There are 20 children who will not be home for Christmas this year. There are half a dozen adults that wont be either. There are an uncountable number of hearts that are forever broken and whose lives are forever changed. A great dark shadow has been cast upon both this Holiday and this nation. Now is not a time for ideological bile and putrid regurgitation of political agendas. The egocentrism of that comes with the modern idea of the Constitution and individual rights is choking our society and darkening our hearts. Our humanity, and our souls are being lost in the vicious divide of our differences.
It makes me sad, beyond words, that I see people (who I thought had a heart) who are already on the political bandwagon about this terrible, horrific tragedy today. There is no excuse, not a single one, for your behavior if you are engaging in political (partisan or not) agendas on the same day that parents are still trying to digest the loss of their children, or children their parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, teachers. I'm not saying you don't have a right to your opinion, but TODAY isn't the day for those opinions. Today is a day for mourning. It's a day for contemplation. It's a day for being thankful for those that we love and hold dear. It's a day for let our hearts be sympathetic, if even for a moment, for the unfathomable sorrow that crashing down around those parents heads like a tidal wave of grief, despair and hopelessness. It doesn't matter what the 'other' side is saying.... someone has to be humane. Someone has to say, "Not Today. Not Today. I will not give you relevancy or debate. NOT TODAY."
It makes me sad, beyond words, that I see people (who I thought had a heart) who are already on the political bandwagon about this terrible, horrific tragedy today. There is no excuse, not a single one, for your behavior if you are engaging in political (partisan or not) agendas on the same day that parents are still trying to digest the loss of their children, or children their parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, teachers. I'm not saying you don't have a right to your opinion, but TODAY isn't the day for those opinions. Today is a day for mourning. It's a day for contemplation. It's a day for being thankful for those that we love and hold dear. It's a day for let our hearts be sympathetic, if even for a moment, for the unfathomable sorrow that crashing down around those parents heads like a tidal wave of grief, despair and hopelessness. It doesn't matter what the 'other' side is saying.... someone has to be humane. Someone has to say, "Not Today. Not Today. I will not give you relevancy or debate. NOT TODAY."
I'm so sick I think I"m going to die. I hate getting sick and it seems like since I quit smoking I actually get sick more often, not less. Bah!
I think I want to try my hand at one of these this Halloween. It looks fun, and challenging.
Some of the stuff people do with Pumpkins is simply unreal.
Saw this the other day when driving through my neighborhood. Thought I had shared if before but a cursory examination of rather limited previous posts didn't turn anything up so here it is...sorry if it's a re-post.
For those of you who actually look at these, I would love to get your opinion. I am doing some editing and trying to decide which finish I like best. Which do you prefer?
This is the original image with the rope running through the middle of it. Took me a while to get that bugger out.
Still haven't gotten my bike fixed. Between not enough time and not enough for the overly expensive parts right now its going to be down for a while.
Its going to be a less than fulfilling fall. At least Walking Dead starts back up tonight!. Oh yeah.
There are so many things in the world that make it hard to remain hopeful that mankind is going to be able to ever come together as a species and achieve any type of global unity. There's the obvious political differences that keep old Conservatives fending off the rising tidal wave of young progressive Iconoclasts and seasoned Democrats trying to convert the malleable tender minds of young conservatives.
There's the religious hatred and bile that divides Atheists, Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Scientists, all in a eternal battle for an ultimate, and provable, ideology that everyone else can drop to their knees and cry out that they once were blind but can now see!
Nations vi for control of the salt of the earth; water, food, land and their own (and varied) brands of freedom and governmental rule. They play their parts on the international stage and hope their performances are sufficient enough to woo the crowds and ensure an encore with cheers and applause for their agendas. All the while, plotting and undermining their 'allies' and their folks back home.
But it's not just these obviously divisive issues anymore. People in general have become less agreeable and more combative with their interpersonal skills. Social etiquette and common courtesy have given way to the self-indulgent pursuit of freedom of speech and assertion. It has become more important for an individual, in general debate and conversation, to assert the perceived right-nous and dominance of their ideas over that of their fellow conversationalist. And, should their arguments loose ground and waiver in under the weight of the counter argument, their greatest tool no longer is common ground or concessions, but is demoralizing assault and verbal debasement of intellect and character of their fellow man.
It no wonder so many children now are opting to remain silent and keep their opinions to themselves these days... or to follow the lead of the more aggressive and emotionless of their peers rather than lead others in what they see as right and good. This is what we have been reduced too... we are slowly returning to a gladiator mentality; the arenas are different, the weapons less corporeal, and the victims our ideas in stead of our bodies, but the outcome is still a death... and a sad stain on humanity.
There's the religious hatred and bile that divides Atheists, Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Scientists, all in a eternal battle for an ultimate, and provable, ideology that everyone else can drop to their knees and cry out that they once were blind but can now see!
Nations vi for control of the salt of the earth; water, food, land and their own (and varied) brands of freedom and governmental rule. They play their parts on the international stage and hope their performances are sufficient enough to woo the crowds and ensure an encore with cheers and applause for their agendas. All the while, plotting and undermining their 'allies' and their folks back home.
But it's not just these obviously divisive issues anymore. People in general have become less agreeable and more combative with their interpersonal skills. Social etiquette and common courtesy have given way to the self-indulgent pursuit of freedom of speech and assertion. It has become more important for an individual, in general debate and conversation, to assert the perceived right-nous and dominance of their ideas over that of their fellow conversationalist. And, should their arguments loose ground and waiver in under the weight of the counter argument, their greatest tool no longer is common ground or concessions, but is demoralizing assault and verbal debasement of intellect and character of their fellow man.
It no wonder so many children now are opting to remain silent and keep their opinions to themselves these days... or to follow the lead of the more aggressive and emotionless of their peers rather than lead others in what they see as right and good. This is what we have been reduced too... we are slowly returning to a gladiator mentality; the arenas are different, the weapons less corporeal, and the victims our ideas in stead of our bodies, but the outcome is still a death... and a sad stain on humanity.
I was talking with my girlfriend today about her total fixation and dependency on her iPhone and just about any other technology. It suddenly occurred to me that Apple is the real world equivalent of Terminators Cyberdyne Systems. Ok Ok maybe that's carrying it a little TOO far, but if you really think about it you will get what I'm saying. They, along with Google and other crossover technology companies, are basically giving us the necessary tools to 'free' ourselves from human thought and intelligence and pave the way for a stronger more permanent dependency on technology. In 1000 years, when computers rule the world and the last free thinking humans record the fall of humanity... they could well consider this era the Hallmark of when mankind turned itself over to the machines.
A totally geeky and unrealistic idea? or something far more sinister and real?
A totally geeky and unrealistic idea? or something far more sinister and real?
I'm a member of a few online photography groups; trying to learn some skills to impress myself with. One of these groups is really big... too big. There are approx 500 people in it. This past week someone posted one of the most amazing photos I'd ever seen. It was fantastic... but something kept telling me it wasn't his photo.
It deviated so far from his other work. I searched the internet and couldn't find anything. A few hours after I stopped looking, someone else posted a link to the photo and the real photographer, who was not in our group.
see here for original image and photographer.
It was sad... I guess I understand envy, hell everyone wants to stand out and be someone else. For a long time I wanted to be someone else.. like one of these guys.
IT COULD HAPPEN!
Anyway, my point is... we all have a point in our life were we might feel as if we haven't accomplished enough, or we aren't impressive enough to ourselves or those around us. Maybe we expected to be more successful or further in life than we are, but as the saying goes..
'Life is what happens when your making other plans" and that shit happens with an attitude.
Regardless of where we are compared to where we should be, we should never result to plagiarism in order to bolster our sense of self-confidence... and under no uncertain terms should we ever default to such intellectual pilfering for such a servile and ignoble cause as to impress others.
But really... the best advice I've seen in a long time is
I've been spending a lot of time processing pictures that' I've had sitting around in RAW formats. I'm just learning how to actually take good pictures and process them somewhat properly (which is why i'm in the online photography groups). Thought I would share a few.
These are my friend Megan
And my friend Stephanie
And these are a few random images...
these were my first two attempts with HDR images. One with an free HDR software and one I did the old fashioned way with RAW files in a Photoshop.
I would like to point out that Facebooks closest idea of the meaning of the word braggadocian, is Brobdingnagian. Who.. or what...THE HELL... knows the meaning of the word Brobdingnagian and doesn't know the word braggadocian? *smh* Facebook..... that's who.
This is Osiris, more commonly know as 'Si'... he's an asshole, but I love him. It took him over a year to get acquainted with me enough that he would actual seek me out for attention. There was a lot of hissing and running away in that first year.
And this is Osiris' little sister, Isis... but we call her 'Is' . For some lame reason, I have taken to calling her Isiadoris Rex lately. Maybe it's because she is into so much shit that 'Is' seems too passive.
Si and Is are brothers and sister, but separated by about 6 years. They took to each other almost instantly. Guess they knew.
Is was not entertained or impressed in this one
Yep, and then there's the Dog and the three Sugar Gliders.....Ee i ee i oh!
And this is Osiris' little sister, Isis... but we call her 'Is' . For some lame reason, I have taken to calling her Isiadoris Rex lately. Maybe it's because she is into so much shit that 'Is' seems too passive.
Si and Is are brothers and sister, but separated by about 6 years. They took to each other almost instantly. Guess they knew.
Is was not entertained or impressed in this one
Yep, and then there's the Dog and the three Sugar Gliders.....Ee i ee i oh!
