Chris Pearce's Blog, page 22

Islamic architecture

Here is the first of four articles on Islam I wrote some time ago and published to the Helium writing site (now gone). Islam is a religion of peace and it seems that the views and actions of the terrorists are the complete opposite of this. I’m an atheist, by the way …

Islamic architecture can be seen most prominently in mosques, tombs, palaces and forts. It is also seen in subordinate structures like dwellings, fountains and public baths. The use of large domes, minarets and courtyards convey power. A feature of Islamic architecture is that the interior space of buildings is more impressive than the outside, and for this reason it is sometimes called the “architecture of the veil”.

The features of Islamic architecture stem from the first mosque, which was built by Mohammad. The original mosques were built on the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century and were open at one end. As Islam spread across much of Europe and Asia, mosques became more elaborate and took on elements of design that were influenced by the architecture and culture of those who built them, but always maintaining the broad basis of the original form.

Most mosques have minarets, domes and prayer halls. The most visible part of a mosque is its minarets. These are tall, slender spires with a hemisphere or onion-shaped crown and are generally about twice as high as the dome. The number of minarets per mosque varies from one to about six. They are often regarded as the gate from heaven to earth and are used to call Muslims to prayer. Minarets were first built in the seventh century and were based on the bell towers of Christian churches, also used as a call to prayer.

A mosque’s dome is built directly above the prayer hall and represents heaven and sky. Domes are large and usually cover the whole of the prayer hall. Some mosques will have one or more smaller domes too. A cupola, which is a much smaller ornamental piece, sits on top of the dome. It too is usually dome-shaped but can be quadrilateral-shaped.

The prayer hall, or musalla, is a large room where Muslims gather to pray. Unlike the places of worship of most other religions, the prayer hall contains no pews, chairs or other furniture. This enables as many people as possible to pray at once. Verses from the Qur’an and Arabic calligraphy line the walls. Calligraphy is used rather than pictures, which are forbidden in mosques. Also used are series of repetitive artwork and geometric shapes. Bright colours are a feature. Images of people, animals and plants are rare in decorative art as the work of Allah is considered to be superior.

A qibla wall is situated opposite the prayer hall’s entrance, indicating the direction to face during prayer. This wall is set perpendicular to the holy city of Mecca. At the center of the wall is a niche or alcove called the mihrab, a special room that also has no furniture and was originally used as a prayer room by a king or the prophet. This is now where the imam conducts prayers.

Mosques may also contain several subordinate halls. A mosque with a main hall and two smaller ones is known as a three-iwan plan, iwan meaning hall or space. In modern times, these halls might provide various services to Islamic communities, including libraries, gymnasiums and health clinics. Mosques also include fountains, which are used by worshippers to wash before praying.

The emphasis on interior space rather than the facade is also seen in Muslim houses. The outsides are nondescript with no windows and just one small door. Inside, the central feature is a courtyard, and it is from here that light and air enters the living areas. Courtyard houses are often large and accommodate an extended family. As the family grows, extensions are built upwards, maintaining the courtyard.

An important room in the house is the one set aside for the males to entertain themselves and their male guests. It is located near the external door, so that the guests don’t see or associate with the females of the house. The male guest room defines the household’s economic status and is usually full of family possessions and highly decorated.

In summary, Islamic architecture emphasises the inside of buildings rather than the outside. The most important building is the mosque with its minarets, domes, and prayer halls. Houses often have no external windows and only one outside door.

A Weaver’s Web novel excerpt: A flooded cellar and a lost boy found

Earlier, Sarah had made her way home. She stood near the steps to their cellar and glanced up at the apartments above street level. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in one of those, she thought, but they couldn’t afford it, especially as she was expecting next month and would be unable to work for a while.

It had been raining and that meant their house, in a terrace built along a natural gully to save money, would be flooded again. She descended the dozen or so steps to the door. The bottom step was ankle deep in water.

Weary, she pushed the door open and went inside. She saw the mess. The front room floor had several inches of dirty, putrid water. Most of it had run down the steps and the rest had seeped through the walls. Henry had pulled the loom apart and had stacked it on top of the table. The benches had gone over on their sides, though the armchair was still firm on the floor. She noticed both chamber-pots floating near the back room. These items were well used – the nearest privy was fifty yards away at the end of the terrace, had no door, stank, and the landlord charged families a shilling a week to use it. Sarah knew a woman who used it without paying and the landlord took her to court for trespassing.

Ignoring it all for the moment, she waded to the back room where she made out Emily sitting on a bed minding Thomas and Catherine who were both asleep. The floor sloped towards the front of the house, so the back room was slightly dryer. And that was where the family lived – or rather sat on beds – when it rained. But this room flooded too if the rain was hard or lasted long, and with no window it was stuffier than the front room. That day, much of the back room floor was under an inch of water.

‘Has your father gone to the Cloak and Dagger?’ she asked Emily.

‘I suppose so.’ Emily stayed on the bed, her face blank. ‘He left just before you got home.’

‘That’s typical,’ Sarah said, trying to find the shallowest spot to stand. ‘Did you go out and play today?’

‘In the morning, before the rain.’ Emily coughed several times. She had coughed all winter. Sarah was relieved she hadn’t succumbed to something more serious.

‘What about Thomas and Catherine? Have they behaved?’

‘Thomas got into another fight with the boy down the street.’ She frowned. ‘And he knocked over a potty.’

Sarah shuddered at the thought. ‘Have they been asleep long?’

‘A while. I think they’ll wake for supper soon.’

‘There won’t be any food until we clean up.’

Sarah could have sat at the table and cried at the sight of the murky water covering the floor, but she was stronger than that. She took her pinafore from the trunk and got the bucket. Wading through the water, she scooped up a gallon or so and went outside and up the steps, pouring it into a ditch in the street. She did this several times. Soon exhausted because of her condition, she called Emily and made her take the bucketfuls up. They were careful not to fall in the hole Henry had dug as a drain at the lowest point of the front room. So far, it was only a foot deep by a foot wide and made little difference to the amount of water on the floor. But he had promised to dig deeper, to three or four feet, and wider, like the drains residents in adjoining cellars had dug.

An hour later the water was much shallower and confined to the area around the well. Sarah emptied it, filling the bucket several more times for Emily to take outside. Then Sarah got the mop and sponged the floor dry before sweeping it with a broom and covering the hole and relaying the mats. It was hard work for someone heavy with child. She was thankful the rain had stopped and no more water was coming in.

She and Emily struggled to move the loom parts back to where they belonged so the table could be set for supper. It was mutton and potatoes, which Sarah boiled in a pot on the hearth. Emily, who would get plenty of practice as assistant mother in coming months with the impending birth, woke Thomas and Catherine and brought them to the table. Sarah worried about Benjamin. He was normally home before this. She dished up, putting his meal on the edge of the hearth where it would stay warm.

They were eating supper when he came in.

‘Watch out, it might be slippery,’ Sarah said to him as he barged through the door and raced across the room. ‘Slow down. We haven’t eaten it all.’

‘Mum,’ he said, gasping for breath, ‘I saw Albert.’

(cover of A Weaver’s Web showing scene from the Peterloo Massacre)

They stopped eating.

‘Where?’ she said, standing up. ‘Didn’t he come home with you? Where is he?’

‘At the factory.’

‘Your factory?’

‘Yes, I saw him.’

‘But you’ve been there months. You’d have seen him before today. Surely it was someone else.’

‘No, it’s him. He’s in leg-irons like a convict and works at night with the bad orphans. He must live at the factory.’

‘Oh dear, my poor Albert.’ She put her hands over her face and trembled. ‘Did you speak to him?’ Her voice was slow and wavery.

‘There’s no talking, and I was already in trouble for being late this morning.’

‘Did you get caned again?’ Thomas said smiling.

‘None of your business.’

‘Did you cry?’

‘Be quiet, Thomas,’ Sarah said and gave her attention back to Benjamin. ‘You’ll have to go to bed earlier so you can get up on time.’ She sighed. ‘I’ll get you something from the medicine box to put on your sores after supper.’ She cast her eyes to the ceiling and prayed for Albert. ‘Oh, let it be him, Lord. Have mercy on him. He’s suffered enough.’

‘Let’s go and get him,’ Thomas said. ‘We know where he is.’

‘It’s not that simple,’ she replied. ‘They won’t just let him go. They think he’s an orphan.’

‘We’ll get him tomorrow then.’

‘We’ll do no such thing.’ She thought for a brief moment. ‘But your father might. I hope he will. I mean I hope he can.’

‘Let’s have a welcoming party when he comes home,’ Emily said, ‘with dumplings and treacle.’

‘Come on, eat up, all of you. We can’t do anything tonight.’

Benjamin got his meal from the hearth. He ate ravenously and asked for more, but there wasn’t any. Soon after he finished, he was nodding off to sleep. Sarah jolted him and made him rub a special ointment on his injuries, one she had made from plants they collected. She heard more rain outside and hoped it wouldn’t be heavy or prolonged.

– end of excerpt –

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00H52SEEK

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Pearce_A_Weaver_s_Web?id=-hlJAgAAQBAJ

Kobo Books: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ww/books/A-Weavers-Web/jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw?MixID=jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw&PageNumber=1

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/a-weavers-web/id775610928?mt=11

A Weaver’s Web novel excerpt: Benjamin Wakefield brings a girl home

This is another excerpt from my historical novel, A Weaver’s Web, set in the UK in the 1810s and 1820s. Benjamin brings home a girl, Charlotte, for dinner. His parents, Henry and Sarah, don’t know she is an orphan, a cripple, and expecting. Ellen, an aunt who isn’t really a true aunt, is to pretend to be her mother …

When it got to eleven o’clock, he [Benjamin] and the driver set off in the carriage to pick up Ellen and Charlotte from Ellen’s house. Benjamin sat up next to Jacob, something he didn’t normally do when Henry was there. As they approached her house, he saw Charlotte waiting outside. He was relieved to see her dress almost touching the ground and her boots couldn’t be seen. The driver stopped the horses and Benjamin jumped down.

‘How are they?’ he said to her.

‘Fine.’

She was about to hitch up her dress and show him, but he waved to her not to, and poked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the driver.

‘Keep them covered, at all times, until you get home.’

Charlotte scrambled aboard, first sitting on the step and then swivelling around and standing up on it, before entering the cabin. Ellen appeared, and fastened the door behind her. She gathered her dress and with some difficulty climbed into the carriage and sat down. Neither had been in a carriage before and they marvelled at the posh interior. Benjamin leapt in and they set off. The women gazed out the windows at the people and traffic and buildings, hardly saying anything.

‘Here’s your two shillings,’ he said to Ellen.

She took it and smiled.

‘And remember you’re Mrs Frawley.’

Within ten minutes, they arrived at the Wakefields’. The carriage pulled up and they got out. Charlotte and Ellen were again awestruck, this time by the house, palatial by their standards. A welcoming party had gathered on the front steps. Benjamin led his guests to his parents and brother and sisters, stopping just in front of them. Ellen and Charlotte stood behind him. But he said nothing, and residents and visitors stared at each other. At last he breathed in, held it a second, and spoke nervously.

‘This is Charlotte, and this is her aunt, Mrs Frawley,’ he said.

There was silence. He could see his father inspecting them. His mother looked as if she wanted to speak, but perhaps didn’t want to be first. And the children were sullen. It was Sarah who finally came forward.

‘Won’t you come in,’ she said with a sweeping movement of her arm in the direction of the front door.

(front cover of A Weaver’s Web showing the Peterloo Massacre)

Initially no one moved. Then Benjamin took a couple of steps towards the house. Ellen and Charlotte did the same, but were quite tentative. Their clothes were shabby though clean. Henry, in his Sunday suit, kept staring at the pair, especially at Charlotte, unsure if she was good enough to be keeping company with his son and be seen about town with him. It made her feel uneasy. And he noticed Mrs Frawley’s mouth was caved in and apparently toothless. Fancy arriving at someone’s house for dinner without one’s teeth in, he thought.

Once inside, everyone stood awkwardly in the hallway. Benjamin hoped Charlotte wouldn’t sit on the chair and take off her shoes, like she had done in his dream. Instead, she stood motionless and goggled at the size of the hall and its luxurious furniture and decorations.

Sarah did an apologetic little cough and forced a smile. ‘I’ll see if dinner’s ready.’ She hurried to the kitchen.

Alice saw her and sensed there was a problem. ‘What’s happened, dear?’

‘I think there’s a clash of classes. They’re all standing near the front door. No one’s saying anything. It’s dreadful.’

‘Sit them down at the dining table and tell them roast dinner is coming. That’ll bring a smile to their faces.’

Sarah took them into the dining room and showed them to their seats, Ellen between Charlotte and Benjamin.

‘It’s a roast,’ Sarah said.

There was no reaction. Instead, the children, no longer used to people of lower class appearance, gaped at the visitors. Henry glared uncertainly at Charlotte, then at Benjamin and back at Charlotte. Emily looked at her disapprovingly. Both guests just gazed around the room. Sarah hoped dinner was nearly ready.

– end of excerpt –

My historical novel, A Weaver’s Web, is available at the following sites:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H52SEEK

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00H52SEEK

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Pearce_A_Weaver_s_Web?id=-hlJAgAAQBAJ

Kobo Books: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ww/books/A-Weavers-Web/jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw?MixID=jHgKZNwqjkybm8qWDO3mcw&PageNumber=1

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/a-weavers-web/id775610928?mt=11

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is at 1945 SE Water Avenue in the city of Portland. It is located on the eastern side of the Willamette River, opposite the downtown area. It is a large and easily recognizable brown building of two stories right on the riverbank. Inside is a large number of hands-on exhibits on the natural sciences and technology as well as human development and lifestyle issues.

The museum got its start in the mid 1940s as the Oregon Museum of History, Science, and Industry. Its first home was the old Portland Hotel where some natural history objects were put on display. In 1949, the museum moved to a house donated to it in Northeast Portland. When visitor numbers grew to 25,000 in 1955, a larger home was found at Washington Park. By the mid 1980s attendance had increased to 600,000 a year and the museum moved to its present site thanks to a donation of land from Portland General Electric and a fundraising campaign to construct a building. The old site was taken over by the Portland Children’s Museum.

Today the museum has five exhibit halls and eight science laboratories, a planetarium, a submarine, and an IMAX theater. The largest exhibit hall is the Turbine Hall and extends over both floors. You will find numerous interactive exhibits dealing with physics, chemistry, engineering, and space travel. The Physics Laboratory has a static electricity generator where your hair will stand up on end like a punk rocker. You can send Morse code and see how motion detectors, circuits, and magnets work. The Laser & Holography Laboratory has a laser light show. You will see a hologram constructed and the refraction of light waves in water. The museum has the nation’s first hands-on Chemistry Laboratory where you can experiment with different chemical reactions. Next, the Vernier Technology Laboratory has a number of interactive stations where you can learn about the workings of robots, computers, and household technologies.

On the second floor is the Life Sciences Hall. It has live spiders and insects, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, as well as amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. A collection of fetuses shows each stage of an animal’s development from just after conception to just before birth. An exhibit on aging includes an Age Machine which you can use to take a picture of yourself and then age it to see what you might look like in years to come! Once recovered from this experience, you might like to visit the Earth Science Hall where you can construct an erosion cycle in a river at the Watershed Laboratory. Fossil excavation can be seen at the Paleontology Laboratory.

At the Featured Exhibit Hall are traveling and other temporary exhibits. From 23 May to 13 September 2009, the featured exhibit is CSI: The Experience. You can join in as a forensic scientist and be part of the scientific inquiry and investigation process to solve crime. Techniques you will use include DNA, firearms analysis, and forensic anthropology and toxicology. Amateur forensic scientists will be presented with a realistic crime scene to investigate and resolve, such as in a living room, a back street, or a desert. The exhibit is suitable for adults and children 12 and older.

For younger children up to six years, there is the Science Playground. At Sandland, the kids will think they’re at the beach. Buckets and shovels are provided and they can dig for dinosaur fossils in the fossil dig pit. They can see the world from an animal’s perspective at the Animal Secrets exhibit by crawling through tree roots, exploring a cave, and playing in the woodland stream. After that, there’s a reading tent and a puppet theatre.

At the museum’s Planetarium, you can sit back and watch thousands of stars travel across the night sky. It has a full dome and is regarded as the Pacific Northwest’s largest and most advanced planetarium. Various shows are held at different times of the day and year. Some of the great shows include Constellations of Summer, U2: The Full-Dome Experience, Laser Beatles, and Secret of the Cardboard Rocket. Cost per show is $7.50.

The OMNIMAX theater has a giant screen where you can see movies that enhance the big screen effect, such as Grand Canyon Adventure, Sea Monsters, The Alps, and Mystic India. Entry is $8.50 for adults and $6.50 for children and seniors. Another large auditorium at the museum hosts science fairs and other events or can be hired for private functions. The museum also offers a range of educational programs, including school field trips, camps, and visits to schools.

In the museum’s backyard is the USS Blueback (SS581), a submarine partly submerged in the Willamette River. The US Navy used it in the Pacific Ocean for 31 years. It was the last of the non-nuclear, fast-attack submarines. You can take a 45 minute tour for $6.75 and see how the crew of 85 worked and lived side by side for months.

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has an amazing number of things to see and do for everyone, not only the science and technology buffs. Extended hours in the summer months are from 9.30am to 7pm. General admission is $13.50 for adults and $9.75 for children and seniors. There’s a cafe on the first floor.

Climate and weather in Portland, Oregon

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The city of Portland, Oregon has a marine west coast climate with a relatively narrow annual temperature range and rain through the year. Similar climates are found in the United Kingdom, much of Europe, along much of the western coast and some of the eastern coast of South America, southeast Australia, and New Zealand, as well as the northwest US coast.

Portland is 20-50 feet above sea level in the Willamette River valley, 65 miles from the Pacific Ocean, between the Coastal Range to the city’s east and the higher Cascades Range to its west. Rainfall averages about 40 inches a year, similar to most US east coast cities, and less than the 60-80 inch average for west coast cities and the 180-200 inches for the Coastal Range. Rain is usually light or moderate rather than heavy and residents often call it Portland mist. The rain pattern keeps things green all year and is ideal for gardeners and vegetable and fruit growing.

The Cascades push moisture-laden westerlies upwards resulting in much of the area’s rain. Most of the rain falls in winter, with close to 90 per cent of it falling in the seven months from mid October to mid May. The months of July and August are the driest, each averaging less than an inch. Nevertheless, heavy rain can occur in summer. In 1948, Vanport just north of Portland was flooded and the Columbia River swollen for 40 days in the worst floods since 1894. Rainfall varies across the metropolitan area. The elevated West Hills region averages 60 inches, whereas 10 miles away, the airport to the north-east of the city next to the Columbia River gets 36 inches.

Most of the precipitation is rain. Measurable snow falls on about four days a year. Snow accumulation of over two inches is rare and usually melts in less than a day. Snow is more likely in the West Hills area and also at Troutdale east of the airport on the Columbia River. Record snowfall for Portland was 61 inches in the winter of 1892-93. The 2008-09 winter had the third highest snow reading on record with 24 inches.

Winters are cool to cold with cloudy skies. Winds are usually southerly during milder, rainy periods and easterly in colder dry times. Extreme cold is rare. The Cascade Ranges usually prevent the cold inland air masses originating in the Arctic from reaching Portland. However, occasional Arctic winds find their way over the Cascades resulting in cold blustery conditions. Slightly warmer winds find their way to Portland via the Columbia River Gorge canyon east of the city. At other times, cold air flows out along the canyon.

When easterly winds coincide with rain, a layer of below freezing air forms along the Columbia River, resulting in snow in the eastern and northern parts of the city. Easterlies often bring subfreezing temperatures to Portland in winter. On average, daytime temperatures reach about mid 40s to low 50s Fahrenheit in the winter, falling to the 30s overnight. Temperatures can fall below freezing between early November and late March. Frosts can occur from late October to late April. The record low temperature was minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit (or minus 19 degrees Celsius) on 2 February 1950.

Spring is cool and can be fairly wet, especially early spring. Temperatures in March average about 40 degrees Fahrenheit overnight to mid 50s by day, rising to a range of about 50 to 70 in May. By June, daytime temperatures can sometimes be in the 80s and 90s, although the average is mid 70s. May and June have less rain but cloudy days are common.

The height of summer in Portland arrives in July. High pressure systems in the Pacific bring north-westerly winds during afternoons and evenings. These highs prevent much moisture from forming, resulting in warm dry summers. Temperatures usually range from the 50s overnight to high 70s in the daytime. It can be hotter though, with temperatures in the 90s reasonably common but infrequently exceeding 100 degrees. Occasionally, temperatures can go over 100 in any of the months from May to September. Memorial Day (late May) 1983 was 100 degrees. Portland’s record high temperature was 42 degrees on 30 July 1965 and on 8 and 10 August 1981. The heat doesn’t last long as cooler ocean air blows in.

Early autumn is warmer than late spring but temperatures soon cool to the point where late autumn is cooler than early spring. September is warm with daytime temperatures in the mid 70s, falling to mid 60s in October. Cooler clear nights result in fog across the valley which can be thick at night and in the early morning. Fog can last several days.

The city gets few destructive storms. The Coastal Range partly shelters it from ocean storms. Surface winds occasionally exceed 50 mph (gale force) but rarely above 75 mph. Thunderstorms are not common. Winter and spring storms are weak and might produce gusty winds and small hail. Summer storms can be fiercer with frequent lightning, stronger winds, and larger hail. Funnel clouds occasionally form but the city has few tornadoes. Its worst tornado was on 5 April 1972, killing six people, injuring over 300, and causing $4 million in damage.

In summary, Portland has a mild climate with a relatively small temperature range. Most of its rain is in winter. Its topography usually prevents it from suffering weather extremes.

Portland Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The city of Portland in the US state of Oregon has the ideal climate for roses and has been known as “The City of Roses” for over a century. Its biggest festival is the annual Portland Rose Festival in May and June. It features parades, bands, fireworks, car and boats races, carnival rides, and more.

This festival has been held every year since 1907. The concept for an annual festival came in 1905 at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition to commemorate the first expedition across the American continent to the west coast and back again. The exposition was a huge event over four months and attracted 1.6 million visitors to Portland. Mayor Harry Lane suggested an annual rose festival during a speech at the end of the exposition.

The feature event of the Portland Rose Festival is the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade, which is televised live. The 2009 parade was developed around the “Bridging Communities” theme, attracting over 90 entries and reaching across continents and centuries. There were 15 magnificent floats, over 100 horses, 19 marching bands and other music, special entries from recent history, and various dancers and crowd entertainers.

It has become America’s second largest floral parade and Oregon’s largest spectator event, with half a million people watching it. A Rose Festival Queen is selected each year to promote the festival around the country and internationally over the following year. Entrants are high school seniors in the local area and the winner is announced before the Grand Floral Parade.

There are two other parades at the festival. The Starlight Parade is an illuminated procession held at night and sponsored by Portland General Electric and SOLV. Its history goes back to the very first festival in 1907 when the fire department lit up the night with a “red fire”. The following year, over 20 brightly lit floats celebrated the Spirit of the West. Today, it is called the Starlight Parade and attracts gleaming floats, bands, and marchers in front of a crowd of quarter of a million people. The parade is televised live.

The Fred Meyer Junior Parade has also been part of the festival since the early days. About 2,000 boys and girls from 23 schools took part in the children’s parade in the first festival in 1907. The Junior Parade has been an official event since 1936 and attracts children in school groups, scouts, youth clubs, bands, and dance teams. They can march, dress up in costume, help build colorful floats, or decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade.

Waterfront Village is one of the largest events of the festival and is held at the Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park between Portland’s bustling downtown area and the picturesque Willamette River. Entry costs $5. You will find plenty of kids’ adventures, festive bands, vaudevillian acts, exotic animals, an ancient temple to tour, and a carnival with both gentle and wild rides. In 2009, the event opened on Memorial Day weekend for the first time. A number of special Memorial Day events were held, such as a people’s parade, memorial services, guest speakers, and patriotic songs and activities.

Another thing you can do is listen to great band music at BandFest in PGE Park. In 2009, the headline band was the One More Time Around Marching Band. This is the world’s largest marching band with over 500 members. They also appeared at the Grand Floral Parade and the Starlight Parade. BandFest also included special guests the Woodland String Band, a mummers band playing traditional Egyptian music. Others bands included the Salvation Army Tustin Ranch Band and the Sumner High School Band. Admission is $10.

MusicFest is an increasingly popular event giving local musicians a chance to showcase their talents. Bands of all music genres, including rock, blues, jazz, reggae, and alternative, compete for a Fender guitar or gift certificate for $750 and minor prizes of certificates worth $300 and $200. You can catch this live entertainment for free. The best three bands get to play at the Waterfront Village event.

You can visit the Annual Spring Rose Show at Lloyd Center Ice Rink for $3. The rink becomes a rose garden of more than 2,000 blooms. Now part of the Portland Rose Festival, the Spring Rose Show actually predates the festival by nearly two decades. It started back in 1889 and is now the country’s oldest and largest rose show.

The History & Roses Tour takes you on a fascinating trip back in time to see Portland’s history. You will see Barclay House, William Holmes House or Rose Farm, McLoughlin House where the “Father of Oregon” Dr John McLoughlin lived, and Ermatinger House where Francis Pettygrove and Asa Lovejoy tossed a coin to decide the city’s name. Some of these historic houses attract a small entry fee.

During Fleet Week, US naval vessels visit the festival from around the world. Navy vessels have been an important part of the festival since its first year in 1907 with a visit from the USS Charleston. Fleet Week itself goes back nearly 80 years. Tours of the ships are conducted each day and are free, but numbers are limited so be early to make sure you don’t miss out.

If you’re reasonably fit, you might like to enter the Starlight Run over 3.1 miles. Over 4,000 runners were in the 2009 event running in front of a crowd of tens of thousands along downtown streets in the cool of the evening. There is a registration fee of $15. Prizes can be won for best costumes. Or you can go in the Grand Floral Walk over four miles in the morning in front of up to half a million people.

There are car and boat races too. The Rose Cup Race at the Portland International Raceway attracts over 400 drivers in various classes and has been part of the festival for 49 years. It is the oldest amateur road race west of the Mississippi. There is drag racing on Friday and Saturday nights before the Rose Cup on Sunday. The Dragon Boat Race on the Willamette River has been a festival event for 21 years. Close to 100 teams compete in the event. Each heat has four colorful, decorated boats leaving the starting line every nine minutes.

See the Fireworks Spectacular light up the night sky over the city and river. In 2009, the pyrotechnics display was choreographed to music to add to the excitement. Watching the fireworks is free. In all, the Portland Rose Festival has more than 60 events and programs during its three and a half weeks.

Historic churches of Charleston, South Carolina

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Churches were built in Charleston from the time of the earliest settlers in the late 17th century. People migrated from the United Kingdom, France and Germany and soon built churches of various Protestant denominations as well as Roman Catholic churches. There was a great deal of religious tolerance, and the city became known as “The Holy City” due to its large number of churches. It has more than 400 places of worship in a city of 120,000 people.

One of the first churches in Charleston was St Philip’s Episcopal Church at 146 Church Street. St Philips is South Carolina’s oldest religious congregation. The original church was built of wood in 1680 and 1681 a few blocks away on the present site of St Michael’s Episcopal Church at 80 Meeting Street. After damage by a hurricane in 1710, a new church was erected at the Church Street site but was destroyed by fire in 1835. The present stuccoed brick St Philip’s Church was completed in the following year and the steeple in 1850. The design features three Tuscan pedimented porticoes. For many years, the tower was the rear tower of a pair of range lighthouses used to guide ships into the city’s harbor. Only one other church in the US is known to have provided this function. Henrietta Johnston, wife of early rector Gideon Johnston, was America’s first female artist. The church is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

The Bethel Methodist Church at 57 Pitt Street was built in 1853 and 1854 in the Greek Doric Temple architectural style. Its roof is steeper than usual for this style to allow quick drainage of rainwater. The church has a huge six column Doric portico with a simple pediment and entablature. It was the city’s only Methodist church to stay open in the Civil War. The building survived the 1886 earthquake without damage. The original Bethel Church was built on this site in 1797. A schism developed in the 1830s between black and white worshippers. This resulted in the building being removed to one side of the site in 1852 and used by the black congregation, while the present Bethel Church was built on the original spot soon after for the white Methodists.

Another famous early church in Charleston is the Cathedral of St John the Baptist at 120 Broad Street. Bishop John England bought the lot the cathedral now stands on in 1821 and used the then existing house as the initial place of worship. The first cathedral, seating 1,200 people, was built between 1850 and 1854 but it was lost in the 1861 fire that destroyed much of the city. It took 45 years to raise funds for a new cathedral. The cornerstone was laid in 1890 and the cathedral was finally completed in 1907. It was built in the Gothic style but without a spire as it was too expensive. The new cathedral is made of Connecticut brownstone, with unique stained glass windows featuring the Papal Coat of Arms as well as the South Carolina state seal. Flemish oak was used for the pews and white Vermont marble for the main altar. The life of Christ is represented in 14 two-light windows in the nave. The cathedral is the home church of the city’s Roman Catholic Diocese.

One of the first churches in Charleston built by African Americans is the Central Baptist Church at 26 Radcliffe Street. It was designed by black architect John P. Hutchinson and completed in 1893 in the vernacular Carpenter Gothic style. Typical of this form is the protective hood over the central double doors as well as the plate tracery on the Gothic windows. Murals of the life of Christ were added between 1912 and 1915. It had an octagonal belfry tower with dome but this was replaced in the 1950s by a square tower. Further renovations were conduced in 1977 before severe damage was done in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo. Repairs and restoration work were completed in 2003. The church continues to have a large and strong congregation.

A very early church still in existence is Johns Island Presbyterian Church which is thought to have been built in 1719. This quite likely makes it older than any other church building in colonial America’s five major cities of Boston, Charleston, New York, Philadelphia, and Williamsburg. Extensions in 1823 included a gallery to seat slaves. The building survived the American Revolutionary War and the Civil War as well as the 1886 earthquake and a number of hurricanes. A Sunday school building was added in 1935 and another building in 1954. The sanctuary underwent a complete restoration in 1992.

If you are visiting Charleston, or are a local resident, and want to tour the city and see the historic churches, a good starting point is http://www.sciway.net/tourism/chaschurches.html. This site has detailed information on the history of a large number of the city’s early churches.

History of the Fireproof Building, Charleston, South Carolina

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The Fireproof Building at 100 Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina was built in the 1820s and has not only survived a fire but also a war, an earthquake and a number of hurricanes. The original intention was to construct a number of buildings, including an arts centre, as part of a new city square project. In the end, the Fireproof Building was the only one to proceed. It was designed by Robert Mills and constructed by John G Spindle, and was originally called the Charleston District Record Building. It has also been known as the County Records Building.

Mills was the first professional architect born in the US and was a keen advocate of using fireproof materials in buildings. His interest in fireproofing is thought to have started around 1812 when he designed Virginia’s Monumental Church on a site where 72 people had died in a theatre fire the year before. There is some controversy over whether Mills was indeed the designer of the Fireproof Building. Mills took over from William Jay as the architect to the Board of Public Works in South Carolina in 1821 and may have inherited the design as one of a number left behind by Jay. Nevertheless, Mills is usually credited as the designer, based on drawings from 1822.

The three story building was constructed between 1823 and 1827 in the Palladian style, derived from 16th century Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. The building uses the perspective and symmetry of ancient Greek and Roman temples, with its roof line and four large Doric columns of 3.5 feet in diameter. Solid masonry was used throughout, including a stone basement, columns and cornices. The stone stairs are cantilevered and lit by a skylight. Brick was used for both the external and internal walls. A copper covering was placed on the roof, while the sashes, frames and shutters are made of iron. Non-essentials and any combustible materials were rejected, giving it an austere appearance. But it was highly suited for the purpose it was built, which was to house the county records. When completed, it was regarded as the most fireproof building in the US, and is thought to be the country’s oldest fireproof building still standing today.

The building’s first big test was in 1861 when a massive fire raged through Charleston destroying much of the city. The fire burnt out the top floor but the first floor with the county records was saved due to the fireproofing measures. Just after the Civil War, when hostilities between Unionists and Confederates were still high, the copper roof was stolen. It was replaced by tin. The building withstood a hurricane with 120 mph winds in 1885, further hurricanes in 1893 and 1911, and category four Hurricane Hugo in 1989. A severe earthquake hit the city in 1886, measuring between 7 and 8 on the Richter scale and nearly destroying it, but the Fireproof Building remained largely intact. After the earthquake, the pediment was removed and the outside staircases which were initially curved were now angled.

Main occupiers of the building have been Charleston County and the South Carolina Historical Society. After an initial period housing the county records, county offices also occupied the building from 1865. This has included the coroner’s and tax offices. The historical society, which was founded in 1855, first moved into the building in 1859, leaving at the end of the Civil War in 1865. In 1943, the county vacated the top two floors and leased them to the historical society. It has been the society’s headquarters since 1968, while the county continued to use the basement until 1969. The building has been in continuous use since its construction.

The continued existence of the building has more or less been assured since the 1920s when organized historical preservation of buildings and other sites got its start. An official survey of this and many other buildings was conducted in 1926. Its history and value to the community was outlined at this time. In 1967, an Architectural Survey of Charleston by Dr William Murtagh of the National Register of Historic Places, Prof. Bernard Lemann of Tulane University School of Architecture, and two consultants commented that the structure was exceptional and of the highest architectural quality. They regarded the craftsmanship of the various parts of the building as elegant and innovative, and stated: “The structure is to be preserved and protected in situ at all costs.” Largely as a result of this survey, the building was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. In 1973, it became a National Historic Landmark.

Various renovations have been carried out over the years, in addition to those conducted after fire, earthquake and hurricane damage. In 1961, the exterior was waterproofed, and the roof was renewed later in that decade. Restoration work was conducted in 1970 and further major renovations were completed in 2002. Over the years, renovations have included air conditioning, better lighting and plumbing, new equipment to help conserve the collections, and internal painting. Most of the fireplaces have been sealed.

The Fireproof Building is regarded as Charleston’s best known classical building. It is currently occupied by the South Carolina Historical Society and is open from 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 2pm on Saturday. It has a large library collection where members can conduct their research into local history at no cost and non-members pay $5.

Golf in Scottish culture

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

Scotland is the home of golf. It is regarded as one of the country’s greatest assets and a national icon. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, Scotland is golf’s world governing body (except for the US and Mexico). The Open Championship, or the British Open, the oldest of the four major golfing championships, has been held at the picturesque St Andrews course more often than any other course. Scottish golfers have won the event 42 times, although the last one was in 1999.

The modern game of golf started in Scotland, on a Fifeshire sheep pasture where a shepherd was hitting pebbles with his crook when one of them happened to fall into a rabbit hole. He then tried to deliberately hit pebbles into the hole. A friend was watching and he challenged him. Each of them tried to sink his pebble into the rabbit hole. The site for this impromptu game would become St Andrews. It soon became a popular pastime, causing the Scottish Parliament to complain that soldiers were hitting stones into holes when they should be practicing archery. James II of Scotland subsequently banned the new game. But royalty, including Charles I, James II of England, and Mary, Queen of Scots, enjoyed the game and the ban was soon lifted.

The first golf tournaments in the world were played between Scottish burghs, or towns. The concept of an 18 hole golf course was also first developed in Scotland. Old Links, now surrounded by Musselburgh Racecourse, is the world’s oldest golf course. It dates to at least as early as 1672, although it is thought Mary, Queen of Scots may have played there in 1567. Scotland took the game to the US in 1743 when 96 clubs and 432 golf balls were taken to South Carolina from Leith. Scottish merchants set up the first golf club in the US, the South Carolina Golf Club, in 1786. Standard rules were first set down in 1882, by the St Andrews club.

While golf is often regarded as an elitist sport in many countries, it has been enjoyed by people of all classes in Scotland, which has traditionally been an egalitarian society. Council golf courses have low fees and are dotted throughout the country. In all, Scotland has about 550 beautiful and spectacular golf courses. Thousands of international tourists travel to Scotland each year on golfing holidays. Nearly all golf courses in Scotland are open to the general public.

Scotland has many famous golf courses apart from St Andrews. The Prestwick course was where the first Open Championship was played back in 1860. Other great courses where the Open has been played include Carnoustie, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Turnberry. Royal Dornoch in the mountains is a course that probably features in a list of many people’s top 10 golf courses in the world. Loch Lomond is a beautiful course next to the water and has Scotland’s longest hole at 625 yards. Nearly every course and club in Scotland has a link with the sport’s traditions.

The country has produced some great golfers, including Willie Anderson, Tommy Armour, James Braid, Dorothy Campbell who was the first dominant international champion in the women’s game, Tom Morris Senior, Tom Morris Junior who won the Open four times in a row, Willie Park, and Allan Robertson. All of these players are in the World Golf Hall of Fame and live on in the memories of all keen golfers in Scotland.

The Scottish Golf Union, established in 1920, is amateur golf’s governing body in Scotland. It looks after 630 golf clubs around the country and has 260,000 members, including 196,000 adult males, 33,000 adult females and 30,000 juniors. This is a greater number of golfers per capita than almost any country in the world. The union arranges amateur championships and manages the country’s national teams. It encourages youngsters to play, provides support to members, and lobbies the government to look after the game’s interests.

Scottish golf is rich in history. Scotland is the proud inventor of a game that is now one of the biggest sports in the world. It has produced many of the world’s finest golfers. In Scotland, golf is a game for all people, being relatively cheap and accessible. It is indeed an important part of Scottish culture.

The politics of Scotland

(originally published to Helium writing site, now gone)

The earliest record of the Parliament of Scotland is a meeting at Edinburgh Castle in about 1140. The Scottish Parliament was merged into the Parliament of Great Britain under the Acts of Union in 1707. Politics in Scotland had always been under the control of wealthy country landowners and town-based merchants. Only a small number of people had the vote. This number rose from 5,000 to 65,000 under the Scottish Reform Act 1832 and further increased to 230,000 under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868. Half the male population could vote by 1885.

Scottish politics were dominated by the Liberal Party from 1885 until about 1920. The Labour Party became a force around this time. The National Party emerged in 1929 and very quickly became a force, banishing the Liberals to the highlands and the islands. By 1945, Scotland had a two-party system, comprising the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party. The election of the Labour Party in 1997 paved the way for devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the 1997 referendum, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of Scottish people voted for a separate parliament.

After nearly 300 years of rule from London, the Scottish Parliament was reformed under the Scotland Act 1998 after the people of Scotland (and Wales and Northern Ireland) had been able to vote for limited self-government in their respective countries. There is now a system of devolution, or home rule, by the UK Parliament. The Scottish head of state remains Queen Elizabeth II. The UK government retains certain powers under the Scotland Act, such as fiscal and economic policy, social security, defense, foreign affairs, drug laws, and broadcasting. The Scottish Parliament can legislate on any area not in the Act.

The new Parliament is unicameral, with 129 members, including 73 who represent the various constituencies and 56 who are elected in one of the eight electoral regions of Scotland. Ministers, including the First Minister, are nominated by Parliament and appointed by the Queen. These ministers make up the executive arm of the Scottish Government. Elections are held every four years.

The largest political party in Scotland is the centre-left Scottish National Party, formed in 1934 to campaign for Scottish independence. Since the 2007 election, it has been the governing party, defeating the Labour Party, who had been in office since 1999. The number of seats held by the Scottish National Party increased from 46 to 69 at the 2011 election, the first time a party has had a majority in the new Scottish Parliament.

The Labour Party has 37 seats, down 7. The centre-right Scottish Conservative Party, which has lost ground since its formation in 1965, has 15 seats, down 2. The centre-left Scottish Liberal Democrats have 5, down 12. The Scottish Green Party has 2, up 1. There is also one Independent. The Greens and the Independent support Scottish independence.

Scotland has 59 of the more than 600 members of the British House of Commons. At the 2015 UK elections, the Scottish National Party won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats, up from six in 2010. Cabinet includes a Secretary of State for Scotland who is responsible for the powers retained after devolution. The Scottish Parliament sometimes refers devolved matters to the British Parliament for consideration of kingdom-wide legislation via a Legislative Consent Motion, or Sewel Motion. Before the Scottish Parliament was reformed, Scottish peers sat in the House of Lords.

The main debate in Scottish politics has been independence. Devolution policies have been supported by the three UK political parties at some stage. The Liberal Democrats have always supported it. The two main parties, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, have been opposed to it at times. Since devolution, the main issue has been whether to push for additional powers such as fiscal responsibility, or to seek full independence. Polls in 2012 and 2013 indicated only about 40 per cent of voters wanted full independence from the UK. An independence referendum was held in September 2014 where about 45 per cent voted for independence.