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Another shot from Kynanace Cove during the 30 second interval where we actually got some sun through the clouds!
Again, this has been edited with Luminar 2018 (with a final touch-up in PS). One odd thing I did notice is that Luminar makes the same RAW file significantly wider that when edited through Lightroom. On this shot for instance there was barely any rock appearing on the right-hand side of the image in LR. I would assume that this is due to the lens profiles, as it seems that Luminar does not have the relevant lens profiles for my camera/lens but even so, there’s quite a staggering difference considering I’m editing the exact same file.
I don't think any of my photos have been so relevant as the what is happening in the world at the moment.
These are a black and white versions of previously posted photos.
Fortunately, it’s not hard to find inspirational beauty here while photographing-in-place. This image of a Tiny Ghost Asiatic Lily in the rain is perfect to highlight a beautiful life well-lived. As have Chuck Colson, R. C. Sproul, and Billy Graham, Ravi Zacharias deeply affected not just my Christian faith, but also the philosophy to better communicate it. It is Ravi who said that all humans, regardless of what religion they practiced or whether they had no religious beliefs, had to answer four basic questions: Where do I come from? Why am I here? How should I treat people? Where am I going? Origin, Meaning, Morality, Destiny. These are impossible questions to answer apart from a real and relevant God. Ravi had an exceptional way to make that understood. Today, Ravi has gone as far as he can go... "Well done, good and faithful servant." I will miss him greatly. Ravi Zacharias 1946-2020
[hh] GIFT Victoria Lingerie set
NETTA DRESS LATEX Set by Luna Chelsea
Heels from DALHIA REBORN DENIM STYLE SET By Luna Chelsea
DOUX - Medusa Hairstyle [BLOGGER PACK]
Right by my side is my supportive daughter from y RL. Yes her name is Rochelle AKA missbitch93. Please head on over to her Flickr & show some love. Many thanks you awesome lot <3 www.flickr.com/people/185438656@N08/
Visit this location at ZEBRA Gallery for relevant Art in Second Life
Hello there. Relevant comments welcome but please do NOT post any link(s). All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. You need my permission to use any image for ANY purpose.
Copyright infringement is theft.
Modern Railroading On Ancient Infrastructure
Here's a Freight Car Friday offering that offers a nice contrast in eras. Surely the builders of this railroad could never have imagined that what they built would still be in use, relevant, and profitable going on two centuries later. I'm also sure they never could have envisioned the sheer size of trains today in length, height, and pure tonnage!
But here is the proof as we see TTX well cars loaded with colorfol double stacked domestic containers entrained in CSXT's daily hotshot Syracuse to Worcester intermodal train I022 is running late as it sails over the West Branch of the Westfield River (which is a designated National Wild and Scenic river) at MP 129.2 on modern day CSXT's Berkshire Subdivision. This double arch bridge dates from 1866 when it replaced an earlier structure dating from the Western Railroad's construction in 1841.
Three of the original bridges remain nearby, albeit bypassed over a century ago, and if you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend you take a hike along the 5 mile out and back Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) trail. It is a true gem of scenic and historic beauty following the river and parallel to the railroad which is never out of earshot and mostly in sight when the leaves are gone. For the student of railroad history it is the chance to walk through and over some remarkable infrastructure including a deep rock cut and two Keystone Arch Bridges that give the trail its name. I won't go into to much detail here and will instead direct you to these two links if you care to learn more: keystonearches.com/
lostnewengland.com/2022/07/boston-and-albany-railroad-arc...
Chester, Massachusetts
Saturday November 19, 2022
I believe this is a Sprite damselfly, and most likely either a Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene) or a Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis). Because of the black cap on the eyes, I am leaning towards Sedge Sprite... Observed at the Jardin botanique de Montréal.
Pentax D-FA 100mm F/2.8 WR Macro plus Raynox DCR-250, with off camera diffused Godox V850ii flash. Single frame.
IMPORTANT:
If you would like to use this photo in a way that is appropriate under its Creative Commons license, you are welcome to do so, but please make sure to credit me by my real name and Flickr handle, and please also include a link to the Flickr page of the photo, as well as a link to the relevant Creative Commons license text. I have put examples of proper attribution on my profile page. Optionally, you may also send me a little note about your use... :)
For any other type of use, please contact me to properly license this image.
Thank you!
(IMGP6779_CrEtc5Shrp)
En la Plaza de San Nicolás se ubican varios de los monumentos más relevantes de Granada, como el Mirador de San Nicolás y el templo del mismo nombre, es decir la iglesia de San Nicolás.
La Plaza de San Nicolás es la más visitada del barrio del Albaicín, donde se encuentra, ya que desde esta plaza se obtienen unas de las mejores panorámicas del monumento por excelencia de Granada como es la Alhambra, puesto que el mirador de San Nicolás es el más importante de la ciudad.
Originalmente aquí estaba la primitiva mezquita, de la que solo nos ha quedado el aljibe.
Era también lugar de reunión y plaza de armas.
En principio no era una planicie despejada, como la vemos ahora, si no que estaba ocupada por casas y palacetes árabes. Cuenta la leyenda que en uno de ellos tuvieron lugar importantes conversaciones diplomáticas que terminaron con la rendición de Granada a los Reyes Católicos en 1492.
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In the Plaza de San Nicolás there are located several of the most important monuments of Granada, such as the Mirador de San Nicolás and the temple of the same name, that is the church of San Nicolás.
The so called Plaza de San Nicolás is the most visited square in the Albaicín district, where it is located,because you can get some of the best views of the monument par excellence of Granada, the Alhambra.
Originally here was the primitive mosque, from which it remains only the cistern.
It was also a meeting place and a parade ground.
At first it was not a clear plain, as we see it now, but it was occupied by Arab houses and palaces.
Legend says that in one of these palaces important diplomatic talks took place that ended with the surrender of Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492
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Hope you like it
Espero us agradi
Spero vi piaccia
Espero os guste
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Hello there. Relevant comments welcome but please do NOT post any link(s). All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. You need my permission to use any image for ANY purpose.
Copyright infringement is theft.
A Igreja de San Martín de Tours, um dos mais relevantes exemplos românicos de Salamanca, ergue-se na Plaza del Corrillo, outrora palco de intensa atividade social e comercial. Fundada em 1103 e edificada no século XII por iniciativa do conde Martín Fernández, a igreja, Monumento Histórico-Artístico Nacional, segue-se à Catedral Velha em importância arquitetónica na cidade. Apesar das transformações seculares e das construções adossadas que ocultam as absides semicirculares originais, a fachada posterior, com a sua janela modificada, oferece um vislumbre da sua história. A Plaza del Corrillo, que no século XV chegou a ser marcada por conflitos e apelidada de "Corrillo de la Hierba", serve hoje como um ponto de passagem e convívio, proporcionando uma perspetiva única sobre este elemento da igreja dedicada a São Martinho de Tours, santo venerado pelos comerciantes medievais, nas proximidades do antigo mercado.
The Church of San Martín de Tours, one of the most important Romanesque examples in Salamanca, stands in the Plaza del Corrillo, once the scene of intense social and commercial activity. Founded in 1103 and built in the 12th century on the initiative of Count Martín Fernández, the church, a National Historic-Artistic Monument, is second only to the Old Cathedral in architectural importance in the city. Despite centuries of changes and the additions that hide the original semicircular apses, the rear façade, with its modified window, offers a glimpse of its history. The Plaza del Corrillo, which in the 15th century was marked by conflict and nicknamed “Corrillo de la Hierba,” now serves as a place of passage and socializing, offering a unique perspective on this element of the church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, a saint venerated by medieval merchants, near the old market.
Loverboy Art Boutique - proceeds benefitting the JDRF
Loverboy have chosen to donate their share from the sale of all items purchased on the Loverboy Art Boutique website to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!
This is the only artwork ever to be officially released and licensed by Loverboy, a band that creates incredible music which has inspired generations, has been touring for many years and continues to be relevant decades after they originally formed.
Loverboy Art Boutique
JDRF
Dedicated to Finding a Cure
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the leader in setting the agenda for type 1 diabetes research worldwide, and is the world’s largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research.
The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, but lasts a lifetime.
It requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, amputation, and pregnancy complications.
Unfortunately, despite repeated scrutiny of the relevant notebooks, I have been unable to pinpoint from the minimalist records contained within them the exact date of this photograph. The best I can do is narrow it down to sometime between 30th October and the end of November 1976. However, the precise date probably doesn't matter that much: it's identifiable as Cambridge station with its well-known scissors crossover clearly visible. For many years Cambridge had only one through platform, seen here on the right (numbers 1 and 4), and the crossover allowed multiple trains to use the platform at the same time. According to Wikipedia it's the third longest platform in the UK. In 2011, a new island platform was opened - just behind where the Class 08 shunter is parked - which added two more through platforms. I considered converting this one to monochrome but in doing so I would have lost the red light so I decided to leave it as "colour".
In July and August 2015, we spent a few weeks touring the southern Italian provinces of Basilicata, Puglia and Campania.
I am i the process of uploading a selection of photographs from that trip. As usual, whenever relevant or necessary, I will write a specific caption below in bold type.
Castel del Monte is undoubtedly the strangest and most enigmatic Mediæval castle I have ever seen. Built during the 1200s by the Holy Emperor Frederick II von Hohenstaufen himself. It is perfectly symmetrical, beautifully harmonious to behold, and utterly devoid of any drawbridge or moat: it may have had no true defensive purpose at all.
It is a highly symbolic building that most historians believe was designed by the Emperor himself. Its true purpose is not known but its symbolic importance is obvious. More details here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_del_Monte,_Apulia
It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Photo not relevant. I’m gonna take a break since I haven’t really had the motivation to post in the last few months. I will continue to make figs but you guys won’t see them. Sorry I don’t know how long this break will be for but if I decide it will be forever I will let y’all know.
Kinda decided at the last minute to attempt some eclipse shots... We had about 60% coverage here.
Pentax K-3 with Pentax-M 200mm F/4, Kiron MC7 2X tele-converter, and a couple of Firecrest IRND filters (a 1.2 and a 2.7). Also added a Pentax 1.4X HD DA AW tele-converter for two of these shots, and then scaled them down to match the others. I'm impressed that the old Pentax 200mm seems very well-calibrated for infinity. I tried to use my HD DA 55-300mm, but focusing was really difficult... Wound up shooting around F/11, 1/640 and ISO160, as I recall. Sorry: the exposure isn't exactly the same in all four frames...
IMPORTANT:
If you would like to use this photo in a way that is appropriate under its Creative Commons license, you are welcome to do so, but please make sure to credit me by my real name and Flickr handle, and please also include a link to the Flickr page of the photo, as well as a link to the relevant Creative Commons license text. I have put examples of proper attribution on my profile page. Optionally, you may also send me a little note about your use... :)
For any other type of use, please contact me to properly license this image.
Thank you!
(Eclipse2x2Shrp)
(more details later, as time permits)
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Sometime in 2014, I created Flickr album for photos that I had started taking with my iPhone5s; and a year later, in the fall of 2014, I started a new Flickr album for photos that I’ve begun taking with my iPhone6, and iPhone6+. But progress doesn’t stop (at least with Apple): as of October 2015, I’ve upgraded once again, to the iPhone6s and 6s+ (yes, both of them) and this new album contains photos created with those camera-phones
In last year’s Flickr album, I wrote, “Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it’s hard to walk around with a modern smartphone in your pocket, and not be tempted to use the built-in camera from time-to-time. Veteran photographers typically sneer at such behavior, and most will tell you that they can instantly recognize an iPhone photo, which they mentally reject as being unworthy of any serious attention.
“After using many earlier models of smartphones over the past several years, I was inclined to agree; after all, I always (well, almost always) had a “real” camera in my pocket (or backpack or camera-bag), and it was always capable of taking a much better photographic image than the mediocre, grainy images shot with a camera-phone.
“But still … there were a few occasions when I desperately wanted to capture some photo-worthy event taking place right in front of me, and inevitably it turned out to be the times when I did not have the “real” camera with me. Or I did have it, but it was buried somewhere in a bag, and I knew that the “event” would have disappeared by the time I found the “real" camera and turned it on. By contrast, the smart-phone was always in my pocket (along with my keys and my wallet, it’s one of the three things I consciously grab every time I walk out the door). And I often found that I could turn it on, point it at the photographic scene, and take the picture much faster than I could do the same thing with a “traditional” camera.
“Meanwhile, smartphone cameras have gotten substantially better in the past few years, from a mechanical/hardware perspective; and the software “intelligence” controlling the camera has become amazingly sophisticated. It’s still not on the same level as a “professional” DSLR camera, but for a large majority of the “average” photographic situations we’re likely to encounter in the unplanned moments of our lives, it’s more and more likely to be “good enough.” The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is more and more relevant these days. For me, 90% of the success in taking a good photo is simply being in the right place at the right time, being aware that the “photo opportunity” is there, and having a camera — any camera — to take advantage of that opportunity. Only 10% of the time does it matter which camera I’m using, or what technical features I’ve managed to use.
“And now, with the recent advent of the iPhone5s, there is one more improvement — which, as far as I can tell, simply does not exist in any of the “professional” cameras. You can take an unlimited number of “burst-mode” shots with the new iPhone, simply by keeping your finger on the shutter button; instead of being limited to just six (as a few of the DSLR cameras currently offer), you can take 10, 20, or even a hundred shots. And then — almost magically — the iPhone will show you which one or two of the large burst of photos was optimally sharp and clear. With a couple of clicks, you can then delete everything else, and retain only the very best one or two from the entire burst.
“With that in mind, I’ve begun using my iPhone5s for more and more “everyday” photo situations out on the street. Since I’m typically photographing ordinary, mundane events, even the one or two “optimal” shots that the camera-phone retains might not be worth showing anyone else … so there is still a lot of pruning and editing to be done, and I’m lucky if 10% of those “optimal” shots are good enough to justify uploading to Flickr and sharing with the rest of the world. Still, it’s an enormous benefit to know that my editing work can begin with photos that are more-or-less “technically” adequate, and that I don’t have to waste even a second reviewing dozens of technically-mediocre shots that are fuzzy, or blurred.
“Oh, yeah, one other minor benefit of the iPhone5s (and presumably most other current brands of smartphone): it automatically geotags every photo and video, without any special effort on the photographer’s part. Only one of my other big, fat cameras (the Sony Alpha SLT A65) has that feature, and I’ve noticed that almost none of the “new” mirrorless cameras have got a built-in GPS thingy that will perform the geotagging...
“I’ve had my iPhone5s for a couple of months now, but I’ve only been using the “burst-mode” photography feature aggressively for the past couple of weeks. As a result, the initial batch of photos that I’m uploading are all taken in the greater-NYC area. But as time goes on, and as my normal travel routine takes me to other parts of the world, I hope to add more and more “everyday” scenes in cities that I might not have the opportunity to photograph in a “serious” way.”
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Okay, so now it’s October of 2015, and I’ve got the iPhone 6s/6s+. The the camera now has a 12-megapixel lens (instead of the older 8 MP version), and that the internal camera-related hardware/firmware/software is better, too. Obviously, I’ve got the newer iOS9, too, and even on the “old” phones, it now supports time-lapse videos along with everything else.
I’ve still got my pocket camera (an amazing little Sony RX-100 Mark IV, which replaces the Mark III I had last year), and two larger cameras (Sony RX-10 II, and Sony A7 II), but I have a feeling that I won’t even be taking them out of the camera bag when I’m out on the street for ordinary day-to-day walking around.
That will depend, obviously, on what kind of photos and videos the iPhone6s/6s+ camera actually capable of taking … so I’m going to try to use at leas one of them every day, and see what the results look like …
Like I said last year, “stay tuned…”
Detroit, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2024
East Congress Street is an important and historically relevant street located in the civic centre of downtown Detroit, on the city's east side.
Location and Function: The street runs parallel to the Detroit River, just south of Jefferson Avenue. It is a key thoroughfare that cuts through the city's financial and governmental district, and historically was an important area for shipping commerce and judicial activity.
Key Landmarks: Along or very near East Congress Street are significant buildings reflecting its civic role:
Detroit City-County Building (Coleman A. Young Municipal Center): This skyscraper, home to municipal and county offices, is located very close by.
Federal Buildings: The area also houses several federal and courthouse buildings.
Connections: The street is essential for connecting the business district with the modern Renaissance Center (to the southeast) and the Campus Martius area (to the west), serving as an alternative transport axis to the main thoroughfares.
Character: East Congress Street is noted for its architecture of classic-era brick and stone buildings and its consistent function as an administrative and business hub.
"The Feline Joker" ( Acrylic on Canvas 23"X26") This is a photo of one of my old paintings that I rendered some 30 years ago...Thought it might be of interest, with masks being so relevant today.
Quand un homme pisse, il regarde la cuvette ! Qu’est-ce qui m ‘a pris en relevant la tête !
Une queue s’agite, grise … un oiseau pfff … L’homme continue son oeuvre, concentré sur sa tâche 😅 mais c’est qu’elle s’agite bougrement … la queue … il est quand même gros ce piaf, on dirait que le ventre est un peu rayé. J’arrête de me concentrer sur ce que je faisais pour me concentrer sur cet oiseau … qui a bien voulu se tourner : aucun doute c’est un Epervier qui prend mon bosquet pour un fast-food !
Je fonce prendre le boîtier, les 1ères photos seront prises au travers de la vitre de la salle de bain, j’ai fini par ouvrir la fenêtre doucement, la scène de pose durera environ 9 mn, la victime semble être une Mésange ou une Sittelle.
La nature n’est pas tendre, l’Epervier a le ventre plein et les passereaux du jardin vont devoir faire attention !
When a man pees, he watches the basin ! What did I do raising my head ! A tail is moving, it’s grey … a bird pfff … The man continues his job, focus to work 😅 but this tail is moving a lot … he is quite big this bird, it seems the belly is striped. I stop to be concentrated on my first job to really focus on this bird … which is turning : no doubt he’s a Sparrowhawk taking my grove for a fast-food !
I rush to get my camera, 1st photos will be taken through the bathroom window, I ended by slowly open it, the shot scene will take about 9 mn, the victim seems to be a Tit or a Nuthatch.
Nature is not sweet, the Sparrowhawk has a full stomach and garden passerines must take care !
Hello there. Relevant comments welcome but please do NOT post any link(s). All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. You need my permission to use any image for ANY purpose.
Copyright infringement is theft.
In July and August 2015, we spent a few weeks touring the southern Italian provinces of Basilicata, Puglia and Campania.
I am in the process of uploading a selection of photographs from that trip. As usual, whenever relevant or necessary, I will write a specific caption below in bold type.
A cathedral by the sea: the San Niccola Pellegrino Romanesque cathedral is one of the most beautiful and impressive Romanesque churches I have ever seen.
I remember when I went to see it one morning, we were staying in our rented house on the Costa Amalfitana on the Mediterranean side of southern Italy (south of Naples) and I had to drive all the way across Italy to the Adriatic coast and back in the evening. My wife didn't want to come and I kept hoping it would be worth, and boy wasn’t I disappointed!
The erection of this enormous cathedral began in 1099 and was completed by 1149, i.e., at a time when the Puglia province was under Norman domination.
Lateral view of the façade with the Adriatic in the background. The cathedral is built right next to the water.
Quite a relevant photo, if I look through my window right now..
~ teenagedust.blogspot.fr/2012/09/last-week-in-edinburgh.html
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Well, hey there Flickr! It certainly feels like I've been away for quite some time. School has really taken over any free time I've had, so editing and posting has been a bit difficult.
I knew I wanted something relevant for Christmas for today, so for the past few weeks, I've been hard at work on this photo.
I have yet to photograph the 60th anniversary castle, so for the time being, this will have to do! I do really miss those icicle lights, as much as I love our bedazzled castle.
Thanks for your views, comments, and favorites!
This is somewhat relevant right? Everyone loved Secret Invasion?
Not meant to be relevant anyway - mainly spurred by newly acquired parts: Goblin's legs, Super Skrull's fist and orange leg, and Scorpion's torso.
Hello there. Relevant comments welcome but please do NOT post any link(s). All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. You need my permission to use any image for ANY purpose.
Copyright infringement is theft.
Paphos Castle is located at the western end of the city port. It was originally a Byzantine fortress built to protect the port. Today, the visitor can see the Western Frankish Tower with the Venetian additions as restored by the Ottomans in 1592, according to a relevant inscription above the entrance of the castle. A white marble slab (dimensions: 150 × 40 cm) above the entrance of the tower refers to its reconstruction in 1592 AD, by the Turkish governor of Cyprus Ahmet Pasha (1589–1593).
The main fortress of the city was located in Saranta Kolones, about 600 meters west, and was destroyed by the earthquake of 1222.
The original Byzantine fortress was destroyed in the earthquake of 1222. It was rebuilt and expanded by the Lusignans in the 13th century. They also built the so-called "Genoese Towers". It is a castle consisting of a complex of 2 towers, the ruins of which are located 80 meters east of the Castle, right at the entrance of the port and served as the best defense. Although these towers were considered subservient to the larger castle they had no contact with each other and were probably a separate castle. They got their name because of their importance in the battle against the Genoese in 1373, where they played an important role in the defense of the city port, as the Genoese were mainly a naval force. They were also important in the battle against the Mamluks in 1426, where they suffered severe damage and have not been rebuilt since. The Towers were destroyed after a strong earthquake in 1491, but their ruins are still visible. The castle was maintained by the Venetians who made some additions.
The Castle resisted the Genoese invasion in 1373 and was one of the few not covered by the Mamluks in 1426, under the guidance of its Guardsman, Sforza, who was a fierce Spanish mercenary. In August 1570, when the Turks landed, his guard failed to leave it, as was the case in other cases. Despite the bravery of the defenders and the good position of the Castle after 16 days of fierce fighting, his guard resisted inside the Castle which was destroyed. The Ottomans repaired the ruins of the castle, based on the original building, as due to its strong construction there was no complete destruction. The castle during the Turkish occupation had a guard of 100 men and 12 cannons which left with the arrival of the British in 1878.
Hello there. Relevant comments welcome but please do NOT post any link(s). All my images are my own original work, under my copyright, with all rights reserved. You need my permission to use any image for ANY purpose.
Copyright infringement is theft.
Took several shots, hard to be sure of orthogonality and visibility of dark words against dark background. Shopkeeper emerged, with a skeptical look. I explained, in English (with relevant gestures),
“I know a woman …
(eyes averted, gathering a memory)
Whose husband is very robust …
(Chest puffed up).
She wears a t-shirt, which reads …
(Dragging a finger across my chest)
‘Dibs on the Cowboy’.
This is for her.”
We exchanged smiles.”
And for you!
My brother, Joseph Cowlishaw setup a GoFundMe to help replace what was stolen: tinyurl.com/NateArizona
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#HeartBreakingNews: I was completely robbed/scammed of all the money I accrued from selling my old Canon camera gear 24 hours ago. I’m at a loss. I’m sad and disheartened by these people. I’m not going to be able to get the camera and 2 lenses that I was aiming for on this next round. I was very close to getting a now discontinued but still very relevant full frame Sony A7R Mark II for landscapes and events and the goal was to get a portrait lens and a 28mm wide angle landscape lens. So...for the foreseeable future I will not be composing or capturing new landscapes and beauty until I find a way to get back on track. It’s hard to not feel like crap when you’re trying to grow and achieve progress and some low down rotten mangy takes everything you have left. I was just getting ready to get back on track, build the Fest for this year, along with a dozen other tasks and now I’m just feeling disheartened today. 5 years ago I was physically robbed. This is a very similar rut/feeling.
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#BEWARE (@PayPal) So basically what PayPal told me today is if someone hacks your email, uses it to hack your PayPal and send money through the friends and family option to some rogue Scammer’s email, there’s ABSOLUTELY NO WAY for them to reverse the transaction!? Did you get that? They’re hands are tied and your money is whisked away with no hope! Even the #CedarCity #PoliceDepartment along with local #lawenforcement said my chances of getting any justice from this case was slim after filing a police report for the theft of $1,200 dollars.
Picture was taken before this cow crossed the road out by the #Ghosttown of #Frisco #Utah.k
Last year I decided that I was going to start reading more and I read 255 books. This year, I wanted to up my game a little bit and do more like a reading marathon and ended up the year reading 365 books, a book for every day. Even though I am a pretty athletic person, I can't run because it hurts my knees. I am not as graceful and elegant as I would need to be for professional dance and sports has never interested me. But reading is the one thing I can do and I like to do at the gym, on planes, in bed, and in the bathtub primarily. So, I made an effort to read for a minimum of 2 1/2 hours per day and sometimes ended up reading for more like 4 hours a day on weekends and when I had other days off from work. I didn't read to show off but to escape the reality of our current country's political situation and to learn more about the lives and perspectives of others unlike me. Reading a mixture of novels, nonfiction essays and immigrant stories, collections of poetry and short stories, I read less than 10% of these books by white people and of those 10%, most were by women. I can say that I really enjoyed the vast majority of the books I've read and don't have any significant regrets for this reading marathon.
I should also note that, although some of these books did come out in 2019, many did not. The following are my favorite books of this year that I read this year (regardless of their original publication date). I know I am also probably forgetting some and I feel remiss in that too, but I spent hours writing the following (even longer than that reading these) and I hope some of you get some good recommendations of books you might also like to read or can connect with me on a book you have read. Feel free to share your favorites as well! I am highly interested in having conversations about books and finding out about literature I may have had less exposure to living in America.
1. Tell Me Who You Are by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi
This book is an astounding work that covers so many different states and personal backgrounds to reflect on race in America. If you like Humans of New York, this is a little like that in the sense that it explores what makes us human but it's a great more complex and thorough than that-maybe a Humans of America. The fact that Guo and Vulchi were able to travel all across the US to gain an understanding of so many people and how their race has affected their lives is a daring and meaningful venture in and of itself but it's also clear that they make a concerted effort to explore the things these people like and enjoy so that there's a fuller sense to some things they have in common with others. In addition, the photographs of these people really add to a sense of them. if you do not fall in love with these humans along with this work as a whole, that is a loss for you. We must change in our country. We must develop more empathy and patience. We must be able to listen to others who we think we share nothing in common with and find the things we do share whilst respecting individual differences. This is the only way we will be able to heal and move forward.
This book is a masterpiece and should be celebrated in every household across America.
2. Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
This book is so relevant to what is happening at the border with the unfair treatment of families from Mexico right now in all of our names but it also manages a personal touch with an extended road trip and the link between the mother/protagonist and her own family and how she handles her own children being separated from her. This is a harrowing read, especially because there is truth in the weight of our names as Americans being tied to the deep sins of mistreating other humans. This is also, however a very poetic read, haunting in its lyrical quality and in the way that Luiselli is able to adeptly convey the range of emotions she feels, desperate and distraught but also so very insightful. You will read these pages wit your heart in your throat, worry that if you are not careful, you may actually end of swallowing it.
www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/03/lost-children-archi...
3. Frontier by Can Xue
2019 was the year I discovered Can Xue, the experimental fiction author from China who, at first, everyone thought was male as her pen name isn't especially gender specific. Can Xue is not understood fully by probably most people and I myself had to read several sentences over again a few times, especially this work, the most esoteric of what I've read (three novels and one short story collection this year). The imagery is especially potent here and you don't really know exactly what is happening in the way the human form can transform. You really don't know quite what could be actually happening....and what could be a dream or a hallucination. This would be a book I would read at the end of the world cuddled under a blanket and remembering the most imaginative humans could be then hoping there were some creatives still left out in the tundra of the world.
www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-mysterious-fronti...
4. Though the Arc of the Rainforest by Karen Tei Yamashita
Another new author I discovered was Karen Tei Yamashita and, though I also enjoyed reading a collection of her plays entitled Anime Wong, I even more so enjoyed reading this novel. Yamashita is Japanese American but you get more of that specific perspective from her plays. Set between Japan and Brazil, this novel features a very vivid cast of interesting characters not to mention the protagonist that is the rotating ball in front of the Japanese train conductor's head. This is one of the most unique books I have ever read in my life and it's no surprise that the forward is from one of the most highly intelligent authors in the world, Percival Everett. This novel is a real treat and is a riveting surreal adventure.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-tei-yamashita-2/...
5. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
I've spent many years not knowing very much at all about the lives of those who live in North Korea, much as the citizens of North Korea have spent their lives knowing not too much about others outside of their country. This non fiction work follows the lives of North Koreans who escape into China and South Korea and manage to be granted refugee status and follows them up until the early 2000s. It's another book that disarms you in its brutality. Demick records the stories of their lives, how they bought into propaganda, and how they started to gather inklings of the truth while they were in their home country. The depth of the poverty and brainwashing is immense from the time that these people are schoolchildren. Even if they were starving, if someone came by and saw that their picture of Kim Jong-il then Kim Jong-un weren't immaculate, they could be taken and forced into a labor camp. If they didn't weep loud enough at the death of Kim Jong-il, they were also suspect and no one could trust their neighbors, who could also very likely be government informants. The only media that they had access to was North Korean and Russian propaganda films and even their literature was greatly restricted. In addition, even having a bowl of rice a day was seen as a great luxury. Many starved to death and were happy to have less mouths to feed in their family. The clothing women could wear was also severely limited. This was (and possibly still in many ways is) a super suppressed society (from the point of view of an American especially.) I'd be curious if anything has changed and what but really what honestly struck me is how the government deliberately misled their citizens into thinking that they were producing things they weren't and that the rest of the world was under the same amount of hardship. This is a government who would rather see their people starve than to stoop to accepting aid from abroad. It's eye opening and terrifying for me to think of the people who have suffered and died under these regimes.
www.theguardian.com/books/2010/apr/03/nothing-envy-korea-...
6. The Pretty One by Keah Brown
There has been a real paucity in literature of valuable and unique human perspectives and this work of nonfiction is an incredibly valuable addition to the canon of literature as a whole and adds to our collective human empathy and understanding of the range of experiences one can have while being alive. Keah Brown is a woman like none other-honest about the world and her own growth as a human, friend, and twin sister, insightful about the racism and ableism in our current present world and humorous in her observations of pop culture. Keah Brown has a different ability level and many might say she has a disability. I say she has an ability that most other people do not possess and may not ever possess. That doesn’t mean that our physical environment does not need to become more accommodating (it does) and that people don’t need to develop more empathy (they do). But, it does mean that we would all be wise to learn from her perspective.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/disabledandcut...
7. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
One of the most astounding books of fiction I read this year was a book that feels incredibly brave and is loosely based on actual incidents that happened in the Rodney King riots of LA. Steph Cha is Korean American but it became widely clear from this novel that she is very invested in promoting healing between the Korean and African American communities. The novel goes back and forth between 1991 and 2019 and explores racism with a deep and personal delving that made me literally at times gasp out loud. There’s a question of human accountability, retribution, and these are treated with care and contentiousness. This is the kind of wholly relevant novel we can all learn something from even despite it being technically fiction. There are still lots of truths to be found here.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steph-cha/your-house-w...
8. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Khan-Cullors
If you live in America and are even remotely aware of the racist systems and acts of violence that are committed against those in the African and African American communities, you should be appalled. I can tell you just reading even what is considered to be “liberal” news outlets I am appalled by how quickly and often they show any mug shot of a person of color but (I always call this correctly), when it’s a white terrorist who has committed a hate crime, we don’t see his face for several days or longer. The fact of the matter is, most of the time these acts are not even classified as terrorism and yet they are just as damaging and politically motivated. This book explores the heartache and mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the police brutality and death and the systems in place that keep white people especially profiting. One day, I hope to live in a world where all are treated equally but we have a long ways to go and, as a human of privilege in this current world, I believe the only way we’re going to get there is if all people, including white people, advocate for an end to these racist systems and a place of acceptance, love, and respect for everyone in this world. I’m never going to claim I know the fear and the danger and the distrust that one must feel being Black in America but I do feel extreme sadness when I see cops having no accountability for murder, for profit prisons capitalizing on modern day slavery, and a whole range of racism happening in terms of regentrification, lack of funding for public schools in neighborhoods where there are more people of color, food deserts, and other appalling neglectful practices by our own government. It is shameful. There should be reparations. And, even more so, I do believe that the police in this country are currently doing more harm than good and that we should abolish at least 90% of our prisons. (I’d say abolish all but I want there to still be a place for Trump and all his friends.) This is a must read for all humans who want to come to a better understanding of what it takes to make a movement and the real human damage to what has occurred in several cities across America where the blood on our hands cannot ever be washed off.
patrissecullors.com/call-terrorist-black-lives-matter-mem...
9. Women Talking by Miriam Toews
I’ve read several novels by Miriam Toews and, though I have enjoyed all of them, this is one of her stand alone masterpieces. Miriam Toews comes from a Mennonite perspective and often her stories focus on Mennonite life with some personal anecdotes seemingly inserted here and there. This novel feels much different and offers an important aspect of feminism in terms of exploration of the human female mind after the real life events taking place in Bolivia in 2005-2009 when these women were raped consistently by men in their Mennonite community and were basically told by these men that these abuses were not happening and that these women were psychologically unsound. Most books of this nature explore the deep wounds of being a victim. This book offers a different sort of perspective. While still putting a human face to the damage done by men, it focuses more on the action of these women in discussions and meetings to decide how they will solve this problem going forward. Will they kick out the men? Will they leave completely? If they leave, will they take the children including the male children? At what age does a male stay behind? These are complex and very real questions and all choices are intellectually explored with great discussion. It made me feel the strength and empowerment of women vs. another book that would have focused more on these humans as victims instead. Well worth the read!
www.npr.org/2019/04/06/709530968/these-women-talking-buil...
10. Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
This is a daunting read. When I say daunting, I should clarify that while I have read a few 1000+ page novels before, they are usually separated into separate sentences. Ellmann clearly was going for a marathon level of stream of consciousness when she wrote this one. Most of the novel (I’d say 900+ pages of it) are The fact of___ the fact of______ the fact of____ the fact of___ and Ellmann reveals what haunts her the most-Trump and corporations valuing profit over people, gun toting MAGA white terrorists on the loose, poorly built bridges, cops shooting unarmed African Americans, and sort of what I can only say I would consider the collective disease process of being American in this present day. But, there is also the overarching story line of being a mother, a daughter whose mother has passed away of Cancer, remarrying after divorce, and oddly enough being a pie baker. She goes through several harrowing real life incidents in the book where she and her family are put in danger but that doesn’t give us a break from her very loud internal monologue that will suddenly just start listing off facts of films, every city she can think of, and random products. The reader’s only reprieve from this great feat of literature is when we see the perspective of a lioness running from hunters and trying to protect her progeny. I do think this book is worth reading, especially if you can get in the groove and feel the pulse of the first person female protagonist but you do need to obviously put in a huge time and emotional commitment. In order to help things flow more smoothly for you if you decide to take up this challenge as a reader, I suggest reading about 100 pages for 11 days straight or 50 pages a day for 21 days straight. If you do this, you manage to get into a certain groove by page 300 or so. Slowly but surely, all the tangential word salad starts making a weird sort of sense and you begin to really feel for the sense of this woman’s personal story and what she’s going through. Maybe it says something about me that I found her relatable even though I haven’t lost my mom to Cancer, haven’t gone through a divorce, do not have kids, and don’t have a clue how to bake a pie. But, I understand being caught in a state of almost helplessness about what my country has become and what I witness in terms of how people act towards each other. Anyway, a lot of people have abandoned this but it might be the perfect book to add to the next time capsule. Hopefully, things will get better in the new year.
www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/can-one-sentence-capt...
11. In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
I still haven’t watched the show Orange is the New Black, which stars Diane Guerrero, but I fell in love with her as Jane the Virgin’s good friend/sidekick Lina early on. (You can’t NOT watch Jane the Virgin if you live in Chicago. So many of my co-workers went to high school with Gina Rodriguez and always talk about how nice she was to everyone which is literally the opposite of what most people say about you in high school). That being said, I usually don’t read books just because they are by celebrities but I enjoyed this one as well as America Ferrera’s American Like Me: Reflections of Life Between Cultures and Tiffany Haddish’s The Last Black Unicorn. All three nonfiction autobiographies are worth reading and pondering over but Guerrero’s personal struggle against adversity when she literally came home as a teenager and found herself completely alone after her parents had been deported to Colombia struck a real sense in me of how, first it’s gotten even worse with ICE raids, and second, these children are such victims and we’re not even considering all the collateral human damage of what we do as a country when this happens. I found this autobiography brave, brutally honest, and even at times a little funny but mostly I found this to me about the power of perseverance and not giving up no matter what, not just in the struggle for survival, which was very real for Guerrero, but also in the struggle to do what you love and follow your dreams and actually make it. Guerrero is talented, that is for sure, but she is also a sort of superhero as well in what she has overcome and she has given us all a real gift of letting us glimpse the power of her human spirit.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/diane-guerrero/in-the-...
12. A Particular Type of Black Man by Tope Folarin
This is a complex portrait of a Nigerian family who immigrates to Utah of all places and it seems like some of this story must be based on Folarin’s own life experience in that he did have a family who immigrated here from Nigeria and spent some time growing up in Utah and other areas that are also mentioned in this book. What makes this book more unique than many immigrant fiction or pseudofiction is the exploration of the human mind and exploration of mental health and illness within the protagonist as well as this family unit. What also makes it worth reading is the sense of a celebration in Nigerian culture vs. complete desertion. There were insights and information in this book that really astounded me, even having lived in this country all my life (though, to be fair I have never been to Utah). Well worth the read!
www.npr.org/2019/08/24/751917486/tope-folarin-was-a-parti...
13. The Memory Police by Yoko Agawa
This is the second full length novel I’ve read by Yoko Agawa (I’ve also read and liked The Housekeeper and the Professor as well as her short story collection entitled Revenge). I enjoyed all three of these works but I liked The Memory Police by far the best…the concept that you slowly lose the memory of everything around you and hold dear and the including literally parts of yourself-limbs, for instance, and that anyone who still has the ability to remember is not safe but is taken and separated from society at the very least is a really intriguing concept but where the book really succeeds is in its exploration of memories in the sense that they make us human and are truly a part of us. It’s also a book within a book as we experience this cruel postmodern society from the protagonist while, at the same time, experience her own protagonist of the horror typewriter story she’s been authoring. I really enjoyed the strong sense of mood and contemplation on the nature of existence.
www.npr.org/2019/08/12/749538789/quiet-surreal-drama-and-...
14. Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra
This is a mixed sort of book between prose and poetry with some aspects of experimental fiction as well. One cannot help but fall in love a little bit with Guerra as she travels to Mexico, falls in love with an actor, tries to escape persecution from the Cuban government who are constantly monitoring every move she makes, and above all keeps writing as she attempts to discover the truth of the death of her parents as well as gain a sense of her place in the world as a woman, a poet, a human. Some of these lines of poetry are completely haunting and there’s some real themes in this novel about deconstruction and reconstruction.
www.npr.org/2018/12/05/673387723/complicated-challenging-...
www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/books/review/wendy-guerra-revo...
15. The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Lefteri is British but has worked with immigrants in Athens, which is where this story takes place at least in part. This is a really harrowing fictional account of a Syrian husband and wife who have lost their child and are each coping with it in their own ways (the mother soon after goes blind and the father suffers from delusions and hallucinations). This is also a story about the struggle for survival after witnessing the tragedy-the destruction of your home and everything you love, and the process of immigration to a safer space and country and the real life troubles to be found in these places as well. Oddly enough, I also learned a great deal about bees from this book but I still feel it is more focused on the desperation that people in Syria must feel and trying to get over incidents that have devastated them and should have never happened in the first place. On a personal level, I don’t believe in borders and I’d rather have more Syrians in my own country than horrible rich white men. No thanks!
www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/beekeeper-aleppo-novel
16. Those Who Wander: America's Lost Street Kids by Vivian Ho
America is a country of great wealth but, unfortunately, until our tax structure changes, it is a wealth owned by the very few whose greed is overpowering (I mean, everyone needs a 100th house while the homeless are dying on the streets, right). In California, especially the Bay Area, where this nonfiction work concentrates on, this is even more vividly so. The book explores the reasons behind actual murders that took place but also the desperate conditions that drive people to become homeless, the psychologies behind being homeless, and the resources that are available and kind people who have tried to help. This book is a really difficult read because of the subject matter but it is important that none of us look away and turn our backs on those who struggle. No one should have to live in poverty just so the most affluent people can become more powerful. But, of course, these uber rich are miserable too, you know. They too won’t be free until every other human is free.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/vivian-ho/those-who-wa...
18. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Oluo is incredible candid and honest not just about racism within our structures such as our for profit prison industrial system but within our daily interactions. She answers some questions white people might be too scared to answer and illuminates other things white people might be oblivious about in terms of their/our own sense of privilege. And she does all of this, I’m guess, with the hope that speaking truth to power will lead us all to be better people regardless of our race and also because communities have suffered because in 2019 (now 2020), white privilege is still very much a thing and is going strong.
www.thenationalbookreview.com/features/2018/2/1/pzq0lfjcp...
19. Logic in an Illogical World by Eugenia Cheng
I wouldn’t call myself a Mathematician by any standards. I can do basic algebra without a calculator and I see the artistic nature of geometry and can read and extrapolate from a variety of graphs but, most of the time, I still prefer art, literature, and music to Mathematics. Still, the one time I became really and truly excited about Math happened when I leared about Mathematical/Logical proofs and Cheng explores the art of proofs within the context of several political arguments relevant to this period of time in our shared human history. She touches on the less controversial to the extreme controversial and offers insights into personality and how she herself has changed when she has thought of an argument or a collection of facts in a different context. This book will help you see multiple points of view and have richer discussions about everything from mandatory voting practices to abortion.
www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/19/the-art-of-logic-by...
20. Making Comics by Lynda Barry
Many of the books I have written about have touched me and I have learned a great deal from them but this is one of those books that gave me very concrete ideas about activities to do with children at Chicago Public Schools. Not all of these activities are written to be done with children but many can be adapted and I have found that giving kids a 4-5 minute free draw at the end of my Occupational Therapy sessions not only motivates them to complete other challenges but also addresses a visual motor need they might have. I have really enjoyed tremendously seeing kids draw their favorite monster and also as themselves as an animal in particular. I think drawing can definitely be like dreams….you never truly know exactly what you are thinking and feeling until you let your mind and your hands go across the paper. This book also inspired me in a different way, which is to look at my own drawings not as technically good or bad but as a product of my own mind and spirit and, in that sense, it’s less damaging to me and less frustrating when I can’t draw something exactly how it looks in real life, for example. I loved all the exercises and visual examples in this book! It really can change your life if you let it!
www.npr.org/2019/11/27/782921983/cartoonist-lynda-barry-d...
21. Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal
I have to admit, I fell in love with the protagonist of this story, Kiran Sharma, who identifies with the deity of Krishna and is trying to find how own way in the world as both a boy who is discovering his own sexuality and the fact that he is gay, as well as a young man coming to terms with his identity as an Indian American boy living in middle America (Cincinnati, Ohio). Kiran is dramatic and perfect and Satyal really succeeds in painting a vivid portrait of growing up with obstacles but still being yourself despite these challenges. There were scenes in this book that made me laugh until I cried but also made me cry until I laughed. Wonderfully written with a true celebration of the human spirit and of the joy in being able to be yourself and learn to love everything that makes you: you!
www.lambdaliterary.org/reviews/fiction/06/08/blue-boy-by-...
22. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous By Ocean Vuong
First and foremost, Ocean Vuong is a poet and even in prose this comes out more than the vast majority of novel writers. This is his first actual work of fiction and feels a little traumatic and haunting it it’s deep feeling sense of the experience of life and family. Vuong’s deep feeling protagonist is trying to come to terms with the actions of and his relationship to his mother as well as some of his own life choices. You get the sense that each day brings its own struggles and is definitely not easy and that reality is a cruel sort of mistress that keeps revisiting him. But, the poetry above all will make you remember and want to return to this book.
www.npr.org/2019/06/05/729691730/on-earth-is-gorgeous-all...
23. A Woman is No Man By Etaf Rum
This book is about many things-family, tradition, but also feminism and a new generation of women who think and reach beyond their metaphysical borders. It follows three generations of a family who immigrated to Brooklyn from Palestine and the abuses they suffered at the hands of their men as well as the secrets they covered up. Most devastating is the way that the grandmother and mother expect (though much more so the grandmother) the conforming of the younger women to submit to all the male wishes and hide any evidence of their true selves that might appear ungrateful and difficult. This is a family that would rather kill than be seen as dishonorable and, though it is technically fiction, it is shocking in the depth of abuse these women take and how they themselves as humans are taken for granted. This book was full of surprises for me on virtually every page.
www.npr.org/2019/03/02/699051434/for-better-or-worse-new-...
24. Broken Places and Outer Spaces Nnedi Okorafor
I’m a big fan of the science fiction of Nnedi Okorafor, most notably Lagoon is my favorite, but this book is one I read this year and is a highly personal autobiographical account of her learning to break free from paralysis after a Scoliosis surgery that did not go as well as expected and finding her own unique voice and inspiration in the work of other artists to explore her own realm of Science Fiction in a way that is wholly worthwhile. I had no idea that the author I’ve read so many fiction books from had this extreme experience but I was indeed inspired by her own perseverance and coming to terms with the surgery and not letting limitations define her but pushing beyond these with a strength and dedication that doubtless has made her one of the very best authors in her field.
nnedi.com/books/broken_places_outer_spaces.html
25. John Edgar Wideman: Fanon
This is one of the more complex books of fiction I’ve read this year…it is truly a story within a story within a story based on some of Wideman’s real life with his brother as well as the actual life of the revolutionary Frantz Fanon..it’s about not wanting the cruelty of history to be repeated and about drawing connections between timelines and the way racism continues to impact people across continents today. It is at times highly poetic and at other times so visceral you might have to put it down but in any case very worthwhile reading and incredibly adept and masterful in its exploration of all of these connections and reconciliation between past and present with a hope for a better and different future. There are many passages here that are profound and all are thought provoking.
www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/books/review/Siegel-t.html
26. The Hungry Ghosts by Shyam Selvadurai
I have learned a great deal about the political crisis in Sri Lanka in the 1980s from Selvadurai. If you want to try to understand what was happening between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, this is a topic that Selvadurai visits often as well as coming of age as a man who is gay and being an immigrant in Canada. There’s also a real delving into the classism inherent within the Sri Lankan society between these people and also, between the protagonist’s own grandmother and her tenants and the abuse and neglect that happens to the poor. Meanwhile, the grandmother manages to distance herself from her actions and convince herself that these people brought these things on themselves with bad karma…by her own standards, she should expect a much worse life in her next one. There are many similar topics in terms of Sri Lankan politics and coming to terms with one’s own sexuality in Funny Boy but this seemed more of an in depth work so I would recommend reading The Hungry Ghosts if you have limited reading time but you may find you’d like to read his others anyhow.
nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/book-re...
27. Taina by Ernesto Quinonez
I read two of Quinonez’s novels back to back and while I liked the emotional drama and complexity of Bodega Dreams, I really liked the sense of Puerto Rican tradition and strong female main character here. This involves everything from the idea of magical realism to deep religious beliefs. Could Taina be a postmodern virgin Mary? Could this be immaculate conception? The other protagonist, a young male, is willing to believe anything she says and fight for her virtue. While this story takes place primarily in Spanish Harlem, it also shows the inherent racism and classism in NYC as a whole while adeptly pulling one into the personalities and tribulations of the characters. Well worth reading!
apnews.com/f8209640f0554191a893cbe61a4583b9
28. On Black Sisters Street Chika Unigwe
This book explores the lives of African women immigrating to Belgium in hopes of a better life and being lied to with the idea that they could be housekeepers and nannies but then are sold into a sex trade where they are basically enslaved until they raise an inordinate amount of money to “pay back” their immigration fee. It is about living unsafely as an illegal and being forced into prostitution just to survive, which happens far more frequently than many people might realize. Women on our own are valuable in terms of our ideas and our empathy but the world will still look at women as a whole and women from African especially as only worthwhile as a body to rape. This is a very difficult read, mainly because of the aspects of truth that this happens but also because you get attached to the characters and don’t want them to suffer, which is the work of a great novelist in and of itself.
www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/books/review/book-review-on-bl...
29. Home a Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah
This is a really insightful read for anyone who is looking to hear about the author’s escape from Syria to refugees in Canada. We learn a lot about the power of the human spirit and it is also in many ways a testament to why all countries should welcome refugees. It is also valuable in terms of giving ideas on how we can do better in terms of supporting the transition between countries when there is a new language, culture shock, and when families need to keep something similar in place such as even a space to pray in schools. We need to all make sure we are being kind and sensitive and welcoming as well as aware of the probably trauma that refugees have suffered, especially coming from war torn countries. This also shows us how valuable it is to listen and to help refugees tell their stories, as the work of Rabeeah’s Language Arts teacher Winnie Yeung is the reason why we have this remarkable autobiography.
quillandquire.com/review/homes-a-refugee-story/
30. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
There were many times reading this book I felt fascinated, wondered about the choices of the characters and what they would do next, and drawn to the mystery surrounding the death that unites all of them from the beginning of the Moroccan American father who owns a restaurant and is suspiciously killed by a hit and run. This is a work of fiction but the way it explores racism and xenophobia is all too real and Lalami really helps the reader sense the loss of humanity when incidents like this take place as well as the complexity of it between the investigation and trial and the level of dishonesty too. It’s also interesting because it involves an unlikely inter-racial love affair and there’s a sense that when these two people can fall in love, maybe we can all reconcile our differences with each other…maybe….hopefully we are capable.
www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-lailalalami-otheramericans...
31. The Making of a Dream: How a Group of Young Undocumented Immigrants Helped Change What It Means to Be American By, Laura Wides Munoz
This is a really comprehensive work of nonfiction chronicling the 1,500 walk of a group of Dreamers and a decade of work beginning with Obama and coming up to the published date of January 2019. It makes no qualms about exposing the frustrations and stalemate of the Obama presidency in getting protections but also the horrors of our current political situation for these young and determined humans that are also vulnerable despite their bravery and fierceness. We get to know the inner workings of their lives and family situations, their education and history of what drives them the most in terms of their advocacy. Munoz also exposes how some movements such as gay rights and marriage are pitted against others like the movement to protect Dreamers and how a single year cut off can arbitrary ruin human lives and mean deportations. This is an important read for anyone who still thinks these amazing humans don’t belong or deserve to be here (They do!) and who still thinks it’s easy to become a legal immigrant if you’re just willing to go through the established process….this line of thinking is an ignorant myth. These humans deserve so much more than this. Let’s hope 2020 brings us a new president who is willing to provide more protections and also welcome more immigrants to America.
www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/books/review/laura-wides-munoz...
32. Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraquib
Hanif always brings himself into his writing about music and this is why, even if you are not the biggest Tribe Called Quest Fan, you will still find many reasons to fall in love with this book. That being said, my partner has always loved Tribe and I finally fell in love myself when I saw them perform and was able to photograph them (see: www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/35348763944/in/photolist... ) Hanif made me love both him and the band even more in the way that he explores their history, why their music is groundbreaking, and their contemporaries as well. Hanif also explores his own love of music and how music was seen in his family. There’s also a story early on that shows the racism of his music teacher at school that made me feel so devastated that these things happen from teachers who are supposed to be loving and nonjudgmental. There is so much to love and learn from in this book and, even if you don’t fall in love with Tribe, you might still fall deeper in love with humanity and our relationship to nourishing sound.
www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/10/go-ahead-in-the-rai...
33. Call Me American Abdi Nor Iftin
Oh my God the lengths that this man goes to in order to survive civil war in Somalia, escape to Kenya then to the US is insane. My heart was in my throat for the vast majority of this book…a really survival against all odds life story. It also gives a glimpse at how much tragedy some of our immigrants are carrying with them when they come here and the love and supports we should all give them. Abdi Nor Iftin is extremely intelligent and also funny but I can’t imagine going through even 10% of what he went through when he was trying to escape warring tribes and seeing so much death around him and still being able to lift my head off the pillow each morning.
www.nytimes.com/2018/07/15/books/call-me-american-abdi-no...
34. Passing by Nella Larsen
I read both Passing and Quicksand by Nella Larsen this year and liked them both quite a bit. Both have a lot to offer in terms of insights into classism and racism but Passing feels a little more vivid to me maybe because it is set between Chicago and NYC whereas much of Quicksand takes place in Denmark. Both novels are well worth reading though and Passing has both a personal component between these two women with a shared history and that of secrets and racism as one woman is passing for white in trade of an elevated place in society at the time. In addition to giving us glimpses of both cities in 1929, it shows a little bit about what it was like both living as a white woman and living as a black woman and the level of anxiety felt by those who tried to keep their race a secret.
electricliterature.com/in-nella-larsens-passing-whiteness...
35. Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card Sara Saedi
In many ways, this is about a family torn because of their differing immigration statuses and how arbitrary all that seems when we’re talking about real humans and not just letters and numbers on a page. This is a family that will go to all lengths in order to get citizenship for themselves and others and will fight to be Americans even though America does not treat them as kindly or with justice. This is also a great deal about the joys of family, of Iranian culture, and also of coming of age and pop culture in America. Saedi, who now writes for iZombie (I still haven’t seen this show myself but now I might give it a try), is at times poignant and at other times really hilarious. You really get a sense of her personality in this autobiography and it really makes you again realize how much immigrants have to offer America and how they deserve far better than what they are given most of the time. It’s a tragedy that we treat humans the way we do simply because they aren’t born here. That needs to stop.
www.npr.org/2018/03/28/597600898/americanized-recounts-wh...
36. Lindy West: The Witches are Coming
Lindy West is hilarious in her examination of racism, sexism, whole bodyism and all that really needs to change about reality. I learned things I somehow missed, like how “Grumpy Cat’s” owners came up with a ridiculous far fetched story so cover up for the fact they were using an insult/slur used for those with different ability levels. I also found the chapters about Adam Sandler and Joan Rivers pretty insightful as well. There were many times I felt like, “Yeah, I agree with that” but she has a really great cutting way about how she presents information and also her opinions that make it a good read.
www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/lindy-west-casts...
37. The Reactive By, Ntshanga, Masande
I’ve never read a book quite like this. If you want to know what it was like to be HIV+ in the late 1990s-early 2000s and living in South Africa, this book is the one for you. But also, this book is about family, about overcoming loss, about deep friendships and has a great deal of existentialism and in general bizarre interactions, drug trial and substance abuse, and an analysis of racism in Cape Town as well. I felt very strongly that I both learned something and gained an attachment to these fictional characters and what they were going through.
slate.com/culture/2016/07/masande-ntshangas-the-reactive-...
38. Brother by David Chariandy
Set in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, this follows second generation Trinidadian immigrants and the racism they encounter living there in the early 1990s. This is a really well written look at family, especially these two brothers and the bond between them and how the family deals with all of life’s small and large tragedies. It’s also a book that will likely devastate you, though I don’t want to spoil anything by saying more.
www.cbc.ca/books/brother-by-david-chariandy-1.4246382
39. A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian
This could be another book about class warfare and profit over people but the layers in it are exceptional and what Subramanian does really well is to delve into the different personalities and power in the women in this place ironically called Heaven and illustrate the need for women to stick together.
www.nytimes.com/2019/04/26/books/review/mathangi-subraman...
40. Dinner By, César Aira
I read a couple of novels/novellas by César Aira and a collection of short stories called The Musical Brain and Other Stories, which was also phenomenal. Dinner was even more unexpected and hilarious because it combines the need to be remembered and the power of names with a zombie uprising in the little town of Pringles in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I love the politically astute sense to this and the twists in the plot. Really a very unique book not just about zombies but about the power of human memory.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cesar-aira/dinner-aira/
A couple of really highly recommended books of poetry:
The City in Which I Love You Li-Young Lee
Rangoli by Pavana Reddy
A couple of quick cat related books
I don’t think the following books are necessarily life changing but I did want to mention to them in case you are a cat lover like I am! I think animals bring out the best in humans when we find ourselves at our most compassionate and so I’ve always enjoyed reading books that feature cats. Here are the couple I read this year and enjoyed:
If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura
We could give up movies and time but could we give up cats? What if we were terminally ill and this could buy us one more day on Earth….what would we give up?
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
For the vast majority of this book, we really don’t know why the protagonist is looking for someone to take care of his cat but we get to meet a lot of different types of people from his past and learn about them, which is both interesting and philosophical.
ENG: My first visit to Hamburg and all relevant photographic sights. The title "Into the sun" fits here quite well. Because the stairs from the underground station "Hamburg HafenCity University" of the line U4 are quite long.
I must also say that the drivers of the Hamburg Hightrain "HVV" are very nice. My child was even allowed to look into the cab of the subway and see everything. Simply fantastic and once again a thank you to the friendliness of the people of Hamburg.
GER: Mein erster Hamburg Besuch und gleich mal zu allen relevanten Fotografischen Sehenswürdigkeiten. Der Titel „In die Sonne hinein“ passt hier ganz gut. Da die Treppen vom U-Bahnhof „Hamburg HafenCity Universität“ der Linie U4 doch recht lang sind.
Ich muss auch sagen, dass die Fahrer der Hamburger Hochbahn „HVV“ sehr nett sind. Mein Kind durfte sogar in den Führerstand der U-Bahn und sich alles anschauen. Einfach fantastisch und noch mal ein Dankeschön an die Freundlichkeit der Hamburger.
"Caravaggio’s rich color palette and subtle contrast of light and dark inspired my latest collection of bags for men. There’s a return of old value. You see all these young gentlemen about. It’s a new classicism. Caravaggio is relevant today because he was conflicted but extremely brave in his choices. I wanted to create a feeling of timelessness, which only great works of art can convey.”
Silvia Venturini Fendi, handbag designer
"Cast a cold eye on it all, and on my work. I am still alive."
Christopher Peachment, Caravaggio
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© Copyright Natalie Panga - All rights reserved.
The unbearable tension inside the sacred manger of art provokes a desperate leap out into the nearest thing to the green, as it were, to take a deep breath barefoot, leaving behind the shadow with a disproportionately oversized skull, holding on to the receiver as a last means of inspiration.
//These words suggested by the inscrutable links of friendship serve to add Janos Kepes’s personal verbal articulation to Richard Wohlfart’s photographs, a single if relevant item of an infinite set of possible resonances.//
*
Zones II. – at closer range
Hasselblad camera with Polaroid film back, our home-made radio remote trigger, synchronized flashes and stands: this is the technical equipment that was used us to take a self-portrait series in my intimate environment, so that I as a photographer can exclude the presence of a fellow photographer, thereby avoiding the anxiety such a situation should normally cause. It’s a pair work. My partner calls, talks to me, asks questions, argues, gives orders and at odd times, without actually seeing them, shoots pictures of my personal Zones without actually seeing them. Meanwhile my real self increasingly blends with the artist and this „surreal role”. The objects, colours, the whole setting of my life is virtually converted into a stage by the special lighting.
At one point the artistic concept starts a life of its own and transforms thoughts and feelings. Can it be kept within strict bounds? Is it allowed for the artist to stray or even „cheat”? Can anyone discern the new intentions and breakpoints while the technique is unchanged? No matter how vague the outlines, these zones finally make sense as a whole, if only for us.
Kriszti Mag, Richard Wohlfart
Relevant because school starts tomorrow and the book is all about high school. I've been doing this since I was 5, you would think I wouldn't be nervous.
(more details later, as time permits)
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Sometime in 2014, I created Flickr album for photos that I had started taking with my iPhone5s; and a year later, in the fall of 2014, I started a new Flickr album for photos that I’ve begun taking with my iPhone6, and iPhone6+. But progress doesn’t stop (at least with Apple): as of October 2015, I’ve upgraded once again, to the iPhone6s and 6s+ (yes, both of them) and this new album contains photos created with those camera-phones
In last year’s Flickr album, I wrote, “Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it’s hard to walk around with a modern smartphone in your pocket, and not be tempted to use the built-in camera from time-to-time. Veteran photographers typically sneer at such behavior, and most will tell you that they can instantly recognize an iPhone photo, which they mentally reject as being unworthy of any serious attention.
“After using many earlier models of smartphones over the past several years, I was inclined to agree; after all, I always (well, almost always) had a “real” camera in my pocket (or backpack or camera-bag), and it was always capable of taking a much better photographic image than the mediocre, grainy images shot with a camera-phone.
“But still … there were a few occasions when I desperately wanted to capture some photo-worthy event taking place right in front of me, and inevitably it turned out to be the times when I did not have the “real” camera with me. Or I did have it, but it was buried somewhere in a bag, and I knew that the “event” would have disappeared by the time I found the “real" camera and turned it on. By contrast, the smart-phone was always in my pocket (along with my keys and my wallet, it’s one of the three things I consciously grab every time I walk out the door). And I often found that I could turn it on, point it at the photographic scene, and take the picture much faster than I could do the same thing with a “traditional” camera.
“Meanwhile, smartphone cameras have gotten substantially better in the past few years, from a mechanical/hardware perspective; and the software “intelligence” controlling the camera has become amazingly sophisticated. It’s still not on the same level as a “professional” DSLR camera, but for a large majority of the “average” photographic situations we’re likely to encounter in the unplanned moments of our lives, it’s more and more likely to be “good enough.” The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is more and more relevant these days. For me, 90% of the success in taking a good photo is simply being in the right place at the right time, being aware that the “photo opportunity” is there, and having a camera — any camera — to take advantage of that opportunity. Only 10% of the time does it matter which camera I’m using, or what technical features I’ve managed to use.
“And now, with the recent advent of the iPhone5s, there is one more improvement — which, as far as I can tell, simply does not exist in any of the “professional” cameras. You can take an unlimited number of “burst-mode” shots with the new iPhone, simply by keeping your finger on the shutter button; instead of being limited to just six (as a few of the DSLR cameras currently offer), you can take 10, 20, or even a hundred shots. And then — almost magically — the iPhone will show you which one or two of the large burst of photos was optimally sharp and clear. With a couple of clicks, you can then delete everything else, and retain only the very best one or two from the entire burst.
“With that in mind, I’ve begun using my iPhone5s for more and more “everyday” photo situations out on the street. Since I’m typically photographing ordinary, mundane events, even the one or two “optimal” shots that the camera-phone retains might not be worth showing anyone else … so there is still a lot of pruning and editing to be done, and I’m lucky if 10% of those “optimal” shots are good enough to justify uploading to Flickr and sharing with the rest of the world. Still, it’s an enormous benefit to know that my editing work can begin with photos that are more-or-less “technically” adequate, and that I don’t have to waste even a second reviewing dozens of technically-mediocre shots that are fuzzy, or blurred.
“Oh, yeah, one other minor benefit of the iPhone5s (and presumably most other current brands of smartphone): it automatically geotags every photo and video, without any special effort on the photographer’s part. Only one of my other big, fat cameras (the Sony Alpha SLT A65) has that feature, and I’ve noticed that almost none of the “new” mirrorless cameras have got a built-in GPS thingy that will perform the geotagging...
“I’ve had my iPhone5s for a couple of months now, but I’ve only been using the “burst-mode” photography feature aggressively for the past couple of weeks. As a result, the initial batch of photos that I’m uploading are all taken in the greater-NYC area. But as time goes on, and as my normal travel routine takes me to other parts of the world, I hope to add more and more “everyday” scenes in cities that I might not have the opportunity to photograph in a “serious” way.”
***********************************
Okay, so now it’s October of 2015, and I’ve got the iPhone 6s/6s+. The the camera now has a 12-megapixel lens (instead of the older 8 MP version), and that the internal camera-related hardware/firmware/software is better, too. Obviously, I’ve got the newer iOS9, too, and even on the “old” phones, it now supports time-lapse videos along with everything else.
I’ve still got my pocket camera (an amazing little Sony RX-100 Mark IV, which replaces the Mark III I had last year), and two larger cameras (Sony RX-10 II, and Sony A7 II), but I have a feeling that I won’t even be taking them out of the camera bag when I’m out on the street for ordinary day-to-day walking around.
That will depend, obviously, on what kind of photos and videos the iPhone6s/6s+ camera actually capable of taking … so I’m going to try to use at leas one of them every day, and see what the results look like …
Like I said last year, “stay tuned…”
This is very relevant to me at the moment and I guess it was on my mind when I was going through my hard drive deciding which photo to use. My daughter is getting married next year and of course will be getting her own place. I can only hope that we have prepared her well for the journey ahead and that life is ultimately kind to her and her husband.
I get so much joy from making composites, its time consuming but great when you see it all come together. I think I enjoy the editing just a little more than I do actually taking the pics!
Credits:
Model/Natasha
Wings/Paradise234/DA
Butterflies/Lileya/DA
Just a repost of a photo that I originally uploaded several years ago and which suddenly seems urgently relevant again.
(Ej i ordning) Ola Rynge, Oskar Lissheim-Boethius, Calin Gherman, Carl Henrikson
- Vinnare i Moment 1 Affärsidé - Venture Cup Väst 10/11
Fri för publicering, ange byline:
Foto: Anna Sigvardsson
Mer info: www.venturecup.se/vast
www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/martin-mere/
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Opening times
Open 7 days a week, except 25 December
Winter (27 October to February)
9.30am to 5.00pm
Early Closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm)
Summer (March to 27 October)
9.30am to 5.30pm
Facilities
Eating
The brand new Mere Side cafe offers a delicious selection of hot and cold food, a variety of coffees and chilled drinks, and tempting home-made cakes. From healthy vegetarian salads to hearty meat dishes, all can be enjoyed overlooking the beautiful wetlands.
Small Breakfast menu available from 10am -11.30am. Hot food served from 11.45am - 2.30pm.
Shopping
The gift shop stocks a wide range of wildlife books, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, postcards and stationary, children’s gifts and souvenirs of your visit to the centre, including a unique range of products featuring the artwork of WWT founder Sir Peter Scott.
There is also an In Focus optics shop at the centre selling everything you will ever need to watch wildlife – from budget binoculars starting at around £15 to deluxe telescopes at over £1000. In Focus is the ideal place to get honest, friendly advice about buying your first pair of binoculars and test them in what must be the best location anywhere in the North West of England.
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Visitor information and associated terms and conditions of entry
We hope you have a great day with us. Our Wetland Centres are designed to give you an unforgettable experience getting close to nature. Your safety is paramount, as is the safety of the wildlife that visits or lives at our Wetland Centres. To ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable day, we have terms and conditions of entry that everyone needs to observe.
1. Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths and defined tracks at all times and keeping loud noise to a minimum as this may cause stress to wildlife.
2. Contrary to popular belief, birds should not be fed bread as they cannot digest it. Please feed them grain instead - you will be able to purchase grain at centres where feeding is permitted.
3. Please ensure that children are supervised at all times and please be aware that some of our ponds and lakes are deep. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
4. Safety signs are there for your protection - please obey the signage and do not attempt to go beyond any enclosure barriers. Please do not: Climb on any trees or shrubs
Prune or pick any flowers or vegetation
Enter any water body
5. The last admission to the Centre is 30 minutes prior to the advertised closing time.
6. Due to the limited availability of car parking spaces, vehicles may only be left for the duration of the visit to the centre.
7. Mobility scooters are very welcome on site. For more information on what we offer for people with disabilities, please see www.wwt.org.uk/visit/visit/accessibility/
8. Unfortunately we can't allow dogs or pets of any kind on site, with the exception of assistance dogs on duty, as our wildlife may become distressed. Assistance dogs must be kept on the lead and under control and harnesses must state "working or assistance dog". Please ensure any dog waste is removed. If any of our birds/animals behaviour is affected by the presence of your dog, we may have to ask you to move away from the area.
9. So we don't distress our wildlife, we do not allow the following on site: Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates/blades/wheelies or skateboards
Barbecues
Footballs or frisbees
10. Pond dipping is not allowed on our wildlife reserve ponds. This is to prevent the spread of invasive non-native plants and the chytridiomycosis disease which affects amphibians. Pond dipping in the grounds may only be undertaken with equipment provided by WWT.
11. In accordance with UK law smoking is prohibited in all buildings (including hides). Visitors who wish to smoke are asked to consider the welfare and comfort of other visitors, especially children, by not smoking in or around picnic areas, play areas or areas where children's activities are being held. In periods of extreme dry weather WWT reserves the right to designate the whole site non-smoking in order to reduce the risk of fire.
12. Photography is permitted on site for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please contact Nick Brooks on 01704 891 227 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.
13. WWT reserves the right to ask for additional identification to aid proof of membership.
2013 admission prices
Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.
Pricing
Adult
Gift Aid £11.10
No Gift Aid £10.09
Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)
Gift Aid £8.20
No Gift Aid £7.45
Child (4-16 years)
Gift Aid £5.40
No Gift Aid £4.91
Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)
Gift Aid £29.80
No Gift Aid £27.09
Children (under 4 years) Free Free
Essential helpers assisting disabled visitors Free Free
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre has the following facilities:
Free accessible car parking provision – 2 designated spaces
Trained assistance dogs welcome
Hearing induction loop in reception
Maps can be enlarged, please ask ahead of your visit
Manual wheelchair available to loan
The paths around the site are level access
Roaming volunteers, grounds and reception staff on hand if you require assistance
There is step-free entry to all our hides
Accessible toilets
Restaurant staff are friendly and helpful and will carry trays to the table if required
Pond-dipping with station for wheelchair-users
Accessible boat safari – maximum 2 manual wheelchair-users per trip
Waterplay – accessible (boardwalks / gravel) for children using wheelchairs
Eco Garden – a great sensory experience
In addition we have friendly and helpful staff, so if you need restaurant staff to carry a tray to your table or help open a gate – please just ask!
Eat, drink, refresh
The visitor centre is the heart of Martin Mere and the central place to find information on what to see, to buy seed to feed to the birds, to browse our retail shop and to eat (at the Mere Side Cafe).
The Mere Side Cafe has a selection of hot and cold food, sandwiches, cakes and drinks. Childrens boxes are available as well as high chairs and the option to heat up a baby's bottle. Additionally in the building there are disabled toilets and baby changing facilities.
The building has six indoor rooms where there’s always plenty to see and do in the warmth. Films will often be shown in our theatre about beavers or swans and there is a free activity room where families can play and learn in comfort.
The main foyer is home to a bio-diversity exhibition that was kindly donated to us to allow us to have an interactive display promoting the diversity of nature and life. The exhibition has a mixture of touch screen displays, hand held objects, an introductory DVD and large displays to read and learn about bio-diversity.
In addition, at weekends and during holidays there is another craft room where children can design then purchase crafts such as badges, pencil cases and themed activities depending on the season.
Shopping
Gift shop
The retail shop has a wide selection of gifts and souvenirs from small gifts for children to jewellery and display items, as well as a bird care and book area.
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In Focus shop
Established over 30 years ago, In Focus are the UK’s leading binocular and telescope specialists.
The In Focus shop at Martin Mere has arguably the best testing facilities for binoculars and telescopes in Britain, and carries an extensive range of binoculars and telescopes from beginners’ compacts for £15 to top end kit.
They also stock tripods, hide clamps, digiscoping kits and a wide range of bird watching accessories.
All of the In Focus staff are expert birders who work commission-free to give non-biased advice about choosing binoculars and telescopes. All sales support WWT’s conservation work.
If you wish to visit In Focus but not Martin Mere, you pay the admission price and this can be refunded when you leave if you get your receipt stamped by a member of staff at In Focus.
Group visits
What is there for groups?
Martin Mere Wetland Centre provides a perfect destination for groups, from keen wildlife enthusiasts, photographers or conservation and environmental groups to those just wanting a relaxing day out.
There are beautiful walks around the grounds where you can view birds from around the world, and a nature trail with ten lookout hides from which to watch wildlife throughout the seasons, including summer wading birds and the wintering swans and geese. We also have a visitor centre with spectacular views across the Swan Lake and we have a gift shop and the Mere Side Cafe, which serves food and drinks.
You are welcome to visit at your leisure but for those wanting a little more structure we offer guided walks tailored to your group’s requirements.
Activities
A range of seasonal guided tours and events are available to groups year round at Martin Mere Wetland Centre. Tours are priced at £10 and must be pre-booked.
Among those available are duckling nursery tours in the spring, summer waders walks in the summer and swan feeds in the winter. Guided tours of the waterfowl gardens and a community reedbed walk are also run year-round.
Contact the centre to find out which events
will be available when you visit.
Benefits for groups
Reduced entry prices for groups of 12 or more (payable as one payment on arrival)
Free familiarisation visit for the group leader
Complimentary admission for group organiser
Free coach parking
Free entry for the coach driver
Voucher for use in the Coffee Shop for the driver
Guided tour available for small additional cost for groups that have pre-booked
Meet and greet with complimentary welcome pack
Group admission prices 2012
Free to WWT members
The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 or more:
Adult: £9.50
Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)
Child: £4.60 (4-16 years)
No deposit is required and groups will be asked to pay at the admissions desk on the day of visit.
Accessibility
The centre has level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)
All hides are accessible to wheelchairs
Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides.
Free wheelchair loan
Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. Guide dogs). No other dogs permitted
Accessible toilets in car-park and throughout the visitor centre
Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors
Making a booking
For further information or to make a group booking, please contact Belinda on 01704 895181, or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
School visits
At WWT Martin Mere we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.
To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils,
Venue hire
If you would like to hire a room at Martin Mere call Belinda on 01704 891238 or email: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk for further information or to obtain a quote.
The centre can be hired during the day for corporate meetings or conferences, or in the evening for functions. Rooms can also be hired for children's birthday parties.
Children's parties are available at the following prices:
Children under the age of 4 is £6.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ration of 1 adult free per 3 children).
Children aged 4 - 12 is £8.00 per child (1 parent free and then a ratio of 1 adult free per 5 children)
Lunches boxes can also be purchased for £3.95 per child and they include a sandwich, fruit drink, crisps and a piece of fruit
Rooms available to hire:
Meeting Room - Maximum of 15 delegates
Lecture Theatre - Maximum of 100 delegates
Half of Greenwood Building - 20 to 30 delegates
Full Greenwood Building - Maximum of 60 delegates
How to find us
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Fish Lane, Burscough
Lancashire
L40 0TA
T: 01704 895181
F: 01704 892343
E: info.martinmere@wwt.org.uk
Martin Mere Wetland Centre is located six miles from Ormskirk and 10 miles from Southport. It is easily accessible by public and private transport.
WWT Martin Mere is now offering a scheme where visitors who travel to the Centre without a car can receive discount entry on admission.
The reduced admission prices are:
Adult: £9.50
Child: £4.60
Concession: £7.00
By car
Situated off the A59, the Centre is signposted from junction 8 on the M61, junction 3 on the M58 and junction 27 on the M6. It is free to park at the Centre.
By rail
There are three railway stations in close proximity to Martin Mere: Burscough Bridge Interchange (on the Southport - Manchester line) is approximately two miles, New Lane (on the Southport – Manchester line) is approximately 0.8 miles and Burscough Junction (on the Liverpool to Preston line via Ormskirk) is approximately three miles.
Visit: www.traveline-northwest.co.uk for details of North West timetables and journey planner.
By foot
Martin Mere has created a new trail from Burscough Bridge Interchange. The well signposted two mile trail is along local footpaths and includes walking over agricultural land so may not be suitable for prams or wheelchairs. It is also advised to wear good walking boots. The trail begins from behind the Manchester platform at Burscough Bridge Interchange and incorporates local tea rooms and the new Martin Mere reedbed walk. The signs are made out of recycled plastic.
Please be aware that at certain times of the year, summer in particular, the footpath can become overgrown in certain places and it is advised to call the Centre prior to walking it at this time of year. If the path at the station is overgrown you can use an alternative route: Walk down the side of the house on the platform and turn left onto the road, turning left down Moss Nook Road. At the top of Moss Nook Road you walk straight ahead onto the public footpath and you will pick up the fingerposts to Martin Mere.
If there is an issue with the signage on this walk please call Martin Mere on 01704 891220
If there is an issue with the footpath i.e. overgrown or litter, please call Burscough Parish Council on 01704 894914
Click here for information on the Countryside Code
Hire a bike
The Martin Mere Wetland Centre welcomes cyclists as an environmentally friendly and pleasant way to arrive at the centre.
Jack Parker Cycles, in partnership with Martin Mere, now offer cycle hire from the Burscough shop. The hire fleet consist’s of a selection of gent’s, ladies, boys & girls junior bikes all fitted with puncture proof tires, also child seats & tag along bikes are available. All persons hiring will be supplied with helmets, locks and a map of area.
The costs to hire are £8.00 per bike and £4.00 for child seats and tags. All bikes must be booked in advance by telephone on 01704 892442 or by calling into the shop at 62 - 64 Liverpool Road North, Burscough L40 4BY
Cycle stations are located at Burscough Wharf, Burscough Fitness and Racquets Centre and The Ship Inn in Lathom.
All you need to hire a bike is your mobile phone and a debit or credit card and cycle hire is from £1 per hour
Minimum 6 hour initial purchase required however this can be carried forward to your next hire until your membership expires.
Top up your account with more hours anytime either through the website or by calling our automated number 01704 340025.
Thirty day temporary memberships are instantly available when you hire a bike however you can upgrade or pre-join on our website.
Easy to follow instructions are available at all stations.
You are able to hire at one station and leave your bike at another (specific locations only).
Check our website for locations of other cycle hire centres or to check if bikes are available at your chosen station
Further information on bike hire and how to travel without a car around Sefton and West Lancashire, please click on the following link: www.visitseftonandwestlancs.co.uk
The Centre is situated on two cycle routes in West Lancashire: the New Lane Circuit (approximately 23.5 miles) and A Grand Tour of West Lancashire (approximately 37.8 miles). Details of the routes can be found at: www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/cycling/pdf/West%20lanc...
By coach
The centre has parking facilities for large coaches. Parking is free for coaches bringing visitors to the centre.
By air
Manchester Airport is just an hour drive from the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and Manchester Airport Train Station is on the Southport to Manchester train line, providing a direct route to New Lane Train Station, 0.8 miles from the Centre.
WWT's environmental policy
WWT is committed to environmental excellence and the continuous improvement of our environmental performance as part of our overall goal of implementing the pronciples of sustainability in all areas of work.
We recognise that many of our activities have some negative impact on the local, regional, national and global environment. As a consequence, we aim to conduct our business and operations in a way that minimises this impact and mitigates for it whenever possible, reflecting sustainable practices. Specifically we endeavour to:
Review all activities, operations and procedures to identify, quantify and evaluate environmental impact.
Set priorities and targets for environmental improvements in key areas, such as water, waste and energy.
Measure improvements against targets and report progress annually.
Adopt a philosophy of 'reduce, re-use and recycle' in our use of resources, and minimise the environmental impacts associated with our activities.
Meet or exceed all statutory regulations and approved codes of practice on the environment at all locations where possible.
Set our own standards and targets where no relevant Government regulation or code of practice exists.
Incorporate environmental responsibilities and sustainable practices into job descriptions, staff training and appraisals.
Raise awareness of environmental issues amongst staff and volunteers, and encourage individuals to adopt sustainable practices.
Communicate the value of environmental awareness and sustainability to members, supporters and local communities.
Encourage third parties, particularly suppliers and receivers of goods and services, to adopt environmental standards comparable to those of WWT.
Adopt a policy of sale and purchase of goods and services that minimises negative environmental impacts where possible.
Invest in accordance with our environmental policies and regularly review investments to ensure that they do not conflict with the Articles of the Trust.
Implement an environmental action plan to support our environmental policy.
Martin Mere visitor code
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we have an impact.
There are many ways in which you can get involved during your visit to help look after our beautiful area and ensure it is just as special on your next visit. This will also support our commitment to sustainable tourism.
1. Why not get out of the car - walking, riding and cycling are great ways to explore the area without adding to the traffic and you'll find there are fantastic places to visit right on your doorstep!
2. Stay local, eat local, buy local and see local - Lancashire has gained a reputation for fine food and local produce, so why not seek out famers' markets, village stores, pubs and cafes and make a real difference to the local communities.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - support us in our efforts to reduce waste.
4. Switch off... and save energy - in rural Lancashire you can see the stars at night! Help us reduce energy use and C02 emissions by switching off lights and standby buttons when you don't need them. Help us reduce water consumption by using just the water you need.
5. Follow the Countryside Code - the Countryside Code reminds us all to protect, respect and enjoy: look after plants and animals, take litter away; leave gates and property as you find them; keep dogs under close control; and consider other people.
The classic Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) by the Norvegian-American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen is certainly still relevant today, perhaps even more so than a century ago, and not only in the western world...
"In The End" - Linkin Park ( i have only put relevant phrases in.)
I kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when I
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There’s only one thing you should know
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
The Parque das Nações Indígenas (Park of the Indian Nations) is located in the eastern sector of the municipality of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, with an area of 1,163,876.98 m² and has a relevant importance in the leisure and tourism of the city. It was created through Decree No. 7,354/93, of August 17, 1993, as "a leisure, cultural and sports complex in the area, as dealt with by Decree No. 7,082, of February 26, 1993." It is administered by the Instituto de Meio Ambiente of Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), an entity linked to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Economic Development, Production, and Family Agriculture (SEMAGRO).
It is bounded by Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, to the north, by Avenida Afonso Pena, to the south, by Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira and Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (via the park) to the west and through the Prosa State Park to the east. It has six official access gates. It is an important leisure area in the city.
Het Parque das Nações Indígenas ligt in de oostelijke sector van de gemeente Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, met een oppervlakte van 1.163.876,98 m² en is van groot belang in de vrije tijd en het toerisme van de stad. Het is gemaakt met decreet nr. 7.354 / 93, van 17 augustus 1993, als een "recreatief, cultureel en sportcomplex van het gebied, zoals geregeld bij decreet nr. 7.082 van 26 februari 1993. Het wordt beheerd door het Instituto de Meio Ambiente del Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), gelieerd aan de staatssecretaris voor Milieu, Economische Ontwikkeling, Productie en Gezinslandbouw (SEMAGRO).
Het wordt begrensd door de Rua Antônio Maria Coelho in het noorden, door de Avenida Afonso Pena in het zuiden, door de Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira en Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (over het park) in het westen en door Prosa State Park in het oosten. Het heeft zes officiële toegangspoorten. Het is een belangrijk recreatiegebied van de stad.
O Parque das Nações Indígenas está localizado no setor leste do município de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, com uma área de 1.163.876,98 m² e possui uma relevante importância no lazer e turismo da cidade. Ele foi criado através do Decreto nº 7.354/93, de 17 de agosto de 1993, como "complexo de lazer, cultural e desporto da área como trata o Decreto nº 7.082, de 26 de fevereiro de 1993. É administrado pelo Instituto de Meio Ambiente de Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), entidade vinculada à Secretária de Estado Meio Ambiente, Desenvolvimento Econômico, Produção e Agricultura Familiar (SEMAGRO).
É delimitado pela Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, ao norte, pela Avenida Afonso Pena, ao sul, pelas Ruas Ivan Fernandes Pereira e Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (via parque) a oeste e pelo Parque Estadual do Prosa, a leste. Possui seis portões oficiais de acesso. É uma importante área de lazer da cidade.
El Parque das Nações Indígenas está ubicado en el sector este del municipio de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, con un área de 1.163.876,98 m² y tiene una importancia relevante en el ocio y el turismo de la ciudad. Fue creado mediante Decreto N° 7.354/93, de 17 de agosto de 1993, como “complejo de esparcimiento, cultural y deportivo de la zona, de que trata el Decreto N° 7.082, de 26 de febrero de 1993. Es administrado por el Instituto de Medio Ambiente de Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), entidad vinculada a la Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente, Desarrollo Económico, Producción y Agricultura Familiar (SEMAGRO).
Limita con la Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, al norte, con la Avenida Afonso Pena, al sur, con la Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira y Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (a través del parque) al oeste y a través del Parque Estadual Prosa al este. Tiene seis puertas de acceso oficiales. Es una importante zona de ocio de la ciudad.
Le Parque das Nações Indígenas est situé dans le secteur oriental de la municipalité de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, avec une superficie de 1 163 876,98 m² et a une importance pertinente dans les loisirs et le tourisme de la ville. Il a été créé par le décret n° 7 354/93 du 17 août 1993 en tant que « complexe de loisirs, culturel et sportif de la zone, tel que prévu par le décret n° 7 082 du 26 février 1993. Il est administré par la Instituto de Meio Ambiente du Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), une entité liée au Secrétariat d'État à l'environnement, au développement économique, à la production et à l'agriculture familiale (SEMAGRO).
Il est délimité par la Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, au nord, par l'Avenida Afonso Pena, au sud, par la Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira et le Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (via le parc) à l'ouest et à travers le parc national de Prosa à l'est. Il dispose de six portes d'accès officielles. C'est une zone de loisirs importante dans la ville.
Il Parque das Nações Indígenas si trova nel settore orientale del comune di Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, con una superficie di 1.163.876,98 m² e ha un'importanza rilevante nel tempo libero e nel turismo della città. È stato creato con decreto n. 7.354/93, del 17 agosto 1993, come "complesso ricreativo, culturale e sportivo del territorio, come disciplinato dal decreto n. 7.082, del 26 febbraio 1993. È amministrato dal Instituto de Meio Ambiente del Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), ente legato al Segretario di Stato per l'Ambiente, lo Sviluppo Economico, la Produzione e l'Agricoltura Familiare (SEMAGRO).
È delimitato da Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, a nord, da Avenida Afonso Pena, a sud, da Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira e dal Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (attraverso il parco) a ovest e attraverso il Parco Statale di Prosa a est. Ha sei cancelli di accesso ufficiali. È un'importante area ricreativa della città.
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Paneles laterales
Der Parque das Nações Indígenas liegt im östlichen Sektor der Gemeinde Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, mit einer Fläche von 1.163.876,98 m² und hat eine relevante Bedeutung für Freizeit und Tourismus der Stadt. Es wurde durch das Dekret Nr. 7.354/93 vom 17. August 1993 als „ein Freizeit-, Kultur- und Sportkomplex in der Region gemäß dem Dekret Nr. 7.082 vom 26. Februar 1993 gegründet. Es wird vom verwaltet Instituto de Meio Ambiente von Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL), eine Einrichtung, die mit dem Staatssekretär für Umwelt, wirtschaftliche Entwicklung, Produktion und landwirtschaftliche Familienbetriebe (SEMAGRO) verbunden ist. Es wird im Norden von der Rua Antônio Maria Coelho, im Süden von der Avenida Afonso Pena, von der Rua Ivan Fernandes Pereira und Prof. Luís Alexandre de Oliveira (über den Park) im Westen und durch den Prosa State Park im Osten. Es hat sechs offizielle Zugangstore. Es ist ein wichtiger Freizeitbereich in der Stadt
ParquedasNaçõesIndígenasは、カンポグランデ市の東部に位置し、マトグロッソドスルの面積は1,163,876.98㎡で、街のレジャーと観光に関連する重要性を持っています。 これは、1993年8月17日の政令第7,354 / 93号により、「1993年2月26日の政令第7,082号によって取り扱われる、この地域のレジャー、文化、スポーツの複合施設」として作成されました。 Mato Grosso do Sul（IMASUL）のInstituto de Meio Ambienteは、環境、経済開発、生産および家族農業担当国務長官（SEMAGRO）にリンクされているエンティティです。
北はアントニオ・マリア・コエーリョ、南はアベニーダ・アフォンソ・ペナ、ルア・イヴァン・フェルナンデス・ペレイラと教授に囲まれています。 ルイス・アレクサンドル・デ・オリベイラ（公園経由）を西に、プロザ州立公園を東に通ります。 6つの公式アクセスゲートがあります。 市内の重要なレジャーエリアです。
قع Parque das Nações Indígenas في القطاع الشرقي من بلدية كامبو غراندي ، ماتو غروسو دو سول ، بمساحة 1،163،876.98 متر مربع وله أهمية كبيرة في الترفيه والسياحة في المدينة. تم إنشاؤه بمرسوم رقم. 7.354 / 93 ، بتاريخ 17 أغسطس 1993 ، باعتباره "مجمعًا ترفيهيًا وثقافيًا ورياضيًا للإقليم ، وفقًا للمرسوم رقم 7.082 الصادر في 26 فبراير 1993. ويديره معهد Meio Ambiente del Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL) ، مرتبط بوزير الدولة للبيئة والتنمية الاقتصادية والإنتاج والزراعة الأسرية (SEMAGRO).
يحدها روا أنطونيو ماريا كويلو من الشمال ، أفونسو أفونسو بينا من الجنوب ، روا إيفان فرنانديز بيريرا والبروفيسور لويس ألكسندر دي أوليفيرا (عبر المنتزه) من الغرب وعبر حديقة بروسا الحكومية من الشرق. لديها ستة بوابات وصول رسمية. إنها منطقة ترفيهية مهمة في المدينة.