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BLOGGED: 24 February 2009 - www.counterspinyc.blogspot.com/
flickr EXPLORE: 05 August 2005 #482
From: Raveged Series - SR Smith Infirmery. Staten Island, NYC: 03_03
Get ready to put on your insufferable scholar glasses!
This was Staten Island's first ever not-for-profit voluntary hosiptal, built in 1889, and named after a "Dr. of the People", Mr. Samuel R. Smith. The grounds stand at 6 acres & also hold the reminents of the first ever training school for nurses (e:1891).
In 1970, the decision was made to relocate to larger facilities elsewhere. What happened between then & 1991, when the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission failed to designate & regulate S.R. Smith is anyone's guess.
This grevious failure on their part led to a string of failed developers to strip it of its once magnificent architectural detail, leaving it in its current shameful state.
I don't know about you folks elsewhere, but growing up in Charleston, SC, the ridiculous amount of importantce placed on architectural gems has preserved some of the most beautiful structures in North America. This love of home mentailty went so far as to change the capital of SC from Charleston to Columbia during the Civil War soas to spare the resulting destructive ravaging fires. Union soldiers, wanting to spare Charleston willingly participated the wink, wink! Now where is that collective appreciation today?
The former hospital grounds are owned by a holdings company called Kenilworth Holdings, LLC. The trail is so convoluted that it is difficult to say exactly whose "interests" they represent, but it's certainly not anyone in our community.
I visit every season to watch the rapid demise of a once grand & noble structure, soley built to aid "the common working man". Ironically, I bump into countless addicts, unruly teen gang members & countless homeless individuals who have claimed the space as their own each time I go. What the heck, there are splendid views of the Statue of Liberty & Manhattan from the top floor.
If you happen to run into anyone even loosely associated with Kenilworth, kindly deck them on my behalf.
I think it's about time for my summer visit...sniff.
Difficult to push when upside down.
Cosina Voigtlander R3m with Nokton 40mm 1.4 SC Pan F underexposed by a stop (thought I had 100 speed film in the camera—D'Oh!) on a cloudy day.
Film: Pan F+
Dev: HC-110 Dilution E
Being a transvestite is not always an easy thing to live with but does have pleasing aspects such as joy, exhilaration and adventure to counter the more fearful and troublesome concerns that inevitably accompany the desire to dress up and appear as one’s opposite gender.
For many of us who engage in transvestism we place ourselves in a difficult position which usually results in having a secret life or as many people have accused me of ‘living a lie’. Many partners, family members and friends can react negatively to the discovery of one’s transvestism and the phrases such as ‘liar’ and ‘breaking trust’ are expressed. It can be devastating for all concerned not just transvestites.
There is a popular perception that transvestites are involved in a sordid activity or we are seen as freaks and perverts and are rarely respected for who we are. We are more likely to be ridiculed or labelled as mentally ill. The most common response is we are homosexual and just want sex with men.
Ii think so called normal life has more sordid activities and real perversions occurring which should be far more unpalatable by wider society than a transvestite enjoying a gentle pastime such as cross-dressing. We are vilified for our liking to appear as the opposite gender, it is almost more acceptable to be a wife beater or a violent alcoholic but to dress up as the opposite gender…’Outrageous! Disgusting! Perverts!’ One can almost here the sniggers and sly looks ‘He likes to wear a dress and put on make-up, likes to think he’s a woman…snigger…’
I feel transvestism has a long way to go before any kind of widespread acceptance becomes the norm. I also feel maybe we don’t help such perceptions by our own actions and responses as we are in the majority very secretive about our desire to cross-dress. I hold myself guilty of such unhelpful attitudes to wider acceptance. I admit I am fearful, indeed terrified that people will find out I am a transvestite and that it will bring upset and disturbance upon my family and friends. I maybe active as Helene on-line but I try my best to make sure nobody in my real life knows I am a transvestite. I actually feel queasy at the prospect they may find out. I’m not good at all for trying to bring acceptance, I’m frightened in a selfish way. So much for my commitment to the cause.
I can still recall how as a teenager I would shake with nerves at the prospect of anyone finding out I wanted to dress as a girl and to act like one. This became worse as I grew older. I did endeavour to suppress and ignore my transvestite nature and for over twenty years I had no involvement with it at all physically. I say physically because in my head it never diminished, I would be consumed at times with the desire to dress as a woman, I badly wanted to do it. I would force myself to squash such thoughts and try and get on with being a man.
I now realise I wasted a lot of my life by these actions and I have huge regret at the fact I squandered so many experiences and self fulfilment. Having said that , I did end up with a life I really enjoyed as a man. Not because I was a man per se, but because I was sharing my life with a person I adored and we had a family I love dearly. I also ended up in a career I really enjoy. All was perfect apart from transvestite side which was locked away inside a personal jail desperate to break free. I began to fear I may destroy my entire life if I gave into the desire to cross-dress so suppressed them as fast as they surfaced.
In the mid 1990s I was covering the war in the Balkans and ended up, through stupidity, in a situation that looked like the end would not be too long in coming. I was stuck on a hillside in the freezing winter cold as an intense firefight between the opposing forces had broken out. My colleagues and myself became introspective as we contemplated our last hours. This was it, I was going to depart the world age 35. I found myself, somewhat surprisingly as I became aware of it, smiling wryly. I was actually thinking I would die and would never know what it was like as an adult male to have dressed up as a woman and set free my inner dream of spending time as a (part time) female. I had only my few teenage efforts at cross-dressing to cling to.
At some point someone in the group started to admit to their big life secret and this was followed by another colleague admitting to his. The admissions began to pour out and some were quite heavy indeed, things people had feared to admit previously. Inevitably all eyes turned to me to confess my secret. I admitted openly amongst the noise of the ongoing battle that I was desperate to spend time dressing up and acting as a woman, I really wanted to be a female now and again that I was a transvestite and in my head adored the idea of casting off my masculine self and taking on a female persona for a few hours.
I can recall there was no reaction to my confession, in fact one colleague said in a disappointed tone ’Is that it?’ That’s you big secret?’, they were totally underwhelmed and thought it was not even worth the grief I had given myself over the years. There was no judgement shown at all by my admission was a transvestite. We were rescued in the end by a UN patrol to whom I will be forever grateful as they took a big risk to save us. Before they arrived I resolved if I survived I would become a practicing transvestite and actually cross-dress for real rather in my head.
My problem, which has two sides to it, is I am a person who loves debate, analysing things and discussing things as I am curious by nature. I am frequently accused of over analysing my transvestism but those who say that fail to understand me and interpret my narratives in the wrong way. I thrive on all of this discussion and questioning, I enjoy it and I am aware now that it has on occasion generated some quite hostile attitudes towards me. Mainly because I like to talk about sexuality and how one should act like a woman towards men to sell the illusion they are female. It’s a long way from sexual intimacy, just performing in the persona is how I see it. I have stated many times I am a frustrated actor and enjoy it and I do like female impersonation when it is done well. I am attracted to the acting side of creating a female illusion. I love the whole prospect that no-one thinks I am a man when they see Helene. If they think I am a woman then that is such a reward. I am thrilled if a man desires me as a woman, I find it exciting. It’s not a sexual excitement, it’s a vanity and ego response. I love the thrill my illusion may have worked.
For example if I was kissed by a man when I am portraying myself as a woman then that is not me being homosexual, that is me acting the part of a woman, it’s about making my female alter-ego seem real as a woman by playing her as a woman not a a man, it’s not about wanting a kiss from a man as I am not attracted to men. I think many transvestites wrestle with this but if you are keen to enjoy being a woman and have people believe you are female you need to act the part convincingly rather than highlight you may not be how you appear to be.
So…back on track, I returned to the UK, and vowed I would not cross-dress before I told my wife and family I was a transvestite. This was a bit of an issue for me because I knew if I was going to cross-dress as a woman I wanted to do it properly and go the whole way. This meant would need to shave my legs, chest and arms, reshape and thin out my eyebrows into more feminine shape. I wanted to wear make-up properly, I wanted a good wig and I wanted to paint my nails, wear nice dresses and skirts and high heel shoes, I wanted the whole one hundred percent male to female transformation. I could not possibly hide such physical changes from my wife. She would see it as I am very hairy all over my body (very dismaying to me) and my family would notice my new eyebrow shape as I had thick bushy shapeless eyebrows.
I’ve said it before I am not a brave person. I am weak and lack confidence so it was easier said than done telling my wife I was a closeted transvestite. It me over five years to finally summon up the nerve to tell her and when I did I wish I had not. The upset I caused her by my admission nearly broke my heart, her world collapsed and I was accused of not being who I said I was and I was living a lie. There was a lot of dismay and hurt followed by anger. What kept me going was by now it was too late, I had confessed my transvestite side existed but I deeply believed we had a strong enough relationship to survive my admission.
Fortunately we did. Having caused such upset to those I cherish dearly and realising they did not like the idea of me dressing as a woman at all I decided I would try to minimise it’s effects upon them. Selfishly though, I was now more determined to go through with my cross-dressing. I have however severely restricted the number of times I cross-dress so it never causes them further upset and I feel truly fortunate they tolerate my need.
Five months after my confession I bought a dress, a pair of high heel court shoes, a pair of knickers, a bra, silicone breast forms and a blonde wig and bottle of nail varnish. I took a long bath and completely shaved off all my body hair. I then plucked my eyebrows, covered myself in moisturiser and immediately got the shakes and my head started to spin. I knew I was at a point in my life where for me it was all about to change, I felt emotional in away I don’t usually feel. For me I had reached a point of no return.
And so it was. On a cold November afternoon in the year 2000 I stood in front of the mirror in a warm bathroom and began to apply foundation make-up to my face. I had no idea how this was going to work out, the woman within me was about to break free.
It was very difficult to spot this tiny little toad in the dirt on the ground as it is was only about 2cm long and blended in so well with its surroundings.
Thank you for visiting my site and taking the time to leave a comment. Truly appreciated!
Network Rail 950001 pays a Sunday morning visit to line between Barnsley and Huddersfield and seen passing over Oxspring Viaduct working the 2Q08 Derby RTC - Doncaster West Yard
Until the 1980's the viaduct was covered in gantries carrying 1500V overhead lines as part of the iconic Woodhead Line . Having been banked up the 1:40 Worsborough Branch by another pair of Class 76's , double headed coal trains would arrive here a very gentle 1:100 comparison to continue their journey through the Woodhead Tunnel over the Pennines .
The final train travelled over the line on Saturday 18th July 1981 , from then on it was all about demolition trains .
15 8 22
Lot of that taking place in many households at the moment. Be kind to each other and we will soon be rid of this virus.
Bit difficult to read the writing on the slide mount but I think Class 128 Single Car Parcels DMU M55993 is stabled at Soho depot in Birmingham on the 31st of December 1967.
This was one of the parcels DMU's allocated to Chester in the 70's and until I saw this photo I did not realise they had operated in the Birmingham Area. I had seen plenty of photos at Shrewsbury and the odd one at Wolverhampton but nothing beyond there.
Image from a slide in my collection by an unknown photographer.
Very difficult conditions for Aurora photography on the morning of the 18th, when we were feeling a brief blast of energy from the recent solar flare. For recording the Aurora and capturing some pleasing imagery, including terrestrial features, I find the half moon phases to be the best. It's difficult, unless the Aurora is unusually intense, to obtain good results during the monthly lunation (moonless period) and possibly even more difficult with a totally full moon directly overhead.
Many violets share numerous attributes and are difficult to differentiate from one another. Botanists estimate that there are between 500 and 600 species worldwide, approximately 85 of which can be found in North America. Luckily for the casual wildflower enthusiast, only about half of these are common in New York. There's tremendous variation among the community, with many varieties garnering oxymoronic names, such as round-leaved yellow violet and sweet white violet. While a majority live up to their names in appearance, more than a few are anything but violet, being completely white, pink and even the brightest shade of yellow, with numerous combinations and levels of mixing. All of these attributes aid in their identification.
Yellow violets appear to be the most primitive, with their flowers being the first shift away from the ancestral green. Purple, in contrast, is thought to be one of the most advanced colors. Evolution in progress can be witnessed in the tall, white, Canada violet (Viola canadensis), a native to Canada and the eastern U.S.. Many botanists speculate that the mostly white flower, often dabbed with minor purplish tingeing on the back of the petals, is transitioning from entirely white to "violet." The Canada violet grows throughout the Mohawk Valley in association with the large white trillium.
Violets can be separated into two general categories: those with stems from which leaves and flowers protrude, and those that are stemless, having appendages emanating directly from the roots, with flowers being supported on a thin and usually low, leafless stalk.
In addition to having showy blossoms, certain species possess a trait known as cleistogamy, meaning they are capable of self-pollination by means of tiny, barely noticeable flowers that resemble unopened buds. The term "cleistogamy" combines the Greek 'kleistos' meaning 'closed' with 'gamy' meaning 'marriage.' Once fertilization has occurred by means of insects or self-pollination, the seeds are ready for explosive dispersal. After the seeds are fully developed, the pods they're stored in slowly dry out, with the pod gradually tightening around the seeds, building up tension in the process, similar to the action of a spring. Later, when the pods are disturbed, or sometimes just randomly, the pressure becomes too great and the seeds are shot out like miniature cannonballs. Amazingly, seeds are capable of flying up to 15 feet away from the parent plant. Pretty impressive for such a tiny plant!
Once on the ground, the seeds are further dispersed by ants. Attached to each tiny seed is a fleshy appendage called an elaiosome that's rich in protein and lipids, but serves no direct impact to the seed's survival. Like the sweet nectar of a flower, these elaiosomes are tempting treats to insects, and ants in particular are readily enticed to collect them. Once dragged back to the colony, the energy-laden accessory is removed for consumption, and the hard seed body is dumped in a waste pit where it may ultimately sprout. This dual dispersal technique, using both physiological and biological mechanisms for seed movement, proves to be an effective evolutionary strategy, ensuring rapid colonization of available habitat.
Insects aren't the only ones that appreciate violets' tasty nature. In fact, humans find nearly all parts of the plants edible. The leafy greens can be collected to create a salad high in vitamins A and C, superseding that of an equivalent amount of oranges. Beginning in the nineteenth century, candied violets gained favor as a dessert garnishment and were widely served. Though their popularity has decreased over the years, in some circles they're still a favorite for topping sweet dishes of cake or ice cream. Traditionally, a syrup was also made by boiling the flowers in a concoction of sugar. Apart from sweetening the lips, the syrup is useful as a substitute for litmus paper. The solution turns red in the presence of an acid, green for a base.
To the Haudenosaunee and other eastern Native Americans, the flower is revered as a symbol of love. An Iroquoian myth, akin to the tragic Shakespearian Romeo and Juliet, tells of how two lovers of warring tribes were slain while trying to elope, and where each drop of blood hit the ground, a violet sprouted to commemorate their boundless passion.
While on the topic of romance, it's also interesting to note that violets used to be the traditional flower of Valentine's Day. Almost all bouquets given to loved ones sported purple rather than red. It wasn't until the 1930's that violets began to be supplanted by the thorny rose.
Violets were substantial money makers during the early part of the twentieth century. Like other popular flowers that are added to bouquets or home gardens today, violets were prodigiously cultivated in greenhouses by the millions. Rhinebeck, a quaint, pastoral town located along the shores of the Hudson River in southeastern New York, cornered this unusual market. Growers made sizable profits by shipping flowers to New York City, where there was an especially high demand. Rhinebeck's proximity to the city market, and its easy access to the railroad paralleling the Hudson helped make it the "Violet Capital of the World." At its peak, hundreds of greenhouses routinely cranked out thousands of violets per day in the spring-a fast worker could pick as many as 5,000 during a single shift. Eleanor Roosevelt herself often purchased copious amounts of various exotic cultivar varieties from nearby nurseries to line the gardens at her riverfront estate in Hyde Park, just south of the violet hotbed. She was frequently seen wearing intricate violet arrangements, making it a habit to do so at her husband's numerous inaugurations.
Small white violets are sweet-scented.
Next time you're outside in spring, keep your eyes open for the cosmopolitan violets, which can be found growing just about anywhere-from open and sunny backyards to rich, sheltered woodlands, and even in the dampest wetlands. Though small and unassuming, they nevertheless provide a cheerful reminder of the fecundity and diversity of the spring season. As English philosopher Bernard Williams succinctly said, "We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory."
It was difficult for me to leave the feeder out of my view. From around 8 o'clock in the morning, birds are visiting it. Juncos are getting a upper hand, as they discovered it first.
I got visit from Chickadee, Wren, Cardinal, goldfinch, Nuthatch as I was watching. Don't know who else visited. Saw few Blue birds and Flickers nearby.
A busy day for the avian friends and for me too.
These are such spectacular tropical plants, seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 26 June 2018. Their large size and vivid colour are both eyecatching and breathtaking. These large, red, waxy bracts protect the tiny flowers inside them, which are always difficult to see because they are way above my head.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia
Saturday, 2 May 2020: our temperature after noon is +15C (windchill +14C). Sunrise is at 6:06 am, and sunset is at 9:01 pm. Another beautiful, sunny day. Not going anywhere, as I prefer to not add one more person out there, for when those who have to work all week get a chance to go out, if they choose. I just feel that the rest of us are fortunate enough to have the luxury to choose from five other days, if we have to go out.
Like many people, I am having to post photos from my archives as I have been basically staying home, away from everyone and everything (apart from food shopping and maybe three or four short drives out of the city over the last few weeks).
I can't add any information about the crisis the whole world is in right now, as Flickr has threatened to terminate my account. This is because I was adding information about the present situation in the descriptions under the photos I am posting from my archives! I still don't understand why this was "wrong" and I have not heard back from Flickr after I sent an Appeal email to them. When I post archive photos, I add the descriptions from previously posted photos, taken on the same outings, to remind myself of where I went and what I saw. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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"This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 26 June 2018. My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of them in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking.
My intention had not been to visit the Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. There was no glass in front of one of the Pandas, but two other Pandas, including the one in the previous photo, were in a glassed-in part of the enclosure. Almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people.
The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing, that they have named Gobi. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.
A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest."
The Baja California Brush Lizard has an extremely limited range in central Baha California, Mexico. They inhabit large boulder fields where competition with several other species of lizard makes life difficult.
"What is mankind that you are mindful of them, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Hebrews 2:6-8
THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST
Today we hear from co-worker, Jan Vermeer:
The inspired writer of the book of Hebrews says that everything was put in subjection under Jesus Christ (2:8). Does His supremacy actually show in the country of North Korea—full of idols, hunger and death camps?
The North Korean Church consists of 200,000 to 400,000 members. Fiercely persecuted, all of them hide their beliefs from the authorities. The church is truly an underground church, divided into thousands of small networks and cell groups. Most Christians hardly know other Christians outside their families. In case of an arrest, not many other Christians are in danger. The most visible proof of their faith is the possession of a Bible, which is illegal and punishable by death. Probably nowhere else in the world are so many copies of God's Word literally hidden underground!
But the church is definitely growing. Many Christians keep their faith secret and are surviving. Open Doors is able to support Christians with Bibles, books, training, food, clothes and medicine. Yet it is the individual tragedies that make it difficult to see, with spiritual eyes, that Jesus Christ is supreme even in North Korea.
For example, a middle-aged man was arrested after the police found a Bible in his home. He is being terribly beaten in prison, as we learn from released prisoners who witnessed it. "His face is deformed. He told us he is certain he will die."
How can Christ be supreme if one of his disciples is tortured so severely? I've known this man for a long time," says a Christian friend of the prisoner. "When he came to faith, he made the decision that one day he would die for Christ. Every Christian in North Korea has made that choice. Every Christian in my country has the spirit of martyrdom in him. If you lose that spirit for one second, you cannot carry the burden of being a follower of Jesus. My friend knew that one day he could get caught, and on that day he had to be steadfast in the faith and loyal to Jesus. I am convinced he can take the suffering because he constantly reminds himself of the joy that is set before him."
The suffering North Korean Christians reveal Christ's supremacy because they look at the reward: Jesus Christ Himself. He is our Treasure. He calls us to Himself, to suffer outside the gate and bear the reproach He endured (Hebrews 13:12-14). The kingdom of the Kims is limited in size and time. The Kingdom of our Lord is eternal and will come with power!
RESPONSE
I will rejoice in the supremacy of Jesus Christ, my Lord, over everything and everyone.
PRAYER
Lord, I too rejoice in the joy set before me with You. Keep me steadfast, faithful and loyal.
Standing Strong Through The Storm:
A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks
© 2011 Open Doors International.
The inscription has some difficult to discern sections. The French Je susi prest, “I am ready,” is listed as the clan’s Motto. The memorial reads as follows,
JE SUIS PREST
PHILIP AFFLECK FRASER ESQ.
OF CULDUTHELL
BORN 15 MARCH 1787: DIED 9 SEPT. 1862
D. DAVIDSON [Mason’s mark / indication]
This is one of many old and also Fraser memorials to be found in the quiet beautiful Boleskine Cemetery that holds art and architecture, history and design and modern markers we make for our loved ones as this burial site is still in operation. Overlooking the Burial Ground is Boleskine House a notable Fraser home and the site of a Clan Gathering too with a memorial from occasion still on site.
© PHH Sykes 2023
phhsykes@gmail.com
Philip Affleck Fraser, 8th & last of Culduthel
The Douglas Archives Genealogy Pages
www.douglashistory.co.uk/famgen/getperson.php?personID=I1...
Find a Grave, Philip Affleck Fraser
www.findagrave.com/memorial/180895136/philip-affleck-fraser
Accounts of how the Crowns came to feature on the Fraser Shield.
“In the second and third positions are three crowns. Alternate beliefs about the crowns are that they were given to Sir Simon "The Patriot", of the South country Frasers by Robert The Bruce, for saving his life three times in the Battle of Methven, 1306. It has also been said that they were given by Robert the Bruce to Sir Alexander Fraser, Chamberlain of Scotland, because he married Robert's sister, Mary. It has thirdly been said that they were given to Sir Simon Fraser "Filius" (an explanative used to distinguish him from his father, also named Simon) for defeating three successive English armies - a total of 20, 000 men, with only 8,000 of his own, all in one day. That was the battle of Roslin Moor, 1302. All of these suggestions are speculative, and each is hard to prove. In any event they were carried from the south country Frasers to the Lovat line.”
Clan Fraser
clanfraser.org/modern-clansmen/
Clan Fraser of Lovat
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Fraser_of_Lovat
“The Boleskine House Foundation, a registered Scottish charity.”
Boleskine, Old Boleskine Church, Burial Ground, Canmore
canmore.org.uk/site/100574/boleskine-old-boleskine-church...
The Boleskine Burial Ground
southlochnessheritage.co.uk/boleskine-burial-ground/
Culduthel Mains, Knocknagael
canmore.org.uk/site/13516/culduthel-mains-knocknagael
‘Mr and Mrs Culduthel’
scarf.scot/regional/higharf/highland-archaeological-resea...
Culduthel Mains burial assemblage
www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-hi...
The Culduthel wristguard rivet caps [Gold object of the week]
www.nms.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-department...
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13519/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13513/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/358344/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13508/culduthel
Inverness, Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/296069/inverness-culduthel
MHG3787 – Culduthel, Highland Historic Environment Record Clàr Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil na Gàidhealtachd
I will run up to you....will you wait for me? Or very simple "Stairway to Heaven"
.
"There will be days you don't think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have." by Unknown
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"Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you."
by Steve Prefontaine
.
Believe in yourself, know yourself, deny yourself, and be humble." by John Treacy's four principles of training prior to Los Angeles 84
.
"Good things come slow - especially in distance running." by Bill Dellinger, Oregon coach
.
Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHFxncb1gRY&feature=related
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Biebrich Palace (German: Schloss Biebrich) is a Baroque residence (Schloss) in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Duchy of Nassau from 1816 until 1866.
I have finally finished this doll! It was the most difficult one I have ever worked on. This is the Tree Dragon, a trade I have made with :iconemilisculpts: and therefore this is why it can look familiar for you! Here is the original design: emilysculpts.deviantart.com/art/Spring-Dragon-Details-193...
It was the first time the reference was a sculpture and not an illustration. It was very different! And hard to not make it look that similar that would lost my own style. As you can see, I have to make some modifications on design, as a doll needs to move and some changes were needed.
This is a handmade ball jointed doll, entirely made from scratch. I have used artificial plant as the leaves, so it won’t be fragile. Also it is the most detailed doll I have ever made. I am very proud of the result! It looked so realistic as a plant that at the moment we were taking pictures, one of the trees of his back (that are attached with magnets) were accidentally lost and we took a lot of time to find it in the middle of the plants…xD I will make a video for you to see it in action!
Pictures were taken by my friend!https://www.flickr.com/photos/delirium_of_the_endless/
Email: vonborowskydolls@gmail.com
Tumblr: vonborowsky.tumblr.com/
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/vonborowsky
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/vonBorowsky
Furaffinity: www furaffinity net/user/vonborowsky/
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/41618574@N04/
Instagram www.instagram.com/vonborowsky/
Previously flew for Delta Air Lines (N105DA), ABX Air (N742AX) & West Atlantic Airlines (SE-RLC) before delivery to Astral Aviation in 2021.
Extremely happy with the outcome & also very lucky as Astral operates just one 762F so it's difficult to capture with all the delays. And the day started off with intermittent sunshine before transitioning to fine blue sky weather.
Capturing the Milky Way is a difficult task when there's a lot of light pollution. There was a stream of traffic on the road and a huge LED video wall about a half mile down the road causing the bright glow. Taking a chance after the blue hour, I ETTR (exposed to the right) this shot avoiding any blown highlights. This is the result after extensive post-processing.
Canon Glass on Sony Sensor
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Sony A7R2
TA-3 on TVC-34L
All of my images are Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved by me period. They may not be used or reproduced in any way without my explicit written permission.
Contact me if you are interested in a license or print.
with my moods being like they are last night proved to be a difficult one. Wednesday are dance nights and normally they good sometimes they can be dull other a bit frustrating. Last night was the latter . I was in bit of a girl power take no prisoner kind of mood. think I might have spent to long being the submissive bit of fluff on an arm kind of girl. That's nice and it is lets face it most of like to be treated like a woman but sometimes it can get stifling. Not that was really the case! I was just being a knob in hindsight.
Jamie was in a playing silly buggers mode normally that's a giggle but last night I wanted to learn more moves in the dancing and it just wasn't happening. In the end I sounded like a whingeing wife :-( telling the poor lad that we really need to get our act together etc. Well it sort of came together in the. You see for me If I am doing something I like to do it the best I can and it frustrates me when I can't move forward.
At the end of the lesson Sharon suggested going to the pub and that what seven of us did. Have to say that was more of a laugh and improved my mood no end. On the way home I popped into my parents to see how his car is doing and arranged to take my old man out Sunday evening to one of his gigs as his car wont be ready.
The most difficult yet rewarding kind of photography I dabble with is newborn photography. Now I’ve never been able to manage to get a baby to do ”The Pose”, I have been blessed with some very beautiful and cooperate babies. Someday I’ll get The Pose, but let me tell you, it’s probably the single-most difficult look to get in photography, outside of photographing Chuck Norris riding a unicorn attacking a dinosaur during a total eclipse, in HDR. That’s my next goal.
I photographed her parents wedding last September, and they contacted me on New Years to photograph their daughter. I love return business, especially when I know they enjoy my work.
Now on to find a unicorn for Chuck.
Shooting in b&w helps me notices shapes that I would normally ignore & being the gentle new age sensitive male that I am, I would have otherwise missed this subtle gesture, that now sits on my office wall as a reminder of how to manage difficult people that occasionally cross your path, well it's the thought that counts! 😉
I think that Purple Hairstreaks are one of Britain's most difficult butterflies to photograph. They are common and widespread enough, but spend most of their time out of reach high in Oak trees. To make matters worse, they spend most of the day just sitting around, becoming active in the evenings and early mornings. They visit flowers occasionally, but standing by a suitable flower patch is no guarantee of photographing one like it is for White-letter, Black and Brown Hairstreaks. My tip for photographing them is to find an area with some small oak saplings, and visit early morning or late evening. I prefer mornings as they seem to bask with wings open more in the mornings to warm up for flight. For the last two mornings I have visited Royd Moor reservoir near Penistone in South Yorkshire, and have managed to photograph several Purple Hairstreaks each day when they occasionally visit oak trees small enough for a close photograph. My other tip is take a long lens rather than a macro as they often perch out of reach, even when they land on small oaks. This female was taken with 420mm of lens basking in yesterday's early morning sunshine (c7am). Females have a patch of bright iridescent purple at the base of the forewing, but it only shines when you get the angle right, and alas I didn't get the angle right on this one. Males have a more extensive purple sheen across all the wings, but it is nowhere near as bright as the females. I have pasted a female showing the full iridescence (like a Cadbury's wrapper) and a male below in the comments for comparison.
All over the Arctic it is rather difficult to bury the dead and maintain cemeteries due to permafrost heaving.
In the background one can see piles of crushed rock, which is the best solution to keep the ground somewhat drained and level.
t.ly/mz86
2018 Road Trip to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT via Dempster Highway and the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway or ITH (Tuk Highway).
A lamp post to avoid and difficult to get a clear view - we headed to other side of road.
Purely by chance the reflection of one of the nearby hotels has created a face on the body.
From www.artscityliverpool.com/single-post/2019/06/14/Striking...
The vibrant 4.5 metre (15ft) multicoloured sculpture explores themes of mental health and depression.
It has been created by award-winning Egyptian-born, North Yorkshire-based artist Sam Shendi and was chosen after a call went out for submissions from artists based in the North of England.
The sculptor said: "As with all my work, my hope is that Split Decision will have an impact on the people of Liverpool, both visually and emotionally, and stir a conversation about the issues of mental health and depression.
"Importantly, I want Split Decision to give hope to those going through dark times in their lives, so they know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel."
...
The Liverpool Plinth is the brainchild of the Liverpool BID Company in association with the Parish Church and dot-art.
The new sculpture replaces last year's winner, Gold Lamé - a suspended, bright gold car by Tony Heaton, which was originally commissioned as part of Art of the Lived Experiment for DaDaFest 2014 at the Bluecoat.
From www.theguideliverpool.com/giant-new-multicoloured-sculptu...
Split Decision uses colours to express a multitude of emotions and fears that a depressed individual experiences when having to make a decision. Represented by the outstretched legs, the artist also hopes to convey the positive opportunities that sit on the horizon for those who are struggling to overcome their mental anguish.
Henry doing what he does best..
Henry is a previously abandoned 'rescue cat' pure white kitty who has had a very difficult start to his life with a very long story behind his circumstances. Henry was rescued, rehomed and adopted into the Axe household on December 27th 2024.
Henry is now completely safe in his new forever home and he doesn't need to worry about a thing anymore.
Henry was born circa 2022.
Congenital sensorineural deafness in white cats is very common however and thankfully Henry's hearing is perfect. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_sensorineural_deafness_i...
Sleeping cats www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/tags/sleepingcat
All my white cat's www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/tags/whitecat
My Henry album flic.kr/s/aHBqjBWhvS
Difficult to determine the species because ferns tend to hybridise, this is probably Dryopteris dilatata or (more likely) Dryopteris expansa. I wanted to show the fractal symmetry of this particular plant, but finding a suitable frond without a lot of other confusion proved difficult.
So this is very much a work in progress, I'll get better at this....
Dungarvan Bridge
Until 1816, Dungarvan was a difficult place to transport goods through or gain easy access and departure from. The opening of the bridge in 1816 alleviated some of these problems. Financed by William, Duke of Devonshire in 1808 at the cost of £5,000, the bridge played a significant role in the economic and social development of the town and its environs.
Before the bridge, people crossed the Colligan river by ferry. However, the 'poorer classes' together with horses and carriages crossed by a ford on the site of the present causeway, which was accessible at low tide. The first reference to building a bridge is contained in a letter by Sir John Newport to the Duke of Devonshire in October 1808 and outlines a compelling political rationale for the Duke to finance the project, "particularly to alleviate the difficulties they [the inhabitants] experience from the ferry by erecting a bridge near the river". The Duke was compelled, however, to make a decision in response to a petition brought by Mr. J.C. Beresford before the Grand Jury for a bridge to be financed by public money. The Duke announced a willingness to build a bridge at his own expense, a politically expedient decision, whereupon the Beresford proposal was defeated. At the Grand Jury meeting at which the Beresford plan was defeated "the majority saw that they would not be justified in giving away the money of the county" and this led to the bridge, as financed by the Duke of Devonshire, being endorsed and the design stage to be commenced.
William Atkinson was responsible for the design of Dungarvan square and the bridge. Two important figures, Samuel Ware and Jesse Hartley, were involved in the construction of the bridge. Ware, who designed buildings for the Dukes of Devonshire in England, came to Dungarvan in 1813 to survey the work on the bridge and was evidently employed to mitigate the overall cost of the project, and felt that Atkinson's design was too 'grand' for Dungarvan. Work on the bridge was supervised from beginning to end by Jesse Hartley, a Yorkshireman and son of a stonemason bridgemaster. The bridge is single arched and constructed of rusticated sandstone which was imported from Runcorn in Cheshire, and has massive voussoirs and scroll keystone. The stone piers have rectangular panels with cornice, over which is laid a small limestone panel and the whole form distinguished by curving sweeps on each side
La belleza es aún más difícil de explicar que la felicidad.
Simone de Beauvoir
The beauty is even more difficult to explain than happiness.
Simone de Beauvoir
Commentary.
Must be difficult to play a putt or drive a fairway on Traigh Golf Course.
On many holes this type of view might well distract.
It would me!!!
I might have to play in blinkers
and take the photographs another day-
not between golf swings.
Arisaig to Morar is blessed with nearly thirty
luxuriant white-sand beaches,
contrasting so beautifully with the green foliage, azure sea,
distant islands and indigo-grey mountains.
Shangri-la, trés bon!
Historical research reveals that diverse political rationalities have framed the political means and objectives of state frontiers and borders, just as the difficult work of making borders actual has drawn upon a great variety of technologies
The single word ”border” conceals a multiplicity and implies a constancy where genealogical investigation uncovers mutation and descent. Historical research reveals that diverse political rationalities have framed the political means and objectives of state frontiers and borders, just as the difficult work of making borders actual has drawn upon a great variety of technologies and heterogeneous administrative practices, ranging from maps of the territory, the creation of specialized border officials, and architectures of fortification to today’s experimentation with bio- digitalized forms of surveillance. This chapter argues that we are witnessing a novel development within this history of borders and border-making, what I want to call the emergence of the humanitarian border. While a great deal has been written about the militarization, securitization and fortification of borders today, there is far less consideration of the humanitarianization of borders. But if the investment of border regimes by biometric technologies rightly warrants being treated as an event within the history of the making and remaking of borders (Amoore 2006), then arguably so too does the reinvention of the border as a space of humanitarian government.
Under what conditions are we seeing the rise of humanitarian borders? The emergence of the humanitarian border goes hand in hand with the move which has made state frontiers into privileged symbolic and regulatory instruments within strategies of migration control. It is part of a much wider trend that has been dubbed the ”rebordering” of political and territorial space (Andreas and Biersteker 2003). The humanitarian border emerges once it becomes established that border crossing has become, for thousands of migrants seeking, for a variety of reasons, to access the territories of the global North, a matter of life and death. It crystallizes as a way of governing this novel and disturbing situation,and compensating for the social violence embodied in the regime of migration control.The idea of a humanitarian border might sound at first counterintuitive or even oxymoronic. After all, we often think of contemporary humanitarianism as a force that, operating in the name of the universal but endangered subject of humanity, transcends the walled space of the inter-national system. This is, of course, quite valid. Yet it would be a mistake to draw any simple equation between humanitarian projects and what Deleuze and Guattari would call logics of deterritoralization. While humanitarian programmes might unsettle certain norms of statehood, it is important to recognize the ways in which the exercise of humanitarian power is connected to the actualization of new spaces. Whether by its redefinition of certain locales as humanitarian ”zones” and crises as ”emergencies” (Calhoun 2004), the authority it confers on certain experts to move rapidly across networks of aid and intervention, or its will to designate those populating these zones as ”victims,” it seems justified to follow Debrix’s (1998) observation that humanitarianism implies reterritorialization on top of deterritorialization. Humanitarian zones can materialize in various situations – in conflict zones, amidst the relief of famine, and against the backdrop of state failure. But the case that interests me in what follows is a specific one: a situation where the actual borders of states and gateways to the territory become themselves zones of humanitarian government. Understanding the consequences of this is paramount, since it has an important bearing on what is often termed the securitization of borders and citizenship.
Foucault and Frontiers
It is probably fair to say that the theme of frontiers is largely absent from the two courses that are today read together as Foucault’s lectures on ”governmentality” (Foucault 1991; 2007; 2008). This is not to suggest that frontiers receive no mention at all. Within these lectures we certainly encounter passing remarks on the theme. For instance, Foucault speaks at one point of ”the administrative state, born in the territoriality of national boundaries in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and corresponding to a society of regulation and discipline” (Foucault 1991: 104).1 Elsewhere, he notes how the calculation and demarcation of new frontiers served as one of the practical elements of military-diplomatic technology, a machine he associates with the government of Europe in the image of a balance of power and according to the governmental logic of raison d’état. ”When the diplomats, the ambassadors who negotiated the treaty of Westphalia, received instructions from their government, they were explicitly advised to ensure that the new frontiers, the distribution of states, the new relationships to be established between the German states and the Empire, and the zones of influence of France, Sweden, and Austria be established in terms of a principle: to maintain a balance between the different European states” (Foucault 2007: 297).
But these are only hints of what significance the question of frontiers might have within the different technologies of power which Foucault sought to analyze. They are only fragmentary reflections on the place borders and frontiers might occupy within the genealogy of the modern state which Foucault outlines with his research into governmentality.2
Why was Foucault apparently not particularly interested in borders when he composed these lectures? One possible answer is suggested by Elden’s careful and important work on power-knowledge and territory. Elden takes issue with Foucault for the way in which he discusses territorial rule largely as a foil which allows him to provide a more fully-worked out account of governmentality and its administration of population. Despite the fact that the term appears prominently in the title of Foucault’s lectures, ”the issue of territory continually emerges only to be repeatedly marginalized, eclipsed, and underplayed” (Elden 2007: 1). Because Foucault fails to reckon more fully with the many ways in which the production of territory – and most crucially its demarcation by practices of frontier marking and control – serves as a precondition for the government of population, it is not surprising that the question of frontiers occupies little space in his narrative.But there is another explanation for the relative absence of questions of frontiers in Foucault’s writing on governmentality. And here we have to acknowledge that, framed as it is previously, this is a problematic question. For it risks the kind of retrospective fallacy which projects a set of very contemporary issues and concerns onto Foucault’s time. It is probably fair to speculate that frontiers and border security was not a political issue during the 1970s in the way that it is today in many western states. ”Borders” had yet to be constituted as a sort of meta-issue, capable of condensing a whole complex of political fears and concerns, including globalization, the loss of sovereignty, terrorism, trafficking and unchecked immigration. The question of the welfare state certainly was an issue, perhaps even a meta-issue, when Foucault was lecturing, and it is perhaps not coincidental that he should devote so much space to the examination of pastoralism. But not the border. The point is not to suggest that Foucault’s work evolved in close,
Humanitarian Government
Before I address the question of the humanitarian border, it is necessary to explain what I understand by the humanitarian. Here my thinking has been shaped by recent work that engages the humanitarian not as a set of ideas and ideologies, nor simply as the activity of certain nongovernmental actors and organizations, but as a complex domain possessing specific forms of governmental reason. Fassin’s work on this theme is particularly important. Fassin demonstrates that humanitarianism can be fruitfully connected to the broader field of government which Foucault outlined, where government is not a necessary attribute of states but a rationalized activity than can be carried out by all sorts of agents, in various contexts, and towards multiple ends. At its core, ”Humanitarian government can be defined as the administration of human collectivities in the name of a higher moral principle which sees the preservation of life and the alleviation of suffering as the highest value of action” (Fassin 2007: 151). As he goes on to stress, the value of such a definition is that we do not see a particular state, or a non-state form such as a nongovernmental organization, as the necessary agent of humanitarian action. Instead, it becomes possible to think in terms of a complex assemblage, comprising particular forms of humanitarian.reason, specific forms of authority (medical, legal, spiritual) but also certain technologies of government – such as mechanisms for raising funds and training volunteers, administering aid and shelter, documenting injustice, and publicizing abuse. Seen from this angle humanitarianism appears as a much more supple, protean thing. Crucially, it opens up our ability to perceive ”a broader political and moral logic at work both within and outside state forms” (ibid.).
If the humanitarian can be situated in relation to the analytics of government, it can also be contextualized in relation to the biopolitical. ”Not only did the last century see the emergence of regimes committed to the physical destruction of populations,” observes Redfield, ”but also of entities devoted to monitoring and assisting populations in maintaining their physical existence, even while protesting the necessity of such an action and the failure of anyone to do much more than this bare minimum” (2005: 329). It is this ”minimalist biopolitics,” as Redfield puts it, that will be so characteristic of the humanitarian. And here the accent should be placed on the adjective “minimalist” if we are not to commit the kind of move which I criticized above, namely collapsing everything new into existing Foucauldian categories. It is important to regard contemporary humanitarianism as a novel formation and a site of ambivalence and undecideability, and not just as one more instance of what Hardt and Negri (2000) might call global “biopolitical production.”The Birth of the Humanitarian Border
In a press release issued on June 29, 2007, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) publicized a visit which its then Director General, Brunson McKinley, was about to make to a ”reception centre for migrants” on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (IOM 2007). The Director General is quoted as saying: ”Many more boats will probably arrive on Lampedusa over the summer with their desperate human cargo and we have to ensure we can adequately respond to their immediate needs.... This is why IOM will continue to work closely with the Italian government, the Italian Red Cross, UNHCR and other partners to provide appropriate humanitarian responses to irregular migrants and asylum seekers reaching the island.”
The same press release observes that IOM’s work with its ”partners” was part of a wider effort to improve the administration of the ”reception” (the word ”detention” is conspicuously absent) and ”repatriation” of ”irregular migrants” in Italy. Reception centers were being expanded, and problems of overcrowding alleviated. The statement goes on to observe that IOM had opened its office on Lampedusa in April 2006. Since that time ”Forced returns from Lampedusa [had] stopped.”
Lampedusa is a small Italian island located some 200 km south of Sicily and 300 km to the north of Libya. Its geographical location provides a clue as to how it is that in 2004 this Italian outpost first entered the spotlight of European and even world public attention, becoming a potent signifier for anxieties about an international migration crisis (Andrijasevic 2006). For it was then that this Italian holiday destination became the main point of arrival for boats carrying migrants from Libya to Italy. That year more than 10,000 migrants are reported to have passed through the ”temporary stay and assistance centre” (CPTA) the Italian state maintains on the island. The vast majority had arrived in overcrowded, makeshift boats after a perilous sea journey lasting up to several weeks. Usually these boats
are intercepted in Italian waters by the Italian border guards and the migrants transferred to the holding center on the island. Following detention, which can last for more than a month, they are either transferred to other CPTAs in Sicily and southern Italy, or expelled to Libya.Finally, there is a point to be made about humanitarianism, power and order. Those looking to locate contemporary humanitarianism within a bigger picture would perhaps follow the lead of Hardt and Negri. As these theorists of ”Empire” see things, NGOs like Amnesty International and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) are, contrary to their own best intentions, implicated in global order. As agents of ”moral intervention” who, because they participate in the construction of emergency, ”prefigure the state of exception from below,” these actors serve as the preeminent ”frontline force of imperial intervention.” As such, Hardt and Negri see humanitarianism as ”completely immersed in the biopolitical context of the constitution of Empire” (Hardt and Negri 2000: 36).Humanitarianism, Borders, Politics
Foucauldian writing about borders has mirrored the wider field of governmentality studies in at least one respect. While it has produced some fascinating and insightful accounts of contemporary strategies and technologies of border-making and border policing, it has tended to confine its attention to official and often state-sanctioned projects. Political dynamics and political acts have certainly not been ignored. But little attention has been paid to the possibility that politics and resistance operate not just in an extrinsic relationship to contemporary regimes, but within them.12 To date this literature has largely failed to view politics as something constitutive and productive of border regimes and technologies. That is to say, there is little appreciation of the ways in which movements of opposition, and those particular kinds of resistance which Foucault calls ”counter conduct,” can operate not externally to modes of bordering but by means of ”a series of exchanges” and ”reciprocal supports” (Foucault 2007: 355).
There is a certain paradox involved when we speak of Foucault and frontiers. In certain key respects it could be said that Foucault is one of our most eminent and original theorists of bordering. For at the heart of one of his most widely read works – namely Discipline and Punish – what does one
find if not the question of power and how its modalities should be studied by focusing on practices of partitionment, segmentation, division, enclosure; practices that will underpin the ordering and policing of ever more aspects of the life of populations from the nineteenth century onwards. But while Foucault is interested in a range of practices which clearly pertain to the question of bordering understood in a somewhat general sense, one thing the reading of his lectures on security, governmentality and biopolitics reveals is that he had little to say explicitly about the specific forms of bordering associated with the government of the state. To put it differently, Foucault dealt at length with what we might call the microphysics of bordering, but much less with the place of borders considered at the level of tactics and strategies of governmentality.Recent literature has begun to address this imbalance, demonstrating that many of Foucault’s concepts are useful and important for understanding what kinds of power relations and governmental regimes are at stake in contemporary projects which are re-making state borders amidst renewed political concerns over things like terrorism and illegal immigration. However, the overarching theme of this chapter has been the need for caution when linking Foucault’s concepts to the study of borders and frontiers today. While analytics like biopolitics, discipline and neoliberalism offer all manner of insights, we need to avoid the trap which sees Foucault’s toolbox as something ready-made for any given situation. The challenge of understanding the emergent requires the development of new theoretical tools, not to mention the sharpening of older, well-used implements. With this end in mind the chapter has proposed the idea of the humanitarian border as a way of registering an event within the genealogy of the frontier, but also, although I have not developed it here, within the genealogy of citizenship.
What I have presented previously is only a very cursory overview of certain features of the humanitarianization of borders, most notably its inscription within regimes of knowledge, and its constitutive relationship to politics. In future research it would be interesting to undertake a fuller mapping of the humanitarian border in relation to certain trajectories of government. While we saw how themes of biopolitical and neoliberal government are pertinent in understanding the contemporary management of spaces like the detention center, it would seem especially relevant to consider the salience of pastoralism. Pastoral power has received far less attention within studies of governmentality than, say, discipline or liberal government (but see Dean 1999; Golder 2007; Hindess 1996; Lippert 2004). But here again, I suspect, it will be important to revise our concepts in the light of emergent practices and rationalities. For the ways in which NGOs and humanitarians engage in the governance of migrants and refugees today have changed quite significantly from the kinds of networks of care, self-examination and salvation which Foucault identified with pastoralism. For instance, and to take but one example, the pastoral care of migrants, whether in situations of sanctuary or detention, is not organized as a life-encompassing, permanent activity as it was for the church, or later, in a secular version, the welfare state. Instead, it is a temporary and ad hoc intervention. Just as Foucault’s notion of neo-liberalism was intended to register important transformations within the genealogy of liberal government, it may prove useful to think in terms of the neo-pastoral when we try to make better sense of the phenomenon of humanitarian government at/of borders, and of many other situations as well.
williamwalters.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2011-Foucau...
very difficult lighting conditions--- harsh sunshine all around, and this bird was shaded in the tree with back light
we heard way more birds than we saw
"All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small." Lao Tzu
Captured just outside our cottage in Donegal, growing wild on a lane, where these little plants, which I think are Wild Clover (please correct me if I'm wrong in the comments as I'm no horticulturalist). They were all seeds with no flowers or petals, so I'm not sure if they're at the end or the start of their growth cycle.
In all honesty I didn't see a shot here right away and just snapped three quick shots of the plant, never thinking it would end up a 'keeper' - and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it in Lightroom. Photography never ceases to surprise me like that...
Website | Project 52 | Week 46
Difficult to get an exact location for this place so I've marked it as over the bridge at Wexford. Curracloe is a few miles away along the coast.
A scene behind some of the dunes.
I've replaced the first image I posted as it has previously been uploaded and is in one of my albums. Apologies to my first two commenters, Carl and Steve for the change.
I'll be away in England for a week starting Wednesday.
Stormtroopers have a difficult life. from unending, exhausting training to hone their skills, to off world patrols, excursions and dangerous missions full of peril. And then there's the Emperor.
As Stormtrooper Bruce sits in his quarters enjoying his burger, he is suddenly aware just how much his friends mean to him. They have always been there for him, helping him get through the hard times and making the good times even better. Showing up for Movie Night when they could spend their weekends anywhere. Knowing when they step out the door some or possibly all of them may never return.
In spite of all their flaws, quirks and sometimes brutal honesty he loves these guys. It's friends like these who make it all worth while. That, and some burgers and brewskies on movie night.
as seen from my kayak'
-- difficult to take pictures while a security boat is checking my every moves --
So, this was the destination of the day.
Sauntering around the waters edge on a beautiful, warm spring day, I was trying not to be annoyed that the light was pretty harsh, making things even more difficult for me than usual these days.
This is also where I enjoyed my first ever taste of Welsh Rarebit at the Bluebird Cafe.
The portion was huge and I'm happy to report I scoffed the lot!