Hinduism Vs Cricketism Despite being from Pushkar- India’s most sacred city- the reaction of this charismatic shoe polisher when finding out I was from Australia consisted of: “Ahhhhhhh, Australia! Pause ….RICKY PONTING! SHANE WARNE!”(Australian cricketers) It doesn’t matter where in India- be it north, east, south, west or talking amongst the rich, the poor, women, men, children, Hindus or Muslims; Cricket – is a craze here that is almost bordering on utter madness. However in some unconventional manner, this sport-that is slowly dying within its home nation England-still manages to unite the 1.1 billion people that make up this chaotic yet captivating nation. When a cricket match is being played, the country comes to a standstill. It’s not uncommon to find the roads being deserted (meaning still twice as many cars on the road as any Western nation), weddings being postponed or even parliament going in for early closing. So despite Pushkar being one of the premier pilgrimage destinations amongst Hindu’s in India, it is clear that the ‘cricket’ is equally a religion that encompasses a set of beliefs, practices and dedicated followers…. resulting in ‘Shane Warne’ somehow being considered as holy as the god Ganesh….. ^ Ricky Ponting + Shane Warne (Warnie) – Australian Cricketers
Picture captured during the riots in Copenhagen , march 2007. Published on Reuters.
From a tourists vision of Brazilan society and culture, there is a whirlwind blur of stereotypes….. Carnaval in Rio, dental-floss bikinis, Cachaca rum, salsa, beautiful beaches and not to forget the beautiful beach bodys. But beyond this one-dimensional mirage, as travellers our knowledge of what truly constitutes this vibrant nation is a harphazzard perception. With approximately 150,000 residents, Rocinha is Rio de Janeiro’s drug-ridden working-class district that is buried amongst the hill sides of the elegant city. Although infrastructure is relatively developed with both electricity and cable TV available, a fundamental concern facing its impoverished youth is that joining organized crime is often the most suitable and achievable lifestyle alternative. This leads to the question, as to whether the energy and sense of sheer hope that sparks behind these smiles, will soon fade due to the confined options society places on these children.
Book Cover for / Elevator Instructions…How To Live
Jean M. Laffitau
Jean M. Laffitau
Captured this image in a street at Hyderabad Old City. Nikon D200, Nikkor 18-200
Leaving behind the sanctified ground / with its musty grasses and dead blooms / the woman discards the gown of black / and begins to reclaim herself from the abyss. She knows the tales the headstones tell / in the far corners of bleakest darkness / she’s seen beyond the limits / of unscathed mortal understanding / where the Dorian Gray incarnates / roam freely amongst angels in the bright of day. Unmercifully left behind she shudders. / As the bell continues to toll. / she attacks the onslaught / layer by layer, shred by shred, until / everything is covered, hidden well. She’s chosen her new facade carefully, / as bright as tomorrow may well be / the mask is in place and she, / refusing the comfort of eyes long dead, / or a heart numbed from aching, / vanquishes it all donning gilded gown. With invisible shield in hand she roams / over and through the remaining dimensions of life / liberally bestowing smiles upon all / and juggling time in perfect synch. Layer upon layer of tears now dried, / hope forever within her, / mourning becomes comfort, / the ordinary order of things. The smiles continue, the games play on / as the days repeat in haunting echoing / she places them in a carefully cultivated, / tended with love, garden of time / knowing inevitably they will return. And behind the mask she quietly weeps, / the salty, stinging, redemptive tears / of those who have seen beyond / and like her, stood their ground / and fought, and fought, and fought again, / and somehow, / managed to victoriously survive. (Behind the mask, by Marcia Miller Twiford)
sold as Greeting Card by unknown visitor / 37 fav 1092 views on 22.11.2009
scanned print from the ol K1000. lots of scratches. Tam Tams Montreal. 2004. / Tam-Tams is one of the more fantastic experiences in Canada. At the foot of Mount Royal (the monument on Parc), every sunday that weather permits, thousands of people gather for a huge drum-circle. Every kind of drum. Every kind of instrument. Every walk of life. The beat does not stop but segues into every variation & volume imaginable. Folks join in and drop out from dawn til well after dark. No one knows how or when the event started. It’s really something else.
Canon 40D / Lens Canon 17-85mm.
Amsterdam, November 21, 2009 / My candid street shot of today… :D Oooooh, so typical Dutch that I even cannot translate it into English LOL … / ‘bakfiets’ – a bycicle on three wheels with a ‘box’ in front, often used in the Netherlands to transport children, grocery shoppings, and a lot of other stuff. / And ‘oliebollen’, a typical Dutch treat, especially in wintertime: a dough shaped into a ball and fried in oil… No ‘Old years eve’ without ‘oliebollen’ :D . / So the ‘oliebollenkraam’ is the stand where the ‘oliebollen’, waffles and some similar treats, are sold… Indeed: with the ‘bakfiets’ to the ‘oliebollenkraam’ ... so typical Dutch that I can’t translate LOL… So… then just to make sure… the dictionary: / ‘bakfiets’: carrier cycle / ‘oliebol’: (no translation [giggle-shrug] ) / Edited (Nov 22, 2009): Aaah, but the Canadian family of Johan (photowalker) Nijenhuis do have a good English translation for it! : ‘oil domplings’ – Thanks Johan! That captures it well! LOL Photograph made with Pentax K10D camera and Pentax 18-55 lens / Comments and feed-back always welcome. Thanks for looking :)
(taken with Canon EOS 50D, kit, as is.) The wind blows through the doors of my heart. It scatters my sheet music that climbs like waves from the piano, free of the keys. Now the notes stripped, black butterflies, flattened against the screens. The wind through my heart blows all my candles out. In my heart and its rooms is dark and windy. From the mantle smashes birds’ nests, teacups full of stars as the wind winds round, a mist of sorts that rises and bends and blows or is blown through the rooms of my heart that shatters the windows, rakes the bedsheets as though someone had just made love. And my dresses they are lifted like brides come to rest on the bedstead, crucifixes, dresses tangled in trees in the rooms of my heart. To save them I’ve thrown flowers to fields, so that someone would pick them up and know where they came from. Come the bees now clinging to flowered curtains. Off with the clothesline pinning anything, my mother’s trousseau. It is not for me to say what is this wind or how it came to blow through the rooms of my heart. Wing after wing, through the rooms of the dead the wind does not blow. Nor the basement, no wheezing, no wind choking the cobwebs in our hair. It is cool here, quiet, a quilt spread on soil. But we will never lie down again. (by Deborah Digges)
Time itself has honestly been timeless / and time itself will never lie for it takes a second to fall / comes hours of pain / and lifetimes lost though time is free / it comes with a cost at times it may be high / but at times fairly low when time goes to waste / it will clearly show reflecting back upon its own / a blank image is left alone for time is precious / for those who cherish thee for every second is a gift / a gift that comes with no price with life as the giver / this gift will not be given twice some thankful and some weary / some gifts have been lost in time / as thee eye turns teary aslong as the gift is breathing / time can unwrap the surface for every living being has been gifted / only time will reveal its purpose (unknown author)
a blending of two images… camera – Sony H50 / Exp time- 1/160s / ISO – 80 / mode – manual / Metering – matrix / Aper – F4.5
This group is for advanced photographers. And upcoming talents. This is a group, in where you are expected to do your best – both as a photographer and constructive reviewer. This group is for the photographers that love to take street shots. For the photographers who dare to go over the limit and capture the soul of the street and the people in it.
When you upload a new picture – then remember to review/comment on at least one of the uploaded shots from a group member. We want the Soul reflections group to be an active group with lots of feed back. If this is to much “work” for you – then this group is not for you.
Happy shooting
David & Lars
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