Tag: photos

Winter Photos from the Bronx Zoo.

I’m so burnt out of anything political to say but I still take plenty of pictures. I tried to restart Friday Evening Photoblogging a few weeks back at DailyKos and this is a repost. I’m going to post last week’s here tomorrow because it relates to this weeks and continue the series here on Friday night. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Have you ever gone to a zoo in midwinter? This diary is a selection of of photos from a three hour trip to the Zoo on a sunny winter day.

I could tell you a winter’s tale or two about going to the zoo. I think it is the best time for both interaction with animals and photographic opportunities.

This is not my first Bronx Zoo diary. My point about a winter visit can be made by comparing the photos in that collection from  about twenty visits to the zoo and these from a three hour tour.

Morning Moonbeams

There’s a Feeling I Get When I Look to the West

And My Spirit is Crying for Leaving.  

A Day in the Life: A Winter Nature Cartoon

This is actually a repost of a week old diary but the tip jar is from today.

Somehow I got mixed op and in my confusion I decided that political blogging and Flicka are the same thing. I do many sunsets at Dkos and very often focus on the parks of New York City. My favorite being Van Cortlandt Park that was named after the city’s first elected mayor.

So I’m going to repost this little photoplay and see how it goes over here. Starting off with a picture from last week that has become my new favorite photo. This is the Van Cortlandt Lake in the afternoon sun.

The softer weather that everyone has been enjoying broke today. Before this morning’s snow it was some great walking weather.  While I’m always taking walks on the nature trails of the Bronx and by the Van Cortlandt Lake, I’ve had some company lately.  Some days the trails were as crowded as they are in summer.

Last week I photographed a father and daughter enjoying themselves feeding swans and below the fold is what I watched last Thursday.  It was a very enjoyable sight and would have made a nice moving picture.

Do you remember William Marshall “Let…the cartoooon…begin!”

 

New Beginnings

I stepped away from my computer yesterday, and decided instead to enjoy myself. As someone wrote to me yesterday, stop digging. So I did, and I thank you. My celebrating had already started early, and even I knew better than to continue on my present course, especially after a couple of pitchers of sangria. An intoxicated me would not have been excellent in any imaginable way, as my last comment shows all too clearly. loose lips sink ships, so I zipped it, and had some fun.

Since it was my birthday, I turned off my computer for a while, and I spent my time in the company of friends, family and even shared good times online later in the evening with a few new friends that I’ve made here at DD. But more than just a good time, though it definitely was, it was time spent reflecting on what’s really important in my life, focusing on those closest to me, and thinking about how best to move forward … to become better than I was yesterday, and to try and be better tomorrow.

When I woke up early this morning, I was greeted by a beautiful horizon, and I made the decision to simply enjoy it. Instead of my regular morning routine, if I was going to make a change, then I’d best get on with it. I grabbed my camera, decided the animals could wait a bit for just one morning, and I repeated my determinations made yesterday with the new dawn.

Though I’m neither a photographer nor a poet, what follows is just what came out of my decision to make each new day count, starting with today. One year and one day older, and so much left to do.

Many of you here have been on my mind, and I thank you for even the harshest criticisms. And no matter how much I tried to avoid it, you forced me to take a good hard look at myself and make the determination to do better, be a better person. I can’t imagine a better birthday gift. This essay is my thank you.

Not uncomfortably bald…(photo diary)

Here’s a little candid photo series about something some consider not so fun. Losing hair while undergoing chemo. At least, most folks seem sad about it as regards a few of the responses I’ve gotten when I’ve mentioned the passing (temporary?) of my hair.

In preface to those who don’t understand the chemo reference, here’s how I got here:

Roy Rogers is riding tonight. Cancer and me

And I thought to myself, how odd that a couple of months ago, when it was summer, I drove with the windows down and my hair was blowing, but I had two feet of it then and it was such a hassle because it was blowing across my face and getting in the way and I had no hair tie in the car and it was hot, hot, hot. Today, the bits of hair flying were not a hassle; the sensation was rather oddly liberating.

That’s how I still feel. Will I still feel this way as time progresses? Don’t know. Don’t care.

(crossposted at Dailykos)

H.R. 2346, You have got to be f$%&ing kidding me

Crossposted at DKos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Here is a good example of what is in H.R. 2346

   We are going to give $230+ million to a DoD Base Closure Account in order to carry out operation and maintenance, planning and design and military construction projects not otherwise authorized by law.

    ???

    Are we getting single payer health care? Are we getting a commitment to rebuilding America through building infrastructure and the manufacturing sector? Are we getting the return of the Glass-Steagal Act, or the repeal of Gramm/Leech/Bliley? Are we getting to the end of mountain top removal coal mining, or the beginning of a more sustainable energy plan? Are we getting investigations and a Special Prosecutor for the War Crimes committed by Bush/Cheney?

    No.

    What we are getting are drone missiles, new army bases overseas and defense contracts. With a side of suppression of evidence of war crimes and a big financial bailout on the side.

    We are getting a bill called H.R. #2346, The Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009

This is an example of what your scarce national resources that are not there for national health care is going to…      

Philip Gourevitch sells transparency down the river.

I originally posted this here at the Great Orange Satan. I stated then and I will state now that my rights are not for sale. Now, Philip Gourevitch seeks to sell my right to know what is being done in my name down the river in the New York Times. I will repost here and then add a rebuttal to Mr. Gourevitch down below.

Crazed & Confused thinks that Obama was right not to release the torture photos. But he ignores the basic problems with Obama’s rationale — transparency is essential to a functioning democracy. It was the clear intent of the Founding Fathers that the government follow a policy of transparency — in fact, the Constitution requires that Congress publish a journal of its proceedings. If we do not have maximum transparency in our government, then how will we know if we are still a functioning democracy? How will we know if our elected officials are following the Constitution? This is the very sort of thing that Obama ran on. I suggest that he do what he was elected to do and provide more transparency in government by releasing these pictures.  

Fireworks: Photos

Memphis in May is a month long celebration of various events that generally involve rain, mud, and varying levels of debauchery/consumption. Last night was a mellow evening.

I took a few pictures. I tried to do something different with the fireworks, not sure I succeeded.

Please feel free to add any of your favorite pictures.

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Pony Party: Fun with Pics

This week I thought it might be fun to caption a few animals.  Some are mine; some are for you to play with.

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

Pony Party is an open thread.  Please do not rec the party.  And please, leave your own lols, photos, video clips, or whatever in the comments.

Southwest Shots

America is not a suburb or a strip mall. It contains some vast unfathomable places. Places that evoke timelessness and spirituality regardless of one’s specific beliefs. As I hiked my middle aged self down and up trails I was struck by the way my petty thoughts, the ones that entertain me, the ones that occasionally obsess me, came to mean fundamentally nothing against the landscape.

Most of these pictures where taken at Zion, Bryce, and a few other parks and trails in and around Utah. Sadly, my talent does not match the majesty of the scenery but I hope they bring a slight sense of wonder and invoke my appreciation for a world that doesn’t change even as humanity swirls in confusion.

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Photo Diary: A Few Shots of Chicago

I went to Chicago recently, my only regret is that I did not get to spend enough time playing tourist. I was fortunate enough to be attending a conference, and the number of attendees compared to previous years was not surprisingly sharply down. What little I saw impressed me and I used to hate hot dogs till I had the real deal.

I did take a few pictures though.

I happened to notice a few tall buildings….

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Pony Party: Pootie & Furbutt LOLs

play fetch

Pony Party is an open thread.  Please not to rec the party.

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