View allAll Photos Tagged optimism
As in countless years past, a pair of Canada Geese begin work on their new nest at Hubbard Pond, near my home. Sadly, this may be the last year to witness this inspiring event.
On their home located in one of Ann Arbor's premier residential neighborhoods and without a Comprehensive Environmental Impact Report, public review/input, or apparent alternative site consideration, and in return for 185 VIP parking spaces on their Athletic Campus, the Regents of the University of Michigan are about to approve the relocation and the construction of a huge, high activity, high-traffic generating, smelly and noisy, brightly-lit 24/7, dusty, heavy industrial type facility.
Unfortunately, these handsome creatures have no effective way to argue their case. Even if they could get a hearing, parading their delightful goslings, plus indignant hissing, squawking and honking will never work. Instead, they need human help... your help.
To learn more about the proposed project and how you can give Mother Nature a human voice, you are invited to visit:
glacierhighlands.org/wp/?p=335
UPDATE: In a 12 March 2016 letter, the President of the University of Michigan indicates the proposed heavy industrial project for this site has been "paused". Plus, all applications for various construction permits are suspended and no construction contracts have been awarded.
While this turn of events appears positive, all it takes is will and a whim to re-activate the project. Until the final determination is STOP, the possibility of this easily preventable man-made disaster remains. Again, Mother Nature needs your voice. Now is the time to stand-up and sound-off !
UPDATE: 18 March 2016 - UM President apologizes...
www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/03/u-m_presid...
How you can help...
www.change.org/p/boycott-university-of-michigan-s-bus-yar...
Stay thirsty, my friend...
Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. A "you can do it" when things are tough.
~ Richard M. DeVos
....
For Debbie...Cheer up!
Mollie is looking brighter and happier but still in the Paediatric Neurological ward at the LGI, in Leeds. The staff there have been wonderful, first saving her life and then nursing her back to health. We don't know the extent or results of our Granddaughter's injuries but are just glad she is still with us. This is another shot from my visit to Staithes for dawn on the day she was, later, rushed into hospital.
The leaves have fallen, but not the trees. They stand their ground firmly, refusing to surrender to the tides of time (Canon EOS 700D).
I have some pens and pencils.
A sketchbook.
And a head full of quotes, lyrics and the like.
Come and see them at www.Quoteskine.co.uk
Don't forget to buy the book!
EXPLORE: March 27, 2009
These Lilac buds are optimistic that warmer weather is just around the corner. After several days of blizzard like conditons we are all ready for some Spring time. Last night it got down to ten above zero. My first photo with the Nikon 105VR lens. In fact this is my first macro posted on Flickr. If it does not have wings, does not quack or honk or is a critter with four legs and teeth, I feel totally out of my element. Your support is deeply appreciated.
My friend and fellow flickrista, Linda Plaisted (aka Linda's Many Muses) has had her artwork nominated for Daily Candy's Sweetest Things of 2008 in Washington DC's "Best Nest" (home decor) category.
I'd really appreciate it if you could help Linda out by giving her your vote. She's an amazing artist, fully deserving of the recognition. But don't take my word for it, go on over to Daily Candy and see for yourself.
Voting is open until January 16th. Thanks, everyone!!
Another good one: “If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.”
1835 war es dann auch in Deutschland soweit. Die in England, dem Pionierland der Eisenbahn, gebaute Lok durfte am 7. Dezember das erste Mal aus eigener Kraft von Nürnberg nach Fürth fahren. Damit läutete der Adler eine neue Zeitrechnung in Deutschland ein. Die Dampfmaschine und dahingehend die Eisenbahn erzeugten eine nie dagewesene Aufbruchstimmung, welche die Welt ein ganzes Stück beschleunigte. Ein Nachbau der legendären Lok steht in der Fahrzeughalle I des DB Museums in Nürnberg und bringt nicht nur Kinderaugen zum Leuchten.
Auch wenn die Eisenbahn heute gesellschaftlich und politisch nicht mehr so sehr im Fokus der Menschen steht, ist sie doch ein wichtiger und wesentlicher Teil des Verkehrswesens in Deutschland, dass damals wie heute geschätzt werden sollte.
At the beginning was the "Adler"
In 1835, the railway era had started in Germany too. The locomotive, built in England - the pioneering country of the railway - made its first meters on December 7th between Nuremberg and Fürth. The Adler brought Germany in a new industrial era. The steam engine and, to that extent, the railway created an unprecedented spirit of optimism that accelerated the world considerably. A replica of the legendary locomotive stands in Vehicle Hall I of the DB Museum in Nuremberg and makes not only children's eyes light up.
Even if the railway has lost a bit of its value in people's social and political attention today, it is still an important and essential part of the transport system in Germany that should be valued then as it is now.
Photo of Balsamorhiza sagittata, commonly called Arrowleaf Balsamroot, captured via Minolta MD Rokkor-X 85mm F/1.7 lens. Spokane Indian Reservation. Selkirk Mountains Range. Okanogan-Colville Xeric Valleys and Foothills section within the Northern Rockies Region. Inland Northwest. Stevens County, Washington. Late April 2021.
Exposure Time: 1/250 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/4 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 5100 K * Film Plug-In: Fuji Provia 100F * Elevation: 1,886 feet above sea-level
How Do You Think
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't!
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind!
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you'll ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the person who thinks he can!
~Author Unknown
HBW my dear flickrmates!
Just because I liked the ribbon writing.
Oh fancy that, it got into Explore! I thought it didn't like me any more, it's been so long... ;-)
How fine it would be to have the optimism, strength and will of a weed.😎
As far as this pretty, flowering weed is concerned, there is just enough morning sun and dew to make a "garden plot" out of the bit of dirt in the crack where a wall abuts the asphalt sidewalk.
Location: A stretch of asphalt sidewalk abutting the wall of a building, near the village center, Riehen BS Switzerland.
In my album: Dan's Weed World.
The Desert Channels Region is a largely unmodified environment with robust pastoral, mining, and tourism industries. Home to 14, 500 people the region covers 510 000 square kilometres, (about one-third of the state of Queensland) and incorporates the Queensland section of the Lake Eyre Basin. This region is valued for its unique and healthy inland river systems, landscapes, cultural heritage, sustainable communities and production.
The Thomson River forms part of the Lake Eyre Basin. The river was named by the explorer, Edmund Kennedy, in the 1840s. The northernmost headwaters of the river begin at Torrens Creek, inland from Charters Towers. The watercourse becomes the Thomson just north of the town of Muttaburra, where the channels of Landsborough Creek, Towerhill Creek, and Cornish Creek meet. The river continues in the southwesterly direction, passing the towns of Longreach, Stonehenge, and Jundah, before joining with the Barcoo River north of Windorah to form Cooper Creek. This is the only place in the world where the confluence of two rivers forms a creek. As with all the rivers in the Lake Eyre Basin, the waters from the Thomson never reach the sea, and instead either evaporate or, in exceptional flooding, empty into Lake Eyre. Floods are not uncommon along the river, and, due to the flat nature of the country traversed, the river can then become many kilometres wide. The area which the river flows is semi-arid blacksoil plains.
Declared pest plants and animals have an enormous impact on the Longreach Region. Competition between these invasive pest plants and native Flora has seen the destruction of habitat. The loss of feed and breeding areas has seen rapid declines in some animal species. Longreach Regional Council is committed to the eradication of pest plants and animal species and has formulated a comprehensive Pest Management Plan.
Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) is a community-based non-for-profit group and a government-endorsed regional body. Their board membership represents landholders, Indigenous groups, the Great Artesian Basin, conservation and local governments. DCQ works with all the sectors of the community to sustainably manage the natural resources in the region. Together with the land management community, they develop projects to address the issues identified in the community-endorsed natural resource management plan, Protecting Our Assets. Assets include land, water, biodiversity, and community. Major issues DCQ considers are weeds and feral animals, vegetation management, grazing pressure, water management, land degradation, and viability and economics. The DCQ's mission is a community group dedicated to improving the quality of the life of current and future generations through leadership, innovation, knowledge, and partnerships, in the responsible management of their unique natural recourses.
Iningai Nation:
The Iningai people were identified by anthropologist Norman Tindale as the traditional owners of the Barcaldine region, however there have been no Native Title determinations made by the Federal Court. Today, it is believed that there are no Iningai descendants living in the region. However, there is a population of Indigenous Australians who have continued to reside in the area for many generations, and in light of their historical connections, take cultural responsibility for the area, which is now supported largely by agricultural industries.
Longreach, Queensland:
Longreach, Queensland, is 620km west of Rockhampton, at the junction of the Capricorn and Landsborough Highways. The Aramac Creek flows southwards, joining the Thomson River which runs generally south-west through the Longreach district.
The Longreach district was explored by the New South Wales Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell (1846) and by Edmund Kennedy (1847). The pastoralist-explorer William Landsborough reported favourably on the district's pastoral prospects, and in 1863 the first pastoral lease was taken up by the vast Bowen Downs station. Several others followed soon afterwards. The district's centre was Aramac (1869), and it was governed by the Aramac local-government division (1879).
Railway Boom:
Considerable optimism surrounded the new settlement: town lots were auctioned and sold briskly, and by 1890 there were three hotels, several stores and tradespeople, a progress association, and a police station. The opening of the railway line in 1892 spurred further development, and thrust Longreach into the industrial upheaval of the age; whereas the 1891 shearer's strike had been based at Barcaldine, the 1894 strike was called at the new railway terminus, Longreach.
The town grew with astounding rapidity. By 1896 there were fourteen hotels, a hospital (1893), Catholic, Methodist, and Anglican churches, a school of the arts, a pastoral and agricultural society, and several clubs and friendly societies. From a population of about 150 in 1891, Longreach was approaching 2000 in 1903.
The progress association soon expressed criticism about the Aramac local-government division's neglect of the Longreach district. Aramac agreed, and the Longreach division was severed in 1900.
Apart from Longreach's role as a railhead and district centre, it also became the centre of an area subdivided for closer-settlement farms during the 1890s. Many blocks were too small, however, and the 1902 drought proved a substantial setback. Amalgamation of blocks and the successful drilling for bore water after the drought aided recovery.
Industrial Progress:
Longreach was usually quick to embrace new technology. Motor car hire and repair businesses were opened – the Longreach Motor Co (1910) and Edwards, Martin Ltd (1910) were major businesses in both repair and body-building for vehicles. In 1919 two young airmen, P. J. McGinness and Hudson Fysh visited Longreach while surveying the Darwin to Longreach section of a proposed England-Australia air route. The men later began Qantas outback airlines at Longreach and established a large plane assembly factory. With both a railway terminus and a pioneer air service, Longreach had some claim to being a 'Chicago of the West'. The railway advantage, however, subsided when the line was extended to Winton in 1927.
In 1921 an electricity powerhouse began operation and a rudimentary swimming pool opened. Reticulated water supply was laid on from the river in 1938, replacing the mineralised bore water and enabling trees to grace the city's parks. Despite the progress, Longreach remained a goat town for another two decades, with local herds essential as a reliable fresh milk supply. Fresh vegetables were also a problem, with grasshoppers damaging local crops and the railways sometimes failing to keep up supplies.
Postwar Tribulations:
The 1920s were relatively prosperous, as were the 1950s (apart from some dry years and a shearers' strike). Much of the commercial building stock was replaced, including the shire hall (the previous two, along with local hotels and the Catholic church had burnt down). A State high school and an Olympic pool were opened in 1966 and 1967. Within a few years wool prices declined, and an investment in beef cattle was met with a decline in meat prices. The town's population, which had stayed steady during 1933 - 1947 when other outback towns had fallen by a quarter, faltered badly during the 20 years from 1961 - 1981 falling from 3800 to fewer than 3000. Fortunately, improved roads and transport, which had solved the milk and vegetable supply problem, brought outback tourism. Sensing the tourist opportunity, Sir James Walker, Shire Chair (1957 - 1990), chair of regional electricity supply authorities and of the Longreach Pastoral College garnered national support for the Stockman's Hall of Fame, which opened in 1988 on land provided by the Pastoral College. The Qantas Founders Museum, abutting the original heritage-listed Qantas hanger at the Longreach aerodrome, and a museum based in the old powerhouse (also heritage-listed) are other attractions, particularly popular with 'grey nomads'.
In addition to the aforementioned attractions and facilities, Longreach has a racecourse, showground, a Catholic primary school (1985), a school of distance education, a base hospital (1944), aerodrome, a visitor information centre, an Olympic swimming pool, five churches, several hotels and motels, and an aged persons' accommodation. The elaborate railway station (1916, similar to the Emerald station) and the goods shed (1892) are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Source: Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ), Queensland Government, & Queensland Places (www.queenslandplaces.com.au/longreach).
You can sit in the shadows and go nowhere or you can take the path and find the light.
(an original quote by me. I think)
Walking the dog at Astbury Mere. A rushed, handheld shot as a Chinese couple were coming up behind me.
A grass spider, sow bug and salt grass continue after a controlled burn at the San Louis National Wildlife Refuge.
Again i had issues with choosing the color picture or the black and white one..For now i only used the color one in groups although I couldn't resist to upload the other one as well!! Hope you guys like it tho!
copyright: © FSUBF. All rights reserved. Please do not use this image, or any images from my photostream, without my permission.
One of the flowers in the Hope and Memory Garden
Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission.
© All rights reserved
It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"
~Winne-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne
In these turbulent times, wishing you all a Happy Furry Friday....!
Feel the love, a little closer.
...A ruined Pennine farm. Built from beautifully dressed stone, and carving some sort of living from what is very wild and marginal land. No services, no road access, and usually wild weather. That's optimism.