View allAll Photos Tagged forward
Was video taping self but some got in the picture and got a bit of a shock when they saw me doing a forward split. during last years Halloween dance at the LGBT center in NY City.
Awakening
In those days,
we finally chose
to walk like giants
& hold the world
in arms grown strong with love
& there may be many things we forget
in the days to come,
but this will not be one of them.
Story People
From U.S. Ambassador Huebner's Blog Post:
blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2011/09/commemo...
Today I had the solemn honor of participating in a memorial service to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9-11, at St Andrew’s Church in New Plymouth. Led by my friend the Reverend Kim Francis, the memorial drew more than 500 Kiwis, Americans, Irish, and others to pray, sing, remember, and show solidarity.
Our Marine Band joined St Andrew’s choir to provide music. I was joined at the front of the congregation by the entire USA Eagles team and other special friends including Mayor Harry Duynhoven and the Mayoress, MP Jonathan Young, and my colleagues Ambassador Frankie Reed, Special Representative Reta Jo Lewis, and ANP Desk Officer Michele Petersen.
Today is a challenging day, but the juxtaposition of solemn remembrance and exuberant sport is not as discordant as it may seem at first blush. It is essential that we remember the 3,000 people murdered on 9-11, but it is equally essential that we celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the courage and strength of communities visited by tragedy. So we carry on.
Pastor Francis asked me to speak at the service. My colleagues suggested that I share my remarks with you, so here they are:
* * *
There are rare days, maybe once every few generations, that galvanize the collective hearts and minds of humanity.
Days that dispel in a flash the billions of distractions of everyday life … that boil off, even if only temporarily, the political, religious, national, and cultural pretenses that we humans create to separate ourselves from each other.
Days that resonate deep inside us where the common core of our humanity exists, rather than on the surface where we live most of our earthly life.
9–11 was one of those days.
We watched live on television the brutal murders of 3,000 human beings from 90 different nations. They were people of all religious beliefs, all political viewpoints, young and old, men and women, gay and straight.
They were murdered by those preaching hatred, simply to instill fear.
And we reacted with near unanimous horror and sorrow.
The perpetrators of the carnage would wish us to relive that horror and feel that fear as we mark the tenth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. What we commemorate today, however, is not the fact that remorseless evil lives among us, something that even the most blinkered moral relativist already knows in his heart.
Instead, we commemorate the triumph of the human spirit … the common humanity, empathy, and self abnegation that set us apart from the other species on this planet.
We commemorate those police, fire, and rescue workers who raced into – rather than out of – collapsing buildings.
We commemorate those regular citizens who carried – rather than trampled – strangers as they themselves struggled down burning, smoke-filled, crumbling stairwells.
We commemorate the passengers of United Flight 93, including two American rugby players, who battled the hijackers in the aisle with coffee pots, cutlery, and shoes, broke into the cockpit, and crashed the airplane into a field in Pennsylvania, thus averting the destruction of the terrorists’ intended target, this planet’s iconic symbol of democratic self-determination, the US Capitol Building.
We commemorate those who survived the attacks, including my brother Rick, who was at the South Tower when the airplanes struck the World Trade Center.
And we remember all those we lost and their families and loved ones … not only those lost in the American Northeast on that day but all those lost on other days in Madrid, London, Bali, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Mumbai, Oklahoma City, Oslo, Jakarta, Manila, Kabul, Lahore, Baghdad, Kigali, and far too many other towns and cities.
But today, beyond sadness, we also commemorate, honor, and indeed celebrate the resilience and determination of communities around the world that have suffered attacks by violent extremists … communities that have pulled together and demonstrated that they are stronger than fear.
We commemorate, honor, and indeed celebrate the many people around the world working to prevent new attacks, to confront and overcome violent ideologies, and to address and combat the circumstances that create breeding grounds for violent extremism.
And finally, and I think most importantly, we commemorate, honor, and indeed celebrate what violent extremists themselves fear most: the great human instinct toward empathy, kindness, and solidarity.
As I find is often the case, the most trenchant commentary comes not from those who peddle words for a living. And the best example is found not among those who presume to lead from a safe, comfortable, and convenient distance.
I look somewhere quite different for inspiration and hope. In the days following September 11, 2001, our Embassy received an email from a Wellington mum sharing the following story:
“My son TK (who will be 4 years old next week) watched as the American flag outside the American Embassy was put to half mast yesterday morning. The Embassy is across the road from TK’s crèche, and after the flag was lowered, he asked why.
“His teachers explained to him that it was because lots of people had been hurt, and then the teachers suggested that the children take flowers over to the Embassy as a mark of respect.
“TK proudly carries his purple flowers forward and placed them beside the flag, then stood back and waited while his friends did the same. He waited, eyes on the flag. When his teachers told him it was time to go, he started crying. The teacher asked what the matter was. TK had thought that by putting the flowers under the flag that would make the people better and the flag would therefore rise again.
“TK was sad that the flowers didn’t help, so he also made 2 cardboard airplanes and asked me to send them to replace the ones that the bad men had broken.”
TK’s mum went on to say that she sent an email to United Airlines telling them about TK’s cardboard planes and offering her condolences. That email was circulated widely within the company, and a line manager in Chicago sent back an email saying:
“Touched does not begin to explain how I feel. During these hard times for us all, it helps to see the hope and goodness in our future generation. Your son must have a very kind heart.”
Yes, TK does have a very kind heart. And he’s not alone. There are millions of TKs out there, and they stepped up on the darkest of days when we needed them most.
It is in nurturing, protecting, and empowering those kind hearts that we find our best hope for building a positive legacy from the events we remember here today.
He aha te mea nui?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
Kati ake i konei. Ma te Atua koutou e manaaki.
Strobist: SB-600 at forward left, bounced into left background to simulate window light; built-in flash for fill dropped 2 stops.
This is why I always wonder
I'm a pond full of regrets
I always try to not remember rather than forget
This is why I always whisper
When vagabonds are passing by
I tend to keep myself away from their goodbyes
Tide will rise and fall along the bay
and I'm not going anywhere
I'm not going anywhere
People come and go and walk away
but I'm not going anywhere
I'm not going anywhere
This is why I always whisper
I'm a river with a spell
I like to hear but not to listen,
I like to say but not to tell
This is why I always wonder
There's nothing new under the sun
I won't go anywhere so give my love to everyone
– Keren Ann, "Not Going Anywhere"
Sgt. Victor Aguirre, 509th Signal Battalion (rear), observes Spc. James Lagerstrom adjust cables on a satellite dish on communications gear associated with the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element.
Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica
Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica
When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.
The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.
“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.
During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.
“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.
Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.
“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.
NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH
Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.
“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”
Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.
“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.
USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.
“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”
In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.
The forward island of HMS Queen Elizabeth will house the ship's bridge.
On May 25 it was moved to the north end of B Hall in Portsmouth where work will continue. It will be barged to Rosyth later in the year.
Fonte Avatar official FB Page:
A dark, twisted circus sideshow that’s built around bombastically grooving melodic death n’ roll is swinging forward with captivating glee, mesmerizing merriment and the plundering power of lethal pirates toward those brave souls who hand over a ticket to be torn by Avatar and their Black Waltz, the fourth album and first proper American release from the Swedish masters of mayhem.
Within Avatar’s diverse songs, a steady focus on the fluid and organic power of the riff (recalling the thunderous foresight of heavy metal’s original wizards, Black Sabbath) takes flight combined with an adventurous sprit veering off into the astral planes of the psychedelic atmosphere conjured by pioneers like Pink Floyd back in the day.
Avatar has found a footing that combines the best of rock n’ roll, hard rock and heavy metal’s past, present and future into an overall artistic presentation that is thought-provoking, challenging and altogether enchantingly electric. With the grandiose showmanship of American professional wrestling, the snake oil salesmanship of early 20th century vaudevillian troubadours and the kinetically superheroic power of early Kiss, Avatar lays waste to lesser mortals with ease. Whether somebody gets their rocks off listening to Satyricon or System of a Down, they’ll find something suitably deranged here.
“We’re in this weird field, caught in a triangle between extreme metal, rock n’ roll and what can be described as Avant-garde,” confesses Avatar vocalist Johannes Eckerström. The all-enveloping theme park vibe of the band’s music and visual counterpart means that, naturally, “it’s turning into something bigger.”
“I have been in this band for ten years. I grew up in this band,” Eckerström explains. “We’re somewhat veterans on the one hand. But we’re the new kids in the neighborhood in America at the same time.”
Avatar came of age as “little brothers” of sorts of the famed Gothenburg scene that spawned the celebrated New Wave Of Swedish Death Metal. The band’s debut album, 2006’s Thoughts of No Tomorrow, was filled with brutal, technical melodic death metal to be sure but already, “We tried to put our own stamp on it,” the singer assures. While the following year’s Schlacht still contained flourishes of melody, the unrelenting metallic fury reached an extreme peak. “Intensity was very important,” he says, with some degree of understatement.
Where to go for album number three? “We basically rebelled against ourselves,” Eckerström says of 2009’s self-titled collection. “We figured, ‘We can play faster and make even weirder, more technical riffs,’ because Schlacht was cool. But to take that another step would have turned us into something we didn’t want to be.”
Instead Avatar rediscovered their inherent passion for traditional heavy metal and classic rock n’ roll. “We decided to remove some unnecessary ‘look at me, I can play!’ parts and added more groove. We added a whole new kind of melody. It was awesome to be this ‘rock n’ roll band’ for a while. It was refreshing and liberating.”
Black Waltz sees Avatar coming completely full circle, returning to a more aggressive form of heavy metal but incorporating the lessons they learned while jamming on big riffs with album number three. “We finally came to understand what a good groove is all about and what a great fit it was for our sound,” notes Eckerström.
Tracks like the appropriately titled “Ready for the Ride,” the rollicking “Let it Burn” (which dips into some delicious stonerifficness), the anthemic “Smells Like a Freakshow” (a modern day twist of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie) and “Torn Apart” are supercharged with a dynamic range of artistic showmanship on a near cinematic scale and it’s all stitched together by a driving bottom end.
While most European metal acts who dare attempt this level of musicianship, showmanship and attention to detail seem content to toil away in the studio and lock themselves away from the crowds, Avatar have excelled beyond their peers thanks in large part to their continued focus on road work. Careening to and fro on tour busses and airplanes around the world like a marauding troupe of circus performers, Eckerström and his mates (guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin and drummer John Alfredsson) have forged the type of musical bond that can only be brought forth from massive amounts of time spent together on the stage, in hotel rooms, in airports and partying at the venue’s bar.
Whether on tour with bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility or Helloween, playing gigantic festivals like Storsjöyra and Sweden Rock Festival or demolishing South by Southwest, playing live is what it all comes down to for this band. “That is the final manifestation of our art,” Eckerström insists. “Of course an album is a piece of art in itself, but mainly it's a means to reach the higher goal, which is doing these awesome shows. Touring is of the greatest importance.”
“We all just love the pirate’s life,” he admits freely. “Sailing into the city on this tour bus thingy, going to kick some ass, have that party and all the while meeting all of these people, entertaining them, encountering a culture that's not your own. We love that.”
The want for this type of lifestyle goes back to early childhood fascinations for the good-humored singer. Reading about superheroes, watching Hulk Hogan on TV, getting exposed to Kiss – these were the first ingredients for what Eckerström would go on to create with the guys in Avatar and what has culminated now in Black Waltz.
The frontman promises that Avatar will continue to create, to captivate and to experiment. There’s no definitive endpoint in sight. It’s always about the horizon, the journey itself. “As long as you're hungry as an artist, there are higher and higher artistic achievements. I love AC/DC and Motorhead and what they’ve established is amazing, but we don’t want to write albums that are kind of like the album before. We want to travel to a new galaxy, so to speak, every time.”
The goal is always to conquer what came before. “That is what stays with you as a mentally healthy musician. Or maybe a mentally deranged one, I’m not sure,” the singer laughs. And part and parcel to that continued evolution will be the ever broadening expansion of the scope of Avatar’s worldwide presentation: Black Waltz and beyond.
“We have great visions of what we want to do and the things we want to give to people on a stage,” Eckerström promises. “These ideas, these visions, they require a huge audience. They require a lot of legroom to be done, so I want to get into those arenas, basically. I know we would do something really magical if we got the chance. This idea is one of those things that really, really keeps us going.”
This year's crop of Osteospernum daisies should be along soon. We can all look forward to more of their magical spring and summer colour!
big week for NSA CIA WHORE AND MURDERER JAMI ROSE, huh?
scores.espn.go.com/nfl/scoreboard
Panthers
(11-4, 4-3 away)
Falcons
(4-11, 3-4 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
and her north carolina...spouse? :))
Texans
(2-13, 1-6 away)
Titans
(6-9, 2-5 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
which is opposite? :)
and her NSA CIA WHORE AND MURDERER JAMI ROSE >>
HOUSTON CONNECTION :)
cowards huh jami?
i mean, they can't rise up and support you for the prostitute that you really are for the nsa and cia, huh?
Jaguars
(4-11, 3-4 away)
Colts
(10-5, 5-2 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
*AND* her age in next time,
>>34, for *NEXT* YEAR,
and INDIANA
(don't forget, 34 is *ALSO* NSA 16/34 in initial 38/74 :)
Redskins
(3-12, 1-6 away)
Giants
(6-9, 3-4 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
which is opposite? :)
Browns
(4-11, 1-6 away)
Steelers
(7-8, 4-3 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
which is opposite? :)
Broncos
(12-3, 5-2 away)
Raiders
(4-11, 3-4 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
forward *AND* opposite?
(didn't she live in colorado.. dealing
drugs? :))
Bills
(6-9, 2-5 away)
Patriots
(11-4, 7-0 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
and the rachel nichols prostitute channel of nsa cia whore and murderer, jami rose? :))
Buccaneers
(4-11, 1-6 away)
Saints
(10-5, 7-0 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
(you already know about the *classy* saints using nsa cia whore and murderer jami rose, as a channel for "wins" 176 thomas, and also in the mercedez benz sales deals.. :))
49ers
(11-4, 5-2 away)
Cardinals
(10-5, 6-1 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
(what's the deal with san fran, again on nsa cia whore and murderer jami rose? i mean, *beyond* the channel of who she truly is? :)
Chiefs
(11-4, 6-1 away)
Chargers
(8-7, 4-3 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
Rams
(7-8, 2-5 away)
Seahawks
(12-3, 6-1 home)
notice the 124 in her forward placement of days in time?
and this sunday,
12/29/2014, leaves 79 (MURDER) day's until her 124 day in time! :)
ok, and here's the rest for anyone else,
"following thru on the NSA CIA WHORE AND MURDERER JAMI ROSE, PROSTITUTE AND MURDERER, CHANNEL :)
btw, jaytlyn find out in school that mommy was a prostitute and a whore for the nsa and cia, and a drug dealer in colorado<< yet? :))
onward! :)
(oh, i'm doing my snoopy dance.
BEST INFO EVA! :)))))))))))))))
CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose KILLED Alisa Ferraro and Paul Gagnon 4 months before their wedding 6
you created the channel at 1831 Salcedo / Guyaso Zip 70119, and placed Alisa inside of you and never even asked me if you could what do you think is going to happen to you CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose
8635445544 CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose KILLED Alisa Ferraro and Paul Gagnon on 07021995 isn't that right?
You murdered Alisa Ferraro and Paul Gagnon in time by me channeling your ill will and associations unknowingly didn't you CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose your time will come i promise on my last dying breath your You created the channel and placed Alisa inside of you..
You murdered Alisa Ferraro and Paul Gagnon in time by me channeling your ill will and associations unknowingly didn't you CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose your time will come i promise on my last dying breath your going to face judgement,
whether you like it or not :)
You created the channel and placed Alisa inside of you and never even asked me if you could what do you think is going to happen to you CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose?
343 in time, huh? CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose?
Jami 15/33 Alisa 242,
Still creating that "natural order" and ordinance of time of yours on a daily monthly weekly yearly basis and killing people in time, CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose? :)
how much longer do you think before it ends up, on *your* end :)
you set up the channel without even asking me jami, and then you did what you wanted to, in 2005 and 2006. you chose murder jami, you chose
who supported you jami.. and why did you accept $$,$$$ to contain 176 and power contain 176 :) at 1831 salecdo/guyaso, and let those people die.. without even asking
me, if you could could create that channel, if you contain me. you chose jami. you chose murder. who supported you?
your CIA and NSA Whore Jami Rose MURDERED all of those people, DESTROYED all of those lives, what should her punishment be?
CIA Whore and MURDERER, Jami Rose. her photo, right here :)
www.flickr.com/photos/89268704@N08/8123854555/in/photostream
JamiRoseCIAandNSAWhore
jami rose cia and NSA whore all those people that she killed all that damage that she caused
JamiRoseCIAandNSAWhore
jami rose cia and nsa whore all those people that she killed all that damage that she caused
1)hurricane katrina
2)bp oil spill
3)japan tsunami
and many others in time.
raped. robed. murdered. dismembered.
never punished for her crimes
born on april 4 1980.
here you go :)
by entering in her information from date of birth here:
www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html
you can monitor her information that is used by the world markets on a daily basis, not only that, but control for what is in numerical belief, thru out the us and the rest of the world.
She creates a natural order in time with her existance and by her date of birth, on a daily basis, weekly basis, yearly basis and in forward motion time placement. :)
Its also an Ordinance in time,
(but she's KILLING people in time. THOUSANDS of people,
and *thats* accepted. :) not anymore, huh, CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose. :) not anymore :)
also,
www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html?m1=01&d1...
(The stasis of origin should show in the above link, like what is just listed below. why not tell people? :)
From and including: Saturday, January 1, 0001 (Julian calendar)
To, but not including : Friday, April 4, 1980 (Gregorian calendar)
It is 722,910 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date
Or 1979 years, 3 months, 3 days excluding the end date
Note:The From date is a Julian calendar date. The current Gregorian calendar was adopted in United States where Thursday, September 3, 1752 was the first of 11 days that were skipped. This has been accounted for in this calculation. Read more about the Julian and Gregorian calendars
Alternative time units
722,910 days can be converted to one of these units:
62,459,424,000 seconds
1,040,990,400 minutes
17,349,840 hours
103,272 weeks (rounded down)
if you need a little help to her "stasis of orgin" here you go. if you're not smart enough to know what a birthday does in time, its an active measure for which you create throught your life span. there, i said it. don't like that intelligent secret? millions people living, and not knowing that. how could anyone not know? :)
and all those people she killed. never punished
thomas warn varnas will make sure that happens, won't he?
you attempted two murders on his life at 143 Rue Esplanade and Villa Du Lac,
by channeling his dreams with tenants and parking cars outside of his residence, capturing him..
how does it feel now Jami, to know the same is happening
to you :)
:)
there you go :)
btw, did i channel her ill will and associations unknowingly, and did it kill alisa ferraro and paul gagnon in time, to?
to me, that warrants enough to blow her head off.
sorry. but thats the way i feel, at the moment
~peace
thomas :) (not smiling) (but its about to get better :)
NOTE: ADDITION: DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT HER '45' FROM HER DOB, ON A DAILY BASIS, NEXT DAY BASIS, AND *YEARLY* BASIS.. THE FORMATION SHE HAS DOES MANY THINGS, *INCLUDING* 575.. just fyi.. :)
(and don't forget to check out one of CIA and NSA Whore and MURDERER Jami Rose's Habitat's.. 225 Area Code Baton Rouge.. you'll find her there :)
(Don't forget that she is being 'channeled' (still, after all those people she killed and all of that destruction) into sales and control for 'wins' :)
LSU and The New Orleans Saints..)
(504 319 0813 nsa cia whore and murderer jami rose's phone from 1831 Salcedo / Guyaso, Zip 70119
you can find out *everything* you need to know from Baton Rouge on nsa cia whore and murderer jami rose.
i did. :)
(oh yea, am i supposed to be mentioning anything on NSA itself on NSA CIA WHORE AND MURDERER JAMI ROSE'S *NEXT* BIRTH YEAR, THAT IS HAPPENING YEAR TO DAY.. 34.. initial 38/74 NSA 16/34.. alot of things are "happening" with that currently in time now, no? :) good info. pats self on back, check her out and what's going on in the markets.. :)
~peace
thomas :)
(*that's good* oh i know it is mrs alisa who is with mr paul in heaven, *i know it is* ty friend :)!
Standing in a queue, a woman looking forward to the people waiting in line ahead of her to get into the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Some parts of the people waiting in queue are reflected on the glass wall (i.e., “the Crystal”) of the museum.
I saw this second-generation (1978-'79) Ford Bronco on my way to the drug store after deboarding my CTA Red Line train back to my neighborhood after work today.
When I see this particular generation Bronco, I think not of something sordid from the 1990's. Instead, I'm transported to a childhood trip from Flint in the family Plymouth Volare to a Ford dealership in Detroit.
I had to have been about four years old.
Our family had planned to move to my father's country, Liberia, in 1980. We had made all kinds of preparations - listing our house for sale, getting our affairs in order, and then there was the matter of purchasing a tough, reliable vehicle that would be able to withstand the mountainous terrain of upcountry Liberia.
I remember the Bronco we looked at being beige or tan, with the white, painted roof toward the back. It seemed like a very nicely-appointed truck - in my mind's eye, I think I remember seing an AM/FM radio in the dash.
We didn't buy the Bronco, much to the chagrin of the salesman (Mom had later informed me, when recounting this story to me as an adult).
Liberia went into one of the worst, longest-lasting civil wars in its history in 1980, and our family stayed in the United States while Monrovia, Liberia's then-modern capitol city, was reduced to ruin.
My father has since passed on, but the sight of this two-year-only style of Ford Bronco SUV still reminds me of a road trip to the Motor City to test drive a truck our family ultimately didn't buy, for a move we never made.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Bronco#1978.E2.80.931979
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
On Granville, east of Broadway.
Monday, November 5, 2012.
by: Miguel Angel Martin Bordera
from: Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain
year: 2017
Step Forward transmits the principles of consciousness and neighborly love, increased through Art.
Euterpe is a giant teenage girl puppet who walks and talks, interacting with Burning Man’s participants to learn from them and to, tenderly, teach them her values.
A young girl dreams of a better world in which everybody loves each other. One day she wakes up in an unknown place where she doesn’t really know if she is awake or in a wonderful dream. She watches in amusement all that takes place around her at the time she gets involved in Burning Man’s experience.
Contact: info@carrosfoc.com
1932 Ford 5-window coupe (with many thanks to 'siskokid'), Victorian Hot Rod Show, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
Found some old unprocessed images in my archives over the weekend and thought I'd process and post a couple in anticipation of the upcoming Victorian Hot Rod Show at the Exhibition Buildings this weekend.
Looking forward to seeing a few of my images printed on metal and on display at the show courtesy of www.print2metal.com/
3 images merged in Oloneo PhotoEngine before being processed and enhanced in CS3 and PSP
Looking forward on the port side of the tank deck on a sunny day in the Atlantic.
Another one that jumped in and out of Explore #294 best position August 26 2010
A morning on my way to work I saw this sun rice and just had to take some photos. This is a statu of Karl XIV Johan at Gamla Stan (the old town) in Stockholm.
Scarves are not really required in a Queensland winter, but I have a holiday planned later in the year to New Zealand where it is colder and it will probably take me that long to finish this given progress so far. IPhone shot.
From the May 2016 trip to Thailand and Cambodia:
After five days in Thailand (3 in Bangkok, which included the day trip to Ayuthaya, and 2 nights on Koh Chang), it was time to make our way to Cambodia. There were two places in Cambodia I was looking forward to seeing: Angkor Wat (which pretty much everyone who comes to southeast Asia wants to see) and Phnom Penh’s Killing Field memorials.
First, though, was the matter of getting from a semi-remote tropical island in Thailand to the national capital of Cambodia, about 400 kilometers to the east. There isn’t a direct, easy way to do this, so being able to get it done in the time I hoped for was the biggest concern of the whole trip to me. Part of the reason time was such a factor is because I had only planned to spend Friday evening and all day Saturday (until early afternoon) in Phnom Penh before flying out to Siem Reap. With so little time there, I wanted to have as much as possible. With that in mind on waking up, I wasn’t sure how the day would turn out. I’m glad to say, it went very well.
The first thing we needed to do was get from the Arunee Resort to the pier on the opposite side of a small mountain at 6:00 in the morning…on an island with no taxis. (It is a tropical place to relax, after all.) The hotel drove us over in a truck for 300 baht. After another 40 baht/person ferry ride across the gulf, we got back to the mainland sometime around 7:40. From there, another 50 baht/person via tuktuk/van to the main bus terminal in Trat, about 45 minutes away found us in good time to grab a bus. (This is the terminal to come to for buses returning to Bangkok or going on to the Cambodian border.)
The minibus to the Cambodian border was roughly an hour and a half ride, and I was another 120 baht/person lighter. The time flew by, though, as we only passed through one very small town between Trat and Hat Lek (the border town).
The border crossing at Hat Lek is a bit interesting. Lonely Planet advised me ahead of time that this is the most expensive (and only truly expensive) border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia. (Unfortunately for me, it was also the only practical/logical one to use, so I didn’t have an option.) Via airports and at all other border crossings, the Cambodian visa costs about $25-30. Here at Hat Lek, though – and I don’t know why – it’s over $50. The fact that there isn’t uniform regulations at border crossings seemed suspect to me to begin with, but it doesn’t change the fact that you still have to do what they say. (You just get the feeling that you’re being fleeced unnecessarily…and by government officials, at that.)
On arriving at the border, the first thing you do is pass through the Thai exit post, which is quick and painless (and free). Walking a few meters farther, you come to the Cambodian entry office, which has a lot of folding tables set up outside. The first thing you do (as US citizen, anyway) is hand over your passport to someone who does NOT look official – yet, he is. You pay him 1600 baht for the visa, plus another 200 baht if you don’t have a passport picture on hand (which I didn’t). So…that was $60 more out of pocket.
Also, while sitting at these tables having your passport/visa processed, people will come up and ask where you’re going and offer private cars to get there. There are supposedly three buses from Hat Lek to Phnom Penh, the last leaving at 11:30 in the morning (and taking 5 hours to get to the capital), and you would have to take a car to the town/bus stop which is about 10 km away. (Not knowing, precisely, how to do that, I went for the easiest way there and just agreed to pay a guy 1000 baht/person to drive us in his Camry all the way – 300 km – to Phnom Penh. It ended up costing 2000 baht (close to $65) plus another $25US in total. Now, $90 may seem a bit expensive, but this was a personal car, what amounted to be a 4 hour ride, and he dropped us off right at our hotel. (I put this in perspective simply by thinking of the cost of a taxi ride from Newark International Airport to JFK in New York City…and this deal was much, much better.) The only thing that was slightly disconcerting is that we didn’t actually know this guy and could have possibly been taken advantage of. However, my charmed life seems to continue…
We got to our hotel and checked in by 4:00 in the afternoon on Friday, so things – though slightly pricy by local standards – went very, very well. The Number 9 Hotel (on St. 258) is less than a five minute walk from the Royal Palace in downtown Phnom Penh. There are quite a few monuments around the area as well (Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument, Independence Monument, etc.) The hotel itself was also a bit no-frills, and advertised a Jacuzzi/spa on the roof…which they said was under repair after we checked in. No worries, though; the restaurant at the hotel was quite good and I think it’s the only place we ate for the ~24 hours that we were there. The staff and service were top notch.
As I was still getting over the previous day’s bug/virus/whatever, I didn’t go out on Friday night. Saturday, though, was a different story. Just outside the hotel (and there are quite a few boutique guesthouses on the rather short St 258) are a group of tuktuk drivers all happy to get your business.
Now, Phnom Penh isn’t actually much of a tourist destination. In total, there’s the Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (within walking distance) and the National Museum (just north of the palace). Additionally, there’s the Russian Market (which we didn’t get to). The main reason I really wanted to come to Phnom Penh, though, was to go to the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. (I won’t give a long history lesson here, though highly encourage anyone reading this to do a quick Wikipedia search for “Choeung Ek Killing Fields” or, for something slightly more in depth, try to find information from the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979.)
The only things I’ll mention about that era is that, in 1975, the population of Cambodia was about 8 million people. In the five years of the Khmer Rouge regime, they saw fit to assassinate close to 3 million of their countrymen. (Think about that for a minute…imagine your country’s population, whatever the number, then imagine the country is taken over by a military regime that commences to slaughter 35% of the populace. The most conservative numbers I’ve seen are 2 million killed, which is still 25%.)
With that as background info, we arranged one of the tuktuks to take us to the Tuol Sleng Museum, then to the Killing Fields, 15 km southwest of downtown Phnom Penh. Our driver, Ron (perhaps Ran, but pronounced like the former) agreed to be our driver for the day. He took us to the museum, then the killing field, then in the early afternoon to the National Museum and picked us up at the Royal Palace around 3:00. At 4:00, he ushered us about 15 km north of town to the airport. We met his wife as we went to the airport. Total cost for the day: $33.
Our first stop was the Tuol Sleng Museum. This is a former high school (a place of optimism, aspiration) that the Khmer Rouge converted into a torture chamber. (Additional psychological trauma, I guess?) I’ll give no details, save to say that I likened it to a Nazi concentration camp minus the gas chamber. To visit here, though, you are spared no detail in the presentation. I’ll commend (perhaps not the best word) the Cambodians for owning up to their atrocities. Other countries in the region could learn a lot from this. (They say it’s important to bare all so that people can see the horror and it will be less likely to happen again.) Anyway, after paying the admission ($6, I think?), you wander through the buildings with your audio guide and the many well-presented exhibits. At the end, about an hour later, there’s a man selling a book for $10. He’s a survivor of this place. I really had no words; just hugged the guy. He and his daughter said he was spared simply because he knew how to fix and use a typewriter.
After leaving Tuol Sleng, in quite a somber mood, Ran took us across town to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (this is probably the most famous one in the nation, though there are literally hundreds here…and also still many active landmines from the war in the 1970s, so…I wouldn’t wander around too freely).
If the Tuol Sleng Museum was somber, this place is equally, if not more, harrowing. The admission here was also around $6 or so, and comes with another audio guide. There’s also a small room/museum with a 15 minute informative video. After that, you wander from point to point where you learn that this place was the former mass grave for Chinese. You also see mass graves for women, for babies…a tree (still standing) where babies were murdered, and so on. The final stop is a memorial stupa which contains the skulls and other bones of countless victims, classified by gender and method of murder (though all victims are still unidentified). However, the presentation is more than powerful enough to make its point.
The morning touring done, we returned to Number 9, had a leisurely lunch, then had Ran take us up to the National Museum. It’s a rather small museum, though quite good – especially if you like stone Buddhas. The museum admission is around $5, and the building has four small wings, that visitors tend to visit beginning on the left and going in a clockwise manner. No picures are allowed to be taken inside the museum (which I thought rather unfortunate, as it really was quite interesting and tasteful, as far as museums go), but you could take pictures of the museum itself and the internal courtyard. Leisurely seeing the entire museum takes less than an hour.
From there, it was about a 5-10 minute walk along the palace wall (north side, around the east wall that runs parallel to the river). After paying to enter the Royal Palace at the southeast gate, you’re allowed entry to the grounds and have access to view buildings such as the Coronation Hall, the Crown Room, and the Silver Pagoda. This is essentially quite similar to Thailand’s Royal Palace in terms of how much (and what) you can see, though it wasn’t quite as nice as Thailand’s to me. (I don’t mean to imply that it’s not nice, though; it was an enjoyable afternoon, though with temps around 40 degrees, my energy waned rather quickly.)
After an hour or so here at the Royal Palace, we made our way back to Number 9 (at this point, barely a 2 minute ride by tuktuk), where we rested until 4:00 and had Ran take us to the airport for our 7:30 flight to Siem Reap, 45 minutes away.
En route, though – and also from observations riding around on the way back from Choeung Ek – I got the impression that while Phnom Penh may not be the most touristy place in the world, it sure seemed like a great place to live (as much for expats as anyone). There’s still a lot of French influence, so my first abstract impression is that it reminded me of a combination of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Fuxing in Shanghai, and just some trendy/hippie areas in general. There were lots of cool little boutique hotels, restaurants, stores…and the Cambodians are exceptionally friendly and pleasant (as are Thais). I don’t know that I’ll ever come back here, but I certainly wouldn’t feel bad if I did…
At any rate, those were just my impressions on the way out of town. Getting to the airport, I was ready for the final stop: Siem Reap & Angkor Wat. The only thing standing between me and my ultimate destination…a prop jet.