Random, Random 2.0

[Deuce]

Further evidence that nudity can exist completely independent of sexuality; that nudity is not inherently sexual - everything depends on the CONTEXT...

This is also something that could save people's health - and possibly even save some lives.
Good on them for not being afraid to do it...

This Woman Got a Breast Exam On Live TV...

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[Fastbackss]

Deuce,

We're American down here. We have an inability to subjugate our prurience, and unless the government regulates what we see and what they think is sexual, our carnality will proceed unfettered and scar our children.

(But yes, a lot could be learned about knowing the difference which would make us more learned and well rounded)

[JazzNU]

FWIW, you should think about following the people you like on Twitter and do so soon, today if possible. Twitter's ill-advised blue check changes were supposed to take effect today, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe some sectors will be willing to pay for it, but few of the ones I follow will be doing so as far as I can tell. So, copycat accounts will be popping up most likely, but if you follow who you like ahead of time, you'll know it's the right account. Just a suggestion.

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

At the right place, at the right PRECISE MOMENT.
That's incredible.

[Deuce]

It's a nice image... but these days, it's much, much, much easier to fabricate such things in photoshop, etc. than it is to capture something like that in reality.
I don't believe it's real for a second.

As a professional photographer said to me when digital photography and digital photo manipulation were starting: "A photo used to be proof that something happened. But now, with the technology, a photo doesn't prove a damned thing. And it's a real shame."

To me, it's not the final image that matters - what matters is if something is real, or if it's fabricated on a computer. I respect the real. I don't respect computer fabricated images, videos, etc. that pass themselves off as real - and that's happening more and more, sadly.

[ti-amie]

What Time of Year Do Starlings Do Murmuration?

Starling murmurations occur once the birds arrive on their wintering grounds in Autumn and winter. You can see these displays as early as September and as late as December, depending on the location. Autumn roosting sites can contain upwards of 100,000 starlings, all swooping and diving in the setting sun. If you ever get the chance to see one, be sure to get to the site before dusk.

Where is the Best Place to See a Murmuration of Starlings?


European starlings are one of the most abundant bird species in North America, with over 200 million individuals. You can see starling murmurations anywhere in the United States, but they are most common in open spaces outside of big cities. You can also find them near cliffs, parks, reedbeds, and woodlands. But some sites are prime-watching areas.

Check out these locations for the best front-row seats to a starling murmuration:

Saguaro National Park – Arizona
Central Park – New York
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge – Florida
Indian River Lagoon – Florida
Lake Calhoun – Minnesota
Higbee Beach – New Jersey
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park – Illinois
Rio Grande Valley – Texas
Astoria Park – New York
Sunset Lake – New York
And many more!
Starling murmurations can happen in most areas of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. But you may have a better chance of seeing one near natural areas. Be sure to be in your spot before dusk during autumn and early winter. Don’t forget to check the weather forecast, pack warm clothes, and bring snacks or drinks. Natural displays are not known for happening right on schedule, so plan accordingly.

Are Starlings the Only Birds That Murmurate?
The term “murmuration” strictly refers to the hypnotic groupings of starlings. While many bird species form flocks, starlings are the only ones that make these unique formations. So yes, starlings are the only birds that murmurate.


https://a-z-animals.com/blog/starling-m ... ting%20sun.

[ti-amie]

"Very Impressive Starling Murmurations" by Daniel Biber

This series of images was captured in a 10-second window on the 31st, December 2016 near Sant Pere Pescador in Catalonia, Spain. For years I have observed huge flocks of starlings on the Costa Brava. It took me several days to scout out the location where the starlings gather at sunset to roost. I shot thousands of pictures and had the great luck to capture the moment that the murmuration took on the shape of a large flying bird - no retouches necessary! The shape then dissipated, and the birds began to reshape ending up as another impressive bird shape.

https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-p ... world/very

These photographs are really impressive.

[Deuce]

I'm still not buying it for a second.

[Deuce]

If any of you are Don Lemon fans (CNN), you might want to reconsider...
Personally, I've always thought he was a jerk.
He was very obviously drunk on air at least once...
He's an intelligent guy - but also clearly quite obnoxious.

Don Lemon's More Than Questionable Behaviour...

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[Owendonovan]

I just saw someone pushing a backpack in a stroller.

[ti-amie]

I used to want to be a teacher. I loved working with kids and helping them find joy in learning. This weeks episode of Abbott Elementary is all about teaching - why teachers quit and why teachers continue to do their work. An amazing episode.

[Deuce]

Speaking of formal education...
There is a new TV show in Britain called 'Naked Education'. Yes, they are using the word 'naked' to attract attention... and the premise also obviously attracts attention (and viewers).
While I question making a TV show out of this, I do like the idea. I suppose making a TV show out of it does promote the general idea, which, in turn, is a good thing...

The premise of the show is to educate teens about the human body - and, most importantly, to encourage them to view the human body as a work of nature with many functions, and not merely as a sexual tool. With this goal, at one point, adults of various shapes, sizes, and colours get naked in front of the kids. In North America, of course, this would be viewed as 'pornography' and/or 'child abuse'... but in the more advanced and progressive European countries, it is viewed as educational. Yes, there will always be a sexual element to the naked body - and that's fine, as sexuality is obviously an integral part of life, and the more educated one is about it, the better the choices one can make in relation to sexuality. But the human body is also capable of many other wonderful things which have nothing to do with sexuality...
As one reviewer put it:
"The backlash the show received for showing teenagers nude bodies is exactly why the show exists. To teach people that the human body isn't a thing to be ashamed of, and that each body is different, and that's okay."

We know that, because of the internet, children have virtually unlimited access not only to nudity, but to graphic sexuality - often vulgar and/or abusive and/or violent, and completely void of context. And so they are seeing not only nudity and sexuality, but are seeing it in unhealthy atmospheres for the most part.
In addition to that, children are bombarded with overtly sexual imagery from various 'celebrities' who all try to out-do each other and be the 'most sexy' - not to mention that 95% of these images are fake, thanks to programs like photoshop.
All of this does tremendous damage to young people's perceptions of themselves, and of what they feel people expect of them.

And so how can it be wrong to educate them to view the human body in a healthy way, and to learn about not only the physical elements of sexuality, but also the psychological and emotional elements of it?

Again - the teenage pregnancy rate in European countries where nudity is not hidden is half of what it is in North America, where nudity is considered 'shameful' and 'dangerous'. The difference, clearly, is perspective and context - in North America, there is neither.

Here's an article about the show...

Naked Education...

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[Suliso]

Below is a passage from a book I'm reading right now. I think this is very true and most likely our times are not as special as we sometimes like to imagine.

"-and my point is, there's always something. I think, as a species, we have a desire to believe that we're living at the climax of the story. It's a kind of narcissism. We want to believe that we're uniquely important, that we're living at the end of history, that now, after all these millenia of false alarms, now is finally the worst that it's ever been, that finally we have reached the end of the world."

[mmmm8]

I think about this often, less in an end-of-the-world way but more in how the technological and other advancements of the day are going to become a blip.