on Wednesday night (Jan 13). It moved slowly upwards and disappeared.
13.01.54 MELBOURNE (CAULFIELD), VIC 2150hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (14.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr P Johnson of Norwood St, Caulfield, said he saw an amber light, 'about as big as a light globe' move across the sky. "I first noticed it about 9.50pm and it was travelling slowly towards the south. I watched it for five minutes before it disappeared completely".
13.01.54 MELBOURNE (NORTH CARLTON), VIC 2150-2200hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (15.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
On Wednesday night (Jan 13) observers in North Carlton reported what they all described as a strange light moving slowly at first, between 9.50 and 10pm.
13.01.54 MELBOURNE (CARNEGIE), VIC 2155hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (14.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr David Price, of Koorang Rd, Carnegie, said he and several neighbours saw a strange light at 9,55pm. "It was very high, but appeared to travel very slowly. It began as an amber object, but changed its colour to red and threw off sparks. We watched it travel across the sky from NW to SW".
13.01.54 MELBOURNE (NORTH CARLTON), VIC 2157hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (14.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mrs T Myres, of Fenwick St, North Carlton, and seven neighbours noticed a brilliant blue light twice the size of a star travelling towards Brunswick at 9.57pm.
"It was bright blue and very high up. As we watched it, it shot what seemed to be thousands of feet higher at great speed and flashed red. Then it travelled towards Brunswick before disappearing completely", she said.
14.01.54 MALLALA, SA 1120hrs (NL)
Source: 1954 Turner report
Silver square. 190 degrees bearing, 25 degrees elevation. Moving W. Disappeared in mid-air. Official explanation: Balloon with tin reflector. Duration: 5 seconds, one witness.
14.01.54 HAMILTON, VIC 2315hrs
Source: Hamilton Spectator (16.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
About 11.15pm there was a party of people on the lawn outside Mr Keith Urquart's home on Kokoda Ave., and two of them, Mrs W Barham and Mr Fred Fanning, saw a bright disc overhead. It was spinning and moved rapidly in a south westerly direction towards the 3HA building. In colour it was light grey, and it seemed to be about 18 inches in diameter. Behind it there was a smoky mist. It was about thirty degrees above the horizon.
15.01.54 MALLALA, SA 2105hrs (NL)
Source: U.S. Project Blue Book card entry & RAAF file
"Silver object in straight flight with yellow tail disappeared in mid-air. Object in sight only momentarily. Passed overhead in Northerly flight. Sound like a/c with motors cut assumed to accompany object." AURA Investigation
15.01.54 MELBOURNE (ST KILDA), VIC 2300hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (16.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
An ex-RAAF man saw three mystery orange coloured objects over St Kilda Beach at 11pm last night. Mr David Efron, 28, of Larnook St, East Prahran, said: "They were circular and to my eyes about five inches in diameter. They were moving much faster than any plane I have seen, two close together in formation, the other lagging a bit. They were visible for about two minutes and disappeared in the direction of Pt Ormond". Mr Efron said the lights were too far apart for navigation lights.
17.01.54 ADELAIDE (ST MORRIS), SA 1820hrs (NL)
Source: U.S. Project Blue Book card entry & RAAF file
Black object to East appeared to be stationary. Object flew West then flew North and finally dropped after a 15 minute observation. One object. Initial observation at 45 degree elevation. Looked like two saucers joined together by a span. AURA Investigation
17.01.54 MELBOURNE (BRIGHTON), VIC 1930hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (18.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr D Cain, of South Rd, Brighton, said: "I was playing golf at 7.30pm with three friends on the Brighton Golf Links when we saw five golden coloured discs in a V formation 20 and 30 thousand feet. The discs were moving very slowly due east, but after three or four minutes they disappeared".
17.01.54 MELBOURNE (ARMADALE), VIC 1940hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (18.01.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr A C White of Armadale ST, Armadale, said he had seen a 'boomerang-shaped ribbon of black vapour' floating in the sky at 7.40pm. "It was flying at 15 to 20 thousand feet at about 300mph".
26.01.54 WASLEY, SA 0200hrs (NL)
Source: 1954 Turner report
Yellow light bearing 290 degree elevation 30 degree moving to 290 degree. Disappeared over the horizon.
Source: Ballarat Courier (02.03.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"I have never seen anything like it before. I have heard of people seeing these things, but have never seen them myself".
Mr Alex Caird, Superintendent of the Mount Pleasant Observatory, a man with twenty years experience of watching the stars and the sky, used these words when describing an experience in the sky over Ballarat. Mr Caird was examining the sky to the SW when he noticed a round black ball hovering over a cloud bank between eight to twelve miles away. Mr Caird watched the phenomenon for about eight minutes during which it gradually merged into the two separate black balls, one larger than the other and entirely separate, although close together, after which it took up a triangular shape. At this stage, Mr Caird's attention was drawn away from the telescope for about twenty seconds and when he returned the black object had vanished. Since he saw the object, Mr Caird has made extensive inquires into what it could be, but has found no answer.
"I think the principle behind people seeing flying saucers is some type of mirage, but what I saw was no mirage", he declared.
Source: Daily Telegraph (Sydney/02.04.54)
An Aboriginal herdsman was reportedly bowled off his horse by a 12 metre diameter spherical object which terrified both horse and rider. It 'rumbled' and had four columns of smoke on each side of it.
Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p127.
"In the sky ahead of us was what looked like a blazing golden coin. It shone like a sun in the darkness. It arched upwards at tremendous speed and was gone."
Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p128.
A round object with a circle of light around it went past a window at high speed. A roaring sound was heard.
Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p127.
A soundless, round disk was seen travelling N.
28.04.54 bet DUVERNEY & BERRYBANK, VIC 0720hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (29.04.54)
From the cabin of their locomotive early yesterday morning, two railway men (Mr A E Smith, a 26 year old engine driver, and Mr Colin Beacon, his 23 year old fireman) saw a 'hurtling,diving, gigantic flying saucer'. Last night Mr G Templar, Assistant Station Master at Cressy, near Geelong, said the men were very dependable. The men say they saw the 'flying saucer' 45 miles west of Geelong between Duverney and Berrybank at 7.20am. They were taking the 6am goods train from Cressy to Ararat.
Source: Melbourne Age (28.04.54)
About four miles away in the eastern grey morning sky a dark purple object was diving and banking. "It was round.", said Ernie. "It seemed to stop still for about a minute and a half and then dive at enormous speed. Suddenly it pulled out of the dive, banked at the same speed, and hung as if suspended again. It was about 400ft up. We watched for four minutes before it disappeared behind a bank of trees. While we were watching, the goods train slowed to about five mph. We made no mistakes about the saucer. The country here is as flat as a board".
...Mr Colin Prosser writes: "...They saw a flying saucer. They had it under observation for four minutes."
Source: Melbourne Argus (30.04.54)"
...There it was, hurtling across the sky, massive, dark, round. Obscuring the sun here and there by its bulk. Malking the background thick-trunk trees look like matchsticks. It could have been a quarter mile in diameter, but the men weren't sure. It was just colossal. Just round. No windows or doors that we could see. Not a clearly lined object, but somewhat covered in a haze - maybe caused by speed or design".
01.05.54 BALLARAT EAST, VIC 2112hrs
At 9.12pm, an engineer of Ballarat East, sighted two objects close together in the west, about twenty degrees above the horizon, one of which rose vertically, while the other approached them. The latter object, when at its closest point, reached about eighty degrees elevation, and appeared to be elliptical in shape, at an estimated 1000ft altitude. The object then receded from him towards the north, and while doing so having the appearance of a rectangle, or a disc, on edge. No sound was heard. The self-luminous object was white at first, changing to light orange, the orange. It was seen in sharp outline, although fuzzy or blurred at times. The total duration of the sighting was about nine minutes.
04.05.54 HORSHAM, VIC 0015hrs
Source: Horsham Times (05.05.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A Times staff reporter interviews a reliable witness who yesterday saw a 'strange object' and reports: "A flying saucer" I don't know. But it was certainly a strange phenomenon that warrants some explanation", a Horsham businessman told me yesterday.
Earlier yesterday, at 12.15am, he had sen a massive, intensely glowing object flash across the sky from horizon to horizon in ten seconds. And he was not suffering from hallucinations, a hangover, or any other physical or mental state that would cause him to see 'unusual things'.
....He told me: "The sky was overcast with no moon or stars visible. I saw a strong white bluish light travelling just underneath the heavy cloud formations. I am sure it was much faster than any known aircraft on earth, and its movements were amazing. It didn't travel in a straight line like a plane but had more of an 'undulating motion'. It was a massive round shape, not clearly defined, with an intense light emanating from the centre and diminishing around the edges. I watched it for about ten seconds before it disappeared over the horizon of buildings. Travelling from south to north, its speed would have been more than 1000 mph. A flying saucer, you say" I don't know. It could have been anything", he added.
05.05.54 WOOMERA, SA app1630hrs 5 mins 3 wits (RADAR/VISUAL)
Source: 1954 Turner report; Chalker, B. (1996.) "UFOs Sub Rosa Down Under:The Australian Military & Government Role in the UFO controversy."; National Archives of Australia file D174, control symbol SA 5281 covering the period 1952-1955. Located in Adelaide Archives.
1. Radar echo of misty grey disc. Bearing 355 degrees 35 mls greater than 60,000 feet. Travelled S then E. Visual observation aided by binoculars Dimensions estd 10 feet. Speed 3600mph to E (measured on trace).
2. "Harry Turner told me of a radar case that impressed him most in his study of the DAFI UFO files that lead to his classified 1954 report. The case, originally classified 'secret'
describes a UFO event over Woomera that was witnessed by an English Electric scientist and a radar operator. The English Electric scientist was outside talking to the radar operator
when the radar confirmed the presence of a UFO. The scientist watched the object with binoculars. One of his functions at Woomera was to monitor rocket tests, he was experienced in
observing movements in the sky. The radar tracked the UFO until it went out of range. However, they were unable to confirm distance and size. Some tests were being undertaken with a
Canberra bomber in flight. The UFO was moving in formation with the Canberra. The Canberra crew could not see the UFO, but both the plane and UFO were confirmed on radar."
3. Three relevant documents were found on file D174, being statements by the two men involved and a covering letter, dated 20 May 1954, forwarding the statements, from the
Superintendent Long Range Weapons Establishment Range, Woomera, to the "Chief Superintendent". This letter included the statement:
"The persons reporting were separated by a distance of approximately three hundred yards and give corroborative accounts of what each observed."
One statement, dated 6 May 1954, read:
Post "R"
At about 1600 on 5th May, an unidentified Target was observed on radar AA Number 4 Mk. 6. The target appeared on High Beam at a range of about 60,000 yards Brg 355degrees approaching 'R', described a Hyperbols (sic) over 'R' and went out at a bearing of approx. 90 degrees. On its way out it passed behind Spotting Tower, "S2". I timed it over 15,000 yards 10 seconds which would make its speed approximately 3600 M.P.H. Cfn. KEANE observed this occurrence with me. Since the target was followed to 70,000 yards on High Beam the height would be greater than 60,000 feet. See Diagram on next page.
The diagram referred to was not located in the file examined.
The other statement, dated 7 May 1954, which under the man's name had an entry: "Vickers-Armstrong," read:
I was at Range R1 (Post R1), the Radar Post, standing by the Security Officer's Hut, and looking towards the radar Post at approximately 1645 hours, observing one of our trials through binoculars.
This object appeared to be travelling towards me or directly across a path of the approaching Canberra. When it got to the path of the Canberra it turned to my right and was going in the direction from which the Canberra had just come.
When it got directly over the Canberra it slowed down. During this time I found it very hard to believe what I was seeing, so I shut my eyes and then looked again through the binoculars and the object was still stationary over the flight path of the Canberra. Since it appeared to be the same relative size as the Canberra through the binoculars, I thought it would be possible to see it with the naked eye. However, when I looked over the top of the binoculars the object had either gone or I could not see it with the naked eye, and when I looked again through the binoculars I could not pick it up.
The object appeared to be travelling about three times as fast as the Canberra, but of course it is impossible to estimate, since I did not know what height it was. It was perfectly circular all the time and a dark grey colour, and gave the appearance of being translucent. It did not glisten at all when it turned or was it shiny. AURA Investigation
09.05.54 MELBOURNE (PORT MELBOURNE), VIC 0620hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (10.05.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Twenty tough waterside workers were 'half frightened' by a 'flying saucer' which eye-witnesses said appeared at Port melbourne at dawn yesterday. It was a large reddish-orange coloured disc, shaped like a sea shell, which hovered around Station Pier for two or three minutes. Mr A Opie, of Tennyson St, Essendon, chief tally clerk on the Moreton Bay, said the phenomenon appeared suddenly from the north, and after hovering, seemed to dart away to the east as quickly as it came. Mr Opie said that the waterside workers, tally clerks and seamen who also saw the 'saucer' were convinced it was not an optical illusion or any type of aircraft. "I have never seen anything like it before", he added.
The Moreton Bay's Second Officer said the ship's quarter master reported to him that the strange phenomenon appeared in the sky at 6.20am - as dawn was breaking. "Large and rather reddish, it came from the north and appeared to hover over Station Pier for two to three minutes. It left a white vapourish line behind it as it shot rapidly eastward into the stratosphere".
Source: Melbourne Sun (31.05.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...Yet another sighting is reported by Mr Harold Lucas, of Gladestone St, Coburg, who said last night that he and seven others had seen a 'saucer' west of Coburg. "At first we thought it was a star, but while we watched it the object stopped, hovered for a while, and then dashed sideways for about two miles. We watched it for about 25 minutes", he said.
Source: Melbourne Sun (31.05.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...Another man who rang The Sun from Carnegie said that the saucer flew over his house at about 70ft and climbed rapidly at fantastic speed. His description was exactly the same as that of Mr Reese (see next report).
30.05.54 MELBOURNE (EAST MALVERN), VIC 0025hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (31.05.54)
An orange 'oval' was seen by six people, a woman school teacher, a policeman from Russell St, a radio announcer, an ABC official, a Postal Department technician, and a clerk, as it travelled in a downward curve. As it pulled out of the curve a cloud of orange-yellow smoke and flame was seen at the rear. Then it went upwards and disappeared all within 5 seconds. Three of the people stated that they saw shapes, which looked like human figures, inside it.
...Only two of the six would give their names for publication - ABC official David Reese and radio announcer Christopher Muir, of Punt Rd, South Yarra.
The school teacher: "Pear shaped with a beam of light extending from the blunt end. A noise - too hard to describe its density. Travelling low and fast in the direction of SE".
The policeman: "At approximately 12.24am I saw an oval shaped machine speed from the sky and hover low (about 60ft) above the ground. Scarlet flames were shooting out from it. Shadows of some people I think could be seen for several seconds. It disappeared with a tremendous roaring sound".
The clerk: "A whirring noise that frightened me. A yellow flame spurted from the rear like a Buck rogers rocket ship. There seemed to be vague people shadowed in the strange light emitted from the oval shaped ship".
The PMG technician: "At 12.25am a large circular object about the shape of a plate appeared about forty or fifty feet above the ground. It would be hard to judge the distance. It was just above the trees travelling fast. There was a possibility of seeing people. Yellowish flames".
Eighteen year old Reese said at his home yesterday: "I was saying good-bye to some friends when I heard a noise. It was a sort of Brrrrrr, l=/0ike a dial tone of a phone. It travelled at a fantastic speed, yet appeared to be moving slowly, as if time and speed had become distorted. When it reached the lowest point, shapes, like human figures, could definitely be seen".
Muir, the radio announcer, said yesterday: "I was sceptical about flying saucers. But now I believe there might be something to the theory. Whatever it was we saw, it was oval in shape, like a giant football, about half to three quarters the size of a railway carriage. I could not say if there were people in it, but through what looked like portholes, or windows, there were reflections of some sort that could have resembled people".
30.05.54 MELBOURNE (ST KILDA), VIC 1900hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (31.05.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...Another 'flying saucer' report yesterday came from Mr C G Grosser, 34, of Acland St, St Kilda. Grosser said that he saw a dull, glowing object move across the sky over Port Phillip Bay near St Kilda at about 7pm on Saturday. Last night, he said, he again saw the object from a jetty at St Kilda.
31.05.54 ELIZABETH, TAS 1530hrs
Two people reported seeing a dark object which appeared to come from ground level and which then travelled straight upwards at terrific speed leaving a white vapour trail. TUFOIC
31.05.54 MELBOURNE, VIC 1800hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (01.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...A red light was seen over Richmond by Mrs E Riley, of Tudor St, Richmond, her daughter, Carol, 17, and a playmate. Checks made by The Sun last night revealed that there were no meteorological or experimental balloons over Melbourne at the time...
...The object made no noise, and seemed to float in the air, moving forward and then back, she said. "Suddenly it spun three times, looking like a spinning plate, and disappeared", she said.
WINTER 1954 PATCH, VIC 0630hrs
Mrs A Campbell had a clear view of a cigar shaped object made of bright aluminium. "I was waiting for the bus on the Monbulk road about 6.30am on a winter morning. It was very misty and just beginning to get light. I looked over the field opposite and saw the object coming down through the mist; it had windows along the side and was brightly lit with a bluish light; it was soundless and came down so far and stopped, until it was only about six yards from the ground. Suddenly it tilted and took off at terrific speed and disappeared into the rising sun".
Source: Melbourne Sun (02.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Mr L Goding said that a white football shaped object streaked across the sky, shot straight up, and disappeared.
01.06.54 MELBOURNE (BOX HILL), VIC 1930hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (02.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Three men watched while 'something oval shaped' swooped and dipped in the sky. They said it seemed to 'flatten out, disappear and reappear'.
01.06.54 MELBOURNE (ASHBURTON), VIC 2000hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (02.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
About 8pm, Peter Kerville, 14, and Graham Paul, 12, said they saw an oval, slightly illuminated object, which banked and disappeared.
01.06.54 MELBOURNE (ST KILDA), VIC 2000hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (02.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Des Langdale, 14, said that he saw a circular object streak across the sky about 8pm, with a tail of sparks behind it. It was in sight for about three minutes.
05.06.54 DANDENONG, VIC 1820hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (16.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A 16-year-old girl and her friend said they were terrified as an object hovered twenty metres from them. It was cylindrical in shape, about ten metres long and five metres high, with a canopy and window on top and a window at each end. It issued a bluish/silver-grey light, and hovered in mid-air. A loud drumming noise had been noted at first. Reportedly, Miss Brown's watch had stopped at 6.23pm; the battery of her torch was drained and her handbag and belt clasps were magnetised, as was an iron fence over which the object hovered. A Victorian geologist indicated that the fence was no more magnetised than a control fence some distance away.
Using a geiger counter and a highly sensitive compass, a Victorian Mines Department geologist yesterday searched an area at Dandenong for magnetic traces of a 'flying saucer'. The geiger counter gave no tell-tale sounds or movements. The compass needle flickered, showing magnetism was present.
06.06.54 MELBOURNE (MALVERN), VIC 0020hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (07.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...About twenty minutes after midnight, Mr Ronald Hyams of Grosvenor Rd, St Kilda and Mr Roy Oaks of College St, Elsternwick, were walking along Claremont Ave, Malvern, when Mr Hyams caught sight of the 'saucer'.
"When I first saw it in the sky it appeared to have no definite shape, but as I watched it, I thought it looked like a football, slightly flattened on the underside. It seemed to be travelling from the south towards Carnegie. It was at about the height that mail planes pass over and travelling comparatively slowly. Then it veered to the east at a greater speed and disappeared from sight. While we were watching it a couple approached and drew their attention to it. A couple of minutes later, two more appeared from the south, veered east, and disappeared in the same direction as the first one. There was no noise. They certainly appeared to be moving under some form of control. We could not see anything like people in it. It was quite luminous, with a whitish sort of light surrounding it".
16.06.54 MELBOURNE (SOUTH MELBOURNE), VIC 0230hrs
Source: Melbourne Sun (16.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A 'flying saucer' which seemed to have 'three rows of fins' around it was seen at 2.30am today by Constable J Machen from the yard of the South Melbourne Police Station. "It was like a luminous ball", he said.
It was stationary for about half a minute then it went off with a swish in the direction of the Albert Park Lake. "It was very low - only sixty to seventy feet above the skyline - and I'd say it was only 200 to 300 yards away from me. It was oval, about six to eight feet in diameter, with three rows of funny looking things like fins around it".
26.06.54 DANDENONG, VIC 2050hrs
Source: Dandenong Journal (30.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Four youths sighted a big round red spinning object in the sky on Saturday night at 8.50pm. Two other young Dandenong ladies who did not want their names disclosed have reported having seen a 'saucer' in the sky at about the same time as the four youths.
...the saucer was round and flat on the bottom and top and was spinning and moving very fast, but made no noise.
27.06.54 MELBOURNE (MONTMORENCY), VIC 1830hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (28.06.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A communications technician of Rattray St, Montmorency, near Eltham witnessed a giant spherical object moving across the sky at a fantastic speed. "...It spun about in large circles for about ten minutes at 8000ft... It moved straight upwards and then sideways, and it seemed to be able to move in any direction. There was a red glow from underneath it".
Source: Great Southern Star (Leongatha/20.07.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...A saucer was seen travelling at a terrific rate through the cloudless atmosphere by Mr Frank Slater of Ogilvy St, who, when working in a paddock with an employee, saw an object making a gleam of light in a circle round the town, and then, as suddenly as it appeared, streaked off to the south east and was soon lost to view.
04.07.54 MELBOURNE (ELWOOD), VIC 2100hrs
A trainee aerial photographer, Mr Robert Weatherhead, was riding his motor cycle along St Kilda St, Elwood, on his way to a dance when suddenly across the sky above him he saw a bright cigar-shaped mystery object. Bigger than the largest airliner, it was moving westward across Port Phillip Bay towards Williamtown. From the rear it emitted a thin luminous cloud of smoke and flame. He watched the path of the object for about a minute when he glimpsed a second cigar, identical with the first, following it at an interval of about seven miles. Unlike the leading object, the rear one, although following the same course, was moving independently about the sky as though exploring or reconnoitring both to the right and left. The whole sighting, with one or other of the objects in continuous view, occupied the unusually long interval of two minutes.
NOTE: Later Weatherhead made a long statement to RAAF investigators. They considered him a valuable informant because the training he had undergone as an aerial photographer had given him expert knowledge of atmospheric illusions, ground-to-air distortions by the naked eye and sky reflections.
05.07.54 CAPTAIN'S FLAT, ACT 1740hrs
Two members of the Yarralumla Shire Council were returning to their homes at Captain's Flat after attending a council meeting at Queanbeyan. It was 5.40pm and still light enough for them to see the object.
"We were travelling along a lonely stretch of road when we first saw it. It was moving at a fantastic speed. It was about five hundred feet above the ground and appeared to be descending towards us, coming from the east. About the size of a motor car, it was shaped like a big cigar. It had no wings but it seemed to have a bulbous head and was like a fat cigar with a splayed tail. A vivid glowing green flame was belching from the tail end. It was completely noiseless and appeared to be under perfect control in flight. When it reached a point above the road in front of us, it straightened out of its decline, turned and followed the road towards Captain's Flat. We lost sight of it when it was about two miles ahead of us. We last saw it below the line of a row of hills about six miles to the south. All of the sudden it just seemed to disappear. It must have swept over the hills. What we saw was certainly a machine of some kind - not some natural phenomenon like a meteor. It had both speed and direction and was definitely controlled", said one of the men, Mr G V Burnett, chief draftsman of Lake George Mines.
01.08.54 BALLARAT, VIC 2017hrs
Source: Ballarat Courier (03.08.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
...Tramwayman Mr T E Carter said last night that his attention to the light was drawn by a passenger boarding his tram at 8.17pm. The tram was at Dawson St, going west to Sturt St. "The light was a bright white one, about five inches in diameter and was perfectly still. It looked for all the world like the planet Saturn, but was about four times bigger", Mr Carter said.
He added that he and several passengers watched it until the tram reached Drummond St two minutes later. The light, which Mr Carter placed as being over Burrumbeet, then shot upwards and away and as it disappeared its colour changed to a bright orange. The light gradually faded right out of sight.
23.08.54 KONGWAK, VIC 2030hrs
Source: Korumburra Times (Kongwak/25.08.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Miss Janet McAlister, an assistant school teacher, spotted a strange oval object at about 8.30pm on Monday evening. It was pointed on top and was a bright orange colour until a plane came over. Then the object turned white with a green tinge. From the time Miss McAlister noticed the object until its upwards disappearance, approximately a quarter of an hour elapsed. Four other people also witnessed the strange scene.
Source: Ballarat Courier (31.08.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A 17 year old girl and her mother reported seeing a brightly coloured 'saucer' in the north west over St Patrick's Oval. Both watched it for thirty seconds until it disappeared straight up into the sky. The mother stated that it was bigger than a full moon and she and her daughter were convinced they were not seeing things.
31.08.54 GOULBURN, NSW 2130hrs
Lt O'Farrell was flying a Sea Fury fighter to Nowra. Bright spinning lights appeared off both wing tips. Radar on the plane, and at Nowra naval airbase both picked up blips close to the plane. Navy Minister Francis confirmed the sighting on the 17th of December, 1954.
END OF WINTER 1954/55 WHITFIELD, VIC 2100hrs (CE1)
Source: Source The Australian U.F.O. Bulletin September 2004
The reporting observer states that while visiting the farm of friends in Whitfield, North Eastern Victoria, he and his friends were starting a late milking at about 09.00 p.m., when they noticed a UFO hovering over the valley. Knowing that the adults, who were in the house, would not believe them if they told them about the UFO after it had gone, they went to get them.
The night was clear, not a cloud to be seen, and the clearly visible UFO hovered above the farm for a considerable time. Over the years, he has seen pictures of craft similar to the UFO. Unfortunately, the three adults who saw the UFO are deceased, as is one of his milking friends. He no longer recalls the month of the sighting, but believes that it was near the end of winter, when there was clear cold nights in that area.
When the UFO departed, it went sideways at incredible speed. He has not previously reported this sighting as "these things were not talked about in those days", and he later married and moved to Western Australia to live. He is now 65 years of age, has taken the opportunity to report this event, and would like to know if anyone else has had a sighting in this area.
Source: Melbourne Sun (11.09.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Two startled families driving more than a mile apart saw a 'flying funnel' swoop over Oakleigh late last night. It flew over the Oakleigh Technical School towards Moorabbin Airport doing about 80 mph at roughly 150ft. It then increased its height to 500ft and its speed to 'twice the rate of a plane'. It was glowing orange in colour, and as it passed near the second vehicle, something like a distress flare was dropped from the object.
Source: Sunday Telegraph (Sydney/23.01.55)
A Mr Hall was inspecting sheep when he heard a whirring noise. He then saw in the sky six tiny white dots, which landed. Close up they were ten-metre-tall cylinders with a rim or ramp around their bottom. About a dozen 'men' got out and formed a group. They then re-entered the objects and took off. Mr Hall reportedly blacked out and had a vision of his property as a 'fertile paradise'. He says within two months this vision had become a reality.
10.10.54 BALLARAT, VIC 2120hrs
Source: Ballarat Courier (12.10.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
The witness was one of twelve witnesses who sighted an object on Sunday night's train from Melbourne to Ballarat. As the train pulled into Wallace Station at 9.20pm, Mr Fairbairn said he saw an object bathed in a bright light hovering in the sky north west of the station. At first he did not pay it a great deal of attention, as he thought it was a star, but as the train pulled out from the station, the light became bright and then, 'at a phenomenal speed', climbed off in a southerly direction.
"After I left the train at Ballarat, I was travelling home in a taxi when both the driver and myself sighted the object again. This time its position showed that it had travelled across and around Ballarat and was in the sky in a south westerly direction from the city. It seemed to be rocking backwards and forwards in the air when all of a sudden its light changed to pale amber and it started to rise and become obscured by clouds".
21.10.54 WOOMERA, SA 2125hrs (NL)
Source: National Archives of Australia. File D174, control symbol SA 5281. Adelaide Office. Statements of observers.
Observations of what witnesses described as a "dancing light," from adjacent to launcher apron number 1 range. Azimuth 215 degrees T at approximately 3 degrees elevation. The light's colour varied from deep orange to a deep yellow. Described as three times the size of Venus. The planet Venus was at 238 degrees T 1 degree elevation at the time. The light was seen to move around in a small area. Weather 70F, wind NNE 10 mph. 3/8 cloud at 15000 feet. Scattered ice crystals at 30000 feet. No noise heard from light. Duration: six minutes, three witnesses. AURA Investigation
24.10.54 MELBOURNE (EAST MELBOURNE), VIC 1450hrs
...."On this day when my wife and I were walking from Fitzroy Gardens into East Melbourne along Hotham St, I looked up at the sky, which is a custom of mine, and there I saw quite close and in full view, a flying saucer. It was travelling at about thirty mph at about 1700 to 1800ft up above the corner of Simpson St and Wellington Pde and went as far as Grey St, where it immediately reversed its direction, travelling back still at the same elevation and speed till it was above Vale St, the corner of Yarra Park, where it immediately rose straight upwards to about 2000ft, and there remained stationary till 3.10pm. It was 2.50pm when we first sighted it. Therefore we had a full twenty minutes of unobstructed view of it"...
It was a full circle in shape and quite large, about 80ft across. Looking from a side view, in about twenty feet from each end a turret rose up perpendicularly for about five to six feet, the top of which was nicely curved over. This turret had a row of windows around it a good two feet square or a little more (each window). The turret remained in full view till a couple of minutes before it left, when the turret was lowered, the perpendicular portion being hid in the lower portion and the curved top then coming in unison with the curve of the twenty feet at each end of the side view.
"A couple of minutes after this change the saucer moved off in the direction of Mt Dandenong, proceeding for the first quarter of a mile at about thirty mph, when it instantly accelerated to a very great speed, being completely out of sight inside of three seconds, even though it kept at the same elevation and did not rise into the clouds".
Colour was a polished aluminium and the under portion was quite dark. No sound was heard. No exhaust vapour or smoke was seen from any part of the machine. The height or depth of the saucer with the turret was about sixteen feet, and was about ten feet with the turret lowered. Witnesses felt a strong feeling that someone was watching them during the entire encounter.
30.10.54 NHILL, VIC 2350hrs
Source: Nhill Free Press (01.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
Three Nhill residents are convinced that they must be something in the 'flying saucer' mystery after all, after they saw a strange light in the sky above the town at about ten minutes to midnight. Mr Mann said: "I looked up and saw a huge object, not unlike the underside of a saucer in shape, that was glowing with an orange-cream light, similar to a fluorescent light. The object seemed to come straight towards us, then hovered in the sky at a height of 100 feet. It remained hovering for approximately three minutes, and then disappeared as if the light had suddenly been extinguished. The 'saucer' appeared to be a huge thing, and from where we viewed it, it seemed to measure about ten feet across".
23.11.54 MELBOURNE (ORMOND), VIC 2045hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"I saw a white light with flames shooting from the sides as I stood in Ormond Station. It was about a mile up and making a whistling noise as it circled quickly".
23.11.54 MELBOURNE (CAMBERWELL), VIC 2100hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"I saw it in Doncaster Rd, near Burke Rd, Camberwell. It seemed to be about two miles up and hovering. It then circled and flew south. It was white in the middle, dark on the outside, with orange flames gushing from the sides. It had a high pitched whistle or whine".
23.11.54; MELBOURNE (CAMBERWELL), VIC 2100hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"I saw the object at 9pm in Carberwell Rd, Camberwell. It was white with dark edges and red flares seemed to flash out of it. It would have been at least a mile up and was whining eerily".
23.11.54 MELBOURNE, VIC 2130hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"At the corner of Riversdale and Glenferrie Rds at 9.30pm I heard a whining noise and saw a round object with a white centre and orange-red flames shooting from it, hovering two to three miles up".
23.11.54 MELBOURNE (BRIGHTON), VIC 2140hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
"At 9.40pm I saw it from near my home. It had a light in the centre and flares from the sides, and circled before racing out to the bay. It was two or three miles up. It whined like a jet at first, but the sound got louder as it accelerated".
23.11.54 MELBOURNE (nr HAMPTON), VIC 2145hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (24.11.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
The following report came from a fishing boat two miles of Hampton: "The object flashed past the sky about two miles up. It was oval-shaped and glowing, but the low cloud ceiling stopped us from determining the exact colour. It was glowing too brightly to be a meteor".
05.12.54 MELBOURNE (HAWTHORN), VIC 0055hrs
Source: Melbourne Argus (06.12.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A Melbourne Argus staff reporter sighted a flying saucer over Melbourne. It was 12.55am and reasonably clear overhead.
"Seated in my car with a friend in Victoria Rd, Hawthorn, I noticed a small, indistinct, hazy shaft of light in the western sky. I said jokingly, 'Look a flying saucer'. Then I looked again, for the shaft of light had moved. Slowly it rolled over, and as we both watched, fascinated, it became elliptical. It seemed at least three miles away, two to three thousand feet up, and between 50 and 75 yards long. The lower half was a perfect facsimile of a saucer, and it seemed to be spinning slowly. The upper half was hazy, and a small row of black dots, which could have been portholes, encircled the middle of the object. A halo of light shone overhead. we watched for about a minute as the saucer moved across the sky towards the north west. I thought, half hopefully, that I may have been seeing a reflection of light on the windshield, but when I climbed from the car, the saucer was still in the sky. I decided to try to see it from close range and drove to the corner of Burwood and Glenferrie Rds. But the saucer had disappeared".
06.12.54 ST ARNAUD, VIC 2245hrs
Source: Saint Arnaud Mercury (07.12.54), The Victorian UFO Report 1954
A resident of the southern end of the town watched an object intently for about two minutes before it suddenly rose and spun uncannily into the heavens to the north. "It seemed to consist of a mass of soft light roughly the shape of an inverted saucer", she said.
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My 'Fire & Ice' Team completed the 42nd UK 3 Peaks Challenge in a Gold Medal time. The challenge consists of walking/running the 3 highest peaks in the UK - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – in under 24 hours. The team completed the event with a total walking time of only 7:48 hours, and with the standard 11 hours of driving time, the Fire & Ice team completed the challenge in only 18 hours 48 minutes. This year I was driver/support but managed to get to the summit of Snowdon! I even received the 'Geoff Wicker Memorial Trophy' for Special Endeavour - not bad for someone in remission with PMR on steroid reduction programme
This is the 8th time the Fire & Ice team have completed the UK 3 Peaks Challenge and now have 5 Platinum Medals (sub 17½ hours) and 3 Gold Medals (sub 20 hours).
Not only did we complete the event as described we also raised £1,500 for the Fire & Ice chosen charities which will be presented at our annual Charity Give Away evening on 2nd October. "Invenium Vium aut Facium"


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Summer Reading Tips for Parentsby Eva Macyszyn, BSW, RSW
Over the summer, kids lose much of the information they learned during the school year. Summer should be a break from school, but not a break from learning. One of the best ways to help your child continue to learn and grow academically is to encourage them to read as much as possible during the summer. Here are a few tips to make summer reading educational and enjoyable for your children.
- Read aloud with your children. This is a great opportunity to bond and make memories.
- Choose a fun location to read: the park, patio, beach, or just in the house.
- Make sure reading time is distraction free, and turn off the TV when it's time to read.
- Have a variety of reading material around the house.
- Let your kids choose what they want to read.
- Create a family book club. Read the same book as your child every once in a while, and then discuss it.
- Get the experience of reading books while you are on the go. Many libraries have voice recordings of books.
- Take your child to the library regularly. Aside from having an extensive selection of reading material to choose from, libraries will often offer summer reading clubs or other events and activities.
- Subscribe to magazines that your child would be interested in.
Reading is a great way to keep your child's mind active during the summer months when they are away from academic learning. Take the time to make reading fun, and your child will reap the benefits of reading.


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With 16 locations across Canada, Fort Garry Industries is always expanding and looking for motivated outgoing people. Contact your local FGI Branch for career options in your area.
Types of employment we offer:
- Heavy Duty Truck & Trailer Technician
- Trailer & Truck Mounted Equipment Sales
- Aftermarket Parts
- Aftermarket Parts Sales
- Warehouse – Shipper/ Receiver
Fort Garry Industries also offers on-the-job training, and there's always room for advancement.
We also offer excellent wages and benefits, educational assistance, DPSP, RRSP, and Canada Savings Bonds.


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My iphones sleep/wake button is broken and i cant turn my iphone back on. please help!?
Okay so the sleep/wake button on my 3G is completely broken off, i mean there's a big hole in the top of my iphone where the button has come out.
So i can't use that for anything, cant turn the phone on/off, put it in sleep mode, put it into DFU mode with it - nothing.
My solution to this lack of sleep button was to jailbreak my device and install SBS Settings so i could turn the phone on and off put it in sleep mode etc using that...
But, using the SBS Settings i powered off the iphone... and now i can't get it back on :S
The home button won't turn it on (which i think is ridiculous) and i've tried everything from plugging it into the mains, into the computer, trying to get it into DFU mode manually (which was pretty stupid cos the phone doesn't even register on the computer)...
Now i'm really stuck cos apple won't sort it because it's jailbroken...but it was only jailbroken in order to install SBS Settings so i could compensate for the broken sleep button which i couldn't afford to get replaced..
If anyone has a solution to my problem, either with working around apple to get it fixed or a solution to getting the iphone back on, i will be SO gratefull... :)
HELP with a broken iphone PLEASE:(?
ok so my iphone 3g is broken dead completly gone and i have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get the the iphone 4
my phone has been broken for a week now and they told me in the meantime to buy a gophone and use the sim card now if i do this will it let me see my missed texts and calls?
will it import my contacts?
but most imprtantly will i be able to see my texts msgs from this week when my phone was broken?
select ABPerson.prefix, ABPerson.first,ABPerson.last, ABMultiValue.value from ABPerson,ABMultiValue where ABMultiValue.record_id=ABPerson.ROWID
Is my Iphone broken? How can I fix it?
recently it was in my pocket and I was about to catch a heavy falling cardboard and landed on my pocket, where my Iphone was.
It still works perfectly, but when I shake it, something from inside moves and makes sounds?
I bought it from a Rogers store, can I ask for to check it out or can I switch it for another one?


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SCCA NEWS: Tri-Point Leads the Way in Utah Morning Practice
Photo by John Thawley TOOELE, Utah (May 17, 2007) Picking up where they left off at Sebring, Tri-Point teammates Randy Pobst of Gainesville, Ga., and Jeff Altenburg, of Ellicott City, Md., topped the time sheets in morning practice at Miller Motorsports Park for Round Two of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championship, part of the Utah Grand Prix. Seth Thomas, of Cumming, Ga., was third fastest in the session.
Driving the No. 73 and No. 72 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda 6s, Altenburg and Pobst continued the momentum from their Sebring one-two finish at Miller Motorsports Park in morning practice. Pobsts time of 3:10.930 (84.583 mph) around the 4.486-mile, 24-turn road course was the fastest in the first of two practice sessions. Sebring winner Altenburg was not far behind, with a 3:11.079 (84.583 mph).
Craig Nagler is a genius, Pobst said. We made some discoveries at Sebring and you can see it in the results. The car has never handled better. Its fantastic and I love driving it.
Thomas got the BimmerWorld teams weekend off to a promising start, turning a 3:11.501 (84.331 mph) on his first hot lap. The time stuck for the remainder of the session and put the No. 37 BimmerWorld BMW 325i third-fastest on the time sheets.
Celebrating his 25th birthday today, Chip Herr, of Lititz, Penn., was fourth-quick in his No. 17 Cuturbus Audi/STaSIS/Clear Capital Audi A4, with a time of 3:12.327 (83.969 mph).
Reining SCCA SPEED Touring Car Champion Pierre Klienubing completed the top five. Turning a lap of 3:12.388 (83.942 mph) in his No. 1 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura TSX.
The second SCCA SPEED Touring Car practice session will take place this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. (MDT). Qualifying is schedule to take place Friday, May 18, at 11:30 a.m. (MDT).
For all the SCCA SPEED World Challenge news from Miller Motorsports Park, including live timing and lap notes, visit www.world-challenge.com.
TOOELE, Utah - Results from the first practice session for Saturdays SCCA Pro Racing SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE Touring Car Round Two race, part of the 2007 Larry H. Miller Dealers Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park, with position, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, (73), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Mazda 6, 3:10.930, 84.583.
2, (72), Jeff Altenburg, Ellicott City, Md., Mazda 6, 3:11.079, 84.518.
3, (38), Seth Thomas, Cumming, Ga., BMW 325i, 3:11.501, 84.331.
4, (17), Chip Herr, Lititz, Pa., Audi A4, 3:12.327, 83.969.
5, (1), Pierre Kleinubing, Coconut Creek, Fla., Acura TSX, 3:12.388, 83.942.
6, (43), Brandon Davis, Denver, Colo., Acura TSX, 3:12.402, 83.936.
7, (36), James Clay, Blacksburg, Va., BMW 325i, 3:12.446, 83.917.
8, (44), Kuno Wittmer, Montreal, Quebec, Acura RSX, 3:12.491, 83.898.
9, (29), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., BMW 325Ci, 3:12.637, 83.834.
10, (42), Peter Cunningham, Grafton, Wis., Acura TSX, 3:12.720, 83.798.
11, (97), Charles Espenlaub, Lutz, Fla., Mazda 6, 3:13.108, 83.629.
12, (74), Roberto Santos, Clearwater, Fla., Mazda 6, 3:13.200, 83.590.
13, (34), Nick Esayian, Encinitas, Calif., Acura TSX, 3:13.987, 83.251.
14, (8), Jason Martinelli, Roxbury, Conn., BMW 325Ci, 3:14.920, 82.852.
15, (95), Michael Galati, Olmsted, Ohio, Mazda 6, 3:15.001, 82.818.
16, (88), Andrie Hartanto, San Francisco, Calif., Honda Civic, 3:16.146, 82.334.
17, (96), Charlie Putman, Denver, Colo., Mazda 6, 3:16.877, 82.028.
18, (19), Adam Pecorari, Aspon, Pa., Audi A4, 3:17.095, 81.938.
19, (92), Stan Wilson(R), Mount Juliet, Tenn., Dodge SRT-4, 3:17.728, 81.675.
20, (4), Hal Brown(R), Blacksburg, Va., Dodge SRT-4, 3:18.561, 81.333.
21, (30), Brad Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., BMW 325Ci, 3:21.383, 80.193.
22, (18), Ian Baas, Noblesville, Ind., Audi A4, 3:21.498, 80.147.
23, (49), Branden Peterson, Breckenridge, Colo., Acura TSX, 3:27.603, 77.790.
24, (24), Jim Osborn, Ooltewah, N.J., Volkswagen Jetta TDI, no time.
25, (52), Byron Smith(R), Salt Lake City, Utah, Dodge SRT-4, no time.


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Compact Discs / Recordings
In the past years, a number of fine CDs have appeared of viola d'amore music performed by outstanding players. We will try to keep you informed of those new CDs by posting information about them as they appear. Newer releases are marked with a colored border.
A few clips of fine viola d'amore playing are available on youtube. See below for listing.
Youtube viola d'amore files
Margit Vig plays Ariosti sonata in a minor
|Home | Contact Us | Forum | Membership | Our Members | Persons of note | About the Viola d'amore | Instruments | Publications | Viola d'amore Society Editions | Congresses | Performances |
Compact Discs/ Recordings | Links | members-only


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Ruth Schmidt, 92
Ruth Schmidt, 92 of Sedalia passed away Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 1:30 pm at Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia. She was born on May 3, 1921 in Sedalia, a daughter of J.W. and Lula (Singleton) Morrison.
On February 9, 1940 she was united in marriage to Marion E. Schmidt, who survives of the home.
At the age of 50, after raising her family, Ruth received her nursing degree from State Fair Community College in 1974. She worked at Bothwell Hospital, several nursing homes in Sedalia and retired from Fairview Nursing Home at age 62. She was a charter member of New Hope Baptist Church and served in various capacities. She crocheted layettes for all the new born babies in the church. Ruth also enjoyed sewing, quilting and painting.
Ruth is survived by one daughter, Judy C. (Schmidt) Meyer and her husband Gary of Sedalia; one son, John R. Schmidt of Sedalia; three grandchildren, Angela (Meyer) Berry and her husband Neil, John Aaron Schmidt, Melissa (Schmidt) Johnson and her husband Jausch; one step grandson, Harry Hoffert and his wife Julie; five great grandchildren; two step great grandchildren and one great great grandson.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by one son, Marion E. Schmidt, Jr, a daughter-in-law, Sharon (Schmidt) Middleton and eight brothers and sisters.
Funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm, Thursday, January 23, 2014 at New Hope Baptist Church, Sedalia with Rev. Duane Duchesne officiating.
Family will receive friends one hour prior to service.
Pallbearers will be Steve Craighead, Baxter Turner, Randy Akers, Jack Smith, Dale Webb and Warren Preuitt.
Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery, Sedalia.
Memorial contributions are suggested to New Hope Baptist Church in care of Rea Funeral Chapel.


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Interstate conventions were common during the Founding era, and the procedures and rules for such conventions were widely accepted. Thus, we can know how a Convention of States would operate by studying the historical record. Dr. Rob Natelson has done extensive research on this topic, and more details can be found here and here.
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Starring Gillian Anderson and Hugh Bonneville, Viceroy's House tells the true story of the final months of British rule in India. Inspired by the bestselling book, Freedom at Midnight, the film is both epic and intimate, with an inspirational message that celebrates tolerance.
To celebrate the film's release, Booktopia has partnered with Transmission Films to offer you a little something special. Order this edition of Freedom at Midnight (the book that inspired the film), and you'll automatically receive a double pass to see the film, released May 18th! Stock is limited, so order now to avoid disappointment.
The Film: Viceroy's House in Delhi was the home of the British rulers of India. After 300 years, that rule was coming to an end. For 6 months in 1947, Lord Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, assumed the post of the last Viceroy, charged with handing India back to its people.
The film's story unfolds within that great House. Upstairs lived Mountbatten together with his wife and daughter; downstairs lived their 500 Hindu, Muslim and Sikh servants. As the political elite – Nehru, Jinnah and Gandhi – converged on the House to wrangle over the birth of independent India, conflict erupted. A decision was taken to divide the country and create a new Muslim homeland: Pakistan. It was a decision whose consequences reverberate to this day.
It is a story that is deeply personal to the film's director Gurinder Chadha, whose own family was caught up in the tragic events that unfolded as the Raj came to an end.
Freedom at Midnight
The electrifying story of India's struggle for independence, told in this classic account by two fine journalists who conducted hundreds of interviews with nearly all the surviving participants; from Mountbatten to the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi.
On 14 August 1947 one-fifth of humanity claimed their independence from the greatest empire history has ever seen. But 400 million people were to find that the immediate price of freedom was partition and war, riot and murder. In this superb reconstruction, Collins and Lapierre recount the eclipse of the fabled British Raj and examine the roles enacted by, among others, Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Mountbatten in its violent transformation into the new India and Pakistan...


text: While checking the update for Model 3 content, noticed only the car cover and hardtop bag for Roadster now. No headlights, wheels, 3.0 battery upgrade, carbon fiber bits, etc... Let's hope this is temporary as they update the site. Otherwise the Roadster appears prominently listed in the Tesla lineup. Or perhaps we need to log in to see Roadster items now?


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News Archive
Private View held by Richard Andrews
Star Trek - The Adventure is a £24m 'multi-media interactive experience through four decades of Star Trek adventures, where stars, creators and state of the art technology will come together to reveal the secrets of the creative process'. The show is receiving its world premiere in a 7,000 sq metre 'hi-tech climate controlled environment' (that's tent to you and me) in Hyde Park - the biggest event to be staged there since the Great Exhibition of 1851. The extravaganza (at last something which actually deserves the word) offers the first chance for civilians to experience the interiors of various generations of the Enterprise at first hand, including a red alert on the bridge; the transporter room, where they can experience being 'beamed up'; and the engineering bay with the latest technology, together with hundreds of props, costumes and artifacts, and interactive demonstrations and simulators. Last (and by no means least) there is more merchandising on offer than you would think possible in one universe. "It's an exhibition Jim, but not as we know it." Entertainment crosses the final frontier. Star Trek - The Adventure, Speakers Corner, Hyde Park until 31st January.
A New World Trade Center - Design Proposals is the result of New York art gallery owner Max Protetch's invitation to some sixty architects and artists to submit ideas about how the site of the World Trade Centre might be redeveloped. The participants, some leaders in their fields, others up and coming practitioners and theorists, were selected for their imaginations and artistic accomplishments, rather than their ability to deliver practical solutions. There were no rules, regulations, or requirements, and this exhibition, comprising drawings, sketches, models, animations, photos, texts and even sound, reflects the diversity of the responses. Many of them attempt rethink the skyscraper - arguably America's greatest contribution to world architecture. Others look beyond buildable architectural forms, seeking to redefine the urban environment and reshape how we think about cities, imagining a new character for lower Manhattan. At a time when technological change is directly impacting on both the way architects design and builders build, these proposals encompass a broad swath of contemporary architectural thought and practice. This is only UK appearance for the exhibition, which was originally staged in New York in January. Cube Gallery, Manchester until 8th February.
Making Spirits Bright is a changing programme of events indoors and out though the Christmas and New Year period. The gardens are illuminated to provide magical walks among seasonal plants - and not just holly, ivy and mistletoe, but frankincense and myrrh - plus a Victorian carousel, a steam traction engine ride, and free guided tours explaining the origins of the traditions of Christmas plants. Inside, in the glasshouses, restaurants and museums, the entertainment includes performances by choirs, brass bands and hand bell groups, an exhibition of landscape and wildlife photographs, demonstrations of seasonal cooking and flower arranging, and storytelling, plus food and drink, and appearances by Father Christmas. There are free evening openings in December and free entry in the New Year for visitors bringing their trees for recycling. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew until 5th January.
Mies Van Der Rohe 1905 - 1938 looks at the early career of possibly the most influential architect of the 20th century. Famed for his ethos of 'less is more', his designs have reshaped skylines and revolutionised interior, urban and suburban space. This exhibition brings together 38 pivotal projects dating from Mies arrival in Berlin in 1905 to his departure for a new career in America in 1938, which are explored through over 200 drawings, photographs, models and virtual 'walk through' videos. Featuring elegant villas, prototype skyscrapers and his remarkable German Pavilion for the Barcelona International Exposition, it also includes the work of modern masters and contemporary artists inspired by his architecture. Mies enthusiastically embraced new technology, using materials such as glass, concrete and steel, which he saw as a 'means towards a spiritual purpose'. His proposal for a skyscraper in Berlin's Friedrichstrasse in 1921 was the first for a high rise building entirely clad in glass. Such innovative designs were often created for exhibitions or magazines, such as the famous G magazine - which brought together works and writings by artists such as Hans Arp, Theo van Doesburg, George Grosz and Man Ray, also included in the exhibition. The economic depression of the 1930s, coupled with the emergence of the National Socialist regime, resulted in a number of significant projects that were never built. Mies was the last director of the influential Bauhaus School of Art and Design, until its closure by the Nazis in 1933. Whitechapel Art Gallery until 2nd March.
Modern Times? People And Dress In The 1920s examines the people and fashions of one of the 20th century's most exciting and liberated decades. The 1920s was a transitional time for society, and this exhibition reveals how the changing attitudes of both men and women were reflected in many aspects of fashion. It spotlights women entering the workplace for the first time, responsible for the entirely new phenomenon of separates. Meanwhile, men returning from the First World War were fitted out for a civilian life of both work and sport. The exhibition is centred on twelve 'characters' from different strata of society, some based on real people, and others inspired by contemporary magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Woman and Home. They range from a well to do but conservative woman who dresses in Paris couture, through an enthusiast for new fashion ideas with a beaded dress, and a 1928 bride in her gown with items from her trousseau, to a 'modern' young woman in a short skirt and with shingled hair. The clothes are supported by a wealth of graphic material from the period. The Museum Of Costume, Bath until 4th November.
Albrecht Durer And His Legacy surveys the work of the man who became the first international artist. By exploiting the new technologies of printing, he ensured that his works were known across Europe, making him a master of the multiple image and an international celebrity four and a half centuries before Andy Warhol. His AD monogram became a trademark, recognised and respected across the Renaissance world. The exhibition looks at Durer's achievements as a draughtsman, engraver and printmaker, and how his widely disseminated and innovative imagery influenced not only his contemporaries, but also the artists and craftsmen of succeeding generations. Among the works included are: the earliest known group of watercolour landscapes drawn from nature to have survived in the history of western art, which he painted during his first visit to Italy; the virtuoso engraving 'Adam and Eve' with its numerous related studies; one of the largest prints ever produced, the 'Triumphal Arch' made for the Emperor Maximilian; the drawing 'Praying Hands', never before seen in this country; and the three master prints of 1513-1514, 'Knight, Death and the Devil', 'Melancholia' and 'St Jerome in his Study'. The impact of Durer's work on other artists is reflected in works from Germany, Holland and Italy (Rembrandt among them), and his long-standing influence on ceramic designs from 16th century majolica to 18th century Meissen. British Museum until 23rd March.
Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight: The John Hinde Butlin's Photographs returns us to the gentler age of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the John Hinde Studio produced a series of postcards to be sold at Butlin's holiday camps across the UK. This was Butlin's heyday, with over a million holidaymakers staying at the network of nine camps each year. With innovative use of colour and elaborate staging - the trademarks of a John Hinde postcard - the photographs show an idealised view of Britain at leisure. Each photograph is a narrative tableaux, elaborately stage managed, involving large casts of real holidaymakers acting their roles in Butlin's lounges, ballrooms, Beachcomber bars and pools. At the time they were not considered by Hinde to be work of any serious artistic or documentary interest - the simple intention was that the brilliance of the cards would make them leap off the postcard rack compared to their alternatives. Now they are a documentary record of a fantasy of class and period aspirations, and of Butlin's once revolutionary vision of leisure, as well as a hyperreal and fantastic rendition of an actual place at a particular time. In the faces, clothes and gestures, and in the quantity of detail recorded, they provide the raw material for an entire social archaeology of the period. This is probably best summed up by the image of a futuristic monorail soaring over a Morris Traveller. The Photographer's Gallery until 18th January.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Divine And The Grotesque is the inaugural exhibition at the new Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the first permanent exhibition space for the Royal Collection in Scotland. Designed by Benjamin Tindall Architects, the £3m gallery is housed in the former Holyrood Free Church and Duchess of Gordon's School at the entrance to the Palace, making the most of their high oak beamed Victorian ceilings. The exhibition is the largest display of Leonardo da Vinci's works ever held in Scotland, and the first to examine his life long obsession with the human form, including (or especially) its deformities. Among the 73 works on show are pioneering anatomical illustrations, several of which are annotated with his characteristic mirror writing; caricatures and studies of angels in preparation for The Last Supper; a sheet of five grotesque heads; drawings of fantastic animals and bizarre inventions; portraits of himself and fellow artists; and the design for a festival costume and mask. The new gallery will focus primarily on changing exhibitions of drawings from the Print Room at Windsor Castle, whose holdings include world famous drawings by Michelangelo, Raphael, Holbein and Canaletto. The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh until 30th March.
Aztecs is the most comprehensive survey of Aztec culture ever mounted, with some 350 works, which reveal the splendours, variety and sophistication of this mysterious civilisation. It is mainly devoted to the art of the Aztec Empire, which dates from 1325, when the Aztecs settled at Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) to its demise in 1521, following the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. The exhibition explores the key themes of Aztec culture, including the importance of the cosmos, the role of the different gods, the issue of kingship, the culture of war and human sacrifice as part of the cycle of life and death, and the natural world. The largest display is centred on the Templo Mayor or the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, the symbolic and physical centre of the Aztec world, with many of the ritual objects found on the site, including the life size terracotta figures of the eagle warrior and of the Lord of Death, Mictlantecuhtli, which are on show for the first time outside Mexico. The Aztecs fashioned objects from a wide variety of materials, and creating highly detailed depictions of gods, people, and the natural world. In addition to monumental sculptures in stone and wood, featherwork objects and ceramics, there are works of art made of turquoise mosaics, gold and other precious materials. The exhibition also reunites some of the most important codices or pictorial manuscripts, which the Aztecs used to record their history and communicate information, in the largest group of these documents ever to be displayed. Further information can be found on a special section of the Royal Academy web site via the link opposite. Royal Academy of Arts until 11th April.
Somerset House Courtyard Ice Rink, is now as regular a Christmas feature in London as the Holiday Season outdoor skating arena at the Rockefeller Center in New York (although the skating is possibly not as stylish). The rink, which at 9000sqm is larger than ever and capable of accommodating some 2000 skaters a day, has been installed in the courtyard at a cost of around £300,000. It is open from 10am to 10pm, and as darkness falls the courtyard is illuminated by flaming torches and architectural lighting on the building's 18th century facades. A 40ft Christmas tree donated by the city of Basel has been erected at the north end of the courtyard. Both skaters and spectators can enjoy traditional hot snacks and drinks in the rinkside cafe. Tuition is available for beginners and ice guides can accompany inexperienced skaters. The rink is open throughout the Christmas and New Year period, closing only on Christmas Day. Somerset House until 26th January.
Marble Arch Ice Rink is also joining in the fun this year, with a 600sqm rink (complete with snowmen) under the arches themselves, open from 10am to 10pm. Spectators can watch from both an open air viewing area and an indoor rinkside cafe which serves hot snacks and drinks. As a bonus, Oxford Street is on the doorstep for Christmas and January Sales shopping. The rink is open throughout the Christmas and New Year period, closing only on Christmas Day. At last London can return to the Thames Frost Fairs of yesteryear. Marble Arch until 15th January.
Madame de Pompadour: Images Of A Mistress illustrates the life of the woman who rose from modest beginnings to become Louis XV's acknowledged mistress and one of the most powerful women of 18th century France. Attractive, educated, highly intelligent and a lavish patron at a time when France dominated the European artistic scene, she employed the best of her country's artists to depict her and to embellish her various residences. This exploration of one of the first examples of social and political 'spin' shows how Madame de Pompadour created an image of herself against a background of increasing domestic and international tensions. The exhibition comprises paintings, sculpture, porcelain, furniture, gems and prints. These include a number of portraits by Boucher (who made a career out of painting her) most notably the study with her back to a mirror, revealing the original Pompadour hairstyle, Carle Vanloo's portrait of her in oriental dress from St Petersburg, Greuze's Simplicity from Fort Worth, and one of her writing desks from Versailles - complete with a secret compartment. National Gallery until 12th January.
The Art of Love: Madame de Pompadour is a companion exhibition which centres on Madame de Pompadour's patronage of the arts and the furnishings of her residences. These reflected the epitome of fashionable taste of the time, and exhibits include lacquer furniture, four painted scenes depicting each of the arts, a gold snuff box with enamelled miniatures, a rock crystal ewer and basin, a design for her chateau at Bellevue, Sevres porcelain tea services and elephant shaped vases, and the pair of Boucher mythological paintings which depict Louis XV as the god Apollo and Madame de Pompadour as the sea nymph Tethys. The Wallace Collection until 5th January.
The Crystal Palace - Reinventing The Chandelier is a collection of chandeliers commissioned from some of the world's most innovative designers by Swarovski, the Austrian crystal company. As the nights draw in the lights go on, and among this spectacular collection are: Blossom, a crystal replica of a bough of blossom created by the Dutch product designer Tord Boontje, and Glitterbox, a contemporary reworking of an Art Deco boxed chandelier made by the Austrian designer Georg Baldele. Also on display is Crystal Frock, a model of a full-skirted fairytale frock made in pale pink crystals by the Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. Design Museum until 5th January.