St Louis, Missouri was the first city to welcome home the troops from Iraq on Saturday January 28, 2012. In looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The Welcome Home Heroes Parade included more than 80 floats, two marching bands and the Budweiser Clydesdales.  The parade began at noon Saturday at Kiener Plaza and ended at Union Station with a Veterans Resource Center set-up inside.

People waived American flags and cheered “thank you” as veterans made their way down Market.  People also held up Welcome Home signs.

It was inspiring to sit there while I was taking photos and watching the children to senior citizens smiling, waving and yelling “welcome home” at the troops as they past by. It was a day I will not forget.

See the photos at Photography by McGraphics

Related articles

• More cities consider parades for Iraq War vets (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• More cities consider parades for Iraq War vets (sfgate.com)
• St. Louis Hosting 1st Big Parade on Iraq War’s End (abcnews.go.com)
• Cities Consider Parades for War Vets (myfoxphoenix.com)
• Cities Consider Parades for War Vets (myfoxny.com)
• St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War’s end (newsok.com)
• St. Louis hosts first big parade to welcome Iraq War veterans (photoblog.msnbc.msn.com)

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I have done a gallery of photos I have taken in Forest Park in St Louis, Missouri. Here is some information on the St Louis land mark.

Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers 1,293-acre. The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics. The park is known as the “heart of St. Louis” and features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center.

Link: Photography by McGraphics

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I just add Christmas in New York City to Photography by McGraphics. There are photos from the past and now. You will see photos of snowmen, Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Christmas ornaments, Christmas light, and Santa Clause. Also look at my Stock Photos on StockPhoto.bz

Christmas decoration is any of several types of decorations used at Christmastime. The traditional colours of Christmas are pine green (evergreen), snow white, and heart red. Blue and white are often used to represent winter, or sometimes Hanukkah, which occurs around the same time. Gold and silver are also very common, as are just about any other metallic colour. Typical icons of the holiday include Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, and the star of Bethlehem. Typical winter icons include snowflakes, snowmen, icicles, and even penguins and polar bear.

The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the winter solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. The English-language phrase “Christmas tree” is first recorded in 1835 and represents an importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century though many argue that Martin Lutherbegan the tradition in the 16th century. From Germany the custom was introduced to England, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the early reign of Queen Victoria. Theinfluential 1840s image of the Queen’s decorated evergreen was republished in the U.S, and as the first widely circulated picture of a decorated Christmas tree in America, the custom there spread. Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments.

In North and South America, Australia, and Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square.

Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known to its approximately 50 million annual visitors. Times Square, iconified as “The Crossroads of the World”, is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district, one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world’s entertainment industry. The city hosts many world renownedbridges, skyscrapers, and parks. New York City’s financial district, anchored by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, functions as the financial capital of the world and is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s largest stock exchange by total market capitalization of its listed companies. Manhattan’s real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. Manhattan’s Chinatownincorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. Unlike most global rapid transit systems, the New York City Subway is designed to provide 24/7 service.Numerous colleges and universities are located in New York, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which are ranked among the top 50 in the world.

Link: Photography by McGraphics

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I just add Christmas in St Louis to Photography by McGraphics. There are photos from the past and now. You will see photos of snowmen, Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, Christmas ornaments, Christmas light, Gingerbread houses, and Santa Clause.

Christmas decoration is any of several types of decorations used at Christmastime. The traditional colours of Christmas are pine green (evergreen), snow white, and heart red. Blue and white are often used to represent winter, or sometimes Hanukkah, which occurs around the same time. Gold and silver are also very common, as are just about any other metallic colour. Typical icons of the holiday include Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, and the star of Bethlehem. Typical winter icons include snowflakes, snowmen, icicles, and even penguins and polar bear.

In North and South America, Australia, and Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square.

Link: Photography by McGraphics

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Kurt Warner and Dick Vermeil at a golf outing at Fox Run Golf Club

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Richard Albert “Dick” Vermeil (born October 30, 1936) is a former American head coach for the National Football League‘s Philadelphia Eagles (1976–1982), St. Louis Rams (1997-1999) and Kansas City Chiefs (2001-2005). He is in the Sid Gillman coaching tree and has coached at every level; Vermeil owns the distinction of being named “Coach of the Year” on four levels: High School, Junior College, NCAA Division I and Professional Football.

Kurtis Eugene “Kurt” Warner (born June 22, 1971) is a retired, and former quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994, after playing college football at Northern Iowa.

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Vinegar and Olive Oil studio shot

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In countries that adhere to the standards of the IOOC the labels in stores show an oil’s grade. The U.S. is not a member.

• Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. Used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
• Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
• Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
• Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
• Olive-pomace oil is refined pomace olive production oil possibly blended with some virgin production oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely sold at retail; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
• Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil’s long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
• Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level and/or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. An obsolete equivalent is “pure olive oil”.

Varieties of Vinegar

• Malt
• Wine
• Apple cider
• Fruit
• Balsamic
• Rice
• Coconut
• Palm
• Cane
• Flavored vinegars

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Photos from  Union Square Outdoor Market New York.

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Union Square is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road now 4th Avenue, came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the federal union nor labor unions but rather denotes the fact that “here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island” and the confluence of several trolley lines, as in the term “union station.” Today it is bounded by 14th Street to the south, Union Square West on the west side, 17th Street on the north, and on the east Union Square East, which links together Broadway and Park Avenue South to Fourth Avenue and the continuation of Broadway. Union Square Park is under the aegis of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

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Sunsets from Sunset Country Club in St Louis, Missouri.

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Photos from our Ireland outing.

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Ireland, is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland is the island of Great Britain, separated from it by the Irish Sea. The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixths of the island. Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island.

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Photos from Miami Beach Florida

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Miami, is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which had a 2006 population of 5,463,857; ranking 7th largest in the U.S..

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