Wonders of the world – Part 3

Looking back on some of the things I have seen and marvelled at I have come to realise that many of them are bridges.  So here are four of the most recent I have photographed.

 The Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol UK

 I begin with this striking structure from the city of my birth.  I do not know how many times I have photographed it or had my picture taken with it as a back drop but this is the most recent taken in May of this year.  Designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel it spans the Avon Gorge and was completed in 1864 five years after his death.

 The Águas Livres Aqueduct, Lisbon Portugal

 This 18^th Century aqueduct is one of Lisbon‘s most memorable landmarks and can be seen clearly from passing aeroplanes.  This photograph taken in March 2010 illustrates a marvellous piece of architecture which played important role in supplying water to the city’s inhabitants.

 Under the Ponte 25 de Abril showing Monumento ao Cristo Rei, Lisbon Portugal

 This bridge was completed in 1966.  It is a spectacular sight from any direction, with an overall length of 2278m (approx. 1.5 miles), and the longest central span in Europe (1013m/3323ft), longer than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, which it resembles.  Its foundations also hold the world record by going 80m (262ft) below the riverbed to stand on basalt rock.  This photograph taken the same day as the aqueduct provides a striking contrast and a magnificent view of the statue on the opposite bank.

Tower Bridge, London UK

 What better way to remember 2012 is to see again a photograph of one of the most famous landmarks of London.  It is a beautiful bridge and with the Olympic rings beneath marks a wonderful year in the life of the UK’s capital city.

More Tales of Successful Self Publishing.

Mainstream publishers are cutting back so self publishing may now be the way that struggling authors will get their work into print.  Digital technology and social networks makes this easier than ever for novice writers.  For little cost they can produce printed books on demand, ebooks to download, audiobooks, podcasts and even video trailers.

Self publishing has always existed.  There are many examples out there.  The key to success is for writers to get their books noticed and that means strong marketing.

http://www.grandrapidsmn.com/grand_people/article_74401f00-407b-11e2-ad63-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57558088/authors-exercise-their-write-to-self-publish

http://goodereader.com/blog/indie-author-news/new-york-times-book-reviews-include-a-self-published-title/

Self published writers continue emerge as a new force in the digital age.

For the first time since its inception in 2005, self-publishers will exhibit their work at the Karachi International Book Fair, which is set to kick off from today.  http://tribune.com.pk/story/475205/self-publishers-will-rub-shoulders-with-bigwigs-at-the-karachi-international-book-fair

In this age of austerity mainstream publishers are reluctant to take on untried talent and are jettisoning authors who do not sell.  Therefore it is not surprising that writers are now publishing themselves in the same way that musicians have parted company with recording companies and are producing their own music.

Self publishers have become noticed as there are fewer big named authors out there creating books.  It is true that there are many bad self published scribblers but it will be the book market not the publisher which will now choose who will be a success and who will fail.

Wonders of the world – Part 2

More wonders of the world I have seen on my travels – again in no particular order.

The iron bridge at Ironbridge, Shropshire, Great Britain

 In the late eighteenth century Abraham Darby devised a way of smelting iron with coke.  The bridge was built in 1779.  It was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.  The world, would never be the same again.

Terracotta Warriors, China

 A clay army of thousands of life-size terra cotta figures of soldiers and horses discovered in 1974 in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China after they were buried underground for more than 2200 years.

Modern Shanghai Skyline

 Modern Shanghai symbolises how China has emerged to dominate the World’s economy.

 Stonehenge, Wiltshire, Great Britain

 Estimated to date from 3100 BC and is made up from Bluestone, Sarsen, Welsh Sandstone.  When I was a small boy we were able to sit, stand and climb on these ancient stones, all that is now strictly forbidden.