Back From Vacation

I'm back from our trip to Washington DC. On the way down we stopped at Antietam Battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The weather was beautiful the whole trip, and I shot a couple of rolls of pinhole images: (top to bottom) Split rail fence bordering the sunken road (Bloody Lane), Burnside's Bridge over Antietam Creek, a cannon near the bridge, the carousel on the National Mall, really tall Amee, a sculpture across from the Hirshorn Gallery, the American Indian Museum. I'll post more shots soon.

Russian Heavy Metal

I just fell in love with this video--you have to watch it until jeans, Coca-cola, and Twinkies fall from the sky!

What was that about the pot and the kettle?

From our esteemed President, W:
"Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."
Bullying and intimidation are exactly how he has conducted foreign policy.
He also said:
"Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected."
For some reason, Iraq's sovereignty didn't count, perhaps because it wasn't "a courageous democracy."

Planet of Psychotic Women

I was searching for something in my attic recently and I came across these pictures taken when I was filming my short film project "Planet of Psychotic Women." It has some of the best (purposely) bad acting ever (does that make any sense?). Left to right, the top photo shows Robert Bandy, Amee, Libby Rojas, and Rick Kelly. They were all brilliant!

More Reading

From the book I'm reading:

"These repeated accusations against the Federalists demonstrate one part of gossip's persuasive power. Frequent repetition transformed allegations into assumptions, giving the impression of universal agreement and potentially swaying the uncommitted. Repetition was what gossipers hoped for, for once a rumor was in circulation, the battle was near won. As one newspaper correspondent wrote, "Where so much was said there must be some foundation in fact.""

Same tactics still in use today. Say it loud enough and often enough, and it will begin to be perceived as truth.

The Politics of Gossip

I'm reading a book called "Affairs of Honor--National Politics in the New Republic," by Joanne B. Freeman. It's very interesting reading. I'm in the chapter "The Art of Political Gossip," and it seems that today's politics aren't all that different than yesteryear's. Apparently, gossip--or slander, as some put it--was used to damage the reputation of rival politicians. A quote:

"...the most abominable falsehoods soon acquire the semblance of truth; the hearers don't take the trouble to enquire if the thing be true, they only remember to have heard it said."--William Loughton Smith, South Carolina Representative, 1794.

It's a bit like the blogosphere of today, only then it was more personal, more carefully aimed, and harder to refute; often being settled by dueling. The book is certainly worth a read for fans of American history and politics.