Monday, April 22, 2013

Bonoeffer & a before-after shot.

The Fuhrer Principle chapter was not my favorite to read.
But I think I will have to read it again anyway...because one of the most important questions
we have about this time in history is 'How did this man, this evil monster, take over Germany?'

It still boggles the mind.

He was elected and immediately implemented his own set of rules.
Apparently no one could stop him.

Like North Korea.  No one in his country can stop him.
They probably think he's swell.
Well.... the ones who are not in prison camps and whatnot.

But could this take place in America?

I do think there are big changes put in place by our government that many people do not want
and are helpless to stop.

If a law was passed over night here in America that restricted your freedoms, like in the Reichstag Fire Edict, would the government be able to get away with it?  Would it be opposed?  Would you be willing to fight to regain the liberties guaranteed in the Constitution?


********

Last night the sun came out for a little while and I took a handful of pictures of Katie.

DSC_2211

Here is the picture before I edited it.
I had Katie put her head in the shade of the tree trunk so there wouldn't be harsh light or shadows on her face.  As you can see the sun hit one side of her hair.

DSC_2211-3

How I edited it. Photoshop.
1. Rotate 180ยบ
2. crop to 5 x 7
3. sharpen
4. contrast with 'just a little kick' action 65%
5. color balance.  moved slider toward yellow
6. removed one blemish.  (I hate the word pimple)


So that's how it goes :o)


Happy Monday!
Lots of love!

Donna








21 comments:

  1. p.s. I have my camera set on vivid. I can see the extra pink in Katie's complexion.

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  2. Great conversation on Bonhoffer...something to seriously consider. I'm going to have to read it!

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  3. Anonymous10:33 AM

    Thanks for the photography tips. This picture of Katie makes me think of Emma. Lovely. I'm glad you had sunshine this weekend. :)

    Sarah P. from Iowa

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    Replies
    1. Julie4:19 PM

      I agree, Sarah! I thought it was Emma until she said it was Katie (easier to tell right side up).

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  4. Hello, just finished my afternoon coffee, as is my custom. At the same time, I come here; always such a pleasure to click over and see what is new.

    I am slowly catching up on DB, but haven't come this far. This is a good question for sure, very thought provoking.

    I think these days there is so much more instant information regarding our government, with so many people discussing it on the news, internet, etc. that this sort of drastic limitation of freedoms would not get far. At least I hope so.

    These lines of thinking make me realize we have much to be grateful for, as far as our personal freedoms, especially freedom to worship. I think of it every Thursday when I meet with a little group of English speaking gals to study the Bible in my friend's lovely dining room, and I give thanks.

    New subject: I always love your shots of Katie but this is especially pretty, and just plain spring-timey. Which is a very good thing :-)

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  5. Your thoughts on the book have me thinking. There are so many bills recently in our state that have those little 'extras' attached. We try to stay on top of it all. Thank the Lord for the people who are committed to reading every word and alerting people when something is amiss. I hope apathy doesn't win in future generations.

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  6. Anonymous12:11 PM

    Your question about this chapter of the Bonhoeffer biography is one which I have given a lot of thought to throughout my life. I took a social psychology course in college and found it quite intriguing how easily people are influenced by the behavior of others, even in areas which do not deal with moral or ethical issues. One area which comes to mind is weddings. When my parents married in the late '40s, they each had one attendant, considered typical at that time. When I married in the early '70s, the norm was three attendants. Now the norm appears to be five or six attendants for both the bride and groom. (An aside: I am a quiet rebel and I eloped, no wedding nor diamond engagement ring for me. A situation which even now, people question me about, asking whether I regret my decision to be married in that fashion. And no, I don't.) I always wonder how we moved from such simple weddings to weddings which are much more elaborate. I think, that to some degree the public has been brainwashed in some manner for whatever reason, though I am using the term "brainwashed" in a very loose manner. That is only one example. I recently saw a video from a Candid Camera show. The video illustrated how very hard it is to be different from the norm, even in very inconsequential areas of life. Although I do find the video very funny, it is also very frightening to me. If you watch it, I would be interested in your reaction to it in light of the Bonhoeffer book. An additional thought: If it is this hard to be a nonconformist in inconsequential matters, how much harder must it be to be the nonconformist in areas which have consequences. The website for the video is below.

    http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=27756

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  7. "just a little kick" this is an action? - from whom? and can it be used in PS Elements? I love the actions i see used but don't know which ones to try (buy) nor how to load and use them? there must be a tutorial somewhere . . . Thanks for the info I always love your photos.
    Sandy in CT

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  8. The action is from sesame Ellis. It is not elements.

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  9. Anonymous2:33 PM

    Very thought provoking chapter, for sure. Evil can be so powerful. It's frightening.

    Katie's eyes and smile get me every single time! It helps to have the sun shine on her gorgeous red hair, too.

    So excited to go to a soccer game this evening where the temp is expected to be above 60 degrees! Day made. :)

    Mary Z

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  10. Anonymous2:36 PM

    Love the pictures of Katie. It's been a long time since I've been blog reading... 18+months! Life had me carried away. I'm glad to come back, and enjoy your beautiful pictures and posts.

    My best 'me' time is with the camera in my hand.. Having time to be blogging, means I have time for pictures. Life is good!

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  11. Julie4:28 PM

    Since I am not reading the book, I will just say how much I love your photos of Katie (even if I did think it was Emma at first).

    Also, still enjoying Call the Midwife on Sunday evenings. It is wonderful getting to know these young women and it always feels like they (the makers of the show) use just the right touch to make a point without being preachy. So interesting to watch Jane and the cleric, how their relationship is developing, showing us once again that what we see on the surface is so often just the tip of what lies beneath (with both of their backgrounds). Many lessons to be learned from last night's episode.

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    Replies
    1. Julie, I am LOVING Call the Midwife -- I just finished Season One and the Christmas Episode -- now I'm ready to launch myself into Season Two. I'm purposefully making it last -- sort of like telling myself NOT to crunch into the tootsie pop to get to the fudgy middle, instead taking my time.

      Because it's already played in the UK, and I don't have access to online viewing because I'm in another country, I've purchased them for my Kindle -- which is a-ok with me because I think they are very much worth it.

      I agree with your thoughts about how the show makes a point wihtout being preachy. I appreciate that.

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  12. I see similarities to what our government is doing now and what Hitler did back in the 1930s. It is kind of scary. I am really learning so much as I read this book. I think the American people are wrong if they think this could never happen here. Look how Boston was shut down completely by the government while they searched for the terrorists?Free, law abiding people could not leave their homes. Was it necessary? Perhaps, but it shows how we can be told what to do with impunity.

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you, Kate ... there are things afoot in our government which are very disturbing. Many people would not sleep well at night if they realized what actually is going on behind the closed doors of Washington. It is our responsibility to ourselves, our forefathers and the future generations of this country to be aware of the consequences of what laws are enacted or changed. Don't be "sheeple" ... be aware and use your voice.

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    2. I realize I live an ocean away, and my news coverage was minimal of the Boston bombings - but weren't people kept at home for their safety? would it have been better to be walking about, in the way of the police and other forces?

      Surely folks would have responded differently if it were under a less deadly situation?

      I believe someone mentioned further up in the thread that laws are intentionally long and cumbersome to suss out -- sadly for most people it would be very difficult to understand fully the consequences. Also sad is the fact that most likely the people in congress may not be understanding content either. Or maybe I'm thinking to negatively about them.

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  13. Hitler and Germanic people at this time serve me to teach my children that : this is not because everybody does one thing that it means it's one good thing, just have your own opinion and even if you're alone against thousand, it would be YOUR own opinion. People in crowd can be so stupid...
    I wanted to say that we fell very sorry for what happened in Boston, then in Texas. We were in London when it happened. It was so horrible.

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  14. I sat down and read the first chapters on Monday, but life intervened and I did not make it to the Fuhrer Principle.

    Later in the day, I watched Call the Midwives on TV; my husband will watch Downton Abbey with me, but draws the line at midwives. The ladies groaning while giving birth is too much for the poor man. :) I, too, loved the story with Jane and Reverend Appleby-Thornton.

    And how Ruby came around to wanting her baby. Oh. my.

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  15. I sat down and read the first chapters on Monday, but life intervened and I did not make it to the Fuhrer Principle.

    Later in the day, I watched Call the Midwives on TV; my husband will watch Downton Abbey with me, but draws the line at midwives. The ladies groaning while giving birth is too much for the poor man. :) I, too, loved the story with Jane and Reverend Appleby-Thornton.

    And how Ruby came around to wanting her baby. Oh. my.

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  16. I think blemish sounds 100 times better than the word pimple.

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