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Ukrainians!
Strong people of the indomitable country!
Another day of our defense has passed. Another day of many that are gradually, with difficulties, but steadily bringing us closer to peace. To peace that no one will give us a gift. We need to understand it clearly. Because there are no subjects in the world that can stop wars and give peace.
The global security architecture has failed. Peace for us will not be the result of any decisions of the enemy somewhere in Moscow as well. We should not cherish empty hopes that they will simply leave our land. We can only gain peace. We can gain it in hard battles and in parallel - in negotiations, and in parallel - in daily vigorous work.
Therefore, each of us must continue to do everything we can. In all directions. To support our Armed Forces. To preserve and develop economic activity in Ukraine - as much as possible now.
To support all our citizens... Wherever they are, whoever they are.
In peacetime warm words sustained the vital forces. And in wartime it is even more important. When we may not even know what a person is going through. What a loss. What help a person needs. But we can see that a person needs help. We need to support this person. We should at least hear this person. Say a few kind words. Something needs to be done to support the life of this person. This must be done. You should be attentive to everyone around you!
When people defend themselves in a war of annihilation, when there is a question of the lives or deaths of millions, there are no unimportant things. There are no unimportant moments. Everything matters. And everyone can contribute to the victory of all. Someone with a weapon in their hands. Someone - at work. And someone - with a warm word and help at the right time.
So do everything you can for us to withstand together in this war for our freedom, for our independence. For Ukraine to live.
Due to such sincere and constant support of each other, due to unity and attention to the neighbor, the people can overcome the most difficult challenges. And drive out the enemy, which is many times bigger in numbers.
Our defenders continue to regain control over communities in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. There are more and more Ukrainian national flags in the areas that have been temporarily occupied.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not release the invaders without a fight. Inflict fire damage. They are destroying everyone we can reach.
We are strengthening our defenses in the eastern direction and in Donbas. We are aware that the enemy has reserves to increase pressure in the east.
What is the goal of Russian troops? They want to capture both Donbas and the south of Ukraine. What is our goal? Protect us, our freedom, our land and our people.
Do everything for protection.
Our heroic Mariupol continues to hold back a significant part of the enemy forces. Thanks to this resistance, thanks to the courage and resilience of our other cities, Ukraine has gained invaluable time. The time that allows us to undermine the enemy's tactics and weaken their capabilities.
Unfortunately, Ukraine has not yet received enough modern Western anti-missile systems. Has not received aircraft. Hasn’t received what the partners could provide. Could - and still can!
Every Russian missile that hit our cities and every bomb dropped on our people, on our children only adds black paint to the history that will describe everyone on whom the decision depended. Decision whether to help Ukraine with modern weapons.
I would like to thank the residents of our Enerhodar separately. Those brave Ukrainians who went to a rally today to defend their city. To protect our state.
In response, the occupiers opened fire and used grenades against completely peaceful people, which are on their land, within their law. There will be an answer for each wounded person. And the Ukrainian character cannot be conquered by any pressure or violence.
I am grateful to everyone who takes to the streets in the temporarily occupied cities. To all who are not afraid and go out. I am grateful to all who are afraid and come out. To all those who feel that without this decision to defend Ukraine and their freedom, the occupiers can gain a foothold.
And when people protest - and the more people protest - the harder it is for the occupiers to destroy us, to destroy our freedom. This is our common struggle! And it will be our common victory.
I would also like to say a few words to those politicians, some deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine who absolutely do not understand what is happening in the hearts of our people. They don't understand it so much that they even decided to change the national anthem. I have a question for these people: what have you done in your life to give you the moral right to change the words of the anthem? Are you outstanding poets? Maybe you excelled in the battles for Ukraine? Or now is such a time that you can change the anthem whenever you want?
Cool down emotions. Stop pretending to be fools. I believe that the authors of these and other similar bills, proposals, should take up arms and go to the battlefield, if you have these opportunities. Only there will you understand something.
And even if they accidentally vote for something like this, I still will not sign such bills. Don't waste time.
I want to turn to another person who does not seem to fully understand what is happening. Not only in Ukraine, but throughout Europe. To the Prime Minister of Hungary. He is virtually the only one in Europe to openly support Mr. Putin.
We did not ask for anything special from official Budapest. We didn't even get what everyone else is doing! Doing for the sake of peace. We did not receive the vital transit of defense aid, we did not see moral leadership.
We saw no effort to stop the war! Why so?
The whole of Europe wants peace. The whole of Europe does not want the battlefield to be moved from Mariupol to Budapest or from Kharkiv to Krakow or from Chernihiv to Vilnius.
The whole of Europe is trying to stop the war, to restore peace. Then why is official Budapest opposed to the whole of Europe, to all civilized countries? For what?
The main thing for us is the opinion of the people. The Ukrainian people support the Hungarian people. The Hungarian people support the Ukrainian people. We value peace equally, we value freedom equally. It will always be so. We will always live in good neighborliness. And I am convinced that our minorities should be the bridges that unite us even more.
Politicians come and go. And the truth remains. That's what I'm talking about - the truth. And I always say what I think. When I am speaking of Hungary, I mean Hungary. And I don't need to mask my thoughts. If we need to speak of Germany, we are speaking of Germany. If I need to speak of another country, I'm speaking of another country.
If it's a war, then I call it a war, not a "special operation." If this is a threat to the whole of Europe, then I call it a threat to the whole of Europe.
This is called the honesty that Mr. Orban lacks. He may have lost it somewhere in his contacts with Moscow.
I spoke today with the President of Colombia. I am very grateful to him for his support and solidarity with Ukraine. The list of countries that honestly say that freedom matters and the war must stop is expanding.
I also spoke with British Prime Minister Johnson. A meaningful, pleasant conversation. We agreed on new defensive support for Ukraine. New package. Very, very tangible support. We also agree on the strengthening of sanctions against Russia. Extremely tangible. Agreed on joint steps to achieve peace. Thank you Boris for the leadership! Historical leadership. I'm sure of it.
In the afternoon I held a large meeting with the economic bloc of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Office of the President. The economic frontline is another direction of our struggle for our state, for our people.
We discussed in great detail the situation with sowing, with the supply of food to Ukrainians, with the supply of fuel, the situation in the energy sector, the situation with the main sectors of the state.
The Minister of Finance reported on the state of implementation of the state budget, details of negotiations with partners on financial support for Ukraine.
In wartime, economic relations must remain one hundred percent managed, no matter how difficult it may be for all of us. Because it's about perspective. About the perspective of life for more than 40 million Ukrainians, about what our tomorrow will be like. The participants of the meeting received clear tasks.
And finally. Already traditional.
I signed a decree on state awards to our heroes - the heroes of our state. 131 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, nine of them - posthumously.
Eternal glory to them all!
Eternal glory to all who gave their lives for Ukraine!
Eternal glory to all our defenders!
Glory to Ukraine!
This is view of North Vancouver, with some difficulties :-) . I'm just being cheeky and playing with f-stop.
I Can’t see for miles ... ca.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYgdYc0Ie4
So the next time you have difficulty determining whether a canine print is a wolf or a dog, to make matters worse, look how the black wolf's paw is splayed when it's active. In this case, I believe this was either a minor squabble over the boon (bull elk kill) or just high spirits with stomachs full. It didn't last long and in a moment they took off together to try to snatch a raven or two out of the air.
As an aside, the white wolf with the black spot on her tail, facing the camera, is the alpha female of the Wapiti Lake pack, Yellowstone National Park. Photo taken a little less than a week ago in -18° F weather.
This is a major crop, taken from a distance such that the wolves were not disturbed by the presence of photographers. There was no indication that if they even noticed us if they cared at all. They knew full well we weren't going to come take the elk away from them.
© Brian Callahan 2010 All rights reserved.
These clouds and the difficulty of parts of the hike in, had Margaret a bit apprehensive about us getting rained on and having the terrain get slippery. As it turned out, buy the time we got back to the car, it had passed over and was clear for our trip back south to Mexican Hat.
Corona Arch is one of the more spectacular arches in the Moab Area. The arch is large enough that a local pilot has flown his private plane through the arch. This 3 mile round trip hike leads you through beautiful slickrock country with views of the Colorado River. The hike ends at the base of two magnificent arches: Bowtie and Corona. Corona Arch has an opening of 140 ft by 105 ft.
The Arch, along with its companion "Bowtie Arch" is reached by a 3 mile (round trip) hike and climb off Utah Scenic Byway 279 (Also called "Potash Road"), off U.S Hwy. 191 north of Moab. The hike includes a climb up a wire rope with steps cut into a rock cliff and a ladder that finally gets you up to a slickrock bench that leads you around to the base of the arch. Well worth the effort. You will pass a register tablet on your way in just before your cross a railroad track. Please register when you leave and make whatever comment you have about the place.
The difficulties you meet will resolve themselves as you advance. Proceed, and light will dawn, and shine with increasing clearness on your path.
Jim Rohn
Thank you all so much for the very generous comments on my last post...I really appreciated your words ...
Difficulties Reveal Hardy Holiness
Matthew 4:1–11; 1 Corinthians 10:12–13; Hebrews 12:11
True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hothouse plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong hardy thing which can flourish in every relation of life.
Elliot Ritzema and Elizabeth Vince, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
I don't usually post pics of myself but it's Christmas Eve tomorrow and I'm done working till New Year! Seems like the perfect excuse to wear a celebratory stuffed turkey on my head. (Not that I even needed an excuse really.) Bummer is, I fell last night and it seems I have a hairline fracture in my right elbow and can hardly move it so sadly I won't be able to take photos nor post any, nor will I be able to comment or reply to comments, so this is your "we are experiencing technical difficulties" picture while I'm somewhat out of commission :-( But I wish all of you the most wonderful Christmas - or however you might choose to call the holidays - and thank you dearly for another year of your amazing inspiration and generous support.
Hugs, Tinsel and Quality Street, Katrina x
(Oh how strange, I see this photo is somehow from the future - it has a date of Jan. 15, 2018! Who knew photos could come from the future? Not sure how that happened when it was actually taken at our company Christmas Party last weekend. Parallel universe?)
THE DIFFICULTY OF SHARING THE SAME TOOTHBRUSH / FINAL / CHRISTELLE GEISER & AEON VON ZARK / NAKED EYE PROJECT BIENNE / ALTERED STATE SERIE / THE WEIRD DREAM .
In the early 1800's, many thoughtful Americans believed that isolation and the difficulties of communication would force the Mississippi Valley settlements to form a separate nation. Hoping to hold the frontier, Congress, in 1800, established a post route from Nashville (TN) to Natchez (MS). The Trace, then a series of Indian Trails, had drawn from the Secretary of State the bitter comment, "The passage of mail from Natchez is as tedious as from Europe when westerly winds prevail." To speed the mail, President Jefferson ordered the army to clear out the trail and make it a road. Postriders, carrying letters, dispatches, and newspaper helped bind the vast turbulent frontier to the republic. However, their day passed by the mid-1830's when steamboats, running from New Orleans to Pittsburg, robbed the Trace of its usefulness as a main post route.
The markers shown above read:
This early interstate road building venture produced a snake-infested, mosquito-beset, robber-haunted, Indian-traveled forest path. Lamented by the pious, cussed by the impious, it tried everyone’s strength and patience.
When the trail became so water logged that wagons could not be pulled through, travelers cut new paths through the nearby woods.
Here you see three cuts made to avoid mud into which oxcarts and wagons sank, making progress slow, dangerous, or even impossible.
Preserved here is a portion of the deeply eroded or “sunken” Old Trace. Hardships of journeying on the Old Trace included heat, mosquitoes, poor food, hard beds (if any), disease, swollen rivers, and sucking swamps.
Take 5 minutes to walk this sunken trail and let your imagination carry you back to the early 1800's when people walking 500 miles had to put up with these discomforts and where a broken leg or arm could spell death for the lone traveler.
Both of the markers above were placed by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6 including the combination of all 3 photos into one image seen above.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
I am truly delighted to be a transvestite despite some of the difficulties and angst that inevitably come with being a man that enjoys spending time as a woman. I do think it an amazing experience to enjoy time as the opposite gender, it holds great appeal for me and I always enjoy myself.
I do love the commitment and physical preparation one has to engage with to try and look female and I really enjoy getting into the persona and acting the part. It is illusionary, a form of impersonation and performance yet part of me feels so right presenting as a woman. I often joke that despite being a boy I was born to wear a dress; there is I feel a girl within me I like to set free now and again.
I increasingly I find my ambitions as a transvestite growing within me though I rarely get an opportunity to try and fulfil them. Such is the reality of life and ensuring I remain grounded and maintain my commitment to my wife, family and work and not get too carried away with my passionate desire to spend time as a woman.
This is a self portrait I took a few years ago during one of my cross-dressing sessions and seeing it again today has rather filled with me with joy and comfort and a fair degree of excitement simply recalling how thrilled I was to dress up and pose in female clothing and make-up. I do genuinely love to call myself a transvestite as it is such a taboo in our society yet as a man it is a true thrill and adventure to go through with it. I also want to do it on a deeper level a well as I would have liked to have been a girl though I now realise not strongly enough to go for a full transition. I enjoy the whole illusion as well as the emotional need. I am aware many who cross-dress despise the word but it is a word that saved me as a teenager and gave me hope and a sense of not being alone. I embraced it and knowing I am one fills me with happiness.
I do feel it is the rarity of my cross-dressing that provides such a big rewarding experience when I do go through with it. I thrive on the anticipation and the euphoria afterwards can last for months. This rare high is one that is well worth waiting for. It is great to walk around with shaved legs, skirt, have breasts and be wearing make-up and a wig, even the dressing up side is appealing. It is a cocktail of various elements that makes transvestism such a delightful and truly exhilarating experience. I love it!
Location: Coruscant Underworld, Night Life District
Objective: Delivery of supplies.
Difficulty: Well, it should have been easy.
—LOG ENTRY—
After dodging Admiral Jud’s hunters, I escaped the cold atmosphere of Orto Plutonia and headed to meet my old friend Jahk Duran. I guess after our split he found a group called The Survivors to take refuge with. He told me of their fearless leader Zach, as well as their missions on Tatooine and Zeffo. More recently though has been the outbreak of riots all throughout Coruscant. Since they’ve started to die down he’s been tasked with bringing in supplies and rebuilding the city. I’ve gotta say being away from the action has gotten to me; I miss it, but I’m glad to get back to it.
Entering the Coruscant sky gave me a real idea of what we were up against. Scattered spots of destruction and fire as far as I could see. Im not sure what the riots didn’t touch. I was given coordinates to Coruscant’s Fine Arts District, which is located next to the Night Life district. Cant land there because to my understanding the place is crawling with Imps which makes it a real hot zone. Soon after touching ground in the arts district I met up with Jehk, I felt overwhelmed after not seeing him for so long. We talked shortly on whats been keeping us busy and the such, but with short time we had to get situated with The Survivors and make it over to the Night Life District to start moving supplies.
—END LOG—
“Cray get a move on brother we got quite the walk ahead of us, we have to meet up with group leader.”
“Whats exactly our plan here Jehk?”
“We need to rebuild this city in the end and get rid of the remaining Imperial scum that crawls the underworld. There shouldnt be too many Imps left but watch yourself. Plus you were telling me about that Admiral Jud and his plot to defeat you. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of his men. Just stay on your toes, watch for anything out of the ordinary, and stick with the group... if you do that you’ll be fine.”
The two men made there way into a large hub, there meeting Jehk’s group leader Clern Ido. (Pronounced: Slern I-Dough)
“I take it you’re the Cray I’ve been hearing rumors about?”
“Yes sir, that would be me, at your command!”
“Well rest easy, we are pretty easy going around here, but when its time to get the jobs done we do it! And thats what will happen concerning these supplies.”
Clern turns to address the group.
“Hey!! We will be moving in small groups. Taking a few crates each to 6 locations. My group will be Jehk and our new blood Cray Schaf, need to see what this mans made of. As for the rest of you keep your same groups as we had for controlling the riots. Watch your back for Imperial Scouts or just some lowlife thugs looking to ruin your day. You have valuable items here. A lot of people want this stuff but we have a job to do... so lets get to it. Each of your crates should already have the destinations locked in, all you gotta do is escort it.”
The group scurries to get their cargo and move out. In the midst of the chaos Cray finds himself looking up into the vast city planet of Coruscant. There spotting an old Imperial astro mech droid moving across a walkway... Cray lets Jehk know but he assures him there aren’t any Imps in the immediate area.
Cray moves over to the crates and checks the destinations. Theres a nightclub by the name “Clúb Ice” located in the heart of the Nightlife District.
“Lucky us”
He turns on the hover mode and punches the destination into the AGS. Now? Well all they gotta do now is make sure the supplies get there. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?
“Its awfully quite around here” Jehks uneasy voice is sure a cause for concern. For having riots not to long ago the roads are extremely calm. Only the occasional bit of rubble or dumpster fire. Moving deeper into the heart of the district the men started spotting people on binoculars looking down at their convoy, talking through communication holograms or to each other about the goods the men were traveling with.
After a cautious stroll they make it to the club, typing in the codes to drop the crates and then getting an update through high command that the people picking up the supplies were running a tad late and now they are going to have to sit with the supplies until they arrived.
“Well thats just great!” Exclaims Clern. Clearly not his first time dealing with this type of situation. The men take watch. Each glaring a different direction... it’s almost nothing for 20 minutes. The men are starting to become uneasy.
“Can anyone hear that” Clern asks. The sound of metal clanking sends shivers down the spines of both Cray and Jehk.
“Well whatever it is its getting closer, who’s picking up these supplies anyways??” Cray questions as he holds his gun in the direction of the metal clanking.
“Ha, you act like we are supposed to know, they just gave us this mission, with the location. They don’t tell us anything else.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me” Cray is in disbelief, but theirs no time to sit and ponder, whatever is making noise is right around the corner. He gets ready.
What rounds the corner stuns all the men.
“An Imp Medical droid? I haven’t seen one of those in ages!” Cray sets his weapon down. He asks the droid what its doing here.
“Just going for a walk”
And no later as it says that a scout trooper and Imperial Bounty hunter make their way out of the Nightclub’s balcony accompanied by the astro mech droid Cray saw earlier. He takes out his staff and makes quick work of the medical droid while Clern and Jehk take care of the enemies on the roof. With one of Jehks shots sending the astromech’s head flying.
With the supplies still secured the men end up waiting another 2 hours before anyone arrives. It was a quick and quiet transaction. Tired from the day and ready to head back the men make their way to get some rest because this is just one of 5 supply running missions. And they can be sure to see many more foes along the way.
I am definitely having some difficulty getting over myself right now, because omg I MADE this. With CROCHETING. for which I read a CROCHET CHART.
Dude.
(Project and photo inspiration totally ganked from Lauren.)
We had little difficulty to find time for each other but when Alice come to the shoot she had those wonderful hair blue and purple i was very excited to work on , wonder if i could keep the magic and the light , I had so much fun working on her portrait , so much out of my comfort zone . so light tan and special subtitle and strong makeup. si i did push on the softness feeling I had.
if you dont know she is, model, wonderful photographer her self, designer doing those special flowers accessory you see around , events maker, fashion blogger , she publish also Inovar magazine and I am sure I forget things =)
I have great difficulty composing images for Iron Photographer challenges. Take, for example, the elements of challenge 205:
1 - three similar things
2 - a thing not like the others
3 - shot from ground/floor level
The framing of the challenge has me fixated on things: Thing 1 and Thing 2 (from Dr. Seuss), Thing from the Addams family, Ben Grimm (Thing from the Fantastic Four) and so on. I usually start by looking for the elements in my environment.
Second attempt
Here I reinterpret the first image and crop out the traffic control cones. Emphasizing the three houses and the person running towards them made it better but the image is now undermined by the traffic control elements that initially drew my interest. Not to mention those pesky power lines.
April 23, 2015 on our trip to the blipmeet at Wanaka, Central Otago in New Zealand. www.polaroidblipfoto.com/browse/me
Our first morning in Cromwell. We woke to heavy fog which took a while to lift. We have arrived at Mt Difficulty Estate Winery so John can do some tasting.
The unique microclimate of the Bannockburn area is partially created by the presence of Mount Difficulty which overlooks the southern Cromwell basin, and is the namesake of Mt Difficulty Wines. Mount Difficulty is integral in providing low rainfall and humidity for the region. Bannockburn enjoys hot summers, a large diurnal temperature variation and long cool autumns; conditions which bring the best out of the Pinot Noir grapes. These conditions, along with soils which are ideal for viticulture, provide an excellent basis not only for Pinot Noir, but also for Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay. The soils are a mix of clay and gravels, but all feature a high pH level; grapes produce their best wines on sweet soils.
For More Info and photos: www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/aboutus/ourstory.html
I captured the two photographs that make up this Vertorama... with extreme difficulty!
Although the south-easterly wind was blowing quite strong on Friday afternoon, fortunately Cosy Bay was protected by the mountains and was quite calm. After spending a couple of hours watching the kids splashing around in the water, Jenny and I decided to drive to Hout Bay to grab a bite to eat in one of the local restaurants. The road to Hout Bay follows the coastline and offers a number of quite spectacular views... so I was really hoping to capture one or two more shots along the way. While driving along this road, we came around a corner and out of the lee of the mountain... and suddenly we felt the full force of the howling gale!!
Having lived in Cape Town for most of my life, I know how strong the wind can sometimes blow here. But this was unprecedented... the wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to get out of the car without the door ripping off and blowing away! I held on to the door with both hands and carefully squeezed myself out. Then I staggered over to the edge of the parking area and held the camera up to my face to get some shots of the wild ocean... but no matter how hard I tried... I just couldn't keep the camera (and myself) still enough to get anything sharp. Shooting from a tripod was out of the question (even a heavy camera bag hanging underneath it wouldn't have held it down), so I hunched myself behind the low barrier wall, set the aperture to f8 (for a fast shutter speed)... and hoped for the best.
Although I decided to include the trig-beacon in the lower right-hand corner of the frame to add a sense of scale... I'm afraid that this shot doesn't come close to capturing the moment as I experienced it!!
I've been quite busy these past few days with a million-and-one things, so unfortunately I haven't had much time for Flickr. However, I promise that I will catch up with all your latest photographs as soon as I have a few moments.
Nikon D300, Sigma 18-200mm at 44mm, aperture of f8, with a 1/640th second exposure.
Click here to view this one large.
Click here to check out my Vertorama tutorial.
"There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer.
No disease that enough love will not heal.
No door that enough love will not open.
No wall that enough love will not bring down ...
No matter how deeply embedded it is the problem,
nor hopeless it seems.
No matter how tangled the web that is,
nor is the huge error.
understanding of love, dissolve it all.
Bibiana Aysha
"No hay dificultad que suficiente amor no venza.
No hay enfermedad que suficiente amor no cure.
No hay puerta que suficiente amor no abra.
No hay muro que suficiente amor no derribe...
No importa lo profundamente asentado que esté el problema,
ni lo desesperanzador que parezca.
No importa lo enredada que esté la maraña,
ni lo enorme que sea el error.
la comprensión del amor, lo disolverá todo.
Knowing firsthand the difficulty that lesser known artists have in finding a venue to display their work, Marion reopened the Little Gallery to visiting artists after her husband’s death. Today the DeGrazia Foundation continues this legacy during the winter months. We are happy to announce our 2017/2018 Little Gallery application is now online until February 28th! All applications must be filled out and submitted to the gallery by March 31st. Good luck! Please click on the link for more information degrazia.org/exhibitions/little-gallery/.
Taken in Cairo - Egypt and ........yes ....with some difficulties!
Eyes contact series
Large go here: manginiphotography.zenfolio.com/p290464422/ha5500df#ha5500df
Difficulty 10/10.
The wasps are constantly moving, never rest. The only moment to catch him this close is when he is a bit "drunk" because of the flower juices, so he moves a little bit slower than usually.
What a mess Flickr was the night before last! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr next morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared. I also discovered that all the hundreds of photos from this trip that I added to the map are no longer on the map!!! Someone on the Help Forum told someone else to refresh a page and the map will appear again - and it works. Now, I can't add photos to albums - it looks like they are added, but when I check the album, some of yesterda's photos had not appeared. Suddenly, now appeared. Also, my descriptions appeared in duplicate! Today, 13 May 2019, everything I try to do on Flickr takes a long time to do.
My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) Today I added 22 photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon, the Valley Nature Centre. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds, though in very poor light. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nesting "gourds".
On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. This stretch is called Hawk Alley.
We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a huge, deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!
Tomorrow, I will be able to start sorting and editing images taken on Day 7 of our 13-day trip!
One of the joys and challenges of being prophetic, is that we carry a dream of what we see God doing in the future.
In the meantime, we find ourselves in a gap. Today, we’re faced with trials and difficulties (James 1:2-4).
Hear God saying, ‘I am healing your perspective concerning where you are right now. And I am giving you courage to dream again!’
Connecting the Dots: Your Father Sees the Completed Picture
When you have a prophetic perspective, you not only believe what God says about your future—you can also trust Him in your present.
The prophetic journey is like ‘connect the dots’ activities that are found in children’s books.
The person who designed them has left clues to follow—dots that must be joined with a pen
When every dot has been connected, the full picture appears
You may relate to this right now, as you find yourself in transition in some area of your life. You are in a ‘dot moment’.
You have left something behind, and have no idea how to reach what lies ahead. There are prophecies and dreams that have not yet been fulfilled.
In the here and now, you can trust your Heavenly Father.
God has seen the beginning and the end. Your heart is towards Him. And He declares,‘It is good. You are good!’
God Looks at Your Life and Says, ‘It is Good!’
‘…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ (Phil 1:6 NIV)
According to the Bible, your life is a work in progress, and that’s okay! No matter where you are, know that your Father is carrying His good work on in you until completion.
Incomplete, but Good!
During times of uncertainty and change, it is tempting to become discouraged and say,‘This is not good!’
But your Father is seeing from a different perspective.
When God created the earth, the Bible tells us several times, ‘he saw it was good’. (Gen 1:4, 9, 12)
He saw good, while His creation was still in process. Before there was the earth, before there was the sky; before there was any plant or animal life, before humanity existed.
God’s work was incomplete, and yet He saw that what He had created was good.
Today, know God’s favor is towards you! Receive the courage to declare, ‘God’s work in me is good!’
Be Comforted: God is at Work in Others
Not only are you personally in a process, but those your life touches are also a work in progress.
Sometimes our hearts grieve, because there is a gap between where others are now, and the destiny we know God has for them.
Today, you may have a son or daughter, grandchild, or other close friend or family member you are concerned about.
You may be seeking change in a person or group you are ministering to, or praying for
Hear your Father saying, ‘Let your heart be at rest. I am carrying on a good work. Pray without fear and worry.’
When Jacob Encountered God
One day, Rebekah urged her son Jacob to flee from their household, because his brother Esau wanted to kill him. (See Gen 25-28)
She was distressed and feared for both her sons’ lives.
But on that very day, one that Jacob later called, ‘the day of my distress’ (Gen 35:3), Rebekah’s son dreamed of an open heaven above him.
In that place of pain, Jacob had a revelation of the goodness and favor of God. And he named that place Bethel, which means ‘House of God’ (Gen 28:17-19).
It was a ‘dot moment’ in the plan of God. He had more up ahead. Jacob’s life and relationship with God was still a work in progress.
Your Father sees not only this middle—this dot moment—but also what is to come. And He declares, ‘It is good!’
Today, let go of your worries about those you love, and those you are praying for. God is healing your perspective.
In this place of ‘the dot’—where you cannot see how God will fulfil your dreams from Him for you and others—you are in a place of Divine appointment.
Here and now, encounter the God Who loves you.
www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2018/05/31/healing-prophet...
Helen Calder
-------------------
Photo credits to my wife :-)
To make converts, we are tempted to play down the difficulties and play up the peace of mind and worldly success enjoyed by those who accept Christ. We will never be completely honest with our hearers until we tell them the blunt truth that, as members of a race of moral rebels, they are in a serious jam, and one they will not get out of easily. If they refuse to repent and believe on Christ, they will most surely perish. If they do turn to Him, the same enemies that crucified Him will try to crucify them. (A W Tozer)
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These are the baseboards from upstairs, which are laying downstairs in the living room waiting to be put back where they belong. Unfortunately, my house repairs (from the ice dam water damage that happened right before Christmas) have turned into an utter nightmare. From an insurance perspective, neither the Association insurance nor my personal homeowner insurance wants to pay for anything and until somebody does, the repairs are on hold. I'm trying to remain optimistic but my patience is waning. I'm afraid this may turn into a legal battle, which I really don't want to deal with.
Just thought I would provide an update since so many of you have sent me notes with well wishes and inquiries as to how things are coming. I really do appreciate your kindness. :-)
© All rights reserved.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone who celebrates this special day today!
What a mess Flickr was last night! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr this morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared. I have also just discovered that all the hundreds of photos from this trip that I added to the map are no longer on the map!!! Someone on the Help Forum told someone else to refresh a page and the map will appear again - and it works. Now, I can't add photos to albums - it looks like they are added, but when I check the album, some of today's photos have not appeared. Suddenly, now appeared. Also, my descriptions have just appeared in duplicate! Think I will get off Flickr and see if it is back to "normal" later.
My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) After that, I have just a few photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nest "gourds".
On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. This stretch is called Hawk Alley.
We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a huge, deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!
nationalbutterflycenter.org/nbc-multi-media/in-the-news/1...
"Ten years ago, the North American Butterfly Association broke ground for what has now become the largest native plant botanical garden in the United States. This 100-acre preserve is home to Spike (who thinks he is a butterfly) and the greatest volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies in the nation. In fact, USA Today calls the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, 'the butterfly capitol of the USA'." From the Butterfly Centre's website.
The Centre is facing huge challenges, as a result of the "Border Wall". The following information is from the Centre's website.
www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/about-nbc/maps-directions...
"No permission was requested to enter the property or begin cutting down trees. The center was not notified of any roadwork, nor given the opportunity to review, negotiate or deny the workplan. Same goes for the core sampling of soils on the property, and the surveying and staking of a “clear zone” that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds. The federal government had decided it will do as it pleases with our property, swiftly and secretly, in spite of our property rights and right to due process under the law."
"What the Border Wall will do here:
1) Eradicate an enormous amount of native habitat, including host plants for butterflies, breeding and feeding areas for wildlife, and lands set aside for conservation of endangered and threatened species-- including avian species that migrate N/S through this area or over-winter, here, in the tip of the Central US Flyway.
2) Create devastating flooding to all property up to 2 miles behind the wall, on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River, here.
3) Reduce viable range land for wildlife foraging and mating. This will result in greater competition for resources and a smaller gene pool for healthy species reproduction. Genetic "bottlenecks" can exacerbate blight and disease.
IN ADDITION:
4) Not all birds can fly over the wall, nor will all butterfly species. For example, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, found on the southern border from Texas to Arizona, only flies about 6 ft in the air. It cannot overcome a 30 ft vertical wall of concrete and steel.
5) Nocturnal and crepuscular wildlife, which rely on sunset and sunrise cues to regulate vital activity, will be negatively affected by night time flood lighting of the "control zone" the DHS CBP will establish along the wall and new secondary drag roads. The expansion of these areas to vehicular traffic will increase wildlife roadkill.
6) Animals trapped north of the wall will face similar competition for resources, cut off from native habitat in the conservation corridor and from water in the Rio Grande River and adjacent resacas. HUMANS, here, will also be cut off from our only source of fresh water, in this irrigated desert.
I had some difficulty ID'ing this shorebird although I've seen plenty. Just not in Oklahoma. I thought of the sandpipers I see around here during migration and this one just didn't fit. Then it hit me-- this is a Willet. Our beautiful world, pass it on.
unstable : (Adj) 1. not firmly fixed and likely to wobble or fall
2. likely to change suddenly and create difficulties or danger
3. (of a person) having abrupt changes of mood or behaviour
No this isn't a photoshop trick, and (#$^%&) my foot hurts from standing like this. Consider that my rant for the day.
(unless you have prior proof I've already ranted. In that case...Shhhhhh.)
I have been tagged yet again for 16 things, so anyone who isn’t intrigued by useless babble might find it pertinent to move along now…………
Once I started it all just flowed out...therapeutically perhaps?
No obligation to read whatsoever. It's just there.
Consider yourself warned. :)
I will never do it again.
Goodnight.
****************
1. I am an avid bookworm. I am currently reading 3 books at the same time. I don’t know how I separate them in my head, but it’s not nearly as hard as you would imagine.
2. I despise my 365 because I feel that 99% of the time I rush through it and post absolute rubbish simply to achieve the “one-a-day” rule. I have literally only posted a handful of pictures (handful being 5-8) that I am actually proud of. The rest of them, I could really care less about and would disown them if my name wasn’t so blatantly attached to them.
3. I am ridiculously self-conscious. It actually makes me uncomfortable when people tell me I’m beautiful because my initial response is to believe that they are lying to me. I never have, and never will, truly think that I am pretty. I am and always will, however, be content being who I am.
4. I am perfectly satisfied being unsocial and alone. (a byproduct of my self consciousness?) I would take a good book, a cup of coffee and a blanket over a night out on the town any day. I like myself, and I prefer company I trust.
5. One of my biggest irritations is when people underestimate me for my age or appearance. I can change a tire in less than ten minutes and I can drink a full grown man under the table. I am a customer service manager of an entire office and I can play Mozart’s ‘Rhondo Alla Turca’ from beginning to end without looking at sheet music. Neither my face nor age defines any of these things, the rest of my character withstanding.
6. I want to be a mother more than anything in this entire world, and I am not the least bit frightened or apprehensive about it. I just simply feel that my life is incomplete, and it always will until my husband and I have a family that is solely ours.
7. I cannot tolerate immaturity or mistrust. I very recently had an incident that involved being backstabbed and slandered, and consequently lied to. I have firmly resolved to disown these people in the highest level comfortable based upon our relationships. I am a forgiving person, but I refuse to allow myself to be a victim. I also have no desire to be associated with people who constantly make themselves the victim.
8. If I could go back in time, I would do everything differently. I know it isn’t traditionally inspiring for someone to say that, but in my case, I regrettably blundered through a good 3 years of my life in a way that I am forever scarred for how I harmed myself and damaged others.
I would unhesitatingly accept a chance to try it all again.
9. I have numerous acquaintances whom I know well and who know me half as well. The amount of people in this world that I sincerely call friends is only three. (my sister, my husband, and one friend.) It is not that I do not have frequent opportunities to enter into friendships, but I rarely trust people enough to open up to them, nor do I wish to waste my time trying only to be sorely disappointed.
10. I adjust myself based upon the company I keep and the situation I am in. Likewise, I rarely utilize my full vocabulary on Flickr. It is not that I believe anyone is improperly educated and would be confused. It is because when I am on Flickr I am just simply me and there is no reason to appear to be pretentiously showing off by tossing out five-syllable words unnecessarily. I also rarely reveal anything in my facts. Today I am.
11. I spent many years despising my childhood and using it as a scapegoat for the things I had done detrimentally wrong. Now, as I’ve finally matured I realize that any and all somewhat traumatizing instances from my childhood did not in any way disrupt my development but rather strengthened and prepared me to become the person I am today. For which I am thankful.
12. I hate change. It throws me into a chaotic state of discomfort when I am compelled to attempt things that are unfamiliar or unknown to me. For as long as I can consciously remember, I have had anxiety issues when I feel out of place or exposed. Therefore, I often force myself into such situations in attempt to widen my comfort bubble…..I have been doing it for years.
13. I am violently opposed to dependency. I am of the firm opinion that after a certain point in your life you need to learn to rely upon yourself alone to handle your existence, finances, and emotions. I am not referring to the desire to have someone in your life (obviously). I am more specifically determined that one should not ‘need’ anyone else to survive in the world.
14. I abhor my own contradictions. As much as I hate dependency, I am admittedly a mess without caffeine or nicotine. I vow to rectify it, but somehow the first step evades me. I will do it eventually.
15. Rather than being a person who knows a lot about a small amount of things, I know a small amount about a lot of things. I’ve rather disliked this over the years and wished that I had a better depth into certain subjects. Simultaneously, there have been numerous times in which my brief understanding or knowledge of a range of subjects has been incredibly useful. I’m indeterminate.
16. There are a great many crevices and cracks to my personality that I seldom reveal. It’s not that I’m embarrassed or reluctant to be myself, I simply attribute it to my private nature. I dislike revealing things that make me appear to be pretentious or proud, and most everything else is typically unnecessary information for anyone to associate with me. For example; saying that I completed Calculus my Sophomore year in high school merely makes me sound arrogant, and the fact that I can fold my tongue in half towards the back of my throat is simply worthless information.
Point proven.
The difficulties you meet will resolve themselves as you advance. Proceed, and light will dawn, and shine with increasing clearness on your path.~Jim Rohn
Hello ladies! I would first like to apologize for the delay, technical difficulties aren't fun. Since this happened, I decided to save time by NOT judging your creepy close ups, but instead of getting rid of 6 of you like planned, I will keep all of you. But, that means next week 2 MODELS will be eliminated from the competition. Don't worry, in the future themes will go up at the right times.
Now, for your first theme, I picked something relatively easy.
"Karma's A Bitch...And Death Is Her Sister."
In this theme, you will be victims of the lovely Karma. If you already don't know, Karma is the result of your actions. It could be good or bad, but is usually referred to as bad. So, in the spirit of Karma each of you lovely models will be portraying a different death, that resulted from doing something bad. It could be anything from stealing to a catfight in the house. It's up to you.
Requirements:
~Full body shot
~Fierce and fashionable outfits
~Death must be easy to see
~Try not to make this a bloodbath.
~A small story of what happened in the photo will be appreciated!
~Tag me in photos please
**YOU CANNOT USE STRANGLED AS A DEATH. I'M USING IT AS AN EXAMPLE. BUT YOU CANNOT USE STRANGLED.**
Photos will be due the 31st. That's 2 weeks. Anyone who doesn't turn in a photo will be eliminated.
Be fierce, be creative, but most of all...BE CREEPY.
MODELS WHO TURNED IN A PHOTO: (in no order)
1. Jinkx Pidgen- www.flickr.com/photos/bratzjaderox/9533522305/in/contacts/
2. Lucy Hale- www.flickr.com/photos/94274459@N07/9535715862/
3. Lou- www.flickr.com/photos/mramerica2011/9566343458/in/contacts/
4. Lorelei Sin- www.flickr.com/photos/fabulousdolls/9595123368/
5. Marie-Andre Mothee-
6. Victoria Van Hartog- www.flickr.com/photos/malaysianbarbiecollector/9607155096...
7. Rose Lee-
8. Angel Jade-
9. Jade Nicole West- www.flickr.com/photos/93220200@N07/9547396978/
10. Okiku- www.flickr.com/photos/72298509@N05/9569918363/
11. Sweetie-Regina Green- www.flickr.com/photos/reginia/9636788928/
12. Katy Daly- www.flickr.com/photos/bratzboymax/9557593264/
13. Jemima Grey- www.flickr.com/photos/52629305@N07/9611950863/14.
14.Penelope Delis- DROPOUT
15. Ashlee Smith-http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashlee_bitch_fashion4/9593241430/
16. Zoé A- www.flickr.com/photos/87049656@N06/9574104823/in/contacts/
17. Sweettina Dágwood- www.flickr.com/photos/diva3tina/9633885387/
18. Spencer Grey- www.flickr.com/photos/happydollplace/9640969420/
19. Jamlia Blossom-
20. Spencer Martinéz-
There is a passage in Solaris (Stanislaw Lem) where, speaking about the difficulty to communicate with alien lifeforms, one character says:
"We think of ourselves as the Knights of the Holy Contact. This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. A single world, our own, suffices us; but we can't accept it for what it is."
I find that perfectly applicable to our understanding of nature. The mythos we attribute to animals is often so deeply entrenched in our concept of them that we simply don't care anymore about their true nature. We use them as mirrors to look at ourselves.
Spiders have been frequently attributed a feminine nature. Think of Tolkien's Shelob, Arachne in ancient Greece, Uttu in Mesopotamia, the japanese Tsuchigumo, or the African Kwaku Ananse. The reasons for this have probably more to do with dated gender roles than with spider biology.
In most species, females are larger than males (and not infrequently end up as their dinner). Revenge kills of unfaithful husbands is a recurring theme in Greek mythology that pervades into modern times, as it subverts the traditional power imbalance in the couple. To human eyes, spiders have small waists and voluminous butts which remind of the female figure. They weave webs (a traditional female province in humans) and seldom abandon their "home", which they spend most of their time taking care of. More metaphorically, spiders' webs have been assimilated to the way women are expected to gain male attention by passive attraction, embellishing themselves and playing mindgames in order to draw men into courting them.
In this respect, it is probably interesting to learn that spiders are not passive hunters: the spider itself is a vital part of the trap, acting as a sensory trap that draws insects into approaching them and getting entangled into the sticky fibers of the spider web. The things we learn when we stop assuming we know everything there is to learn. Time to stop searching for mirrors and actually look around us without prejudices.
#spider #web #science #mithology #femininity #biology #nature #macro #arachnid #entomology #hunt #odonata #libelula #naturaleza
Had difficulty creating a picture for my own chosen theme, lol;
this morning the first snow arrived, and when I saw the tyre tracks I was thinking of which road people have to take these days : with all that divided and twisted (non)information we get from the media, we sometimes lose our own path and forget which way to pick and create our daily life;
ugh, I've said :-)
The difficulty with the ‘do art for yourself’ point of view is that it becomes hard to integrate any external check about whether your art is merit-worthy. Doing dull work that pleases you and nobody else is fine. Unless, that is, something jogs you out of the rut and you get depressed about having done dull work when you might have done interesting work. Balancing internal and external demands is hard.
Gears: Nikon D50, AFS Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 DC
Location: Gong Badak, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
Processing: Desaturated, HSL, cropped 1:1
Being hard of hearing I have difficulty hearing all the birdsong outside and I have real difficulty remembering the songs. We only saw a couple of Blackbirds in the meadows.
Bickford Meadows Staffordshire Uk 4th May 2015
Thanks for the ID Scott and Colin
The difficulties you meet will resolve themselves as you advance. Proceed, and light will dawn, and shine with increasing clearness on your path. ~ Jim Rohn
. . . meant to be viewed on black . . . Via Fluidr . . . (then click on image to view details LARGE) . . . bigger is definitely better . . .
Drs 37403 drags an errant set through Dagworth near Stowmarket as 5P99 Stowmarket-Norwich having been assisted previously by Freightliner 66502 to get into Stowmarket loop after operating difficulties with 90012 seen just at the end of the train dor.The sight and sound of this climbingHaughley bank was superb!!
With having difficulty getting in and out of the car due to a hernia, I only managed a going away shot as I was not quick enough to cross the road for the train coming towards me... (Must work on my timings).
Here recently repainted 37612 tails 1Q68 11.01 Worksop Up Reception to Burton Wetmore Sidings test train at Whitwell Quarry on Saturday 28th July 2018. 1Q68 is led by 37421.
Had difficulties in finding models for this image! Dad was the one, we went into kuwait desert searching for a good spot. Big thanks for being part of my dramatic portraits :D
Love you!
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