View allAll Photos Tagged him
I see him rolling - I hate him.
I see him running - I hate him too!
Why is that silly bird so awfully fast?!
Meep-meep!
Toy Project Day 2206
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
I happened to look up and noticed him sitting there practically on top of me. Enough time to hit the plus exposure compensation dial, but not enough to take a few steps back.
Thought I'd update you on the latest member of my furry 4-legged family - little hammie's been with me just over a week now. I named him "Pippin" (after the hobbit in Lord of the Rings, it just suited him - he's an adventurous little thing!). I'm so pleased with how well he's settled in... I'd been told in the shop he wasn't yet tame and worried he'd be shy. However, whoever bred him handled him well (or he's just an exceptionally confident little hammie!) cause from the start he's been a happy and nosy little character... After 24hrs, I started stroking him, then a little while later, gently scooping him up in my hands]. At first, he scurried off quickly, but now he will happily sit or walk over my hands for a few minutes at a time. He's never once tried to bite or anything :)
He goes out for little adventures each evening in his ball. Of course it's hard to tell with such a tiny creature but I think he really enjoys the explorations around our downstairs. He rolls up and down the hall, the living room and the kitchen, stopping only to sniff an interesting item in his path, give his face a quick wash... or, to investigate Barney!! I'd originally planned to keep dog and hamster apart, particularly when Pippin was in his ball - as Barney is ball obsessed and also a hunter of voles when we're on walks (albeit a very ineffective one!). However as Pip likes to roll everywhere on the ground floor, it wasn't really feasible, so I've taught Barney to be very quiet and calm when Pip's rolling around.
After one quiet but firm "settle down" from me, (he looked a bit too interested on the first evening) he has been good as gold. He actually tries to keep away from Pippin but there's no escape! Pip will spy Barney from up the hall and make a beeline straight for the big dog. He will then sit right up against Barney, sniffing at his paws and fur with obvious interest. Pippin doesn't seem scared, he's happy to groom right next to either dog and doesn't freeze or try and run off... In fact, if I move him away, he often rolls straight back to Barney! Barney lies quietly, deliberately not looking at the hammie and gently moving his paws out the way from time to time. Don't like everything the "Dog Whisperer" says but to use his phrase, Barney's the model of a dog in a "calm, submissive state". Obviously, I wouldn't leave them alone though, it's nice they seem to be co-existing but I wouldn't want Pippin to get hurt...
Anyway, Pippin seems happy in his new home, the dogs have accepted him and he's being very friendly and confident. All going very well really, now, if I can just clicker train him to pose for the camera.... ;-) Haha, will try getting some nicer pics soon, maybe of the odd pair together, reminds me of Bolt and Rhino (if you've seen "Bolt", you'll know what I'm talking about!)
Caught this little guy in mid-jump in the backyard. He's staying very still so I can't see him. He's doing a very good job, don't ya think?
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You are strong and confident, intelligent, kind, compassionate and loving. You accept everyone for exactly who they are and where they are at in life. No judgements; Just love in it's purest form.
I never thought I would find someone who's loyalty would match mine. You are my rock, my safe space and my truest north.
Writing to him, I was no longer lonely. I had someone waiting for me across the world in Mexico. I could tolerate anything as long as I had a notepad and a pen and could pour my heart out to him in these letters.
Dear mom,
I made a big mistake, I don't know or I ever gonna forgive myself. I'm a monster, I killed a young boy. He attacked me, it was me or him. I can't continue living with this.
Much love your son,
John.
For my friend NatuurfotoRien/Rien in Holland, who loves corvids.
I had this odd notion that when I retire I would carve a totem pole, and so over the years, I learned more and more about northwest coast art, culture, and carving. One of the pieces I studied was this - a huge cedar sculpture carved by the great sculptor, Bill Reid, to whom the telling of this ancient story is credited.
Bill Reid was a Haida indian (Haida is their word for “human”). The Haida tribe lives in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of northern Canada (below Alaska), in a special place they call Haida Gwaii. Bill is widely credited for reviving the arts of the northwest coast - he was an amazing sculptor. I am disappointed I will never meet him.
The northwest coast tribes have many gods - all animals. Raven is the Haida equivalent of “fox”. Tricky, playful, smart, inquisitive - these are all qualities of Raven, whose play and trickery created the stars in the sky, the sun, the ocean and man.
The man-size (literally) sculpture is inside the University of British Columbia museum in Vancouver, Canada. When it was installed, Bill had the children of Haida Gwaii come to the installation - each with bottles of sand from the beach at Haida Gwaii, so Raven, could be installed in his native soil.
Here is his telling of their genesis myth - one of the most sacred stories in Haida culture:
The Story of the Raven Creating Man by Bill Reid
The great flood which had covered the earth for so long had receded, and even the thin strip of sand now called Rose Spit, stretching north from Naikun village lay dry. The Raven had flown there to gorge himself on the delicacies left by the receding water, so for once he wasn't hungry. But his other appetites - lust, curiosity and the unquenchable itch to meddle and provoke things, to play tricks on the world and its creatures - these remained unsatisfied.
He had recently stolen the light from the old man who kept it hidden in a box in his house in the middle of the darkness, and had scattered it throughout the sky. The new light spattered the night with stars and waxed and wane in the shape of the moon. And it dazzled the day with a single bright shining which lit up the long beach that curved from the spit beneath Raven's feet westward as far as Tao Hill. Pretty as it was, it looked lifeless and so to the Raven quite boring. He gave a great sigh, crossed his wings behind his back and walked along the sand, his shiny head cocked, his sharp eyes and ears alert for any unusual sight or sound. Then taking to the air, he called petulantly out to the empty sky. To his delight, he heard an answering cry - or to describe it more closely, a muffled squeak.
At first he saw nothing, but as he scanned the beach again, a white flash caught his eye, and when he landed he found at his feet, buried in the sand, a gigantic clamshell. When he looked more closely still, he saw that the shell was full of little creatures cowering in terror of his enormous shadow.
Well, here was something to break the monotony of his day. But nothing was going to happen as long as the tiny things stayed in the shell, and they certainly weren't coming out in their present terrified state. So the Raven leaned his great head close to the shell, and with the smooth trickster's tongue that had got him into and out of so many misadventures during his troubled and troublesome existence, he coaxed and cajoled and coerced the little creatures to come out and play in his wonderful, shiny new world. As you know the Raven speaks in two voices, one harsh and strident, and the other, which he used now, a seductive bell-like croon which seems to come from the depths of the sea, or out of the cave where the winds are born. It is an irresistible sound, one of the loveliest sounds in the world. So it wasn't long before one and then another of the little shell-dwellers timidly emerged. Some of them immediately scurried back when they saw the immensity of the sea and the sky, and the overwhelming blackness of the Raven. But eventually curiosity overcame caution and all of them had crept or scrambled out. Very strange creatures they were: two-legged like the Raven, but there the resemblance ended. They had no glossy feathers, no thrusting beak. Their skin was pale, and they were naked except for the long black hair on their round, flat-featured heads. Instead of strong wings, they had thin stick-like appendages that waved, and fluttered constantly. They were the original Haidas, the first humans.
For a long time the Raven amused himself with his new playthings, watching them as they explored their much expanded-world. Sometimes they helped one another in their new discoveries. Just as often, they squabbled over some novelty they found on the beach. And the Raven taught them some clever tricks, at which they proved remarkably adept. But the Raven's attention span was brief, and he grew tired of his small companions. For one thing, they were all males. He had looked up and down the beach for female creatures, hoping to make the game more interesting, but females were nowhere to be found. He was about to shove the now tired, demanding and quite annoying little creatures back into their shell and forget about them when suddenly - as happens so often with the Raven - he had an idea.
He picked up the men, and in spite of their struggles and cries of fright he put them on his broad back, where they hid themselves among his feathers. Then the Raven spread his wings and flew to North Island. the tide was low, and the rocks, as he had expected, were covered with those large but soft-lipped molluscs known as red chitons. The Raven shook himself gently, and the men slid down his back to the sand. The he flew to the rock and with his strong beak pried a chiton from its surface.
Now, if any of you have ever examined the underside of a chiton, you may begin to understand what the Raven had in his libidinous, devious mind. He threw back his head and flung the chiton at the nearest of the men. His aim was as unerring as only a great magician's can be, and the chiton found its mark in the delicate groin of the startled, shell-born creature. There the chiton attached itself firmly. Then as sudden as spray hitting the rocks from a breaking wave, a shower of chitons broke over the wide-eyed humans, as each of the open-mouthed shellfish flew inexorably to its target.
Nothing quite like this had ever happened to the men. They had never dreamed of such a thing during their long stay in the clamshell. They were astounded, embarrassed, confused by a rush of new emotions and sensations. They shuffled and squirmed, uncertain whether it was pleasure or pain they were experiencing. They threw themselves down on the beach, where a great storm seemed to break over them, followed just as suddenly by a profound calm. One by one the chitons dropped off. The men staggered to their feet and headed slowly down the beach, followed by the raucous laughter of the Raven, echoing all the way to the great island to the north which we now call Prince of Wales.
That first troop of male humans soon disappeared behind the nearest headland, passing out of the games of the Raven and the story of humankind. Whether they found their way back to the shell, or lived out their lives elsewhere, or perished in the strange environment in which they found themselves, nobody remembers, and perhaps nobody cares. They had played their roles and gone their way.
Meanwhile the chitons had made their way back to the rock, where they attached themselves as before. But they too had been changed. As high tide followed low and the great storms of winter gave way to the softer rains and warm sun of spring, the chitons grew and grew, many times larger than their kind had ever been before. Their jointed shells seemed about to fly apart from the enormous pressure within them. And one day a huge wave swept over the rock, tore them from their footholds and carried them back to the beach. As the water receded and the warm sun dried the sand, a great stirring began among the chitons. From each emerged a brown skinned, black-haired human. This time there were both males and females among them, and the Raven could begin his greatest game: the one that still goes on.
They were no timid shell-dwellers these, but children of the wild coast, born between the sea and land, challenging the strength of the stormy North Pacific and wresting from it rich livelihood. Their descendants built on its beaches the strong, beautiful homes of the Haidas and embellished them with the powerful heraldic carvings that told of the legendary beginnings of great families, all the heros and heroines and the gallant beasts and monsters who shaped their world and their destinies. For many generations they grew and flourished, built and created, fought and destroyed, living according to the changing seasons and the unchanging rituals of their rich and complex lives.
It's nearly over now. Most of the villages are abandoned, and those which have not entirely vanished lie in ruins. The people who remain are changed. The sea has lost much of its richness, and great areas of land itself lie in waste. Perhaps it's time the Raven started looking for another clamshell.
Photo taken through Glass!
Lion
Of all the great cats, the lion has always held a supreme place in man's esteem and imagination. The lion has always been honored by man, crediting the regal beast with attributes he prizes most; nobility, courage, loyalty, combative skills and sexual prowess. This attribution applies to both sexes, for a lioness is a creature of sinuous beauty ,but the full-grown male, whose magnificent mane ranging in color from a rich golden brown to a deep blackish-brown, mark him as the veritable monarch of the plains. The legacy of the lion, King of Beasts, as the model throughout history is demonstrated by its appearance among the earliest drawings made by humans over 15,000 years ago.
Zoological name: Panthera leo
Species: Of the known sub-species of lion there seems to be an agreement on 2 as far as genetics go - Pantherinae Panthera leo leo - the African lion, and Pantherinae Panthera leo persica - the Asian lion. Regardless of the area of Africa a lion is found in today, their DNA analysis has shown them to be the same, whereas there is a difference between African and Asian. As of the time of this writing, the Barbary lion has never been tested and compared to these results, and may in fact be a third and distinct lion sub-specie.
Presence on the planet: The lion was once found from northern Africa through southwest Asia (extinct in most countries within past 150 years), west into Europe (extinct 2000 years ago) and east into India (relict population in Gir Forest only). Today, the majority of Africa’s lions can be found in east and southern Africa, with a small number in west Africa. Most of the lions today exist inside protected areas. No accurate number of how many lions exist in the wild has been reported, but guesstimates are between 30,000-100,000.
Habitat: Lion prides are often found in the open plains, but are known from nearly all habitats except deep desert and rainforest. Lions climb trees to rest and cool off, or sometimes to escape stampedes. During the day, lions rest by water holes or salt licks, but at night these places are usually reserved for hunting.
Physical appearance: Males range from 172 to 250 cm in body length, females from 158 to 192 cm. Tail length varies between 60 and 100 cm in length. Females are 45 to 68 kilograms lighter than the average-size male, but have an equal muscle mass. Males weigh between 150 and 260 kg while females weigh between 122 and 182 kg.Lions have a broad face, rounded ears, and a relatively short neck. Male lions have a mane, which varies in color. It usually is a silverish-grey or a yellowish-red. The darker the mane the older the lion. Captive lions are known to have longer and fuller manes than wild lions. The underside of males is a buff color, while the females' underside is whitish in color. Both sexes have sharp retractable claws on each paw and powerful shoulders, which they use to bring down their prey. Hinge-like jaws containing 5 centimeter canines also aid the lion in hunting and catching their prey.
Diet: Lions are very opportunistic eaters, and will take almost any prey ranging from small rodents to young rhinos, hippos and elephants. The majority of its prey, however, is medium to large ungulates, most notably zebra, wildebeest, impala, warthog, hartebeest and waterbuck. They will stay away from adult rhinos, hippos, elephants and even giraffes. The females do most of the hunting, and the male will come and join the females after the kill is made. The females will make way for the males and allow him to eat his fill first. Males will participate on a hunt when it is a particularly large prey item - like a water buffalo - where his size and strength is required to bring down such a large animal (although enough females can do it successfully on their own). Males must also hunt during their bachelor stages, when there are no females to take care of them.
Reproduction & Offspring: Lions will reproduce any time of the year, and all females of reproductive maturity will breed at the same time. This allows them to give birth in synchrony with each other, thereby sharing the suckling responsibilities. Any lactating female in a pride will suckle any cub that belongs to the pride. Lions give birth to 1-6 cubs after a gestation of 110 days. The cubs are born blind and helpless, and weigh approximately 2-4 pounds. Cub mortality is very high in lions, and less than half will survive their first year. Young males will leave their pride between 2-4 years if they can get away with staying that long, but sometimes they are forced out as early as 13-20 months. Females remain with their natal pride most of the time, although some will disperse and form new prides. While male lions are physically capable of reproducing at 30 months and females at 24 months, they do not generally successfully reproduce until pride membership has been firmly established.
Conservation status: Lions are generally considered problem animals whose existence is at odds with human settlements and cattle culture. Their scavenging behavior makes them highly susceptible to poisoned carcasses put out to eliminate predators. Where the wild prey is migratory, lions will predate on captive stock during the lean season, thus making the nuisance animals and easy targets for humans to eliminate.
After missing the first two days of Texans training camp before agreeing to a five-year, $14 million contract Saturday, outside linebacker Brian Cushing is eager to get on the practice field today with his new teammates.
Cushing, the first-round draft choice from Southern California, is getting $10.435 million in guaranteed money to become the starter on the strong side and help improve a defense that ranked 22nd last season, including 23rd against the run.
“I’m just relieved and excited to have this done,” Cushing said. “I’m ready to play football and help the team win.”
Cushing (6-3, 262) was in Los Angeles when agent Tom Condon reached the agreement with general manager Rick Smith and director of football administration Chris Olsen.
Cushing’s contract could be worth a maximum of $18 million over five years.
In the fifth year of his deal, there’s a clause that could earn him an additional $4 million in an escalator bonus.
Odds are that Cushing’s contract will be extended before he enters the fifth season in 2013.
Smith and Olsen will have all eight of their draft choices under contract when the Texans take the field for the third day of two-a-day drills at their Methodist Training Center.
“It’s very important to have him signed,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “Rick and Chris were up at 3 in the morning trying to get it done. They’ve done a good job.
“Brian’s two days behind now, but he didn’t miss anything we did in the offseason program, so that’s a good thing. He wanted to be here while we were working on the contract, but he couldn’t.”
Rookies who have signed with the Texans report a week early for conditioning and meetings before practicing for the first time with the veterans. Cushing wanted to report with the rookies.
He was working out at Reliant Stadium last week when the Texans had to explain league rules that forced him to leave.
Cushing took what turned out to be a quick trip back to Los Angeles. He returned to Houston on Saturday afternoon.
Texans coaches are excited to get him on the practice field.
“We’re going to put the pads on (Sunday morning), and I know he’s chomping at the bit to get out there,” Kubiak said.
After the Texans used the 15th pick in the first round on Cushing, they inserted him into the starting lineup. He impressed his coaches in the organized team activities and minicamp.
“We like his presence on the ball,” Kubiak said, meaning Cushing has a knack for finding the ball and making plays. “He’s playing over the tight end, and we’re going to ask him to do a great deal. We think he can handle it.
“Brian’s very athletic. He’s physical against the run. He can rush the passer. He can drop into coverage. We brought him here for a reason, and we’re going to put him to work real fast.”
Frank Bush, who is in his first season as defensive coordinator, has to make calls that maximize Cushing’s strengths. The faster Cushing learns, the quicker Bush plans to utilize all his talent.
“We’re going to try to take advantage of all his talent,” Bush said. “Because he’s such a talented kid, there are a lot of things we can do with him.”
The coaches say they think Cushing has everything it takes to become a star at his position.
“Brian can turn and run with the tight end,” Bush said. “He’s big and strong enough to strike them at the line of scrimmage and nullify some of their speed down the field, so we’re comfortable with him in coverage.
“His ability also gives us a chance to be aggressive toward the quarterback. He’s a big guy who’s shown he can get there.”
This BlueJay had landed on the deck and proceeded to jump to the railing, he did this three time in a row
A man, let's call him ‘K.’, so this Mr K., a hard-working insurance employee, came to the conclusion one day that he deserved holidays. Without further ado, he travelled from the east to the west to a large city. He was already looking forward to the many impressions and experiences in places he had already read a lot about, but now wanted to see them in person. When K. left the hotel in the morning, he had unfortunately neglected to take note of the weather forecast. Despite the summer temperatures, the forecast was for stormy weather. The gusts of wind pushed him against the walls of the buildings, he struggled to stay on his feet and had to push his hat deep into his forehead. In a large square, the wind blew his hat off his head, he was hit by a falling roof tile in the same place and fell to the ground unconscious. Friendly passers-by rushed to pick him up and took him to a nearby railway station pub, where he gradually regained consciousness and strength. He was quite surprised to realise that the blow to the head had not only temporarily taken away his consciousness, but also his memory. Looking out of the window of the pub, K. asked himself four questions:
1. Who on heaven's earth am I?
2. What city am I in?
3. What is the name of the dosshouse I've been taken to?
4. And where is my bloody hat?
Do you know?
Vier Rätsel
Ein Mann, nennen wir ihn "K.", also dieser Herr K., ein fleißiger Versicherungsangestellter, kam eines Tages zu dem Schluss, er habe sich einen Urlaub verdient. Kurz entschlossen reiste er vom Osten nach dem Westen in eine große Stadt. Er freute sich schon auf die vielen Eindrücke und Erlebnisse an Orten, über die er schon viel gelesen hatte, sie aber jetzt persönlich in Augenschein nehmen wollte. Als K. am Morgen das Hotel verließ hatte er leider versäumt die Wettervorhersage zur Kenntnis zu nehmen. Trotz sommerlicher Temperaturen war ein stürmisches Wetter angekündigt. Die Windböen drückten ihn gegen die Häuserwände, er hatte Mühe auf den Beinen zu bleiben und musste seinen Hut tief in die Stirn drücken. An einem großen Platz wehte ihm der Wind den Hut vom Kopfe, er wurde von einem herabfallenden Dachziegel an eben selbiger Stelle getroffen und fiel bewusstlos zu Boden. Herbeigeeilte freundliche Passanten hoben ihn auf und brachten ihn in ein nahegelegenes Bahnhofslokal, wo er allmählich wieder zu Bewusstsein und Kräften kam. Nicht schlecht erstaunt musste er feststellen, dass der Schlag auf den Kopf ihm nicht nur vorübergehend das Bewusstsein, sondern auch das Gedächtnis genommen hatte. Sinnend aus dem Fenster des Lokals blickend stellte K. sich vier Fragen:
1. Wer um Gotteswillen bin ich?
2. In welcher Stadt bin ich?
3. Wie heißt die Kaschemme, in die ich gebracht worden bin?
4. Und wo ist mein verdammter Hut?
Wissen Sie’s?
remember God, not the guy in the picture, me. lol
i was listening to this spiritual music as of posting. just went with it.
music:
“When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run”
Abraham Lincoln
Well, Cat has decided to honour me with his majestic presence at meal times. Now to catch him early enough in the am to get him into a carrier and off to the vet for a full health check..
I have put an anti-flea collar on him, but he needs worming and vacinating. I am no fan of flea collars, but he was so full of them that it was the easiest thing to do.
And he is not entering my house until that stuff is sorted.
Bimbo Monty has decided that he doesn't mind Cat, but Mother cat Rosie starts wailing as soon as he appears. Obviously she has issues with sharing her food.
And yes, I'm rapidly becomming one of those "Cat Women". LOL