View allAll Photos Tagged continue
A poem to accompany this image by Daniel Duffy:
Continuing Dialogue
by Daniel Duffy
Scribblings of the past,
They stare up at us
But none is the wiser
As to its message
Chain upon fragmented chain,
We wonder what exactly
It all means when we realize
We haven’t a clue
This foreign tongue is meaningless
And yet, to someone else
It wasn’t
Go figure
Words will always have meaning
But will be distorted by
The changing times
Continuing the dialogue
In the present is quite the challenge
Let’s hope the meanings are the same,
Or how else will we communicate
Our culture to another?
Questions asked,
Questions answered,
But still more remain
Why must we fritter away
The hours on pointless
Psychobabble?
Only time will tell,
As the cliché goes…
No Matter What
Cherrybrook Station continues to make great progress with lift shafts, passenger shelters appearing in the construction 'clutter'. It's difficult to recall that this was a hole in the ground not so long ago.
To continue his work, a construction worker secures clamps on a section of metal on the surface of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 26, 2018. The launch pad has undergone upgrades and modifications to accommodate NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 and subsequent missions. Upgrades include new heat-resistant bricks on the walls of the flame trench and installation of a new flame deflector. All of the upgrades have been managed by Exploration Ground Systems. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Armistice Day (which overlaps with Remembrance Day and Veterans Day) is celebrated every year on 11 November to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. While this official date to mark the end of the war reflects the ceasefire on the Western Front, hostilities continued in other regions, especially across the former Russian Empire and in parts of the old Ottoman Empire.
The date was declared a national holiday in many allied nations, to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during war. An exception is Italy, where the end of the war is commemorated on 4 November, the day of the Armistice of Villa Giusti.
The Initial or Very First Armistice Day was held at Buckingham Palace commencing with King George V hosting a "Banquet in Honour of The President of the French Republic" during the evening hours of November 10 1919. The First Official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the Grounds of Buckingham Palace on the Morning of November 11th 1919. This would set the trend for a day of Remembrance for decades to come.
Most countries changed the name of the holiday after World War II, to honour veterans of that and subsequent conflicts. Most member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted the name Remembrance Day, while the United States chose All Veterans Day (later shortened to 'Veterans Day') to explicitly honour veterans of all conflicts. "Armistice Day" remains the name of the holiday in France, Belgium and New Zealand; and it has been a statutory holiday in Serbia since 2012.
In the U.S., the function of Veterans Day is subtly different from that of other 11 November holidays. Unlike the situation in other countries, where that calendar date is set aside specifically for honouring those who died in action, Veterans Day honors all American veterans, whether living, dead in action, or deceased from other causes. The official national remembrance of war dead is instead Memorial Day, originally called 'Decoration Day', from the practice of decorating the graves of soldiers, which originated in the years immediately following the American Civil War.
In many parts of the world, people observe two consecutive minutes moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. local time as a sign of respect in the first minute for the roughly 20 million people who died in the war, and in the second minute dedicated to the living left behind, generally understood to be wives, children and families left behind but deeply affected by the conflict. This gesture of respect was suggested by Edward George Honey in a letter to a British newspaper, although Wellesley Tudor Pole had established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.
From the outset, many veterans in many countries have also used silence to pay homage to departed comrades. The toast of "Fallen" or "Absent Comrades" has always been honoured in silence at New Zealand veteran functions, while the news of a member’s death has similarly been observed in silence at meetings.
Similar ceremonies developed in other countries during the inter-war period. In South Africa, for example, the Memorable Order of Tin Hats had by the late 1920s developed a ceremony whereby the toast of "Fallen Comrades" was observed not only in silence but darkness, all except for the "Light of Remembrance", with the ceremony ending with the Order’s anthem "Old Soldiers Never Die". In Australia, meanwhile, the South Australian State Branch of the Returned Sailors & Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia similarly developed during the interwar period a simple ceremony of silence for departed comrades at 9 p.m., presumably to coincide with the traditional 11 a.m. time for Armistice ceremonies taking place in Europe (due to the ten-hour time difference between Eastern Australia and Europe).
In the United Kingdom, beginning in 1939, the two-minute silence was moved to the Sunday nearest to 11 November in order not to interfere with wartime production should 11 November fall on a weekday. After the end of World War II, most Armistice Day events were moved to the nearest Sunday and began to commemorate both World Wars. The change was made in many Commonwealth countries, as well as the United Kingdom, and the new commemoration was named Remembrance Sunday or Remembrance Day. Both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday are now commemorated formally in the UK. In recent years Armistice Day has become increasingly recognised, and many people now attend the 11am ceremony at the Cenotaph in London - an event organised by The Western Front Association, a UK charity dedicated to perpetuating the memory of those who served in the First World War.
LIVERPOOL ST. GEORGES HALL NOVEMBER 2013
Continuing construction work on what was the Westralia Swamp. Note that they've torn the backs off the Royal Insurance (right) and WA Trustee (left) Buildings to integrate them into the new structure.
A talented student showcases her artistic ability in Creative Clay Creations as she sculpts an elephant.
2012 Kids’ College, offered through JCC's Center for Continuing Education.
We took advantage of the warmest February we’ve ever had to continue our walk along and around the Capital Ring.
It’s a circular walk from Woolwich in east London, south of the River Thames, and then loops around the south and up to the north side, when you eventually arrive back in Woolwich via the Pedestrian tunnel that runs under the Thames.
In all there are 15 walks. Walk 7 goes from Richmond to Osterley Lock which is around 4 miles or so. It goes through Isleworth, Syon Park and Brentford - along the Grand Union Canal.
We chose to continue on to Hanwell, which is part of Walk 8. We stopped there and had a late lunch at The Clocktower Cafe. Delightful food, sensibly priced and we were served by two lovely young gentlemen who made us very welcome.
We then caught the 607 bus back into Uxbridge, and from there the 105 to get back home to Chalfont St Peter.
We had a lovely day and the sun shone the whole time, Temperatures got up to around 18c. Not bad for February!
The pictures record the journey, though the first one in the series is our bus ride into Uxbridge, where we took the tube to Richmond, via the Piccadilly and District lines.
If you’re read this far, thanks for reading!
Pictures taken with my iPhone 6 plus and then edited with Photolemur software. Clever stuff and saved me hours of editing!
While President Magsaysay continued using the Executive Office for official meetings, he preferred a more informal style, dropping the use of the Council of State Room for cabinet meetings in favor of unstructured conferences in the Family Dining Room.
(Photo and text from Malacañan Palace: The Official Illustrated History)
©Russell Pritchard 9th August 2013
2013 World Police and Fire Games continue across Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Dodgeball at Queens PEB, Belfast
©Russell Pritchard / Presseye
U.S. Army Sgt. Derec Pierson walking through local Afghan nationals wheat field on a presence patrol with 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company Engineers, 1/172 Cavalry. He is a member of the 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera) from Fort Meade, Maryland, Bagh Alam Village, Parwan province, Afghanistan, April 28. (U.S. Army photo by Sean McKenna)
Joint Combat Camera Afghanistan
Courtesy Photo
Date: 04.28.2010
Location: Bagram, AF
Related Photos: dvidshub.net/r/kbd6r8
I liked how casual these two were. Cosplay doesn't have to be intense in order to be effective and enjoyable.
(I also like the fact that his wings stuck out behind him. Some choices work out well for the person with the camera.)
Interesting, isn't it, that genderflipping isn't even a "thing" any more. If he wants to wear the wings and she wants to wear the horns, why not? It's still "Saga."
Still too wet to go out a shoot much here in "sunny" Southern California.
These are the Enkei NT03+M's on my Subie. Run through nature's rinse cycle.
Canon 50D
135mm f/2L
Kuakata, Bangladesh.
Humans explored the moon more than 40 years ago. They are now heading towards the Mars, and digging dip into Martian meteorites in search of extraterrestrial life. While they continue to explore their boundaries and try to find their purpose in this universe, nature continues to test the limits of human strength to fight back, on this very planet. Being the most vulnerable yet the most intelligent species of this earth, human race try to push their limit in an effort to survive the odds imposed by decimating natural disasters.
In November 2007, cyclone 'Sidr', an unruly son of nature swept off the coastal region of Bangladesh. 'Kuakata', a small seaside community in the district "Patuakhali" was completely devastated by the cyclone. The retreating tidal waves took thousands of souls into the vastness of the ocean and left most of the people homeless. Most of the families lost their close ones who were involved in deep sea fishing at that time. The frighteningly fierce waves rose so high and entered so deep into the habitable lands that the map of this coastal region changed forever. At least a kilometer of the coastline permanently submerged under the sea. The Sundarbans, world's largest mangrove forest was largely devastated while trying to absorb the shock of the cyclone.
It has been more than four years since the harsh reality of the nightmare called 'Sidr', and the wound it left on the community is still raw, evoking sharp pain every time it is touched by the memories. However, although Sidr stripped away the community off close relatives and resources, it could not rob the undaunted spirit that the people of this area protect in their hearts. The community is turning back again, venturing deeper into the same sea for fishing, which snatched away all their hopes. They've rebuilt their homes, mosques and boats. Sundarbans, the century old guardian, is sprouting new leaves and regaining its vigor.
Ernest Hemingway said “A man can be destroyed, but cannot be defeated." While you think of evidences for such extraordinary claims, take a look at Kuakata. You'll get your answer. Kuakata, with all its relentless and courageous fighters proudly stands there, as the epitome of human resilience.
Progression constante à l’aérogare 1 de l’aéroport international Pearson de Toronto pour le service Union Pearson Express
I mean... That isn't ALL it is. Its keeping people safe... Keeping people happy... Doing what I can to make the world a better place. "He really built a legacy... *gasp*! I know... I will carry that legend... For I... Am Robin. The boy wonder..." Dick Grayson thinks, as he is at Tommy Elliot's funeral... And for every hero... The world gets better.
~Scarecrow
Service members from Operation Continuing Promise 2010, gather together at the beginning of a baseball game against the Limon Pirates at the Big Boy baseball stadium in Limon, Costa Rica, Aug. 28, 2010. Service members and civilians are deployed in support of CP10 providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Caribbean, Central and South America.
this continuing story about the ebony might be a bit too much for you fans who expect Isaac or Juliette. Sorry. The photos are mainly technical and just for myself to help in the progress of design and build.
The ebony is fighting me all the way. It's not recommended as a starter job for a weekend woodworker.
Design and building this is a growing process. Every time there's another hurdle to overcome and accordingly lots of problems have to be dealt with
Continuing my use of manual mode shooting for my 365 Project, today I took the camera somewhere a little more challenging than my usual beaches and gardens: Pike Place Market! Lots of interesting light, crowded spaces, and of course, good food.
Life continues for this kid and many more kids like him who sell magazines, newspaper & novels on traffic signals.
Future of these kids looks bright & positive with many social organizations and individuals coming together to impart education to them.
It's been Drama and the City ever since Carrie Bradshaw and her Louboutin heels hit the streets of the upper East Side to begin filming "Sex and the City 2" on Tuesday. Hordes of fans began bombarding the set as early as 7 a.m. on the first day of shooting, and it seems that the return of the fashionable foursome - and their hunky male co-stars - has caused a little too much excitement. Film security has had to tighten its game when dealing with the crazed Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda wanna-bes. "They looked more like they were protecting the President than Sarah Jessica Parker," said an onlooker at 84th St. and Park Ave., where the leggy leading lady was repeatedly being filmed hailing a cab. "At one point, teenage girls were practically trampling each other trying to get to Sarah Jessica as she was walking back to her trailer, but her security team was shoving everyone out of the way." When SJP noticed her detail's tactics, she implored them not to "hurt her fans." Said the onlooker: "She looked upset and extremely concerned. The guards were getting pretty rough." The muscles aren't concerned only about the "SATC" ladies. By 9:30 yesterday morning, they were already fighting off fans who had lined up on 52nd St., where Chris Noth and SJP were shooting a scene inside an office building that's reportedly serving as Mr. Big's. "The security team looked really anxious when a male fan approached Chris for a photo," another spy says. Like Parker, Noth told the detail to back off and happily stopped for the fan. At least the fearless followers got reassurance that Carrie and Mr. Big are back on track - they were both sporting wedding rings during filming yesterday, while that accessory was conspicuously missing from Parker's hand on Tuesday. Later yesterday morning, the hysteria continued as fellow "SATC" star Cynthia Nixon (l.) had to be rerouted to her trailer when crowds began aggressively approaching her. "People were screaming and trying to push past guards," a source said. Onlookers were then told that she wouldn't be filming her scene after all. "The fans were just too much," continued the snitch. "Security looked legitimately concerned for her safety." As Miz Bradshaw would say, hey, that's New York!
For Paulo Mellett, on his birthday, as he continues the cycle...
Pen on paper, 17.5 x 17.5 cm. And a rather lengthy interpretation of the imagery...
The Triskelle or Triskellion, is a pre-celtic spiral design. It consists of three separate spirals rotating in the same direction around a central, circular point, and themselves forming a circle. The three spirals consist of a single, continuous line. For thousands of years, it has represented the continuum of life and various three-fold elements: life, death, rebirth; past, present, future; spirit, mind, body etc. More than any other meaning, though, it represents the three elements of Air, Water and Earth, and the flow of energy through these.
Because of the inter-connectedness of the three spirals, it is sometimes said to represent three threes, or nines, particularly the nine months of pregnancy that result in life and continue the three-fold cycle of life, death and rebirth. It is observable that the various three-fold natures it represents can interact with each other in this multiplicitous way... ie, the three elements of air, water and earth can all pass through life, death and rebirth, or the way in which our spirit, mind and body are influenced by past, present future. So the significance of the Triskellion is always exponential, growing and expanding within its continuum.
Within this design, all three of the physical elements are present.
Water is represented by waves, bubbles, a ship journeying and three fish. The bubbles show it’s interaction with air, and the ship journeys between two points of land or earth. The waves and journeying represent transience and movement in this malleable element. In Irish mythology, three ancient salmon were said to be the oldest creatures in the world. They lived in a pool under an oak tree. The Oak was older even than the salmon, and contained all wisdom. As the oak dropped its acorns into the pool, the salmon fed on them, and thus they came to hold all wisdom themselves.
Rocks, minerals and fossils represent Earth, rising to high mountains and producing plants and life. Most prominent of these plants is an apple tree, and curling amongst its branches is a snake, the most earthly and earthbound of creatures. This image is usually interpreted in terms of the biblical genesis account as the first moment of ‘sin’. I prefer to see it as an allegory of the moment of awakening of human consciousness... choosing independence to eat of the tree of knowledge. The bible also uses the image of a snake in a tree as a symbol of healing, though this more positive notion of earth and fruitfulness gets forgotten!
The trees roots grow out of the water, and its leaves are blown away by the third element of Air. Here, air is made visible in terms of curling winds, stars, a flock of wild geese and a rainbow. The latter of these is always seen as a promise of good things, light in the rain. Wild geese are often used as a Celtic symbol of the spirit... it is wild, untameable, strong, it travels huge distances. It represents the enduring, eternal nature of that spirit as whilst the goose disappears and is absent for many months of the year, it always returns. Therefore its long journeying represents travel of a spiritual nature. Very loosely, the stars form part of the constellation of Draco, the dragon, the largest constellation. It is suggested that the layout of the many ancient Cambodian temples form a map of the constellation of Draco across the land.
In the centre of all this lies the sun, representing the fourth element of fire. Its rays spread out through the picture, energising the other elements. All four elements are again represented in the corner pieces.
Circling the whole image is a snake swallowing its tale. For millennia, this continuous circle has represented eternity and the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Continuing my series of Jupiter images, I switched to the somewhat larger 10" f/16 refractor of the Volkssternwarte München, and stayed with the Canon DSLM. THis time, I managed to capture the shadow of the moon Io inside the southern equatorial band, close to the western limb. Io itself is already besides the planet, but still close to it.
Despite the mp4 compression of the video (which is unavoidable with this camera model), the outline of the shadow is rather clear.
Contractors continue renovation work Nov. 22, 2010, to the Golden Lion Conference Center at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. The project, being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District, will modernize the community club building, including upgrades to the architecture, mechanical, electrical and fire suppression systems, as well as exterior finishes, the roof and other utilities. Renovations are scheduled to be complete in early 2011. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mark Nedzbala)
After a short stop in Grafton Yard, 4490/4916/4306 return to Grafton City station to pick up the passengers and continue south with the RTM's 'Ocean to Outback' tour.
My write up on photographing the new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas here
On the weekend of November 20-21, 2010, I was invited to photograph the new Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas prior to their opening December 15, 2010 in Las Vegas NV.
This set of images represents my efforts that weekend to showcase this newest resort property opening up on the Las Vegas Strip. Thanks to David Scherer from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for showing me around, to Miiko Mentz at Katalyst Films for helping to arrange the shoot, and to my wife for modeling for me.
To learn more about The Cosmpolitan of Las Vegas, check out their website here or their Facebook page here.
Organisations across Greater Manchester have joined forces in the continued crackdown on organised crime.
Over the past five days, Greater Manchester Police has worked in partnership with Home Office Immigration Enforcement, the National Crime Agency, Europol and other local and national partner agencies to undertake a series of raids, visits and safeguarding checks as part of 'Challenger' - the region’s biggest ever approach to tackling organised crime.
Over the past five days, more than 40 warrants have been carried out to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups involved in illegal immigration, illegal marriages, drugs and the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable in society.
The week of action not only utilised close collaboration between partner agencies to identify and detain known criminals but to visit high risk areas and work with potential victims of exploitation to offer protection and prevention advice.
The week was also an effective tool in gathering further evidence and intelligence in the continuing attack on the criminal networks operating in Greater Manchester.
Since Monday 24 March there have been 78 arrests – 45 immigration-related and 33 for other organised crimes. Drugs with a street value of more than £285,000 and more than £70,000 of cash has also been seized. Further disruption to organised crime groups has been delivered in the form of £100,000 in fines served to businesses in the region. Further arrests and seizures are likely to be declared in coming days.
Chief Superintendent Rebekah Sutcliffe, who heads Challenger for Greater Manchester Police said:
“This has been another hugely successful week for Challenger and we would like to thank Immigration Enforcement, Europol, all other agencies and the local communities for their support.
“Organised crime groups do not assume a certain appearance or status; they take many different forms and often masquerade behind what appears to be a legitimate business, where they launder their ill-gotten gains.
“They do not specialise in a particular type of crime either and will pursue anything that offers the least risk and highest reward, from selling counterfeit goods and loan sharking to human trafficking and drug dealing.
“Those orchestrating illegal immigration will be involved in other criminality – there is often an overlap so this is why our multi-agency partnership and our close collaboration with Immigration Enforcement was integral to a quick and effective week of action.
“These criminals operate by preying on the most vulnerable in society - and this is why activity such as this is really important to us.”
The partnership approach to this week of action has been prevalent throughout, its effectiveness has been particularly highlighted by the success around visits to car washes across Greater Manchester, where the link between illegal immigration and other forms of organised crime has been most clearly illustrated.
Car washes in Salford, Wigan and Oldham were visited during the week, where a number of illegal workers were discovered. With the quick response and assistance of partner agencies, offences including drugs, benefit fraud and a potential sham marriage have also been uncovered through those visits – an effective and successful example of Challenger in action.
In addition to arrests and raids, Challenger’s delivery of effective prevention and enforcement activity has been most prominently reflected this week via operations in a number of local areas.
In Wigan, whilst conducting Harm Reduction visits, the GMP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit arrested one man for both CSE and drugs offences, and another man was arrested for grooming offences.
Tuesday saw a flurry of activity in Bolton, where six arrests were made for offences including human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Throughout the week, Europol – the European Law Enforcement Agency - was present with two officers based with GMP to carry out cross checks of the data and provide forensic support, which vastly increased the speed that analysis was performed, greatly enhancing the investigation process.
Dave Magrath, Head of the Home Office North West Criminal Investigations team, said: “This week we have made more than 20 arrests in the North West in connection with various investigations into suspected immigration crime.
“These arrests, and the Challenger operations, demonstrate the effectiveness of working alongside partner agencies such as Great Manchester Police. This work will continue to make life as tough as possible for those who seek to abuse our immigration laws.”
Chief Superintendent Sutcliffe added:
“Challenger is crucial in giving communities the confidence to speak out and report this destructive and intimidating behaviour that threatens our neighbourhoods.
“By working in partnership with so many agencies we have attacked these gangs from every angle, exposing them whilst at the same time protecting those that they exploit for their own gain.
“But the job isn’t over yet. With the public’s help, we’ll continue to work hard to uncover the criminal activity and bring these individuals to justice.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The quest continues to create long exposure multiple image panoramic. Stitching 2 images together to create a 3:1 panoramic. The lack of clouds was a big plus because that's what creates all the problems in the stitch. I used Photoshop to alight and merge the images into one. My favorite pano software Autopano Giga 2 did not do well with these images.
I guess you can call this my Miami Vice stage with the pastel colors cira 1980’s…
Matheson Hammock Park, Miami FL
Canon 40D
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
ND110 - 10 stops
Exposure: 133sec
Aperture: f/13
Focal Length: 42 mm
Software:
DxO Optics Pro 6 used for RAW conversion
Photoshop
Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft operating at the request of the French government and African Union authorities continued airlifting a Rwandan mechanized battalion Jan. 19.
The joint operation with personnel from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force is in support of an African Union effort to confront destabilizing forces and violence within Central African Republic.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica
Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica
New and beginning farmers are able to receive education, experience and support from the Agricultural Land Based Training Association (ALBA), whose graduates of their Farmer Education Course (PEPA) can then move on to agricultural related careers or continue a farming association for up to five incubator years where they can rent farm land, at their 100-acre facility in Salinas, Ca., on Nov. 14, 2018.
The Agricultural Land Based Training Association (ALBA) is a training program that helps low income farmworkers and others learn how to become farmers. New farmers begin with a series of classroom courses and on-hands training, and graduate to farming their own piece of land on the farm. Eventually these new graduates hope to become successful farmers.
ALBAâs Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) Program educates and trains new farmer-entrepreneurs to plan, launch, and establish viable organic farm businesses or advance their careers. To accomplish this, ALBA has 100 acres of organic land, an experienced team with diverse expertise, and a hands-on, 5-year farmer development program. FEED is comprised of three main components:
1.The Farmer Education Course (PEPA) is a one year, bilingual, 300-hour curriculum featuring classroom instruction and field-based training, readying participants to launch an organic farm business.
2.The Organic Farm Incubator allows course graduates to launch their farm on ALBAâs land. Starting at ½ acre, farmers gradually scale up to 5 acres over 4 years under ALBAâs supervision before transitioning to fully independent farming.
3.ALBA Organics, aggregates, markets and ships participantsâ products to growing markets around California. Doing so gives farmers access to clients that would otherwise be out of reach and allows them to focus on growing and business management in their initial years.
For more information about PEPA please see www.albafarmers.org/programs/
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the USDAâs focal point for the nationâs farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs. The FPAC team includes, Farm Service Agency (FSA) (www.fsa.usda.gov/), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/), and Risk Management Agency (RMA) (www.rma.usda.gov/).
USDA FPAC Farm Service Agency (FSA) is equitably serving all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA is a customer-driven agency with a diverse and multi-talented work force, dedicated to achieving an economically and environmentally sound future for American Agriculture. The vision is to be a market-oriented, economically and environmentally sound American agriculture delivering an abundant, safe, and affordable food and fiber supply while sustaining quality agricultural communities.
Here, FSA works with non-profit organizations such as ALBA to provide program information and outreach to beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers and limited income farmers. ALBA works with a unique farmer base of nontraditional, diverse and beginning farmers.
FSA staff has worked with ALBA for many years in the following ways:
1. Provide classroom training to new ALBA students at the ALBA farm during their regular coursework. FSA provides training on:
a. How to apply for a farm loan and prepare a cash flow statement.
b. How to apply for FSA programs that help with risk management on the farm, such as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or other regional crop insurance options.
c. How to apply for Disaster Assistance through FSA in case of an adverse weather event or other emergency.
2. FSA has provided micro loans, operating loans and ownership loans to help ALBA farmers become independent and successful in their operations. FSA has provided Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) payments to these farmers.
3. FSA has provided bookkeeping training courses to ALBA students, on farm tours, and has helped students apply for USDA scholarships to attend agricultural conferences and other trainings.
4. FSA has referred ALBA farmers to NRCS for help with resource management issues.
âThese farmers are the future face of American Agriculture. It is so important for FSA to help them get a strong start in ensuring the success of their operations, said FSA County Executive Director Vivian Soffa. Carlos will need support when he graduates from ALBA and hopefully FSA will be able to assist him with his capital needs when he is farming on his own in this very competitive agriculture market. Familiarity with FSAâs programs at the beginning of a new farmerâs endeavor may be the difference between success and failure.â
For more information please see www.usda.gov.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Bread being fed to mullet, some larger milkfish lurking nearby.
From the Aquascene website:
" At high tide hundreds of fish come into the shallows looking for a free feed ... It is a ritual that began in the late 1950's when a local resident threw scraps of food to a few mullet. Somehow word got around ... and now milkfish, bream, catfish and many other species join the mullet in the skirmish for a meal."
Darwin, Australia
*For a better look at the milkfish, check out my brother's photo:
A CH-47 Chinook crew from Bravo Company, 1-126th General Support Aviation Battalion, was called to assist aviators from the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center from Fallon, Nev., on Jan. 5, 2012. One of their Navy MH-60S Seahawk's had crash landed during a training mission high in the Toiyabe National Forest near the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC), northwest of Bridgeport, Calif. All four crewmen aboard were able to walk away from the Dec. 21 incident but now the Navy wanted their aircraft back. The California Army National Guard flight crew from Stockton landed on a bald hilltop at 9,200 feet and was escorted to the crash site by Marines from the MWTC. Over the next few hours U.S. Marine rigging specialists from the Combat Logistics Battalion 17, specially called up from Camp Pendleton, worked with their fellow Devil Dogs trained in alpine, rock, and snow warfare, to prepare the pre-stripped helicopter for extraction. Taking guidance from a Naval MH-60S crew chief and the experts flying the tandem rotor hauling machine, the multi-service recovery team was able to pluck the 15,000 pound fallen bird, which was painted as an opposition force "enemy" aircraft, above the pine trees, down the canyon and back to the MWTC. Everyone watching, including representatives from the U.S. Forestry Service and the MWTC Environmental Office applauded the safe and successful operation. The aircraft, which lost its tail end during the hard landing, will rest on the Marines tarmac while it is subjected to further pokes and prods as key personnel continue to investigate how the incident happened. (Army National Guard photos by Master Sgt. Paul Wade)