Taken on Raccoon Day. I’m kind of surprised how much I’m using the 70-200. I’m liking the results.

I’m not a fan of this tree. The fruit looks like rabbit shit. o

Anti-polygamy activist blames Utah-Arizona inaction for Texas raid - Salt Lake Tribune

I’m drawing a blank on titles for posts about this story. Best lines from this one:

“Jessop said one girl told her ‘The men own the babies, not the mothers.’”

Question: Does anybody know if there are beds in Mormon Temples for any reason? I never saw any, nor did the LDS Temple ceremony require a bed.

I’m wondering if wives are passed around from man to man in order to keep the women subservient? It’s not just polygamy; it’s polyamory. And that gets sicker when kids are involved. Utah is slowly waking up to these notions. Thanks for showing the way, Texas! o

UPDATE: If any readers want to assist the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, click here for information.

UPDATE 2: The Houston Chronicle has a great piece up on the challenges facing the social workers, including, surprise! those timid 19th century prairie-clothed women being less than cooperative. Big Love is going to have a rich source to mine from.

Teens made to have sex after sect-unions - Yahoo News

Head is reeling after reading this story. So wrong. o

Affidavit: Fearful 16-year-old bride made late-night call - CNN.com

I think this story is far from over.

One of the most interesting things to watch, here in Utah, is how the media asks questions. Not about the safety or the well-being of the kids, but about the possible violation of civil rights. While this is a valid and interesting part of the story, where were these same questions when habeas corpus was suspended under the Bush/Cheney regime?

The obvious lack of morals and troubled history around polygamy in Utah is becoming more obvious as the strong response by Texas continues to reveal. This story also underscores a Utah conservative paradox; Bush is awesome, but wait, they are violating human rights here. Fascinating. o

I needed about 200mm more lens to capture the bird the way I really wanted at this angle.

I’ve been playing a lot with Aperture 2 (now 2.1) and I’m really liking it. The adjustment sliders and GUI is much better than the previous version. It’s also much faster. I love how it does monotoning/sepia toning. You can pick any color and get a great effect. I also like the variety of profiles you can embed in your exported files. Many more than Lightroom. No, I haven’t tried the Lightroom beta. I’m waiting a little longer before I check it out. o

From the last, best gig that Herschel played before we broke up. Thanks for posting this giddygirlie!

For the encore, No Doubt played Journey’s “Any way you want it (that’s the way you need it)” with Angelo Moore from Fishbone dressed in a Tiger costume. It was incredible. I still think No Doubt should have covered that song. Goosebumps. o

Digging on the juxtaposition here. Nice sycamore tree drooling ice. And I’m hoping that by the time this photo is published, the ice is gone. I don’t have high hopes. o

401 children in custody in polygamist compound raid | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Utah and Arizona have so much baggage around this. On all sides.

Hopefully, there is a way forward out of this mess. o

DJ Earworm - Music Mashups » Funky Goes to Hollywood

Download it here.

So so good. o

You have to watch a commercial, but it’s not that long. And I’m sure the evil media overlords will kill this clip at some point in the future. That’s just what evil media overlords do.

Walken! o