PIMA COUNTY, Ariz.—Millions of saguaro cactuses grow in the Sonoran Desert, yet only an estimated one in 200,000 exhibits the spectacular crown of the crested saguaro. 카지노사이트

Its rare beauty spawned the needle-in-a-haystack mission of Arizona’s secretive Crested Saguaro Society. With the zeal of birders, the society’s 10 members are out to find as many of the crested saguaro as time and energy allow. They hunt in a desert that stretches across 100,000 or so square miles.

“It becomes a little bit of an obsession,” said Pat Hammes, a 77-year-old retired courtroom clerk from Tucson, Ariz. She estimated that she and her late partner, Bob Cardell, spent eight hours a day, two days a week for more than six years to locate some 2,200 of the rare cactuses.

The saguaro, the largest cactus in the U.S., often grow to 40 feet, according to the National Park Service, and one 78-footer set the record. When they reach the age of 60 to 80 years old, a rare few grow the scalloped crest that sets them apart. Biologists have yet to discover exactly why. The widest crest recorded by the society was 17 feet, though members still argue over whether the measurement was logged accurately.

The group estimates that its members have spent about 100,000 hours on the prowl since the effort began in 2005.

On a recent scouting trip, Joe Orman found four crested saguaros near Tucson. He recorded their GPS coordinates and checked them against a list of roughly 3,300 crested saguaros the society has tallied.

“We’ve been skunked many times,” Mr. Orman said. “We’re out in the field, and we think, ‘Oh, we found this wonderful new crested saguaro.’ And then we go back and look on the website or check the coordinates or talk to Pat and it’s already been found 15 years ago.”

To Mr. Orman’s delight, these four were new discoveries. That gave Mr. Orman naming rights, according to Crested Saguaro Society tradition.

Some favorite society names include “Once in a Lifetime,” “How about a Hug?” and “Magnifico.” A Wall Street Journal reporter who joined a recent society expedition had one named in her honor, “Eliza.”

As a security measure, Mr. Orman, 62, a retired aerospace engineer in Prescott, Ariz., and Theodore Codding, 62, a retired public administrator in Tucson, Ariz., are the only two members with access to the society’s full database. The idea is to protect the locations from would-be poachers or vandals.

When Mr. Cardell was alive, he used to load new location discoveries onto CDs and thumb drives, Mr. Codding said. Then Mr. Cardell would hand them to the person running the database.

“Bob liked to look you in the eyeballs when he shared information,” Mr. Codding said. The group has turned down requests even from researchers to share the list. “We have trust issues,” he said.

The society is prickly about admitting new members, seeking only those with sufficient passion and prudence. Some in the group said they had to first share their discoveries before they were considered for membership.바카라사이트

Mr. Orman ignores anyone who writes to the website to ask about joining, he said. He wants the group to first agree on a way to vet the motives and character of aspirants. Members are debating nondisclosure agreements. Yet without new members, they know they risk losing hard-won secrets.

“We’re the keepers of the Holy Grail,” Mr. Orman said. “Unless we can find some younger people to join the society and then share that database with them, it’s just gonna die with us.”

Their mission has some urgency. Society members worry about the expansion of the state’s metropolitan regions, and the tramping about of newly arrived hikers and looky-loos. A crowd of even the most respectful admirers can inadvertently damage delicate cactus roots. Removing saguaros requires a permit, but that doesn’t stop cactus poachers who risk arrest.

On a recent scouting trip, Ms. Hammes was surprised to stumble upon several crested saguaro that she and Mr. Cardell had logged years ago. The cactuses, at the time surrounded by open desert, are now part of a suburban community.

Ms. Hammes has tips for the crested-saguaro curious: Climb to a desert area’s highest peak and look around with binoculars. The south side of a mountain generally has more of them than the north side. If you find a crested saguaro, another one is likely growing within a quarter-mile radius.

Mr. Codding, whose love for crested saguaro predates his marriage, has his wife keep her eyes peeled when she hikes or bikes in the desert.

He gave her earrings shaped like crested saguaros after he stumbled across an artist who sold them. He also had a pin made for himself. Whenever he finds crested saguaro merchandise, he said, he buys two.

Even the most patient family can tire of their loved one’s cactus crush. Mr. Orman said his daughters and friends beg for hikes where they don’t have to look for crested saguaros.

Harry Ford, 75, a retired financial-services CEO in SaddleBrooke, Ariz., said that isn’t realistic.

“It’s impossible to stop,” Mr. Ford said. “Once you start, you’re addicted.” 온라인카지노

Ward has been named executive director of the Visual Effects Society — the first woman to lead the honorary society. She had served as interim executive director since the retirement of longtime executive director Eric Roth in September.카지노사이트

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as executive director of the Visual Effects Society,” Ward said in a statement. “It’s an enormous privilege to connect, educate, honor and celebrate the hardest working – and probably most underappreciated professionals – in entertainment, around the world. The VES is a beacon of creative and technological innovation and excellence, and it is my intention to further grow the Society into a powerful resource that is recognized and respected in all corners of the globe. I look forward to building on the strong foundation created by Eric Roth, and helping the Society cement its position as a leading voice at the epicenter of the entertainment industry.”바카라사이트

Ward joined VES in 2014 as its program and development director, overseeing direct fundraising, partnerships, alliances and new programs. She also oversaw the publishing team for VFX Voice, the Society’s print and digital magazine, and spearheaded initiatives around diversity, equity and inclusion. She was also in charge of the annual VES Honors Celebration, the VES New York Awards Celebration and other VES events, and led the VES Archives initiative and the development of the Society’s forthcoming VES digital museum.

Prior to joining the VES, she spent more than a decade in advertising and direct marketing, as both a client and an ad agency account manage, for General Motors, Taco Bell, Mattel and various nonprofits.

“Nancy has a passion for the VES and a vision to further uplift the Society and bring it to the forefront of the global entertainment community,” said VES Chair Lisa Cooke. “She has earned a tremendous reputation among the Board, staff, Sections, worldwide membership and industry partners, and we are confident that the VES will achieve new heights under her leadership. I am thrilled to have someone of Nancy’s caliber to helm our next chapter.”

Founded in 1997, VES has nearly 4,500 members in 45 countries.온라인카지노

If there is one film that explores tragedy and romance so beautifully and poetically, it would be “Dead Poets Society.” The film is a cult favorite among so many people and is one of the films that showed the great Robin Williams’ acting prowess.카지노사이트

The daring and incredibly charismatic Mr. Keating, the character that Williams played, inspired a bunch of teenage boys and encouraged them to see the world in all its tragic and beautiful glory.

If you are not familiar with this film, let this article entice you and serve as an invitation to watch one of the most beloved films in cinema.

Here are some of the reasons why “Dead Poets Society” will always ring true to the hearts of those who love and watched it:

Emphasis on literature

Set in a boarding school, one can imagine that things are serious, and the academe is very much stuck in a very traditional way of teaching that is usually done in a very monotonous fashion.

Mr. Keating deviates from that kind of teaching, and, as an English teacher, he teaches the boys to live bold and passionate lives through the power of literature. One of the best lines of the film, “poetry, beauty, romance, and love… these are what we stay alive for,” is a reminder that as human as everyone can be, it is important that there is beauty in the simplest of things.

Carpe Diem

This Latin phrase means “seize the day,” and it is another lesson that Mr. Keating taught to the boys in one of his classes. It is the most famous quote from the film, and it has become widely associated with the film. Living with so many constraints and in the expectations of others, it is time to break free and live the life that one’s heart truly wants.바카라사이트

Your voice matters

“Dead Poets Society” is a cult favorite to many, most likely because of the realistic depiction of teenage boys: scared, awkward, reckless, and sometimes rebellious. The movie also narrates the journey of young boys who are inspired to live every bit of their lives with utmost vigor. Furthermore, the movie is a reminder that words and ideas matter no matter how small they may seem to you or to the world.

Tragedy

One of the reasons why this film gets so much of the credit that it deserves is that it does not portray a happy image until the later part of the film. It integrated tragedy in a way that no one saw coming as a factor that resonates in the hearts of many as it shows the cruel realities of this world—one can never be too happy in their lifetime. The initial sense of comfort in the film lulls the viewer into a false sense of security that everything will turn out perfectly well, but it ultimately does not.

“Dead Poets Society” is a story about how life can be beautiful and tragic all at the same time. It does not sugarcoat the realities of this calloused world, but it serves as a reminder that there is so much beauty and tragedy and it all comes with the territory of living. The eternal relevance of “Dead Poets Society” is a testament of poignant hope that affects everyone one way or another, and it is something that the world should constantly be reminded of.온라인카지노

Iran is once again on fire.카지노사이트

There is widespread public anger over the death of Masha Amini after she was detained by the country’s morality police.

While on a family trip to Tehran, the 22-year-old was arrested last Tuesday for “improper” hijab, an Islamic headscarf which Iranian women must wear by law.

Eyewitnesses and relatives accuse officers of severely beating the young Kurdish woman – striking her several times on the head. She later collapsed and was taken to hospital in a coma. On 16 September, three days later she died.

Iranian authorities claim she had a fatal heart attack. Her family says she was perfectly healthy.

The shocking incident has again put the spotlight on Islamic dress codes and police brutality in Iran.

But what is the significance of the hijab in Iranian society?

A (brief) history of the hijab in Iran
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it has been compulsory for women to wear the hijab in Iran.

The government draws on parts of the Quran (Islam’s holy book) and the Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Mohammad) to justify the policy, though Muslim religious writing is not entirely clear on whether women should veil.

Islamic dress codes are strictly enforced by the country’s morality police, who prowl the streets in vans detaining people who have “inappropriate” clothing. They are known as gasht-e ershad (guidance patrols).

Despite the threat of arrest, millions of Iranian women actively oppose the hijab, wearing it loosely around their heads and often letting the headscarf fall to their shoulders.

Resistance to the compulsory hijab was almost immediate. After Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini said women should observe Islamic dress codes in 1979 there were fiery protests, leading the government to say his comments were only a recommendation. It became law in 1983.

Protests against the hijab have continued sporadically ever since, culminating in the women burning their headscarves and dancing we see today.

‘Symbol of oppression’
Before the revolution, when Iran was ruled by a secular king Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, many Iranian women actively wore the hijab. They did so for a variety of reasons, be it because of tradition, identity, religious expression or family pressure.바카라사이트

However, according to Iranian poet and journalist Asieh Amini, the main problem today is that women are forced to veil, pointing out they can be lashed or imprisoned for defying Islamic dress codes.

“Unfortunately, this has led many people to hate it,” she told Euronews Culture. “Women experience so much oppression. They can’t stand this domination and want their rights.”

“Police say they are there to advise,” Amini added. “But, in reality, every single day, in all of Iran’s cities, they are controlling women’s bodies, their dress, everything.”

“Hijab is a symbol of this oppression.”

Amini – herself once arrested by the morality police – said the demonstrations currently rocking Iran are about much more than dress codes.

“The demands of people are not limited to the hijab,” she said. “They want freedom. They want democracy. They want to be free of this Islamic Republic.”

Mahsa Amini’s death has unleashed pent-up fury over issues including personal freedoms in the Islamic Republic and an economy reeling from sanctions. Women have taken off their veils during four days of protests, with some cutting their hair in public.

According to one Iranian activist, who wished to remain anonymous, another issue with the current hijab policy is that does not respect the different forms of dress worn by Iran’s various ethnic and religious groups.

Instead, the government tries to promote the black chador, a large piece of cloth, which leaves only the face exposed.

“The Islamic government is not even approving of the other types of hijab and traditional clothing in other ethnic groups,” she said. “They even oppress those people who are actually practising their religion.”

Iran is a very mixed society, containing Persians, Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Lurs, Gilakis, Arabs, Balochi and Turkmens. Each has its own traditional clothing and wears the hijab in different ways, switching colours, patterns and styles.

However, Amini was quick to point out that the hijab in Iran is not a cultural matter.

“Whenever we talk about women’s dress code and their rights in Iran, the government always answers that this is Iranian culture,” she said. “This is not culture, it is force.”

“We need to talk about law, punishment, how many women have been arrested just because of their outfit, not culture,” she said.

Like Amini, the unnamed Iranian activist pointed out the oppressive, involuntary nature of the hijab in Iran, claiming it was counter-productive.

“As a human being whenever you are forced to do something you always want to reject it,” they said. “It is human nature.”

“It’s [the hijab] has been forced on us for so many years that we don’t know who’s wearing it because of their choice or because they are forced to.”

Looking to the future, they said they were “trying to be hopeful.”

“It is really hard to talk about hijab at the moment,” they said. This looks like one of the biggest feminist uprisings that has happened in Iran since the revolution. Both men and women are coming to the streets together to fight for change.”

“By killing Mahsa they opened the gates of anger.”온라인카지노