Visual Insights: 08/01/2010

24 August 2010

Arts: Fun Incredible Beach Art Photos

*** Check out the fun and funny creative designs for your latest version of the sand castle and sand art on your favorite beach.

*** Views today: 7,971 and Thank You!

From Denny: It's like the late summer ritual when everyone floods their local beaches to make one last sand art for the season. It's back to school, back to work and the season is changing into the cooler autumn when our attention turns away from summer vacations to the coming cooler months and holidays.

Get a grin at the creativity that showed up in the beach themes of a mermaid, an octopus, sharks, feet in beach flip flop sandals, alligators, a bedraggled female surfer and a huge grinning face.

These photos are all from the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce that sponsored a beach art competition.

Sand isn't just for sitting on and relaxing at the shore. In Nantucket sand is taken seriously and each year this Massachusetts island celebrates the coast with a sandcastle and sculpture day.

This year's competition, held on 21 August, yielded more than 50 sculptures for what has become a late-summer ritual.

The rules are simple: be creative. Tools and building aids, ornaments and decorations all may be used, but none are supplied.

Contestants are urged to work with biodegradable items, and must take away any non-biodegradable items used.

Contestants may enter in one of four categories: family team, adult team, 11-to-16-year-olds, and 10 and under. The age group of a team is determined by its oldest member. A family is considered a team if adults participate. Family members not registered can cheer all they want but must keep their hands off the sand.

Add a little water and suddenly sand turns into sandcastles.

Judging is based on creativity, concept and design.

Previous entries have included everything from Nantucket Lightship Baskets to Volkswagon Bugs.

All participants receive a ribbon - and a People's Choice ribbon is also awarded. Judges are professional artists from the faculty of the Nantucket Island School of Design.

Even if you can't carve magic out of the sand, the event at Jetties Beach is free for spectators and anybody can show up.

Spectators pack the beach to see contestants make magic out of the sand.

See kids, mermaids really do exist.

Here an Octopus washes up on shore.

*** All photos by Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

22 August 2010

Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs - 22 Aug 2010

*** Check out news, political opinion, political humor and funny cartoons, recipes, science news, poetry, funny posts, photography, spiritual thoughts and great quotes.

*** Views today: 9,188 and Thank You!

From Denny: I tell ya, this summer heat index of 116 degrees Fahrenheit, along with the WikiLeaks nutjob child who thinks he's stalking me on this blog, you know it's a full moon out tonight. This poor kid has scrambled eggs for brains, taking a second and third run at me.

Guess it's time to go ahead and do another WikiLeaks post to explain to him and his silly little friends living in some gaming fantasy world in their heads that real life is not a computer game. It's much more serious because the people who are stalking them are out for a lot more than winning their props as a gamer.

As far as posts go I did manage to find some interesting health and science news and had some fun with some photo posts too. Take a look.

The Social Poets:

BP Screws Over Gulf Residents With New Claims Restrictions - BP continues to play the shell game of moving the pea with misdirection and sleight of hand, with the definition of "legitimate claims" an elusive target to hit for residents.

Economy, Afghan War, America, World Politics Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - This week's political opinion delivered through the national cartoonists.

Obama Family Photos and New Michelle Obama Portrait Unveiled - Enjoy the new First Lady portrait and a few other well done photographs of the First Family.

Scumbag WikiLeaks Founder Assange Charged With Rape in Sweden - Sweden charges WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, with rape and molestation.

Poetess Defies, Shocks Saudi Arabia - A brave woman in the Middle East dares to criticize her religion and her culture - through a live TV national poetry competition, the Arab world version of American Idol.

Funny Back to School Quotes and Cartoons - Cheeky Quote Day 18 Aug 2010 - Get a grin at some great cartoons and funny quotes about parents' favorite time of the year: when the kids go back to school.

Funny Video: Truth Is Bush Tax Cuts Are 30 Percent Of Our Deficit

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 16 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's funny late night jokes and latest cartoons lampooning politics to American culture, with a funny side dish of funny video clips thrown in to keep you grinning.

Funny Video: Newt Gingrich Mocked by Colbert For Lack of Morals - Check out Colbert as he mocks the amoral Gingrich trying to make a political comeback for President.

The Healing Waters:

Lonely people: Under More Pressure Have Higher Blood Pressure - Be aware of how loneliness can impact your daily health.

How Can You Predict The Strength of Your Relationship? - Check out the latest study and new test devised to help you predict the strength of your relationship.

The Soul Calendar:

Check Out NASA Images of Devastating Pakistan Floods - These aerial view flood images of the entire country of Pakistan are mind-boggling in their scope of how the monsoon flooding is affecting the lives of millions.

New Tomb Uncovered in Egypt With Colorful Art - The fun side of archaeology is what you find in pristine condition after thousands of years.

Dennys Funny Quotes:

Funny Odd Hunh?! Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's grinners to soothe your work week stress.

25 Ridiculously Funny Celebrity Duck Face Photos - Laugh at celebrities posing for the camera, mocking sexy.

Dennys Food and Recipes:

4 Casseroles 4 School Night Dinners: Chicken, Tex Mex, Tamale, Shepherds Pie - Check out some family favorites, easy and quick to cook - and nutritious.

Muffin Monday: 5 Yummy Breakfast Muffins - Skip the coffee shop muffin, make your own, save some money and save a whole lot of calories too.

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:

7 Quotes: Defining Joy in Our Lives - 7 quotes to consider about how we live our joy.

Visual Insights:

Raucous Tea Party Republicans Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - Check out what the cartoonists are lampooning about the Tea Party and the Republican idea of politics this time!

Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Yummy Artichokes and 11 Recipes

Arts: Whimsical Fiber Artist Ed Bing Lee - This fiber artist has a sense of the whimsy while he explores new ways to use simple knotting techniques to develop his art.

*** To view additional interesting photo galleries on my page at flickr, go here!

*** Coffee cup from Brazil photo by Quoquo at flickr

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

21 August 2010

Raucous Tea Party Republicans Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010

*** Check out what the cartoonists are lampooning about the Tea Party and the Republican idea of politics this time!

*** Views today: 2,033 and Thank You!

And the Bozo Sapien Award goes to the top of the political heap: the Tea Party

From Denny: The cartoonists have had some fun this week lampooning the wildly bizarre antics and sayings coming from the Tea Party corner of American politics. Just when you think what they hurl out into the atmosphere can't sound any weirder, well, they say something even weirder the next week. Go figure. The human animal is a real wonder - and sometimes a serious piece of "artwork."

Raucous Rebellious Tea Party and their odious parents the Republicans:

"Quick!" says the GOP political strategist, "Develop those nutjob wedge issues before the voters figure out the Republicans have made sure to send their jobs overseas, foreclose on their homes, rip off their life retirements and savings accounts and then put them deep into debt supporting George Bush's tax cuts."

"Yeah, we'd better work fast before they figure out how we screwed them."

*** See more funny cartoons from this week:

Economy, Afghan War, America, World Politics Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - This week's political opinion delivered through the national cartoonists.

Funny Odd Hunh?! Cartoons - 21 Aug 2010 - Check out this week's grinners to soothe your work week stress.

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

20 August 2010

Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Yummy Artichokes and 11 Recipes

*** Beautiful photos of a beautiful vegetable - and the photographers posted recipes too!

*** Views today: 2,024 and Thank You!

From Denny: Cruising through a photo database is so much fun! While looking for photos for my food post this morning I found all kinds of beautiful photos of artichokes. Then I found more delicious recipes and have linked them here. Knock yourself out on the beauty of this vegetable and how versatile it is for delicious meals.