View allAll Photos Tagged INTERDEPENDENT
For my wife, my other half.
.
PHOTO RECIPE
___________________
Ingredients:
Chinese baoding balls
white paper for bottom and background
50mm F1.8 II +Canon 40D
White plastic diffuser
How it's done:
Simply set balls on paper, with paper bent up to provide background. Compose with one ball behind the other. Set aperture small enough to get good focus on one ball, and leave other in bokeh-liscious blurr.
I used the on camera flash, diffused through handheld white plastic diffuser. Manual exposure. Import RAW file to Adobe, do some contrast magic and pop it to flickr for your enjoyment and my ego!
What do you think? Not bad for a simple shot or it sucks?
The Small White Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium candidum) is a rare, endangered, perennial orchid with tiny white flowers that occurs in isolated patches in Ontario. As with all orchids, fungus found in the soil are interdependent for their nourishment and survival. The orchid requires approximately three years to produce its first leaf and as many as 16 years to produce its first flower after germination. The species is capable of extended dormancy, surviving underground for as long as six years, until suitable conditions occur for above ground growth.
It is important to be aware of the ecological sensitivity of the location. I stay on the trails and minimize my impact on the environment at all times. I practice wildflower-friendly photo techniques only, to prevent damage to flowers and their habitat. Copyright © Kim Toews/All Rights Reserved.
Runa Photography © 2014
© All rights reserved, don´t use this image without my permission
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La Madre Tierra es una expresión común utilizada para referirse al planeta Tierra en diversos países y regiones, lo que demuestra la interdependencia existente entre los seres humanos, las demás especies vivas y el planeta que todos habitamos. Por ejemplo, en Bolivia la llaman «Pacha Mama» y nuestros ancestros en Nicaragua se referían a ella como «Tonantzin».
La proclamación Documento del 22 de abril como Día Internacional de la Madre Tierra supone el reconocimiento de que la Tierra y sus ecosistemas nos proporcionan la vida y el sustento a lo largo de nuestra existencia. También supone reconocer la responsabilidad que nos corresponde, como se expone en la Declaración de Río de 1992, de promover la armonía con la naturaleza y la Tierra a fin de alcanzar un justo equilibrio entre las necesidades económicas, sociales y ambientales de las generaciones presentes y futuras.
Reconociendo que la Madre Tierra refleja la interdependencia que existe entre los seres humanos, las demás especies vivas y el planeta que todos habitamos, la Asamblea General declaró el 22 de abril como Día Internacional de la Madre Tierra para destacar la necesidad de ayudar a mejorar las vidas de los niños y los adultos que sufren del desorden para que puedan llevar una vida plena y significativa.
Fuente: ONU
God’s words | "God Himself, the Unique VII" (Part 3) - "God Is the Source of Life for All Things (I)"
This is the link to the video: www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/god-himself-the-unique-vi...
Introduction
Almighty God says, "God made all things interconnected, mutually intertwined, and interdependent. He used this method and these rules to maintain the survival and existence of all things and in this way mankind has lived quietly and peacefully and has grown and multiplied from one generation to the next in this living environment up to the present day. God balances the natural environment to ensure mankind's survival. If God's regulation and control were not in place, no man could maintain and balance the environment, even if it was created by God in the first place—this still can't ensure mankind's survival. So you can see that God handles it all perfectly!" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Recommend to you: God's work
Image Source: The Church of Almighty God
Terms of Use: en.godfootsteps.org/disclaimer.html
Photo taken at MetaLes
Bury your fears, bury your dreams by Selavy Oh, a multimedia work consisting of three interdependent parts:
A real-life series of interventions at various german graveyards from 2014-2016
A book available for purchase documenting and complementing the interventions.
A full-sim installation at the sim MetaLES, July -August 2016 in the virtual world of second life.
This picture ( in this particular installation) is my submission for the group "I stand for the Peace".
___________________________________________________________________
The White Canvas Gallery presents an open challenge to enable you to stand united for peace. Lets disown the mindless violence around us and lets DO something about it as artists.
My Nominees: Cherry Manga, Tutsy NAvArAthnA, Eupalinos Ugajin
Rules of the challenge (go to this link): www.flickr.com/photos/goodcross/28068142260/in/dateposted/
Excerpt from www.hamilton.ca/things-do/arts-music/public-art/west-harb...:
"All Our Relations" by an artist team led by Angela DeMontigny and supported by Paull Rodrigue Glass, Cobalt Connects, LaFontaine Iron Werks Inc. and EXP.
I was inspired to create these panels and artwork by the traditional teachings I’ve received through the years as well as the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.
I hope to remind people when they visit the Hamilton waterfront, of the intrinsic and interdependent relationship we have with Mother Earth, the natural world: the water, the plants, trees and medicines, and the animal world. This also includes the Spirit World, the Sky Beings, the 4 Sacred Winds, our Grandfather the Sun, Grandmother Moon, and our Ancestors the Stars. I also wanted to acknowledge all the Indigenous Ancestors who have historically called this area home for millennia – from the Neutral, Anishnabek, and Huron nations and more recently, the Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.
As fires currently burn in the Amazon and global warming melts the permafrost and icecaps in Alaska, the world is finally becoming aware of how interconnected we are and that what happens in one country, affects us all. Indigenous people around the globe have always known this and have been valiantly trying to protect what we have left.
Hamilton is located within the Niagara Escarpment – a recognized, world UNESCO Biosphere Reserve which includes a rich biodiversity of rivers, lakes, waterfalls and forests that support numerous species of birds, fish, reptiles and mammals. It has the oldest forest ecosystem and trees in eastern North America. I have chosen to represent just a few of these species in this artwork for the public to enjoy when visiting or living near the Hamilton waterfront.
We must acknowledge, give thanks and protect all our precious, natural resources so that we can ALL continue to live and thrive not only in this beautiful area but on this incredible planet which is our mother. Water is Life. "Nipipimahtisuwin" (Cree). All My Relations “Niw_Hk_M_Kanak” (Cree).
Two halves that together complete wholeness. Warm and cool; fire and ice; light and shadow; gold and blue. In Chinese philosophy, yin yang describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world.
Ants Farm Aphids in a Symbiotic Relationship
Who would consider ants farmers? Plant pests and picnic nuisances, yes, but farmer is not a vocation naturally assigned to these tiny insects. However, it is a true circumstance in which they herd and care for aphids in order to keep a much loved food in constant supply. Aphids and ants on plants are as interdependent as peanut butter and jelly.
Aphids are sucking insects that are common on both outdoor and indoor plants. They feed on the sap of plants and secrete a substance called honeydew. This sticky resin is a favorite food of ants, who actually ‘milk' the aphids for it by stroking their abdomen. The relationship between aphids and ants is symbiotic in that both receive some benefit from the arrangement. The unique relationship between these two organisms provides protection for the aphids and food for the ants. Aphids protect ants from predators, such as lacewings and ladybugs. Ants have also recently been found to protect the aphids from a fungal outbreak that causes death, by removing the bodies of the infected aphids.
**Fort Pulaski National Monument** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 66000064, date listed 10/15/1966
17 mi. W of Savannah, Cockspur Island
Savannah, GA (Chatham County)
Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern U.S. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. Associated with it are various ancillary structures and sites that predate, contemporize with, or postdate the main building.
Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and casemated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smoothbore cannon of the period.
Ancillary structures include: numerous cisterns, workmen's village house foundations and a stone pier, all associated with the fort's construction; Cockspur Island Lighthouse (1840) prominent in local navigational history and architecturally significant; Battery Hambright (1895) which represents the continuing evolution of coastal fortifications; and, the park residence (1896), once headquarters of the U. S. Quarantine Station on the island. (1)
A five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7 ½ foot-thick outer walls two tiers high, and approximately 350 feet long on each side, this casemated fort is in excellent condition. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long. The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep. Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg...
www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/god-himself-the-unique-vi...
"Speaking of the larger environment, God made all things interconnected, mutually intertwined, and interdependent. He used this method and these rules to maintain the survival and existence of all things and in this way mankind has lived quietly and peacefully and has grown and multiplied from one generation to the next in this living environment up to the present day. God balances the natural environment to ensure mankind’s survival. If God’s regulation and control were not in place, no man could maintain and balance the environment, even if it was created by God in the first place—this still can’t ensure mankind’s survival. So you can see that God handles it all perfectly!" (Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh).
The Third System refers to 19th century military architecture in the United States. Fort Pulaski National Monument exists as one of the best preserved forts in this defense system. Shoreline defense was fragmented and weak when the British burned the nation's capital during the War of 1812. At the time coastal defenses were composed of a haphazard assortment of batteries and outposts. In response to lessons learned in the War of 1812, a new coastal defense system was designed. This new defense system was an attempt to protect critical United States shorelines.
The Third System was established during a relatively peaceful time for the United States. These conditions provided for an unprecedented level of standardization in design and planning. For the first time, a professional board was appointed to oversee design and construction. Close to 200 forts were envisioned to guard the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, however only 30 were built between 1816-1867. Some structures were never completed in part because of events at Fort Pulaski during the Civil War.
This photo is of the outer walls that show, in detail, many pock marks from Union cannon fire and the edge of a section that was breached (the newer brick on the left side) by new rifled cannons during the Civil War battle that lead to its surrender by Colonel Charles H. Olmstead. The fort became a National Monument on October 15, 1924 under the War Department and later was transferred to the National Park service on August 10, 1933. At this time, repairs began on the breached portion of the wall and across the rest of this national landmark. Additionally, the Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Much of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
Canon EOS 6D - f/4.5 - 1/200sec - 100mm - ISO 100
- In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (lit. "dark-bright", "negative-positive") describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.
Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang.
For those who are curious what I did photograph here:
it is a refresher you can hang in the dishwasher.
"Merce Cunningham: Common Time" is a major retrospective exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center that is appearing simultaneously at the Walker and the MCA. Merce Cunningham (American, 1919–2009) was a seminal figure in modern dance, revolutionizing performance through his choreography and world-renowned dance company and through partnerships with leading artists, who created costumes, lighting, and set designs for his company’s performances.
The exhibition showcases Cunningham’s multidisciplinary projects, exploring, as Cunningham described, the “underlying principle that music and dance and art could be separate entities independent and interdependent, sharing a common time.”
Views from the Colorado National Monument are known to be beautiful. From the red rock formations, to the canyons that they form ... all overlooking the valley towns of Grand Junction and Fruita in Colorado.
Tom and I fell in love with the area years ago and continue to do so. As many of you know, we tend to do most of our traveling and photography out west and Tom spends numerous weeks out west in the winter for snowboarding as well. Being from south Florida, where we lack mountains or any type of elevation or even season, it sort of made sense. I always thought of it as a Yin and Yang thing, where "in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another." (Cited from Wikipedia) Others might think of it as a "you always want what you don't have" sort of thing. We know that we love the winters and the mountains, but I was never sure about the harsh winter of the western areas that we love so much ... Montana, Wyoming, or even Alaska (which also has the challenges of light extremes in the various seasons). However, we always knew that we felt a bit out of place in Florida. During our travels all over this amazing country of ours, we always wonder ... could this be a place that we could call home? Each place would have it's benefits and challenges, but life is all about compromises, right?
So, Tom and I have something special to announce. In just 3 short days we'll be following our hearts and purchasing a home out west. As you might have guessed by the image, and our many trips out there, we're purchasing that home in Mesa County ... in the small mountain biking town of Fruita, CO! There will be biking opportunities galore for Tom, a slower lifestyle with mountains that surround us, a gentler winter, yet still seasons, and snow, lots of it nearby, yet we won't have to spend the entire winter with a snow shovel in hand. Photographically, the area is full of new opportunities ... wildlife, landscapes (day and night), and most places we love are within a day's drive.
Is anyone out there shocked? I know that I was, and I still am, as I sort through my life at this moment. I couldn't even get myself to share the news with anyone, due to the mixed emotions that I was feeling and the desire to not jinx myself. LOL
So, I want to apologize for being a bit off the radar lately, but we have been busy... extremely busy! Yes, "Somewhere Under the Rainbow" we'll be making a home! I'll be keeping everyone in the loop from here on out. Whew! That felt good to get this exciting news off of my chest! :-)
Hope that everyone has a wonderful week! Thanks for stopping by to view.
© 2017 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern United States. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. The main fortification is a five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7½-foot-thick outer walls two tiers high and approximately 350 feet long on each side. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long. The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep (seen in the photograph above). Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. All other historic structures on the island are in some way associated with the fort, but were not necessary to its operation as a defensive work. The fort is in excellent condition due to extensive restoration in the 1930's by the National Park Service. Its exterior remains unaltered. The interior was altered only by the installation of electricity, rest room facilities, and removable exhibit cases & storage areas in the gorge wall.
Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard, while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and case-mated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smooth-bore cannons of the period. The best military engineering principles, finest joinery, and masonry techniques of the day were used in its construction. Yet the siege and rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski in 1862 by heavy rifled artillery of the Federal Army, which had no precedent at the time, immediately made obsolete all masonry forts everywhere. Most of the construction features and extensive siege damage are still visible, and are interpreted to the visiting public today.
The Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Although the fort embodies nothing new since Roman times in the way of architectural principles, the craftsmanship exhibited in its construction is outstanding, and it is one of the best surviving examples of North American fort architecture and engineering. It is far more significant in terms of military history. Built as it was, to withstand the heaviest of smooth-bore cannons of the day, the fort quickly fell under the punch of rifled artillery. This successful test siege immediately changed the course of military architecture and history forever.
All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
The Third System refers to 19th century military architecture in the United States. Fort Pulaski National Monument exists as one of the best preserved forts in this defense system. Shoreline defense was fragmented and weak when the British burned the nation's capital during the War of 1812. At the time coastal defenses were composed of a haphazard assortment of batteries and outposts. In response to lessons learned in the War of 1812, a new coastal defense system was designed. This new defense system was an attempt to protect critical United States shorelines.
The Third System was established during a relatively peaceful time for the United States. These conditions provided for an unprecedented level of standardization in design and planning. For the first time, a professional board was appointed to oversee design and construction. Close to 200 forts were envisioned to guard the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, however only 30 were built between 1816-1867. Some structures were never completed in part because of events at Fort Pulaski during the Civil War.
This photo is of the outer walls that show, in detail, many pock marks from Union cannon fire and the edge of a section that was breached (the newer brick on the left side) by new rifled cannons during the Civil War battle that lead to its surrender by Colonel Charles H. Olmstead. The fort became a National Monument on October 15, 1924 under the War Department and later was transferred to the National Park service on August 10, 1933. At this time, repairs began on the breached portion of the wall and across the rest of this national landmark. Additionally, the Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Much of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
The Atala butterfly is strange to photograph. The colored areas are vague at the margins so the color looks like it has been dusted on a bit carelessly. But look at its marvelous tones... deep velvety blue, bright sky blue and a brilliant red orange! It is very fast moving so getting a shot at all is always a thrill! Usually looks like a vibrant patch of astounding flying color and it's gone.
Interdependencies in nature once again. This marvelous creature owes its life to the Florida Coontie which was almost wiped out after being the money crop of the first Florida pioneers. Without the Coontie, this beauty will be gone.
The short, woody stem and rootstock of the Coontie grows almost completely underground and produces a terminal crown of stiff, evergreen, pinnate leaves up to 3 feet long. The brown, fleshy, erect, female or seed-bearing cones are pendent when mature. Coontie plants contain a natural toxin, which atala larvae accumulate in their bodies and use to repel birds. Without coontie, adult atalas have no place to lay eggs. No eggs means no new generations. .
Wild coonties’ demise began with starch: Long before Europeans arrived in Florida, Native Americans used coontie as a source of starch. Coontie, in fact, is a Seminole word that means “bread” or “white root” because the roots can be made into flour.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, FL
Click image to see up close. Look at the proboscis, the drinking-straw-like projection this Atala has extended into the flower to sip its nectar. This is a tiny baby, newly hatched and just fueling up. There is another cocoon nearby and one that has been recently vacated... perhaps by this beauty. I love the iridescent blue highlights around the eyes, on the body and wings.
The Atala butterfly is strange to photograph. The colored areas are vague at the margins so the color looks like it has been dusted on a bit carelessly. But look at its marvelous tones... deep velvety blue, bright iridescent sky blue and brilliant red orange! It is very fast moving so getting a shot at all is always a thrill! Usually looks like a vibrant patch of astounding flying color and it's gone.
Interdependencies in nature once again. This marvelous creature owes its life to the Florida Coontie which was almost wiped out after being the money crop of the first Florida pioneers. Without the Coontie, this beauty will be gone.
The short, woody stem and rootstock of the Coontie grows almost completely underground and produces a terminal crown of stiff, evergreen, pinnate leaves up to 3 feet long. The brown, fleshy, erect, female or seed-bearing cones are pendent when mature. Coontie plants contain a natural toxin, which Atala larvae accumulate in their bodies and use to repel birds. Without Coontie, adult Atalas have no place to lay eggs. No eggs means no new generations.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern United States. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. The main fortification is a five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7½-foot-thick outer walls two tiers high and approximately 350 feet long on each side. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long (seen in the photograph above). The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep (seen in the photograph above). Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. All other historic structures on the island are in some way associated with the fort, but were not necessary to its operation as a defensive work. The fort is in excellent condition due to extensive restoration in the 1930's by the National Park Service. Its exterior remains unaltered. The interior was altered only by the installation of electricity, rest room facilities, and removable exhibit cases & storage areas in the gorge wall.
Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard, while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and case-mated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smooth-bore cannons of the period. The best military engineering principles, finest joinery, and masonry techniques of the day were used in its construction. Yet the siege and rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski in 1862 by heavy rifled artillery of the Federal Army, which had no precedent at the time, immediately made obsolete all masonry forts everywhere. Most of the construction features and extensive siege damage are still visible, and are interpreted to the visiting public today.
The Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Although the fort embodies nothing new since Roman times in the way of architectural principles, the craftsmanship exhibited in its construction is outstanding, and it is one of the best surviving examples of North American fort architecture and engineering. It is far more significant in terms of military history. Built as it was, to withstand the heaviest of smooth-bore cannons of the day, the fort quickly fell under the punch of rifled artillery. This successful test siege immediately changed the course of military architecture and history forever.
All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
On Explore!!! November 1, 2007! #145
Thank you very much to all of you my deat Flickr friends and geese for your so kind comments!!! :)))
Have a good trip my dear friends!!!
See you soon! Au revoir! Arrivederci! Hasta la vista! Tschau! до скорого! Tot ziens! Näkemiin! ではまた! Uz redzēšanos! Ha det så lenge! Cześć! Até breve! :)))
« Lessons from Geese» …. Saatchi & Saatchi… for all of you my dear Flickr friends!!! :)))
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cdyej0AJaI
To show the importance of teamwork, we can take examples from the lives of geese.
Fact: As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock gains 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
Fact: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.
Fact: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skill, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, and resources.
Fact: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up in front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure that our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's core values, and to encourage the core values of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
Captain Paul Watson Foundation:
"The Laws of Ecology and the Survival of the Human Species:
The law of diversity: The strength of any ecosystem is based on biodiversity. The decreased level of biodiversity on the planet today is our most serious problem, even more serious than global warming.
The law of interdependence: all species are interdependent; they need each other.
The law of finite resources: growth has a limit and there is a limit to the earth's carrying capacity.
In nature, everything is connected. Every being, no matter how small, contributes to the intricate dance of life. Our actions echo through this interconnected web, shaping the destiny of our planet. From the air we breathe to the waste we create, each element has a place in the broader canvas of nature. Captain Paul Watson’s tireless efforts to defend marine life embody this truth, as he fights to protect the ecosystems that sustain us all.
An ocean guardian should not be behind bars! Contact the Danish Ministry of Justice and demand that they #freepaulwatson now!"
Fondazione Paul Watson:
"Le leggi dell'ecologia e la sopravvivenza della specie umana:
La legge della diversità: la forza di qualsiasi ecosistema si basa sulla biodiversità. Il livello ridotto di biodiversità sul pianeta oggi è il nostro problema più serio, persino più serio del riscaldamento globale.
La legge dell'interdipendenza: tutte le specie sono interdipendenti; hanno bisogno l'una dell'altra.
La legge delle risorse finite: la crescita ha un limite e c'è un limite anche alla capacità di carico della Terra.
In natura, tutto è connesso. Ogni essere, non importa quanto piccolo, contribuisce all'intricata danza della vita. Le nostre azioni riecheggiano attraverso questa rete interconnessa, plasmando il destino del nostro pianeta. Dall'aria che respiriamo ai rifiuti che creiamo, ogni elemento ha un posto nella tela più ampia della natura. Gli instancabili sforzi del capitano Paul Watson per difendere la vita marina incarnano questa verità, mentre combatte per proteggere gli ecosistemi che sostengono tutti noi.
Un guardiano dell'oceano non dovrebbe stare dietro le sbarre! Contatta il Ministero della Giustizia danese e chiedi che #freepaulwatson ora!"
This bronze statue by sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi (1924–2005) depicts Sir Isaac Newton in the search for knowledge. It is located in the piazza of the British Library in London.
Based on William Blake’s famous watercolour 'Newton', the six-tonne sculpture was cast by the Morris Singer Foundry established in 1848, best known for the Trafalgar Square lions.
Blake’s original watercolour shows Newton surrounded by the glories of nature but oblivious to it all. Instead, he is focused on reducing the complexity of the universe to mathematical dimensions, bending forward with his compass.
For Paolozzi though, the interpretation of his Newton (1995) was very different. He was inspired by both Newton and Blake together – one representing science and the other representing poetry, art and the imagination, and decided that this synthesis would be perfect for the British Library.
He said: ‘While Blake may have been satirising Newton, I see this work as an exciting union of two British geniuses. Together, they present to us nature and science, poetry, art, architecture – all welded, interconnected, interdependent.’
The sculpture measures 3 m in height
© All rights reserved.
Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern United States. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. The main fortification is a five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7½-foot-thick outer walls two tiers high and approximately 350 feet long on each side. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long. The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep. Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. All other historic structures on the island are in some way associated with the fort, but were not necessary to its operation as a defensive work. The fort is in excellent condition due to extensive restoration in the 1930's by the National Park Service. Its exterior remains unaltered. The interior was altered only by the installation of electricity, rest room facilities, and removable exhibit cases & storage areas in the gorge wall.
Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard, while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and case-mated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smooth-bore cannons of the period. The best military engineering principles, finest joinery, and masonry techniques of the day were used in its construction. Yet the siege and rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski in 1862 by heavy rifled artillery of the Federal Army, which had no precedent at the time, immediately made obsolete all masonry forts everywhere. Most of the construction features and extensive siege damage are still visible, and are interpreted to the visiting public today.
The Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Although the fort embodies nothing new since Roman times in the way of architectural principles, the craftsmanship exhibited in its construction is outstanding, and it is one of the best surviving examples of North American fort architecture and engineering. It is far more significant in terms of military history. Built as it was, to withstand the heaviest of smooth-bore cannons of the day, the fort quickly fell under the punch of rifled artillery. This successful test siege immediately changed the course of military architecture and history forever.
All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
The Atala butterfly is strange to photograph. The colored areas are vague at the margins so the color looks like it has been dusted on a bit carelessly. But look at its marvelous tones... deep velvety blue, bright sky blue and a brilliant red orange! It is very fast moving so getting a shot at all is always a thrill! Usually looks like a vibrant patch of astounding flying color and it's gone.
Interdependencies in nature once again. This marvelous creature owes its life to the Florida Coontie which was almost wiped out after being the money crop of the first Florida pioneers. Without the Coontie, this beauty will be gone.
The short, woody stem and rootstock of the Coontie grows almost completely underground and produces a terminal crown of stiff, evergreen, pinnate leaves up to 3 feet long. The brown, fleshy, erect, female or seed-bearing cones are pendent when mature. Coontie plants contain a natural toxin, which atala larvae accumulate in their bodies and use to repel birds. Without coontie, adult atalas have no place to lay eggs. No eggs means no new generations. .
Wild coonties’ demise began with starch: Long before Europeans arrived in Florida, Native Americans used coontie as a source of starch. Coontie, in fact, is a Seminole word that means “bread” or “white root” because the roots can be made into flour.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, FL
Rust and rain..Bucket and Chain!
A huge bucket chain sand excavator, built by VEM of Leipzig in 1966 stands silent in the pouring rain.
Still working at the Kotlarnia sand mines of Upper Silesia, this one is behind the village of Ortowice. Sand is deposited into the central hopper above the caterpillar tracks to be conveyed out onto the loading conveyor hanging out towards the rear of the machine. This has its own control cabin hanging down from the boom next to the loading chute, both sections of the machine operate interdependently with one another.
September the 25th 2020.
Psychologist Timothy Leary developed an interaction behaviour theory which demonstrated a strong and consistent interdependency of behaviour between people.
Based on his research Leary arranged a set of interpersonal variables into a circle and which lead to an interpersonal circumplex model for assessing interpersonal behaviour, motives and traits. The construct of the model is formed by two main dimensions:
-1 - the degree of dominance / submission and
- 2 - the degree of friendliness / unfriendliness.
The first set of behaviour is located on the orthogonal y-axe of the model; the latter set of behaviour is located on the orthogonal x-axe of the model. Interpersonal behaviour plotted in the model reflects the degree of friendliness and dominance of that specific person at a given moment in time.
7 Days of shooting
Week #39
Flowers
Shoot anything saterday
Hamilton conceived this work for both a performance and an installation in Guimaraes, a former textile manufacturing hub in northern Portugal. Initially, she sourced fleeces from a local farmer who bred heritage sheep as part of a sustainability initiative. Then, with some difficulty given the city’s hardscrabble economy, she amassed worn woollen coats from thrift shops. Needle-felting the raw, unwashed fleeces – which still hold the shape and smell of sheep – into garments’ tailored forms, Hamilton underscored enduring interdependencies: between human and animal, manufactured and organic, nurture and sacrifice.
God’s words | "God Himself, the Unique VII" (Part 3) - " God Is the Source of Life for All Things (I) "
Introduction
Almighty God says, "God made all things interconnected, mutually intertwined, and interdependent. He used this method and these rules to maintain the survival and existence of all things and in this way mankind has lived quietly and peacefully and has grown and multiplied from one generation to the next in this living environment up to the present day. God balances the natural environment to ensure mankind's survival. If God's regulation and control were not in place, no man could maintain and balance the environment, even if it was created by God in the first place—this still can't ensure mankind's survival. So you can see that God handles it all perfectly!" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Image Source: The Church of Almighty God
Terms of Use: en.godfootsteps.org/disclaimer.html
Hamilton conceived this work for both a performance and an installation in Guimaraes, a former textile manufacturing hub in northern Portugal. Initially, she sourced fleeces from a local farmer who bred heritage sheep as part of a sustainability initiative. Then, with some difficulty given the city’s hardscrabble economy, she amassed worn woollen coats from thrift shops. Needle-felting the raw, unwashed fleeces – which still hold the shape and smell of sheep – into garments’ tailored forms, Hamilton underscored enduring interdependencies: between human and animal, manufactured and organic, nurture and sacrifice.
Fort Pulaski, under construction from 1829 to 1847, was one of a chain of brick coastal fortifications in the eastern United States. On Cockspur Island in the mouth of the Savannah River, it guarded the city of Savannah from water-borne invasion. The main fortification is a five-sided (truncated hexagon) brick structure, with 7½-foot-thick outer walls two tiers high and approximately 350 feet long on each side. Opposite the gorge face is a triangular demilune with sides approximately 400 feet long. The fort and its demilune are separated by, and completely surrounded by, a wet moat approximately 40 feet wide and 7 feet deep (seen in the photograph above). Extending from the fort in all directions over an area of roughly 100 acres is a system of dikes and drainage ditches. All of the above elements were designed and built as an integrated, militarily interdependent unit. All other historic structures on the island are in some way associated with the fort, but were not necessary to its operation as a defensive work. The fort is in excellent condition due to extensive restoration in the 1930's by the National Park Service. Its exterior remains unaltered. The interior was altered only by the installation of electricity, rest room facilities, and removable exhibit cases & storage areas in the gorge wall.
Fort Pulaski is the best preserved and most original of a system of eastern coastal forts designed by the French military engineer Simon Bernard, while in the employ of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Its massive brick walls, backed by heavy piers, and case-mated rooms reflected the continuing search for security against increasingly large caliber smooth-bore cannons of the period. The best military engineering principles, finest joinery, and masonry techniques of the day were used in its construction. Yet the siege and rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski in 1862 by heavy rifled artillery of the Federal Army, which had no precedent at the time, immediately made obsolete all masonry forts everywhere. Most of the construction features and extensive siege damage are still visible, and are interpreted to the visiting public today.
The Fort Pulaski complex was determined to be significant for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966 in the areas of architecture, engineering, and military history of the United States of America. Although the fort embodies nothing new since Roman times in the way of architectural principles, the craftsmanship exhibited in its construction is outstanding, and it is one of the best surviving examples of North American fort architecture and engineering. It is far more significant in terms of military history. Built as it was, to withstand the heaviest of smooth-bore cannons of the day, the fort quickly fell under the punch of rifled artillery. This successful test siege immediately changed the course of military architecture and history forever.
All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted to the NRHP for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/17b19096-6db2-44be-b1e...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5000 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Naval Base Kitsap Bangor
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Action
see this photo large: peacepotential.blogspot.com/2010/01/celebrate-vision-of-r...
Nobel Lecture by Martin Luther King Jr.
The Quest for Peace and Justice
It is impossible to begin this lecture without again expressing my deep appreciation to the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament for bestowing upon me and the civil rights movement in the United States such a great honor. Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart. Such is the moment I am presently experiencing. I experience this high and joyous moment not for myself alone but for those devotees of nonviolence who have moved so courageously against the ramparts of racial injustice and who in the process have acquired a new estimate of their own human worth. Many of them are young and cultured. Others are middle aged and middle class. The majority are poor and untutored. But they are all united in the quiet conviction that it is better to suffer in dignity than to accept segregation in humiliation. These are the real heroes of the freedom struggle: they are the noble people for whom I accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
This evening I would like to use this lofty and historic platform to discuss what appears to me to be the most pressing problem confronting mankind today. Modern man has brought this whole world to an awe-inspiring threshold of the future. He has reached new and astonishing peaks of scientific success. He has produced machines that think and instruments that peer into the unfathomable ranges of interstellar space. He has built gigantic bridges to span the seas and gargantuan buildings to kiss the skies. His airplanes and spaceships have dwarfed distance, placed time in chains, and carved highways through the stratosphere. This is a dazzling picture of modern man's scientific and technological progress.
Yet, in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.
Every man lives in two realms, the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live. Our problem today is that we have allowed the internal to become lost in the external. We have allowed the means by which we live to outdistance the ends for which we live. So much of modern life can be summarized in that arresting dictum of the poet Thoreau1: "Improved means to an unimproved end". This is the serious predicament, the deep and haunting problem confronting modern man. If we are to survive today, our moral and spiritual "lag" must be eliminated. Enlarged material powers spell enlarged peril if there is not proportionate growth of the soul. When the "without" of man's nature subjugates the "within", dark storm clouds begin to form in the world.
This problem of spiritual and moral lag, which constitutes modern man's chief dilemma, expresses itself in three larger problems which grow out of man's ethical infantilism. Each of these problems, while appearing to be separate and isolated, is inextricably bound to the other. I refer to racial injustice, poverty, and war.
The first problem that I would like to mention is racial injustice. The struggle to eliminate the evil of racial injustice constitutes one of the major struggles of our time. The present upsurge of the Negro people of the United States grows out of a deep and passionate determination to make freedom and equality a reality "here" and "now". In one sense the civil rights movement in the United States is a special American phenomenon which must be understood in the light of American history and dealt with in terms of the American situation. But on another and more important level, what is happening in the United States today is a relatively small part of a world development.
We live in a day, says the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead2,"when civilization is shifting its basic outlook: a major turning point in history where the presuppositions on which society is structured are being analyzed, sharply challenged, and profoundly changed." What we are seeing now is a freedom explosion, the realization of "an idea whose time has come", to use Victor Hugo's phrase3. The deep rumbling of discontent that we hear today is the thunder of disinherited masses, rising from dungeons of oppression to the bright hills of freedom, in one majestic chorus the rising masses singing, in the words of our freedom song, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn us around."4 All over the world, like a fever, the freedom movement is spreading in the widest liberation in history. The great masses of people are determined to end the exploitation of their races and land. They are awake and moving toward their goal like a tidal wave. You can hear them rumbling in every village street, on the docks, in the houses, among the students, in the churches, and at political meetings. Historic movement was for several centuries that of the nations and societies of Western Europe out into the rest of the world in "conquest" of various sorts. That period, the era of colonialism, is at an end. East is meeting West. The earth is being redistributed. Yes, we are "shifting our basic outlooks".
These developments should not surprise any student of history. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself. The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in Pharaoh's court centuries ago and cried, "Let my people go."5 This is a kind of opening chapter in a continuing story. The present struggle in the United States is a later chapter in the same unfolding story. Something within has reminded the Negro of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers in Asia, South America, and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice.
Fortunately, some significant strides have been made in the struggle to end the long night of racial injustice. We have seen the magnificent drama of independence unfold in Asia and Africa. Just thirty years ago there were only three independent nations in the whole of Africa. But today thirty-five African nations have risen from colonial bondage. In the United States we have witnessed the gradual demise of the system of racial segregation. The Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools gave a legal and constitutional deathblow to the whole doctrine of separate but equal6. The Court decreed that separate facilities are inherently unequal and that to segregate a child on the basis of race is to deny that child equal protection of the law. This decision came as a beacon light of hope to millions of disinherited people. Then came that glowing day a few months ago when a strong Civil Rights Bill became the law of our land7. This bill, which was first recommended and promoted by President Kennedy, was passed because of the overwhelming support and perseverance of millions of Americans, Negro and white. It came as a bright interlude in the long and sometimes turbulent struggle for civil rights: the beginning of a second emancipation proclamation providing a comprehensive legal basis for equality of opportunity. Since the passage of this bill we have seen some encouraging and surprising signs of compliance. I am happy to report that, by and large, communities all over the southern part of the United States are obeying the Civil Rights Law and showing remarkable good sense in the process.
Another indication that progress is being made was found in the recent presidential election in the United States. The American people revealed great maturity by overwhelmingly rejecting a presidential candidate who had become identified with extremism, racism, and retrogression8. The voters of our nation rendered a telling blow to the radical right9. They defeated those elements in our society which seek to pit white against Negro and lead the nation down a dangerous Fascist path.
Let me not leave you with a false impression. The problem is far from solved. We still have a long, long way to go before the dream of freedom is a reality for the Negro in the United States. To put it figuratively in biblical language, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt and crossed a Red Sea whose waters had for years been hardened by a long and piercing winter of massive resistance. But before we reach the majestic shores of the Promised Land, there is a frustrating and bewildering wilderness ahead. We must still face prodigious hilltops of opposition and gigantic mountains of resistance. But with patient and firm determination we will press on until every valley of despair is exalted to new peaks of hope, until every mountain of pride and irrationality is made low by the leveling process of humility and compassion; until the rough places of injustice are transformed into a smooth plane of equality of opportunity; and until the crooked places of prejudice are transformed by the straightening process of bright-eyed wisdom.
What the main sections of the civil rights movement in the United States are saying is that the demand for dignity, equality, jobs, and citizenship will not be abandoned or diluted or postponed. If that means resistance and conflict we shall not flinch. We shall not be cowed. We are no longer afraid.
The word that symbolizes the spirit and the outward form of our encounter is nonviolence, and it is doubtless that factor which made it seem appropriate to award a peace prize to one identified with struggle. Broadly speaking, nonviolence in the civil rights struggle has meant not relying on arms and weapons of struggle. It has meant noncooperation with customs and laws which are institutional aspects of a regime of discrimination and enslavement. It has meant direct participation of masses in protest, rather than reliance on indirect methods which frequently do not involve masses in action at all.
Nonviolence has also meant that my people in the agonizing struggles of recent years have taken suffering upon themselves instead of inflicting it on others. It has meant, as I said, that we are no longer afraid and cowed. But in some substantial degree it has meant that we do not want to instill fear in others or into the society of which we are a part. The movement does not seek to liberate Negroes at the expense of the humiliation and enslavement of whites. It seeks no victory over anyone. It seeks to liberate American society and to share in the self-liberation of all the people.
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
In a real sense nonviolence seeks to redeem the spiritual and moral lag that I spoke of earlier as the chief dilemma of modern man. It seeks to secure moral ends through moral means. Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.
I believe in this method because I think it is the only way to reestablish a broken community. It is the method which seeks to implement the just law by appealing to the conscience of the great decent majority who through blindness, fear, pride, and irrationality have allowed their consciences to sleep.
The nonviolent resisters can summarize their message in the following simple terms: we will take direct action against injustice despite the failure of governmental and other official agencies to act first. We will not obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully, openly, cheerfully because our aim is to persuade. We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself. We will try to persuade with our words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our acts. We will always be willing to talk and seek fair compromise, but we are ready to suffer when necessary and even risk our lives to become witnesses to truth as we see it.
This approach to the problem of racial injustice is not at all without successful precedent. It was used in a magnificent way by Mohandas K. Gandhi to challenge the might of the British Empire and free his people from the political domination and economic exploitation inflicted upon them for centuries. He struggled only with the weapons of truth, soul force, non-injury, and courage10.
In the past ten years unarmed gallant men and women of the United States have given living testimony to the moral power and efficacy of nonviolence. By the thousands, faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white, have temporarily left the ivory towers of learning for the barricades of bias. Their courageous and disciplined activities have come as a refreshing oasis in a desert sweltering with the heat of injustice. They have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. One day all of America will be proud of their achievements11.
I am only too well aware of the human weaknesses and failures which exist, the doubts about the efficacy of nonviolence, and the open advocacy of violence by some. But I am still convinced that nonviolence is both the most practically sound and morally excellent way to grapple with the age-old problem of racial injustice.
A second evil which plagues the modern world is that of poverty. Like a monstrous octopus, it projects its nagging, prehensile tentacles in lands and villages all over the world. Almost two-thirds of the peoples of the world go to bed hungry at night. They are undernourished, ill-housed, and shabbily clad. Many of them have no houses or beds to sleep in. Their only beds are the sidewalks of the cities and the dusty roads of the villages. Most of these poverty-stricken children of God have never seen a physician or a dentist. This problem of poverty is not only seen in the class division between the highly developed industrial nations and the so-called underdeveloped nations; it is seen in the great economic gaps within the rich nations themselves. Take my own country for example. We have developed the greatest system of production that history has ever known. We have become the richest nation in the world. Our national gross product this year will reach the astounding figure of almost 650 billion dollars. Yet, at least one-fifth of our fellow citizens - some ten million families, comprising about forty million individuals - are bound to a miserable culture of poverty. In a sense the poverty of the poor in America is more frustrating than the poverty of Africa and Asia. The misery of the poor in Africa and Asia is shared misery, a fact of life for the vast majority; they are all poor together as a result of years of exploitation and underdevelopment. In sad contrast, the poor in America know that they live in the richest nation in the world, and that even though they are perishing on a lonely island of poverty they are surrounded by a vast ocean of material prosperity. Glistening towers of glass and steel easily seen from their slum dwellings spring up almost overnight. Jet liners speed over their ghettoes at 600 miles an hour; satellites streak through outer space and reveal details of the moon. President Johnson, in his State of the Union Message12, emphasized this contradiction when he heralded the United States' "highest standard of living in the world", and deplored that it was accompanied by "dislocation; loss of jobs, and the specter of poverty in the midst of plenty".
So it is obvious that if man is to redeem his spiritual and moral "lag", he must go all out to bridge the social and economic gulf between the "haves" and the "have nots" of the world. Poverty is one of the most urgent items on the agenda of modern life.
There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it. More than a century and a half ago people began to be disturbed about the twin problems of population and production. A thoughtful Englishman named Malthus wrote a book13 that set forth some rather frightening conclusions. He predicted that the human family was gradually moving toward global starvation because the world was producing people faster than it was producing food and material to support them. Later scientists, however, disproved the conclusion of Malthus, and revealed that he had vastly underestimated the resources of the world and the resourcefulness of man.
Not too many years ago, Dr. Kirtley Mather, a Harvard geologist, wrote a book entitled Enough and to Spare14. He set forth the basic theme that famine is wholly unnecessary in the modern world. Today, therefore, the question on the agenda must read: Why should there be hunger and privation in any land, in any city, at any table when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life? Even deserts can be irrigated and top soil can be replaced. We cannot complain of a lack of land, for there are twenty-five million square miles of tillable land, of which we are using less than seven million. We have amazing knowledge of vitamins, nutrition, the chemistry of food, and the versatility of atoms. There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is in human will. The well-off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. The poor in our countries have been shut out of our minds, and driven from the mainstream of our societies, because we have allowed them to become invisible. Just as nonviolence exposed the ugliness of racial injustice, so must the infection and sickness of poverty be exposed and healed - not only its symptoms but its basic causes. This, too, will be a fierce struggle, but we must not be afraid to pursue the remedy no matter how formidable the task.
The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty. The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for "the least of these". Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that men are made in the image of God and that they are souls of infinite metaphysical value, the heirs of a legacy of dignity and worth. If we feel this as a profound moral fact, we cannot be content to see men hungry, to see men victimized with starvation and ill health when we have the means to help them. The wealthy nations must go all out to bridge the gulf between the rich minority and the poor majority.
In the final analysis, the rich must not ignore the poor because both rich and poor are tied in a single garment of destiny. All life is interrelated, and all men are interdependent. The agony of the poor diminishes the rich, and the salvation of the poor enlarges the rich. We are inevitably our brothers' keeper because of the interrelated structure of reality. John Donne interpreted this truth in graphic terms when he affirmed15:
No man is an Iland, intire of its selfe: every
man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the
maine: if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea,
Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie
were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends
or of thine owne were: any mans death
diminishes me, because I am involved in
Mankinde: and therefore never send to know
for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee.
A third great evil confronting our world is that of war. Recent events have vividly reminded us that nations are not reducing but rather increasing their arsenals of weapons of mass destruction. The best brains in the highly developed nations of the world are devoted to military technology. The proliferation of nuclear weapons has not been halted, in spite of the Limited Test Ban Treaty16. On the contrary, the detonation of an atomic device by the first nonwhite, non- Western, and so-called underdeveloped power, namely the Chinese People's Republic17, opens new vistas of exposure of vast multitudes, the whole of humanity, to insidious terrorization by the ever-present threat of annihilation. The fact that most of the time human beings put the truth about the nature and risks of the nuclear war out of their minds because it is too painful and therefore not "acceptable", does not alter the nature and risks of such war. The device of "rejection" may temporarily cover up anxiety, but it does not bestow peace of mind and emotional security.
So man's proneness to engage in war is still a fact. But wisdom born of experience should tell us that war is obsolete. There may have been a time when war served as a negative good by preventing the spread and growth of an evil force, but the destructive power of modern weapons eliminated even the possibility that war may serve as a negative good. If we assume that life is worth living and that man has a right to survive, then we must find an alternative to war. In a day when vehicles hurtle through outer space and guided ballistic missiles carve highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can claim victory in war. A so-called limited war will leave little more than a calamitous legacy of human suffering, political turmoil, and spiritual disillusionment. A world war - God forbid! - will leave only smoldering ashes as a mute testimony of a human race whose folly led inexorably to ultimate death. So if modern man continues to flirt unhesitatingly with war, he will transform his earthly habitat into an inferno such as even the mind of Dante could not imagine.
Therefore, I venture to suggest to all of you and all who hear and may eventually read these words, that the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence become immediately a subject for study and for serious experimentation in every field of human conflict, by no means excluding the relations between nations. It is, after all, nation-states which make war, which have produced the weapons which threaten the survival of mankind, and which are both genocidal and suicidal in character.
Here also we have ancient habits to deal with, vast structures of power, indescribably complicated problems to solve. But unless we abdicate our humanity altogether and succumb to fear and impotence in the presence of the weapons we have ourselves created, it is as imperative and urgent to put an end to war and violence between nations as it is to put an end to racial injustice. Equality with whites will hardly solve the problems of either whites or Negroes if it means equality in a society under the spell of terror and a world doomed to extinction.
I do not wish to minimize the complexity of the problems that need to be faced in achieving disarmament and peace. But I think it is a fact that we shall not have the will, the courage, and the insight to deal with such matters unless in this field we are prepared to undergo a mental and spiritual reevaluation - a change of focus which will enable us to see that the things which seem most real and powerful are indeed now unreal and have come under the sentence of death. We need to make a supreme effort to generate the readiness, indeed the eagerness, to enter into the new world which is now possible, "the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God"18.
We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace. There is a fascinating little story that is preserved for us in Greek literature about Ulysses and the Sirens. The Sirens had the ability to sing so sweetly that sailors could not resist steering toward their island. Many ships were lured upon the rocks, and men forgot home, duty, and honor as they flung themselves into the sea to be embraced by arms that drew them down to death. Ulysses, determined not to be lured by the Sirens, first decided to tie himself tightly to the mast of his boat, and his crew stuffed their ears with wax. But finally he and his crew learned a better way to save themselves: they took on board the beautiful singer Orpheus whose melodies were sweeter than the music of the Sirens. When Orpheus sang, who bothered to listen to the Sirens?
So we must fix our vision not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war. Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race which no one can win to a positive contest to harness man's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all of the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a "peace race". If we have the will and determination to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment.
All that I have said boils down to the point of affirming that mankind's survival is dependent upon man's ability to solve the problems of racial injustice, poverty, and war; the solution of these problems is in turn dependent upon man squaring his moral progress with his scientific progress, and learning the practical art of living in harmony. Some years ago a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested story plots for future stories, the most prominently underscored being this one: "A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together." This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a big house, a great "world house" in which we have to live together - black and white, Easterners and Westerners, Gentiles and Jews, Catholics and Protestants, Moslem and Hindu, a family unduly separated in ideas, culture, and interests who, because we can never again live without each other, must learn, somehow, in this one big world, to live with each other.
This means that more and more our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. We must now give an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in our individual societies.
This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men. This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response which is little more than emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Moslem-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the First Epistle of Saint John19:
Let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His
love is perfected in us.
Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day. As Arnold Toynbee20 says: "Love is the ultimate force that makes for the saving choice of life and good against the damning choice of death and evil. Therefore the first hope in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last word." We can no longer afford to worship the God of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. Love is the key to the solution of the problems of the world.
Let me close by saying that I have the personal faith that mankind will somehow rise up to the occasion and give new directions to an age drifting rapidly to its doom. In spite of the tensions and uncertainties of this period something profoundly meaningful is taking place. Old systems of exploitation and oppression are passing away, and out of the womb of a frail world new systems of justice and equality are being born. Doors of opportunity are gradually being opened to those at the bottom of society. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are developing a new sense of "some-bodiness" and carving a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of despair. "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light."21 Here and there an individual or group dares to love, and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity. So in a real sense this is a great time to be alive. Therefore, I am not yet discouraged about the future. Granted that the easygoing optimism of yesterday is impossible. Granted that those who pioneer in the struggle for peace and freedom will still face uncomfortable jail terms, painful threats of death; they will still be battered by the storms of persecution, leading them to the nagging feeling that they can no longer bear such a heavy burden, and the temptation of wanting to retreat to a more quiet and serene life. Granted that we face a world crisis which leaves us standing so often amid the surging murmur of life's restless sea. But every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom. In a dark confused world the kingdom of God may yet reign in the hearts of men.
* Dr. King delivered this lecture in the Auditorium of the University of Oslo. This text is taken from Les Prix Nobel en 1964. The text in the New York Times is excerpted. His speech of acceptance delivered the day before in the same place is reported fully both in Les Prix Nobel en 1964 and the New York Times.
1. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American poet and essayist.
2. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947). British philosopher and mathematician, professor at the University of London and Harvard University.
3. "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea whose time has come." Translations differ; probable origin is Victor Hugo, Histoire d'un crime, "Conclusion-La Chute", chap. 10.
4. "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" is the title of an old Baptist spiritual.
5. Exodus 5:1; 8:1; 9:1; 10:3.
6. "Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka", 347 U.S. 483, contains the decision of May 17, 1954, requiring desegregation of the public schools by the states. "Bolling vs. Sharpe", 347 U.S. 497, contains the decision of same date requiring desegregation of public schools by the federal government; i.e. in Washington, D.C. "Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka", Nos. 1-5. 349 U.S. 249, contains the opinion of May 31, 1955, on appeals from the decisions in the two cases cited above, ordering admission to "public schools on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with all deliberate speed".
7. Public Law 88-352, signed by President Johnson on July 2, 1964.
8. Both Les Prix Nobel and the New York Times read "retrogress".
9. Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater by a popular vote of 43, 128, 956 to 27,177,873.
10. For a note on Gandhi, seep. 329, fn. 1.
11. For accounts of the civil rights activities by both whites and blacks in the decade from 1954 to 1964, see Alan F. Westin, Freedom Now: The Civil Rights Struggle in America (New York: Basic Books, 1964), especially Part IV, "The Techniques of the Civil Rights Struggle"; Howard Zinn, SNCC: The New Abolitionists (Boston: Beacon Press, 1964); Eugene V. Rostow, "The Freedom Riders and the Future", The Reporter (June 22, 1961); James Peck, Cracking the Color Line: Nonviolent Direct Action Methods of Eliminating Racial Discrimination (New York: CORE, 1960).
12. January 8, 1964.
13. Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834), An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).
14. Kirtley F. Mather, Enough and to Spare: Mother Earth Can Nourish Every Man in Freedom (New York: Harper, 1944).
15. John Donne (1572?-1631), English poet, in the final lines of "Devotions" (1624).
16. Officially called "Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Underwater", and signed by Russia, England, and United States on July 25, 1963.
17. On October 16, 1964.
18. Hebrews II: 10.
19. I John 4:7-8, 12.
20. Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889- ), British historian whose monumental work is the 10-volume A Study of Story (1934-1954).
21. This quotation may be based on a phrase from Luke 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death"; or one from Psalms 107:10, "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death"; or one from Mark Twain's To the Person Sitting in Darkness (1901), "The people who sit in darkness have noticed it...".
From Nobel Lectures, Peace 1951-1970, Editor Frederick W. Haberman, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972
retrieved January 18, 2010 from nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-lec...
Camera: Sony DSLR-A700
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 26 mm with T mount
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Did not fire
System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek σύστημα systēma) is a set of interacting or interdependent entities forming an integrated whole.
The Third Week of November Is Geography Awareness Week
How well do you know your basic geography? Can you read a map? That is but one skill that students can learn in school. Other skills are recognizing how mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans can define the boundaries of countries as well as influence the weather and climate in these areas. The study of geography can also help understand what types of crops can be grown in certain areas, what means of transportation are needed, and where habitable locations are.
When was the last time you took up a map or atlas of another country to study how it compares with where you live? Make that a challenge as you observe “Geography Awareness Week” next week.
History:
On September 8, 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation making the Week of November 15-21, 1987 as “Geography Awareness Week.” In that proclamation he said, “Fascination with the Earth and a desire to learn and record information about it inspired the early explorers of our land and today remain part of our national heritage. This legacy is carried on for us in the science of geography, the study of the surface of the globe and the people, environments, resources, political boundaries, and characteristics of every area.
“For generations, comprehension of world and national geography has been considered essential to the education of Americans. Yet today, in an interdependent world where knowledge of other lands and cultures is increasingly important, studies show that Americans need more geographical knowledge. Citizens, especially young people, should be fully acquainted with our country and our neighbors around the globe and aware of geography's expanding study of the oceans and the universe; the increasing wealth of knowledge provided by research in the disciplines that support geography; and geography's physiographic, historical, social, economic, and political aspects.”
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(English translation follows below)
Über der Piazza des K21 schwebt in über 25 Metern Höhe die riesige Rauminstallation in orbit des Künstlers Tomás Saraceno. Das begehbare Kunstwerk ist eine Konstruktion aus beinahe transparenten Stahlnetzen, die in drei Ebenen unter der gewaltigen Glaskuppel aufgespannt sind. In der 2.500 Quadratmeter umfassenden Netzstruktur sind fünf luftgefüllte "Sphären", gewaltige Ballons, platziert.
Die Installation wirkt wie eine surreale Landschaft, ein Wolkenmeer oder wie der Kosmos mit seinen scheinbar schwerelos schwebenden Planeten. Besucher sind eingeladen, die Installation zu betreten und kletternd für sich zu entdecken. Die Wagemutigen nehmen die Museumsbesucher in der Tiefe aus luftiger Höhe wie winzige Figuren in einer Modellwelt wahr. Umgekehrt erscheinen die Menschen im Netz von unten wie Schwebende oder Schwimmer am Himmel.
Wenn mehrere Personen gleichzeitig die Installation betreten, geraten die Netze in Bewegung – die Spannung der Stahlseile und der Abstand der drei schwankenden Netzebenen verändert sich unwillkürlich. Der Raum in der Schwebe wird so zu einem schwingenden Netz von Beziehungen, Resonanzen und einander bedingender Kommunikation.
Die Besucher nehmen, ähnlich wie eine Spinne im Netz, die anderen Menschen durch Vibrationen wahr. Dies verdeutlicht das Interesse des Künstlers an neuen hybriden, über die herkömmlichen Möglichkeiten des Menschen hinausgehenden Formen von Kommunikation und Kooperation, die er in seinem Berliner Atelier untersucht.
(Homepage der Kunstsammlung NRW)
Above the piazza of the K21 hovers the huge installation in orbit of the artist Tomás Saraceno in more than 25 meters height. The walk-in artwork is a construction of almost transparent steel nets spanned in three levels under the huge glass dome. In the 2,500 square meter network structure, five air-filled "spheres", huge balloons, are placed.
The installation looks like a surreal landscape, a sea of clouds or the cosmos with its seemingly weightless floating planets. Visitors are invited to enter the installation and climb for themselves. The daredevils perceive museum visitors in the depths from lofty heights like tiny figures in a model world. Conversely, people in the net from below appear as hovers or swimmers in the sky.
If several people enter the installation at the same time, the nets get moving - the tension of the steel cables and the distance between the three fluctuating network levels changes involuntarily. The suspended space thus becomes an oscillating network of relationships, resonances and interdependent communication.
Similar to a spider in the web, visitors perceive other people through vibrations. This illustrates the artist's interest in new hybrid forms of communication and cooperation that go beyond the traditional possibilities of man and that he examines in his Berlin studio.
(Homepage of the Kunstsammlung NRW)
How do we figure simplicity?
Is it a minimizing of things, parts, means? Or is it the minimalization of required understanding?
Starting my car is a simplified understanding. The turning of a key. The process, however, is quite complex, involving a multitude of interlocking and interdependent processes. But I do not need to understand those processes. I simply... turn the key.
If I did understand all the inner workings of the vehicle, would that further simplify starting it? No. I would still simply turn the key.
If the car would not start, a comprehensive understanding of how it works still would not simplify the process because, due to the failure to start, the process would now have become complex.
So, simplification seems to apply to the understanding rather than the process or concept.
As an example, how does one combine the themes of 'simplicity' and 'figurine'?
Simply sit a figure on a rock.
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A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
A Figma figure.
A rock.
One of the beauties of being a scientist is that I am acutely aware of just how much I don't know. I've spent 10 years now heavily involved in laser physics research, and even then, I sometimes feel like I've barely scratched the surface of all there is to know. It's simply impossible for the human brain to know all there is to know.
When I look at patterns like this in nature, I find myself fascinated by the sensation of not understanding the seemingly infinite nature of all the interdependent systems of processes that must have occurred and evolved over potentially millions of years that finally came to an end when this specific pattern was solidified. And now here I am, looking at it all these years later.
There is so much joy to be found in simultaneously having certain knowledge, and being aware of a lack of knowledge, if your attitude is that of intrigue rather than wilful ignorance.
From an artistic standpoint, I look at patterns like this and am reminded that there are so many ways of reaching a certain point or objective. I am by no means on a certain path in many aspects of my life. Some paths are harder than others, but a common theme is that perseverance and determination are always required. I'm also reminded of the fractal nature of scenes like this. It's very easy to see mountain ranges in this image, even though I'm only viewing perhaps a few square feet!
Situado en la calle Isaac Newton, la que fue durante la Expo '92 la Avenida de Europa, el Pabellón de la CEE (Comunidad Económica Europea) está flanqueado por las 12 torres que simbolizaban los 12 países miembros de la Comunidad durante el año '92, además de sus respectivos pabellones nacionales.
El pabellón, situado en el corazón de la Isla de la Cartuja, consiste en una torre cónica policromada de 50 metros de altura, en la que todavía se pueden ver las banderas de los países comunitarios que, por entonces, formaban la CEE. El edificio consta de dos niveles subterráneos, a los que se accede desde unas escaleras situadas en la cara frontal del edificio, frente a la conocida estatua de "Europa en el corazón".
En el exterior, las 12 torres, basadas en la arquitectura de los altos hornos del Monasterio de la Cartuja, estaban "unidas" entre sí por unos toldos que evocaban la unidad e interdependencia de los países comunitarios.
La estructura principal del edificio, conocida como la "Torre de Europa", está compuesta por una estructura metálica cubierta por grandes paneles plásticos y su interior es hueco, iluminándose mediante un tragaluz al fondo de ésta. En el proyecto original de 1990, la torre se diseñó como un gran mirador, pudiendo acceder al punto más alto mediante un ascensor.
The interdependency of humankind, the relevance of relationship, the sacredness of creation is ancient, ancient wisdom. --Rebecca Adamson
Mural entitled "Su Vida Es Nuestra Vida" by Octavio Alegria and Esther del Prado collectively known as Alegria del Prado aka @alegriadelprado, for the Sea Walls project of the Pangea Seed Foundation, seen at 50 Avenida Sur 959, Independencia, 77664 San Miguel de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico
The artists state: "Our mural is an allegory of the importance of the ocean; that make possible, life on Earth. The dwarf coati, a species endemic to the island of Cozumel is in danger of extinction; they are displaced from their habitat due to human presence. It is placed at the center of our mural, made up of plants, symbolizing nature at threat. The coati is surrounded by marine animals as a representation of the sea, in an interdependent, infinite embrace. One does not survive without the other; the ocean’s health is the earth’s health. As symbols of danger, there are small details not visible to every eye, just like the lack of awareness; hybrid cruiseship-mosquitoes pestering the coati and a skull-shaped earth mover deforesting the island."
Photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.
Edit by Teee.
The Atala butterfly is strange to photograph. The colored areas are vague at the margins so the color looks like it has been dusted on a bit carelessly. But look at its marvelous tones... deep velvety blue, bright sky blue and a brilliant red orange! It is very fast moving so getting a shot at all is always a thrill! Usually looks like a vibrant patch of astounding flying color and it's gone.
Interdependencies in nature once again. This marvelous creature owes its life to the Florida Coontie which was almost wiped out after being the money crop of the first Florida pioneers. Without the Coontie, this beauty will be gone.
The short, woody stem and rootstock of the Coontie grows almost completely underground and produces a terminal crown of stiff, evergreen, pinnate leaves up to 3 feet long. The brown, fleshy, erect, female or seed-bearing cones are pendent when mature. Coontie plants contain a natural toxin, which atala larvae accumulate in their bodies and use to repel birds. Without coontie, adult atalas have no place to lay eggs. No eggs means no new generations. .
Long before Europeans arrived in Florida, Native Americans used coontie as a source of starch. Coontie is a Seminole wordfor “bread” or “white root” because its roots can be made into flour.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, FL