Sand Dune Arch
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Utah
Travel
USA
National
Southwest
West
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Pix
Sand Dune
Sand Dune, National Park
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Rear view with kundu drum
Celebrating the Bargam New Testament dedication
Tags
Papua New Guinea
PNG
Madang
Province
Niugini
Bargam
Bible
dedication
Testament
Bargam New Testament dedicationTagsPapua, Rear view
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
#brisbane #bridge #storybridge 28dec
#brisbane #bridge #storybridge 28dec
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instagram app
square
square format
iphoneography
Puddle reflection
Twin pics
Twin pics
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Aquitaine
Backpacking
Europe
France
Lacs et refuge d'Ayous
Montain
Pic du Midi d'Ossau
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bangsaen Speedboats - Banana boat racing
Bangsaen Speedboats - Banana boat racing
Bangsaen Beach, Chonburi, Thailand, 23rd-24th December 2011
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Bangsaen
Chonburi
Thailand
Bangsaen Beach
beach
sand
sea
water
speedboats
speedboat
powerboat
powerboats
Bangsaen Speedboats
race
racing
banana boat
banana boats
banana boat racing
Chonburi, Thailand, Banana boat racingBangsaen Beach, Bangsaen Speedboats
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
YARROW RESERVOIR, ANGLEZARKE, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.
above contra loma before sunrise
above contra loma before sunrise
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bayarea
winter
antioch
contra loma
california
contracostacounty
eastbay
ebrpd
ebparksok
ebparks
eastbayregionalparkdistrict
hills
hiking
ilikethenight
landscape
marccrumpler
morning
sunrise
dawn
tamron1750
trails
trees
usa
pentax
pentaxk5
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
[2011-09-25] Marion Lake_0001
[2011-09-25] Marion Lake_0001
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Casperson Park
Marion Lake
Sunrise
Lakeville
Minnesota
United States
Woodland understory - Poa labillardieri
Woodland understory - Poa labillardieri
This grass grows in the wetter areas of the grassy woodland and is commonly called River Tussock. As shown here, it flowers in the warmer months of the year - in late spring and early summer. A beautiful grass, the tussocks can get quite large.
Tags
Grassy Woodland understory
Poa labillardieri
River Tussock
Poaceae
Canberra
Australia
wetter areas, grass, River Tussock, woodland, Woodland understory
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
EU Puts Pressure on Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine—A summit aimed at anchoring Ukraine in Europe fell flat on Monday, as the European Union warned it wouldn't sign a trade and political-association deal with Kiev unless the government took steps to release jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Both sides hailed the conclusion of negotiations on the deal as a stride toward a free-trade agreement and deeper political ties, but the summit in Kiev was overshadowed by the case of the opposition leader, who was convicted in October on abuse-of-office charges.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych that the signing of the agreement "will depend on political circumstances."
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Yulia Tymoshenko, shown in June
"Our strong concern is primarily related to the risks of politically motivated justice in Ukraine. The Tymoshenko trial is the most striking example," Mr. Van Rompuy said.
Ms. Tymoshenko is appealing her seven-year sentence, which she says is an attempt by Mr. Yanukovych to sideline his main political rival.
U.S. and European officials have pressed the president to find a way to release his longtime foe, whom he narrowly defeated in the 2010 election. He has refused, and authorities have launched several new criminal probes relating to her stint as head of a gas company in the mid-1990s.
After a two-hour meeting with Mr. Yanukovych and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Mr. Van Rompuy said Ukraine's parliamentary elections next year will be a "litmus test." He urged Kiev to push ahead with judicial reforms and ensure media freedoms and freedom of assembly.
Mr. Yanukovych gave no indication after the meeting that he was prepared to back down and push for Ms. Tymoshenko's release.
The EU's statements underscored the dilemma it faces as it tries to press Mr. Yanukovych to curb alleged pressure on the opposition and media while not pushing him too hard toward neighboring Russia.
Moscow is trying to entice Ukraine into tighter economic and political ties with offers of discounts on natural-gas supplies. Negotiations on a new gas contract, which have been going on for more than 18 months, have stumbled in recent weeks.
Mr. Yanukovych, who will fly to Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting of regional leaders, said talks with Russia on a new gas agreement were tough. "It's difficult at the moment to say how they will finish," he said, in comments carried by Interfax news agency.
He said the conclusion of negotiations with the EU confirmed Ukraine's choice to move toward closer ties with Europe.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Herman Van Rompuy, Van Rompuy, European Union, Ukraine, political ties, political ties, Tymoshenko, Europe, Kiev
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tucson's desert
Comin' down the mountain
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Mudam Caf, Mudam Luxembourg
The Mudam Caf, Mudam Luxembourg
designers: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
2006
Tags
museum
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Snow on the Brecon Beacons, Taf Fechan - December 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Weak Euro Gives Hope to Zone's Exporters
FRANKFURT—The struggling euro-zone economy is getting an unintended benefit from the region's escalating debt crisis, as the recent sharp drop in the value of the euro against other major currencies stimulates the region's exporters, limiting the severity of the downturn gripping the 17-member currency bloc.
The likely lift to exporters comes as the euro zone, though likely in the early months of a mild recession, avoids the kind of steep plunge in output that plagued the global economy in 2008 and 2009. That could limit the scope for the European Central Bank to embark on more radical steps, including large-scale asset purchases known as quantitative easing.
ECB President Mario Draghi on Thursday rejected suggestions that the central bank embark on quantitative easing, saying such steps don't lead to "stellar economic performance."
Also Thursday, Italy's government, headed by Prime Minister Mario Monti, called for a confidence vote on the €20 billion ($26 billion) austerity package aimed at shielding the country from the euro-zone debt crisis, as expected.
The 13% drop in the euro versus the U.S. dollar from its May peak, to around $1.30, could add more than 0.5 percentage point to euro-zone growth, economists say, assuming the recent slide sticks for several months. "If we get one side benefit from sovereign debt issues, a weakened euro...would be an extremely welcome outcome," said John Whelan, chief executive of the Irish Exporters Association, whose member companies account for 80% of Ireland's exports.
Effects of a lower euro should feed through quickly, particularly with the euro weakening against the U.K. sterling. The U.K. accounts for roughly 50% of the exports of Irish-owned businesses, mostly small and medium-sized, Mr. Whelan said, making the 5% drop in the euro-sterling rate since late October a welcome development for his group.
Others along the region's fragile periphery should see the benefit, too. Ireland and Portugal are the most sensitive of euro-bloc countries to the euro-dollar rate, according to economists at Royal Bank of Scotland. Spain's economy is also closely tied to exchange rates.
The weaker euro "will help Portuguese textiles exports, especially for countries outside the European Union," said Paulo Vaz, who heads Portugal's textile association, known as ATP. Portugal is home to roughly 7,000 textile-related companies, which account for 10% of its exports. The sector has fallen on hard times in part due to the euro's strength in recent years, as lower-cost competitors in Eastern Europe and China, with lower-valued currencies, gobbled up market share inside and outside of Europe.
Another beneficiary: France's Cognac market. In recent years, sales of Cognac, which can bear that label only if made in the region of the same name in western France, have been largely boosted by booming demand in China and the U.S.
For Cognac maker Louis Royer SAS, the effect of a weaker euro has been positive, says Philippe Pichetto, who runs the company's Americas export division. "The strong euro had a big effect on our margins," said Mr. Pichetto. "When clients paid in dollars, we had to absorb most of the extra cost."
Louis Royer, which had 2010 revenues of €36 million ($47 million), does around 30% of its business in U.S. dollars. A weak euro is helping the company partly offset increased production costs which will, eventually, have to be passed on to the customer in the form of higher prices, Mr. Pichetto said.
However, he noted that the euro would have to remain weak for at least six months before it had an important effect on the 150-year-old company's finances.
Larger companies echo the feeling that the dollar would have to remain strong for a sustained period before any real positive effect could be felt. Aerospace giant European Aeronautic Defence & Space NV, which in 2010 made the majority of its €45.8 billion revenue outside the euro zone, has long argued that the euro is too strong.
"If the dollar were to stay in the range of $1.30 for a longer period of time, this would be positive for our business. The more we are moving towards the purchase-power equilibrium, which is at around $1.25, the better it would be for us, if sustained," said an EADS spokesman.
The improved export prospects come as many euro zone members confront a toxic mix of economic stagnation, growth-draining austerity measures and rising borrowing costs.
The euro zone contracted for a fourth straight month in December but at a less pronounced pace than in November, according to a closely watched survey of purchasing executives, raising hopes that any recession will be mild. The Markit PMI index rose to 47.9 from 47 in November. Though still below 50, signaling contraction, the index reached its highest level in three months. December's improvement was driven largely by Germany, whose PMI rose nearly two points to 51.3, signaling modest growth.
"For the next three or four months our order book looks very good; overall I am still not pessimistic," said Kirsten Schoder-Steinmüller, managing director of Schoder GmbH, a 76-person firm outside Frankfurt that makes engraving tools and specialty machine parts.
Write to Brian Blackstone at brian.blackstone@dowjones.com, Max Colchester at max.colchester@wsj.com and David Pearson at david.pearson@dowjones.com
European Central Bank, Philippe Pichetto, Prime Minister Mario Monti, President Mario Draghi, euro zone, debt crisis, currencies
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Rainbow
4390
4390
Sewerby Hall and Gardens, East Yorkshire.
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East Yorkshire
Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding
England
UK
United Kingdom
Bridlington
Holderness Coast
Holderness
Coast
North Sea
North
Sea
Sewerby Hall
Sewerby
Hall
Grade I listed country house
Grade I
listed building
country house
manor
manor house
Grade
listed
country
house
John Greame
John
Greame
Bridlington Corporation
Corporation
Museum of East Yorkshire
Monday, December 12, 2011
Substituting for a wide-angle...
house_20110823_D_066518
lee a. tregurtha, american sault locks, michigan
lee a. tregurtha, american sault locks, michigan
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american sault locks
classic laker
evening
laker
lee a. tregurtha
michigan
poe lock
sunset
upbound
Untitled
Untitled
Photograph by Scott Allan Wallick.
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23mm
Devanshi
FUJINON
FUJINON ASPH. 23mm f/2.0
FinePix
FinePix X100
Fuji
Fuji FinePix X100
Fujifilm
Jackson Heights
Mamta
Mustang Thakali Kitchen
New York
Scott Wallick Photography
Thakali Kitchen
USA
United States
X100
annaprasana
geotagged
pasni
puja
scottwallick
swallick
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Impressions of America: A Roadtrip. Day 8.
Impressions of America: A Roadtrip. Day 8.
Chicago skyline at sunset. Chicago, IL.
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Chicago
Illinois
USA
United States
blue
calm
dusk
night
panorama
roadtrip
sky
skyline
skyscrapers
sun
sunset
water
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Crumpet Tea Room
The Crumpet Tea Room
Scenes from the 2011 Rogers Christmas Parade
Rogers, AR
December 5, 2011
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Weather
Rogers
District
Crumpet
Street
Greetings
Daisy
Main
Arkansas
Museum
Room
Winter
Historic
Seasons
Tea
Airgun
Parade
Christmas
Holiday
Celebration
Cold
Monday, December 5, 2011
Red Tail Hawk Ready
Red Tail Hawk Ready
This is a capture of a large Red Tailed Hawk, i took on Black Friday, who was sitting on the fence next to the Blackstone River Bike Path in Cumberland R.I.
This is the fourth time i saw these beautiful birds along the BRBP this year. While coming back from a walk on a beautiful autumn day i saw this RTH sitting on the ground next to the fence. When he or she spotted me it jumped on the top of the fence and sat there for about fifteen minutes and allowed me with in four feet of him or her. The RTH was looking around continually and i am guessing it was looking for lunch. After this photo opportunity it flew off into the woods to continue the hunt.
Info:
The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies, and is one of the most common buteos in North America. Red-tailed Hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within its range. There are fourteen recognized subspecies, which vary in appearance and range. It is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America, typically weighing from 690 to 1600 grams (1.5 to 3.5 pounds) and measuring 45–65 cm (18 to 26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110 to 145 cm (43 to 57 in). The Red-tailed Hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males.
The Red-tailed Hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, tropical rainforests, agricultural fields and urban areas. It lives throughout the North American continent, except in areas of unbroken forest or the high arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for falconry in the United States are Red-tails. Falconers are permitted to take only passage hawks (which have left the nest, are on their own, but are less than a year old) so as to not affect the breeding population. Adults, which may be breeding or rearing chicks, may not be taken for falconry purposes and it is illegal to do so. Passage red-tailed hawks are also preferred by falconers because these younger birds have not yet developed adult behaviors, which can make training substantially more challenging.
The Red-tailed Hawk also has significance in Native American culture. Its feathers are considered sacred by some tribes, and are used in religious ceremonies.
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flickr
foto
photo
image
capture
picture
photography
canon
powershot
bird
hawk
chickenhawk
nature
outdoors
ri
red tailed hawk
bird of prey
blackstone river
blackstone canal
blackstone valley
blackstone river bikeway
cumberland ri
the ocean state
rhode island
new england
Red Tailed Hawk, North America, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawks, Red Tail Hawk ReadyThis, beautiful birds
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
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