Tabachine: Showy, Outrageous and Beloved by Butterflies
Known also as the Poinciana, Dwarf Poinciana, or Bush Poinciana–this smaller version of the Royal Poinciana Tree is known as a Tabachine in Mexico,
To see Cee’s outrageous hibiscus macro, go HERE
Plumeria (Frangipani)
You have never seen clover in this detail! Have a look at further flower pix: http://ceenphotography.com/2015/08/03/flower-of-the-day-august-3-2015-clover/
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Isn’t Your Face Red.”–When was the last time you were embarrassed? How do you react to embarrassment?
I have so recently written to the above prompt that I’m choosing this alternative prompt to write a “charm” poem. This was an assignment from NaPoWriMo before I started answering the WordPress Daily Prompt, so it is fresh to the WordPress prompt site. As far as I can tell, this was written so long ago that only Tamara, Ann and forgottenman read it so perhaps they’ll humor me and let me present it again:Go HERE to see it.
Hearts and Flowers
The combined effect of the hair ribbon and the flowers behind her that looked like wings, plus her interesting body arrangement gives this shot a sort of oddball charm, at least in my opinion!
I linked another oddball to the wrong place (called it week 30, which I don’t think existed and linked it to week 29, where I had already posted,) so if you didn’t see it, go HERE for another oddball.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/08/02/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-2015-week-31/
While looking for something else, I stumbled upon these three articles that give such good news in medical research that I had to share them:
Ebola vaccine efficacy trial suggest vaccine provides high protection against disease
Date: July 31, 2015, Source: The Lancet
Summary: Tests of the experimental Ebola vaccine VSV-ZEBOV in over 7500 participants in Guinea suggest that the vaccine provides high protection against the disease as early as ten days after vaccination, in adults who have potentially been exposed to the virus by coming in close contact with a recently infected person.
for more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150731103901.htm
Brain-controlled prosthesis nearly as good as one-finger typing
Years of work yield technique that continuously corrects brain readings to give people with spinal cord injuries a more precise way to tap out commands by using a thought-controlled cursor (May be used by those affected by ALS!!!)
Date: July 31, 2015, Source: Stanford School of Engineering
Summary: Brain-controlled prostheses sample a few hundred neurons to estimate motor commands that involve millions of neurons. Sampling errors can reduce the precision and speed of thought-controlled keypads. A new technique can analyze this sample and make dozens of corrective adjustments in the blink of an eye to make thought-controlled cursors more precise.
for more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150731103744.htm
After training, men move legs independently, without stimulation
Date:July 30, 2015, Source:NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering
Summary: Five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements thanks to a new strategy that non-invasively delivers electrical stimulation to their spinal cords. The strategy, called transcutaneous stimulation, delivers electrical current to the spinal cord by way of electrodes strategically placed on the skin of the lower back. This expands to nine the number of completely paralyzed individuals who have achieved voluntary movement while receiving spinal stimulation.
For more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150730162240.htm
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Lucky Star.” Today is your lucky day. You get three wishes, granted to you by The Daily Post. What are your three wishes and why?
Well damn. I just spent 45 minutes writing a poem and before I could save it, WordPress crashed and opened a new document!! I know, I know I should save as I go along, but I get into the creative process and forget. So, a new vow. After this I create in Word and copy into WordPress. But, that doesn’t bring the old poem back. Hard lessons. Okay, starting over again–totally new poem as I can never remember what I’ve written:
Epiphany
A glitch in WordPress lost my wishes–
wiped them clean as fresh-washed dishes.
As though the wishes were taken away
before they saw the light of day.
So I must take a different tack
to try to get those wishes back.
When you wish upon a star
how does that star know where you are?
You are a dot in outer space.
It does not know your name or face.
So you must make those dreams come true–
what no one else can do for you.
No stars can make you lose that weight.
What works is just an emptier plate.
Discipline and time will do
what no wish can do for you.
And yet much easier to wish
than to avoid that favorite dish.
My other wish was for long life
away from illness, grief and strife–
a harder wish to make come true
without some magic helping you.
Diet and exercise once more
might keep me longer from death’s door–
Both things I have to do myself
to keep my place on this world’s shelf.
My third wish was a sort of pact–
a pledge I vowed that I’d enact
if my books began to sell,
I’d bring the plan you know so well
from earlier posts to light of day
and give the money all away
to make a place for language, art,
dance and music all to start.
A cultural center where kids could go
to learn to paint or sculpt or sew.
A place where they’re encouraged to write
so hidden selves could come to light.
A place where they could have a chance
to express themselves in song or dance.
A place with books and art supplies
to fill their hands and hearts and eyes.
My earlier poem was all a dream.
A bit of fluff—a hopeless scheme.
Wishes, wants and hopes and lies.
Visions seen behind closed eyes.
Yet when that poem was lost to me,
I suddenly began to see
How these wishes could all come true–
simply, what I have to do
piece by piece and bit by bit
to start to make the pieces fit.
It is now clear and I can see
the one to grant these wishes is me!
We will see if I stay true to the sudden insight gained by the sacrifice of a better poem than that above, but one that told less of a truth. As I wrote a second poem, I suddenly realized that we really do already have a cultural center in our town. It is the building next to Agustin’s restaurant where we held Camp Estrella—where kids are already learning English, taught by Agustin, as well as music–an orchestra and chorus of 150 kids. All I need to do is to help to expand the program into dance and writing and to do more art activities than the one or two a year I’ve done in the past. Eureka!!! And I don’t have to have a best-seller to accomplish that. I’m going to start today to see what it would take to establish a dance program and I’m sure it would be within my means to sponsor it. I have no kids to support. Why not adopt a lot of them??? Stay tuned for what happens.
A further insight: Is it just coincidence that Camp Estrella was the experience that helped to spark this sudden insight and that the other factor contributing to it is this prompt entitled “Lucky Star?” (You all know estrella means star, right?) I once wrote about the effect synchronicity has had in my life and it seems it has emerged again. Lets hope I continue to follow its pull.
Another World
What fantasies could we conjure that could surpass these realities? Watch THIS !!!!!
Bite My Tongue!!!
The Prompt: Time to confess: tell us about a time when you used a word whose meaning you didn’t actually know (or were very wrong about, in retrospect).
I wrote to this topic a year or two ago and I fear that blunder cannot be beat. To read it, go HERE.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Dictionary, Shmictionary.”<
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/07/19/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-2015-week-29/
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 