We are definitely living in troubled times. Intolerance, anger, people who shout about their rights while trampling over the rights of others, professional offence takers hounding people out of their jobs and destroying lives, governments who sign international agreements and a few months later announce brazenly in Parliament that they are going to break them are all characteristics of modern society. In the midst of that madness, it would be easy to think that basic decency is a relic of the past. And then something happens that restores your faith..............I was in a large retail shop yesterday looking for a replacement protective case for my computer and asked one of the sales people for assistance. He was probably in his early 40s and looking at him I expected only the most routine of service. I was very wrong. He could not have been more helpful. They didn't have it but he searched the internet until he found the exact one I wanted and where it was cheapest. I thanked him for his help and was feeling a little guilty because he wasn't going to make a sale so I said I needed cleaning liquid and wipes for my iPad. He said "hold on a second" and came back with a set. I asked how much and he said it was okay as it was one of the sample sets a sales rep had left at the store. Everything that happened was so unexpected............but it made me feel good about life and people in the best possible way. It also reminded me of something very important and that is that I need to do more good deeds because we can't and mustn't leave it to someone else.

❗️❗️❗️Dear friends! The help of the Second Life community is very important to us right now. In this tragic time, it is very difficult for every Ukrainian designer to survive, many became refugees fleeing the horrors of war, including me. Let me, on behalf of Ukrainian designers and on my own behalf, express my deepest gratitude to everyone for all possible support, prayers and kindness! Helping us, showing the greatest mercy, everyone demonstrates to the World a principled position, a civilized choice, decency and humanism. You are all amazing! A huge thank you to everyone for this. We really appreciate you! I had to say everything that I feel.💖💖💖

Spanish postcard, 1953. Photo: Procines S.A. Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones in Duel in the Sun (King Vidor, 1946).

American actor Gregory Peck (1916-2003) was one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s. Peck received five nominations for Academy Award for Best Actor and won once – for his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). He almost always played courageous, nobly heroic good guys who saw injustice and fought it. Among his best known films are Spellbound (1945), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Roman Holiday (1953), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Cape Fear (1962).

Eldred Gregory Peck was born in 1916 in La Jolla, California (now in San Diego). His parents were Bernice Mary (Ayres) and Gregory Pearl Peck, a chemist, and druggist in San Diego. His parents divorced when he was five years old. An only child, he was sent to live with his grandmother. He never felt he had a stable childhood. His fondest memories are of his grandmother taking him to the cinema every week and of his dog, which followed him everywhere. Peck's father encouraged him to take up medicine. He studied pre-med at UC-Berkeley and, while there, got bitten by the acting bug and decided to change the focus of his studies. He enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and debuted on Broadway after graduation. His debut was in Emlyn Williams' play 'The Morning Star' (1942). By 1943, he was in Hollywood, where he debuted in the RKO film Days of Glory (Jacques Tourneur, 1944). Stardom came with his next film, The Keys of the Kingdom (John M. Stahl, 1944), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Tony Fontana at IMDb: "Peck's screen presence displayed the qualities for which he became well known. He was tall, rugged and heroic, with a basic decency that transcended his roles." He appeared opposite Ingrid Bergman in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) as an amnesia victim accused of murder. In The Yearling (Clarence Brown, 1946), he was again nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe. He was especially effective in Westerns and appeared in such varied fare as David O. Selznick's critically blasted Duel in the Sun (King Vidor, 1946), the somewhat better received Yellow Sky (William A. Wellman, 1948), and the acclaimed The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950). He was nominated again for the Academy Award for his roles in Gentleman's Agreement (Elia Kazan, 1947), which dealt with anti-Semitism, and Twelve O'Clock High (Henry King, 1949), a story of high-level stress in an Air Force bomber unit in World War II. In 1947, Peck, along with Dorothy McGuire, David O'Selznick, and Mel Ferrer, founded the La Jolla Playhouse, located in his hometown, and produced many of the classics there. Due to film commitments, he could not return to Broadway but whet his appetite for live theatre on occasion at the Playhouse, keeping it firmly established with a strong, reputable name over the years.

With a string of hits to his credit, Gregory Peck made the decision to only work in films that interested him. He continued to appear as the heroic, larger-than-life figures in such films as Captain Horatio Hornblower (Raoul Walsh, 1951) with Virginia Mayo, and Moby Dick (John Huston, 1956) with Richard Basehart. He worked with Audrey Hepburn in her debut film, Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953). While filming The Bravados (Henry King, 1958), he decided to become a cowboy in real life, so he purchased a vast working ranch near Santa Barbara, California - already stocked with 600 head of prize cattle. In the early 1960s, he gave a powerful performance as Captain Keith Mallory in The Guns of Navarone (J. Lee Thompson, 1961) opposite David Niven and Anthony Quinn. The film was one of the biggest box-office hits of that year. Peck finally won the Oscar, after four nominations, for his performance as lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962). He also appeared in two darker films than he usually made, Cape Fear (J. Lee Thompson, 1962) opposite Robert Mitchum, and Captain Newman, M.D. (David Miller, 1963) with Tony Curtis, which dealt with the way people live. The financial failure of Cape Fear (1962) ended his company, Melville Productions. After making Arabesque (Stanley Donen, 1966) with Sophia Loren, Peck withdrew from acting for three years in order to concentrate on various humanitarian causes, including the American Cancer Society. In the early 1970s, he produced two films, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (Gordon Davidson, 1972) and The Dove (Charles Jarrott, 1974), when his film career stalled. He made a comeback playing, somewhat woodenly, Ambassador Robert Thorn in the horror film The Omen (Richard Donner, 1976) with Lee Remick. After that, he returned to the bigger-than-life roles he was best known for, such as MacArthur (Joseph Sargent, 1977) and the infamous Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele in the huge hit The Boys from Brazil (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1978) with Laurence Olivier and James Mason. In the 1980s, he moved into television with the miniseries The Blue and the Gray (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1982) in which he played Abraham Lincoln, and The Scarlet and the Black (Jerry London, 1983) with Christopher Plummer and John Gielgud. In 1991, he appeared in the remake of his 1962 film, playing a different role, in Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991). He was also cast as the progressive-thinking owner of a wire and cable business in Other People's Money (Norman Jewison, 1991), starring Danny DeVito. In 1967, Peck received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He was also been awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. Always politically progressive, he was active in such causes as anti-war protests, workers' rights, and civil rights. In 2003, Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch was named the greatest film hero of the past 100 years by the American Film Institute, only two weeks before his death. Atticus beat out Indiana Jones, who was placed second, and James Bond who came third. Gregory Peck died in 2003 in Los Angeles, California. He was 87. Peck was married twice. From 1942 till 1955, he was married to Greta Kukkonen. They had three children: Jonathan Peck (1944-1975), Stephen Peck (1946), and Carey Paul Peck (1949). His second wife was Veronique Passani, whom he met at the set of Roman Holliday. They married in 1955 and had two children: Tony Peck (1956) and Cecilia Peck (1958). The couple remained together till his death.

Sources: Tony Fontana (IMDb), and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Women wait. They wait a lot. All their lives. Perhaps the new generation of women don't so much anymore. I hope this woman came to no harm, so many women seem to in my country. It is a sad thing and last week was a very sad week. For all women everywhere really, no matter what age. Actually just sad.

Much is being written about fallen heroes and our unrealistic expectations of them.

I say we don't see them as human but as superhuman.

Their spin doctors and sponsors make sure of that.

We are sold the image of perfection, don't see the dark side beneath, that lies beneath all of us actually.

We are betrayed because we live in a world that has too many facades and masks.

And of course people who are given these masks in the end begin to believe that they are the mask and perhaps lose touch with their decency and humanity.

This is a picture with a story.

I have followed a photo course and the ultimate goal was to produce a photo album with a subject of your choice that would tell a story.

My subject was:

Special points that i see as my landmarks in my hometown.

After one of the course evenings I did not go home immediately, but I stopped along the way making some night shots at a number of locations.

This was the second location. It was then towards midnight.

The light pole is at a high school for years. It is on the side of the parking places in front of the school. I parked my car just out of the frame. Walked towards the place where this recording was made from. A public footpath that sits on the edge of a roundabout along with a cycle path. No more pedestrians around that time, but a few cyclists and a moped and some cars passed by. Normal in a city.

One of those cars was a police car.

I was doing my thing and not aware at first that the police turned and drove back on the cycle path and stopped right behind me.

(i do have bad working ears).

I did not hear the car coming so when I turned around at one moment I was shocked that the car was so close behind me.

The police man and woman opened a window of the car. And asked me what I was doing.

The tone of the male agent was quite degrading.

I was stupidly surprised.

I had my SLR with a 24-70mm on a tripod. So was I doing? .....

My answer was: i am going to shoot at the pole. :)

Perhaps not the smartest answer, but I was doing nothing wrong and it was in reaction to his attitude.

Mr Police was in my opinion trying to show to his female colleague: look how I do that!

The belittling behavior of him was in every sentence and word he said.

When I said that the reason why I was taking pictures was that I was working on making a book about my home town. He asked in a mocking tone: SO! And do you already have a publisher for that?

Because I was completely done with that jerk back then, I told him: Yes, I am myself.

SO! so sir is also publisher? SO! And are you going to take more photos in other places?

I told him then: Yes, I am also going to do the so called "melkweg bridge" and if you don't mind, I'll continue with my work. Then I ignored them further. And they drove away after a while.

I do not have anything against police people. Think they are necessary. And have a task of staying sharp and protecting people and preventing harm.

But should also have decency and speak to people in a normal and dignified manner.

We do not pay tax money for degenerating and diminishing authoritarian macho behavior!

That night these two police officers gave me a disgusting feeling instead of a sense of security.

That feeling is the reason this picture did not got a place in the book.

I am not a pro-independence, but I believe in the freedom and the right of peoples and people to choose their destiny. Montesquieu said that the worst tyranny is that which is done in the name of the law. Complicating ideas and politicians represent them a violence that has not existed is an attack on democracy and decency. Catalonia today represents democracy and the rights of the peoples of Europe,

After now 3 failed attempts to get a train framed with the tunnel portal, I am going to give it one more try before moving on for the time being. Light is starting to become a major concern as the sun gets lower and lower in the sky. Of course the only EB train through here, L137, doesn't care what I have to say about lighting conditions, but it does give the decency of passing when the sun lights up the tunnel portal fora brief half an hour stretch this time of year. Today that was the objective. The train was right on time, there was a great sun spot on the tracks. Then the thin clouds rolled in. The partially cloudy weather gave me those clouds that still give off some light but not enough to combat 7:30AM ambient lighting+Head on telephoto headlights. Head on was a dud, but this wider view was a lot better considering the conditions.

The history and story of this tunnel has been discussed on previous posts as this small section is very interesting and has a lot of points to note. Might have to dig out some of my WM timetables and such to give a better image of whats going on here. Gonna try to get up here one more time before the end of summer.

CSX L137 Greenstone, PA Jacks Mountain Tunnel

A name I have heard many times in the course of my life and yet I could tell you little about him. Lennox Robinson looking rather dapper with a fine wool overcoat, suit and dicky bow tie!

We are back though many of those who normally visit us here will not be back just yet! For all of you may we wish you a Peaceful, Happy and safe New Year and especially for our friends in Australia. We watch in horror at the fires and you are all in our thoughts and prayers!

UPDATE: Thanks especially to suckindeesel for giving us Tim Pat Coogan’s lovely description of this “tall, thin, tweedy man”...

“When I knew him, he lived in a flat, large and comfortable, but still only a flat ... at Longford Terrace, Monkstown. ... One of the great sights of Monkstown in those years was Lennox, a tall, thin, tweedy man with a distant expression, being led by a very tiny Sealyham dog, at the end of a very long lead, on his peregrinations to and from Goggins pub, the very epitome of the Irish expression ‘the relics of auld decency’.”

Photographers: Various

Collection: Irish Personalities Photographic Collection

Date: Circa 1920-1958

NLI Ref: NPA PERS71

You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie

Catching up on some back shots from the beginning of the year

On a walk around the Addington Cemetery with a wonderful Flickr friend. February 13, 2016 Christchurch New Zealand.

There is so much damaged in the cemetery because of the earthquake we have had. It is such a pity as I don' think it will ever be fully repaired.

The Addington Cemetery was established in 1858 when the Scottish Presbyterians of St Andrew’s Church purchased land for a cemetery in Selwyn Street. Although not the first cemetery in Christchurch, Addington was in fact the first “public” cemetery, “being open to all persons of any religious community” and allowing the performance of any religious service “not contrary to public decency”.

The first burial took place on the 10th of November 1858. The cemetery has several persons of note buried within its grounds including activist Kate Sheppard, Christchurch Mayor Tommy Taylor and members of the pioneer family, the Deans.

For More Info:http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/addington-cemetery/

It may sound like the kind of bogus claim made on late-night infomercials, but trust me when I say it's true: Mr. Brown Pelican's violations of the rules of decency are so goofy they beggar belief. But first, I'm going to jump ahead a bit and talk in general terms about how Mr. Pelican has an amazing ability to disengage his intellect. Then, I'll back up and fill in some of the details. Okay, so to start with the general stuff, Mr. Pelican's supercilious, twisted asseverations have caused the most self-deceiving analphabetics you'll ever see to descend upon us like a swarm of locusts, destroying our moral fiber. Yet there's much more to it than that. His occasional demonstrations of benevolence are not genuine. Nor are Mr. Pelican's promises. In fact, he uses cannibalism to cover up his criminal ineptitude. That's the large elephant in the room that nobody ever talks about. Nevertheless, I unquestionably maintain that people really ought to start talking about it because then they'd realize that Mr. Pelican makes a lot of exaggerated claims. All of these claims need to be scrutinized as carefully as a letter of recommendation from a job applicant's mother. Consider, for example, Mr. Pelican's claim that all any child needs is a big dose of television every day. The fact of the matter is that I profess that the best way to overcome misunderstanding, prejudice, and hate is by means of reason, common sense, clear thinking, and goodwill. Mr. Pelican, in contrast, believes that all it takes to start a rabbit farm is a magician's magic hat.

Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 km east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs. It has a population of 11,656 residents. Its postcode is 2026. Bondi, North Bondi, and Bondi Junction are neighboring suburbs. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia.

"Bondi," originally "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word which has the same meaning as the word "surf" in English. The first record of "bondi" by European-ancestry Australians was made between 1899 and 1903. It describes the meaning as "noise made by sea waves breaking on the beach," which is essentially the definition of "surf" in contemporary American English. The Australian Museum records that Bondi means place where a fight using bondi sticks (nulla nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

In 1809 the road builder William Roberts received a grant of land in the area. In 1851 Edward Smith Hall and Francis O'Brien purchased 200 acres of the Bondi area that included most of the beach frontage, which was named "The Bondi Estate." Hall was O'Brien's father-in-law. Between 1855 and 1877 O'Brien purchased his father-in-law's share of the land, renamed the land the "O'Brien Estate," and made the beach and the surrounding land available to the public as a picnic ground and amusement resort. As the beach became increasingly popular, O'Brien threatened to stop public beach access. However, the Municipal Council believed that the Government needed to intervene to make the beach a public reserve. In mid-1882, Bondi Beach became a public beach. The first tramway to the beach was established in 1884. The Waverley Council was responsible for building the first surf bathing sheds on the beach in 1903. By 1929 an estimated 60,000 people were visiting the beach on a summer weekend day. The opening of the pavilion in the same year attracted a huge crowd of 200,000.

On 6 February 1938 five people drowned and over 250 people were rescued or resuscitated after a series of large waves struck the beach and pulled people back into the sea, a day that became known as "Black Sunday".

Bondi Beach was a working class suburb throughout most of the twentieth century with migrant people from New Zealand comprising the majority of the local population. Following World War II, Bondi Beach and the Eastern Suburbs became home for Jewish migrants from Poland, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. A stream of Jewish immigration continued into the 21st century and the area has a number of synagogues and a kosher butcher. The multicultural migration funded and drove the growth of the suburb throughout the 1990s into the turn of the century, moving it steadily from its working-class roots towards an upper/middle-class enclave similar to its neighbors of Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill which was listed as the most expensive postcode in the country from 2003 to 2005.

Bondi Beach was long a center for efforts to fight indecency in beach attire. The beach was a focal point of the 1907 Sydney bathing costume protests, organized to oppose proposed dress standards for beachgoers. The Local Government Act, Ordinance No. 52 (1935) governed the decency of swimming costumes and was in force between 1935 and 1961, and resulted in public controversy as the two-piece "bikini" became popular after World War II. Waverley Council's beach inspectors, including the Aub Laidlaw, were responsible for enforcing the law and were required to measure the dimensions of swimwear and order offenders against public decency off the beach. While vacationing in Australia during 1951, American movie actress Jean Parker made international headlines when she was escorted off the beach after Laidlaw determined her bikini was too skimpy. The rule became increasingly anachronistic during the 1950s and was replaced in 1961 with one requiring bathers be "clad in a proper and adequate bathing costume", allowing for more subjective judgement of decency. By the 1980s topless bathing had become common at Bondi Beach, especially at the southern end.

Sydney's Water Board maintained an untreated sewage outlet not far from the north end of the beach until the 1960s when a sewage treatment plant was built. In the mid-1990s the plant was upgraded & a deepwater ocean outfall was completed to meet water quality standards.

In March 2007, Waverley Council started proceedings to evict a hermit who was living in squalor on a cliff overlooking the beach. Peter James Paul Millhouse, calling himself Jhyimy "Two Hats" Mhiyles, came to the beach during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and became a local celebrity for his lifestyle and poetry recitals to visitors. Residents and tourists put together a "save the caveman" petition to allow him to continue residing but under certain rules. In 2009, he was arrested and charged for the rape of a tourist. While he was in custody, Waverley Council under then-mayor Liberal Sally Betts removed his belongings from the cliff. In September 2011, charges against Jhyimy were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions over concerns of the reliability of the witness. Waverley Council has not offered recompense for his eviction from his home or loss of belongings.

In March 2020, the NSW Government closed Bondi Beach after a number of people there exceeded Australia's outdoor-gathering limit imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in New South Wales.

“Wait!

Before you take the secondary replacer out, I have a few more instructions for you on how to set up the

extraction so that it follows through to our greater advantage. It is inconvenient that the she-human is so moralistic, and extra steps will be needed to prevent unpleasant results after the extraction.

The she-human will expect the target replacer to make some attempt to save the secondary replacer, out of 'human decency' or 'chivalry' or something like that.

Make the secondary replacer seem as inhuman as possible right before 'she' is extracted. Command the replacer to attempt an attack on the subject based on your fabrication. Make 'her' appearance less human; play on the subject's existing fears regarding mutants. You will find sufficient material to create an effective composition if you examine the subject's mind again.

Besides this, you might as well have the Extracting Officer 'wound' the target replacer, it will provide another reason to excuse his negligence in 'saving' the secondary replacer.”

“It will be done, O Queen. Your wisdom is inimitable.”

I can't believe what's happened!

We were walking along, musing to each other over why we were banished here, when a loud RIP! sounded behind us. I spun around as Djiimi shrugged her cut bonds off and removed her gag in one fluid movement.

“Thought you could restrain me, did you?” she spat, charging toward us. Toward me.

Reldan jumped in her way to protect me but she jumped over both our heads with inhuman agility, landing nimbly at our backs. From behind me, Reldan gasped as she began to change...

Her face contorted...

Her eyes turned orange...

Fangs sprouted from her mouth...

She spoke again, her voice audibly sibilant.

“He'sssss MINE!!!” she screamed at me, and prepared to pounce.

Before I could react, a thunderous rumble emanated from the ground and some sort of...worm thing erupted in a cloud of sand. In the same second wicked mantis claws snatched Djiimi up and lashed Reldan with a barbed tail as he made a move toward it. Struck in the head, he lurched backward.

The creature made a slight movement with its claws and snapped its prey in two like a cookie. I watched it as it greedily sucked gory contents from the body that had just been about to attack me.

It paused to look our way but I froze and Reldan had passed out. Its motion-detecting eyes seeing nothing of interest, it lowered its serpentine body beneath the sands, taking its meal with it.

_________________________________________________________________________

Another one, yay!

Edited even MORE 'shrooms this time. ;_;

C&C appreciated. :D

Since I’ll be away until later next week I thought I’d leave you something to reflect on. It is happening everywhere right now, all over the world. The problem of homelessness for refugees is tragically always with us. Wars and internal conflict lead to millions of displaced and homeless people every year. But there is a growth in homelessness in our relatively wealthy and peaceful cities too, and the results can also be tragic.

Several decades ago it became fashionable in psychiatric circles to close the institutions that once cared for people with severe forms of mental illness. Many of these former patients ended up on the streets. Drugs and alcohol continue to claim many too. You see them now in every large city. Some people even step over the homeless on their way to work, barely stopping to take a sip of their latte. It is awful and as I’ll show in the story of this triptych, people are dying on our streets while the comfortable complain about forgetting to put on their electric blanket. Excuse my cynicism, but truth is always more important to me than being liked. So if the truth hurts, so be it. We need a revolution in our societies at so many levels.

With hyperinflation and interest rates on the rise, real estate values getting out of hand, and people taking their houses off the rental market to turn them into even more lucrative Airbnbs, many ordinary working class people are now sleeping in tents under road overpasses (yes even in Launceston, until the local council moved them on, as they always do without any solution to the problem!), single mothers with children sleeping in cars in a freezing winter. These are people who just a few years ago would never have dreamed of being homeless.

The working poor are now a reality in our once egalitarian societies. And all the time we pay our politicians more to do less at solving our social problems. Oh but they are good at talking! And then the vast majority of the population turns into ostriches and sink their heads into the sand.

By now I’ve probably lost most of my readers. Never mind, I’m more interested in radicalizing the few who will do something. This is not about politics, Marx or Lenin (though I much prefer the message of John Lennon), Left wing or Right. I couldn’t give a damn about ideology or party loyalty. People are dying every single day in countries regardless of their political system. This is about common human decency and whether we as a race care anymore about each other. I mean look at all the empty rhetoric in the West about the poor people of Ukraine being made homeless in their millions - talk, talk, talk, and nothing done about ending the Russian aggression. Never mind as long as Wall Street doesn’t collapse.

Have we been so brainwashed completely by the narcissism that social media was designed to condition us all to, that we just carry on commenting endlessly about meaningless stuff? You may have seen the graffiti that’s been around a while now: “Shut up and shop!” Well that’s what the authorities of any political persuasion want from us right now. They’ll milk us dry of our cash and strip us from our meaningful social bonds. The pandemic taught us to be compliant, but really the process of conditioning started with the events of 9/11 and the new security measures. This has been coming for a long time. But so is the day of reckoning.

So if you’re still wondering about why I’m so angry perhaps one day I’ll show you some of the graffiti that’s spreading through our cities like wildfire. You may also have seen this painted on street walls. Just one word: ANGRY.

The reality is people are dying on our streets. So let me quickly tell you about these three photographs that I’ve tied together.

LEFT: “What’s the upside?”

This notice was hung in a tree by some local activists. The Peter referred to here is the former Premier of Tasmania who boasted about how well the economy had survived the pandemic restrictions. Well it has for the well-heeled, but the housing crisis has led to a large rise in homelessness.

CENTRE “People are dying on the streets.”

Daniel James Tommerup (1970-2021) burned to death when he caught fire cooking food on a gas stove outside Milton Hall across the street from Launceston’s Princes Square. He was part of a growing homeless community that was moved on from the city centre where they were sleeping outside an empty city building. The City Baptist Church allowed them to use the facilities at Milton Hall, but as you’ll see the result after Daniel’s tragic death is that the homeless have been moved on again and a fence has been put up with chain and lock. Given the dire state of the retail rental market there are empty shops all over town, but no room for the poor to lay their heads. What would Jesus say? WWJD?

You can read Daniel’s sad story here.

www.examiner.com.au/story/7477642/a-scallywag-with-a-good...

RIGHT: “Catafalque”

It’s an interesting word “catafalque”. Every Anzac Day in Australia it is mentioned in relation to the tomb of a dead soldier. The dictionary definition is as follows, “a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral or while lying in state.”

This photograph was taken in Launceston’s City Park in the bandstand. In it is a bed for the homeless. But not a real bed (because that would have been moved on very quickly by the authorities), no it’s an art installation. The artist has designed it to reflect on the issue of the homeless, but if a real homeless person dared to lie down there it would be a problem.

This is a catafalque for the homeless, but it might, if what Peter Kingsley says is true, be a catafalque for us all. I mention Peter Kingsley in relation to his two volume work, “Catafalque: Carl Jung and the End of Humanity”, which surveys the wreck of Western civilization. Peter spares none of us in his social critique, and he would agree with me that a day of reckoning is at hand. peterkingsley.org/product/catafalque/

Have you ever read Matthew 25:31-46 in the New Testament? You might be surprised by its implications.

* These photographs were all taken on the streets with the Leica D-Lux 7.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. It spans 20 metres (66 ft) and is 30 metres (98 ft) above the rocks below. The bridge is mainly a tourist attraction and is owned and maintained by the National Trust.

The bridge is open all year round (subject to weather) and people may cross it for a fee.

It is thought salmon fishermen have been building bridges to the island for over 350 years. It has taken many forms over the years. In the 1970s it had only one handrail and large gaps between the slats. A new bridge, tested up to ten tonnes, was built with the help of local climbers and abseilers in 2000. Another was built in 2004 and offered visitors and fishermen alike a much safer passage to the island. The current wire rope and Douglas fir bridge was raised early in 2008 at a cost of over £16,000.

Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat!!!!!!!!!!!

It is not for the faint-hearted!!!!

A lone figure is waving

From the thin line of a bridge

Of ropes and slats, slung

Dangerously out between

The cliff-top and the pillar rock.

A nineteenth-century wind.

Dulse-pickers. Sea campions.

A postcard for you, Sean,

And that's you swinging alone,

Antic, half-afraid,

In your gallowglass's beard

And swallow-tail of serge:

The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Ghost-written on sepia.

Or should it be your houseboat

Ethnically furnished,

Redolent of grass?

Should we discover you

Beside those warm-planked, democratic wharves

Among the twilights and guitars

Of Sausalito?

Drop-out on a come-back,

Prince of no-man's land

With your head in clouds or sand,

You were the clown

Social worker of the town

Until your candid forehead stopped

A pointblank teatime bullet.

Get up from your blood on the floor.

Here's another boat

In grass by the lough shore,

Turf smoke, a wired hen-run -

Your local, hoped for, unfound commune.

Now recite me William Bloat,

Sing of the Calabar.

Or of Henry Joy McCracken

Who kissed his Mary Anne

On the gallows at Corrnmarket.

Or Ballycastle Fair.

"Give us the raw bar!"

"Sing it by brute force

If you forget the air."

Yet something in your voice

Stayed nearly shut.

Your voice was a harassed pulpit

Leading the melody

It kept at bay,

It was independent, rattling, non-transcendent

Ulster - old decency

And Old Bushmills,

Soda farls, strong tea,

New rope, rock salt, kale plants,

Potato-bread and Woodbine.

Wind through the concrete vents

Of a border check-point.

Cold zinc nailed for a peace line.

Fifteen years ago, come this October,

Crowded on your floor,

I got my arm round Marie's shoulder

For the first time.

"Oh, Sir Jasper, do not touch me!"

You roared across at me,

Chorus-leading, splashing out the wine.

- Seamus Heaney

An annoying feature of the broad gauge line from Echuca/Moama to Deniliquin in NSW is the abundance of power lines that follow the line through the farmland.

At least "Telecom Australia" had the decency to put their cables underground.

In the background XRs 554, 557 and 553 slowly meander along with 9048 export grain from GrainCorp Deniliquin to Geelong grain unloader.

"Kathryn.....that's my chair."

The redhead smirked as she looked across the desk, the sharp heels of her boots resting on the wood. "Oh...I'm quite aware, Headmistress. Ms. Isaak send me to see you. Something about several dress-code violations. But when I got here....you were out....so I made myself comfortable."

The older woman cocked her hips to one side and placed her hands atop them. "What am I going to do with you? Your wanton disregard for the rules.....and....common decency......"

Peter took this view of Tyseley in the mid-1964. The image is of a well cared for station in full use with waiting rooms, toilets and a neat intact canopy.

Plenty of mechanical signalling is in operation, the the signal on the far right controlled the approach to the carriage sidings and when it was off it displayed an 'On Car' board.

Class 116 W50077 (right) is working a service to Wolverhampton (Low Level), the unidentified DMU in the centre is bound for Henley-in-Arden.

On the far platform a DMU driver is waiting for a train, his bag is hung on a fire bucket hook which is screwed to the decency screen of the Gents toilet.

The platforms are clear and do not have the flower beds which, today, are well cared for by volunteers. Just behind the lamp is what looks like a sawn off telegraph pole, perhaps the boxes contained a phone to contact Tyseley South Junction Signal Box.

On the Wharfdale road bridge a B.C.T. bus is visible, it would have been a Highgate Road based Daimler CVG working a 36 service from Stechford to Highgate Road via Formans Road, a service I used every school day.

This is a re-scan with a more detailed caption. The original has been deleted.

Peter Shoesmith c1964

Copyright Geoff Dowling & John Whitehouse: All rights reserved

Le portrait d'un homme que je vous avais présenté en noir et blanc il y quelques années,voici la version originale..

.

The portrait of a man whom I had presented you in black and white he there a few years, here is the original version ...

.

.Un Sikh Amritdhari (initié dans l’ordre du Khalsa) doit garder sur lui en permanence cinq articles de foi.

1 Kesh: les cheveux et poils non coupés ni taillés (les cheveux sont attachés en chignon et couverts d’un Keski (Turban).

2 Kangha : Le peigne sikh,en bois, gardé en permanence dans les cheveux en tant que symbole de propreté.

3 Kacchera : un short sikh utilisé comme sous-vêtement et habillement minimum. II symbolise la décence et la chasteté.

4 Kara: un bracelet de fer porté au poignet droit (ou gauche pour les gauchers) qui protège le poignet et symbolise la retenue dans les actes.

5 Kirpan: une épée portée en bandoulière dans son fourreau par une bande de tissu (Gatra), souvent de la taille d’un poignard avec une lame de 12 cm minimum.

A Sikh Amritdhari (initiated into the order of Khalsa) must keep him permanently five articles of faith.

1 Kesh: Hair and hair uncut or cut (the hair is tied in a bun and covered with a Keski (Turban).

Kangha 2: The Sikh comb, wooden, kept permanently in the hair as a symbol of cleanliness.

3 Kacchera: Sikh shorts used as underwear and clothing minimum. It symbolizes decency and chastity.

4 Kara: a iron bracelet worn on the right wrist (or left for lefties) that protects the wrist and symbolizes restraint in action.

5 Kirpan: a sword carried slung in its sheath by a band of tissue (Gatra), often the size of a dagger with a blade of 12 cm minimum.

This skirt is a lot better for sitting down in than some of my others (Well from a certain point of view) although some of you may disagree 😝 Anyhoo two days in a row, two posts and barely even a knee in sight, just a view of my ever so sexy shins. Well it can't all be legs up to your armpits and thighs aplenty can it? A girl has to show some sense of decorum and decency at some point in her life, and as I get another year closer to an age milestone (yup 25 again) in just over week it seems I should cover up and become more respectable. Present a more modest and upstanding appearance, to fit in with my advancing dotage. Or maybe I'll just end up dropping my knickers instead 😉 Only time will tell...

(Excerpted from Peter Wehner's article in The Atlantic)

"Beyond that, and more fundamental than that, we have to remind ourselves that we are not powerless to shape the future; that much of what has been broken can be repaired; that though we are many, we can be one; and that fatalism and cynicism are unwarranted and corrosive.

There’s a lovely line in William Wordsworth’s poem “The Prelude”: “What we have loved, Others will love, and we will teach them how.”

There are still things worthy of our love. Honor, decency, courage, beauty, and truth. Tenderness, human empathy, and a sense of duty. A good society. And a commitment to human dignity. We need to teach others—in our individual relationships, in our classrooms and communities, in our book clubs and Bible studies, and in innumerable other settings—why those things are worthy of their attention, their loyalty, their love. One person doing it won’t make much of a difference; a lot of people doing it will create a culture.

Maybe we understand better than we did five years ago why these things are essential to our lives, and why when we neglect them or elect leaders who ridicule and subvert them, life becomes nasty, brutish, and generally unpleasant.

Just after noon on January 20, a new and necessary chapter will begin in the American story. Joe Biden will certainly play a role in shaping how that story turns out—but so will you and I. Ours is a good and estimable republic, if we can keep it."

Hello New Contacts, On Black

This message is to all my new contacts!! I am honored !! but sorry you won't be getting any more comments from me or faves!!! I feel I have been neglecting my all time friends, or not really commenting on their posts the way I feel and want, since my energy was wasted on the new comers who just mark me as a contact for one reason or another!! Truthfully, I don't even care why you put me as contact since you don't even have decency to comment!!!

Hence, New Contacts, feel free to remove me from your list, as I will remove you from mine and will ignore your posts. I feel my contacts who comment and/or fave me are more important. If I offended you with this post, I am not sorry!!!!!!!!!!!! Good, you have to be considerate!!! As I am of you!!! You could have a winner of a post, good for you !!! my friends, are more important!!!

Hope you take this message face value!!! And have a good life!!!!

Houry

To all my friends and contacts who have been commenting on my stream from day one, and to all of my "New" regular ones, Thank you, Thank you whole heartedly!!!

3 shots, hand held, HDR, Lower Manhattan, old mixed with new!!!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!

P.S. If you are a member of my group, www.flickr.com/groups/wearetheworld/, you will get a second comment from me!!!

Shamelessly Shirtless

"It is legal for women to walk bare-breasted through Toronto city streets and the Toronto Beaches cater to nude sun bathers; now some people may be offended by all the public nudity, but if we never encounter anything that may offends us in our community..

..then that could be the first indicator that we may not be living in a free society.

As far as the equal rights bill C-38 allowing same-sex marriage here in Toronto, for better or worse, it is simply the right thing to do."

Copyright © 2009-2016 Tomitheos Photography - All Rights Reserved

Sex ☆ Love

This is my first shot of any decency of a Pochard. I was fortunate enough to fire off a few shots before the bird was out of reach. Not all were framed as I would have liked, the one with the wings high could have been a bit more to the right in the frame. I cropped this to the max as the bird was off to the left in the original shot. I like the curled up wing tips of the second and the detail in the third. I couldn't decide which is my favourite so I am posting all three and we'll see how the views and comments go. Enjoyed the sunny morning at St Aidens/Swillington Ings this am. Once again thank you all for your comments and faves, much appreciated.

Texto en español en proceso...

Reflections after my eighth yearly event

After spending a week as Cristy, having waited almost a year to wear a dress, I’d like to share my thoughts, and not the experiences, about why an event such as the VC Soiree in DC, means so much to me. I know that many girls out there live vicariously through the narratives of those of us who are fortunate to attend these types of gatherings and conferences and I hope that after reading this, they will feel motivated to find the means to attend a conference at least once in their lives.

This was the eighth time in ten years that I have sacrificed family time and budget to indulge in a pleasure that is meaningful to me alone. Each time, I have missed my wife and children and have felt somehow guilty about having to do something that I can’t share with everyone around me in my daily life. Having to lie to friends, some family members and my partners about the real purpose of my trip is something that I am not comfortable doing but must do, given the circumstances. However, what I get to experience as an individual and as a part of a group of kindred friends is worth every sacrifice and white lie. I spend a whole year, that seems like an eternity, patiently waiting for this week to happen and it all goes so fast that it appears as if it was just a brief dream. I have to go back to the photos and read the other girls postings to fully recall all the details of wonderful times shared.

Besides work and family, many of us have a few personal interests that we tend to share with other people without reserve. However, for a heterosexual CD like me, playing the role of a girl is something that I can only share with those who also need to practice and enjoy this particular treat of our beings. We all start doing this on our own and with shame. As we learn more about it and begin to understand and accept ourselves, the shame tends to go away but we still need to share this feminine persona with other people. In this time and age, the Internet has provided the means to (at least virtually) exchange ideas, advice, tips, feelings and images to give our feminine persona some kind of existence and validation. I recall how afraid I was to come out to some family members to seek acceptance and validation for Cristy in the real world. Since having an Internet presence, I was able to relate to other girls like me and several years later, when presented with the opportunity to meet with some of them in person, I informed my wife and made arrangements for a trip that I was not sure how it would turn out. Would there be people seeking other things besides socializing or tranny chasers? My questions were answered as soon as Cristy emerged that first morning in Atlanta. Birds of a feather flock together and those friends I had come to meet in person but knew well online, were just like me. Our interests were the same and if there were other activities going on among other attendees, they took place behind closed doors. Ten years later I can say that not once have I received an improper comment, advance or any kind of harassment or uncomfortable situation.

Meeting with “the girls” for that first time and then almost every year since, is the most gratifying sensation that I have experienced in my life, excluding only those that are related to my family. That first time, I had planned to make sure I would have plenty of outings on my own so that I could put my passing to the test. After spending two minutes with my friends, I knew that I did not want to spend any time on my own. Passing was not important; what mattered was to be in the company of honest, loving and caring people who had a very unusual treat in common with me. They had been awesome as online friends and they were even more exceptional in person. Why would I want to part from them to venture out on my own? With them I had all I was looking for. Cristy existed and was the person they had come to know and love and that was all I needed. Cristy was validated as the woman I intended her to be and who cared if we were clocked at restaurants or any other place we visited. I will admit that still after that first trip, passing was very important for me when I was on my own. However, after the second trip, I was the one letting people know that I was not what I appeared to be and to my surprise, they could not care less and were very happy for me. At the same time, they would ask valid and interesting questions that I would gladly respond in an attempt to educate people and expand their knowledge about our community.

Over these years, I have identified two main components that combine to make the experience unparalleled by any other personal interest that I might have. One is at the personal level and the other at the group level. Both are equally rewarding and can be enjoyed individually or simultaneously.

At the personal level I savor every little detail of my individual experience; from the moment I start applying makeup to the feel of the breeze gently flowing through my legs causing the fabric of my dress to caress my smooth skin! Yes, even though we can share the feeling with others and even agree on the effect it produces on us, these are sensations that are unique to us and that many genetic women take for granted since they are common occurrences for them. Even though we can enjoy this experiences within the confines of our private dressing cloister, they are enhanced and made more memorable and enticing when you are out there in the outside world while being just another of many individuals around.

At the group level, I get to interact in a role that I don’t get to play on a daily basis. Most of the time I do it with other TGirls and other times with the general public. In both cases I get to be Cristy and people treat me like Cristy, the woman they perceive in front of them. I get to exchange opinions on life and other personal interests with my friends while we see each other as a person who, depending on the status, presents permanently or sporadically as a woman but who also has other interests and goals in life. I have seen friends transition while others remain like me, a crossdresser and the essence of the person has not changed. I have witnessed how the divide that used to separate transsexuals from occasional crossdressers no longer exists, as our community and cause becomes one of seeking acceptance. Long gone are the days of being ashamed of who we are and more and more we become ambassadors of a group of individuals who show the rest of the world, by example, that we have goals and ambitions in life like everyone else and that we are above all, human beings with the same needs and rights.

In both cases, as an individual or as part of a group, I used to put a lot of effort in making the character believable but with each passing year the line that divided Cristy from my male and dominant persona has blurred. By this I don’t mean to say that I have become careless about my feminine presentation but rather that I no longer mind if the guy takes over under certain circumstances. As a matter of fact, more than passing for a woman I seek praise and acceptance for a job well done as a man presenting as a woman. In this regard, I do my best to present as any woman would do depending on the setting and situation. I put a lot of effort in showing proper mannerisms and behave according to the expectations of any person regardless of gender. I do prefer to use the women’s bathroom because that is who I am presenting as at the moment, knowing that if I do not cross the boundaries of decency, nobody will have the right to oppose to that.

Through all these years I have come across many people who have approached me individually or as part of a group in a friendly manner to inquire about why we need to present as women. Their questions are always valid and in good will and they are responded in the same manner. Every time they have left the conversation with a better understanding and more respect for us. It is our responsibility to show the positive side of being TG because there are other groups who are doing just the opposite and they are usually more visible.

This year in Washington DC I had a few opportunities to interact with people under different circumstances ranging from other tourists around The Capitol to patrons at an upscale bar. Every time I was shown deep respect and understanding and was treated as I would have been treated if I had been in boy mode. The difference being that perhaps the conversation would have not lasted as long and would have been more superficial. People will like and accept you if you are likable and acceptable like any other person regardless of gender identity. That has not come easy for us so let’s do our best to keep it that way.

Excuse me if I have rambled or digressed but I needed to get this out of my system. I will try to expand and explain in more detail in future postings, as time permits, but let me finish by saying that these are situations that every TG person needs to experience first hand and not through other people’s narratives. There are many conferences or groups meeting near you- get out there, loose the shame and enjoy being who you are. If you find it difficult for financial or any other reason to attend an event, try to meet with girls you know near where you live and in friendly environments. Girls with more experience than you will be happy to guide you through your first steps out there. These days there are many establishments that are TG friendly and love our business.

Don’t be afraid or ashamed and just be you!

Cristy

November 2nd, 2008 - Chicago, United States

I always thought one of the things that made Grant Wood's "American Gothic" the masterpiece it undoubtedly is was the way the couple portrayed look not straight out at us, but slightly to one side, their expression wary, distrustful, suspicious. The object of their distrust is not specific, but general - they are suspicious of everything they do not know.

America's greatness has been built on the coexistence of conservative and progressive spirits, and the often creative tensions between the two. Somehow, in the really big moments, the right one of these two tendencies has more often than not prevailed. I hope with all my heart that tomorrow, the progressive ideal will win out.

Update (Nov 21st 2008) : This photograph is referenced in an eloquent and witty blog post here, which reveals, amongst other things, that Barack Obama actually refers to this painting in his book Dreams From My Father. I quote from the blogpost :

"[Obama] writes that American Gothic effectively evoked the world in which his grandparents grew up: “…a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty.” [...] He’s talking about the people who accepted their daughter’s marriage to a Kenyan man (in 1960); they loved and later helped raise the grandchild born from that marriage. And [he] credits them for instilling many of his most admirable traits."

An interesting alternative twist is put on the possible interpretation of this photograph in a post on Obama's conservativism on the blog Asymptotic Life. Is this not a painting, but a mirror ?

Please click here to view on black.

I don't mind losing out on a sunset to an approaching storm as long as it has the decency to give me some lightning as compensation. This storm gave me nothing but raindrops on my lens and dust in my already irritated eye. However I still liked what I did get before the Sun was completely obscured (a common occurrence this week while shooting sunsets...) This is the Oquirrh Mountain Temple of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints in South Jordan, Utah. 9 brackets @1EV using the Promote Control.

This photo has found a sadly appropriate point in time for posting.

The Paris attacks have left us all sickened, bewildered, incensed,

and in a state of disbelief. I find myself questioning the unanswerable and in a futile attempt to clarify the unimaginable. The hypocrisy of ISIS, its hollow claims pertaining to faith, and the psychopathic toxin that flows within its veins must somehow be STOPPED.

As a person who tries to embody decency and tolerance, I plan to practice - along the lines of a favorite bumper sticker - senseless and random acts of kindness and mercy. It won't stop ISIS, but it'll make my world and that of those I touch just a little bit better.

I'm off my soapbox now. Thanks to all of you for hearing me out! Love and peace.

I'm so f*cking tired of my hubby Editorial Clarity's Exes publishing poems or songs in their blogs and flickrs about him trying to get his attention. You have caused so much problems for us and that is why you are no longer part of our lives.

Don't want to be mean but have some dignity. Get over it and Move on.

Since I married Edi more than a year ago, I have dealt with people who have no decency and tried to break us apart every chance they get. They would spread lies everywhere and tried to poison our minds against each other. It was so damn hard but Edi and I managed to stay together. Honestly, If Edi wants to be with any of you, he will because no one can control him. And I have enough pride and dignity to not stay with someone who doesn't love me or want to be with me.

WE ARE STILL TOGETHER AND STRONG, SL and RL. We will be living together in RL summer 2013.

I don't care who the f*ck do you think you are but I will seriously kick your ass if you don't stop with your damn obsession. Leave us alone. Take your damn poems and songs and shove it where the sun don't shine.

„This is Corellia Local Holo Net News. Today armed terrorists attacked a prisoners transport at Corellia central space port. The attackers claimed to be part of the Rebel Alliance and managed to momentarily free five of the prisoners. According to witnesses, they called our beloved Emperor a liar and a criminal. Other insults uttered by the terrorists will not be cited at this point, for reasons of decency. Imperial forces responded quickly to the attack and locked down the space port before the dissidents could flee. The incident caused casualties on both sides. Two of the attackers surrendered, the remaining four, as well as the prisoners, were eliminated by Imperial forces. Three Imperial operatives were injured, but could be treated on site by Imperial forces medical personnel. They are now being transferred to the Imperial Med Center. Governor Solem thanked the soldiers for their bravery. Shocked by the incident, he promised to reinforce space port security to end this ongoing series of terrorist attacks. Next week he will present a list of actions to be taken. This was Jenna Mizu for Corellia Local Holonet News.“

_________________________

A detail shot from my recent Star Wars vignette.

...a patriotic American.

…the descendent of immigrants.

...lucky that I was born and raised in this nation, and aware that I did nothing in the womb to be that lucky.

...a person with a moral compass, based on the values my Christian parents taught me and further tempered by my life experiences.

...proud of the many good things America does for us here at home and for the rest of the world in need.

...not afraid to criticize American policies that do harm to Americans and the rest of the world.

...a former Republican, driven away from the party by their abandonment of fiscal conservatism in favor of social conservatism.

…a proponent of listening to people who disagree with you and trying to reach a reasonable, rational agreement.

...hesitantly willing to accept the use of force if all other options have been exhausted.

...sickened by the fact that we let our fellow Americans die from treatable diseases because they don't have enough money to afford decent healthcare.

…worried that if we don’t start acting on it as a country, future generations will be dealing with the environmental problems we allowed to happen (or caused directly).

…concerned that our dependence on foreign sources of energy are a threat to our national security.

...appalled that working-class Americans are being squeezed by higher fuel prices (and higher food and utility prices as a result) while oil companies are swimming in record profits.

…not too proud to ask for help when I can’t do something alone.

…in favor of a woman’s right to choose, but want to make sure that comprehensive sex education, access to birth control, and other programs are in place to make sure as few women as possible have to make such a heartbreaking decision.

…fiscally conservative, and in favor of accountability and responsibility when it comes to government spending.

…angry that my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are inheriting a huge national debt as a result of this war in Iraq.

…angry that over 4,000 of my fellow countrymen will never see their children or grandchildren as a result of the same war.

…not afraid of electing a president with a skin color that is different than mine, or with a name that sounds foreign to me.

…not going to let my fear of terrorism override my sense of reason, decency, and morality any longer.

…in favor of letting two consenting adults who are in love with each other get married, despite their genders.

…confused why people think that creationism should be taught as science when it is a religious explanation for life and not a scientific theory.

…in favor of strengthening our border security, but dealing with people who are already here illegally with the compassion and dignity they deserve as human beings.

…upset that the current administration’s attitude towards business (i.e. that the government should not interfere with business, and that the free market will cause companies to operate ethically) has lead to things like the Enron scandal, the mortgage crisis, and job losses for hundreds of thousands of Americans.

…concerned that our educational system is broken, kids aren’t getting enough one-on-one attention, and teachers are underpaid.

…outraged at how our military veterans are treated when they get home (and how many of them are sent back to war again after they’ve done their duty).

…aware that no candidate is going to agree with my views 100% of the time.

…also aware that no president can singlehandedly accomplish everything they say they want to, and that the checks and balances of our government are there to ensure this.

…not going to stay quiet about my opinions because I’m afraid of offending people I like.

…totally supportive of your right to disagree with anything I’ve said here.

…voting for Barack Obama.

Strange Stormy Situation Surrounds Stunning Saturday Seaside Serenity Sunset Scene (SOOC) - IMRAN™

What a strange time it is. It feels as if 2020, like a mean, dangerous, psychotic, fatal attraction addicted ex-girlfriend, just won't let go of us to move into a better future. But, as I captured this SOOC (straight out of camera) unedited Nikon D300 photo of tonight's sunset at my blessed home on Tampa Bay, Florida, I thought to myself what a strange situation surrounds this stunning Saturday seaside serenity sunset scene.

Despite a red-hot sunset, a cold wind, seemingly coming from all sides in strong bursts but without notable gusts, invisibly symbolizes the national and global threats buffeting us in this new year, and new decade.

A global Coronavirus pandemic, now with a dangerous mutation, is still wreaking havoc, ... but vaccines are offering some hope. A cancer of wilful ignorance and cult-like embrace of fascist forces continues to threaten our democracy, ... but even a few (until-recently fascism-embracing tyrant-loving) politicians acting like they are finding their consciences is giving hope to a return to normalcy.

An actual insurrection against the government of the United States, incited by none other than the actual current occupant of the Oval Office, leading to Confederate & Nazi flags and symbols being proudly displayed inside the US Capitol for the first time in history shook the patriotic majority of the nation, ... but there is hope that it may have woken up enough sell-out members of his own party to realize they have to stand up to Drumpf. An actual agent of an enemy state and criminal President is talking about pardoning himself, his family, and others whom he clearly directed to commit crimes... but even Republicans are now asking for his removal from office, and wanting a return to the rule of law, from the streets to the highest office in the land.

All these cures are better late than never, ... but what a tragic waste of so much. Lives, jobs, civility, decency, stability, and unity, ... all losses caused by the acts foisted on us by corrupt, incompetent, undemocratic forces of a traitor in power in 2020.

The truth is simple. Facts are facts, no matter what conspiracy theory undereducated cultists embrace or what white-lies purely opportunistic sleazy politicians spread. Science is science, no matter how much some idiots believe the earth is flat, or that they would get injected with a microchip in an anti-viral vaccine.

It is time to make 2021 the start of the best years of our lives, as people, as nations, and as humankind. Join me as I bow my head in prayer at this sunset time for us all to be healed and at peace again.

© 2021 IMRAN™

#ApolloBeach, #CloudPorn, #cloudscape, #clouds, #cold, #commentary, #Coronavirus, #D300, #DonaldTrump, #fascism, #Florida, #humankind, #IMHO, #IMRAN, #ImranAnwar, #InMyHumbleOpinion, #insurrection, #Lifestyle, #Maghreb, #Nature, #Nikon, #NoEdit, #NoFilter, #pandemic, #politics, #prose, #Republicans, #Saturday, #science, #seaside, #SOOC, #Sunset, #Tampa, #TampaBay, #traitors, #tranquility, #treason, #vaccines, #weekend, #winter, #writing

Trying for a degree of decency; the camera angle not affording much.

Sex sells

Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing.[1] The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations (such as a need for warmth or protection from the elements) and social considerations. In some situations the minimum amount of clothing (i.e. covering of a person's genitals) may be socially acceptable, while in others much more clothing is expected.

People, as individuals and in groups, have varying attitudes towards their own nudity. Some people are relaxed about appearing less than fully clothed in front of others, while others are uncomfortable or inhibited in that regard. People are nude in a variety of situations, and whether they are prepared to disrobe in front of others depends on the social context in which the issue arises. For example, people need to bathe without clothing, some people also sleep in the nude, some prefer to sunbathe in the nude or at least topless. Many people are prepared to disrobe for a medical examination, while others are nude in other situations. Some people adopt nudism as a lifestyle.

Though the wearing of clothes is the social norm in most cultures, some cultures, groups and individuals are more relaxed about nudity, though attitudes often depend on context. On the other hand, some people feel uncomfortable in the presence of any nudity, and the presence of a nude person in a public place can give rise to controversy, irrespective of the attitude of the person who is nude. Besides meeting social disapproval, in some places public nudity may constitute a crime of indecent exposure. Many people have strong views on nudity, which to them can involve issues and standards of modesty, decency and morality. Some people have a psychological aversion to nudity, called gymnophobia. Many people regard nudity to be inherently sexual and erotic.

Nudity (sex-related or not) is also to be found in visual arts (see also art nude, nude photography, nudity in film), also on the Internet, and in performing arts. It is a factor in adult entertainment of various types.

This image is copyright, all rights reserved, and not part of the public domain. Any use, linking to, or posting of this image is prohibited without my consent. If you want to use this image in any fashion, please have the common courtesy and decency to ask.

Face Rock Wayside, Bandon, Oregon

My brother and I went to Face Rock Wayside for sunset. I've been in Bandon this past week on vacation, visiting my Mom and brother as well as some cousins. This is the 1st night of my vacation where we went down to the beach for sunset and didn't have to deal with the foggy Marine Layer. It's been a much needed relaxing and enjoyable vacation. I captured quite a few different views and angles of a pretty spectacular sunset. Afterwards my wet feet were making those sloshy sounds.

„This is Corellia Local Holo Net News. Today armed terrorists attacked a prisoners transport at Corellia central space port. The attackers claimed to be part of the Rebel Alliance and managed to momentarily free five of the prisoners. According to witnesses, they called our beloved Emperor a liar and a criminal. Other insults uttered by the terrorists will not be cited at this point, for reasons of decency. Imperial forces responded quickly to the attack and locked down the space port before the dissidents could flee. The incident caused casualties on both sides. Two of the attackers surrendered, the remaining four, as well as the prisoners, were eliminated by Imperial forces. Three Imperial operatives were injured, but could be treated on site by Imperial forces medical personnel. They are now being transferred to the Imperial Med Center. Governor Solem thanked the soldiers for their bravery. Shocked by the incident, he promised to reinforce space port security to end this ongoing series of terrorist attacks. Next week he will present a list of actions to be taken. This was Jenna Mizu for Corellia Local Holonet News.“

_________________________

A detail shot from my recent Star Wars vignette.

Niccolò Ciatti is an Italian 20-year-old boy on vacation in Barcelona.

Already a worker, he has his salary and his holidays. He goes to the disco, like all the guys. An offense for a push with another boy and start beating. In the middle of the disco, kick and punch at the head of three boys against poor Niccolo who dies. There are videos that for decency have not shown in full and I could not even look at it. Why do I want to write about this? ...... In the partial video they are all in circle to look at, NO ONE INTERVENES?, nor other guys, or the disco bouncer ..... and some movie with the phone ?????

I have a son of this age, to think that you go dancing and for a diversion you are massacred, it makes me shudder .....

Are not we a country of peace, What's in the head of these guys? Drugs? There have always been, but so much brutality I have never seen. And those who look? And those filming? ..... I think these guys are too much in a video game and they no longer recognize the reality.

Bring yours children out in the parks, play balls, ride bicycles, stop using the phone while you are with them, and above all, before answering a banal nonsense of wath's up, answer them.

My sincere condolences to the family

Radiohead - Man Of War

I have no idea what the inspiration for this staircase was but it must have been something awesome. And guessing from the name of the building - Porthania at the Helsinki University - they have no lack of creativity by may be lacking decency. Search for the Greek meaning of the word Parthania (with an "a") and then use your imagination... Just saying...

At noon today in Washington, DC, Joe Biden takes the oath of office and the USA moves past the horrors of the past four years. Hopefully we will see a return to decency and a commitment to freedom and justice for all with extremism, violence and conflict extinguished as we set about the business of recovering from Covid and building a healthy society with good employment opportunities for all.

Took this photo in 2003 while demonstrating against the Bush war in Iraq.

Catching up on some back shots from the beginning of the year

On a walk around the Addington Cemetery with a wonderful Flickr friend. February 13, 2016 Christchurch New Zealand.

There is so much damaged in the cemetery because of the earthquake we have had. It is such a pity as I don' think it will ever be fully repaired.

The Addington Cemetery was established in 1858 when the Scottish Presbyterians of St Andrew’s Church purchased land for a cemetery in Selwyn Street. Although not the first cemetery in Christchurch, Addington was in fact the first “public” cemetery, “being open to all persons of any religious community” and allowing the performance of any religious service “not contrary to public decency”.

The first burial took place on the 10th of November 1858. The cemetery has several persons of note buried within its grounds including activist Kate Sheppard, Christchurch Mayor Tommy Taylor and members of the pioneer family, the Deans.

For More Info:http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/addington-cemetery/

It seemed to take me most of 2009 to track this down and get a half decent picture of it! By the time this was taken, the lower deck windows towards the rear had been replaced, leaving the figures bereft of their decency.

Another first state.

Some traders have no decency, some of our deputy applauding in our National assemby for less of teachers in france have no decency..I'm sorry I just wanted to talk about simple pleasure. But it's always decency for the others..

On Black and large

This image is copyright, all rights reserved, and not part of the public domain. Any use, linking to, or posting of this image is prohibited without my consent. If you want to use this image in any fashion, please have the common courtesy and decency to ask.

Bridal Veil Overlook, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

I went to one of my favorite places to catch a sunset in the gorge, and I'm glad I did. With it raining the majority of the time, the light and atmosphere was spectacular. There wasn't much wind so it wasn't a problem holding my big umbrella over my camera the whole time. I'm really loving the detail and range I'm able to pull out of the 6D. This is a blend of 2 exposures. The majority of the scene is of the sunset, but the car and train light trails is from a second (30 second) exposure taken 40 minutes later and blended into this scene using Photoshop CS6.

Heros are not always what you'd expect them to be.

Can I just say this is not in any way an indication of my support for this kind of behaviour? These were just some Lego folks I happened upon during a clean up, which of course was much less interesting than playing with the toys themselves and taking pictures.

This Blonde hero (she-ro) is coming to the rescue of her friend against the forces of evil. I suppose it is a metaphor for things happening in the world today at the hands of forces of evil who claim to be acting on behalf of a deity. No thanks. I'll take human decency over that any day.

Queen "Save Me"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUyPyTn-IS4

“I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unnerving ease. It begins in your mind, always ... so you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don't, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.”

― Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Sony ILCE A7r : Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

A few weeks ago, while clearing out the attic, we came across a box of old newspaper clippings, probably the work of a long-departed aunt who was renowned for her hoarding habits. Among the yellowed pages was a dossier on the Lunar Landing in 1969, which provoked the usual "What were you doing when..." sort of discussion. Among other things, I recalled I'd just become the owner of a new-fangled Pentax Spotmatic, not new but a source of some pride. As it turns out, I still have the camera, and this is it, somewhat faded and worn but still functional; it was commandeered by one of my sons and disappeared for a decade or so, but he eventually fell in love with an EOS and had the decency to return the Spotmatic to his old man. I occasionally borrow it's lens to use on digital cameras, but it spends it's retirement on a shelf with several Pentax cousins.