View allAll Photos Tagged DISCERN
Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam, Kop van Zuid, Laan op Zuid, Marathon 2021, Police motorcycles, Replenishment (water) crew (uncut)
One of the signs that normalcy has indeed returned in the twilight of the dreadful C19 pandemic, is the return of the Rotterdam Marathon. it was pushed backwards (from April to October) after the cancelling of the 2020 edition.
There is a strict order in the ‘marathon cavalcade’. First, there are the motorcyclists that check if the people standing in the zones without crowd control barriers, keep enough distance, then two cars that indicate the current run time of the race, several cars of the marathon organization, the photo press motorcycles and then some 100 m in front of the runners these police bikes with their, for the occasion, largely ceremonial function. The policemen ride specialized BMW 1200 RT motorcycles.
Behind them people of the large replenishment (water) crew of the marathon can be discerned, with large tags hanging from their arms, indicating which athlete the water is meant for - personalized service.
This shot was taken in close proximity to the half-marathon point.
Frontriders (1) is here. This is number 38 of the Rotterdam Marathon album.
Construida entre los siglos XVI y XVIII, la Santa Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y de San Frutos, forma parte del gótico tardío. Es una de las catedrales góticas más tardías de España y Europa. Se erige en pleno siglo XVI, concretamente entre los años 1525 y 1768.
En esta época la arquitectura imperante en Europa era ya la renacentista. Es por ello que en la Catedral de Segovia podemos discernir un estilo predominantemente gótico, al ser del gótico tardío, pero ya enmarcado con algunos rasgos renacentistas.
Su belleza y elegancia, así como su fuerza visual y dimensiones, hacen posible su denominación como La Dama de las Catedrales, acuñada por el Presidente de la Primera República Española Emilio Castelar.
Whenever I visit Attenborough Nature Reserve I keep my photographic eyes open for the possibility of interesting reflections. Lighting conditions are everything at this location because there are so few discernible focal points with which to make an image. This was one of those breaking dawns that did not quite live up to its early promise. However, the mist on the far bank helped to add some atmosphere.
The commandments of justice and mercy, indeed of love or the golden rule, have after all inspired historic resistance to lawless aggressions and to oppressive law. The Torah, the Jewish law, is not reducible to legalism or exclusivism, but supports the “struggle for justice and mercy.” 26 Perhaps it is a matter of infusing the commandments within the atmosphere of the Eros: “Arise my love, and come away” is also an imperative—a proposition in the sense suggested in our earlier discussion of truth-claims! After all, the ethics of “should and should not” may also encode, should also encode the divine lure. For without strong supportive structures of community, society, liturgy, theology, the chances are minute that we can individually or collectively even discern the initial aim...
...How does this unforcing force work? By sparking your desire: desire ignites desire. This sparking process takes place largely beneath and before our consciousness. Sometimes glimpsed in a dream, in a stranger’s face, in a flow of grief, a comforting embrace, a surge of music, a private illumination, a public act of truth. In conscience, shame, guilt, awe at a random sunset. The spark is what we hope for in prayer, meditation, worship. We infer it—and cannot in truth make any certain claims about it, as in “God told me this or that; God wills this or that for me.” For it comes already coated in our experience, in our own subjectivity, in the aims of our own socialized desire.
--On the Mystery, DISCERNING DIVINITY IN PROCESS, Catherine Keller
The ruin Landskron in Oppenheim permits framed views on the Rhine plain. While the Rhine itself is barely discernible in its bed, the cooling towers of the former nuclear reactor in Biblis are. Supposedly, on clear days it should even be possible to see the northernmost part of the Black Forest in a distance of more than 140km.
Now, this glorious creature turned up just as the ITV lunchtime news was concluding. I noticed him/her just finishing a “bowl” into a cluster of sparrows and landing on top of the hedge in a bit of a pile (undercarriage akimbo) just as the little sprogies sank into it's safe places. It seemed to me he/she was so embarrassed at me witnessing the debacle that he/she fluffed their feathers, flew to the opposite point in the garden and pretended to be looking for some more victims. Had about a minute to get these shots whilst he/she was gathering their dignity, then “poof”, vanished like a magician, not so much as a rocket trail to discern its passing
Aujourd’hui, les logiciels de traitement moderne et l’intelligence artificielle offrent des possibilités impressionnantes : retouche photo presque indétectable, amélioration automatique du son ou de la vidéo, génération d’images ou de textes sur mesure…
Ces outils ouvrent des portes créatives et techniques que l’on n’imaginait pas il y a encore quelques années.
Cependant, comme pour tout progrès, l’excès peut nuire. Trop d’effets, de filtres ou de corrections risquent de dénaturer l’authenticité, de gommer l’émotion ou même d’induire en erreur.
À force de vouloir “perfectionner”, on finit parfois par perdre le naturel et la singularité qui font la valeur d’un contenu.
La clé reste donc la modération et le discernement : utiliser l’IA et les outils modernes comme un soutien ou un embellissement, mais sans leur laisser tout le contrôle.
C’est dans l’équilibre entre innovation et authenticité que naît la vraie richesse créative …
°°°°°°°°°°°°
Today, modern editing software and artificial intelligence offer impressive possibilities: nearly undetectable photo retouching, automatic enhancement of sound or video, custom-generated images or texts…
These tools open creative and technical doors we could hardly have imagined just a few years ago.
However, as with any advancement, excess can be harmful. Too many effects, filters, or corrections risk distorting authenticity, erasing emotion, or even misleading the audience.
By seeking “perfection” at all costs, we sometimes end up losing the natural and unique qualities that give content its true value.
The key, therefore, lies in moderation and discernment: using AI and modern tools as support or enhancement, but without letting them take over entirely.
It’s in the balance between innovation and authenticity that true creative richness emerges ...
A hazy sunrise making it difficult to discern the the horizon but adding a nice touch of atmosphere.
Que se cache derrière cette colline ?
Que dissimulent ces nuages opaques ? Cette brume ambiante et immuable qui semble refuser de nous laisser discerner l'horizon ?
"Pourquoi chercher à le savoir ?", nous dirait le canidé. Lui qui est pourtant si proche... Lui qui n'aurait qu'à se tourner pour le savoir... Pour tout savoir.
Mais il a simplement confiance, et il dort, coiffé de nuages.
Cet animal onirique incarne l'Espérance, l'infinité d'espoirs que Pandore a conservés dans sa boîte, juste avant qu'ils ne s'échappent, comme l'ont fait tous les maux de l'humanité.
L'Espérance sommeille désormais au fond de cette boîte allégorique, et chaque seconde qui passe est pour elle un espoir d'en sortir. Des milliards d'espoirs...
Et ainsi elle espère, et ce de la façon la plus pure qu'il soit : dans les bras de Morphée.
Car le sommeil est cet état de calme et de sagesse, cet état de lucide clarté.
OK, Yes, its still more wabi-sabi and more miscanthus, a genus of grass that grows over much of our back field - the supply may be literally endless - and this is the eleventh in this series taken this year. For me, these are all about the form of the lines about the frame, as well as the texture and color of the leaves of the grasses themselves.
If you've been following this thread of images, you may notice that this Grass #11 is actually the parent of #10 and #9, as they are each images of a portion of this grass.
As a multi image focus stack, it should reward pretty close inspection; maximum viewing size on your computer can be found by opening the image in a separate window, making that window full screen, typing the letter "L" on the keyboard, and then clicking the cursor as long as a '+' appears in it, typically twice.
If you find this image to your liking, you can find more wabi-sabi - and an account of my understanding of the meaning of that term - in my wabi-sabi album, and more grasses in my Grasses album.
BTW, I've taken to putting a white rim around these images on black because, on my iPhone flickr app, it is otherwise difficult to discern the image's edges. I made it tiny because, while large mats look lovely on my desktop monitor, they make it hard for my tired old eyes to view an image on my iPhone's small screen.
I went through Natural Bridge National Monument much as Chevy Chase took in the Grand Canyon in National Lampoon's Vacation; I drove straight around it, stopping off quickly at a few overlooks to snap some pictures before heading off again.
I doubt such a visit does the place justice. To do that, I think, you'd really need to hike down into the canyon and view the bridges with the sky in the background. Otherwise, with just more rock appearing through the bridge's opening, and the lack of depth perception that you get in photos, it is difficult to discern any opening in the rock.
El río Mangoky uno de los principales ríos de Madagascar, con 564 kilómetros de largo. Nace en la meseta Central, al este de la ciudad de Fianarantsoa. El río fluye generalmente en dirección oeste desde la sierra, cruza la parte meridional de la meseta Bemaraha, llega a la llanura costera y a su delta, y desagua en el Canal de Mozambique, al norte de la ciudad de Morombe.
La mayoría de Madagascar ha sido objeto de una grave deforestación durante los últimos 40 años, lo que ha llevado a la extrema erosión del suelo en la cuenca del río Mangoky, como lo demuestran los muchos banco de arena situados en el cauce del río. Cargas de sedimentos, de color verde como el lago Ihotry son claramente discernibles al sur del río. El tramo entre el lago y la costa es bastante grande, con zonas de con sedimentos de arena de color blanquecino intercaladas con estanques. La parte meridional del delta está dominado por sucesivas islas de barrera y una formación de espigones. En cambio, el norte, la parte protegida del delta está dominado por las mareas y pantanos de manglar
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%ADo_Mangoky
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_of_Madagascar
The Mangoky River is a 564-kilometer-long (350 mi) river in Madagascar in the regions of Atsimo-Andrefana and Anosy. It is formed by the Mananantanana and the Matsiatra. Another important affluent is the Zomandao River.
It rises in the Central Highlands of Madagascar just east of the city of Fianarantsoa. The river flows generally in a westerly direction out of the highlands, crosses the southern extension of the Bemaraha Plateau, reaches the coastal plain and its delta, and enters the Mozambique Channel north of the city of Morombe.
Most of Madagascar has undergone serious deforestation during the last 40 years, chiefly from slash-and-burn practises by indigenous peoples. This loss of forest has led to extreme soil erosion in the Mangoky River basin, as evidenced by the many sandbars located within the river channel. Silt-laden, greenish-tan Lake Ihotry is clearly discernible south of the river. Between the lake and the coast is a rather large, whitish area of sand interspersed with silt-laden ponds. The southern portion of the delta is dominated by successive barrier island and spit formation. In contrast, the northern, protected portion of the delta is dominated by tidal passes and mangrove swamps.
Works of a Mangoky river bridge on the RN 9 will be shortly undertaken. It will be the longest bridge of Madagascar with 880 m. It will be built by CRBC - China Road and Bridge Corporation
I must credit Bernard Woodhouse, my good friend and first photographic mentor, for the image of Tyneside dimly discerned through the clouds. The Anthony Gormley statue "Angel of the North" pictured by Brian was the inspiration for this piece of nonsense.
This bird got its name from its superficial resemblance to the Wild Turkey. As it has feet more like a chicken than an eagle, it is the only scavenger bird that cannot kill its prey. Its powerful beak, however, can rip through even the toughest cow hide. If a Turkey Vulture is disturbed or pestered, it throws up on whatever is bothering it.
Most birds cannot smell. Not so with the Turkey Vulture, which has one of the most sensitive noses of all animals. It can discern the scent of rotting flesh in concentrations as small as a few parts per billion in the air and up to 6.5 miles away! You can see through its nasal openings, really one large opening, which allows air to flow directly over the olfactory nerves.
A group of perched vultures is called a wake. Kettles are groups of vultures spiraling upward to gain altitude in thermal updrafts. Note the uplifted wings in a sort of "V" shape. This is helpful in identifying them at a distance.
Over Christmas break, I managed to prepare the next video: Tree Frogs on the Move: Hunting Mode. It can be viewed here if you wish to see it: youtu.be/qe4p895Fo4Q
The first time I watched these Pacific Tree Frogs, (Pseudacris regilla), they all seemed to be resting (for one hour). After taking many photos, early in the morning, I left briefly to warm up, never guessing the change that would occur while I was gone. Upon returning, ~1/3 had changed position or left. I determined to find out what was going on.
The next time I visited this prime location, I chose an ideal frog to watch, set up my gear and waited. I now have a new appreciation for these little hunters. Do not be deceived! Though they may indeed be resting, they are also in hunting mode.
The trick in recording the behaviour is seeing what will transpire before the frog does, in order to turn on the gear in time. The time delay makes it impossible to keep the gear running for hours, waiting for the moment when movement occurs. I missed many opportunities by not paying enough attention.
So this video amalgamation which has started a new series, contains tree frogs on the move. They are getting into position to wait, shifting position when they see potential prey, and finally, one action clip of a successful hunt.
The action in the last clip was so fast, it was impossible to see if he was successful in grabbing the bug, so I repeated the clip in slow motion. Now my gear is not the best for videos, so the images are somewhat blurred with the speed of the action. Therefore, I froze the last frame, in which the frog sits on the end of the reed where the bug had been located with an open mouth. Not the clearest frame, and I was dismayed to see that unless one's viewing screen is small , not really discernible.
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs, etc. without my permission.
Note: Although I love favs, I will typically respond only to those who leave a comment.
This is a close-up photo of the bark of a birch tree into which, quite some time ago, someone has carved some letters with a jack knife, their initials perhaps, or a message. I can make out a 'W', but can't discern the next letter. The presence of the roughly scratched letters makes the natural markings in the birch bark seem like they were created with a much more skilled level of artistry.
"lifer" This is a juvenile (I have been corrected my our guide, not a female as he says the sex of this species is not discernable by looking). Photographed in a large meadow that has a mineral hot spring at it's center. Formerly it had green houses used to grow tomatoes.
Island Of Madagascar
Off The East Coast Of Africa
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
The Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus), is a species of lemur in the family Lemuridae. It is found in Madagascar and Mayotte.
The common brown lemur lives in western Madagascar north of the Betsiboka River and eastern Madagascar between the Mangoro River and Tsaratanana, as well as in inland Madagascar connecting the eastern and western ranges. They also live on the island of Mayotte, although this population is believed to have been introduced there by man.
The common brown lemur's diet consists primarily of fruits, young leaves, and flowers. In some locations it eats invertebrates, such as cicadas, spiders and millipedes. It also eats bark, sap, soil and red clay. It can tolerate greater levels of toxic compounds from plants than other lemurs can.
Consistent with its large range, the common brown lemur occupies a variety of forest types, including lowland rainforests, montane rainforests, moist evergreen forests and dry deciduous forests.
They normally live in groups of 5 to 12, but group size can be larger, especially on Mayotte. Groups occupy home ranges of 1 to 9 hectares in the west, but more than 20 hectares in the east. Groups include members of both sexes, including juveniles, and there are no discernible dominance hierarchies.
They are primarily active during the day, but can exhibit cathemeral activity and continue into the night, especially during full moons and during the dry season. – Wikipedia
Je ne sais pas pour vous, mais je trouve ce vieil arbre fascinant. Je me demande bien quel âge il a. Une chose est certaine, il présente une forme pour le moins spéciale avec son écorce boursouflée. Pour les amateurs du Seigneur des anneaux, il me fait penser à un ent, ces vieilles créatures à mi-chemin entre les arbres et les hommes. Ou peut-être est-ce une ent-femme qui sommeille? On croirait presque pouvoir discerner un visage à sa base.
En los últimos días, si queremos acoger al Señor, no sólo debemos tener un discernimiento de los comportamientos de los falsos Cristos, sino que, lo que es más importante, debemos conocer la esencia de Cristo, lo cual es la verdad más fundamental y crucial.
Dios Todopoderoso dice: “Aquel que es Dios encarnado poseerá la esencia de Dios, y Aquel que es Dios encarnado tendrá la expresión de Dios. Puesto que Dios se hace carne, manifestará la obra que pretende llevar a cabo y puesto que se hace carne expresará lo que Él es; será, asimismo, capaz de traer la verdad al hombre, de concederle la vida y de señalarle el camino. La carne que no contiene la esencia de Dios definitivamente no es el Dios encarnado; de esto no hay duda. Si el hombre pretende investigar si es la carne encarnada de Dios, entonces debe corroborarlo a partir del carácter que Él expresa y de las palabras que Él habla. Es decir, para corroborar si es o no la carne encarnada de Dios y si es o no el camino verdadero, la persona debe discernir basándose en Su esencia. Y, así, a la hora de determinar si se trata de la carne de Dios encarnado, la clave yace en Su esencia (Su obra, Sus declaraciones, Su carácter y muchos otros aspectos), en lugar de fijarse en Su apariencia externa”.
“El Dios que se hizo carne se llama Cristo, y así el Cristo que les puede dar a las personas la verdad se llama Dios. No hay nada excesivo en esto, porque Él posee la esencia de Dios, y posee el carácter de Dios, y posee la sabiduría en Su obra, que el hombre no puede alcanzar. Los que así mismos se llaman Cristo, pero que no pueden hacer la obra de Dios, son fraudes. Cristo no es sólo la manifestación de Dios en la tierra, sino que también es la carne particular asumida por Dios a medida que lleva a cabo y completa Su obra entre los hombres. Esta carne no puede ser suplantada por cualquier hombre, sino que es una carne que puede soportar adecuadamente la obra de Dios en la tierra, expresar el carácter de Dios y representarlo bien, y proveer la vida al hombre. Tarde o temprano, aquellos que suplantan a Cristo caerán porque, aunque afirman ser Cristo, no poseen nada de Su esencia. Y así digo que la autenticidad de Cristo, el hombre no la puede definir, sino que Dios mismo la contesta y la decide”.
Extracto de “La Palabra manifestada en carne”
De las palabras de Dios, podemos ver que la esencia de Cristo es Dios encarnado. En otras palabras, el Espíritu de Dios del cielo se reviste de carne y se convierte en el Hijo del hombre para obrar entre los hombres. Aunque es ordinario y normal por fuera, posee una esencia divina. Por lo tanto, Cristo es capaz de expresar la verdad, la voz de Dios y hacer la obra de salvar a la humanidad. Así como el Señor Jesús, quien era Dios encarnado, Cristo, y a pesar de que era una persona común y corriente en apariencia, puso fin a la Era de la Ley y abrió la Era de la Gracia, expresando la verdad, otorgando a las personas el camino del arrepentimiento, haciendo la obra de redimir a toda la humanidad mediante la crucifixión y mostrando muchos milagros y prodigios. Además, el Señor Jesús también predicó por todas las partes, expresó la verdad en toda ocasión según las necesidades prácticas de las personas para proveer y pastorear a ellas, y Sus palabras y Su obra confirmaban plenamente que Él era Cristo. De la misma manera, Dios Todopoderoso encarnado ha venido en los últimos días, ha realizado la obra de juicio comenzando por la casa de Dios, ha expresado todas las verdades que purifican y salvan a la humanidad, ha revelado todo el misterio del plan de gestión de Dios y ha expuesto la raíz de del mal y tiniebla del mundo, la naturaleza satánica y los caracteres corruptos de la humanidad que peca y se resiste a Dios, al mismo tiempo, le ha indicado el camino de ser purificada del pecado, etc. De no haberse encarnado Dios, ¿quién podría expresar la verdad que purifica y salva a la humanidad? ¿Quién podría hacer la obra de purificar y salvar a la humanidad? Solo Dios encarnado es capaz de hacer estas obras. Por lo tanto, por la verdad expresada y la obra realizada por Dios Todopoderoso, podemos reconocer que Cristo de los últimos días, Dios Todopoderoso, es el regreso del Señor Jesús, Dios encarnado, Dios mismo, el único.
*
"En réalité, chaque lecteur est, quand il lit, le propre lecteur de soi-même. L’ouvrage d’un écrivain n’est qu’une espèce d’instrument optique qu’il offre au lecteur afin de lui permettre de discerner ce que sans le livre il n’eût peut-être pas vu en soi-même”
Marcel Proust, écrivain français (1871 1922) in "Le Temps retrouvé"
*Own work
Doug Harrop Photography • Sept. 11, 1975
You can all but feel the ground tremor as Santa Fe 5683, an SD45-2 model and four SD26 locomotives pull east through Cable, California.
For me, this photo speaks to mountain railroading and defying gravity. You can discern airborne sand along wheels of the locomotives. This has to be one of my favorite photos of Tehachapi. Kudos to Doug!
This photograph was taken in St Katherine Dock during my recent visit to London.
It was a slightly breezy evening, with drifting clouds. The viewpoint chosen for the long exposure photograph was near the railing on the side of the dock, with some yachts seen in the foreground, and the illuminated Dickens Restaurant behind the trees with leaves turning colours for autumn. The drifting clouds could be discerned in the background.
After Paul Simon, whose last verse of his song "The Boxer" says
"In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down or cut him
'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving", but the fighter still remains
More wabi-sabi, and another tulip. What I like here is the way the petals, the pistil and stamens, and the stem dance about in the frame, as well as the colors and textures. The result of a multi-image focus stack, this image should reward pretty close examination.
Maximum viewing size on your computer can be found by opening the image in a separate window, making that window maximum size, typing the letter "L" on the keyboard, and then clicking the cursor as long as a '+' appears in it, typically twice.
If you find this image to your liking, you can find more wabi-sabi - and an account of my understanding of the meaning of that term - in my wabi-sabi album, and more tulips in my Tulips album.
BTW, I've taken to putting a white rim around these images on black because, on my iPhone flickr app, it is otherwise difficult to discern the image's edges. I made it tiny because, while large mats look lovely on my desktop monitor, they make it hard for my tired old eyes to view an image on my iPhone's small screen.
As far as I can discern this is a late 50s or early 60s Bentley, possibly a Continental, although I’d be lying if I claimed I knew for sure. At any rate the body work has seen better days even if the car itself is still quite regal. There is a current ethos in regard to classic cars where a lot of collectors prefer if the car is in a genuine original condition, warts and all. This example certainly fits the bill on that front but it’s still a very attractive old behemoth for a 60s child such as myself.
35mm film photography
Canon 7 rangefinder
Industar-61 52mm f/2.8
Ferrania Solaris 200 (expired 2015)
Converted to B&W in pp
Europe, Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam-Zuid, Kop van Zuid, In Holland (Eric van Egeraad) facade Cité (Tangram). (cut from all sides)
In the northern facade of the InHolland University for higher professional education (by Erik van Egeraat associated architects.,1997), the Cité student/starters tenement building (by Tangram architects, 2010) and a small part of the Internal revenue service building can be discerned The internal structure of the In Holland building can be seen here too.
All the buildings are of course elements of the 'Kop van Zuid' urban restructuring project in progress which has converted major parts of the old harbour area on the South bank of the Maas (with its defunct ports, warehouses and railway heads) into an integrated living, recreative and commercial service quarter. It’s comparable with the Docklands in London and the waterfront re-developments in Barcelona and New York.
Number 495 of the Rotterdam architecture album.
Nearly three months separates the photos in this composite. Yet it feels like much less in my increasingly contorted perspective of time. As a child I would sometimes spin in circles. I loved the momentary sense of imbalance before my senses fell back into rhythm. The passage of time gives me the a similar sense of imbalance. However these days the normal rhythm is never fully restored. I stumble from one season into the next with a failing sense of comprehension about the progression.
Photography at least provides me with a tangible set of way posts to mark my journey. My phone in particular offers an amazing visual tracking of life moments. I often cross through the camera roll quickly. It creates a weird motion blur where you can't really focus on a single image. Rather I discern only shapes and colors that correlate in part to the season in which the pictures were taken. Another trick is to zoom way out until hundreds of photos appear in miniature. Love seeing my recent life translated into to a mosaic, billions of pixels. Individually indiscernible, but collectively representing my daily experiences on the pathway of life.
Standing on the edge off this woodland pond the other day, I was struck by the cold and barren bleakness. I thought back to that brilliant October day when I stood in this exact same spot. The scene literally burst into vibrant and joyous color. This composite conveys that joy, but in a shocking, even disturbing juxtaposition. It put me in mind of the explosion of an underwater depth charge. Yet another unwanted time marker passing me by.
3 claves para vencer tentaciones en la guerra espiritual
Jingxing, Corea del Sur
Hermanos y hermanas:
¡Os deseo paz en el Señor! No pocas veces ocurrirá todo tipo de guerra espiritual a lo largo de nuestro tiempo de fe en Dios y siguiendo a Dios. Hay tentaciones con respecto al dinero, el estatus y el nombre y las tentaciones entre hombres y mujeres, así como la calumnia por parte de los incrédulos, la obstrucción y la represión de los seres queridos, además de ser cazados y perseguidos por un régimen satánico. A veces nos suceden calamidades completamente inesperadas. La Biblia dice: “Sed de espíritu sobrio, estad alerta. Vuestro adversario, el diablo, anda al acecho como león rugiente, buscando a quien devorar” (1 Pedro 5:8). Las palabras de Dios dicen: “En la tierra, toda clase de espíritus malvados está constantemente al acecho de un lugar para descansar, buscando incesantemente cadáveres de personas para comerlos” (‘La décima declaración’ Las declaraciones de Dios al universo entero en “La Palabra manifestada en carne”). No hay un solo momento en que Satanás no esté a nuestro lado, rompiéndose la cabeza para usar a cualquier persona, evento o cosa para tentarnos, probarnos y perseguirnos, tratando de que nos hundamos en el mal, en el desastre y en que nos distanciemos de Dios para traicionarlo para que al final podamos ser tragados completos por él. Si carecemos de la verdad también carecemos de discernimiento; si no podemos ver claramente la guerra espiritual, si no podemos permanecer firmes en las palabras de Dios, es probable que persigamos los beneficios y las preferencias carnales, que caigamos en la red de Satanás y perdamos nuestro testimonio. Como cristianos es crucial aprender cómo reconocer los trucos de Satanás. Así que, ¿qué podemos hacer para permitirnos ver las intenciones de los trucos de Satanás en medio de la guerra espiritual y mantenernos firmes en el testimonio para Dios? Me gustaría compartir contigo un poco de enseñanza sobre tres sendas de práctica para triunfar sobre las tentaciones de Satanás.
Continuará… www.kingdomsalvation.org/es/testimonies/masterstrokes-for...
Para conocer más: Reflexiones cristianas
Wearyall Hill (also known as Wirral Hill) is a ridge of a hill opposite Glastonbury Tor (in the distance on the right). Glastonbury Town centre sits off to one side between them. It is reputed to be the birthplace of the Holy Thorn, a twice annually flowering tree that grew from the spot where Joseph of Arimathea was supposed to be have put his staff into the ground. The tree itself is now gone (though it's location can be discerned by the decoration around it's spot) as it was chopped down, regrown and then eventually removed because of vandalism by less 'open minded' folk. Wearyall Hill was supposed to have got it's name from the fact that Joseph was weary upon reaching the top of it. Like the Tor opposite, good views can be obtained from the top over Glastonbury and the Somerset Levels.
I found this male hummingbird coming down from a tree to feast on some pink clover growing in a patch of grass & weeds by the train track. Some stalks were in the way; this was the best of several shots that I was able to get, as it shows off that bright pink colour! You can just discern his wings fluttering as he feeds.
When I checked the photo on the computer, I saw to my great surprise and joy that is was an Anna's Hummingbird. I had not seen these here before in the Vancouver areas of BC, but apparently they do have habitats here.
Note: The Anna's Hummingbird was voted as the official bird of BC.These and the Rufous Hummingbirds do not migrate south in winter; they stay all year long.
In the sepulchral dusk of a world long extinguished, I, Quirlin, a humble ant, bear witness to the desolation that has befallen this forsaken earth. A world unrecognizable, a spectral remnant of its former grandeur, this planet has endured the scourge of 135,235 years since the cataclysmic advent of the first Solar Cyclone. This cataclysm, these calamitous epochs we designate as the Eras of Blazing Wrath, have all but obliterated the race once known as humanity. These five dread ages – The Flaming Inferno, The Burning Wrathfire, The Glowing Destruction, The Heated Chaos, and The Scorched Ash – have eradicated every vestige of electrical circuitry upon this forsaken sphere. The once vital electric grid, the erstwhile lifeblood of civilization, now lingers only in the ephemeral realm of myth.
In the aftermath of these colossal power failures, the cooling systems of all nuclear power plants faltered, precipitating over four hundred catastrophic core meltdowns and an insidious contamination of nuclear radiation. It was amidst this irradiated desolation that we ants began to burgeon, evolving into beings of prodigious stature.
In this transformed and accursed realm, we insects, and particularly we ants, have ascended into beings of titanic proportions. Across countless generations, we have garnered the arcane knowledge preserved within the tomes you termed books, transmitting these esoteric treasures through the annals of time. Our mode of communication has transcended rudimentary methods; we now utilize intricate electrochemical signals, conveyed through the slightest of touches, a language of elegance and precision refined over hundreds of millions of years.
Upon a fateful and foreboding day, as I foraged amidst this wasteland for sustenance, I encountered a solitary human survivor – a trembling monk. The monk, gripped by palpable terror, uttered incoherent supplications to deities long forgotten.
Cautiously, yet impelled by an insatiable hunger, I approached. Despite the altered state of our existence, the primal need for nourishment remained undiminished. As I made contact, his feeble electrochemical signals coursed through me, starkly discordant from those of my kin – chaotic, disordered. I discerned his emotions: raw terror within the monk.
In a futile bid for mercy, the monk raised his hands in desperate supplication, but he was no match for my formidable strength. With a deft maneuver of my mandibles, I dismantled his feeble defenses and commenced my grim repast. His scream, a haunting echo through the desolate expanse, was swiftly stifled. His essence coursed through me, revitalizing my form.
Thus sated, I moved onward. This world, harsh and merciless, now falls under the dominion of us ants. We are the new sovereigns of the earth, and our electrochemical signals shall perpetuate the chronicles of this post-apocalyptic realm. Thus, I traverse the scorched remnants of this ancient world, ever poised to inscribe the next chapter of my saga.
Translations in French, Spanish and German in the first comments.
One of the major benefits of holding our Bodie night photography workshops in the early summer. Warm days drive convection and cloud formation over Mono Lake, and the adjacent Bodie Hills often enjoy afternoon thunderstorms, golden hour rainbows, and colorful sunsets. Fortunately this is high desert, so much of the rain doesn't even reach the ground. Although the rain shower that passed over us in June 2019 in Bodie was barely discernible to us on the ground, the rainbows that formed at least three times were nice and strong, often producing double rainbows. When the sun set, the heat driving the local showers dissipated, and the clouds broke up and drifted away for crystal-clear night photography.
Sorry if this spoils your breakfast, but nature is red in tooth and claw, after all. The dragonfly caught the damselfly in midair and took it to a nearby bush where it munched through the head and abdomen. Both insects were male, in case anyone was wondering.
Technically, this is not a macro - it is a small crop out of a much larger frame, but the resolution is impressive - the elements of the dragonfly's compound eyes can clearly be discerned.
Hazratpur, Keranigonj, Dhaka
Description
The size is little smaller than bulbul and larger than small bee-eater. The beak is black and a blackstrip is present from the beak to neck covering the eye. The head, breast and near the neck the color is chestnut or brown. The wings are greenish-blue, the rump and tail is blue. Adults has long tail pins. Sexes alike.
Distribution
It can be spotted throughout the Indian union, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan upto 1000 meters in the Himalayas. It is winter visitor of Andaman and Nicobars.
Food
It eats mainly dragonflies, bees, wasps etc.
Habits
It likes to reside in wooded country where jheels or streams are available. It perches on wires and branches and hunts bees, dragonflies, wasps etc. It’s call is like “te-tew,te-tew” and discernible from the call of small bee-eater.
Nesting
March to June is its nesting season. It creates its nest in river banks. The nest is like a tunnel with an egg chamber at the end. It lays 5 to 7 white roundish oval eggs. Both sexes share the parental responsibilities.
Source: www.muktobihango.net/2013/09/blue-tailed-bee-eater.html
A Union Pacific coal train climbs through the heart of the Tunnel District at South Draw just east of Crescent, Colorado, on May 14, 2017. The train is in four tunnels at once on the twisting and arduous climb—tunnel Nos. 13 through 16—as the train works up the two-percent grade. Curving past site of former Tunnel 17 (abandoned after collapse during construction) is the seven locomotives on the head end of the empty. This collapsed tunnel was bypassed using a ‘shoofly’ that can still somewhat be discerned just to the left of the locomotives, used until the old tunnel was finally daylighted in 1938. The train will soon be entering ‘new’ 1,752-foot Tunnel 17.
La sélection sexuelle... dépend de l'ardeur, du courage, de la rivalité des mâles autant que du discernement, du goût et de la volonté de la femelle.
Charles Darwin
Atardecer Nublado en el Camino Rural de Kent Hill
La imagen captura un pintoresco camino de tierra que serpentea a través de un denso bosque, sumergido en los tonos apagados del otoño en el condado de Albert, Nuevo Brunswick, bajo un cielo plomizo y con la luz del día desvaneciéndose.
Primer Plano y Camino: El camino de tierra domina el primer plano y el centro de la composición. Su superficie es irregular, marcada por roderas de neumáticos y una capa húmeda de hojas caídas en tonos ocres, marrones y rojizos, que parecen más oscuros bajo la luz difusa.
Vegetación y Colores Otoñales: A ambos lados del camino, una exuberante vegetación crea un túnel natural. Los árboles, que incluyen arces, abedules y coníferas, muestran una paleta de colores otoñales que, en lugar de brillar, adquieren una intensidad más profunda y saturada debido a la falta de luz solar directa. Los rojos se vuelven carmesí oscuro, los naranjas se tornan cobrizos y los amarillos, mostaza, contrastando fuertemente con el verde oscuro casi negro de los pinos y abetos.
Fondo y Atmósfera: El camino se pierde en la penumbra de la distancia, invitando al espectador a adentrarse en la profundidad sombría del bosque. El cielo es una bóveda de nubes grises y uniformes que actúan como un gran difusor de luz natural, eliminando las sombras fuertes y bañando toda la escena en una iluminación suave y melancólica. En la lejanía, apenas discernibles entre las copas de los árboles o elevándose por encima de ellas, las esbeltas torres blancas de las turbinas eólicas del Kent Hill Wind Facility se integran silenciosamente en el paisaje, su blancura atenuada por la escasa luz del atardecer que se aproxima.
Ambiente: La escena evoca una sensación de quietud, introspección y el inminente final del día. El aire parece frío y denso, y la atmósfera general es de una belleza austera y melancólica, muy diferente a la vitalidad de un día soleado.
======ENGLISH========
The image captures a dirt road winding through a dense forest in Albert County on an intensely cloudy autumn day, as daylight rapidly fades.
Overall Atmosphere and Light: The atmosphere is melancholic and quiet. The light is dim, soft, and diffuse, with no harsh shadows due to the thick layer of gray clouds covering the sky. The autumn color palette, although present, is subdued by the lack of sunlight, adopting more muted tones and lower saturation levels.
Foreground and Road: The dirt road in the foreground appears darker and wetter, which deepens the brown and ochre tones of the earth and the fallen leaves. The scattered maple and birch leaves on the ground look almost dull, barely reflecting the remaining light.
Vegetation and Autumn Colors: The trees on both sides of the road form a shadowy corridor. The reds appear more a deep crimson, the oranges more burnt, and the yellows take on a mustard hue. The dark greens of the conifers stand out by contrast with the deciduous leaves, providing structure to the landscape.
Background and Wind Turbines: As the road recedes into the distance, visibility decreases. The silhouettes of the Kent Hill Wind Facility turbines rise against the leaden sky, but their usual brightness is lost in the gloom of the approaching evening. They integrate more as ghostly shapes in the distance rather than bright, modern landmarks.
Caption Enhance with Ai.
Turbine_MG_9823
Coloro che sognano di giorno sono consapevoli di molte cose che sfuggono a coloro che sognano solo di notte.
Nelle loro visioni grigie captano sprazzi d'eternità e tremano, svegliandosi, nello scoprire di essere giunti al limite del grande segreto.
In un attimo, apprendono qualcosa del discernimento del bene e qualcosa più che la pura e semplice conoscenza del male.
Edgar Allan Poe
A footbridge now crosses the river Lha-chu and above it, nestling in the cliff face is the rebuilt Kagyu monastery of Choku Gonpa (4770 m), which was originally founded by Nyepo Drubtob in accordance with a prophesy of Gotsangpa.
The manastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution as whas 99% of all monasteries in Tibet.
The view of the south face of Gangs Rinpo Che, Gangs Ti Se or Kailash mountain, if clear, is striking. Below the monastery, but not discernible, is the Langchen Bepuk (Hidden Elephant Cave) where Padmasambhava stayed and meditated when he came to Mount Kailash
Doug Harrop Photography • October 18, 1976
Southern Pacific 8935 leads eastbound merchandise through the Tehachapi Mountains near Marcel, California.
This particular train had two sets of manned helpers, and the first set can be discerned on a distant curve through the exhaust and heat distortion.
Doug's photography on Tehachapi is exceptional, and appears to be molded in the style of Steve Schmollinger, a talented photographer who literally published a book on this legendary mountain pass.
Looking southwards across Kianinny Bay near Tathra on the NSW Far South Coast. Of interest here (to me anyway 😁 ) is how the IRChrome filter has picked up the marine plants growing on the intertidal surfaces of the bedrock outcrops. These growths would barely be discernible in an equivalent frame in ordinary light. Taken with a Super-Takumar 35mm f3.5 lens and full spectrum converted Pentax K5.
Outside my back door at breakfast this morning. A low arc of colour as the rising sun intercepted a rain squall moving towards the house. Faint supernumerary arcs can just be discerned beneath the main rainbow.
HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 PLM with HD PENTAX 1.4x rear converter. Not the ideal camera/lens combination but these phenomena often don't wait for lens changes.
The male Ring-necked Pheasant on the left jumped up briefly for no apparent reason that I could discern…even the male on the right seems to be looking at it quizzically, as if thinking the bird equivalent of “What’s up?” These colourful males certainly stand out when in the open (as here in a snowy field east of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada), but they can quickly fly to cover and disappear well despite their gaudy plumage. As is often the case among birds, females show a more subdued and well-camouflaged pattern: an advantage while nesting and for survival in general thanks to a less conspicuous presence.
Species: Poecile montanus.
Superficially very similar to Marsh Tit but separable with care. The voice is this species' most useful identification feature. Subtle structural and plumage differences also exist between the species, but these are not always as easy to discern in the field as you might suppose. The two species also favour subtly different habitats. Info: Collins Guide to British Birds.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
This composite shows an adult fall male and a first fall female. When there is a lot of chestnut it almost always is a fall adult male. Many fall birds of this species may not show any chestnut and that doesn't mean they definitely are a first fall female. It could be a bit of chestnut is hidden by the wing position. When no discernible chestnut is seen another helpful thing is to look at the olive parts especially the over tail region, the area just above the wing bars, and the back. The bird at the lower left is pretty much uniformly olive in those areas pointing towards a first fall female. As is the case with many fall warblers it is probably most difficult to separate fall adult females from first fall males. They both generally have a touch of chestnut perhaps hidden by wing position, and some obvious black spotting in areas mentioned above. Next up is a Spring adult male for comparison.
Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam, Hoek van Holland, Uluwatu, Ficada (uncut)
Shot on the terrace of the Uluwatu beach restaurant. Savouring a 'Fish market' dish and a bottle of Portuguese (Setubal) Ficada wine, we heard Pino D'Ango from somewhere. Faintly, but discernable. The quirky Italo-dicso from the 70s-80s added to the charm of the occaision :-)
This is number 7 of the new Drinkin' album.
The soundtrack, Ma quale idea, is here.
Doug Harrop Photography • April 14, 1989
Santa Fe 5430 East and train twist through the world famous Tehachapi Loop at Walong, California.
The head end of the train has passed the east switch Walong siding, while the rear helper can be discerned mid-photo, just outside of Tunnel 9 at the west switch Walong.
Amazing photo. Thank you for your efforts, Doug!
Investigar el regreso del Señor deber escuchar la voz de Dios
Básicamente, todas las profecías mencionadas en la Biblia referentes al retorno del Señor ya se han hecho realidad. La mayoría de las personas han sentido que el Señor ya ha regresado, por lo que, ¿cómo debemos investigar esto para asegurarnos de si Dios Todopoderoso es o no el Señor Jesús retornado? ¿Debemos hacer nuestro juicio basándonos en las profecías de la Biblia o debemos investigar directamente la palabra y la obra de Dios Todopoderoso? ¿Cómo debemos aprovechar esta oportunidad extremadamente excepcional y dar la bienvenida al retorno de nuestro Señor?
Dios Todopoderoso dice: “Lo que debes hacer es aceptar, sin la necesidad de más justificación bíblica, cualquier obra mientras ésta sea del Espíritu Santo, porque crees en Dios para seguirlo, no debes investigarlo. No debes buscar más pruebas para que Yo muestre que soy tu Dios. En su lugar, debes discernir si soy beneficioso para ti; ésa es la clave” (La Palabra Manifestada En Carne)
Ver más: www.kingdomsalvation.org/es/videos/from-the-throne-flows-...