With the holiday comes the ability to move around a bit, and of course the trusty camera equipment came with as my wife and I did some geocaching. I was about to take her for a scenic loop around Burnt Creek Loop when I spotted this photo through the tree row. Hunting for photos like this is as fun as hunting for geocaches, and there are no instructions to follow!
For a while there I was doing the Thursday Night Sunset and got a lot of pleasant comments about it when talking to folks. Nowadays there have been so many cool sunsets, I've had a hard time confining them to just one day. Then came a really busy stretch with six major videos to be done on a timetable, so I haven't had much time for photography. I've got a bit of a breather here for a few days before my next big deadline, so...here you go!
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During a discussion with some other video graphic professionals, the subject of burnout recently came up. More specifically, how do we deal with burnout? My answers were simple: photography, my new hobby; writing again, which culminated in this blog; and triple-digit speeds while dragging knees on my motorcycles. This is a picture of the third; I fabricated an aluminum mount and bolted a video camera to one of my Kawasaki 750s to go blazing through the Smoky Mountains. Digging up this picture got me thinking how much I miss living in the mountains lately.
I'm a North Dakota native, but as a little kid I grew up deep in the Rocky Mountains. It's a whole different experience: the schools have ski teams, kids learn forest fire prevention in the classroom, field trips involve hiking and visiting ranger stations. I lived near a proving grounds for Smoke Jumpers, firefighters who literally parachute into the site of forest fires to begin combat. Once you've lived in the mountains, they're part of you for good.
One interesting point of view I got from moving back and forth from the Rockies to the North Dakota plains is that we have some beautiful, wide expanses here. When I lived in Big Sky, for example, I had the face of a mountain about 25 feet from my window. Moving back, I was thrilled to look out over the plains while cruising down I-94. But every time I make my way back west, I get the same thrill as those "purple mountain majesties" poke up above the fruited plain. We've got it pretty darn good in both places.
By the way, the video above was taken at Deals Gap, North Carolina. It's in the Smokies along the TN/NC border and is the most fabulous motorcycle road in the country. It's 11 miles long and boasts 318 corners! It's quite a workout. One does not want to fly off the road, either...it's an unfathomably long way down. Our internet motorcycle racers' club has annual gatherings there, which I haven't been able to attend in a while. That's okay, now I spend my time blazing around North Dakota with my camera gear strapped to my back. It's pretty inspiring to find all the neat places and scenery here in my own back yard, and report them to you here. That allows me to combine all three of my aforementioned "anti-burnout" activities into one great big one. I hope you enjoy the results.
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I've been working somewhat around the clock lately, so I have had to resort to finding fun photos that cross my path instead of hunting for them. That's okay, because this one was actually a request of sorts.
I've had a couple of posts of statues in the past and have had email requests for other ones around Bismarck. Okay, here you go. Guess where this statue is located? Obviously it's indoors, but it's in an area where a person is likely to have passed it at one time or another.
If you're really good, you'll know the name of the artist and the title of the statue. You'll actually be better than me because I think I forgot them. Maybe it'll come back to me, but it doesn't matter - it's your job to guess.
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The reason I haven't been posting a lot of photos lately is simple: I'm too busy working to get out and take any! Nearly every waking moment has been spent editing or animating something, either at work or at home. I see a light at the end of the tunnel simply because the due dates on these projects are looming.
During a taco run for dinner I was able to snap this photo before returning to the office. It's the bridge used by the trolley to Fort Lincoln. While I'm sure it still sees use by the trolley, I have yet to actually witness this. It's one of the things my wife and I always say we're going to do, but never quite get around to it. Hopefully it'll be running in the spring, because we'd love to take a ride. At that time we'll need a babysitter!
Hopefully I'll get to run around with the camera like usual sometime soon.
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( 3 / 381 )Webster defines fundamentalism as "a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles." I'm a fundamentalist Christian. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired word of God. I try to read it daily, I believe what it says, and I strive to live my life accordingly. I don't get to pick and choose which parts of it I think are authentic and which parts are not. That includes the parts such as "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
By the same token, what is a fundamentalist Muslim? He reads the Koran and Hadith, believes that they are the inerrant word of their god, written in heaven. They try to read it daily, believe what it says, and strive to live their lives accordingly. They don't get to pick and choose which parts they think are authentic and which parts are not. That includes the parts that give instruction to "strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers."
For some reason, nobody seems to want to even address the fact that what these hateful, sick people are doing in the guise of a religion comes from the fundamentals of their beliefs. The muslims believe that the Koran was written by their god in their version of heaven...why would they presume to weed out the parts of it that are not politically correct? If it's in there, they believe it. Period. And if that's how their god instructs them, those are the instructions they're obligated to carry out. Yet nobody wants to acknowledge this! These fundamentalists are the TRUE muslims, the ones who take the words of the Koran at face value. Yet it seems more convenient for the deceived westerners to simply label them as "extremists" and be done with them.
It's jaw-dropping to see how the wool is being pulled over Western eyes when it comes to Islam. Even a lot of Christians are deceived about it (For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. --Matthew 24:24) and you have to dig for yourself to find any real information on the so-called Religion of Peace. Go to the solarium at St. Alexius Medical Center and you'll find a Koran in a glass case, turned to a page talking about how Allah is scolding Israel for being disobedient. This is symptomatic of the entire Western world right now. It's not just that people are too distracted by American Idol to care, it's a nearly willful disregard of what the muslim world is doing and plans to do.
Even our own President, who professes to be a born-again Christian believer, refers to Islam as the "Religion of Peace." It seems like the whole world seems to be grabbing its collective ankles to accomodate Islam, while at the same time trying to rid itself of Christianity. If religion itself is the problem, as liberals claim, then why cozy up to muslims while trying to force Christians out of public society? For some reason Islam is the giant elephant in the room that nobody acknowledges, and it defies all logic or reasoning.
After the September 11th, 2001 attacks, already groups were lining up to make a memorial there that explains why the poor persecuted muslims were forced to do it. The Crusades, which were the Christians' way of stopping a muslim onslaught into Europe, have been re-branded as a Christian imperialism into the pristine holy lands of Islam. You don't dare take a Bible or appear to pray in public school, but some of those same schools are requiring classes on Islam. Does any of this make any sense?
Imagine how many European panties would become irreparably twisted into an angst-ridden bunch if President George W. Bush, a born-again Christian, were to preface an address to the United Nations with the following:
"Lord God, I thank you in the name of your son, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this opportunity to address this Assembly on behalf of the great nation of the United States of America. I also praise you, Father, for gathering this body of people together, that we may bring our expression of views and aspirations for the world which you've created. We seek you, Lord, humanity craves your Truth, your Justice, and your teaching to love others as we love ourselves. I praise you, Lord, for this blessing, and ask your guidance...in Jesus' name, Amen."
Democrats would immediately draw up impeachment paperwork, liberal blogs would seethe till the very Internet melted, and the whole world would be raving with fear about the "Crusader" George Bush. He's been called that already, and never had to utter a public prayer to do so! Yet, here's how the President of Iran prefaced his address to the UN General Assembly in September:
"I praise the Merciful, All-Knowing and Almighty God for blessing me with another opportunity to address this Assembly on behalf of the great nation of Iran and to bring a number of issues to the attention of the international community.
I also praise the Almighty for the increasing vigilance of peoples across the globe, their courageous presence in different international settings, and the brave expression of their views and aspirations regarding global issues.
Today, humanity passionately craves commitment to the Truth, devotion to God, quest for Justice and respect for the dignity of human beings. Rejection of domination and aggression, defense of the oppressed, and longing for peace constitute the legitimate demand of the peoples of the world, particularly the new generations and the spirited youth, who aspire a world free from decadence, aggression and injustice, and replete with love and compassion. The youth have a right to seek justice and the Truth; and they have a right to build their own future on the foundations of love, compassion and tranquility. And, I praise the Almighty for this immense blessing."
He really did say this to the United Nations, and claimed on videotape "I felt the atmosphere suddenly change. And for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. . . . It seemed as if a hand was holding them there, and it opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic Republic." Granted, he's praying to a god that doesn't exist, but still...isn't it amazing how he was praised by the press, accepted in as a great dignitary, and generally fawned over? Had a Christian of any stature tried something like this, they'd have been the subject of an immediate discreditation campaign and run out on a rail. Had the President of the United States prayed before the UN General Assembly, the repercussions would be felt for months.
Before I get into the eschatological part of this, let me just say this for any atheists or non-Christians who might be reading. I had 11,171 hits on Wednesday alone; I have to assume there are some of you among my readers. Even if you don't believe in Christianity or Islam or any religion whatsoever, they do. Look at what these people are saying! They're broadcasting it, webcasting it, teaching it in their schools, and indoctrinating their children with it. Heck, it's been going on for a long time...wouldn't it make sense even to the greatest of skeptics that sooner or later, this stuff is going to get some traction?
Now for the religious "end times" stuff. We Christians believe that in the end times, there will be tremendous violence and chaos, at which time a great peacemaker will appear. The born-again Christian believers will then be taken up to be with Jesus in what is referred to as the Rapture. Back on earth, however, this peacemaker is an Antichrist and a deceiver who will bring about seven years of tribulation. He will form a one-world religion, and any who reject it will be beheaded. Those who accept it will get a mark on their head or in their hand. Ahmadinejad is praying for his god to send the Mahdi, a so-called perfect human being, to come and bring peace to the world. Sound familiar? The deception's running rampant and the pieces are in place.
And who's doing the beheading these days? Muslims. From the Indonesian muslims that stalked and beheaded a group of Christian schoolgirls last month for a Ramadan trophy to the cowards over in Iraq who can post their beheadings on the Internet but don't have the sack to do it without a mask on, the beheading club in this big ol' world of ours exclusively practices Islam. And guess who's out there claiming that Iran will put a mark on the forehead of its enemies? Good old president Ahmadinejad. I watched Iranian video of him saying it tonight. He believes it's his duty to bring about the return of their chosen one, which can only be done by chaos and violence. He's publicly calling for the annihilation of Israel, yet over here the lefties claim George Bush is a terrorist. It's downright spooky.
While Islam gets a major re-branding and image makover here in the West, it's amazing how they're training their kids to be martyrs, even in their cartoons. They're plotting the bloody conflict with the West, while we sit back and wonder if Britney Spears will get custody of her kids in her divorce from K-Fed and send our kids to "Understanding Islam" classes. It's just plain sick.
This week on CNN Headline News, Glenn Beck hosted a special where they show cartoons, TV shows, and what the Islamic leaders are saying over in their home territory. It is downright chilling. They come here with warm smiles and talk of peace and get treated like celebrities. They then return home and incite crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands into martyrdom and hatred of the Western world. There's also a movie called "Obsession" which describes what muslims are saying back in their world, as opposed to what their CAIR mouthpieces are spouting here in the United States and other western nations. Both of these deserve your attention. While CNN Headline News is replaying the Glenn Beck special tonight, the movie is still awaiting theatrical release.
You can view the Glenn Beck special here as long as the link is valid: YouTube
You can find out more about the Obsession movie here on its official site: Obsession: the Movie
Want even more information about what these people are really saying and planning about us? memritv.com
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