The world is a mask that hides the real world.
Thatâs what everybody suspects, though the world we see wonât let us dwell on it long.
The world has ways - more masks - of getting our attention.
The suspicion sneaks in now and again, between the cracks of everyday existenceâ¦the bird song dips, rises, dips, trails off into blue sky silence before the note that would reveal the shape of a melody that, somehow, would tie everything together, on the verge of unmasking the hidden armature that frames this sky, this tree, this bird, this quivering green leaf, jewels in a crown.â¦
As the song dies, the secret withdraws.
The tree is a mask.
The sky is a mask.
The quivering green leaf is a mask.
The song is a mask.
The singing bird is a mask.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Feathers- light, delicate, tasty!
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Abu Dhabi worries about bird flu
Bird flu prevention in UAE begins at falcon hospital
Authorities in Abu Dhabi are keeping close tabs on the comings and goings of local stock of falcons.
by Sam Dagher - SWEIHAN, United Arab Emirates - Three peregrine falcons drugged with anaesthetic are perched quietly on the floor of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital awaiting their turn to be checked for avian influenza.
They were confiscated at Abu Dhabi airport where their owners tried to smuggle them in with forged documentation, according to the hospital.
Although no cases of bird flu have been reported yet in the United Arab Emirates, authorities in the country's oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi are taking no chances.
An elaborate prevention programme has been rolled out and a contingency plan involving the army drawn up to face the threat of the disease, which has killed nearly 70 people in Asia since 2003.
All exotic birds and raptors such as falcons have been banned from entering the country and authorities are keeping close tabs on the comings and goings of the local stock of falcons using a mandatory registration system.
Emiratis, who are passionate falconers, can only train their falcons inside the country and are forced to practice the sport itself in places like Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Morocco as Asian destinations are off limits this year due to the risk of bird flu.
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has surfaced in neighboring Kuwait as well as in China, Croatia, Romania, Indonesia and elsewhere since October.
"Falconers and falcons have close contact. The falcon is like a child for them, it's part of the family," says German doctor Margit Muller, director of the falcon hospital, located in the desert town of Sweihan near Abu Dhabi.
She says falcons can catch avian flu if they fly behind or hunt infected birds, a real risk given that the UAE is on the path of migrating birds and given the possibility that some falconers may not abide by the rules.
"There is a possibility, we cannot rule it out," says the Bavarian vet, recruited four years ago to head the state-owned hospital, the largest of its kind in the region.
In addition to treating nearly 4,000 falcons a year, the hospital has a quarantine facility for suspect birds of prey and a sophisticated laboratory to test for avian flu in all birds.
Muller says the laboratory currently runs almost 1,000 test samples per day from all over the UAE, but can double that if need be.
"This gives us the chance to detect it in a few hours even if it's H5N1," she says over the shrieks of a falcon being treated in a nearby room.
"This in my eyes is one of the most important things: not only to know if you have avian influenza but really to detect if it is pathogenic (contagious) for humans."
Muller says the UAE is taking the lead in the Gulf in terms of its readiness to tackle the threat of bird flu.
A national committee is heading the effort, which so far has involved closing down live poultry shops inside cities, inspecting farms, training municipal and health workers on how to deal with the disease and launching a public awareness campaign.
Migrating birds are also being tested and quarantine facilities to house suspect birds are being built around coastal areas and at airports, says Majid al-Mansuri, the committee's secretary general.
"We are taking our precautions. We are not in danger," he says.
He dismisses the threat of bird flu from falcons, arguing that unlike most Far Eastern countries, residents of the UAE rarely come into contact with live poultry, which is bred at state-of-the-art farms outside city limits.
Mansuri says the only threat to the UAE would be an Asian bird flu pandemic given the country's dependence on low-income workers from southeast Asia.
Mansuri has a detailed flow chart outlining actions to be taken in the event of human infection in the UAE.
"Health officials quarantine the patient with the army's help. In the event of death: bury the body in an isolated area or burn it," reads one box.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
DSC02281
DSC02306
birdhands
Falcon
baby7 says:
"I saw this nice Falcon in Duabi safari trip at night in desert..It was so hungry"
Monday, December 05, 2005
Peregrine Falcon_5808
Sunday, December 04, 2005
wanted: good christian dino hunters
Project Pterosaur
What Are Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs (ter’ə·sôrs) are flying reptiles with leathery or membranous wings attached to the sides of their bodies and supported by an elongated fourth digit on their forelimbs. They were created by the Lord on the fifth day of His Creation Week (Genesis 1:20-22) and were a constant presence in the skies over Eden, where they peacefully ate fruit and plants. After the Fall, many of their descendants degenerated to a carnivorous diet and became feared by man, although non-wicked specimens preserved on the Ark helped to temper this degenerative tendency after the Flood. Various Pterosaur kinds were common throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa up until the early Middle Ages and interacted extensively with Man. Today, although Evolutionists falsely insist that they are extinct, pterosaurs can still be found, hidden away in the unexplored wilds of our world.
There are two main baramins of pterosaurs: rhamphorhynchoid and pterodactyloid. Rhamphorhynchoid kinds are small to medium sized (usually no larger than a sea gull) with long tails, short heads and necks, and teeth. Pterodactyloid kinds are medium to very large (in fact, they include the largest flying animals that ever lived) with short tails, longer necks and limbs, often crested heads, and usually lack teeth. It's still debated whether these groups are monobaraminic or holobaraminic, and it is one of Project Pterosaur's science goals to answer this question (if we find specimens of both groups, we can determine baraminicity by using Intelligent Design Theory to measure their specified complexity and apply the Dembski-Shannon equation to extrapolate the amount of relative informational loss due to genetic degradation from their perfect Creation.) [....]
Pterosaurs, including the ancestors of pterodactyls (middle left) and rhamphorhynchi (middle right), lived peacefully with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Artistic reconstruction by Peggy Miller.)
During the Exodus, Israelites within sight of Moses's brazen pterosaur-scaring device (pictured above) were safe, but many stragglers still perished from the persistent bites of the serpentine pterosaurs. (Artistic reconstruction by Peggy Miller.)
[....] I have also contacted "Johnny" Kimbuso, my African guide from my last expedition, to see if he would be willing to help. It was he who managed to take the picture of the apatosaur we uncovered. Hopefully, I can convince him to join me again on another Creation Science adventure, although he still suffers trauma from his close encounter with the charging dinosaur.
[....] Besides supplies that are common to all animal capture expeditions, we have determined that we need the following special equipment:
* Metallic pterosaur effigies based on Biblical designs (for herding into traps.)
* Frankincense smoker (to disorientate the animals for capture.)
* Nets, including large butterfly-style nets for use on smaller rhamphorhynchi.
* Calming hoods (designed based on Deluge-era pterosaur skull remains.)
* Reinforced bird cages.
* Climate controlled egg transport containers. [....]
What Are Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs (ter’ə·sôrs) are flying reptiles with leathery or membranous wings attached to the sides of their bodies and supported by an elongated fourth digit on their forelimbs. They were created by the Lord on the fifth day of His Creation Week (Genesis 1:20-22) and were a constant presence in the skies over Eden, where they peacefully ate fruit and plants. After the Fall, many of their descendants degenerated to a carnivorous diet and became feared by man, although non-wicked specimens preserved on the Ark helped to temper this degenerative tendency after the Flood. Various Pterosaur kinds were common throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa up until the early Middle Ages and interacted extensively with Man. Today, although Evolutionists falsely insist that they are extinct, pterosaurs can still be found, hidden away in the unexplored wilds of our world.
There are two main baramins of pterosaurs: rhamphorhynchoid and pterodactyloid. Rhamphorhynchoid kinds are small to medium sized (usually no larger than a sea gull) with long tails, short heads and necks, and teeth. Pterodactyloid kinds are medium to very large (in fact, they include the largest flying animals that ever lived) with short tails, longer necks and limbs, often crested heads, and usually lack teeth. It's still debated whether these groups are monobaraminic or holobaraminic, and it is one of Project Pterosaur's science goals to answer this question (if we find specimens of both groups, we can determine baraminicity by using Intelligent Design Theory to measure their specified complexity and apply the Dembski-Shannon equation to extrapolate the amount of relative informational loss due to genetic degradation from their perfect Creation.) [....]
Pterosaurs, including the ancestors of pterodactyls (middle left) and rhamphorhynchi (middle right), lived peacefully with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Artistic reconstruction by Peggy Miller.)
During the Exodus, Israelites within sight of Moses's brazen pterosaur-scaring device (pictured above) were safe, but many stragglers still perished from the persistent bites of the serpentine pterosaurs. (Artistic reconstruction by Peggy Miller.)
Manson guests treated to falconry
Marilyn Manson marries burlesque dancer
CBC Arts, 4 Dec 2005
Goth rocker Marilyn Manson has married his longtime girlfriend, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, in Ireland, say the MTV and People magazine websites.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, got hitched to his 33-year-old girlfriend in front of 60 guests at Castle Gurteen in Country Tipperary, the reports say. The castle is owned by Manson's friend, Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein.
MTV says a Manson spokesperson confirmed the non-denominational ceremony was performed by Chilean underground film director Alejandro Jodorowsky, a friend of Manson's. Jodorowsky directed Santa Sangre.
The Limerick Post newspaper recently reported the wedding celebration was to last four days, from Friday to Monday, and include traditional Irish fare such as pit-roasted pig, duckling, Dublin prawns and lobster.
Manson has been dating Heather Sweet, whose stage name is Dita Von Teese, for four years. He proposed to her in Los Angeles March 2004.
The 36-year-old singer is in the midst of completing his sixth album, which is still untitled.
According to MTV.com, Manson had already revealed in October his wedding would be a small affair because he wanted it to be "meaningful and something to remember" and would be a "drama within a drama," with guests dressed 19th-century style.
He told MTV that guests would be treated to activities such as archery and falconry in the days following the nuptials.
Manson enlisted designer John Galliano to create his groom's outfit, a black silk taffeta tuxedo, which he topped off with a hat. Von Teese wore a purple silk taffeta gown designed by Vivienne Westwood.
The wedding is a first for both.
Copyright ©2005 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
CBC Arts, 4 Dec 2005
Goth rocker Marilyn Manson has married his longtime girlfriend, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, in Ireland, say the MTV and People magazine websites.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, got hitched to his 33-year-old girlfriend in front of 60 guests at Castle Gurteen in Country Tipperary, the reports say. The castle is owned by Manson's friend, Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein.
MTV says a Manson spokesperson confirmed the non-denominational ceremony was performed by Chilean underground film director Alejandro Jodorowsky, a friend of Manson's. Jodorowsky directed Santa Sangre.
The Limerick Post newspaper recently reported the wedding celebration was to last four days, from Friday to Monday, and include traditional Irish fare such as pit-roasted pig, duckling, Dublin prawns and lobster.
Manson has been dating Heather Sweet, whose stage name is Dita Von Teese, for four years. He proposed to her in Los Angeles March 2004.
The 36-year-old singer is in the midst of completing his sixth album, which is still untitled.
According to MTV.com, Manson had already revealed in October his wedding would be a small affair because he wanted it to be "meaningful and something to remember" and would be a "drama within a drama," with guests dressed 19th-century style.
He told MTV that guests would be treated to activities such as archery and falconry in the days following the nuptials.
Manson enlisted designer John Galliano to create his groom's outfit, a black silk taffeta tuxedo, which he topped off with a hat. Von Teese wore a purple silk taffeta gown designed by Vivienne Westwood.
The wedding is a first for both.
Copyright ©2005 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
