Le Bourget, France (CNN) -- Once upon a time, the airship was hailed as the future of flight: as glamorous, luxurious and fashionable as the Art Deco era which marked its heyday. But a series of disasters, not least the crash of the Hindenburg in New Jersey, in 1937, with the loss of 36 lives, put paid to the dreams of intercontinental Zeppelin travel. Blimps are still a familiar sight in advertising, but those who design and build these aircraft believe there's much more to them -- and to their future -- than simply signposting the local car dealership or giving TV audiences a better view of the football field during the big match. Now, 90 years after the launch of America's first airship, the USS Shenandoah, dirigibles and aerostats are undergoing something of a renaissance. Among those hoping to lead the charge is California-based Aeros, which is developing what it hopes will be a revolutionary new cargo airship, the Aeroscraft, combining elements of regular 'lighter-than-air' (LTA) craft and traditional fixed-wing planes. Best of Le Bourget Best of Le Bourget See an airport checkpoint of the future Engine tech on display at Paris Air Show Boeing launches new Dreamliner In addition, it has a magic ingredient: the vertical take-off and landing capabilities of a helicopter, meaning it has no need for a runway or airfield. Read more: Test your aviation knowledge The idea was developed by Kazakhstan-born engineer Igor Pasternak, who moved to the U.S. in 1994 and set up in business building advertising blimps. He's spent the past two decades working to solve the problems posed by traditional airships. "I understand airships well," he told CNN. "I've built a lot of them." His Aeroscraft is a rigid-hulled dirigible measuring a whopping 169 meters in length, with a payload of 66 tonnes (and plans for a 250 tonne version), a cruising speed of up to 120 knots, and a range of 3,100 nautical miles. "It's a little bit like my dream vehicle," he said. "In natural disasters and other situations where infrastructure is non-existent, the Aeroscraft could be used to bring in emergency supplies: food, water, blankets -- 66 tonnes of relief at a time," explained the company's communications director John Kiehle. And while its primary purpose is likely to be logistical, moving cargo, military troops and humanitarian relief supplies into remote and inhospitable terrain, the company admits that down the line there may be other uses for the technology, from "floating hotels" to "sky yachts for millionaires." http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/21/business/new-age-of-the-airship

"the new Lexus LF-NX concept crossover"

Lexus's so-called "L-finesse" design language, highlighted with bold, strong edges and capped with the inverted "spindle grille," has invoked controversy ever since its debut on the 2013 GS, but no Lexus design will prove as scandalous as the new Lexus LF-NX concept crossover, which debuts at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show next week. Lexus claims the LF-NX concept previews both a future compact crossover model, as well as a future evolution of the L-Finesse design theme. Press materials describe the concept's exterior as "distinctive" and "sculpted." The latter certainly rings true, as the LF-NX's sheetmetal boasts more geometric planes than a crumpled ball of paper. It's as if someone adapted Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall into a vehicle, down to the brushed silver finish. Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/frankfurt/2013/1309_lexus_lf_nx_concept/#ixzz2e3wdKGbc

San Francisco on paper

Coit Tower, San Francisco, watercolor on paper, signed and dated "Benedetto '87" in ink lower right; signed, inscribed and titled "To Dolores and 'Bob'/ 'Thanks for the memory.'/ Tony Bennett/ Coit Tower/ San Francisco" lower left. Together with a signed and inscribed copy of Bennett's book What My Heart Has Seen . 15 1/4 by 16 1/4 inches, sight; 22 by 23 inches, framed and being auctioned off -- click on the link below: http://www.julienslive.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/101/lot/42447/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Findividual-lots%2F%3Fpage%3D19

Monument to Space Exploration in Moscow

Friends try to help a friend

(CBS News) BERKELEY - No matter how you feel about the immigration debate in America, there is no debate about how significantly current policies can affect some of the youngest members of society. For example, take the story of a group of fourth graders who are rallying not for a cause, but for a friend. There has been an empty seat for months now in the fourth grade classroom at Jefferson Elementary in Berkeley, California. Ten-year-old Rodrigo Guzman isn't there. When asked how long they have known Rodrigo, his classmates Aminah Diaby and Kaiya Daniels enthusiastically claime, "since kindergarten!" Aminah and Kaiya said they miss him. "He's really smart," Kaiya said. "And he has a lot of friends."

Sun Moon Lake

Here is where the black tea of Assam and Red Jade is grown in Taiwan. The area surrounding the lake has many trails for hiking. Also you could travel around the lake by your bicycle. While swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake held around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year.In recent years the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands. Other festivities held at the same time include fireworks, laser shows, and concerts. http://anniesteatreat.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/sun-moon-lake-taiwan/

Edinburgh View - Carlton Hill

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/7840402076_671d1bd663_z.jpg

One of the largest "living walls" in London

The Rubens at the Palace hotel recently unveiled one of the largest "living walls" in London, a 3,770-square-foot vertical garden on the side of its building that features buttercups, strawberries, lavender and even geraniums. The idea is to create a little ecosystem with flowers blooming year-round and one designed to draw bees, butterflies and birds to the urban spot sure to become a landmark. The vertical garden is packed with 16 tons of soil and 10,000 ferns and plants. http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-london-living-wall-rubens-at-the-palace-20130827,0,1415084.story

The Harmon Hotel to be demolished

The Harmon Hotel, which was to have been one of CityCenter’s lodging choices when the complex opened almost four years ago, can be demolished, a judge has ruled. It’s unclear what will happen to the prime piece of real estate on which the never-opened Harmon sits in CityCenter, a project estimated to have cost $8.5 billion when it opened in December 2009. District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez on Friday approved CityCenter’s petition to tear down the 26-story structure, acknowledging the public safety risk if the building were to collapse during an earthquake. In documents filed with the court in July, lawyers for CityCenter alleged that the tower, which fronts on Las Vegas Boulevard between Crystals shopping center and the Cosmopolitan resort, is riddled with “construction defects.” Those defects could result in catastrophic damage during a quake, according to Weidlinger Associates, a Marina del Rey engineering firm. The court filing noted that “the Harmon tower will be severely damaged during a major earthquake and critical structural elements, such as transfer elements, are likely to fail and lead to a partial or complete collapse of the tower.” The lengthy court document predicted a 50% chance of such a quake within 30 years.

"an unprecedented trajectory"

James Stewart and Kim Novak star in "Vertigo." (UCLA Film & Television Archive) Bid goodbye to summer in style with a drive-in screening of "Vertigo," the Alfred Hitchcock film that's had an unprecedented trajectory. Dismissed on its original 1958 release, it has steadily risen in critical estimation to the point where it displaced "Citizen Kane" as the best motion picture of all time in Sight & Sound's recent poll of film critics worldwide. "Vertigo's" view of San Francisco might be the most elegantly spooky vision of an American city ever put on film, and no chance to see it on a big screen should be missed. More than that, the film showcases Hitchcock's ability to take two of the biggest stars of his day, James Stewart and Kim Novak, and use them to create as dark and deeply personal a scenario as anything that's appeared at Sundance. Screening at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Electric Dusk Drive-In's 24-foot-by-18-foot screen at the City Market, 1000 San Julian St. near downtown. Tickets are $10 (online) and $13 (cash at the door). Gates open at 6:30 p.m. More information at: http://www.electricduskdrivein.com.

Alkaline "Mono Lake" is bizarre

Ending decades of bitter disputes over fragile Mono Lake, Los Angeles and conservationists on Friday announced an agreement to heal the environmental damage caused by diverting the lake's eastern Sierra tributary streams into the city's World War II-era aqueduct. The controversy over alkaline Mono Lake, which is famous for its bizarre, craggy tufa formations and breeding grounds for sea gulls and migratory birds, is one of California's longest-running environmental disputes. The settlement resolves all of the issues among weary combatants, including the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Trout and the Mono Lake Committee. It calls for construction of a $15-million adjustable gate in Grant Dam, an earthen structure 87 feet high and 700 feet long designed to impound tributary water. The goal is to release pulses of water along a seven-mile stretch of Rush Creek to mimic annual flood cycles, distributing willow seeds and promoting healthy trout populations. The settlement will not affect water levels at Mono Lake.

Husband Sues Over Housework, Japanese Court Sides With Wife August 02, 1997|From the Washington Post TOKYO — A Japanese court has ruled in favor of a 33-year-old woman who divorced her husband after he demanded that every day she cook him breakfast, press his pants and clean the house. The woman worked full time, but the husband said it was the wife's job to do all the housework. The husband, a 35-year-old public servant, filed a lawsuit demanding that his wife pay him about $38,000 in damages because she did not live up to her end of the marriage arrangement.

"best safety rating"

Here's another extraordinary accomplishment by Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk. The electric car company announced yesterday evening that its famous 'Model S' sedan has achieved the best safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of any car that's ever been tested in history. The company says it received 5 stars in every possible category (something that's awarded to just 1% of cars) and that the Model S set a new record for lowest likelihood of passenger injury. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-tesla-model-s-achieves-best-safety-rating-of-any-car-ever-tested-2013-8#ixzz2cd9YiZmP

"2013 Best In Show winner"

Hard decisions have been made, score sheets have been tallied and a new car now reigns over the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The 2013 Best In Show winner here at Pebble is the 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria owned by Joseph and Margie Cassini of West Orange, NJ. We'll give you a second to memorize that name. The vehicle that beat out a huge field of worthy competitors is special indeed, despite being relatively unknown outside of the concours set. A giant open touring car – typical of the American metal of this social strata and era – the very scale of Packard is massive by modern standards. Well-known coachbuilder Dietrich stretched elegant flowing fenders, closed in the rear, to encompass the Packard's 140-plus-inch wheelbase. Powered by a pristine, L-head V12 engine, probably pushing something in the neighborhood of 150 horsepower, the pre-war coupe is more of a stroller than a sprinter. But the judges aren't bound to take performance into consideration when it comes to the utterly patrician field of competitors.

"a complete exterior transformation"

The Petersen Automotive Museum announced today that it will mark its 20th anniversary in 2014 by commencing a complete exterior transformation and a dynamic redesign of the interior, resulting in a world class museum that will showcase the art, experience, culture and heritage of the automobile. Displays will feature the prominence of the automobile in Southern California, as well as cars, trucks and motorcycles from around the world. In addition to the facility upgrade, the new Petersen will feature a refined and upgraded permanent collection and an expansion of rotating displays, galleries, technology and story-telling, providing visitors with fresh, new experiences throughout the year. The exterior design by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates will transform the Petersen building into one of the most significant and unforgettable structures in Los Angeles. Long ribbons of stainless steel will wrap around three sides and over the top of the deep red building, making a visceral statement that evokes the imagery of speed and the organic curves of a coach-built automobile. At night, the color and forms will be lit from within to accentuate the steel sculpture and act as a beacon in the neighborhood known as The Miracle Mile.

"The new Shang Shidong Industrial Museum"

The illustrious 19th century Qing dynasty politician, Zhang Zhidong, is primarily remembered for modernizing the Chinese army and for establishing the steel industry in Wuhan. It seems appropriate then that the new Shang Shidong Industrial Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, should be built in the city of Wuhan. Even more fitting is that the museum, which will celebrate the city’s iron and steel culture, will be built on the manufacturing site of the Hanyang-made rifle and will preserve the famous Hanyang ironworks and Hanyang arsenal.

Petersen Automotive Museum: Aerodynamic design from art to science?

1955 Ghia Gilda: Sleekest looking car ever? Click on the link for information about the Petersen Automotive Museum show: "Aerodynamic design from art to science"

This 1887 Photograph is of a group of about 30 people (men, women and children) posing in front of Pascual Marquez's bath house -- the first bath house in Santa Monica Canyon. A stagecoach -- the Santa Monica Canyon State -- drawn by a two-horse team stands in front. An American flag flies from the roof of the single-story wood structure. The nearly vertical rocky canyon wall looms behind. A sign on the roof reads "Pascual Marquez bath house". Historical Notes This was the first bathhouse on Santa Monica’s beach. It was built by Michael Duffy beneath the Santa Monica Hotel in 1876 and had 2 structures with 16 rooms with their own freshwater bath and shower. It closed in 1892.*^*^ These type of wagons transported visitors from Los Angeles to Santa Monica before the arrival of train service to the area

"brilliant or wacky"

The Hyperloop transportation scheme proposed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has created quite a stir in transportation circles. But Musk is hardly the first to turn heads with a transport idea that's either brilliant or wacky.

Ever since man first dreamed of flight, humans have been trying to come up with a better way of getting from point A to point B.

While some of the efforts were more creative than practical, all of them highlight the power of the human imagination to lift our spirits — even if they don't always keep them aloft.

 [Photos of Super-Fast Hyperloop Travel Concept]

https://www.google.com/search?q=musk+transit+idea&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=GGYNUsKhGYKKiAL714DYDQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoATgK&biw=1024&bih=629#facrc=_&imgrc=EyfEZ3tFWTL0NM%3A%3BRQTUkmeVMsLFwM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.livescience.com%252Fimages%252Fi%252F000%252F055%252F709%252Fi02%252Fmusk-hyperloop-sketches.jpg%253F1376349607%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.livescience.com%252F38834-hyperloop-futuristic-transit-ideas.html%3B575%3B383

"What Might Have Been . . ."

Artist conception of a monorail envisioned for Los Angeles Civic Center in 1976; when funding dried up, project was abandoned. (Aerospace Corp)

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-elon-musks-hyperloop-latest-of-many-wacky-la-transit-plans-20130813,0,2960642.story