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Participants at the Annual Meeting 2017 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 17, 2017
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Sikarin Thanachaiary
I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white strips? Or white with black strips?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits? Or are you bad with good habits? Are you noisy with quiet times? Or are you quiet with noisy times? Are you happy with sad days? Or are you sad with happy days? Are you neat with some sloppy ways? Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on he went.
& I'll never ask a zebra About stripes Again.
Namibia, Africa
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www.amarphotography.in © All rights reserved.
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First year students and some faculty gathered in the CFL for a question and answer session with Christina Henriquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans. September 3, 2015. Photo by: Annie Goodroad
Kate, Tom and myself enjoyed a lovely Stammtisch at the George’s Inn as part of the Climate-KIC Alumni Association (CKAA). Kate Hofman and Alistair McVicar from Accenture were asked to share with us their personal experience with Climate-KIC and how this has benefited them in their current role.
Thanks to Christoph Mazur for going to the trouble in getting this sorted! It was awesome and I’m sure this will be the first of many.
A photographer friend of mine asked me to shoot a local fashion show with her. I accepted. Then she asked me if I would take head shots for the models. Okay. On the first day we attended the dress rehearsal; it was chaos. The lighting was awful and the the lighting dude kept changing it. Dreadful results. On the second day I spent about 6 hours doing head shots of about 45 models. Exhausting. I was stuck in the basement, I found a cramped space to turn into a basic studio. I tried my best under the circumstances. The result was I missed the entire fashion show. Grrrr, I spent a few weeks working on the photos, sent them out to the models I shot with, and waited to hear back from them. And waited. I think I've heard back from about 5 models thanking me for my time and photos. It was so discouraging. I'll never do anything like this again. The only bright side was meeting some very lovely models; we're already planning future shoots - I hope we can pull them off.
Hailey, the model in the photo, is a keeper and a great find. I actually met her at the practice session the night before - and my camera liked her instantly. She is so sweet, photogenic, and classy. After she walked the runway at the real fashion show she still had a lot of energy and wanted to do some more shooting. I would never tell her no, so we had a fun, impromptu shoot - what a blast. And we also ended up shooting with her a few weeks later. Life is good!
Pontiac, a division of the GM corporation, had long positioned itself as the 'sporty' marque within the heirarchy of GM brands. This had begun in earnest in the late 1950's, as the existing Pontiac's North American Indian (Native American) theme, badging and naming regime had begun to brand it as a 'old man's car'. The apparent symptom was exhibited in falling sales. Under the leadership of John Z. DeLorean, Pontiac broke away from its heritage position, and targeted a younger, more enthusiastic customer base. Styling grew much wilder, and did so very rapidly. For the 1959 model year full-size car, Pontiac expoited the B-body width with new 'wide-track styling', which ironically, also improved the handling of their cars, along with the looks.
Thereafter POntiac asked for the biggest engines, the widest tyres and the grooviest names is an attempt to stay at the cutting edge of cool.
Fast forward 40 years and the GM division, a purveyor of speed, had suffered twenty years of neglect within a corporation run by accountants. Most of the cars were slightly warmed up leftovers from the volume-selling Chevrolet division. Styling consisted of a twin-nostril grille executed with none of the grace found in the similar BMW theme, plus some ribbed plastic along the flanks. To say the target customer was a youthful enthusiast was still true - but they were more likely be seen by most of the car-buying public as rednecks. What can you say when the iconic brand standard bearer for twenty years is a Firebird Trans-Am with a 'screaming chicken' decal on the hood?
The decline was not yet terminal, and it appeared, for a short time that someone high up realised that it took more than tacky plastic to deliver a performance division. First up was the GTO, and coupe-derivative of the Holden Commodore, designed and sold in GM's Australian division, enhanched with Pontiacs distinctive maw. Though critisised for being to discrete, the GTO's Vee-eight and RWD performance added some steak to the Pontiac sizzle. The GTO was followed by the G8, again an Australian import based on the sedan VE Commodore, upping the power, performance and credibility of the Pontiac promise.
With the demise of the Pontiac Firebird in 2002, the Pontiac division had been left without a true 'sports car'. Though the Firebird's Chevrolet twin, the Camaro had been reborn in 2009 (ironically, a Holden Australia engineered car sharing the Commodore and G8's platform), there was to be no new Firebird. Instead, a different RWD platform, code named Kappa had been developed for the low-volume GM sportscars. The platform was significantly smaller than any RWD GM product had seen, measuring about 4.0 metres (160 in), targeted more towards a Mazda Miata or BMW Z3 in size. Lightweight also helped the performance and handling, and allowed the fitting of 4-cylinder engines, including turbocharged editions, to allow for a competitve cost and fuel economy targets.
The car was launched in 2006 as the Pontiac Solstice, and was co-developed under the Saturn brand as the Sky. There was also a version developed for Europe, wearing similar styling to the Saturn, known as the Opel (or Vauxhall) GT. The initial Roadster form was joined in 2009 by a Solstice Coupe, a targa topped hunched fastback. Alas, as GM spiralled downward into bankruptcy brought on by years of mismanagement and the emerging Financial Crisis, Pontiac was targeted as a 'redundant' division, and was closed, along with Saturn and Hummer, spelling the end of the Solstice and the Kappa platform.
What had emerged as a real solution to the Pontiac performance promise, Solstice, G8 sedan and the propoed G8 Sport Truck and Sportswagon, was jetisoned as an accounting decision. Mercifully, the resources that would have otherwise been allocated to Pontiac have allowed the creation of the range-extender electric GM Volt, and a renewed sense of product purpose at Cadillac and Chevrolet. Ironically, the cancelled G8 program is appearing under a different guise as the Chevrolet Caprice PPV (Police vehicle), Chevrolet SS performance sedan (featuring as the 2013 NASCAR entry), and rumoured El Camino Sport Truck and Nomad Wagon.
Imagine though, what the potential would have been for a Kappa platformed RWD compact Nomad, as envsioned in the 2004 concept.
Alas, with the death of the Solstice, we shall never know.
This Lego model Pontiac Solstice Roadster and Solstice Coupe has been designed for Flickr LUGNuts 62nd Build Challenge, - 'Space is the Place', - celebrating vehicles with Space related names. In this case, the 'Solstice', the astronomically event occuring in mid-winter and mid-summer where the inclined axis of the Earth's rotation is aligned with the axis of the sun, creating the longest day (and shortest day in the opposite hemisphere) of the year.
Pretty Classical Ballet Ballerina Goddess Pointe Shoes Leotard Dress! Outdoors Nature Ballet Ballerina Photography! Pretty Blonde Hair & Brown Eyes Ballerina Ballet Dncer Venus! Sony A7 R & Sharp Carl Zeiss Sony 55mm F1.8 Sonnar T FE ZA Full Frame Prime Lens!
My Epic Gear Guide for Epic Landscapes & Portraits!
Everyone is always asking me for this! Here ya go! :)
Epic books, prints, & more!
The Tao of Epic Landscape Photography:
Exalt your photography with Golden Ratio Compositions!
Golden Ratio Compositions & Secret Sacred Geometry for Photography, Fine Art, & Landscape Photographers: How to Exalt Art with Leonardo da Vinci's, Michelangelo's . . . !
Epic Landscape Photography:
A Simple Guide to the Principles of Fine Art Nature Photography: Master Composition, Lenses, Camera Settings, Aperture, ISO, ... Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography)
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Epic Poetry inspires all my photography: geni.us/9K0Ki Epic Poetry for Epic Landscape Photography: Exalt Fine Art Nature Photography with the Poetic Wisdom of John Muir, Emerson, Thoreau, Homer's Iliad, Milton's Paradise Lost & Dante's Inferno Odyssey
Ralph Waldo Emerson. The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.
"At night I open the window and ask
the moon to come and press its
face against mine.
Breathe into me. Close
the language-door and open the love-window.
The moon won’t use the door,
only the window."
Breath into me by Rumi
Asking Alexandria is an English post-hardcore/metalcore band from York, North Yorkshire, formed in 2007. Founded when rhythm guitarist Ben Bruce contacted old friends after moving back to England from Dubai, the current line-up consists of Bruce, vocalist Danny Worsnop, lead guitarist Cameron Liddell, bass guitarist Sam Bettley and drummer James Cassells.
Lit candles in the infants are a risk.
With one boy seeing how hot the flame really is.
Swindenstraat 1957
Ravensburger No 15 582 8
1000 pieces, used and complete
70 x 50 cm
An enjoyable 'make' by an artist I'd not heard of before, A A Dillens (1821-1877), primarily known for his paintings of Zealand peasant life as seen here. The usual good Ravensburger quality, and once again complete.
2020 piece count: 14290
Puzzle 19
I'm often asked how I carry all the heavy camera gear that I often use to cover events. The answer depends. Sometimes all I carry is my Canon point and shoot and an iPhone and other times I carry: Nikon D700; 24-70 f2.8; 70-200 VRII; TC-20E II 2x teleconverter; 50mm 1.4D; GPS pickup; SB-900 flash; and other odd items. When I work heavy my newswear Chestvest is a great solution. Not only does it carry all the above gear but it serves as a resting place for the D700 when it's not in the firing position. As you can see in this photo the camera lens (24-70) is behind the shoulder strap and the body is resting on the top of the vest. Believe it or not the camera is very safe in this position. The camera can ride this way with the 70-200 lens as well but not with the 50mm as it's not long enough to slide behind the strap and lock into place. But this is ok because 99% of the time at events I'm using the 24-70 and/or the 70-200. I can ride the Segway, walk, ride a scooter or even drive the car with the camera held in this way. Sometimes if I lean forward it will come out and this is why the camera strap is around my neck just in case. But, in general, this solution gives me fast access to the camera and the other gear and allows me to carry everything for hours without back and shoulder pain. If I'm using two camera bodies it's especially important to be able to stash one or both cameras in this way as necessary.
Newswear Mens Digital Chestvest, Digital SLR Camera & Lens Carry System, Black. $114.95
PS: If you look close you will notice the modified camera strap. The strap can easily be removed when not needed such as when I'm using my Spider Holster or working in the studio. In the photo it's used only as backup if the camera slips out or I drop it during shooting which to date has not happened but I like having it there just in case :)
Here is a video with even more carry options:
Ask it no questions, it will tell you no lies...
If you would like to adopt this WFMU Fixture, please make a paid-in-full pledge of $180 or more to WFMU's 2025 Marathon by 11:59pm on March 16th, 2025, and then send an email via this page to stake your claim. Make sure that you specify in the email that you'd like the WFMU Fixture of your Choice!
First come, first served!
The Real Hong Kong Car Culture
Hong Kong Car | Automotive Photography since 2011
For a detailed introduction | guide on Hong Kong Car Licence Plates | Car Vanity Plates click on the link below to learn more :
✚ www.j3consultantshongkong.com/hk-car-vanity-plates
One of the largest collections of quality Hong Kong Car Images and specialising in Car Licence Plates | Car Vanity Plates or as the Hong Kong Government likes to call them - Vehicle Registration Marks
I photograph all car brands and please do bear in mind I am an enthusiastic amateur and NOT a professional photographer but I do have a fairly distinctive style and it has got better over the years.
☛.... and if you want to read about my views on Hong Kong, then go to my blog, link is shown below, I have lived in Hong Kong for over 50 years!
✚ www.j3consultantshongkong.com/j3c-blog
☛ Photography is simply a hobby for me, I do NOT sell my images and all of my images can be FREELY downloaded from this site in the original upload image size or 5 other sizes, please note that you DO NOT have to ask for permission to download and use any of my images!
Askrigg in Wensleydale. The village, once more important than nearby Hawes, is overlooked by the flat top of Addlebrough.
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3
New Instagram! instagram.com/45surf
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown / Black Hair!
And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:
Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!
The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).
Check out my greatest hits compilation, and let me know what you think:
www.elliotmcguckenphotography.com/45surf/45SURF-Heros-Ody...
Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!
Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
New 500px!
500px.com/herosodysseymythology
New instagram! instagram.com/45surf
Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)
Follow me on facebook! facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken
Nikon D300 Photos of Beautfiul Sexy Hot Brunette!
She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!
May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown Black Hair!
All the best on your Epic, Homeric, Heroic Odyssey into the Art of Photography from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Dynamic Dimensions Theory's First Law and equation: The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c: dx4/dt=ic.
Join my new Instagrams:
instagram.com/johnnyrangermccoy
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johny Ranger McCoy!
Fine Art Ballet Photography! Ballerina Silhouette Setting Sun! Sony A7 R & Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens! High Res Fine Art Ballerina Dancing Classical Ballet in Pointe Shoes Slippers Leotard Tutu! Golden Ratio Photography! Portraits of Professional Ballerina Model! Carl Zeiss! Los Angeles!
Fine Art Los Angeles Ballerina Ballet Landscape Photography!
Sony A7 R & Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens !
Carl Zeiss Sharp! Beautiful Venus! High Res Fine Art Ballerina Dancing Classical Ballet in Pointe Shoes Ballet Slippers Leotard Tutu Goddess! Golden Ratio Photography! Athletic Action Portraits of Professional Ballerinas! Ballet Aphrodite! Athletic Models! 45SURF dx4/dt=ic
My physics equation dx4/dt=ic graces the swimsuits and bikinis, while the golden gun is designed in proportion with the golden ratio, and the photos are oft cropped in divine proportions!
My Epic Gear Guide for Landscapes & Portraits!
Everyone is always asking me for this! Here ya go! :)
My Epic Book: Photographing Women Models!
Portrait, Swimsuit, Lingerie, Boudoir, Fine Art, & Fashion Photography Exalting the Venus Goddess Archetype: How to Shoot Epic ...
Epic! Beautiful Surf Fine Art Portrait Swimsuit Bikini Models!
Bitcoin: 1FMBZJeeHVMu35uegrYUfEkHfPj5pe9WNz
Follow me friends!
facebook.com/goldennumberratio
Epic books, prints, & more!
Exalt your photography with Golden Ratio Compositions!
Golden Ratio Compositions & Secret Sacred Geometry for Photography, Fine Art, & Landscape Photographers: How to Exalt Art with Leonardo da Vinci's, Michelangelo's!
Epic Landscape Photography:
A Simple Guide to the Principles of Fine Art Nature Photography: Master Composition, Lenses, Camera Settings, Aperture, ISO, ... Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography)
Epic Art & Gear for your Epic Hero's Odyssey:
Enjoy my physics books graces with my fine art photography! Light Time Dimension Theory: The Foundational Physics Unifying Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: A Simple, Illustrated Introduction to the Physical
Beautiful High Res Fine Art Ballerina Dancing Classical Ballet in Pointe Shoes Ballet Slippers Leotard Tutu Goddess! Golden Ratio Photography! Athletic Action Portraits of Professional Ballerinas! Bikini Swimsuit Aphrodite! Athletic Fitness Models! 45SURF dx4/dt=ic
Like a diary
...His presence in my life made me selfless. He made me want to sacrifice. He made me generous. He made me perpetually mindful of his state without ever feeling tired. He never made me feel impatient or angry. He made me notice my rigidity. No matter what he did or what happened, only a single thought emanated form my heart, “Was he happy?”
I did without everything I needed and wanted, missing none of it. He made me break all my deeply ingrained patterns without missing a beat. He made me laugh. He made me reflect. Yet I was the one overtly responsible for him.
He had this effect on me without asking me for any of it, without telling me to do any of it. He was a real Sufi. Not like the one everybody called me, making me wince, just because I stopped partying and didn't gossip. Who was younger than me, child-like and the epitome of sweetness.
As I wrote I knew I had made others feel like Shaan was making me feel. People other than him had made me feel the same. But then there was always a reason that connected me to something in them; blood, beauty, softness, sound. All of what attracted me to them, made me become attached to them, was bestowed by God, but I always forgot Him and became besotted with the one who was the manifestation of His Blessing.
Shaan only saw me and everything I did through Allah alone. I knew that when he walked into my place the first time after he had moved into his apartment and said, "Tareef uss Khuda ki jiss ne tujhe banaya." All praise to Allah who made you the way He made you. It was line from a song in some Indian movie.
I had laughed then and thought it was sweet. But it was something else entirely. He only saw me through Allah and so, for him, everything I did came only through His Lord. I was the means and He was the Source.
Everything I offered, he could have easily done without. He had no need for anything material. But most of all, Shaan made me begin to wonder about love, what it really was. How I had always experienced it with endless intensity yet it now seemed it was always superficial. Shaan was wiping everything out in terms of my understanding of the construct of that which the Sufis called "the first movement of the Universe." At 50, I guess I would be starting anew.
Whomever I loved before, when I thought about them, I thought about them. But with Shaan, when I think of him, I end up thinking of myself. He makes my nafs he focus, not his person. I think of my mistakes with forgiveness. I aspire to be like him. Whenever he gives me things I know I won't eat I take them, then ask his permission before I give them away. I have never done that in my life.
He is a Mo'min so he is a mirror. It's one thing to read something, then understand your self through it. It's entirely another for it to appear before you and you see it.
I was frustrated one day with my niece. I didn't know how to get her to do something I wanted so I asked his advice. He said exactly nothing. In his world there was no making someone do anything. Even one's own self. I guess that's where the sincerity bridge came in for me. When I forced myself to practice that which is beyond my capability and so its execution became false.
I would sometimes plead with people to make them see something that was right for me. Even right for them. It never worked. Shaan was alien to the concept. Yet he was from this world. He was born in it. He lived here. But there was no cunning, no sarcasm, no plotting or planning. Once or twice while talking to someone else trying to persuade them to do something, I winked at him. The second time I did it he said out loud, "I don't know what that means." I think, embarrassed, I just smiled.
I don't know if I will ever be able to figure out which I did to deserve him.
I thought maybe I should start making a list “What I learnt from Shaan today” which came from what I learnt about Shaan today. For instance we went to the park, just him and I. He wanted to play soccer. I wanted to pray at the shrine. I told him to play outside it so he wouldn’t wander off. I went in and then waiting for the Azaan came out again. Just then the call to prayer started.
I saw Shaan standing with the ball in his hand so I walked over.
“Why aren’t you playing?” I asked.
He pointed at the sky and just said, “Azaan.”
Later I asked him why he didn’t play because of it. “We only do one thing when the Azaan comes,” I said to him. We being the ones with money in Lahore. “No listening to music. That’s it! So do you do that out of adab, respect, not play?”
He just looked at me and said, “It’s the Azaan. And it was the Friday prayer,” he said with emphasis as if it made the answer obviously clear.
The next day we were hanging out in my lounge and I started asking him questions about a specific negative pattern. Why did it exist and what was the motivation or cause for it to occur. I guess I was being philosophical. Or pretending to be because I had specific people in mind that I clearly wanted to complain about without naming them. Not that he knew them. And I realized he showed me my lack of sincerity that existed even in a benign conversation.
Every time I created a scenario to describe the behaviour I was thinking about, he would give me an answer I didn’t understand at all. It was like if one said something to a child that was negative and they would say something back that made no sense because they literally had nothing to say about it. So I tried again and again he said something totally random. And I realized what was happening. Shaan never said anything negative about anyone or anything, even conceptually. Ever!
Even the landlady who kicked him out in 7 days, all he did was take her tea and coffee and all kinds of food. Every time he ate, he wanted to share his meal with her. No wonder by the end of it, she was sitting downstairs in his place every time I called him. I was like what the hell!
But she clearly sensed his energy. It was palpably purifying. He made me see what was wrong with me without saying a word about it or about me. I was the exact opposite all the time with every single person I knew. All I did was highlight their flaws, not in a mean way since my intent was to be provide a solution, but nevertheless I would be highlighting their flaws and giving them remedies based on what I was learning. It was insane!
I never even saw Shaan pray. I never asked him about it of course.
Then one evening I said, “In the Quran, Shaan, it says “establish prayer.” Not read it or perform it. “Aqeemu salat” – establish prayer. What does that mean to you?”
Shaan flicked his hair aside and just said matter of factly, “I think it means when you pray, pray with a pure, truthful heart. When it is clean and cleansed of everything.”
I just stared at him. He wasn’t even praying and he was in a state of establishing prayer. Which I had heard Uzair describe as being on the prayer mat the same as off of it; Physically clean and focused on Allah alone. The ablution was a requirement we could fulfill and hope it was correctly performed. But the singular focus on God, zero distraction, who had that in their salat?
My friend Zee asked him while we sat at her house, "Your manners are excellent Shaan. Who taught them to you?"
Shaan was sitting upright on his chair as if it were a stool. He never leaned back when he sat on something. It was the opposite of how I sat.
"Many nice people of very high ranks. I have met them in my life and their akhlaq, (morality and character), is beautiful."
I jumped into the conversation. "Where did you meet them? In the park?"
"I meet them in my dreams," he said looking at me.
Shaan was a lucid dreamer. Whenever I asked him how he slept, he often answered, "I had lovely dreams last night."
For someone who hardly ever remembers a dream, it was noticeable for me that how his night passed was a function of his dreams. While mine was always a function of my restlessness.
"So what do they say to you?" Zee asked.
"They say, 'You are a good kid. You must do good things.' And they always say, 'You must be better and better that what you are continuously.'"
I looked at him in silence. It was amazing to me how Allah Himself raised those who were special to Him. There was no formal training, no reading, no writing. Shaan didn't even have a physical Spiritual Master in his life. Everything that he knew was passed on to him from the Realm of the Unseen by those who were there.
I couldn't help but think of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). The verses where Allah calls him an Ummi which almost every translator understood literally as "the unlettered one." But I guess they were ordinary for that was the last thing he was. It was an yet another exclusivity that separated the blessed being of Nabi Pak (saw) from all of Mankind.
Maqam al Ummiyat – The Station of being an Ummi
Tafseer e Jilani :
“Amongst the 124,000 Prophets and 313 Messengers, the maqam, station, of being Ummi is specific to only the Last Messenger (saw). Never before has the word been used previously for any Prophet or Messenger.
The Meaning of Ummi; The word Ummi is derived from the word umm which means origin or source or root. So Nabi Kareem (saw) is Ummi because he is the origin of everything. For example, Mecca is called Umm ul Qura because it is the origin and first of the cities. The Quran is called Umm ul Kitab because it is the foundation and source of all the books.”
I heard a lecture of Sheikh Nurjan Mehramadi of the Naqshbandi silsila about why the Quran uses the word “Ummi” for Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him), the unlettered one, which only the Sufis have interpreted correctly;
Sheikh Nurjan: “The ears of Syaadna Muhammad (saw) submit to Allah alone and there is no human who can change the course of that reality. And that’s why Allah clarified this station of Sayyedna Muhammad (saw) when we say Ummi-hi, it is not that he in unlettered, He is the custodian of all uloom, knowledge, knowledge of awwaleen wa akhireen (beginning to the end), and his holy soul is the fountain of all realities.
But in a way in which Allah wanted to lay a claim that no human has taught this benevolent soul and and no human can come and say, ‘No, I taught him poetry when he was young, I taught him alphabet at this age,’ so that they would stake a claim to have composed the Quran. For Allah is the Best of Planners and He knows how bad humans are that they would try to claim, ‘No, no, these teachers taught and that’s how the Quran came.’
So Allah cleared the field and said, ‘There’s no teacher for this soul but someone who is Shadeed ul Quwa, Immensely Powerful, referring to Himself. He only listens to Allah.”
Shaan had no concept of money. He didn’t care about those things. He had no sense of money and what things cost. I brought him a wireless speaker like I got for myself rom the States and the next day he called me.
“Ma’am you have spent Rs. 50,000 on this speaker for me. It’s too much.”
I smiled. “It didn’t cost 50,000 Shaan (which was about 300 bucks). It cost me 5,000. Don’t worry about it.”
But it wasn’t like the speaker made him thrilled to receive it. Like at 50 I might be if someone gave me something I really liked. That was the reaction I always searched for, waited for with Shaan. The excitement. But it never came. He wanted nothing from the world. He had no attachment to it.
When he moved to my place I told him we should buy him some winter clothes.
"The weather is changing. So I think we should buy material f or a few shalwar kamizes and I can find a men's tailor to get them stitched for you."
"I want two," he declared. "A purple and you pick the other colour."
"I don't know," I said. "Two might not be enough,"
"No," he said with certainty. "One to wear and one to wash."
When I translated a verse from the Quran about the illusive nature of the world we were warned of throughout it, I thought of Shaan again.
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
(Truly we have made all that is on Earth as an adornment for it) that We may try them, as to which of them is best in their deed.
Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 7
Tafseer e Jilani:
Inna ja’alne ma ala alardi: Without doubt We created upon this Earth three basic things; animals and humans, vegetation, and buried treasures. And we created whatever else comes from this Earth; different tastes and different lusts, which are physical or fantasy.
Zeenatal laha: These are adornments for it that make it (the world) beautiful and attractive…
Ayyuhum ahsan amlan: to see which of them (Mankind) has the best deeds and these deeds are the ones which are completed with true guidance and reflection by detachment from the world. And the absence of focus towards it and staying away from its enjoyment which is an illusion. And staying away from the distraction it creates and its lusts which bring with them all kinds of pain and difficulties and desires. It is these wishes which in turn cause different sins and crimes.
It is then imperative that in this world then one lives in a single room and wears a single outfit and eats simply, for everything else is just debris which is transient, which inherits sinfulness and trials.
The other day Shaan and I went to the park. As I sat with him on the back seat, he started reciting poetry. Which he loves to do. Always extemporaneous. I don't understand it usually but once in a while, he catches my attention. On this day, the last line he spoke in Urdu was;
"In your hand is the tasbeeh (rosary), in your hand is the Quran,
Become the namaz!
I was getting dropped off at the shrine. He was going to play with a ball with Usman. The same day later, we were coming home from somewhere. I had been getting up for Tahajjud (the prayer before Fajr) but my nafs and Iblis were both goading me to give it a miss.
"Let's sleep," was my nafs' mantra.
Iblis was more tactical. "How about doing it a day and taking a day off?"
Trust him to say what was going to hit a nerve with me. I had read that fasting every day was not suggested. Doing it on alternate days though was recommended. So that the act, one of the highest in terms of exercising restraint and acquiring mindfulness, taqwa, did not become a routine that was fruitless.
As we came close to my house, I asked Shaan, ashamed by my question, "Shaan, I was thinking. I feel a little tired so maybe I don't pray Tahajjud every single day. What do you think?"
This is after I had done the tafseer of the verse with Qari Sahib;
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ
And rise from your sleep and pray during the part of the night and extra voluntary prayer,
it may be well that your Lord will raise you (to) a station praiseworthy.
Surah Al Isra’, Verse 79
Wa: And if you want even more closeness (to Allah) and blessings, then awaken your heart and body, in the last part…
Min al layli: of the night and leave sleep out of desiring the Pleasure of Allah…
Fatahajjad bi hi: and pray the Prayer of Tahajjud, prolonging your recitation in it so it becomes…
Nafilatan: extra…
Laka: than the dutied prayers for you. It will increase your Closeness and your honour (before your Lord).
No wonder I felt ashamed.
Shaan said something but he mumbled it so I leaned in.
"I'm sorry?"
And he softly said, "Who can tell someone to not pray Tahajjud."
I leaned back. I thought he was going to say something that was in agreement with my want. That it was ok to skip it or take a break once in a while. But he didn't. He just said;
"Who can tell someone to not pray Tahajjud."
I set my alarm.
A month in I realize Shaan is an Aspie. He's in the spectrum. My friend who works with kids like that told me. I have a close friend whose first born also has Asperger's. It was true. I couldn't get him to do anything.
He still took a shower from the sink. He left the fridge door open. The tap running. The light in his bathroom always on. I called her and she told me I had to put up signs. That my verbal instructions were like Charlie Brown heard an adult - waan waan waan waaan waaan!
I thought about what that meant for me, his being like that and it clicked. I had to learn to accept, through him, what people cannot change about themselves. I had to learn to do it without anger, without impatience, without judgement. I had to learn to do it kindly.
I knew so many people who were unchanging and planning on staying that way. My reaction to them was always the same; hard. I was so easily angered, so easily offended.
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ نَزْغٌ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
If an evil suggestion come to you from Satan stirring you (to blind anger),
then seek refuge with Allah. Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 200
Tafseer e Jilani:
Wa Imma Yanazaghannaka: So if reaches you whispers which then disappear, thus placing you in a state of disruption…
Min Shaitaan: it is from Shaitaan, who influences you physically through the organs which cause anger and stokes the ego in a way that is only ignorant creating a false sense of dignity…
Nazghun: causing doubts and delusions that persuade you to become angry and take you out of the state that you have been ordered to stay in, which is tolerance and softness of behaviour.
Fasta’iz billah: So come into the Refuge of Allah from these entrapments and return to Him from these doubts and this plotting. He is with His Glory Enough to protect you from his evil and treachery.
Inna hu: Indeed, Allah is Pure from everything that is negative…
Sami’un: and is the Acceptor of your prayers,
Aleem: and the Fulfiller of your needs.
And all I could do was remember one line; "...creating a false sense of dignity..."
I wondered how that was going to go.
It was his birthday yesterday. He turned 47. I still can't over it. He looks like he's 22. Using no fancy moisturizers during the day and cleansing creams at night like the rest of us only a few years older than him. I kept telling him to at least use some lotion on his face as it got colder in Lahore but of course he ignored me.
He wore his new black shalwar kamiz and looked beautiful. His smile is always radiant. Nazli was the only one I asked. She was always kind to him. The others were too busy or didn't care. And now I didn't care.
I thought about it after the party was over and I was in my room alone. Was that it with people? Having a person in the house that one cared for, took responsibility for, worrying about their emotional state, was that what made them indifferent to others?
Ever since Shaan was in my house, I didn't care at all about who I met and who I didn't. I didn't miss anyone. I didn't seek anyone. I played with my coach five days a week at the park. Shaan came with us walking around while I played. Before we started, I played Catch with him.
It was a tennis ball and we threw it at each other only a few feet apart. Shaan brought the ball in a bag he had sewn himself. He washed it before he put it inside and washed it after we played so it was always clean.
I cried as I thought, would I be like the others whose indifference made me sad so many times throughout my life, leaving me perplexed as to why it happened.
Would I?
The thing I started to notice with eagle eyes was the behaviour of every single person in my life towards Shaan. Whether it was kind or not, that was all I cared about. Only two people were; Nazli and Shuggy Aunty. Everyone else acted like a nut. Obviously it didn't have anything to do with him. It was just an unveiling of their state before my eyes.
Shaan didn't care at all what anyone said to him. At all! He was unaffected by everyone's behaviour around him. No matter how personal they got. Or aggressive! He was like the desert upon which fell rain and left it unchanged like it had never been there.
Actually it felt more like the fire that turned to flowers only for Hazrat Ibrahim. Those words people hurdled at him were no less than fire but for him they might as well have been flowers. Once again that which I had only known intellectually came alive for me. People are harsh or rude only when something is wrong with them. But despite knowing that, all my life I took it personally.
When I asked him about them ever, mentioning gently their madness, he dismissed it quite casually. "It's ok Ma'am. I don't mind what anyone says to me. Plus beautiful people have a tendency to be proud," he said matter of factly.
I smiled.
His manner of forgiving made me focus on mine. I realized that when I don't say sorry to someone its because I think of them as lesser than myself. Otherwise I have no problem uttering the word "sorry." I excuses I made to justify not asking for forgiveness after acting like a jerk; it was all masking that I thought of them as lesser than me.
On Christmas I had thought Shaan could give some money to the staff in the house who were Christian. I had money of his that someone had sent me. I had forgotten about it on the morning of the 24th when I went downstairs and saw he was busy with something.
His back was turned me to and I saw scissors so thought he was doing his usual thing; accenting his clothes with pockets and zips. When I came back from the kitchen and entered his room, I saw him coming towards me with two paper bags.
"What is that?" I asked curious.
"These are presents for Aunty Bholi and Safdar."
I looked in. I saw two boxes. Then he leaned in and whispered, "It's only sweets."
I looked at him in amazement. "You made these? The bags and the boxes?"
He beamed. "I made them."
I lunged out and hugged him.
"Wow Shaan! They are so beautiful. "
He had even put string in the bags so one could hold them upright.
When I went upstairs my heart felt elation. There was something about working with your hands, making things with them. That is what all the Prophets did always. Work with their hands. I was downloading music at the time. With my headphones on, a house track blaring, I looked at mine and wished they could make something for someone else as well.
It was a hell of a start to a Friday.
...
(work in progress)
I took this photo last summer and thought she looked too well-dressed and groomed to really be in need. The careful lettering on the sign, with swirlies, no less. Nice set of shades. Probably trying to conceal an iPod. She was even working a Sudoku puzzle while begging. Who does that? Today, after being unemployed for nearly six months, I'm not nearly as judgmental as I was back then. There's a whole new class of homeless in America today.
Rain often spoil a good market day at the tamu. Photographed at Putatan.
#201007-41~ B l a c k m a g i c ~
ROSMAN, NC (May 16-17, 2015)—For fourteen years, Rosman High School students have voluntarily locked in with teachers and schoolmates for fun, food, and fellowship after the prom. It’s reasonable to ask why students, after spending the evening together and with many other options available, keep this tradition going.
Attending for three or four years straight suggests that these Tigers are convinced: getting locked in, not up, is more than a vote for safety. It offers unique opportunities that only come around one night a year. And at midnight after the Rosman High School prom on May 16, about 170 students once again packed the gym for fellowship and fun.
Senior Megan Lewandowski has attended three times. “I’ve always loved the lock-in, and I might probably just go home otherwise,” she said, “but now I’m at the age where people are starting to party, and I appreciate the effort made by our school to keep people out of trouble. Plus, you get to throw dodgeballs at teachers!”
All Rosman High students are invited, whether they attend prom or not. “I think the biggest advantage is getting to spend time with friends and teachers,” said RHS junior Anna Cobb, who has attended for three years. “We are able to go to school the next week and talk about the fun we had together, and laugh at our ‘tired’ personalities.”
Taking over Boshamer Gymnasium at Brevard College, as they do each year, provides abundant choices for attendees. From sports, such as dodgeball and 3-on-3 basketball, to leisure, in movie rooms or hallways lined with sleeping bags, students sprawl into suitable spaces and pass the night in safety.
Along with students who locked in within 30 minutes after the prom, 46 adults enlisted for some or all of the night. That number included 24 from Rosman High, seven from RMS, three from the TCS central office, several parents, and others from Brevard High, Blue Ridge College, the National Guard recruiter’s office, and the Sheriff’s Department.
School Resource Officer Greg Stroup has organized the event since it began, and fellow SRO’s Desirée Abram and Michael Hall were on hand as well. Sheriff David Mahoney enlisted as both target and marksman, right alongside teachers and administrators, for a grueling dodgeball match.
Students have plenty of options after the prom, such as sleepovers and bonfires, which they put aside to join the lock-in. Officer Stroup said that thinking of creative ways to help kids stay safe has always been the goal of the event, and thanks to community support it continues to work today.
“What a wonderful opportunity it has been to offer this activity for 14 years to our kids on such a special night,” said Stroup. “If it was not for the generosity of the community, this event would not be possible.”
Brevard College offers free use of the athletic building, and almost 70 donors provides prizes or cash donations. Transylvania Youth Association generously offered $1,000 to support the event, and even more goes each year to the T-shirts again provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Every student enjoys pizza and soda or water throughout the night, and is assured of winning a door prize from gift certificates to swag offered by dozens of local businesses. Larger gifts reserved for a seniors-only drawing provide a bonus for locking in after the last prom of a student’s high-school career.
Among the seniors, Dillon Zachary won the flat-screen television, while Megan Lewandowski’s lucky number landed her a dorm fridge to take to college. Kimberly Holliday won a GoPro camera, and Jacey Voris got tickets to ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
One of the most coveted senior prizes each year, a kayak, went to Jon Miller who was also celebrating his 18th birthday. At classroom awards on the Monday after lock-in, senior Keen Jones took home a microwave oven.
The plentiful gifts seem to drive home what organizers hope to convey: “The message sent to us is that our school is a family, and that our teachers really care about the students,” said Anna Cobb. “It allows us to have fun together and see teachers when they’re a little more laid back.”
Continued high attendance among all the grades at RHS showed organizers that the effort is well worth it. Attendance is free, even for guests from other schools, which helps to stretch a family’s dollar after covering prom-related expenses.
To keep everyone fed and hydrated, this year’s lock-in required 35 Jet’s pizzas, 14 cases of drinks, 100 juice boxes, a pound of coffee, and 200 biscuits from Brevard’s new Bojangles restaurant.
Students know not to miss the party, where memorable moments are made every year. Organizer Julie Queen said, “I love seeing the students come in Monday morning with their T-shirts on, and laughing about having such a great time.”
With a long track record of success, she said that donors and former students have learned to set their spring clocks according to the all-nighter as well.
“It is a very rewarding feeling to have alumni tell you what fond memories they have of the lock-in,” said Queen. “I have even had some call and ask for ideas because they want to replicate it in other places.”
Board of Education member Betty Scruggs arrived Sunday morning to provide moral support during the home stretch and found what she expected after attending in 2014: with some students playing basketball, watching a movie, or playing electronic games, several had also given into sleeping.
“I am delighted with all the students and staff members who participate in the lock-in,” said Scruggs. “It builds community and great memories more than any other single event.”
“They create a well-planned evening of activities in a fun and safe environment, all because of their passion for RHS and commitment to service,” she added. “This lock-in could not happen without a vast number of hours and tremendous amount of phone calls Julie Queen and SRO Greg Stroup make throughout the school year. What a difference they make!”
These and many other pictures can be found on the school system's photo website at flickr.com/tcsnc/sets under "RHS After-Prom Lock-In 2015."
Rosman High School and the organizers wish to thank all their donors and the following sponsors who made the 14th Annual After-Prom Lock-In possible:
Appalachian Construction of Pisgah Forest, Blue Ridge Community College, Brevard College, CARE Coalition – Promoting a drug free community. Comporium, Dalton Insurance, Ecusta Credit Union, Farm Bureau Insurance, Fraternal Order of Police—NC Lodge #14, French Broad Trailer Park, Jiffy Lube, M&B Industries, NC National Guard, NC Farm Bureau, Petit’s Paint and Body, RHS Athletics, RHS students, parents, faculty, and staff, RHS Tiger Club, State Farm Insurance – Meredith Baldridge, Self-Help Credit Union, Sheriff David Mahoney, The Fitness Factory, Toxaway Grading, Transylvania Youth Association, United Way, and the Transylvania Co. Sheriff’s Office.
© 2015, Transylvania County Schools. All rights reserved.
Poverty Ridden Life, Zahida, the girl on extreme right holding her younger sister in her lap, helps her father who is having back injuries, in weaving carpet, she left her Studies to support her 8 siblings and parents, Her father very hardly makes both ends meet, they live in just two rooms with 10 family members, they dont even have complete floorings. I asked her mother, Are you happy, she said that her kids wont be kids forever, they will grow one day, we will be rich one day.
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown / Black Hair!
And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:
Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!
The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).
Check out my greatest hits compilation, and let me know what you think:
www.elliotmcguckenphotography.com/45surf/45SURF-Heros-Ody...
Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!
Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
New 500px!
500px.com/herosodysseymythology
New instagram! instagram.com/45surf
Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)
Follow me on facebook! facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken
Nikon D300 Photos of Beautfiul Sexy Hot Brunette!
She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!
May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown Black Hair!
All the best on your Epic, Homeric, Heroic Odyssey into the Art of Photography from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
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