Fetish fair is here !

Set ---> VAKI KVAKI ~Roxy~ // Maitreya+Petite - Legacy+Perky - Reborn+Waifu Boobs //

Fetish Fair LM

Vaki Vaki LM

Enjoy ;)

I am going to talk about a topic most would consider to be very sensitive and that is pornography. So if you don’t feel comfortable reading about it please stop whenever you like to. Of course I will talk about it from my personal experience. I will try not to focus on porn or talk about it in details, as my goal is not to assist others to indulge in sin but to glorify God for the freedom He has given me. I will start by talking about the photo first.

First of all I want to say that talking about being addicted to porn is not easy. I had considered talking about for some time but didn’t really want to do so. So I decided, like I do often, is to lie down and talk to God and think about why I didn’t want to write about it. The reason was simple: I didn’t want people to have a bad idea about me. The final point was: I wanted to keep my image “clean” like so many of us Christians like to do. However, after some thought I came to this conclusion:

1) I was born a sinner and I am as sinful in my nature as anybody else ever lived on earth, so there is no point in acting like I am better than anybody else.

2) I am who I am because of who I am in Christ, and that’s because of His perfect and finished work on the Cross: His death for my sins. Not because of anything good in me or about me.

3) When I accepted Jesus I basically gave Him ownership over me. In other words, there is no more “my reputation”, “my name”, “my this” and “my that”. Everything belongs to Him now. Of course I thought that I could simply avoid talking about this topic and “act” as if there is something special about me. But the truth is that He is special and I am special only because the Holy Spirit, who is special, lives in me.

4) For Christ to be lifted through me I must be lowered. For Him to be glorified I must tell the world about who I was before Christ.

5) I didn’t want to be a hypocrite! Of course, as we all know, being a hypocrite is much easier than a lot of things in life. (And believe me it is much easier to be a hypocrite than to live the Christian life, but only through living the Christian life we can find true fulfillment in Jesus.) But if I claim that I belong to Christ and that my identity is wrapped up in who I am in Him, a prince and a child of the living and holy One, then I have to act upon this claim. Otherwise I am simply being a hypocrite. I cannot say that my value and worth are in Him, when I value myself in how others see me.

So I will start my story now…

When I was in my teens back home, and I would be taking the bus in the evening sometimes I would look at my hand and be completely amazed by the orange sun light reflecting off of it, especially the amount of details God has put in the skin! And because I like to draw, shadows have always amazed me. Until now I try to emphasize shadows and contrast in my photos. So a couple of days ago I was studying when it was sunset and I looked at my hand and again I loved the amount of details in the skin. So I took few photos and after some editing, I realized this photo can be very fitting to talk about Jesus Christ’s favour in setting us free from sin. So here is my final product. I hope you like it. (Special thanks to Gimp!)

I didn’t soak the hand with orange colour and dark shadows because I want to talk about a light that’s brighter than the sun’s: the light of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That’s why I kept the light white.

I was not familiar with pornography until I came to Canada, and especially after I bought my first computer. Like so many others I started watching porn because of curiosity. I accepted Jesus in my life before I came to Canada though. Being still an immature Christian, spiritually like a few days old infant, I was an easy prey to Satan’s lies.

Then porn turned to more than just curiosity—it became a habit. Then from a habit it became an addiction. It pretty much consumed hours of my daily life, and all my energy. It cost me a lot in school as my marks dropped dramatically. My relationship with God was reduced to “hi” and “bye”!

I tried to quit many times but I couldn’t. I knew it was wrong but by then it was too strong of an addiction to break free from. I hated it and loved it at the same time. I hated it because it ruined every aspect of my life. I loved it because I was emotionally dependent on it: it was my idol. (For more on Idols you might be interested in reading: www.flickr.com/photos/001fj/2334638980/

Pornography was a very strange affair. I mean, when I went out I tried not to lust after women but when I came home I entertained the worst thoughts for hours! One of the worst things about porn is that it gets worse overtime. You never start at a low level and stay there; you stoop to lower levels because after a while those materials are not satisfying anymore. Can you imagine the helplessness people who are addicted to porn feel? Can you imagine the feeling of entrapment? Can you imagine not only seeing yourself in a very bad situation but also seeing yourself heading toward a worse situation and you are going by your own will simply because you couldn’t resist doing the thing that is hurting you and eventually will destroy you!

It is like standing in a hole and digging it to make it deeper and deeper and deeper.

One summer break I spent it pretty much editing photos using Photoshop and listening to Dr. Charles Stanley. In one sermon he was talking about how God sets us free and the bottom line was that we have to:

1) Realize and admit our situation and helplessness

2) Trust that God can free us

3) Surrender ourselves, lives and hearts to Him

So I tried it. I went to pray and told God all those three points and I meant them—I truly believed and knew that I couldn’t free myself from this sin, and I knew that God was a good God who loved me and cared about me….but, I didn’t know how to surrender! I mean if I was in a war then I could take a piece of white cloth and put it on a stick, raise it up and walk toward the enemy. They would see the white piece of cloth and would know that I am surrendering, but how do you do that spiritually? I mean, it is more than words just as in the scenario of the battlefield above: I have to raise (action word) the stick, and walk (another action word) toward the enemy. But how do you surrender spiritually?

Needless to say after that prayer I went back to pornography as if I had not even prayed it! I knew Dr. Stanley is a godly man so I knew he wouldn’t teach something false, but I simply didn’t know how to apply it. So I kept trying to break free from pornography using all methods I knew from self-control (emphasis on the word “self”; I am not talking about the self-control we have by focusing on Christ and putting Him first in our lives), to using filters to always keeping the windows and door open, etc…nothing worked.

God wasn’t completely silent in those couple of years when I was addicted to porn. I can recall some other time when God completely cut all communication with me until I obeyed Him in a certain matter (thank God He did that!), but that was not the case in those two years. I think God knew that I was helpless against breaking free from porn. He knew I was too young spiritually to abandon me completely to my weakness and leave me completely at Satan’s mercy (as if he has any!)

A particular scary moment was when one night after indulging in sin for hours I stood and planned to go carry out a sinful act. After a couple steps it was as if God slapped me so hard that He woke me up from a nightmare; the only thing is that I was not dreaming--it was real life! I had so foolishly bought Satan’s lies to the degree that I was going to carry them out! I froze and couldn’t move for few seconds because it was as if God had blocked my way. Then I realized that I was basically a slave of Satan if I kept believing what he told me. I was like a zombie having all sense sucked out of me and so dead in my sins.

Nothing can explain God's intervention in that moment better than this song:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SjhKJgqGg

I also realized that I was not so different from Ted Bundy or any other serial killer and rapist. I was a step away from going that road if it wasn’t for God mercy, grace, love and compassion. I can never be thankful enough for Him for intervening in that moment. We were all born sinners, and according to God holiness that demands divine justice we all deserve the death penalty. That’s why our Lord had to die for our sins to be forgiven. So please, next time you hear about a criminal so “evil” ask yourself those two questions: 1) Can Jesus’ blood forgive all his sin? Yes, or no? 2) Can God change him? Yes, or no? The answer is yes to both questions. (Check this man’s testimony if you like to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIfQ-aBham4

One time I managed to stay away from pornography for 18 days! I was so happy but when I fell to sin again I was more miserable than ever before! I knew that I couldn’t do better than that. That was about half a year after listening to Dr. Stanley’s message.

So sometime in March of 2003 I went to pray at night. And I basically told God that I had enough and that I wasn’t going to pray anymore. I was ending my relationship with Him! I didn’t know better at the time that He paid a high price to adopt me into His family and He wasn’t just going to let me go! I was so tired of pretending that my religion works when it didn’t! I became a Christian not looking for a religion, but because the God of the Bible was so real I wanted to know Him…I wanted to experience what He did and said He would do. But it was not working! It was also so repulsive to me to come pray to God when I had so disgustingly disobeyed Him! It was like lusting after women all day long then going home and kissing my wife and pretending that everything is “fine”, (by the way, it is NOT “fine” with God and His opinion is the only opinion that matters if not now then later!). I simply couldn’t carry a relationship with a Holy God when I was so steeped into sin. I was crying when I told Him “good-by” because I had really wanted Christianity to work since it was the only faith that held its own claims and its God was so real that it would require more faith for me not to believe in Him than to believe in Him! (How much faith does it take to believe in gravity? None, because we know it exists! That’s the same case with our God.) So I told Him that I don’t care anymore. I give up. I can’t break free from pornography’s hold on me, and He isn’t helping me. So I give up and won’t try to resist porn anymore. I was too tired to try to please a God who wasn’t willing to help me with my burdens.

I don’t remember exactly what day it was that I prayed that prayer but I know it was in the last 10 days of March, 2003. So I stood up and thought that was the end…that all those prayers I had prayed and He answered, the peace He has given me, the joy, and the awesome awareness of His presence I had experienced before…were all things I had imagined.

Next day I didn’t watch porn, and I thought because I was busy with school work. The day after I didn’t watch porn either and I thought because the whole week was a busy week with school work! After a week I realized that I didn’t watch porn for the last week nor did I think about it or desired to watch it! That’s when it hit me: I was free! Hallelujah, Jesus set me free! Christianity works! My wonderful God is real! Everything He did before was real! So I went to pray again, and asked Him what I should do now! He put on my heart to go to www.settingcaptivesfree.com/home/our_courses.php and register! So I did, and went through the online program for 2 months. And I have been free from pornography since that March night until today. I had a friend in high school was struggling with pornography too. He was from Pakistan and when I told him that I was free he didn’t understand how. I couldn’t explain it more to my friend than the blind man, whom our Lord Jesus healed, answered in John 9:25:

He replied, "…One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

It took me a while to realize that the Biblical principle in Dr. Stanley’s sermon works! What I did in that prayer is simply I gave up: surrendered. I stopped trying to do it in my own strength. I stopped trying to fight God’s war for Him. I stopped trying to earn His favour. I stopped trying to win my way according to my timing. I ceased striving.

If you read Gideon’s story, the story Dr. Stanley based his sermon outlines on, you will realize God did the same thing with Gideon and His army. I truly encourage you to read it. You can find it in the book of Judges.

Why did God free me this way? Well there are many reasons, here are some:

1) He wants to bring Himself the glory. If we do it on our own and succeed what does that tell the world about Him? Nothing. Then I could’ve written this whole story without a mention of Him. But the fact is I couldn’t break free from pornography on my own in a million years. It was all His work.

2) He desires to grow our faith. My faith wouldn’t have grown in a God that stands idle while I did everything myself. But now I know He is more than able to do everything He said will do.

3) God wants us to trust Him and know that He can handle His own affairs and wars. It is good to defend God and fight for Him, but we must let Him fight His own battles so the world to know that He is a mighty and powerful God, and that He is real.

Let me ask you some questions: if you are always fighting for your god, protecting it, speaking on its behave, defending it, what makes you think it is a real god? If your god can’t speak, what makes you so convinced it could create your mouth? If your god can’t fight its own battles against evil, what makes you think it can give you victory? If your god can’t defend itself, what makes you think it can protect you?

4) For others to see, hear, believe and come to know Him. If I was able to free myself from porn by myself, how would that draw people to Him?

You can say whatever you want about God. You can say that you don’t like Him. That you don’t believe in Him. You can say that you would rather live your life without Him, and spend eternity in Hell than in Heaven with Him. But you can’t tell me that I was not addicted beyond human hope to pornography and He freed me from it. You can’t tell me that my God isn’t real or that He is dead. You can’t tell me that my God is not powerful, or that He doesn’t love me and cares about me.

I remember a couple of years ago I was waiting for the bus (isn’t it strange how I realize a lot of things while waiting for the bus!), and thought to myself, “What is so horrible about pornography anyway?” (That was a couple of years after God freed me from it!) Then suddenly I had this very empty feeling in my chest when I remembered how spiritually thirsty I was when I was addicted to porn. I remember how horrible it felt to chase after something that does not satisfy and that it leads to more chasing…but it still does not satisfy! Ever since then until now, I would like to think that I have a healthy fear of pornography, and sin in general. (Remember, God created fear to protect us, just like pain. But how we view fear and respond to is what makes the difference between a protective fear and an enslaving fear.) Of course, porn’s destruction is much more than the chasing after something that does not satisfy. But I won’t go into how much it has actually ruined countless lives, because many websites and statistics are available for those who are truly seeking to know the truth about porn’s destructive power.

1 John 4:4 says:

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

It is sad how many Christians have opinions about sin that are not based on God Word. I read things such as, “It is my motives that count…so even though I do this and that, I do them without lusting…” Really? Where does the Bible teaches that? When our Lord talked about motives he was talking about fasting, praying, and giving to the poor not about sin! You can’t sin with pure motives! It doesn’t make sense! You can fool me, and you can fool your church congregation! But how can you live with yourself knowing that you are lying to yourself! And how are you going to fool God? Rather, how are you going to face Him?

And some Christians even say “it is natural to do so and so”. Yes, you are correct, but since when does the Bible talk about our nature as if it is holy! Our nature is corrupt and sinful, so why do we say “natural” as if it is a good thing! It is natural to get angry and want to get revenge; it is natural to lie when accused of something; it is natural to cheat when we want to get our way…but what does the Bible teach about all those examples of “natural behaviour”? They are all sin and do not fit us as sons and daughters of the living God!

No, I am not talking about people who are addicted to drugs, porn, alcohol, and so on. I am not even talking to the unbelieving world here. I am talking to us, Christians. I truly believe that there is a huge difference between someone who is sinning—because he or she are addicted to a certain sin, regardless of how they got themselves into this mess—but they absolutely hate that sin and want to be free from it, and between someone who knows he is sinning but has no problem with it--welcomes sin in his life.

I am going to say something here that I think will make a lot of people dislike me, but I am going to say it anyway and hope that you take it with an attitude knowing that I am not judging anybody here:

If you are a woman who has Christ in her life, please re-consider the way you dress. Not according to my standards, or the church you attend. Certainly not according to the standards of the latest fashion or to “that is the only thing available in stores nowadays”. Don’t go to someone else asking their opinion or read an article about it. Go directly to God’s Word and ask God directly, and if you are honestly seeking to follow Him He will show you His way. But I must warn you: once He makes His will clear you won’t have peace until you obey Him.

You might be wondering why I am talking about women’s dressing in a topic about porn! Well, men are very visual so they sin by lusting (even women do that, but I am not sure they do so as much as men do) and so porn is a naturally attractive sin to them. Women desire to feel beautiful, desired, wanted and so she tries to meet those need by dressing in a way that attracts men’s attention. And that’s how she gets her momentarily (short-lived: like all the promises Satan makes in regard to sin) emotional high by noticing a man looking at her. But what I want to ask you is this: if you go home and you are all by yourself and have nothing to do, how do you feel: empty, far from your heavenly Father; or peaceful and your heart is flowing with love and adoration for Him?

Causing to Sin, Mark 9:42-50:

"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where

" 'their worm does not die,

and the fire is not quenched.' Everyone will be salted with fire.

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

If you are a man who has Christ in his life, please take some time, be quiet with God, and think about where you were yesterday spiritually, where you are today, and where you are heading tomorrow! Evaluate your life. Evaluate your ways. Seek to know God better. Make decisions, daily decisions, to live for Him. Live a pure life starting with your heart and mind. Think about your future wife (or present wife), think about your kids. You are going to be the leader of the house who represents Christ to the whole household! Will they see Him through you? Or will your daughters grow up thinking that they have to look beautiful, sexy, and act in certain ways to get a man’s attention and love? Think about God’s awesome and wonderful purpose that He desires to accomplish through you. Think about God’s reputation among the people who know you. Please don’t settle for less. We are not going to be given another chance after this life!

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

If you realize you are sinning against God while you are on your way home then repent right away and seek to follow Him! It is never too late to make a decision to live for Him, even if you just realized that at the end of the day. Daily surrender yourself to Him if that’s what it takes for you to live a pure and blameless life.

I will stop here. All I ask is that if you claim to believe something about God put it into practice. Whether in regard to your identity in Him, your personal agendas vs. His plans and purposes, or if you claim to believe that Christ died for someone else’s sin then why not forgive them? Remember, John 13:17:

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

What things? The things that are written in God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit reveals to you.

And don't ever lose focus of this fact: all things are done through His goodness, grace and mercy—it, life here on earth and eternal life, is all about Him. However, for Him: it is all about you. It is the "Lord's favour" and not our own works whether in being saved or the power to live for Him: it is all about His grace.

Nothing But the Blood

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wej1jHtiH-M

(Toronot, ON; winter 2008.)

The iPhone Developer is a timid creature, and notoriously difficult to catch on camera. However, needs must and in this world of self-promotion even the most camera-shy species needs a mugshot.

I've been kicking around 'I for iPhone' since the iPhone Developer suggested it back in January, and really liked the idea of incorporating the device itself into the shot somehow. When the iPad was launched, it was obvious we'd have to work that in somewhere.

We took a number of close-up shots with various expressions, which we loaded onto an iPad, an iPod Touch, and an iPhone 3G and 3GS. We then mucked about with different combinations to create different effects. This was the first one we tried, before we'd really got the lighting sorted out.

Someone suggested I read this book... don't know what gave her the idea. Maybe it was the bubble wrap.

This is a capture of a faint appearance of a STEVE arc during the Kp5 aurora display of July31/Aug 1, 2024. This was at 12:17 a.m. MDT, so on Aug 1. A faint arc or ray was visible to the eye, but the camera recorded the pinkish rays at bottom which are likely STEVE arcs below a more diffuse and fainter red arc which is likely a SAR, a Stable Auroral Red arc. The main green auroral arc with blue sunlit tops is to the left in the northeast. At right are bands of green airglow, which were bright enough this night to see with the unaided eye as faint bands across the south, unusual.

So this was a very colourful sky, at least to the camera.

STEVE = Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. STEVE is not a nomal aurora but is a horizontally flowing region of hot gas, usually white or pink. It has been known to evolve out of a SAR arc, which may be what is happening here. However, this was the first frame of a time-lapse which showed the arc developing somewhat but never getting bright.

This is looking east toward the rising autumn constellations (at centre), northeast (at left) and southeast (at right).

This is a single 30-second exposure with the 11mm TTArtisan lens at f/2.8 and on the red-sensitive Canon Ra at ISO 3200. Taken from home in southern Alberta.

Both incredibly robust and sensitive, this small metallic capsule hosts a range of sensors that collected data as it blasted off at 4300 km per hour.

The scaled-down version of the ExoMars landing module measures just 8 cm in diameter compared to the actual 3.8 metre spacecraft that will carry the Rosalind Franklin rover to the Red Planet. To illustrate the scale, the robot figurine is pictured alongside the capsule on martian-like terrain.

The mini capsule is one of 20 models launched during a test campaign that mimicked the aerodynamics of a Mars atmospheric entry at supersonic speeds last year. A robust, miniaturised piece of technology, it can withstand almost 17 000 g-force of acceleration. This is roughly 11 000 times greater than the acceleration experienced by a Formula 1 driver at full throttle and far beyond what most electronics can survive.

Each model carried electronics circuits to monitor its 230-metre flight path, including magnetometers, accelerometers and radar to analyse the capsule’s movement, trajectory and stability during the free-flight experiment.

The tiny replica of the ExoMars descent module darted from a smooth-bore gun faster than a speeding bullet. In the blink of an eye, all sensors began recording data, while specialised tracking technology allowed cameras to follow the incredibly fast object throughout its entire flight.

This video has been slowed down 60 times – the actual flight lasted just half a second. 

The tests provided critical data on how the spacecraft would behave during entry into the martian atmosphere. Following a two-year journey to the Red Planet, the ExoMars descent module will approach Mars at a speed of 21 000 km per hour, relying on heat shields, parachutes and retro rockets to land safely.

The tests took place at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL), a leading research centre with facilities for investigating the aerodynamics of vehicles such as reentry capsules.

Credits: ESA – A. Conigli

Though its people are very hospitable and friendly but perhaps a bit shy, Naha on Okinawa can hardly be called a very pretty city. Most of this area had to be rebuilt after the utter destruction of the Second World War. And it's obvious that not much thought was given to the infrastructure of the new city. Regardless, there are numerous tropical and jungle parks and wetlands within the city or in easy reach. More than enough nature to enjoy (even the fearsome Habu pitviper, which I to my regret have not [yet] seen).

Just to the south of the city proper, there's a fairly new Waterbird and Wetland Center focused on the entire Man-ko (Lake Man) area. This is where the Kokuba and Noha Rivers flow together into an estuary 'controlled' by the East China Sea. Of course, there are mangroves here but also dry(ish) pieces. Lots of birds; lots of plants (and also the small weeds I favor).

One of these is this Yellow Sensitive Plant, Neptunia triquetra. The 'triquetra' refers to the three sided top part of its stem. It's a 'touch-sensitive' plant and will fold its leaves if you brush them. In this way our Neptunia is like Mimosa pudicans. Hence Martin Hendrichsen Vahl (1749-1804) in 1794 classified it as Mimosa triquetra. A century later in 1874 it was called Neptunia triquetra by the English botanist George Bentham (1800-1884), and it has retained that name until today.

Our shy plant hails originally from India and the East Indies - as especially British sources affirm. It's not mentioned in the various Floras of Japan that I use. On a list of non-native plants of Okinawa, it's characterised as now naturalised here as well as on the Bonin or Ogasawara Islands. Indeed, it's everywhere under foot along the Kokuba River.

If you look even less carefully, you will be able to see how this Triquetra differs from Mimosa pudicans. Regard that wonderful hanging clump of stamens and anthers topped by a marvellously - but hard to photograph - yellow tousle.

Needless to say, taking this photo made my morning...

dickelsbachstrasse, duisburg

View large: click B l a c k M a g i c

My 10 yr. old standard poodle, Lisette wishes you a happy holiday. She is so scared of the camera. She is my sensitive soul. She is a very happy girl, and here just looks a bit off guard, by the blinking camera light (on tripod, and 2 sec. delay for my Canon Powershot 630). This is the best I could do for an indoor holiday shot. Oh well, I give up.

I put holiday lights around her- and she was fine with this-- she actually loves dress up. She is simply nervous around the camera noises and lights. I always have my camera on silence-- she just remembers that some cameras make that awful electronic noise- and when she sees a camera, no amount of treats or praise seem to make a difference. I sort of got her over her fears outside, but inside is a different story. She sits still for me, but gives me the look above. She is just like some children I guess.

In 2010, she will be my 52 Weeks for Dogs candidate, I think. Sometimes she is my Diva Dog and poses (outside, on the boat, no camera noises), and sometimes she is like this. No amounts of treats or smiles, or petting, or time helps. She really can smile-- a smile photo is posted below and many in my photostream. But she is much more difficult to photography than my 1 yr. old Jake. So I challenge myself in 2010 to try to get more natural photographs of my Lisette/Lizzy.

Anyone who likes to take photographs of their dogs can now apply to 52 Weeks for Dogs for 2010. It's a fun group. You commit to post a photo a week of your dog.

Taken 12/20/09, Uploaded 12/21/09, #9930 (TADenoise, Enhance, Erase)

If you wish, view all of my Photostream, sorted by Interestingness: fiveprime.org/flickr_hvmnd.cgi?search_domain=User&tex...

Again, five photos from my archives. Too much snow on the ground and on my car, so I am staying home in the warm. The Space X, Boca Chica, image was reposted, as I was remembering our visit back in 2019 to the area where another test flight was launched today, 19 November 2024.

I will be adding the description that I wrote under previously posted photos from each of these five days.

"On 2 May 2016, I was incredibly fortunate to be able to witness about 30 (?) of these Grouse, mainly male with just a handful of females, displaying at their "lek" or communal dancing ground. On this particular day, five of us went to see this. There had been a couple of possible chances for me to get out there, but these had fallen through. Then, out of the blue, friend Dorothy phoned me, asking if I had been able to get to the lek yet. She said that if I hadn't been, her husband Stephen would be willing to drive me there! This was such a wonderful surprise, though anyone who really knows this couple already knows what amazingly kind and generous people they are. I was so happy to get this unexpected chance and the three of us had a great morning, in good weather and in good company. Two young men also went, making their own way there. Delightful guys, highly respectful of not only the Grouse, but also of us, constantly moving form their seats to allow us to get our turn, and vice versa. They could so easily have left the 'hide/blind ahead of us when the Grouse had all left, but instead they waited till we were all packed up and then made sure that we were all able to safely get over the very awkward stile at the fence line. Having been out there last year, on 13 April 2015, I knew of this problem and had bought a three-step step ladder a few weeks ago, just in case I was able to go sometime this spring. This made so much difference, thank goodness, especially as I was really tired after staying up all night in order to leave at a very unearthly hour of the morning.

So glad we had a nice, sunny day - the day I went a year ago, the weather was overcast and not good for photos. This year, I got to see the Grouse in beautiful sunrise light, too. Of course, the 'problem' of clumps of tall grass was exactly the same this year, lol, keeping the birds somewhat hidden, but every once in a while, a bird would come out into the open. Most of the time, they were quite distant, but we were very lucky that several did give us a closer view. Such magnificent birds, with their yellow 'eyebrows', purple patch below the side of the neck on the males, and glorious feather pattern. Their dance display to attract the females is so fascinating to watch.

Just after we got back to our cars, another car came along the road and stopped to talk with us. It turned out that this gentleman was indirectly connected to the lek. He voiced his huge concern at how many people had been out there this spring, feeling that this was not good for the Grouse. He said that hopefully no more people would be going, so that the Grouse would be undisturbed in their mating. We agreed with him and thought that maybe people should not be allowed to visit every year, but perhaps every two or three years. I will pass on his words and great concern to our Naturalist leader who organizes these visits. (Note added on 13 November 2021: they are still being allowed to continue.)

After we left the lek, we travelled a few nearby backroads, hoping to see a Western Meadowlark. We saw 10! It had been so funny, while we sat in the blind at the lek, a Meadowlark was somewhere nearby and sang for us for about four hours! When we at last emerged into the sunlight, there was no sign of it anywhere. We did manage to get a few distant shots of two or three of them.

Thank you so much, Stephen and Dorothy, for offering to take me - so very kind and thoughtful of you, as always! The stop for having our sandwiches was great and the muffins you brought along with you ended the morning very nicely.

If you have time, the following 2:30 minute YouTube video by the Alberta Conservation Association is very good for showing the action of these birds. There are several still shots first and then the video starts. Pretty amazing! The birds remind me of a child's wind-up toy : )

youtu.be/vRUVIU4UfYo

I came across an excellent brochure (pdf file) about Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Internet and will use some of the information from it, instead of using my own words to describe what goes on at a lek. I had seen females of this species before, on Christmas Bird Counts, but not a male and not at breeding time.

www.ab-conservation.com/downloads/educational_materials/b...

"Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal “dancing grounds” called leks. Here, males compete for breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing” ability to females. Most activity on the lek occurs in the early morning just before sunrise and for a few hours afterwards. The males’ energetic display includes fluttering wings, rapid foot stomping and spinning in tight circles - reminiscent of wind-up toys. The most dominant males court females with low cooing sounds and by strutting around them with inflated air sacs on their neck and fanned tail feathers. It is nearly a winner-take-all form of competition, as only a few of the males are selected as mates by the females.

Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta.

Male sharp-tailed grouse gather on the lek in late March. In April the females arrive, sparking increased displaying by the males. Peak attendance by females on the lek occurs between mid to late April in much of Alberta. Once they have selected a male, hens breed once and then seek out a place to nest, usually in late April to early May.

Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists.

Native North Americans called the sharp-tailed grouse “Fire Bird” because of their reliance on fires to keep their habitat open in wooded areas. Suppression of natural fire in parkland and boreal areas reduces the amount of open grassland available to sharp-tailed grouse.

Sharp-tailed grouse were an important food source for native North Americans and they continue to be a popular game bird for hunters today.

In Alberta, the sharp-tailed grouse is listed as “Sensitive.”

While exact population numbers are not known, there is a feeling that sharp-tailed grouse have decreased significantly in numbers over the past 40 years. This trend is supported by lek counts, hunter surveys, aerial counts and Breeding Bird Survey data. Declining numbers are the result of a reduction in the quality and quantity of sharp-tailed grouse habitat, particularly the loss of quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat." From www.ab-conservation.com.

www.ab-conservation.com/downloads/report_series/Use-Habit...

Poesia i fotografia:jocsdellum.wordpress.com/

This sweet boy has been in the forefront of our thoughts the last couple of weeks. He has fought upper respiratory, digestive, and allergy issues off and on for his whole life (12yo), but has taken it all in stride. He thought we were losing him, though, last week when he stopped eating and became extremely lethargic. (You know it's bad when they turn down chicken baby food and tuna.) We have a fabulous vet, however, and she kept trying one thing and another--x-rays, bloodwork, steroids, antibiotics, fluids--but couldn't determine the cause. He had an ultrasound from a specialty clinic, but they didn't find anything either. Our vet gave me an appetite stimulant for him that works like gangbusters, and he now appears to be through whatever crisis it was. He's even batting around toys. We are very happy, because we were not prepared to lose him. He's such a sweet boy. The specialty clinic said he was purring throughout the ultrasound!

white rock lake park

Little boy you're going to HELL!

You said bad words/ threw rocks at the birds

And now this is your hotel!

You aint goin' back/this aint disneyland/it's HELL!

Little boy it's time for you to PAY!

For hurtin' that bird/not goin to church

And starin' at !@(& every day

You aint goin' back/ now you must stand in HELL!

Hell isn't good/Hell isn't good/HELL!

Ooh Hell isn't good/Hell isn't good/HELL!

Model: Taylor Freeze

Photographer: Justin Bonaparte​

@justin.bonaparte.creative

www.modelmayhem.com/488132

¿Le hablaron los Santos Padres acerca de tal Satanás en la Escuela Católica?

The Robin is a year round resident in the UK, but a small minority of female Robins migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Both the male and female feature similar plumage, both with the distinctive red breast. The male bird is extremely territorial and will aggressively defend his territory, attacking any similar sized birds that try to muscle in on their patch.

The adult European robin is 12cm long and weighs between 15 to 22 g with a wingspan of 20–22 cm . The male and female bear similar plumage; an orange breast and face lined by a bluish grey on the sides of the neck and chest. The upperparts are brownish, or olive-tinged in British birds, and the belly whitish, while the legs and feet are brown. The bill and eyes are black.

Juveniles are a spotted brown and white in colouration, with patches of orange gradually appearing. Male robins are noted for their highly aggressive territorial behaviour. They will fiercely attack other males and competitors that stray into their territories and have been observed attacking other small birds without apparent provocation. There are instances of robins attacking their own reflection. Territorial disputes sometimes lead to fatalities, accounting for up to 10% of adult robin deaths in some areas

The Robin is a member of the thrush family , a distant relative of the Blackbird and Nightingale.

In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK. The bird also is associated with several British sporting clubs including the professional football clubs Bristol City, Crewe Alexandra, Swindon Town, Cheltenham Town and Wrexham FC, as well as the English rugby league team Hull Kingston Rovers.

Robins may choose a wide variety of sites for building a nest. They will make use of anything that can offer some shelter, this can include some unlikely locations including garden sheds , old discarded kettles , hanging baskets and farm machinery.

The cup shaped nest is composed of moss, leaves and grass, with fine grass, hair and feathers for lining is built by the female bird . If you want to help your local Robin population to providing a nesting box to attract Robins to nest in your garden it needs to be open fronted and concealed in vegetation.

Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin’s breast, and thereafter all robins got the mark of Christ’s blood upon them.

Courtship feeding is a very prominent activity, and the male can supply more than a third of his mate’s food intake during nest building and egg laying. This extra food is important and can make a difference to the clutch size, particularly since a complete clutch represents about 90 per cent of the females total body weight. The birds are very sensitive to any disturbance during the nest building and egg laying, and will easily desert the nest if they think that the nest has been discovered. Unless the birds are used to people, it is best to stay clear of the immediate vicinity of the nest until the incubation starts.

Because of high mortality in the first year of life, a robin has an average life expectancy of just one year, if the Robin survives past the first year it can expect to live longer Up to a maximum of six years. The cause of the high mortality rate are many and varied. Only around 40 per cent of fledged birds will survive from one year to the next. High levels of mortality are compensated for by high productivity and the robin population has increased by 45 per cent since 1970. Severe winter weather can have severe impacts on robins.

JJ Cale - Sensitive Kind

youtu.be/GStdIzreUyM

Mr. edgelord boss, time sensitive thick boi and undead freakazoid dog all in one photo!

Sensitive Fern photographed on the Cedar Meadows Place Richelieu section of the Bridge to Bridge Trail located in Mountjoy Township in the City of Timmins Northeastern Ontario Canada

©Copyright Notice

This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.

Ô ! Monsieur est un con !

Voulez-vous que je plante ma brosse dans votre cheminée, Monsieur ?

Fougère en contre-jour.

dried hydrangea flowers & seeds and lavender

The Spreadwings are starting to emerge and this one was hiding in the sensitive ferns.

Rends-moi heureux ce soir !

Purple mood

self portrait

Open up your mind and let me step inside

Rest your weary head and let your heart decide

It's so easy when you know the rules

It's so easy

All you have to do is fall in love

Play the game, everybody play the game

Of love

If this plane's rockin...

slfashionpassion.wordpress.com

in this photo: my boyfriend, Gabriele.

Rhinoceros - Rhino - Kifaru

The rhino is a gentle giant, that has sturdy legs like tree trunks. Its skin looks like a shield of armor, yet it is sensitive to touch, sunburn and insects. A group of rhinoceroses is called a crash or herd.

Rhinos are known to have poor eyesight and charge at things that they might fear. It has a massive head that tapers to that battering ram of a horn. Yet most of the time this fearsome creature is content to browse peacefully on vegetation.

There are two species of African Rhino, the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros, they are not really distinguishable by color. Both have two horns, and similar coloration. The main difference is the shape of their mouths – white rhinos have broad flat lips for grazing, whereas black rhinos have long pointed lips for eating foliage.

The black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the western black rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011.

The Southern white rhino is doing better, but The IUCN list this rhino as near threatened. Adult rhinos have no natural predators, except for man.

The greater one-horned rhino also called the Indian rhinoceros is the largest of the rhino species. The IUCN Listed this species as a vulnerable.

Sadly the northern white Rhino is on the verge extinction, only a couple are known to exist on earth today.

* * * The IUCN Red List identifies three of the species as critically endangered* * *

Hope you enjoyed my pics!

All rights reserved ©Pix.by.PegiSue

www.flickr.com/photos/pix-by-pegisue/

~Protect animals and wild life habitat around the World‎! ~

Taken @ San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA

**Fight to end extinction of species around the world. www.EndExtinction.org

Svema Blue 35mm BW comes to you on a snazzy lavender base with an ISO of 6. Svema Blue Sensitive has a creamy glow and pleasing results.

It's hand-rolled by The Film Photography Project and in their on-line store

The World's Largest and most Sensitive Radiotelescope located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. More information about this place here.

I am fascinated by stars & our galaxy. This place is amazing!

LISTEN TO ALIENS - View On Black

NOTE:

-Processed by Photomatix. 3 photos (-2, 0, +2) & no tripod used.

-I used a cokin graduated neutral density filter. There is a slight vignetting to capture the entire scene. There were tons of people around. :)

Assis chez lui sur son canapé en milieu d’après-midi, dans cette tenue. La pose était totalement involontaire semble t-il. Il ne m'en fallait pas plus pour être inspié

www.laliesorbet.com/

- Joerg Goetz -

[This photograph is part of the black-and-white re-processings I have been recently uploading to Flickr, because I do not have any new content to show, owing to the fact that I am presently only shooting for a photo-book that will be published by the Fondation du Patrimoine towards the end of 2023. I cannot show any of those photos, obviously, as I do not know yet which ones will be in the book. Thank you for your understanding and I hope you enjoy revisiting some older photos in their new, black-and-white look!

I also reproduce below the caption I wrote when I first uploaded the concerned photo, sometimes with slight adaptations.]

The Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, in the city of Poitiers (central France), was built as a collegiate church, mostly during the 11th century. It was consecrated by the Pope in 1086, then the western façade was remodeled during the early 1200s. Listed as a Historic Landmark on the very first list of 1840, it also shows, on the northern wall, signs of a pre-Romanesque elevation in brick and stone, possibly from the Antiquity. We know there was an earlier church before the one we see today, as it is mentioned in writing during the 900s as Sancta Maria Major (a reference to the eponymous basilica in Rome). That church may have been built using parts of the walls of an even more ancient structure.

The church has undergone a very important campaign of restoration on the outside between 1992 and 2004, but the inside is now sorely in need of repairs.

Details of the western façade. Some traces of Mediæval polychromy are still visible here and there, so that we know that at least part of the façade was painted. The scenes shown are from the life of Christ. The level of detail is impressive and almost unmatched for the 11th century, even though it must be underlined that the soft limestone lends itself well to the sculptor’s hand —and is unfortunately quite sensitive to erosion and pollution as well.

Strangely, most faces have been hacked off either during the Wars of Religion or the French Revolution, but not all...