#Free National Parks Day

[humming-fly]

This 4th of July I’m stealing the patriotism euphoria that’s usually associated with assholes idolizing the worst attributes of this country because fuck ‘em I live here too and remembering the things this country actually got Right is an important exercise when trying to rally anyone to want to defend it in November SO putting my money where my mouth is I’ll start easy and say I really like National Parks!! It’s rad how many of them there are and how they’re actual set up to preserve some of the most beautiful wild areas in our country while still letting people visit to enjoy and experience nature!! (Less important but I love how they put national parks on the quarters I think that’s real fun)

Feel free to add on if something speaks to ya!

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Some People Dream in Abstract (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Some People Dream in Abstract Thoughts Like an Expressionist's Painting While other are bizarre, almost seemingly surreal Mine have been both, and sometimes in red But right now, I only dream wonderment for what stands in front Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon in the Cades Cove area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was at a roadside pullout along the main park road with a view looking to the north-northwest to a group of black bears (momma bear and three cubs) who happened to be crossing this asphalt road. I captured quite a few images at this location, but this is one of the few that I really liked of the group because the momma bear happened to be looking in my general direction while her cub continued on.

[rabbitcruiser]

Dinosaurs Day  

Today we celebrate those large, extinct reptiles: dinosaurs.  Scientists believe they first appeared about 245 million years ago, at  the beginning of the Middle Triassic Epoch, and existed for about 180  million years, going extinct about 66 million years ago at the end of  the Cretaceous Period. The period when they lived is called the Mesozoic  Era. During this time they went through many changes, and various species of dinosaurs replaced other species.  Some dinosaurs were bipedal, meaning they walked on two legs, and some  were quadrupedal, meaning they walked on all fours. Some switched back  and forth. Some were covered with feathers, while others had what was  almost like body armor. Some ran fast, and others were slow; most were  herbivores, but some were carnivores. There were at least 700 species of  dinosaurs, and possibly more than 1,000.

There were big biotic changes at the end of the Cretaceous Period,  and many other animals and plants died at that time as well. There are  many theories as to why dinosaurs died out, including disease, heat  waves, cold spells, changing sea levels, large amounts of volcanic  activity, the emergence of egg-eating mammals, or from X-rays from an  exploding supernova. One other common theory is that an asteroid smashed  to earth, spread ash widely, and shifted the earth's climate. However,  it is not believed that all dinosaurs died out at the same time. Rather,  it is believed they had been declining during the last part of the  Cretaceous Period. Scientists also believe that some dinosaurs may have  evolved into birds.

Richard Owen, an English anatomist, came up with the word  "Dinosauria" in 1842. The word comes from the Greek word "deinos,"  meaning terrible or fearfully great, and "sauros," meaning reptile or  lizard. He applied the term to three animals whose fossilized bones had  been found over the previous few decades. The remains came from reptiles  that were both larger and had more vertebrae than any found before. The  earliest known published record of dinosaur remains was in 1820, and  many fossils were found in the 1820s and 1830s. Many other kinds of  dinosaurs were found in the years following the 1842 naming as well.  Fossils of dinosaurs have now been found on all seven continents.

How to Observe Dinosaurs Day

The best way to celebrate the day is to visit a museum or other dinosaur-related attraction, where fossils or bones may be viewed. You could also watch a documentary about dinosaurs or a film that features dinosaurs, such as Jurassic Park. If you have children, there are many dinosaur-related activities they could do today.

Source

[thorsenmark]

Between a Sunrise and Sunset (Lassen Volcanic National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Between a Sunrise and Sunset There is so much to explore in a life For some it’s a day While for others it seems a lifetime One vowel difference But the same feeling expressed There is so much to love And so much to live Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon in Lassen Volcanic National Park while walking along the shores of Manzanita Lake. The view is looking to the south-southeast across the lake waters with the reflections of the nearby trees and forest as well as Lassen Peak off in the distance. My thought on composing this image was to both closed down on the aperture so that I could bring more of the entire setting to focus as well as angling my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to raise the horizon a little higher into the image. I felt the latter would create more of a sweeping view looking across this national park landscape and also bring the mountain higher into the image, helping to create more of a sense of grandeur. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation in DxO PhotoLab 8. I then exported a TIFF image to Nik Color Efex Pro 7 where I added a Polarization, Foliage, and Pro Contrast filter for that last effect on the image captured.

[sweetfirebird]

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[sheri42]

WriteOut WhyIWrite The Woods

#writeout #whyiwrite beckoning fairy woods #writeout24 #nationaldayonwriting #nationalwritingproject #nationalparkservice #clmooc #poetry #poetry24 #coyotewillow #JonesBay #BanksLake #freeverse #haiku

[learnandturn]

I was punched and pepper sprayed by cops that my university administration set on student protesters yesterday. Including once where a cop ripped my mask off my face, grabbed my jaw, and sprayed pepper sprayed straight into my mouth. The university sent out an alert in the middle of our protest canceling classes for the rest of the day, only citing “adverse conditions”. After protesters dispersed under threat of even more violence and three buses of riot police from all over the state with rubber bullets and bully sticks parked in front of one our school’s famous landmarks. I staggered over to a couple of friends who were watching on the sidelines. They gave me water and an apple and held a bag of ice on my very pepper spray irritated face. As they were walking me back to my dorm we ran into one of their roommates. She had taken cancelled classes as an opportunity to get crumbl cookie with her friends. Standing in front of her, happy in a floral blouse with her box of cookies, in my pepper spray and water soaked tshirt, keffiyeh sadly hanging off my shoulder, holding an ice pack to my mouth, felt like a slap in the face.

After putting my pepper spray soaked clothes, shoes, and keffiyeh in a plastic bag and taking an extraordinarily painful shower, a friend and I went for dinner just off campus. There we had a pot of green tea and ramen to soothe pepper sprayed throats. We got ice cream after (shared a cup with chocolate and raspberry pomegranate with strawberry pieces on top, it was very good). From our spot outside the ice cream place we watched a steady stream of groups of sorority girls in matching jeans shorts and blue bikini tops walking back to their apartments after some apparently raucous parties. The cognitive dissonance was insane. I really felt a little like I was going crazy.

Even this morning, waking up to the smeared sharpie of the National Lawyer’s Guild’s phone number on my arm, a black and blue chest from where a grown man straight up clocked me while I was held up by two other protesters in a wall, and a still sore throat and eyes from the pepper spray, life goes on like normal. I still have final papers to write and a math exam to review for.

I’m not sure I really have a point. But, this feeling only makes me want to fight harder for a free Palestine. So, fuck Israel for being an apartheid state and all of their crimes over the last 76 years. Fuck university administration for not disclosing their level of investment in Israel. Fuck university administration for not divesting from this genocide. Fuck Joe Biden for actively supporting this genocide. And fuck the police.

[brewscoop]

Oh, hoppy day! Get ready for National Beer Day on April 7 with amazing deals from your favorite restaurants and bars. Whether you're into lagers, stouts, or IPAs, these promotions will have you cheering. Discover the best beer deals and exclusive offers in our latest article. Cheers to great beer and even better savings!

[batshit-auspol]

So a bit of background first for our international followers: Clive Palmer is one of Australia's many mining billionaires who like to meddle in our country's politics, and as such he is utterly despised by all of Australia.

Picture for context:

He is most commonly known online by the title "Fatty McFuckhead", (problematic as it may be) because he tried to sue a youtuber for $500,000 for calling him that - and he lost. So the name stuck.

Up until his most recent foray into parliament, the legally certified Fuckhead was best known for his batshit business ventures, such as attempting to build "The Titanic 2" (failed) and trying to build a dinosaur theme park (also failed, but at least nobody got eaten by a T-Rex in this one).

For a very long time Clive played the role of sugar daddy to Australia's largest conservative party, the ironically named Liberal Party, until they had a falling out in 2012 after Clive claimed there was too much money influencing politics (lol), at which point he started his own party, days after saying he totally quit and wasn't fired and he only left because he didn't want to be a distraction.

His initial run at parliament was actually kinda successful, with Palmer's group winning 4 seats, plus a member from the "Motoring Enthusiasts Party" joined them too after accidentally getting elected and not knowing what the fuck to do.

Despite this initial success however, Palmer's party (which ran on basically no platform other than "I'm rich") hit an iceberg (titanic 2 achieved) and seven elected state and federal politicians quit within the first year.

By the time the next federal election rolled around, only one Palmer party candidate was still running for re-election. The most successful of this group - Jaquie Lambie - quit to sit as an independant and is still in parliament today.

Here she is with a painting of herself strangling Clive (she sells signed copies of this)

And here the senator is posting about liking sausage:

Anyway, we're getting to the point: which is the yellow posters. By the 2016 election, just two years after forming, the party was in complete freefall. It won just 0.01% of the vote at their second election, and it was announced shortly after that Clive was quitting politics and the party was being shut down. Australia breathed a sigh of relief.

It was, of course, short lived.

Clive, in desperate need of attention, restarted the party for the 2019 election, fielding candidates in every seat and spending $60 million in advertising in an attempt to win votes.

Every single candidate lost.

It was in this campaign however that Australia really started to fall out of love with Palmer, because most of that $60 million went towards putting up the world's least compelling marketing billboards on almost every single free space in the country.

For a good six months this was basically the only thing you would see in Australia if you went outside:

Clearly Graphic design is his passion. And yes, the genius did just straight up try and copy Trump's homework while changing a few words, hoping nobody would notice.

Very quickly these all got vandalised and it seemed the ad companies didn't care enough to replace them.

We could go on posting examples, there are thousands, but the best is definitely the one Ikea put up shortly after Clive lost the election:

In 2022, Clive's party contested the election AGAIN, this time also opting to send millions on spam text messages to every person in Australia begging for people to vote for him, as well as buying almost every youtube ad for a year, at the cost of $100 million.

He won a whopping one seat.

During this election Clive ran on an anti-lockdown, anti-vax platform with the slogan "freedom, freedom, freedom". That message, however, was slightly undermined when his goons, dressed in 'Freedom!' shirts, made national news for trying to beat up a protester who turned up at a rally dressed as an annoying text message, shouting "pay your workers" at Clive.

As if that wasn't bad enough, at another rally Clive knocked himself unconscious while trying to jump up on stage, and then a few weeks later was rushed to hospital with covid, while his anti-vax ads were still in regular rotation on TV, at which point it was also leaked to the press that Palmer had been alledgedly trying to buy Hitler's car.

Utterly humiliated, the party deregistered again shortly after the election.

Can't wait until he runs again in 2025.

Anyway, on the other "Clive tweeting Miss Kobayashi's Dragon" thing, we have no idea what that means but here's a screencap:

[tempestuousjones]

free public education even if you are a girl

This 4th of July I’m stealing the patriotism euphoria that’s usually associated with assholes idolizing the worst attributes of this country because fuck ‘em I live here too and remembering the things this country actually got Right is an important exercise when trying to rally anyone to want to defend it in November SO putting my money where my mouth is I’ll start easy and say I really like National Parks!! It’s rad how many of them there are and how they’re actual set up to preserve some of the most beautiful wild areas in our country while still letting people visit to enjoy and experience nature!! (Less important but I love how they put national parks on the quarters I think that’s real fun)

Feel free to add on if something speaks to ya!

[rabbitcruiser]

American Civil War: The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg culminated with Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863.  

[thorsenmark]

I Don't Want Sorrow To Be My Friend (Banff National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I Don't Want Sorrow To Be My Friend A passing companion, perhaps Helping to recall times of a distant past But let me share hope and love as I journey Living amongst the wonders of nature's creation Walking with slow steps Perhaps dreaming to a future time Laughing and singing always To a tune of the melody of birds Going from hill to hill With the trees and forest To share a conversation I will cry when I cry And let the dewdrops fall on flowers I may be weary but will not fall As I continue, continue always. Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one late morning while talking in views of Mount Rundle along the shores of Vermillion Lakes. This is Vermilion Lakes Road in Banff National Park. My thought on composing this image was pretty simple: focus on Mount Rundle and the reflection in the still waters. I would then line up the image by bringing the horizon a little higher into the image as well as including a little bit of this nearby grassy field to add to the foreground and help to bring out more of a layered look. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 6 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[afterglowsainz]

supernatural | carlos sainz

summary: no one knows you and carlos are dating until he wins the australian grand prix and you have to interview him post-race

fc: lissie mackintosh (kind of!!)

a/n: this was very inspired by THAT video of íker casillas and sara carbonero after spain won the world cup in 2010, iykyk 😮‍💨

—

liked by landonorris, robertomerhi and others

carlossainz55 enjoying the last free days in australia before going back to work 🌴🐨

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liked by carlossainz55, lilymhe and others

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tagged carlossainz55

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[evilminji]

Dani should Kidnap The Clones.

It's basicly protective custody. Preemptive child services, if you will. NONE of these fuckers out here makin adorable clone baby just cause they want kids!

*kicks down the door to your shady lab* Knock Knock! ITS THE POLICE! *Walker's Shock troopers swarm the place as Dani secures the kids*

Look me in the eyes. You KNOW he'd love an excuse to enforce The Rules on people technically outside his jurisdiction. It's for The Children(tm)! Why, he simply had no CHOICE!

Meanwhile? Dani is shoving all these mal-adjusted Murder Clones into her Lair? Which is? Basicly a Door style Lair she hid inside Danny's Lair for safe keeping. It's shoved behind a vending machine just outside the observatory. And the inside? Goes on for DAYS.

Like national parks and every beautiful beach she ever came across. She smashed together the BEST sights and places she's found in her travels, like a collection. Always adding more. New waterfalls, new noodle shops, new fields of wine grapes. It's... beautiful. Snapshots of every wonderous little thing about Earth, stitched together.

They can't hurt anyone. Can't achieve their "objectives". Are just treated like actual individuals and the children they truely are. Are surrounded by other Clones. So it's NORMAL here. Just? All of it.

But also?

Dani and Dan? Teaming up to make History's Scariest Adoption Agency(TM). Dan runs it. Dan wants to know why EXACTLY you want a kid. Explain yourself to Dan. What are your references? Qualifications. He's doing a home visit to inspect the premises. He BETTER not find any suspicious Labs.

And? It just? Appears out of nowhere. It's powered by Zone Bullshit. One second you're thinking "oh woe is me D:> I will never have a child to fill my lovely home, because of all my Superhero Secrets and also because government bureaucracy!" And the next?

.....wasn't that an out of business taco bell? "Zone Adoptions"?

"....Free Clone Baby?"

Okay that is HIGHLY suspicious and as a hero you are basicly legally obligated to investigate. But now it's bigger on the inside? Fancy waiting room? You are being interrogated? Wait, no, you're supposed to be the one doing the-?

Somehow? You leave with your Clone Son from another Dimension. And a pamphlet. You're scheduled for a home visit in three days. You... you never told them where you live.

Somehow that doesn't seem like it will slow them down.

Did the Fae just Suprise Baby you with a clone baby? Can they DO that? W... what's happening? What days is this? Who ARE YOU PEOPLE?! HUH!?!?

Just? Imagine. IMAGINE. I was gonna say Bruce... but?

Damian.

He finds himself... pondering What Could Have Been. Had his Clones not wanted him dead. Wondering if he could have saved them. If, perhaps, he had found them as infants. Raised them. Could he have given them a good life? Been a good father?

He gets emotional. Fatherly. He's about 14.

Dan's been around Ghosts too long to remember how humans age or how age relates to development. This one TALKS like An Adult. Must be one. Probably just short.

And Damian? Never backs down. The second Dan starts challenging him? His character is flawless and his morals divine. He has never done anything wrong, ever, in his LIFE. Fuck you. And on TOP of that? He not only will be the SINGLE GREATEST FATHER TO EVER FATHER, his home is the most loving and beloved ON THE PLANET!

In entirety of EARTH'S history, no less!

....what are they arguing about?

*is handed a baby and kicked out of Dan's adoption agency*

See you in a few days!

(o.o ) *happy gurgling from the baby* *Damian.exe has stopped working*

Smash cut, after Damian speed runs his stages of grief at his own Dumbass Life Choices, to his rocking back up at the Manor like? Congratulations, Father. I have brought you your first grandson! Do Not ask how I obtained him. It was likely dubiously legal but I will not be returning him. We have bonded.

And just? Annihilating the collective Bats on one go. You did what? You have What?! That is a baby! WHY IS THERE A BABY?! How is there a baby!? WHOS BABY!? *sirens going off and everyone panicking*

Will Damian be allowed to KEEP the Baby? Ha! Hell no. Bruce will. Damian is a child. But it will be a Needlessly Dramatic Bat Cold War Of Dramatic Drama to pry that small cherubic baby from his grip long enough for Bruce to fill out the paperwork.

Child thieving bastard that he is. How dare he. That is Damian's SON! D:<

*happy oblivious baby noises as Alfred feeds him in the background, while the Bats do their Dramatic Custody War*

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @mutable-manifestation

[sheri42]

WriteOut Why I Write The Woods

#writeout #whyiwrite beckoning fairy woods #writeout24 #nationaldayonwriting #nationalwritingproject #nationalparkservice #clmooc #poetry #poetry24 #coyotewillow #JonesBay #BanksLake #freeverse #haiku

[gothhabiba]

St. Paul, MN – During the early morning hours of November 20, 50 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the site of Lockheed Martin’s new microelectronics subsidiary, ForwardEdge ASIC, in Saint Paul. They unfurled long banners, one reading, “MN, divest from Lockheed,” and blocked the driveway entrances to the facility for almost eight hours.

Police arrived shortly after the activists occupied the space and made their presence throughout the day, but no arrests were made. Due to the protesters’ presence, no employees of ForwardEdge ASIC were able to enter the facility and go to work that morning. The parking lot remained empty save for a lone security guard’s vehicle.

Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest weapons company by revenue and one of the major suppliers to the Israel Defense Forces. Lockheed Martin supplies Israel with a wide variety of weapons, including fighter jets, attack helicopters, and missiles. Lockheed Martin technologies are also integrated into Israel's main weapon systems.

Activists participated in as part of the newly formed Free Palestine Coalition in the Twin Cities, which comprises groups such as the Anti-War Committee (AWC), American Muslims for Palestine – MN, Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN, Students for Justice in Palestine – UMN, Students for a Democratic Society – UMN, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), Jews Against Genocide, Red Nation, and several others.

Protesters emphasized the role of the state of Minnesota in funding Lockheed as well as other companies that make possible Israel’s violence against Palestinians. “Minnesota granted Lockheed over $1 million to open the Saint Paul facility this year,” explained Wyatt Miller of the AWC. “Meanwhile, the State Board of Investments has invested over $53 million of public pension money it controls in Lockheed. Governor Tim Walz chairs that board, so we also want to send a message that Minnesotans don’t want to see our taxpayer dollars used to fund this massacre in any way.”

After protesters determined that a majority of the workday had been disrupted, they marched in unity towards the facility to plaster the building with the protest signs as a show of victory.

Sarah Martin, a longtime anti-war activist with WAMM who was prepared to be arrested Monday, stated, “Because of our presence, weapons components were not made at the facility today by a manufacturer largely responsible for the murder of Palestinian children.”

“Protesters across the world have been shutting down business as usual as long as this massacre of Gaza continues,” said Miller. “We are proud to do what we can to slow the operations of the U.S. military-industrial complex, which is the backbone of Israel’s oppression of Palestine.”