African Jacana & Elephant

[michali]

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African Jacana & Elephant.  I've just returned from a week at Selinda in northern Botswana, hundreds of Elephant, many predators & countless birds in one of the most wild & beautiful areas in Southern Africa.

Lumix S1R & Leica VE SL 90-280mm

Thanks for viewing

Mike

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited May 17, 2019 by michali

[stuny]

Superb, and it’e Good to see you posting again 

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[michali]

Thank you Stuart, as always your comments as well as everyone's input is appreciated.

Best,

Mike

 

[michali]

Thank you Stuart, as always your comments as well as everyone's input is appreciated.

Best,

Mike

Here's another image:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[fotografr]

Both images are spectacular and powerful. I was quite distressed to learn recently that parts of India have reopened hunting season for these magnificent animals due to crop damage they cause. Damn humans!

Edited May 27, 2019 by fotografr

[michali]

20 hours ago, fotografr said:

Both images are spectacular and powerful. I was quite distressed to learn recently that parts of India have reopened hunting season for these magnificent animals due to crop damage they cause. Damn humans!

Thanks Brent appreciate your comments. Botswana's just done the same thing, the new president's reintroduced Elephant hunting after an 8 year hunting ban which was imposed by the previous president.

This has nothing to do with protecting farmers and their crops , it's all about cheap populist politics and winning votes....You're right, damn humans, we truly are a despicable species!

Best

Mike

[Michael Geschlecht]

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Hello Mike,

Welcome back.

Nice photos.

I think that the use of the collective word "we" is inappropriate in this situation.

When a person uses "we" it is meant to include all members of the group involved. It is inaccurate here.

The use of "we" is sometimes used by others to spread their responsibility around in a manner that is meant to take away part of the responsibility from the person or people who are actually responsible. By sharing it.

"We" also includes the reader, who may think of themselves as not intentionally causing the negative situation. Since they know that they would not. Therefore: (Thinking in terms of a group in which they would be a member.): More spreading of responsibility. In this instance: By association.

I would replace the "we" , in the instance above, with "some people". Because I think it would help people to understand which people are actually causing the problem. Because I don't think that the group of people who are actually responsible would include any of "us".

Written as your friend.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht

[fotografr]

22 minutes ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Mike,

Welcome back.

Nice photos.

I think that the use of the collective word "we" is inappropriate in this situation.

When a person uses "we" it is meant to include all members of the group involved. It is inaccurate here.

The use of "we" is sometimes used by others to spread their responsibility around in a manner that is meant to take away part of the responsibility from the person or people who are actually responsible. By sharing it.

"We" also includes the reader, who may think of themselves as not intentionally causing the negative situation. Since they know that they would not. Therefore: (Thinking in terms of a group in which they would be a member.): More spreading of responsibility. In this instance: By association.

I would replace the "we" , in the instance above, with "some people". Because I think it would help people to understand which people are actually causing the problem. Because I don't think that the group of people who are actually responsible would include any of "us".

Written as your friend.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

I understand your point, but as the saying goes, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

[Michael Geschlecht]

17 minutes ago, fotografr said:

I understand your point, but as the saying goes, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

Hello Brent,

People have been saying that for a very long time. Not necessarily only about hunting for elephants.

Sometime it is an accurate statement & sometimes it is not.

To put it another way.

Sometimes the World is "Black" & "White" and sometimes it is "Not".

Sometime there is a lot of "Gray" out there.

That is 1 of the things that makes the World difficult sometimes.

Since the person who used to hunt for lions hasn't written here for a while: I don't think that there are that many people here who would write in support of being included in Mike's "we".

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited May 28, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht

[michali]

11 hours ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Mike,

Welcome back.

Nice photos.

I think that the use of the collective word "we" is inappropriate in this situation.

When a person uses "we" it is meant to include all members of the group involved. It is inaccurate here.

The use of "we" is sometimes used by others to spread their responsibility around in a manner that is meant to take away part of the responsibility from the person or people who are actually responsible. By sharing it.

"We" also includes the reader, who may think of themselves as not intentionally causing the negative situation. Since they know that they would not. Therefore: (Thinking in terms of a group in which they would be a member.): More spreading of responsibility. In this instance: By association.

I would replace the "we" , in the instance above, with "some people". Because I think it would help people to understand which people are actually causing the problem. Because I don't think that the group of people who are actually responsible would include any of "us".

Written as your friend.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your comments. 

I understand and appreciate where you’re coming from. Without wanting to turn this into a “philosophical” diatribe or lecture from my part, I'll explain where I’m coming from.

 

When I say “we”, it’s not just said in a  flippant or frivolous way, I really and honestly mean it in the sense of  “we” collectively as a species.

 

As everyone knows the biggest threat to our environment and biodiversity is loss of habitat; everything goes to hell after that….. 

 

I’ve been in involved in conservation in Africa for over 40 years, most of what my partners and I do is big picture stuff.  It involves securing and protecting land, for example pushing back against mining, mineral exploration and other anthropocentric interests. 

 

It takes years, however once land is secured and protected, things begin to return to their natural balance, and you’re then giving the other species with whom we share this Planet, the space they need to coexist with us. More often than not it’s 2 steps forward and 3 back, occasionally you get a sudden rush or see a gap and are able to leap 5 steps forward.

 

When one looks at the state of the Planet today compared to what it was not so long go, there’s only one reason why we are where we are, and that is purely because “we” as a species have created this mess and continue to inflict damage, until one day we will disappear, probably with a whimper….

 

As a friend of mine, a paleo-anthropolgist, once said,  “humans haven’t been around long enough to even be a successful experiment, yet look at the damage we’ve inflicted on this Planet in such a short space of time….”

 

Collectively we have all played a role in this, wittingly, unwittingly, consciously or unconsciously, through the lifestyle choices we make, or the people we vote into power.

That’s where I’m coming from when I say “we”, and I include myself.

 

There are always exceptions to the rule, and I accept that probably most members on this Forum are part of that exception thankfully, with the exclusion of the guy who hunts lions.

 

All the best,

Mike

Edited May 29, 2019 by michali

[Michael Geschlecht]

7 hours ago, michali said:

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your comments. 

I understand and appreciate where you’re coming from. Without wanting to turn this into a “philosophical” diatribe or lecture from my part, I'll explain where I’m coming from.

 

When I say “we”, it’s not just said in a  flippant or frivolous way, I really and honestly mean it in the sense of  “we” collectively as a species.

 

As everyone knows the biggest threat to our environment and biodiversity is loss of habitat; everything goes to hell after that….. 

 

I’ve been in involved in conservation in Africa for over 40 years, most of what my partners and I do is big picture stuff.  It involves securing and protecting land, for example pushing back against mining, mineral exploration and other anthropocentric interests. 

 

It takes years, however once land is secured and protected, things begin to return to their natural balance, and you’re then giving the other species with whom we share this Planet, the space they need to coexist with us. More often than not it’s 2 steps forward and 3 back, occasionally you get a sudden rush or see a gap and are able to leap 5 steps forward.

 

When one looks at the state of the Planet today compared to what it was not so long go, there’s only one reason why we are where we are, and that is purely because “we” as a species have created this mess and continue to inflict damage, until one day we will disappear, probably with a whimper….

 

As a friend of mine, a paleo-anthropolgist, once said,  “humans haven’t been around long enough to even be a successful experiment, yet look at the damage we’ve inflicted on this Planet in such a short space of time….”

 

Collectively we have all played a role in this, wittingly, unwittingly, consciously or unconsciously, through the lifestyle choices we make, or the people we vote into power.

That’s where I’m coming from when I say “we”, and I include myself.

 

There are always exceptions to the rule, and I accept that probably most members on this Forum are part of that exception thankfully, with the exclusion of the guy who hunts lions.

 

All the best,

Mike

Hello Mike,

I am not disagreeing with the existence of the problems that are occurring, or that a number of people were & are involved in creating & worsening them.

I am simply saying that I do not find it either accurate or useful - To draw a parallel - to say that because a person, or group of persons are bank robbers in Mexico City, or even in the City that you or I might be living in: That we are all bank robbers. Because we are not.

Some people are in favor of all of this wreckage & ruin of the Environment. Some People work against wrecking the Planet going far back in time. Ecological preservation & responsibility is not a new, or even a 20th Century idea.

The "we" that you are writing about is the "net average person" when you balance people in favor, people against, people who don't realize what is going on, etc. Against what the World has become. It does NOT represent each individual.

Your "we" does not include you, me, & a lot of other people. And this loading yourself with inaccurate guilt simply makes the path to solving the problems that much more difficult. And helps the People who are causing the harm to cause more harm

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited May 29, 2019 by Michael Geschlecht

[North / Northwest]

It seems sometimes an innocent term like "WE" is enough to cause arguments. I did not see a problem with the use of the word. I understood what was being said.