Tourism

Tourism

Panoramic view from Piazzetta, in Capri Centre

Capri is a tourist destination for both Italians and foreigners. In the 1950s Capri became a popular destination. In summer, the island is heavily visited by tourists, especially by day trippers from Naples and Sorrento.^[15] The center of Capri is the Piazza.^[1] Capri is home to the Mediterranean bush, the Arboreal Euphorbia, and the Ilex Wood. The native inhabitants on the island include quails, robins, peregrine falcons, woodcocks, blackbirds, geckos, red goldfish, conger eels, sargos, groupers, mullets, and the blue lizard of the Faraglioni. Capri has twelve churches and seven museums and monuments. Capri is known for the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto). It is the most visited attraction in Capri. The Grotta Azzurra was discovered in the 19th century by foreign tourists and has been a phenomenon ever since. On one side of the grotto are the remains of ancient Roman rock, with a narrow cavern.^[14]

Transport

Typical taxi of Capri

There are no cars on the main part of Capri.^[3] Capri is served by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, Sorrento, Positano or Amalfi as well as by boat services from the ports of the Bay of Naples and the Sorrentine Peninsula. Boats arrive in the morning and leave after lunch (3–4 pm).^[3] Naples is served by two ports, Mergellina and Molo Beverello. Molo Beverello has a higher frequency of departures and a larger selection of boats than Mergellina.
From Naples, the ferry takes 80 minutes, and the hydrofoil 40 minutes. From Sorrento, the ferry takes about 40 minutes while the hydrofoil takes about 20 minutes.
Boats call at Marina Grande, from where a funicular goes up to Capri town. From Anacapri, a chair lift takes passengers to the top of the island.

Ancient and Roman times

Ancient and Roman times

Capri harbour from Anacapri

According to the Greek geographer Strabo, Capri was once part of the mainland. This has been confirmed by geological surveys and archaeological findings.
The city has been inhabited since early times. Evidence of human settlement was discovered during the Roman era; according to Suetonius, when the foundations for the villa of Augustus were being excavated, giant bones and 'weapons of stone' were discovered. The emperor ordered these to be displayed in the garden of his main residence, the Sea Palace. Modern excavations have shown that human presence on the island can be dated to the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. Augustus developed Capri; he built temples, villas, aqueducts, and planted gardens so he could enjoy his private paradise.^[3]
In his Aeneid, Virgil states that the island had been populated by the Greek people of Teleboi, coming from the Ionian Islands. Strabo says that "in ancient times in Capri there were two towns, later reduced to one."^[4] Tacitus records that there were twelve Imperial villas in Capri (or Capreae, as it was spelled in Latin). Ruins of one at Tragara could still be seen in the 19th century.
Augustus' successor Tiberius built a series of villas at Capri, the most famous of which is the Villa Jovis, one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Italy. In 27AD, Tiberius permanently moved to Capri, running the Empire from there until his death in 37 AD.
In 182 AD, Emperor Commodus banished his sister Lucilla to Capri. She was executed shortly afterwards.

Capri

Capri (/kəˈpriː/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːpri]) is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town Capri on the island shares the name. It has been a resort since the time of the Roman Republic.
Features of the island are the Marina Piccola (the little harbour), the Belvedere of Tragara (a high panoramic promenade lined with villas), the limestone crags called sea stacks that project above the sea (the Faraglioni), the town of Anacapri, the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas.
Capri is part of the region of Campania, Province of Naples. The town of Capri is the island's main population centre. The island has two harbours, Marina Piccola and Marina Grande (the main port of the island). The separate comune of Anacapri is located high on the hills to the west.

Roman origins

Roman origins

A surviving fragment of the London Wall, built around 200 AD.

Main article: Roman London

It is believed that London was established by merchants as a trading port on the tidal Thames around 47 AD, during the Roman occupation of Britain. The new settlement and port were centred where the shallow valley of the Walbrook meets the Thames. However in CE 60 or 61, little more than ten years after Londinium was founded, it was sacked by the Iceni, led by their queen Boudica. Londinium was rebuilt as a planned settlement (a civitas) soon after and the new town was prosperous and grew to become the largest settlement in Roman Britain by the end of the 1st century. By the beginning of the 2nd century, Londinium had replaced Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain ("Britannia").
At its height, the Roman city had a population of approximately 45,000–60,000 inhabitants. The Romans built the London Wall some time between 190 and 225. The boundaries of the Roman city were similar to those of the City of London today, though Londinium did not extend further west than Ludgate/the River Fleet and the Thames was considerably wider than it is today, thus the shoreline of the city was north of its present position. The Romans built a bridge across the river, as early as 50 AD, near to where London Bridge stands.
A number of Roman sites and artefacts can be seen in the City of London today, including the Temple of Mithras, sections of the London Wall (at the Barbican and near the Tower of London), the London Stone and remains of the amphitheatre beneath the Guildhall. The Museum of London, located in the City, holds many of the Roman finds and has permanent Roman exhibitions, as well as being a source of information on Roman London generally.

City of London

The City of London is a district of London. The City constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond its borders.^[2] As the City's boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, it is now only a tiny part of the metropolis, though it remains a notable part of central London. The City holds city status in its own right, and is also a separate ceremonial county.
It is often referred to as the City (often written on maps as "City") or the Square Mile, as it is just over one square mile (1.12 sq mi (2.90 km²))^[3] in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's financial services industry, which continues a notable history of being based in the City.^[4]
The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation roughly corresponding to the London region, which is also known as the Greater London administrative area, of 32 boroughs (including the City of Westminster), in addition to the City of London. The local authority for the City, the City of London Corporation, is unique in the United Kingdom, and has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority in Britain, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries. The Corporation is headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office separate from (and much older than) the Mayor of London.
The City is today a major business and financial centre, ranking as the leading centre of global finance.^[5] Throughout the 19th century, the City served as the world's primary business centre, and continues to be a major meeting point for businesses to this day.^[6] London came top in the Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index, published in 2008. The insurance industry is focused around the eastern side of the City. The other major financial district in London is Canary Wharf, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the east.
The City has a resident population of about 7,000 (2011) but over 300,000 people commute to and work there, mainly in the financial services sector.^[7] The legal profession forms a major component of the northern and western sides of the City - especially in the Temple and Chancery Lane areas where the Inns of Court are located, of which two—Inner Temple and Middle Temple—fall within the City of London boundary.

Other green spaces

Other green spaces

Highgate model boating pond near Parliament Hill

Other major open spaces in the suburbs include:

• Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares^[5]
• Clapham Common, 89 hectares^[6]
• Wandsworth Common, 73 hectares
• Wimbledon Common, about 460 hectares^[7]
• Epping Forest, 2,476 hectares^[8]
• Trent Park 169 hectares^[9]
• Hainault Forest Country Park 136 hectares^[10]
• Mitcham Common 182 hectares^[11]
• South Norwood Country Park 47 hectares^[12]
• Wildspace Conservation Park 645 hectares^[13]
• Watling Chase 18,840 hectares^[14]

Royal parks

St James's Park Lake in Westminster, looking east from the Blue Bridge towards the London Eye.

Main article: Royal Parks of London

The centrepieces of London's park system are the eight Royal Parks of London. Covering 1976 hectares,^[1] they are former royal hunting grounds which are now open to the public. Four of these — Green Park (16 ha), St. James's Park (34 ha), Hyde Park (140 ha), and Kensington Gardens (111 ha) — form a green strand through the western side of the city centre, whilst a fifth, Regent's Park (197 ha) is just to the north. The remaining three Royal Parks are in the suburbs — Greenwich Park (73 ha) to the south east, and Bushy Park (450 ha) and Richmond Park (955 ha) to the south west.

Garden squares

Roman history: Lindum Coloni

Roman history: Lindum Colonia

Newport Arch

Main article: Lindum Colonia

The Romans conquered this part of Britain in AD 48 and shortly afterwards built a legionary fortress high on a hill overlooking the natural lake formed by the widening of the River Witham (the modern day Brayford Pool) and at the northern end of the Fosse Way Roman road (A46). The Celtic name Lindon was subsequently Latinized to Lindum and given the title Colonia when it was converted into a settlement for army veterans.^[5]
The conversion to a colonia was made when the legion moved on to York (Eboracum) in AD 71. Lindum colonia or more fully, Colonia Domitiana Lindensium, after its founder Domitian, was established within the walls of the hilltop fortress with the addition of an extension of about equal area, down the hillside to the waterside below.
It became a major flourishing settlement, accessible from the sea both through the River Trent and through the River Witham, and was even the provincial capital of Flavia Caesariensis when the province of Britannia Inferior was subdivided in the early 4th century, but then it and its waterways fell into decline. By the close of the 5th century the city was largely deserted, although some occupation continued under a Praefectus Civitatis, for Saint Paulinus visited a man of this office in Lincoln in AD 629.

London Bridge railway station

London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) east of Charing Cross. The main line station, which is the oldest railway station in central London (current zone 1) and one of the oldest in the world, contains nine terminal platforms and six through platforms for services from the south and south east of London. Through services continue onto Charing Cross, Cannon Street or Blackfriars. In terms of passenger arrivals and departures it is the fourth busiest station within London as well as the UK as a whole, handling over 54 million people a year. However, these statistics do not take into account the large number of commuters who transfer between lines at the station. The mainline station is one of 17 railway stations managed by Network Rail^[3] All platforms are accessed through ticket barriers.
The London Underground station serves the Jubilee line and the Bank branch of the Northern line. It consists of a ticket hall and entrance area with its main frontage on Tooley Street, along with entrances and exits on Borough High Street, as well as within the mainline station concourse and the corridor under the through platforms (currently 1-6).
The station is in Travelcard Zone 1. London Bridge is one of two rail termini in London to the south of the River Thames, the other being Waterloo. For this reason, neither has a direct connection to the Circle line.

Modern London Bridge

Modern London Bridge

The current London Bridge, pictured in January 1987. The skyscraper in the background is the National Westminster Tower, opened six years prior.

The current London Bridge was designed by architect Lord Holford and engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson.^[23] It was constructed by contractors John Mowlem and Co from 1967 to 1972,^[23] and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 March 1973.^[24] It comprises three spans of prestressed-concrete box girders, a total of 928 feet (283 m) long. The cost of £4 million (£42.1 million as of 2013),^[18] was met entirely by the Bridge House Estates charity. The current bridge was built in the same location as Rennie's bridge, with the previous bridge remaining in use while the first two girders were constructed upstream and downstream. Traffic was then transferred onto the two new girders, and the previous bridge demolished to allow the final two central girders to be added.^[25]
In 1984, the British warship HMS Jupiter collided with London Bridge, causing significant damage to both ship and bridge. On Remembrance Day 2004, various London bridges were furnished with red lighting as part of a night-time flight along the river by wartime aircraft. London Bridge was the one bridge not subsequently stripped of the illuminations, which are switched on at night. The current London Bridge is often shown in films, news and documentaries showing the throng of commuters journeying to work into The City from London Bridge Station (south to north). A recent example of this is actor Hugh Grant crossing the bridge north to south during the morning rush hour, in the 2002 film About a Boy. On Saturday 11 July 2009, as part of the annual Lord Mayor's charity Appeal and to mark the 800th anniversary of Old London Bridge's completion in the reign of King John, the Lord Mayor and Freemen of the City drove a flock of sheep across the bridge, supposedly by ancient right.^[26] In vaults below the southern abutment of the bridge is 'The London Bridge Experience.'

The site

The site

The abutments of modern London Bridge rest several metres above natural embankments of gravel, sand and clay. From the late Neolithic era the southern embankment formed a natural causeway above the surrounding swamp and marsh of the river's estuary; the northern ascended to higher ground at the present site of Cornhill. Between the embankments, the River Thames could have been crossed by ford when the tide was low, or ferry when it was high. Both embankments, particularly the northern, would have offered stable beachheads for boat traffic up and downstream – the Thames and its estuary were a major inland and Continental trade route from at least the 9th century BC.^[4] There is archaeological evidence for scattered Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement nearby, but until a bridge was built there, London did not exist.^[5] Two ancient fords were in use a few miles upstream, beyond the river's upper tidal reach. They were aligned with the course of Watling Street and led into the heartlands of the Catuvellauni, who at the time of Caesar's invasion of 54 BC were Britain's most powerful tribe. Some time before Claudius' conquest of AD 43, power shifted to the Trinovantes, who held the region northeast of the Thames estuary from a capital at Camulodunum. The first London Bridge was built by the Roman military as part of a road-building programme to help consolidate their conquest.^[6]

Roman bridges

The first bridge was probably a Roman military pontoon type, giving a rapid overland shortcut to Camulodunum from the southern and Kentish ports, along the Roman roads of Stane Street and Watling Street (the A2). The Trinovantes submitted to Rome; a major colonia was imposed on Camulodunum, which became capital city of the new Roman province of Brittania. Around AD 55, this temporary bridge was replaced by a permanent timber piled bridge, maintained and guarded by a small garrison. On the relatively high, dry ground at the northern end of the bridge, a small, opportunistic trading and shipping settlement took root, and grew into the town of Londinium.^[7] A smaller settlement developed at the southern end of the bridge, in the area now known as Southwark. The bridge was probably destroyed along with the town in the Boudican revolt (60 AD), but both were rebuilt and Londinium became the administrative and mercantile capital of Roman Britain. The upstream fords and ferries remained in use but the bridge offered uninterrupted, mass movement of foot, horse, and wheeled traffic across the Thames, linking four major arterial road systems north of the Thames with four to the south. Just downstream of the bridge were substantial quays and depots, convenient to seagoing trade between Britain and the rest of the Roman Empire.^[8][9]

London Bridge

London Bridge refers to several bridges that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge constructed from concrete and steel. It replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a succession of timber bridges; the first was built by the Roman founders of London.^[1]
The current bridge still stands at the western end of the Pool of London but it is positioned 30 metres (98 ft) upstream from the original alignment. The traditional ends of the medieval bridge were marked by St Magnus-the-Martyr on the northern bank and Southwark Cathedral on the southern shore. Until Putney Bridge opened in 1729, London Bridge was the only road-crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames.
The modern bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, an independent charity overseen by the City of London Corporation. The A3, which it carries, is maintained by the Greater London Authority.^[2] The crossing also delineates an area along the southern bank of the River Thames, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, that has been designated as a business improvement district.^[3]

London's Favourite Landmark: Why Ben?

London's Favourite Landmark: Why Ben?

The origin of the name Big Ben is not known, although two different theories exist.

• The first is that is was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works, a large man who was known affectionately in the house as "Big Ben".
• The second theory is that it was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt. Also known as "Big Ben", this nickname was commonly bestowed in society to anything that was the heaviest in its class.

Visiting Big Ben in London

You can take a tour of the Houses of Parliament. The Elizabeth Tower is not open to the general public although UK residents can arrange a visit by writing to their MP. Applications should be made in writing, as far in advance as possible, to:
House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA
It is not possible for overseas visitors to tour the clock tower.

Big Ben Facts

Big Ben Facts

• Each dial is seven metres in diameter
• The minute hands are 4.2 metres long and weigh about 100kg (including counterweights)
• The numbers are approximately 60cm long
• There are 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial
• A special light above the clock faces is illuminated when parliament is in session
• Big Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum. 
• Big Ben has rarely stopped. Even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours.
• The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on 31 December 1923, a tradition that continues to this day.
• In June 2012 the House of Commons announced that the clock tower was to be renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. 

Significance in popular culture

Upper portion of the Elizabeth Tower, as featured in many films (here pictured in 1967).

The clock has become a symbol of the United Kingdom and London, particularly in the visual media. When a television or film-maker wishes to indicate a generic location in Britain, a popular way to do so is to show an image of the tower, often with a red double-decker bus or black cab in the foreground.^[45]
The sound of the clock chiming has also been used this way in audio media, but as the Westminster Quarters are heard from other clocks and other devices, the unique nature of this sound has been considerably diluted. Big Ben is a focus of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and TV stations tuning to its chimes to welcome the start of the New Year. As well, to welcome in 2012, the clock tower itself was lit with fireworks that exploded at every toll of Big Ben.^[46] Similarly, on Remembrance Day, the chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the start of two minutes' silence.^[47] Londoners who live an appropriate distance from the Tower and Big Ben can, by means of listening to the chimes both live and on analogue radio, hear the bell strike thirteen times. This is possible due to what amounts to an offset between live and electronically transmitted chimes since the speed of sound is a lot slower than the speed of radio waves.^[48] Guests are invited to count the chimes aloud as the radio is gradually turned down.
ITN's News at Ten opening sequence formerly featured an image of the Elizabeth Tower with the sound of Big Ben's chimes punctuating the announcement of the news headlines.^[49] The Big Ben chimes (known within ITN as "The Bongs") continue to be used during the headlines and all ITV News bulletins use a graphic based on the Westminster clock dial. Big Ben can also be heard striking the hour before some news bulletins on BBC Radio 4 (6 pm and midnight, plus 10 pm on Sundays) and the BBC World Service, a practice that began on 31 December 1923. The sound of the chimes are sent in real time from a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected by line to Broadcasting House.^{[citation needed]}
The Tower has appeared in many films, most notably in the 1978 version of The Thirty Nine Steps, in which the hero, Richard Hannay, attempted to halt the clock's progress (to prevent a linked bomb detonating) by hanging from the minute hand of its western dial.^[50] In the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball, a mistaken extra strike of Big Ben on the hour is designated by criminal organisation SPECTRE to be the signal that the British Government has acceded to its nuclear extortion demands. It was also used in the filming of Shanghai Knights starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and was depicted as being partially destroyed in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London". Big Ben was also featured in the closing scene of James McTeigue's film V for Vendetta in which a futuristic depiction of Guy Fawkes succeeds in blowing up parliament, and the tower's bells and pendulum are sounded with a final screech at the beginning of the explosion. The apparent "thirteen chimes" detailed above was also a major plot device in the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode, "Big Ben Strikes Again". It has featured prominently in several animated Walt Disney films, including The Great Mouse Detective, Peter Pan and Cars 2.
At the close of the polls for the 2010 General Election the results of the national exit poll were projected onto the south side of the Elizabeth Tower.^[51]
On 27 July 2012, starting at 8:12 a.m, Big Ben chimed thirty times, to welcome in the London Olympic Games (i.e. the 30th Olympiad), which officially began that day.

Big Ben

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London,^[1] and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.^[2] The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Elizabeth Tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.^[3] The tower was completed in 1858 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009,^[4] during which celebratory events took place.^[5][6] The Elizabeth Tower has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England and is often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

Politics

Politics

Main articles: Politics of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, and Elections in the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms

The United Kingdom is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as of fifteen other independent Commonwealth countries. The monarch has "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn".^[142] The United Kingdom is one of only four countries in the world to have an uncodified constitution.^{[143][nb 8]} The Constitution of the United Kingdom thus consists mostly of a collection of disparate written sources, including statutes, judge-made case law and international treaties, together with constitutional conventions. As there is no technical difference between ordinary statutes and "constitutional law" the UK Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts of Parliament and thus has the political power to change or abolish almost any written or unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.^[144]

Climate

Main article: Climate of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round.^[102] The temperature varies with the seasons seldom dropping below −11 °C (12 °F) or rising above 35 °C (95 °F).^[114] The prevailing wind is from the south-west and bears frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean,^[102] although the eastern parts are mostly sheltered from this wind—as the majority of the rain falls over the western regions the eastern parts are therefore the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters; especially in the west where winters are wet and even more so over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south-east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Heavy snowfall can occur in winter and early spring on high ground, and occasionally settles to great depth away from the hills.^[115]

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,^{[nb 5]} commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state—the Republic of Ireland.^{[nb 6]} Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west.
The UK's form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and its capital city is London. It consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.^[9] The latter three have devolved administrations,^[10] each with varying powers,^[11][12] based in their capital cities, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively. Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies and are not part of the UK.^[13] The United Kingdom has fourteen British Overseas Territories.^[14] These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies.
The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and eighth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It was the world's first industrialised country^[15] and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.^[16] The UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally.^[17][18] It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth in the world.^[19]
The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946. It has been a member of the European Union and its predecessor the European Economic Community since 1973; it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization.

Flying

Flying

Hoist on the left

Hoist on the right

Correct way to fly the flag

Hoist on the left

Hoist on the right

Wrong way to fly the flag

The flag does not have reflection symmetry due to the slight pinwheeling of the St Patrick's and St Andrew's crosses, technically the counterchange of saltires. Thus, there is a right side up. Although the original specification of the Union Flag in the Royal Proclamation of 1 January 1801 did not contain a drawn pattern nor express which way the saltires should lie; they were simply "counterchanged" and the red saltire fimbriated, nevertheless, a convention was soon established which accords most closely with the description.
When statically displayed, the hoist is on the observer's left. To fly the flag correctly, the white of St Andrew is above the red of St Patrick in the upper hoist canton (the quarter at the top nearest to the flag-pole). This is expressed by the phrases wide white top and broad side up.
Interestingly, the first drawn pattern for the flag was in a parallel Proclamation of 1 January 1801 concerning civil naval ensigns, which drawing shows the red ensign (also to be used as a red jack by privateers). As it appears in the London Gazette, the broad stripe is at the top of the saltires on both sides, hoist and fly. That is not in accordance with the specification "counterchanged" as heraldry understands it.^[11]
It is often stated that a flag upside down is a form of distress signal or even a deliberate insult. In the case of the Union Jack, the difference is subtle and is easily missed by the uninformed. It is often displayed upside down inadvertently—even on commercially-made hand waving flags.^[14]
On 3 February 2009, the BBC reported that the flag had been inadvertently flown upside-down by the UK government at the signing of a trade agreement with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. The error had been spotted by readers of the BBC news website who had contacted the BBC after seeing a photograph of the event.^[15]

Union Flag Royal Union Flag Union Jack

"Union Flag" redirects here. For other uses of Union Flag, see Union flag (disambiguation). For other uses of Union Jack, see Union Jack (disambiguation).

Union Flag
Royal Union Flag
Union Jack

	National flag
	1:2
	1801

The Union Flag, commonly called the Union Jack,^[1] is the flag of the United Kingdom,^[2] as well as a flag with an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth realms; for example, it is known by law in Canada as the Royal Union Flag.^[3] It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas territories. The Union Flag also appears in the canton (upper left-hand quarter) of the flags of several nations and territories that were former British colonies.
The origins of the flag date back to 1603, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones (as James I), thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland in a personal union (which remained separate states). On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the Saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined together, forming the flag of Great Britain and first union flag.
The current design dates from a Royal Proclamation following the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.^[4] The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George for England and Wales, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland (which two were united in the first Union Flag), and the red saltire of Saint Patrick's Flag to represent Ireland.

Mesazh: Historia ka treguar se

Mesazh: Historia ka treguar se te gjitha ngjarjet me te medha historike jane krijuar me ndihmen e artisteve te cilet gjithmone kane komunikuar mesazhe per lirine, patriotizmin, dashirine dhe cdo gje pozitive rreth jetes. Ne cdo koncert deshira me e madhe e cdo artisti nuk eshte te paguhet mire por ta doje publiku dhe ai sadisfaksion jeton brenda cdo artisti gjate gjithe jetes se tij. Ne jemi ktu ne nje rol shume te vecante, ne do te promovojme dhe te shperndajme zerat e artisteve tane kudo neper bote pasi ka ardhur momenti! Sa i perket zilise te dobteve ne si staf jo vetem qe nuk duam tja dijme por ju themi me plote bindje se ArkivaShqip do te qendroje me e forte se kurr prane rruges se artit Shqipetar.
I themi te dobteve ziliqar te cilet duan vetem demtimin e artisteve tane te nderuar te qajne sa nje lum per fortesine tone...

I bejme thirrje te gjithe artisteve te bashkohen me ne dhe te ecim se bashku drejt suksesit.
Per te gjithe artistet qe b...

Alida duka

Kieda budimi

Ti je engjell

Fraiday night

Egli

Sdua ti japim

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Gjate vitit ne kemi 365 dite per te studiuar.
-52 prej tyre jane te diela, keshtu qe mbeten 313 dite.
-Diteve te veres eshte teper nxehte per tu perqendruar tek mesimet, keshtu qe mbeten 263 dite.
-Zakonisht nje person fle 8 ore ne dite, qe bejne 122 dite ne total.Tani mbeten 141 dite per te studiuar.
-Ne shpenzojme 1 ore ne dite duke bere dicka qe na pelqen (hobi) qe ben gjithsej 15 dite ne vit. Keshtu mbeten 126 dite.
-Ne shpenzojme 2 ore duke ngrene, qe heq edhe 30 dite. Mbeten 96 dite per te studiuar.
-Gjate vitit, 90 dite i kalojme jashte. Rrjedhimisht, mbesin vetem 6 dite per te studiuar.
-Rreth 3 here ne vit jemi te lodhur, ndaj mbeten 3 dite.
-Kush ka kafshe shtepiake, shpenzon 2 dite ne vit per ti shetitur ato.
-Ngel vetem 1 dit per te studiuar, qe eshte ditelindja jone.

Cdo te thote secila puthje

Cdo te thote secila puthje :

-Puthje ne ball: Ne jemi mire se bashku

- Puthje në faqe: Ne jemi miq

- Puthje në dorë: Te adhuroj

- Puthje në qafë: Te dua tani ty

- Puthje mbi supe: Je e perkryer

- Të puthur mbi buzët: Te Dua

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Cfare tregon cdo gjest :

-Te mbajtur dore me dore: Perfundimisht e duam njeri- tjetrin

-Te perqafuar me njeri -tjetrin fort: Te deshiroj

-Te shikuarit njeri-tjetrin ne sy: Te pelqej per ate cfare je

-Duke luajtur me floket: Ngacmoj/Tallem

- Krahet rreth belit: Te dua aq shume per te te lene qe te shkosh

-Duke qeshur nderkohe qe te puth: Jam plotesisht i kenaqur/rehat me ju

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PARASHIKIMI:

Nqs menduat per nje person te vetem nderkohe qe po lexonit kete, atehere keni rene ne dashuri me ate person . :D

10 idete qe ndryshuan boten, nga Koperniku e deri te Ainshtajni

Platoni besonte se secili prej nesh synon të jetë një qenie njerëzore e realizuar dhe se filozofia është shkenca që na ndihmon të gjejmë mënyrën e këtij realizimi. Në kohën e tij filozofia ishte një disiplinë e re. Një nga idetë më radikale të Platonit ishte barazia mes realizimit dhe lumturisë njerëzore, me atë që ai e cilësonte si harmonia e brendshme e psikikës sonë. Nëse do t‘i hedhim një vështrim Homerit dhe gjithë poetëve grekë që ishin para tij, bëhej fjalë për një çështje të jashtme. Platoni ka thënë se drejtësia dhe virtyti janë çështje të brendshme, pra gjendje të brendshme të shpirtit. Më vonë ky këndvështrim i Platonit u zhvillua nga krishterimi dhe doli ajo që ata e quajnë ndërgjegje. Ideja e Platonit ishte një hap shumë i madh përpara në historinë e etikës dhe fesë perëndimore dhe pati një ndikim në zhvillimin e krishterimit.

Teoria e Universit, sipas së cilës Dielli ndodhet në qendër të tij (Koperniku)

Edhe pse Galileo Galilei nuk ishte i pari që sugjeroi rrotullimin e Tokës rreth Diellit (madje nuk ishte as Nikolla Koperniku, pasi burimet flasin për astronomin grek Aristarus që e bëri një sugjerim të tillë 2000 vjet para tyre) zbulimi i Galileos dha prova dhe fakte për këtë teori. Kjo teori pati një ndikim të jashtëzakonshëm. Ai zbuloi njollat e Diellit dhe ishte një nga të parët që zbuloi edhe hënat e Jupiterit, çka tregonte se Toka nuk ishte e vetmja qendër e universit. Ai, gjithashtu, kuptoi se Rruga e Qumështit nuk ishte vetëm një vijë e shndritshme në qiell, por një vijë që përbëhej nga shumë yje. Të gjitha këto zbulime janë ndër më të mëdhatë e bëra ndonjëherë në astronomi. Zbulimi kyç i Galileos ishte nisja e kërkimeve shkencore të yjeve, duke përdorur teleskopët, që do të mundësonin pamje shumë të thella të universit në krahasim me syrin.

Dekarti

Me deklaratën "cogito ergo sum" (mendoj, pra jam), Dekarti e vendosi të menduarit në qendër të kërkimit të tij. Në vend që të fillonte me fizikën dhe botën natyrore, ai e nisi me këtë veti njerëzore. Dekarti arriti që të bënte dallimin mes mendjes dhe materies. Ai me të drejtë quhet "babai" i filozofisë moderne. Perspektiva e tij e drejtuar për nga mendimi dhe ndërgjegjja, sikur ato të ndodheshin jashtë sferës së shkencës natyrore, ishte një ide me të vërtetë domethënëse, ide që edhe sot nuk është eksploruar plotësisht. Mendimet e këtij filozofi i hapën udhë një studimi serioz në lidhje me perceptimin e hapësirën psikologjike të njeriut.

Teoria e Gravitetit Universal

Teoria e Njutonit ishte demonstrimi i parë që matematika mund të përdorej për të kuptuar botën natyrore. Kështu mund të parashikojmë eklipset e ndryshme edhe një shekull para se të ndodhin, sepse sistemi i orbitave të planetëve është shumë i thjeshtë. Nëse Njutoni nuk do të kishte ekzistuar, atëherë ndoshta do të kishte kaluar një shekull, a më shumë kohë para se dikush të kishte dalë në përfundimin e tij. Koncepti që universi lëviz sipas rregullave të matematikës ishte shumë i rëndësishëm për kulturën e shekullit të 18-të. Graviteti i Njutonit është ende baza e shumë programeve dhe e shumë shpikjeve të kohës sonë.

Adam Smith dhe ekonomia e tij "Laissez-Faire"

Ideja më e madhe ekonomike e Adam Smithit ishte se individët duhet të lihen të lirë të ndjekin interesin e tyre gjithmonë në kuadrin e së mirës së përbashkët. Kjo ide ishte revolucionarizuese, sepse, sipas saj, njerëzit nuk kanë nevojën e një despoti mbi kryet e tyre për të mbikëqyrur të mirën e përgjithshme. Gjithçka që njeriu ka nevojë është tregu. Kjo pikëpamje është huazuar nga Banka Botërore dhe atë e gjen edhe pas retorikës së disa prej politikave të Bushit. Por ka edhe një tjetër ide që përflitet më pak nga partizanët e tregut të lirë, që u jep të drejtë qeverive të ndërhyjnë në disa zona të caktuara. Aktualisht, e ashtuquajtura "dorë e padukshme" e Adam Smithit është një ide e diskredituar, e megjithatë ajo vazhdon të ketë ndikim qoftë për mirë, qoftë për keq.

Liria e grave

Përligjja e të drejtave të grave (1792) është jashtëzakonisht e rëndësishme. Mary Wollstonecraft i kritikoi të gjitha mënyrat me të cilat femra mbahet e "prangosur" brenda suazës së feminizmit. Në fund të shekullit të 19-të, gratë u turbulluan nga radikalizmi që predikonte ajo. Mary mendonte se gratë duhet të jenë të lira të zgjedhin për jetën e tyre, sikurse burrat. Me gjithë përpjekjet e mëdha në shekujt vetëm pas Luftës II Botërore në vitet ‘60, gratë shkuan pranë idesë së Wollstonecraft. Sigurisht që ishte një kohë e gjatë që nga "revolucioni" që propozoi Mary, por herët a vonë ky ndryshim do të kishte ardhur.

Analiza marksiste e kapitalit

Analiza e Marksit është e një rëndësie unike, sepse ajo studioi zhvillimin e kapitalizmit modern. Ai tha se konflikti në botë nuk është mes gjinive dhe racave, është mes 95% të popullsisë së botës që krijon pasuritë dhe vlerat dhe 5% të popullsisë që është pronare e të mirave. Marksi na dha një nga shpjegimet më të mira në lidhje me atë që po ndodhte në atë kohë dhe që nuk mund ta hedhësh poshtë as sot. Kapitalizmi është forcuar dhe më në fund njerëzit kanë nisur të kuptojnë se çfarë po ndodh. Ai i ndihmon njerëzit të kuptojnë për shembull se Shtetet e Bashkuara e pushtuan Irakun, sepse kërkonin naftën e tij.

Teoria e nënndërgjegjes

Frojdi eksploroi rrugën përmes së cilës nënndërgjegjja drejton disa nga veprimet tona, e që na çon të bëjmë lëvizje që ndërgjegjja nuk do t‘i kishte bërë kurrë, pasi nuk do të ishin në interesin tonë. Ai tha i pari që përmes ëndrrave, apo lapsuseve të të folurit njerëzit mund të kuptojnë shumë nga vetja e tyre e vërtetë. Frojdi i shndërroi marrëdhëniet njerëzore në objekt studimi, duke nënvizuar se natyra jonë është shumë më komplekse dhe e ndërlikuar nga sa kujtojmë. Tani jetojmë në një shoqëri post-frojdiane, çka do të thotë se besojmë që emocionet janë shumë të rëndësishme në motivimin e qenies sonë. Frojdi hodhi poshtë gjithë argumentin racionalist.

Teoria e Relativitetit

Teoria e Ajnshtajnit ishte nga ato të paktat që shndërroi botën. Në dukje të parë nuk të jep këtë përshtypje, pasi është shumë e çuditshme. Kjo teori është në thelb të çdo teorie moderne në lidhje me funksionimin e botës, duke nisur që nga elektriciteti, magnetizmi, transistorët etj. Pa relativitetin nuk do të kishim një pamje moderne të botës, atë që kemi sot.