miércoles, 30 de noviembre de 2011

Jamaican Sunset in Jamaican Colours

photo

Jamaican Sunset in Jamaican Colours

www.idjphotography.com

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jamaica

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colour

blue

green

yellow

black

ray

sun

afternoon

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vacation

hot

weather

silouette

idj

photography

idjphotography

montego

bay

montego bay

getty

skies

sky

skyline

peaceful

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flickr

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nikon d5000
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Photo: Nick Jonas and Delta Goodrem dinner date in Australia

photo

Photo: Nick Jonas and Delta Goodrem dinner date in Australia

pending time with his lady love in her homeland, Nick Jonas joined Delta Goodrem on a dinner date in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday night (November 29).

The cute young couple walked hand-in-hand as they arrived at the restaurant Cafe Sydney for dinner - during which time a photographer snapping shots of the pair suddenly took a spill.

Known for his kind ways, the "Camp Rock" heartthrob offered his help in assisting the shutterbug back to his feet before he and Miss Goodrem proceeded forth with the dinner date plans.

The outing comes just a few days after Delta took the stage at the 2011 ARIA Awards as a presenter, after which she tweeted, "What a special night to be apart of! So wonderful to see so many familiar faces!! GREAT to be home at #ARIAS! so much Love everyone :) x"

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Joe Jonas

Kevin Jonas

Jonas

Miley Cyrus

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Delta Goodrem

Delta Goodrem, Nick Jonas, Nick Jonas, dinner date, dinner date, dinner date, Cafe Sydney, Delta, Sydney, Australia, photographer, homeland

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martes, 29 de noviembre de 2011

View from Appartment

photo

View from Appartment

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17-50mm

Canon

Corse

Landscape

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Sky

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Window

Wood

San-Giovanni-di-Moriani

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FR
Flickr.com

Photo of the Day: 29th November

photo

Photo of the Day: 29th November

Model Harbour

Thanks to a friend on Twitter, I wanted to make some more tilt-shift photography. Whilst out in Porthmadog I snapped a few shots of the harbour.

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POTD

2011inphotos

Model

Miniature

Boat

Sea

Harbour

Water

Sky

House

Photo of the Day, tilt-shift photography ebook download, Porthmadog

Flickr.com

lunes, 28 de noviembre de 2011

Frozen in motion

photo

Frozen in motion

While taking some pictures of the crashing waves after the storm the other day I though I'd see how this would look at a high shutter speed. The ISO was cranked up to 1250, giving me a shutter speed of 1/250 at f/7.1. I think a slower shutter speed I think looked better, but I did think this looked kinda cool. Let me know what you think. As always, comments and criticism are always welcome and appreciated.

Best viewed full size on black, press L

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D7000

Giske

Mre and Romsdal

Nikon

Norway

Sea

Sigma 18-200

Water

coast

waves

Clouds

Landscape

rocks

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storm

shutter speed, shutter speed, shutter speed, ISO online

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mmmm...Beer

photo

mmmm...Beer

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Macro
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?

<a href=photo" width="429" height="640" onload="F.imageChecker.load(this);" onerror="F.imageChecker.error(this);">

?

05/11/2011; I'm not extremely fond of Foam and their ridiculous policy of not allowing to make pictures at all in their museum, which kind of is like not allowing to pray in a church in my honest opinion, but at least they had this cool creation projected on their faade for the Museum N8.

I liked the question mark the most for photo purposes, because the rest just moved too much and too quickly to make a decent picture of.

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Foam

Keizersgracht

Amsterdam-centrum

Amsterdam city centre

binnenstad

inner city

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stad

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province

provincie

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Randstad

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evening

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donker

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licht

light

lantaarnpalen

street lights

straatverlichting

vraagteken

question mark

grachtenpanden

canal houses

projectie

projection

Museum N8

museum

beleid

policy

belachelijk

ridiculous

gracht

canal

water

nat

wet

boom

tree

auto's

cars

geparkeerd

parked

ridiculous policy, honest opinion, church, decent picture, photo, Foam, faade, 05/11/2011

Flickr.com

domingo, 27 de noviembre de 2011

Senza titolo 29

photo

Senza titolo 29

Nikon D300S
AF-S Nikkor 35mm G ED
F16 1/125sec
200 ISO

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paesaggi

landscapes

hdr

paesaggi hdr

hdr landscapes

lago

lake

montagna

mountain

acqua

water

cielo

sky

alberi

trees

bosco

woods

natura

nature

colori

colours

inverno

winter

nebbia

fog

nikon

d300s

nikon d300s

nikkor 35mm

levico terme

tentino

italia

titolo, Nikkor, 35mm, EDF16 1/125sec200 ISOTagspaesaggilandscapeshdrpaesaggi hdrhdr landscapeslagolakemontagnamountainacquawatercieloskyalberitreesboscowoodsnaturanaturecoloricoloursinvernowinternebbiafognikond300snikon d300snikkor

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sábado, 26 de noviembre de 2011

Glasswing Butterfly = Greta Oto = Glasfluegel Falter, 01

photo

Glasswing Butterfly = Greta Oto = Glasfluegel Falter, 01

Here is an interesting link (languages in Nederland, English and German) to the place I took the foto at: www.orchideeenhoeve.com/

The Glasswing (Greta oto) is a brush-footed butterfly, and is a member of the subfamily Danainae, tribe Ithomiini, subtribe Godyridina.[1][2] Its wings are translucent, with a wingspan of 2.2 to 2.4 in (5.6 to 6.1 cm).[2] Its most common English name is glasswing, and its Spanish name is "espejitos", which means "little mirrors." Indeed, the tissue between the veins of its wings looks like glass, as it lacks the coloured scales found in other butterflies.[3] The opaque borders of its wings are dark brown sometimes tinted with red or orange, and its body is dark in color.

Adults range from Mexico through Panama.[2] G. morgane oto visits common flowers like lantana, but prefers to lay its eggs on plants of the tropical Solanaceae genus Cestrum.[2] The green caterpillars[4] feed on these toxic plants and are perhaps toxic to predators through secondary chemicals stored in their tissues; caterpillar chemical extracts are unpalatable to Paraponera clavata ants.[5] Adults are also assumed to be toxic,[6] but their toxicity mainly results from males feeding on flowers (e.g., Asteraceae) whose nectar contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These same alkaloids also are converted into pheromones by the males and used to attract females.

The Greta oto may also be found in Venezuela, as there are photographs taken in the mountain area around the City of Caracas.

G. oto adults also exhibit a number of interesting behaviors, such as long migrations and lekking among males

More info:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_oto

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Glasswing

Butterfly

Greta

Oto

Glasflgel

Glasfluegel

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insekt

insect

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animal

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orchideenhoeve

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Andreas Fucke

Hobby-Photograph
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viernes, 25 de noviembre de 2011

Bahraini Activists Find Opening

MANAMA, Bahrain—Bahraini opposition figures are seizing on a hard-hitting report that condemned the government for its punishing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters this year, hoping it will lead to an end to months of political deadlock on the Gulf island.

The publication of the inquiry, which accused Bahrain's authorities of using excessive force and widespread torture on protesters earlier in the year, could pave the way for renewed talks between the opposition and the regime, analysts and the opposition say. Talks between the mainstream opposition and the government broke down in March.

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European Pressphoto Agency

Clashes with police followed a funeral outside Manama on Thursday.

The day after the report's release, police clashed with youths in A'ali on the outskirts of the capital, where thousands of mourners marched at a funeral for a man killed Wednesday in the village. Rights groups say the man was killed when a police vehicle collided with his car; the government blames his death on a traffic accident.

The ruling family is under pressure to implement recommendations in the report, which include setting up an independent body made up of government and opposition members to carry out reform and to hold to account those responsible for torture and other crimes.

The government also is being pushed to go beyond the recommendations of the report, which focuses on ending torture and other human-rights abuses but doesn't contain suggestions for political reform. Mainly Shiite antigovernment protesters led massive rallies in February and March, demanding greater rights and reforms for their majority community, with some calling for the downfall of the monarchy. The protesters complain the minority Sunnis get better jobs, pay and housing.

"The commission's work does not involve political issues or negotiations," the inquiry, led by respected Egyptian human-rights lawyer Cherif Bassiouni, said in its 500-page report, published Wednesday.

Some analysts fear the government will focus on the recommendations in the Bassiouni report and sidestep calls for political reform.

"It is unlikely that the reforms [the government] will implement will solve the key structural political problems of the country," said Michael Stephens, a researcher at the United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in Qatar. "The King won't implement major political reforms because it will erode the power base upon which his rule relies; it is therefore highly unlikely that the core problems in Bahrain will be solved."

Nearly 50 people were killed during Bahrain's nine-month long unrest, which peaked in February and March. Hundreds were arrested and imprisoned, and thousands of protesters were sacked from public and private-sector jobs.

Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest opposition party, which has long called for Bahrain to have a proper constitutional monarchy and a Parliament with full legislative powers, hopes the report recommendations will lead to discussions about political reform.

"Enough is enough," said Abdul Jalil Khalil of Wefaq. "We are ready to sit together; we don't want to close any doors."

Wefaq boycotted elections in September to replace its 18 members of the lower house of Parliament who quit in protest in February over the regime's crackdown on protesters. The party, which rejected reforms offered by the Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa in March, remains the strongest opposition force in the country.

A Bahrain government spokesman played down the likelihood of a quick resumption of talks with the opposition. "We don't know when in the future there will be any talks; we need fertile ground to proceed," he said.

Mr. Khalil of Wefaq said his party won't accept focusing only on the report proposals in any future talks with the government. "This will escalate the problems in Bahrain," he said.

Bahrain Sunni rulers on Thursday were digesting the findings of the inquiry, set up by the Gulf state's ruler in late June after international condemnation for its brutal suppression of demonstrators demanding greater rights. Government officials said hard-liners in the regime, representing the monarchy's more conservative wing, are unhappy with the findings and may try to slow the implementation of its recommendations.

Lateefa Algaoud, an independent member of Parliament, said the report was too critical of the government. She dismissed its claim that it found no clear evidence linking Iran to the unrest. "It is obvious that Iran is playing a big role in this; the intervention for us is clear," she said.

Bahrain has repeatedly accused neighboring Iran of fomenting violence in the Gulf state.

Bahrain, Bahrain, Bahrain, Bahrain, Bahrain, Bahrain, Bahrain, protesters, protesters, protesters, protesters, protesters, protesters, Bahrain government, government, government, government, government, government, government

Online.wsj.com

miércoles, 23 de noviembre de 2011

great-barrington-2011d.jpg

photo

great-barrington-2011d.jpg

Great Barrington, MA, USA
12 October 2011 [100-0923]

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Great Barrington

MA

USA

Barrington, October 2011

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domingo, 20 de noviembre de 2011

11 09 St. Johns Prep Freshman Soccer vs Catholic Memorial-3711

photo

11 09 St. Johns Prep Freshman Soccer vs Catholic Memorial-3711

Tags

2011

Catholic Memorial

Danvers

Era

Events

Family

Joey Rossiter

Justin Blanch

Massachusetts

NE Aztec 96

North Shore

People

Phil Woolston

Places

SJP

Soccer

Soccer Matches

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sábado, 19 de noviembre de 2011

Howth Head

photo

Howth Head

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sea

howth

head

stena

line

ferry

gull

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mare

mer

mar

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Flickr.com

The ignoring Mallard

photo

The ignoring Mallard

This picture I do like quite a lot.
Certainly not the technically best shot i have taken but the scenery looks funny (at least to me).
It really looks like the mallard in front is posing and ignoring the other one in the back ...

I hope you like it ;-)

Shot with a Canon 5D2 and a EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x
At 280mm, ISO 1000, F5,6 and 1/200 sec

Best seen on black (by pressing L) to have larger view!
Comments are always welcome and favs most appreciated.

Copyright © xris74
All rights reserved. All images contained on this website remain the property of Xris74. Images may not be reproduced, copied, or used in any way without written permission.

Please don’t send me invites to any groups.

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Luxembourg

Luxembourg-city

mallard

duck

Ente

Canard

Wildlife

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Nature

xris74
Flickr.com

viernes, 18 de noviembre de 2011

Life Beneath White Rock Pier 3

photo

Life Beneath White Rock Pier 3

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crab

crabs

fish

fishes

crustacean

crustaceans

rock

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oceans

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Un freddo mattino di sole

photo

Un freddo mattino di sole

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freddo, mattino, online

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Gare de Pietralba

photo

Gare de Pietralba

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soleil

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Et

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Pierre
Flickr.com

martes, 15 de noviembre de 2011

Vivid Decay

photo

Vivid Decay

The bold contrasts of this leaf really caught my eye as I was walking past.

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35/1.8g af-s

autumn

bronx

d300

decay

fall

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new york

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ny botanical gardens

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domingo, 13 de noviembre de 2011

DSC_0007

photo

DSC_0007

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nikon d3000

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viernes, 11 de noviembre de 2011

Ahoy!

photo

Ahoy!

The pilot house of an abandoned tug sits amongst the remains of a dozen other hulks in this telephoto compressed view across the remains.

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Rossville

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Staten Island Boat Graveyard

abandoned

arthur kill

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pilot house, hulks ebook download, tug

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Malvern_Star-17.jpg

photo

Malvern_Star-17.jpg

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jueves, 10 de noviembre de 2011

GOP debate features stymied Rick Perry, defiant Herman Cain

GOP debate

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, reacts to comments by businessman Herman Cain at the CNBC Republican presidential debate in Rochester, Mich. (Mark Blinch, Reuters / November 10, 2011)

Reporting from Rochester, Mich.—

The Republican presidential candidates met Wednesday night on a Michigan debate stage to address the most crucial issue facing the American people: the worrisome economy. But the session may be best remembered as the one that provoked a painful gaffe by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry, who struggled in his previous debate performances, was talking about the three departments that he would cut to curb the size of the federal government. He named two — Education and Commerce — but for an excruciating period searched his mind for the third, as competitors tried to help him out.

CNBC reporter John Harwood, one of the debate moderators, pressed him: "You can't name the third one?" he asked.

"I can't," Perry replied. "The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops."

Later in the debate, Perry remembered the answer: Energy. Damage done, he made a rare post-debate appearance before reporters to acknowledge his difficulty.

"I stepped in it, man," the governor said. "Yeah, it was embarrassing. Of course it was."

The moment stood out in a mostly placid two-hour session, eclipsing a brief discussion of the sexual harassment allegations against candidate Herman Cain that have consumed the campaign for more than a week.

Twenty minutes into the nationally broadcast debate, he was asked to address the charges. Cain, who has defiantly denied any wrongdoing, delivered a spirited defense.

"The American people deserve better than somebody being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations," Cain said to a roar of approval from the debate audience. "I value my character and my integrity more than anything else. And for every one person that comes forward with a false accusation, there are probably — there are thousands who would say none of that sort of activity ever came from Herman Cain."

Given a chance to weigh in, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — who is tied with Cain in some opinion polls — demurred.

The debate was the ninth of the GOP presidential contest and the first since a raucous session last month in Las Vegas, a forum dominated by several raised-voice, finger-pointing exchanges. This time, in contrast, the most spirited exchanges involved sharp questions from the moderators and the discontent — registered as boos and hisses — from the audience over the Cain controversy being broached.

Pressed about his reputation for bending to suit the prevailing political winds, Romney was asked to explain how voters can be persuaded his positions are rooted in principle.

"I think people understand that I'm a man of steadiness and constancy," Romney said. "I don't think you are going to find somebody who has more of those attributes than I do."

Given a chance to attack Romney as a shape-shifter — as he has throughout the campaign — Perry this time ignored his opponent. "The next president of the United States needs to send a powerful message not just to the people of this country but around the world that America is going to be America again," Perry said.

Meeting on the campus of Oakland University for a forum sponsored by the Michigan Republican Party and CNBC, the candidates spent most of the debate discussing their plans to spur economic growth. Unemployment in Michigan is 11.1%, higher than the national average but down from a peak of 14.1% in the fall of 2009.

Economists credit the federal bailout of GM and Chrysler with saving tens of thousands of jobs in the state, and Romney, a Michigan native, and others were forced to explain their opposition to the bailout. Democrats had placed advertisements ahead of the debate reminding Michigan voters of the candidates' positions.

Romney insisted that he did not favor the companies' demise, as his critics imply, but rather a more structured bankruptcy proceeding that would have lessened the role of the federal government. "We have capital markets and bankruptcy," Romney said. "It works in this country."

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. seconded that notion. "The people in this country are sick and tired of seeing taxpayer dollars go toward bailouts, and we're not going to have it anymore in this country," he said.

The candidates generally agreed on the need to lower corporate taxes and cut regulations.

Cain's "9-9-9" tax plan, the focal point of much criticism the last time the candidates met, came in for much easier treatment this time. The proposal would jettison the current tax code and replace it with a flat 9% income tax, a 9% sales tax and a 9% business tax. Asked what would prevent Washington from seeking further revenue, Cain drew cheers from the audience when he responded: "Tax codes don't raise taxes. Politicians do."

The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive maintained that his tax plan would be so popular, the American people would never stand for its revision.

Cain raised eyebrows when he referred to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as "Princess Nancy." After the debate, he told an interviewer, "That is a statement that I probably should not have made."

Other candidates, as has been the case in prior debates, fought for attention. Texas Rep. Ron Paul weighed in by saying that government spending was, in effect, a tax on Americans. That is why, he said, he was proposing $1 trillion in cuts the first year he took office, by dismantling large swaths of the federal government.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann noted that the U.S. had among the highest corporate tax rates in the world. "We have to lower the tax rate because it's a cost of doing business," she said.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum pushed for his plan to eliminate taxes on manufacturers. When asked whether he was picking winners and losers, Santorum said the proposal would help all sectors of the economy, and argued that the U.S. was "getting our hat handed to us by losing jobs."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich renewed his criticism of the news media, at one point asserting they were not reporting accurately on the economy. One of the moderators, Maria Bartimoro, asked him to explain.

"I love humor disguised as a question. That's terrific," Gingrich responded. He went on to add he had yet to hear a reporter "ask a single Occupy Wall Street person a single rational question about the economy."

mark.barabak@latimes.com

maeve.reston@latimes.com

mark blinch, sexual harassment allegations, republican presidential candidates, debate appearance, john harwood, debate audience, republican presidential debate, mitt romney, false accusation, unfounded accusations, massachusetts gov, debate stage, herman cain, rare post, spirited defense, texas gov, cnbc, rick perry, reuters, gaffe

Latimes.com

Walkway Ends

photo

Walkway Ends

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San Francisco Airport

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Flickr.com

miércoles, 9 de noviembre de 2011

Okaloosa Island, FL Sunset Nov. 7, 2011!

photo

Okaloosa Island, FL Sunset Nov. 7, 2011!

Just one more for you all! I love this one too with the light hitting the bubbles! Or sea foam, if you will... :)

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waves

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reflection

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coast

shore

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sea

gulf

mexico

bubbles

foam

okaloosa

island

florida

okaloosa island fl, sea foam, bubbles, sunset

Flickr.com

martes, 8 de noviembre de 2011

Rabun Gap, Georgia, USA. Nov072011_Fog & Fall leaves_3806

photo

Rabun Gap, Georgia, USA. Nov072011_fog &amp; Fall leaves_3806

Photo shot from Sky Valley, Georgia. Fog covers the valley of Rabun Gap in North East Georgia, USA.

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Gap

USA

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Morning

D80

Fall

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sky valley georgia, rabun gap georgia, east georgia, georgia usa, gap, fog, amp

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ROUTE6612

photo

ROUTE6612

Tags

66

USA

America

Self-Drive

National Park

ROUTE66

Scenery

landscape

view

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Flickr.com

Cannon Beach Oregon

photo

Cannon Beach Oregon

Coastal Oregon near Portland United States.
Nice beaches (Florence, NewPort, Cannon Beach, Astoria) in Oregon state, lovely mountains and sea shores.
The US101 scenic byway runs between the mountain and the beach.

www.traveloregon.com/Explore-Oregon/Oregon-Coast.aspx

visittheoregoncoast.com/

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NikonD90

D90

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Arun

Cannon

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summer

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trip

usa

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vacation

water

Portland

United

States

Nice

beaches

Florence

NewPort

Astoria

state

US101

scenic

byway

OR

scenic byway, cannon beach, sea shores, oregon oregon, oregon coast, oregon state, astoria, newport, beaches, florence, mountains, united states

Flickr.com

The Ballad of Sir Alex

[soccer1106] Associated Press

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson prepares to speak after a presentation commemorating his 25 years in charge of the club before the team's English Premier League game against Sunderland at Old Trafford Stadium on Saturday.

Sir Alex Ferguson made his debut as manager of Manchester United 25 years ago today. The fact that he's still in charge pretty much defines what an outlier he is.

True, some men have coached the same soccer team for longer. Guy Roux managed France's Auxerre for 44 years until his 2005 retirement, but the club was an amateur team for the first 13 of those seasons and only reached the top flight in 1980. And in any case, you can't compare a small provincial team with Manchester United, one of the two biggest in the English game.

Willie Maley had a 43-year tenure as manager of Celtic Glasgow, which may be comparable to United in terms of stature. But he toiled in a different era. Maley, who stepped down in 1940, was also a manager in a different sense: he did not work with the players in training and did not speak to them on match days.

Usually only U.S. college sports supplies the rare coach with similar longevity (with apologies to Bobby Cox and Jerry Sloan). Yet even the careers of Bobby Bowden (34 years at Florida State) or Mike Krzyzewski (31 and counting at Duke) aren't really comparable. They don't work with professionals, they enjoy much longer offseasons and their employers tend to be far less trigger-happy.

The reality is that the 31 other managers in the Champions League have, on average, been in charge for just over two seasons. Just two Champions League bosses other than Ferguson have been with their club for more than four years. Ferguson is in Season 26.

It should not come as a surprise then that Ferguson has been studied and analyzed from every angle. There are at least 18 books about him, some hagiographic, some critical, all trying to crack the code of what makes him different. Everybody has a Fergie theory. The most popular ones portray him as a cross between the God of the Old Testament – omnipotent and unquestionable – and some kind of drill sergeant motivational guru, capable of squeezing that last ounce of effort out of his men.

But perhaps part of what motivates Ferguson, who turns 70 on New Year's Eve, to continue to show up at Manchester United's training complex by quarter past seven most mornings is simply that his job continues to evolve, both in terms of the challenge ahead of him and the way he chooses to deal with it.

There is little question that the job has changed and continues to change. When he took over at Old Trafford, English clubs were banned from European competition, following the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster. It was very difficult to catch a game on TV, not just abroad, but in Britain as well. Today, the sport is globalized, commercialized and televised like never before and the Champions League and the Premier League (both of which were created in 1992) are the driving forces.

Back then, you could count the foreign players in the English league on both hands. Today, they number more than 50%. Back then, there was no free agency and virtually no specialized agents representing players. Ferguson's first salary was less than $100,000 a year; today he makes more than 10 times as much. Most English clubs played some variation of the "kick-and-rush" game: a basic 4-4-2 tactic with long balls bypassing the midfield and wingers smacking crosses into the box. Today, while individual leagues retain some national characteristics, the game is much more heterogeneous, with a variety of styles, tactics and philosophies on display.

Throughout this, despite his old-school image, Sir Alex has actually counted among the most progressive managers around. He has built and torn down successful teams, rebuilding them without missing a beat, often going against conventional wisdom. He's been decidedly unsentimental about dumping his biggest stars at the peak of their careers, whether it was Jaap Stam in 2001, David Beckham in 2003 or Ruud Van Nistelrooy in 2006. And, in fact, in the summer of 1995, he ditched three of his best players (Andrei Kanchelskis, Mark Hughes and Paul Ince) in one fell swoop.

He didn't always get it right – some of his highest-profile castoffs went on to excel for many years elsewhere – but he always showed a willingness to think differently. He displayed such an off-angle approach in the summer of 2001, when he broke the English transfer record at the time to acquire Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron for $45 million. United had just won its third straight Premier League title and was two years removed from winning the Champions League. The club boasted a stellar midfield quartet (Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs) who had played together for years. It seemed crazy to mess with something that worked. On that occasion, he got it badly wrong. Ferguson had to disassemble his lineup to find space for Veron, who struggled on the pitch and was eventually sold at a huge loss in 2003.

Still, Ferguson had the courage to change. And he still does: Witness the fact that Wayne Rooney, his star striker, has been deployed in midfield over the past three games. Or the fact that in the last decade he has embraced squad rotation more than any other manager of a major club.

While it doesn't always fit his public persona, Ferguson's curiosity, hunger for knowledge and desire to innovate always have been a part of his game. As a 20-year-old semi-professional he worked in a tool-making company and got himself picked as the workers' union representative. Why? As he said many years later, it was partly to understand as much of the business as possible.

Three years later, while playing professionally, he became a fully licensed coach. How come? Again, he wanted to understand the game from both sides.

Early in his managerial career, he got into the hospitality businesses as a hedge against hard times and owned several pubs. He soon decided to take a cooking class. Huh? Well, he needed to know exactly how certain dishes were made so that he could figure out what the ingredients were and what the measurements were so that he could ensure that nothing went to waste and his chefs were as thrifty as possible.

Perhaps – beyond the 37 major trophies, the longevity or the outsized personality – what most sets Ferguson apart is his ability to think independently, his drive to figure out which ideas are worth pursuing and his courage to follow through. If you can do all that, you can more than just weather all the radical changes that have hit the game over the past quarter century, but also thrive along the way. And – as happened on Saturday – get Manchester United to name the longest stretch of the Old Trafford grandstand after you.

Gabriele Marcotti is the world soccer columnist for The Times of London and a regular broadcaster for the BBC. His column appears on Sundays.

sir alex ferguson, manager alex ferguson, willie maley, english premier league, mike krzyzewski, alex ferguson, celtic glasgow, bobby bowden, guy roux, jerry sloan, bobby cox, old trafford stadium, provincial team, amateur team, english game, league game, outlier, s college, soccer team, manchester united

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lunes, 7 de noviembre de 2011

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domingo, 6 de noviembre de 2011

Dodd to rescue as Knights win in OT

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- For much of last night’s game against South Florida, freshman quarterback Gary Nova was on the field and sophomore Chas Dodd, the guy Nova replaced five starts ago, was on the bench for Rutgers. For much of the night, Nova struggled and Dodd waited.

“I just wasn’t playing well. Simple as that,” said Nova, who had been plagued by turnovers for three weeks.

Dodd, meanwhile, explained what he did during his time on the sidelines.

“Just taking as many mental reps as I can when I’m not in,” he said.

Finally, with the game and bowl eligibility still within reach, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano made the move -- he took out Nova and inserted Dodd. And for one night, Piscataway doubled as Hollywood.

Dodd directed a brilliant game-tying drive that culminated in a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Coleman with 1:08 left in regulation, and, after South Florida missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired, Rutgers won, 20-17, in overtime.

The winning points came from San San Te’s foot as he kicked a 37-yard field goal that ended the Scarlet Knights’ two-game losing streak and extended the Bulls’ own skid to four.

“I’ve been saying all along we have two good quarterbacks,” Schiano said. “Chas has prepared these weeks that he has not played.”

That was a good thing, because Rutgers (6-3, 3-2 Big East) had looked awful for quite some time. After their scoreless second half last week in a loss to West Virginia, the Knights made it two straight pointless halves by falling behind 10-0 to South Florida (4-4, 0-4). They fell even further back, 17-3, after the Bulls’ Demetris Murray scored from 4 yards out with 7:38 left.

Rutgers needed a change of momentum -- and before Dodd got his chance at heroics, they got that shift with 7:25 to go when sophomore Jeremy Deering returned the kickoff after Murray’s score 98 yards for a touchdown. That big burst play tied for the third longest kickoff return in Rutgers’ history.

“We definitely needed that,” Deering said.

Next came the quarterback switch.

Eventually Rutgers got the ball at its own 20, trailing 17-10, with 3:23 left. Dodd (11-of-17, 125 yards) took over and went 9-for-10 on the game-tying drive. Dodd connected with standout receiver Mohamed Sanu for seven receptions and 60 yards on the drive, including a miraculous 11-yard catch on fourth-and-9. Sanu was on the ground when he made the catch.

“I kind of caught it at first, but it slipped out and went up in the air,” said Sanu, who finished with 11 catches for 113 yards. “I was laying on my back and caught it.”

The drive ended with the fade route pass to Coleman.

“A perfect ball,” Coleman said.

“We ran a similar play a couple plays before and I knew I had a matchup out there with him,” said Dodd.

fred.kerber@nypost.com

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sábado, 5 de noviembre de 2011

New French Austerity Package Looms

PARIS—French President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting Saturday with top government ministers to work on another austerity package that could be unveiled as early as Monday, a person familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Sarkozy has already said he would need to pass an additional €6 billion to €8 billion ($8.3 billion to $11 billion) of austerity measures to ensure France meets its deficit reduction targets as growth will be much weaker than the government had budgeted.

With the euro-zone debt crisis continuing to hammer European economies, Mr. Sarkozy late last month cut France's growth forecast to 1% for 2012 from 1.75% that was previously in the budget for next year.

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The person familiar with the matter said the announcements may come Monday at a cabinet meeting. Mr. Sarkozy had pledged to address the issue once the Group of 20 summit was over in Cannes, where the euro-zone debt crisis swamped France's ambitious agenda for global reforms.

A spokeswoman for the French presidency declined to comment on whether the meetings were taking place.

Measures being considered include raising the Value Added Tax on restaurant meals and erasing a public holiday from the calendar, according to French newspaper Le Journal Du Dimanche. The state is also weighing whether to increase the tax on companies with revenue above €150 million to 36% from 33%, according to the newspaper.

The person familiar with the matter said nothing has been decided yet on such measures.

Speaking in the French Alps earlier Saturday, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the budget measures would be one of the most rigorous that France has witnessed since 1945

France has pledged to reduce its deficit from 5.7% of GDP this year to 4.5% next year, before reaching the 3% limit prescribed by European Union treaties in 2013.

The heat is on France, the euro zone's second largest economy, to meet those targets after ratings firm Moody's Investors Service warned the stable outlook on France's triple-A sovereign rating was under pressure.

France's budget minister Valérie Pécresse said Friday the austerity measures should focus on spending rather than raising taxes. The previous austerity package at the end of August was almost entirely based on boosting tax revenue.

"We can't go on spending without counting, we can't go on spending beyond the wealth we create," Ms. Pecresse said on French TV.

Write to William Horobin at William.Horobin@dowjones.com and Max Colchester at max.colchester@wsj.com

prime minister francois fillon, french president nicolas sarkozy, austerity measures, president nicolas sarkozy, francois fillon, french president nicolas, budget measures, french presidency, nicolas sarkozy, place measures, french alps, french prime minister, reduction targets, financial leaders, debt crisis, ambitious agenda, restaurant meals, european economies, euro zone, government ministers

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viernes, 4 de noviembre de 2011

2011.10.28 So good@Rottnest Island

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2011.10.28 So good@Rottnest Island

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jueves, 3 de noviembre de 2011

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Montemor-o-Novo - Alentejo - Portugal

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Recovery for Your Soul

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martes, 1 de noviembre de 2011

goodbye, toulouse

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