Posts Tagged ‘street’

How road signs evolved / short history of roadsigns

Friday, June 29th, 2012

how the road signs evolved brief history of road signs Ancient Roman Road of Tall Aqibrin

As a person interested in history and antrophology. Just recently on my last trip to Romania as I travelled a very interesting question poped up in my mind – How it happened that RoadSigns we use on every street highway and practically everywhere on the road came to be. Interestingly now with the standartization of road signs often the most popular road signs are used as a basis for development on other popular prohibit or allowance signs, we read on airports public institutions, pubs and mostly everywhere.

So in short I did a short research on Road Sign History, just to find out once again that the ancients, were wiser than we think. The first road signs probably came to existence with the existence of humanity, however officially, there was no standartization of using signs to point on road locations travellers before it was introudced in the Roman Empire. In Rome a pillars on the roads were placed to point to major road arteries leading to Rome and various important empire city centers.

During the middle ages, milestones pillars were no longer used, but for practical reasons wooden markers placed across european cities instructed tradesman and travellers to major city important centers and were used to show a general road direction leading to nearby city.
The wooden signs practice had been in use until the first modern roadsigns erected  on a wide scale designed for riders of 'high' and ordinary bicycles in the late 1870 and 1880s. The modern road signs as we know it today however emerged as a result of the  first International Road Congress meeting that occured in Rome in 1908.
On the meeting a four standard pictures were selected to note the basic for road signs further development. The need for the meeting was the large increase of roads across european artery cities. The road signs developed on the meeting were bump, curve, intersection and railroad crossings. The invention and adoption of cars and the boom of the car producing industry quickened the need for international road sign standard. The intensive work on international road signs that took place between 1926 and 1949 eventually led to the development of the European road sign system as we know it. The signs were quicky spread to America and in 1960, the road signs become universal in America and almost everywhere all around the developed and developing world.

As of today 2012 it can be said road signs exist all around the civilized world.Though most of road signs are identical across all countries around the world today still some road symbols varies from country to country. I remember seeing some very unique road signs during my travelling through Serbia, 2 years ago.
 

A Sunday in the Netherlands

Monday, September 1st, 2008

I woke up, washed my teeth, did my regular morning excersises then Ina came my room and we went out shopping. In Sunday all shopsare closed in the netherlands thus the near food store we usually shop from Alberheim is closed too. That’s why we moved to the center.We first ate in a place called “Subway”, the vegetarenian sort of hamburger costed 2 EU, then we walked through the shops in the center andresearched where is what and how the prices vary in the different stores. Ina bought sunglasses, a blouse and ear-rings. We were also happyto find 24 hours opened shop right in the center. It seems that usually in Sunday the only place where the shops are opened is the center.We took some beer and went and stood along a little lake enjoying the swan and the ducks and crows which moved and flewer aroud. Then we catched the way for home looking around for unlocked bikes which we may take (it’s common here in the Netherlands to just take unlocked bikes and make them yours even I heard a lot of people leave the old unusused bikes on the street unlocked so you can just take it and use it.On our way home Ina saw left old Zanussi fridge next to a trash bin with a note on it saying something in Dutch containing the Dutch word “wekrt” which literally translated means works. So we hoped the fridge is a working one. We called Koko and Sali to come end help us with the fridge. Then Koko and Sali came and helped us move the fridge to the Honigkamp 2 which is the building of the dormitory I live in. LaterI collected the dry laundry and went to take a shower, then I moved to the 5th floor’s kitchen (My room is in the 1st floor). Wherewe gather with Ina for breakfasts, lunch or dinner. It’s a common thing the last few days that all the Bulgarians that we live in Honigkamp just gather together with the laptops and listen to a different kinds of music and talking about stuff. Although is’s so nice in the Netherlands I’m homesick a little. I also feel like going in no concrete direction. It’s a common thing temptations come that tempt me to smoke again. Also a really terrible temptation I face is a one I faced a dozen of times. You know there are some girls that really are my type of girls unfortunately every time I look at that girls I start falling in love. This is just fine the bad thing is that I’m usually too “different”, unconventional etc. to fit nice with the girls I like. Day by day I search for truths and I’m not sure I’m able to reach them .. the poor man I’m ehh…END—–

The Beggar …

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

It’s such a pain into my heart. Yesterday I and Mitko was walking down to see how is in Mino’s coffeewhen we met a beggar actually I have seen this man a lot of times he is 37 … now he even broke hisarm. It hurts when I remember him. We talked a little with him and as I understand he is a ProtestantChristian … he is so young and It hurts I really hope God Almighty would do something for this man… he is an alcoholic, but in everything he speaks he is searching for truth .. He told me a partof his story he used to have a family and children but his wife divorced him and 2003 or 2004 andtook him everything he has since then he is on the street. For 3 years he is looking like an old anddying man he said he sleeps under a balcony and even when he gains some money begging there areguys who came and rob him … Today he said he haven’t eat food for 2 days and he is still not hungry ..I tried to speak with him telling him God can get him out of living on the street but he said healso wants but it’s not God’s will to have a living place I hope this is not true.I really Pray and Beg to God and hope the Lord would have mercy over this man.END—–

My 17 years old, first in line Cousin Stanislav died in a motorcycle accident :(

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Stanislav Valentinov Velikov, my beloved first in line cousin
Yesterday about 14:08, my beloved cousin Stanislav Valentinov Velikov has passed a way silently in a motorcycle accident.
It’s really terrible, I’ve been told today by my relatives and it was quite hard to believe it.
My impressions from Stanislav was that he was a very kind good and shiny boy. Like most of us the sinners he had a deadly passion Motorcycles
I haven’t seen Stanislav for already about 2.5 years, which was my personal fault not to keep a close contact with such a close relative.
Last time I saw him, he was almost a child and now just few years later he is gone. I’ve just came by from his home, where all the relatives friends, grandfathers, grandmathers and all that loved him and know him when he was still among the living were gathered to say a last goodbye

What is even more painful is the ridiculous way he has passed away. Stani as we used to call him was driving his new Honda motorcycle and was driving nearby a traffic lights on a street “San Stefano” here in Dobrich, a taxi driver was trying to do a manoeuvre right after he had left his last customers.
Of course as it often happens in Bulgaria the taxi driver was doing the manouver against the set driving rules, (he was doing a backward maneuver) on a street crossroad (located nearby the big supermarket Billa).

Stanislav was coming through the traffic lights in a high speed (it’s not clearly known what speed).He was driving the professional motorcycle without a a proper driving license, as he was 17 he only had a driving license for moped vehicle.

It appears the stupid taxi driver was doing his irresponsible law breaking maneuver right in the moment when Stanislav was riding on the road before the traffic lights.
As my cousin saw the taxi driver he got probably scared (presumably) tried to use the breaks to prevent crashing the taxi driver possibly loose the motorcycle holders.
He jumped over the motorcycle and hit and broke his neck 😐 It’s a terrible story really. What is even more terrible that the taxi driver was an ex-policeman and was one of the responsible sides for the deadly accident which costed the life of my cousin.

What can I say Bulgaria is really an insane country, even though I’m not a big wester fan I should say such an accidents are not that common in the Western World as the law is more observed there.

I’ve heard from my grandfather and grandmother that Stanislav was really gifted in technics especially in repairing motorcycles, moped vehicles etc.

Stanislav is still a pupil in the nearby Mathematics High School “Ivan Vazov”. Before his unexpected death my cousin was planning to get her girlfriend and get a ride to Varna where he was supposedly going to spend the school break and see my other cousin Desislav …
I’ve been to Stani’s home and saw his lifeless body and it’s really striking, he is so young his death is causing an enormous trace and pain in me and my family.

Now my family is lessing itself with a one more good and decent person. Stanislav is a victim of this cruel age. I remember since his childhood that he was very pationate about computer games with motorcycles and cars.
His deadly passion then went on into the real world, he first got a moped, then a professional motorcycle. He violated the law taking the bad example of the many computer games which preach uncontrolled high speed, adrenalin and living on the edge.

But my beloved cousin Stanislav as he was still a teen was not the one to be blamed, the real responsible ones are our parents who doesn’t educate is in the tradition and spirit of the faith of our fathers Orthodox Christianity

I’ve heard from my relatives that now the taxi driver probably want even be hold responsible, as he is an ex-cop and he has many friends still working in the police. Friends who would proof the taxi driver innocent!

We had a small talk with my sister today about the direct influence of the movies and the computer games on the computer psyche.
I believe my cousin is not responsibe for his tragedic death as he was just following an implanted route in his mind by the multiple games and violent movies he has been a fan of.
Stani is just another victim of this cruel age … As I saw him laying in the coffin I was thinking how short our live is. We work we bye we sell but we never know when our time will come.

What makes my cousin’s death even bigger trady is my uncle’s death (his father) who died just a few years ago after a severe sickness …

It’s a sad day today, it’s, also a clear example that we who are still living should come again to the mindset that we’re here for a short time.
We should day by day think of what we have done wrongly (our sins), we should try to live better and love more as our saviour Christ has instructed us “If you’re my pupils, love each other”.
It’s sad that we’re so hard-hearted that we don’t realize that what happened is a God’s warning not only to my family but to everybody out there.

If we don’t repent our sins and start living as God instructed us, our pains would multiple and our days will be living in sorrows …
I pray that our merciful God the Holy Trinity has mercy on Stanislav’s (newly presented) soul and be merciful on him and receive him in paradise …