Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Victory Day Malta 2010 - Live Regatta Webcam

This national holiday commemorates the victory of the Knights Hospitaller over the Ottoman Turks in the Great Siege of 1565, as well as the surrender of Italy in 1943, turning against its former Nazi German ally during World War II thus ending the Second Siege of Malta.

There are parades, military bands and of course the traditional regatta featuring boat races in the Grand Harbour, a tradition first started in 1642 which then became an annual event in 1878.

This live web cam feed shows the Grand Harbour where the boat races are held.

Malta Harbour Webcam

Local info:

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta and the city proper has a population of 6,098.

Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller). The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

Ground Zero Live for 9/11 Anniversary Remembrance Service 2010

Ground Zero at the World Trade Center is the scene for the 9th Anniversary remembrance memorial service in 2010, with families, residents and visitors alike gathering to share the experience.

This live web cam feed is at Ground Zero:

Ground Zero webcam

Location Background:

The World Trade Center site (ZIP code: 10048), also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on 16 acres (65,000 m2) in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The World Trade Center complex stood on the site until it was destroyed in the attacks; Studio Daniel Libeskind, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Silverstein Properties, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation oversee the reconstruction of the site. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north, the West Side Highway to the west, Liberty Street to the south, and Church Street to the east. The Port Authority owns the site's land (except for 7 World Trade Center). Developer Larry Silverstein holds the lease to retail and office space in four of the site's buildings.

Soon after the September 11 attacks, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Governor George Pataki, and President George W. Bush vowed to rebuild the World Trade Center site. On the day of the attacks, Giuliani proclaimed, "We will rebuild. We're going to come out of this stronger than before, politically stronger, economically stronger. The skyline will be made whole again." During a visit to the site on September 14, 2001, Bush spoke to a crowd of cleanup workers through a bullhorn. An individual in the crowd shouted, "I can't hear you," to which Bush replied, "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."

Mecca Webcam Live for Eid 2010, The End of Ramadan

Ramadan in 2010 started on Wednesday, the 11th of August and continued for 30 days until Eid falls this week, celebrated by the muslim community on Thursday, the 9th of September.

The focus of this celebration is Mecca, where this live web cam feed can be viewed:

Mecca webcam

Event information:

Eid al-Fitr, often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fidr means "to purify"; and so the holiday symbolizes the purification after completing the fasting month which is after the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, on the first day of Shawwal.

Eid ul-Fitr lasts for one day of celebrations (yet, is celebrated for two or more in some counties) and is sometimes also known as the "Smaller Eid" as compared to the Eid al-Adha that lasts three days (or more) following the Hajj and is casually referred to as the "Greater Eid"

Muslims are commanded by the Qur'an to complete their fast on the last day of Ramadan and then recite the Takbir all throughout the period of Eid. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting of Ramadan. This has to do with the communal aspects of the fast, which expresses many of the basic values of the Muslim community. Fasting is believed by some scholars to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm

Rome Webcam - La Notte Bianca Festival 2010

The city of Rome will be open for 24 hours tonight as the traders and residents of the city stay up all night for the 2010 celebration of the arts and culture festival La Notta Bianca.

This live webcam is in Rome throughout the White Night:

Rome webcam

Event Background:

The original festival is the White Nights Festival held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The white nights is the a name given in areas of high latitude to the weeks around the summer solstice in June during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. In Saint Petersburg, the Sun does not set until after 10 p.m., and the twilight lasts almost all night.

In 2005, Rome's Notte Bianca was held in mid-September, and the guest star was Roberto Benigni. There were similar initiatives in other cities as well. In Naples it first took place at the end of October 2005 with numerous concerts (Baglioni, Pino Daniele, 99 Posse, Almamegretta, Stadio) and theatrical and cultural events. The attendance was twice the population of Naples itself. Other Italian Notte Bianche took place in Genoa, Turin, Reggio Calabria, and Catanzaro.

Undersecretary Francesco Giro Cultural Heritage has launched an idea that probably will report a lost tradition came with the advent of Alemanno, or the White Night. In fact today the Tour said: "Now big plans for the capital Rome. Including, stresses the Secretary, another white night between 19 and 20 September to celebrate the 140 or birthday of Rome Capital.