does it seem to you that so many things seem to be a mess at the same time?? the financial market, the war, the campaign, and oh yes right here on our blog…er, forum…
right here, after almost exactly two years, things could appear to be coming unglued…as i read your comments and e-mails, while usually thought provoking, i see dissension, in-fighting "behind the scenes", angry rants, and signs of weariness abound….
is it time for us to "cash in our chips" and walk away from the table at least not completely broke??
i mean nobody HAS to be here!! and almost all of our regular writers have openly "quit the blog" at one time or another…or at least threatened to…me included…
as Tom Waits once asked, "whatever happened to saturday night?"…
you can bet that i am very curious about what you think….but, i will tell you now what i think….
we started as strangers and became a "family"…or , at least, a family "type"…basically a pretty healthy happy family…i mean, we hung out together all the time….i do not know about you, but my girlfriend told me more than once that i loved all of you more than i did her…or sure seemed to spend a lot of time on this relationship, perhaps more than that relationship….she might have had a point…or a least a legitimate complaint….
lots invested here all around…..your writing, your photographs, my writing, my mentoring….a nice little creative trade out that seemed to work for all….lots of great photographic work came from many of you….after all we actually "produced" right here and continue to do so…blog generated essays…ways of thinking to lead to more work….generous critique from all of us….no "tech talk" , but a lot of "life talk"…
and all based on the assumption that if we are not human beings first, no good "art" could come out of it…my mantra for all of you to "look in the mirror" sure as hell worked for so many of you, and if nothing else comes out of our time here, then just wait and see when all your introspective work gets published in the very near future….but looking in the mirror does not always reflect a pretty picture…some digging deep might unearth the very demons that both drive and destroy….other "reflections" reveal an inner strength and peace….so , do we not all learn from each other???
people "out there" really believed in us…still do….generous donations from anonymous givers have come in this year to be invested in YOU….our Emerging Photographer Fund will continue no matter what and was born from our "family" right here in ethereal blogland…
so what happened to our family that birthed all this incredibly positive stuff?
well, what happened i think is that we actually became a" real family" ….anybody here know a "real family" that has not seen: dissension, infighting "behind the scenes", angry rants, and signs of weariness ???? sounds pretty familiar to me coming from a very tight loving family….the phrase "dysfunctional family" gets thrown around a lot, so i will throw it around one more time….aren't all "real families" pretty dysfunctional one way or another??
if we are a "real family" , then why in hell wouldn't we share all of the characteristics that anybody in their right mind well knows personifies FAMILY ?? i say smiling "too bad", but true…well, what the hell?? at least we've got a roof over our heads!!
so you tell me….should we keep rolling or not?? every single writer here who ever "quit", sooner or later returned..talked into it by their friends they met here….and even a few by their "sometime enemies"…i can right off the bat think of two serious clashes from talented photographers here, BOTH of whom i have promised to mentor book projects…and i will….and for anyone else here who shows promise…
do you not think there have been "clashes" among some of the most talented icons you may know?? yet still they form an extended family….ultimate respect born of just flat out acknowledgment and acceptance that we do not all think alike , photograph alike, nor behave alike…do you not think i have seen this at Magnum for example?? are we not still stronger after all these 61 years of being very very different from each other?? would we be a "happier stronger family" if we all walked , talked and looked alike??? i do not think so… sounds boring to me….sounds stifling to me….
i have always been suspicious of "families" that were just too too "perfect"…as a matter of fact ,i have seen more divorces among the "happy couples" than the ones who figuratively knock each other around a bit..i also think we can be honest with each other , yet show some common decency and respect as well….
so, i think we now sink or swim….choice 100% up to you…not me….i cannot pull off my totally energized ideas now of an online magazine, to be manifested in print as well, without all of you lending a hand…some of you perhaps more "hands on" than others, but we "sink or swim" on the "whole" …i believe we are in a position to do great things…unique…first class ticket….i think most of you smell this too…
our interaction is unparalleled in blogland…you must know that….we have been "here" for each other time and time again…but, should we take the "next step"?? it is not that "all good things come to an end"…it is that "he who hesitates is lost" or some other tried and true phrase that i cannot think of right now that connotes something like "what the hell, why not give it a shot?" see, i know already that one of the brilliant writers here will "set this up" just right and be most eloquent…..
yes, everything does seem to be a bit of a mess….it seems that worldwide, things could swing one way or the other….we all feel it….there is promise, there is potential disaster…so, what do we do with our little microcosm of life?? let it stall, or make it fly with the wind???
"troubled waters" or "sea of change" ????
James + Jess
Well done!
Hey David,
Ive been away from here recently for a variety of reasons but recently a 6 photo selection of Family Ties won a small contest and netted me a bit of cash:) Ive been working on Home Sweet Home and theres new work added to the project, have a look when you can
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157603911888316/show/
I havent had much time to shoot outside but both Riverside and Park Life have been updated.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157606002172259/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157604860509161/
I recently shot a standalone series that fits with Riverside and Park Life into my Marooned project. Its called Nocturnal Picnic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157607762150085/show/
Here are my favorite recent images for a quick overview of whats been added since I know you are a busy man.
Riverside
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2988044647_af5a4e6fa4_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2933220969_83539f2d91_o.jpg
And also
Home Sweet Home
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/2980474399_17e0298baf_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2959234343_80358e6080_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2995358020_ef34bbdb1e_o.jpg
WROBERT..
if & when U see this…
There is no point to email U since
U got no Internet but please call me
At
310 425 9298
& of course
Innerspacecowpanos@mac.com.
Anyway I hope that u only lost the studio and
not the home… But if U R homeless like me
then we could help eachother and rent a
loft or something..
Please let me know soon coZ Xmas is
coming and it doesn’t feel that great being
homeless even in the not that cold ( thank god )
LA…
Peace…
6:57am in LA..
Monday morning… Everybody’s going to work..
… but not me.. hmmmm..
should I complain ? or should I not???
;-)
Thanks Guys!!! :)))) Appreciate your comments!
Please (most important) don’t forget to sign the declaration and to vote for our piece!!! We hope to do well in the public section.
http://media-awards.everyhumanhasrights.org/search/results/taxonomy%3A519
Going to be traveling today but have some new stuff to post later. We went to a kite festival over the weekend (Guatemala) which was amazing. The town spend 40 days constructing MASSIVE kites and fly them on The Day of the Dead. Great fun and an amazing sight to behold!! Thanks again for your support with the award!!
James
To my American colleagues, time for you to do your democratic thing and vote.
Please remember: vote correctly and vote often…
Doug
ALL…
ok, i now think by wednesday i can do a new post..i am “on” 24/7 for Day of the Dead….and the computer gods are against me…no internet in my house and then the worst electro digi glitch in my life…i lost an entire shoot on a brand new 8 gig card!!!!
but i also survived the collapse of a huge tent frame that was being constructed for a dance ceremony …heavy metal mini-beams came crashing so close around me on all sides, it was hard to imagine i did not get a scratch….so i will take the luck of surviving potential serious injury to the unlucky loss of my pictures…
last night was just pure magic by any estimation…almost the whole class was with me in a small town fiesta and we spent the better part of the night shooting side by side, which rarely can happen in a workshop…
tonight is our final show and will be shown at the Manuel Alvarez Bravo photo center…
tomorrow , after final remarks to my students, i will head to the beach for a few days just to catch my breath…between Coronas, i will catch up on all of your comments…
peace, hugs, et al, david
And if you were able to register as more than one person or with multiple residences, then vote as many times as possible.
Nothing?
Really?
Tough crowd…
Vote baby vote.
But just once, please. I’m a challenger/watcher all day tomorrow and we’d all rather be at a great party than on cnn at 2 am.
DAVID.
Can’t photos be retrieved if something goes wrong with the card?
I’ve had corrupt files when a battery dies midshot and although they dont download I can pull them off manually.
Don’t know your exact situation but since there is software sold with the cf cards for this purpose perhaps it is still possible to save the images??? I’d be SO bummed…
Love Oaxaca. Love Day of the Dead. Did some Day of the Dead shooting right here in SoCal yesterday…in the rain. Have fun.
VOTERS.
I am holding my breath till this election is over. Difficult to do with fingers and toes crossed as well :)))
Don’t post much anymore but just had to today. Here’s what it looked like here in Detroit yesterday:
http://www.pbase.com/windchimewalker/image/105428117
VOTE like your life depends on it…’cause it does!!!
Patricia
HI ALL..
Well I just wanted to pop in for a minute while I force some fun into my evening by reading the forum.. JAMES – good on ya mate, I’ll vote for you! D-MCG: OBAMA! :) ERIC, etc. you keep me on my toes!
Thanks to CATHY for the shout out.. yes, in two weeks THIRST FOR GRIT was on 37TH FRAME, ROB GALBRAITH, and TEWFIC’S blog.. all the while I had an ‘art’ opening here in Austin this past Saturday night showcasing three projects.. I made 22 black and white prints and to see them hung and appreciated.. this is very satisfying let me tell you. I think the best part was having two of the rodeo cowboys, STRETCH and JEFF MILLER, drove all the way from San Antonio and boy did they make an impression. I think they actually frightened a few people.
I’m also in the middle of putting together two more shows, one is SLIDELUCK POTSHOW here in Austin.. happening on Nov. 21 and I think it’s going to be a huge success. The other is a show in East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) Nov. 22-23.. The other three photographers that I’m showing with, we are busy building walls and painting and printing and making runs to the hardware store..
Okay I have to go now! A special THANK YOU to PATRICIA, BOB, AUDREY, GINA for your kind words on 37th Frame..
I’ll be back.. GODSPEED,
lance
PATRICIA
what happened? or as my friends in India would say “why like this”?
you are such a positive voice here.
I miss big chunks here, maybe i missed something, but I hope those cynical remarks didn’t get to you. Sometimes people feel like they need to make judgement, analyse and make comment, but when they are cynical and snide as some anonymous comments that I’ve read here were, what good do they do? they just rob us of the positive, good and shining light of people like yourself. I hope I have this all wrong and this isn’t the reason. What you and some others here like Panos and Erica and of course David are DOING and writing has been a big inspiration for me. I found myself in a bit of a rut as you’ll remember from my letter, but now i’m buzzing once again.
I’ve been going over the limited material i’ve been shooting around my home life, I didn’t think I had anything that much but I’ve realised that I do have some images. I’m editing them now and I think next week I will be able to post some ‘new’ work, which is a very positive step for me.
In just a few weeks i’ll be free of collage until Feb so i’m getting into gear for a summer of shooting, i’m focused, it’s all good and it’s all thanks to this place and good people like yourself, so please think twice. You can always e-mail if you’d prefer samharris.photo@gmail.com.
Peace
Sam
Yes, VOTE! What a time to remember this will be..a shame that voters can’t wear candidate paraphernalia to the booths here..would make for some good photos.
ALL
I recently photographed part of the Gloucester High teen pregnancy story for Boston Magazine..see the link below..There is a 5 page article online, and some of my photos are (shown small) on the first 3 pages on the web link, but the whole photo spread can be seen in the November issue of the magazine.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/growing_up_gloucester/page1
P.S.
Just this moment finished scanning the portraits..
now the 35mm (but that is for the mm piece, not EPF)
I need someone really good in NYC who can hand process / develop only my bw for about $10 a roll..any leads, please let me know..
PEACE
… Thank U SAM..
Right on!
ALL…
back in the desert for a couple days..
Then Venice..
Let’s see how that goes..
;-)))
Damn…
I smell “election fever UP”…
The whole world is holding their BREATH..
Do You Feel it..??
In Your Country??…
wherever You Are?
;-)))
one last time…
WHO???
Democrats or Republicans…???
… one more night…!!!!!:-(
Does anyone know what a “civilian national security force” is that should be “just as strong and just as well funded” as our military?
I wish I could vote for Obama, Lance, but Michigan has been too fine an example of how you can’t tax your way out of a recession. You can’t seem to spend your way out of it either, and the breadth of what he’s proposing is just enormous. Bush hasn’t been alone in fiscal irresponsibility—he’s had an unpopular congress approving his budgets. Do you think the combination of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid is going to let Bush show them up in terms of spending?
I’m not yet convinced that Obama is going to be practicing Clintonomics. And I had forgotten, but one of the reasons Clinton’s budgets succeeded economically is because he had to work with a conservative congress for six years, that didn’t allow runaway spending.
I’m not sure which way “American Thinker” leans, but I found a fascinating article on the site called “Presidents and the Economy.” The most hilarious line was:
“Concerning policy, if you were to look only at the budgets they signed into law, you would think Clinton was a Republican and Bush a Democrat.”
But you have to read that section of the article to get the context.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/09/presidents_and_the_economy.html
My point is that if I vote Mac, it’s not so much a vote for him, but more of a plug-my-nose and vote against a one party rule in Washington. I know what the next thought is “but there’s a two party system with Bush and the congress that isn’t working…” That’s because we’ve had a deer-in-the-headlights congress that has a 10% approval rating and has been content to let Bush spend recklessly and fail. The trouble is, everyone likes their own congress person, so they keep getting voted back in.
It’s a coin toss, but my gut feels like McCain would actually cut spending as he says, certainly more than Obama, with any luck more than Bush.
As you can see I’m not taken in by the mesmerizing blue marketing, nor the finely tuned oration of O. Something’s a little too perfect there, and it doesn’t ring true to me. But whoever is elected, I hope they do well.
I loathe being addicted to politics, and I’m so ready to go back to a normal life.
Oh and I lined up an election day garage sale to shoot. Let’s hope I make it pending polling lines.
Good morning voters and all!
I finished my car photoshoot yesterday with great results.
And I’m announcing a new long term personal project I’ll be working on over the next 4 – 8 years, depending on what happens at the polls.
Have a look, Both things are in the same post, leave comments if would like.
http://www.jasonhouge.com/Blog.html
David MG,
just imagine that Mac is elected, disappear for any reason and Pailin is the new president of your country, isn’t that just a very good reason not to vote republican ?
NB: I am alsways affraid to finish in Guantanamo writing this, the secret services of your country look like KGB…
And maybe this link will work?
http://www.jasonhouge.com/Blog.html
You guys have to remember – The President of the United States doesn’t “RUN” the country. The country’s power is devided up into the Senate, Judicial, and Presidential powers for the reason of not giving too much to one person. The president makes Executive decisions that can be over turned by the senate or judicial branches. He’s NOT like a king or an emperor – He doesn’t preside over all things. Although many would have you believe otherwise.
If McCain wins expect a war more ruinous than Iraq, by a mile. McCain is a vicious war monger, and a very real danger. He sang about attacking Iran, he expressed a wish to anhilate North Korea. His pastor spoke publically of destroying Muslims. This choice is crucial, its a choice between diplomacy and sanity or war and lunacy. Some say he is unstable, but whether he is or not, I think isnt the question. He will wage war because thats what he wants. Probably stems from the fact that he didnt fight the war he was supposed to, he sat it out. I dont buy him being a war hero. I think he was a coward. Still is.
GO BARACK OBAMA GO!!!!
I am a great believer in symbols and a BLACK President of the United States of America sends out a signal to the rest of the world that really, ANYTHING is possible…
I will be shooting not only the ‘Straight’ version of the expats voting here in Sydney, but at some point also the ‘Gay’ version so I think it will be BIG fun…
But at the core, what you Yanks do effects the rest of the world, whether you comprehend that or not… so we are actually ALL watching your election, just as much as we would one of our own…
I hope you all vote wisely…
Here is to a new, perhaps more humane era…
Goodluck America…
Rafal:
though i am in complete support of Obama, and in no stretch of my imagination would i consider supporting john mccain, your language “McCain is a vicious war monger, and a very real danger. … He will wage war because thats what he wants. Probably stems from the fact that he didnt fight the war he was supposed to, he sat it out. I dont buy him being a war hero. I think he was a coward. Still is….”
without getting into a discussion of the moral tupitude of the war in Vietnam (of course, for me, it was a hideously conceived and morally bankrupt effort to instill western (American) hegemony in the area), you description of McCain’s war service is not only irresponsible but demonstates the same kind of political sloganizing that got us in this mess in the first place (albeit from the far right). just tripe.
He “sat it out”? Try, he “lay it out.”…as, after being shot down over Hanoi, he fractured both arms and legs, had a shoulder subsequently crushed and was bayonneted. During his internment, he lost more than 40 pounds, lost the color of his hair (which turned to white prematurely), was in solitary confinement for 2 1/2 years, and was tortured for another 2 years (rope bindings, beatings) even attempted suicide, etc.
McCain possesses many characteristics, many of which disturb me politically, but the kind of demogogic nonsense, particularly in light of facts of what occured during his 5 1/2 years in Hanoi, that you’ve bequeathed us are not only an embarrasment but deplorable. Particularly on this day, a day of enormous change, when the tembre and countenance of political discussion should be about choices that enlighten rather than darken.
I regret having return to read after 10 days away….
ALL,
after almost 2 weeks of family and work i hate to leave a comment with feelings that are so discouraging…i guess all that dramatic crap of language is why i’ve decided not to roam much, so something more akin to the positive believe in the living i have…
so as not to leave on a negative note, on this most momentous day, i wish to share with you a quote from Toni Morrison’s remarkable new book A MERCY….
it’s applicable to today…but also, the world in which we are all engaged….that of telling stories with our cameras, our words, our voices…
“Sudden a sheet of sparrows fall from the sky and settle in the trees. So many the trees seem to sprout birds, not leaves at all. Lina points. We never shape the world she says. The world shapes us. Sudden and silent the sparrows are gone.”-toni morrison, A Mercy
In order to go to war, Congress must give the ok, which in the wars we are in currently they did so without much hesitation. So to say a president will do this or do that is only half truths. He needs the ok of other branches of our Government to impliment his promises. If you don’t like the US being at war, blame congress not the president.
Bob,
be it as it may I refuse to give McCain credit for anything. He is a vicous, VICIOUS little man. Whatever happened in Hanoi, he refused to return to battle.
That however is simply his history. His present is built on his feeling of inadequacy, his overcompensation and self aggrandizement. He isnt a war hero. He may be a POW but that doesnt make him a war hero. And he knows it. What he is, is a war monger, a corrupt sell out, a vicious man with a hunger for war. If I sound partisan, you better believe I am. The world hangs in the balance today. Does America elect a man of change for good or a man who is going to take Bush’s war mongering to its logical and nasty conclusion: a war in Asia involving Russia and/or China?
with you all the way, Rafal.
bob’s a word wizard and seems to be sharp as a tack (but lordy lordy his posts are often way too much to digest, not just here but now on the magnum blog, too. oy.) (edit bob, EDIT!)
his heart’s in a great place; the world would be a better place full of bob b’s.
go O!
Im gonna speak my mind, and I wont wrap it up in fancy gift wrapping. We know what happened in Vietnam from McCain. Looking back at his career after Vietnam, would you trust the man’s word? From the way he cast away his wife after her accident for a rich, young heiress to the way he sold out his office to Keating. To the way the Maverick became a side kick. He seems to have sold out any of his stated beliefs in this campaign, waging the ugliest, nastiest camoaign in recent history. The life of J. McCain post Vietnam has been about ambition and greed. I hope he is publically humiliated today, I hope this election is a historic landslide. J.McCain needs to be kicked out the door in convincing fashion.
First of all, how can you call a man a monger when in the same paragraph you call him out for “not returning to battle. ” You sound confused about who he was and is and what he did what he might do. Don’t you think that it’s even a little frieghtening to see a man rise to power so fast with no proven history, and even his own personal history isn’t all that well known?
Here’s a liberal democrat who is supposibly against big money and supposed to want more taxes on the super wealthy. And the same man raises the most money in history for his run for President. If you know anything about taxation, if your personal income is above 80k you’re hit with an extra tax. But as long as you’re below that amount the taxation is pretty much the same across the board. Those “tax breaks for the rich” are really just tax credits anyone can have but the poor tend to not keep good enough records to take advantage of them. Anyway point being, if you’re a US citizen, vote and let your opinion count for something. And beware of what “change” might really mean.
BOB,
Just wanted to tell you that I (and I am sure many others) have been missing reading you and a few others over the past 2 weeks… Please do not be discouraged by some of the comments and not let some “heated” discussions drive you away again for longer than needed… I guess this is the nature of sometimes anonymous internet exchange…
RAFAL,
You are an interesting character :):)… I love your photography so much… it is all about feelings, emotional touches…love it and I saw many more pics from you that are new that I liked very much… Your words sometimes on issues seem like these come from a different person… I am all for straight talk but do not lose this great ability you have to express the “soft” side, the feelings…balance is important sometimes… I am so for Obama that you cannot believe!!!! Was giving a hard time to our friend David McG here about his choice but balance is important…. I do not like McCain nor his campaign but he seems an honorable man to me or at least worth the benefit of the doubt…
LANCE,
Congratulations man!!! I wish I could have been present for the expo and seeing these two bull riders…
JAMES,
Congrats as well…so good to see several of you getting the visibility that your work deserves!
Cheers,
Eric
Did anyone figure out what a “Civilian National Security Force” is?
The Joes-The-Plumbers are rightfully worried about their taxes and houses and, dare I say, belly button.
But they seem to forget that voting for a president of the USA is also a stance on the world. The foreign policy of the USA is to blame in large part for the shit that is happening on the planet earth.
And as a member of this community, the earth that is, I think the Joes-The-Plumbers should have a little thought about this… and broaden their minds and think of the consequences of a Republican vote on the rest of us… or are they too worried about their taxes, their government spending?
Look, other countries pay a lot of taxes, think of European countries, Scandinavian countries, your neighbor, no not Alaska, Canada, and can you tell me Joes-The-Plumbers what is the problem?
These countries have good health care for EVERYBODY, their citizens have jobs, cars, even pick-up trucks!, houses, lawns (green), food, they travel, they are healthy, they have hobbies (but drag racing is indeed in development), they own computers (have internet), photographic equipment… What is the fucking problem with paying taxes if you get good, fair services in return?
Joes-The-Plumbers think globally, think not only about yourself, but think about your neigboughs too (for now let’s say in the same street as yours.. how many do not have heatlh care? Or a job?) Think about that when you vote today (if it’s not too late)
Take care
And sorry for my english
Sorry Bob, I think I started this. I wouldn’t mind commenting, but my strength is zapped. Maybe later, I’m out for the day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28163560@N02/sets
Panos, I am finally posting because of your comments–you made me feel I must take courage because i do want to learn. Your beautiful images of Freida–center of image not in focus–made me think of my mother. Her macular degeneration disrupts her central vision while her peripheral vision is not disturbed. So, I am finally picking up my camera again anyway. Bob Black’s series on vision and Patricia’s on disabilty are inspiratiional. These are “baby steps” in the direction I am trying to go. I almost always convert to black and white but left these in color. I feel they are too trite and not fine tuned enough–but I am putting them up anyway! Got to start somewhere. Thanks in advance for anyone with helpful advice.
ERICA/KERRY/SAM/ANDREW B/PANOS/LAURA,
Thanks for the advice and the encouraging words about shooting on the street. I’m trying, but it’s still uncomfortable.
MIKE R, I don’t see the link to your pics on my screen.
RAFAL, you already know that I didn’t vote for Obama, but you’re probably wondering why I didn’t. So here goes…
1. I thought Jesus was the Messiah. That’s what the nuns told me, anyway, and I’m not going to argue with a bunch of old ladies who can knock me on my ass without breaking a sweat. The moonbats want to fight the nuns, let them; it’ll only prove to everyone just how loony they really are.
2. I voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976. Doesn’t that count?
3. Senator Obama is Gertrude Stein’s remark about Oakland, California made politically incarnate: no matter from what angle you choose to look at the junior Senator from Illinois and his record, there’s no there there.
4. When times get hard, I cling to my religion and my guns and dislike people who don’t look like me. I know this is so because The One said so. Of course, that I am not particularly religious, which annoys the heck out of my mother, who now thinks that I am basically eight years of parochial school tuition flushed down the toilet, and I don’t own a gun. I don’t even have firecrackers. It’s not that I have anything against guns per se, it’s just that I would prefer not to blow my own foot off, which is the sort of thing that would actually happen to me if I kept a firearm in the house. Machines, as a rule, don’t seem to like me, and so I limit my mechanical purchases to things I know won’t try to nail me to the wall if given half a chance. And I do dislike lots of people who don’t look like me; I don’t need thin people wandering around reminding me that I could stand to lose a few pounds.
5. Senator Obama wants to turn this country into a European social democracy like Belgium or France, countries where, and I hesitate to say this in a forum where there are women and children present, the population is so corrupt and debased in their personal morals that they are known, well-known, in fact, for putting mayonnaise on their French fries. Is this the kind of America you want?
6. Spreading the wealth doesn’t actually mean spreading the wealth to poor people, it means giving the money to the government, which will spend most of the cash on administrative costs and the salaries of civil servants such as myself. It’s still trickle down economics, boys and girls, only with Senator Obama’s method a lot of the trickle will stick to the funnel.
7. I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but just in case you haven’t noticed, the change The One is promising is the New Deal all over again. You do have to wonder about what constitutes new thinking in the Democratic Party when their best and brightest proudly proclaims that he will be leading the nation back to 1933. Those guys never do tire of running against Herbert Hoover, do they?
8. The media love him. I think this is because most of those guys are like movie critics; they’ve seen so many movies that they know how the movie’s going to end before the opening credits finish rolling. So Obama is something new and different, and they want something new and different now. Of course, six months into his presidency these very same people will be slashing and burning President Obama’s administration with the same pyromaniacal relish that they now lavish on President Bush, but they’ll be counting on TVADD (television induced attention deficit disorder) to keep anyone from remembering just how much they shilled for the man in the campaign.
9. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not, as far as I know, speak English. Neither does Kim Jong Il or Osama bin Laden. The power of oratory is largely lost on people who have no idea what you’re saying. So they will have to rely on the transcripts of The One’s speeches translated into Farsi, Arabic, and Korean. I might be wrong about this, but I get the impression that a good deal of the audacity of hope is going to get lost in translation. This is not a good thing, I think, if what you’re selling is the sizzle and not the steak. I don’t know what the Farsi/Arabic/Korean equivalent of Where’s the beef is, but I suspect that we’re all going to have four years to find out.
10. The junior Senator has labored in the political vineyards of Cook County for some twenty years now and the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has not seen fit to indict him for anything. Clearly, Senator Obama has not been trying very hard. In addition to this, Senator Obama has never held a political office in Chicago’s municipal government. This, I think, is very telling, as Washington is a place where the Cook County Democratic machine sends people who are too dumb to be on the Chicago City Council. If Mayor Daley doesn’t think The One is bright enough to be an alderman, why should the rest of us elect him president? Inquiring minds want to know.
some Presidential music..
above is just commentary..long live Obama..
AKAKY just click one my name under any of my posts (or any other name that is in black rather than light grey) and you will be re-directed. I’m all over the place so here are a few links:
http://homepage.mac.com/mrawcliffe/G10
http://homepage.mac.com/mrawcliffe/recentwork
http://homepage.mac.com/mrawcliffe/manchester
http://homepage.mac.com/mrawcliffe/portfolio
I’ll tidy things up soon into the latter.
E-mail is mrawcliffe@mac.com
As for street shooting, hold your space; you’re not doing anything wrong, you may not want people to notice that you are taking photographs but that’s only because it will influence their behaviour so don’t look furtive and don’t rush away after taking a picture.
As for OB or MCc, whoever wins I just hope that they do (or get a chance to do without being overtaken by events) what they say they will. Both offer change, either change in direction or change in Washington. After watching Tony Blair throw it all away over here in the U.K. I don’t believe in heros (never did).
Generally, people seem to be fascinated with America and genuinely like Americans (many want to BE Americans) but they are appalled by the current government’s foreign policy – as are a LOT of Americans! So I hope that the one who would kill the least people wins.
Peace,
Mike R.
ROSEMARY~
You’ve taken the first step which I think is the most difficult one!
For me the images with the strongest visual impact, that tell me a part of your story are:
1) Mom in chair in exam room, she is in soft focus in back ground.
2) The things she sees on a daily basis…your Dad? blurry…but maybe with a stronger background…I like that the red leaf if reduced to an impressionistic interpretation, how she would see it.
3 )The first with your mom & magnifying glass. How she continues to do the things she enjoys….but bring us closer/crop.
For what it’s worth…those are the ones I would build on….
Hillary
Rosemary,
So unusual to see your work in color. I like that you are posting such a personal work.
My comments:
#4 with the leaf, either 6 or 7 with the magnifier and the book, #10 with the man’s face is too close maybe but the idea is there like the leaf which works better for me, #11 looking at the art with the view of her hearing aid is a favorite, #12 or 13 with the eye exam (think I like the machine with her sitting next to it better), and the last one #16 with her sitting on the furnace.
The one thing I see in this essay that would make a good case for black and white is the light. Not sure how it looks as original but it looks a bit splashed and weakens the scene in some. I understand the issue of trying to shoot a series on someone’s life in light that is less than optimum. Have you converted to black and white to see how they look?
Good work Rosemary. This is a very good beginning of a series on your mom; I know that you have a huge responsibility with her care and your own life and time requirements. I was reminded a couple of days ago by a friend of mine of something I told her DAH said in the first workshop: shoot what you know. We tend to want to seek out the perfect project when the best material is right in our sight. Having a mom that has refused to talk to me since 1983 due to religion makes this essay of yours especially touching to me.
Keep going, and I hope to see your face in this series.
Lee
I remember reading that the Prophet Muhammad refused to send a volunteer to Yemen as an (I think) Ambassador or Governor – this is from memory. When the man asked him why he decided not to send him Muhammad said “Because you want it too much”. Instead he sent one of his Companions who was in tears at the prospect because he knew that by the end of his assignment Muhammad would probably be dead; he would not see him again. Be careful what you wish for.
Mike R.
also RAFAL, JAMES !!! congrats..
where is rosemary’s link?
Welcome ROSEMARY! Just checked out your photographs: very good beginning – so obviously personal. Your Mother has a wonderful smile and I’m pleased that you have included this side of her story. The better essays on any kind of disability quickly get past the actual disability and show the humanity of the subject that we as viewers immediately recognize as common to us all.
Your essay does just that. It’s interesting that you usually photograph in B&W but show the work in colour / color: can we see your work in B&W?
I’d like to see your Mother’s extended world; friends, family etc. I’m interested already, I want to know more, you have succeeded in gaining my attention. Well done.
Good light,
Mike R.
ROSEMARY…
Thank U for keeping the DAH spirit
strong..
We need links, contributions. Photos..
Pictures, eye candy.. anyway U wanna
call it..!
” Intellectual” or “tech” talk is great..
but it doesn’t quench my Thirst , not a bit.
Thank U for being a worker helping
building our TOWER OF PHOTOS ( songs)…
I’m in the truck right now but I would love to
YOUTUBE… Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of song”..
All that.
Huge HUG for Rosemary…