Paledaddy

Just a Note, Not a Rant

2011-09-12T07:03:00.002-05:00

I'm posting this here, as I just want to get this off my chest, and don't want to broadcast it all over on Facebook. Here, no one will actually see it. I played a gig Saturday night. Originally, it was booked as two bands, but a third band was added to the bill a week or two before the gig. No biggie. Band 'A' (the band that had booked the gig) was going to play first, followed by the late addition, Band 'B', with us to close. No problem. Band 'A' played their set and it rocked. All was well, I was having a good time, excited to be involved. Band 'B' started playing, and they rocked. Then they kept playing. And playing. And playing. After their "last" song, they played 3 more songs. When they were done, they never even mentioned that there was another band coming, and were pretty lackadaisical about getting their gear off the stage so we could set up. As it was, we had to shave our set down considerably, as the second band had run over time so much and last call was at 2 am. I've been playing gigs for 20+ years, and that's just rude. I've always asked the crowd to stick around, always mentioned the other bands, always been quick to get out of the way. It's common courtesy.

Dandelion

2011-08-16T10:19:00.001-05:00

Dandelion, a photo by sputnik102 on Flickr.

Pinhole image

Sparkly

2011-07-27T09:08:00.002-05:00

Reclining

2011-07-20T10:37:00.001-05:00

Reclining, a photo by sputnik102 on Flickr.

Infrared black and white photo.

Shot with Adox 50 Film

2011-06-28T07:36:00.003-05:00

Shot with Adox Art Series CHS 50 film, which is a film with the old-formula silver-rich emulsion. The tonality is impressive, as is the sharpness. I like the film so much I've ordered a few more rolls.

Legs

2011-06-22T09:06:00.001-05:00

Legs, a photo by sputnik102 on Flickr.

Stepping Out

2011-06-01T10:18:00.001-05:00

Stepping Out, a photo by sputnik102 on Flickr.

A shot of Amee stepping out of the car.

Fun with Cranky Child

2011-05-02T08:09:00.004-05:00

With all the hoopla over the royal wedding, only one image struck me. The cranky kid. So, for your pleasure, here goes:

Logo

2011-04-05T08:47:00.003-05:00

I saw the Massey Energy logo and was struck by how ominous it looked. I decided to tweak it for comedy/satire purposes.

Mia Unfettered

2011-04-04T08:42:00.001-05:00

P1010022, a photo by sputnik102 on Flickr.

I love this shot from our 2003 beach trip.

Moonlight in Vermont

2011-03-31T08:31:00.000-05:00

Practice

2011-03-24T10:05:00.001-05:00

Disgusting Brew, No Kidding

2011-03-22T15:31:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows what my favorite kind of beer is: free beer. There are few beers I won't drink, and none I've found that I wouldn't try. There was one beer, however, that I had to draw the line on: Colt 45 Cool Colt. This was a malt liquor with menthol flavoring added. "Taste the Cool" was the tag line. I'm sure the marketing geniuses behind this travesty thought it was a great idea: "Demographically, African-Americans are the biggest consumers of malt liquor, and, demographically, they are also the biggest consumers of menthol cigarettes. They'll love it! Two great tastes that taste great together!" said the advertising whiz, shortly before he lost his job after sales figures came in.
Anyway, a cold brew with a minty-fresh aftertaste just wasn't a good idea. If I want that kind of combination, I can drink a beer immediately after I've brushed my teeth. So, I'll pass, just this once, on a beer, even if it's free.

New Book preview and link

2011-01-28T12:30:00.001-05:00

Through A Pinhole by Stephen Beckner | Make Your Own Book

The Book is Done

2011-01-07T15:34:00.002-05:00

The book of pinhole nudes I've been working on for over a year is finally done. Hooray!

An Open Letter to My Representative

2010-11-04T08:02:00.001-05:00

Congratulations on your election victory. I'd like to ask you to work with everyone in the House to do what's best for our country and our state, regardless of party. I hope you do not agree with Mitch McConnell that the over-riding goal of the GOP controlled House is to ensure that President Obama loses in 2012. That kind of partisan, divisive rhetoric is unhelpful, unproductive, and an example of what is wrong with politics today.
The challenges that face our nation are huge, and we need the best ideas to be considered, worked out and put into action to solve them, which can't happen when Democrats and Republicans adopt a "my way is the only way" approach. I was disappointed when the GOP was in the minority and continually refused to do anything but attempt to block legislation in an effort to hand the President a "defeat." I hope that, going forward, you and your party will be willing to compromise to get good legislation passed that will help the country recover and heal.

Sincerely and respectfully,
Stephen Beckner

Frustration, Helplessness, Apathy

2010-11-02T14:40:00.002-05:00

I know people who aren't voting today because they feel uninformed on the candidates. I've heard this many times. The feeling that it doesn't matter anyway. All it leads to is apathy and cynicism.
What it boils down to is laziness. We go out of our way to make sure we don't miss out on who got cut from Dancing With The Stars or American Idol, but we don't bother to spend a little time looking into the issues. We were bombarded by an unprecedented amount of deliberate misinformation via negative campaigning this election cycle, with the promise of even worse to come in two years. It only takes a short internet trip to Politifact.com or Factcheck.org to find out what is true and what is not in these ads. Votesmart.org has tools to help research candidates and their views. Most of us simply don't feel like spending the time to do it. Out of laziness, many people vote for candidates who do not represent their best interest. I've spoken to people who are fired up, wanting to repeal the health care law, but who don't know what is in it. The information is out there, and if you have a computer and internet connection, you can become informed in short order. I guess whoever is going to be your next governor or representative is less important than taking care of your crops in Farmville.

Walk Away by The Nanker Phelge

2010-10-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

Richard III

2010-10-13T09:21:00.007-05:00

Here's the starting setup from the Yorkist side of the table.
My first campaign was a push against the East.
The second campaign was better, but unsuccessful.
The third campaign was much more successful, but the Yorkists barely won.

I have a newly acquired game called "Richard III: War of the Roses" by Columbia Games. I got together with my good friend Tim for a game. It was my third time playing the game, and my first time playing the Yorkist side.
The game is easy to learn; the wooden blocks represent nobles and their troops, white for the house of York, red for the house of Lancaster. Each side has 5 heirs to the throne. The game is played in three "campaigns" of seven turns each. At the end of each campaign, the nobles on the board are totaled, and whoever has more becomes king. Whoever is king at the end of the third campaign is the winner. A hand of seven cards determines how many actions you can accomplish; they are used for recruiting new nobles and for movement/battle.
On the first campaign, I was hampered by a bad hand of cards. I wasn't able to mount much of a push anywhere. I made an effort in the east, trying to capture London, but Tim, with a handful of good cards and skillful play, handily held onto the throne.
In the second campaign, I had a few more successes, such as eliminating Henry VI, but still couldn't tip the balance. At the end of the campaign, it was 10 nobles to 10, so Lancaster remained on the throne.
The third campaign was hard fought by both sides, and came down to the final battle in the south. If I had lost that battle, Lancaster would have retained the throne and won the game; as it was, I managed to put Richard, Duke of York, on the throne and thus won the game.

New Pinholes

2010-10-11T14:32:00.002-05:00

I Believe...

2010-10-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

New song in progress.

Song

2010-10-06T09:30:00.001-05:00

My Ex-Girlfriend Is a Super Ninja

History Hollywood-style

2010-09-08T10:59:00.002-05:00

Worst. Candy. Evah. Seriously.

2010-09-07T09:49:00.010-05:00

#7. Brach's Jelly Nougats--"nougat--a chewy or brittle candy containing almonds or other nuts and sometimes fruit." This plasticky, white concoction has nothing resembling almonds or nuts, and the colored spots certainly aren't fruit. (They make me think of Dr. Suess' book "Put Me In The Zoo," where the yellow thing with the red spots ends up in the circus.) This stuff is artificially flavored, but what flavor is a mystery.

#6. Assorted Hard Candy--also known as "Granny Candy," this stuff is usually sitting out in a glass dish so long that it all sticks together into one hard clump. This is the Mad Dog 20/20 of candy, which is why it's known as hard candy. Duh.

#5. Jujubes--contains more waxy plastic flavor than actual flavor, this stuff is usually stale, tough, and guaranteed to pull out a filling if you're dumb enough to actually eat it. It could conceivably be used as playground cover, since it's usually found covering movie theater floors.
#4. Gum Drops--Barely tolerable (if there's no other candy around), another staple of your grandmother's sitting room with little flavor and lots of artificial stuff. The last ones to go are always the white ones, since, to a child, clove-flavor is only marginally better than broccoli-flavor.
#3. Peeps--I just never, ever, understood the appeal of these things. I like marshmallows, but the foamy, sticky crap these are made from tastes nothing like marshmallow, and to top it off, they coat it in some sort of powder that tastes like sand. And the colors they come in are unnatural, at best. They now have "chocolate" peeps, which look like little piles of manure, and probably taste like manure--sticky, sweet, chocolatey manure.

#2. Pink Lozenges--they didn't even try to make these appealing. Chalky, pink disks of sugar. Flavored with pepsin. They look, smell, and taste just like Pepto-Bismol, but without the diarrhea-conquering power.
#1. Circus Peanuts--WTF? Is it peanut-flavor? No. Is it crunchy like a peanut? No. Do they make you think of the circus? No. Unidentifiable flavor, unpleasant texture, and way too sweet, these always-stale turds of the candy world have to be some candy-making Mad Scientist's idea of a joke. Even a kid who hadn't had a sweety in months would think twice about eating these. Honestly, I'd rather eat liver or Rocky Mountain oysters than this lame excuse of a candy.
Best candy ever, you ask? Easy.
Zotz! Hands down. Zotz! are not only tangy and yummy, they explode in your mouth like a candy orgasm! Completely awesome. They taste like summer at the little league ball park.

Better 1, or Better 2?

2010-08-25T09:17:00.002-05:00

I didn't get to attend the B-52s/Blondie show at the Clay Center last night. I couldn't really afford it, so I passed. However, it made me start reminiscing about my teen years when I discovered these bands, and fell in love with their music. Blondie came onto my radar with "Heart of Glass." My older brother, who had a job, bought the album "Parallel Lines," which we grooved to all summer. In 1979, I received a copy of "Eat to the Beat" on my 13th birthday, had a poster of Debbie Harry on my wall, and watched for TV appearances in the TV Guide--Fridays, SNL, etc.
Later that summer, after coming home late from an aborted camping trip, I caught the B-52s on SNL; I really liked their quirky, danceable sound, and picked up their debut LP with my hard-earned lawn-mowing money. Blondie was fairly well-liked by my peers, but the B-52s were a bit more challenging. I had already headed off on a different musical tangent than most of my friends, having embraced 1978's "Q. Are We Not Men A. We Are DEVO," among other things. My Blondie poster edged out my "Charlie's Angels" poster, the rest of my walls filled with Sex Pistols, Plasmatics, Motorhead, Ramones, and Clash posters.
In this day and age, I can go to YouTube and find almost any video performance of almost any artist I want, whenever I like. As a kid, I had to wait for the rare TV appearances, or the live radio concerts (King Biscuit Flour Hour). These bands certainly didn't come to WV. It somehow made it more special, having to wait to see my musical heroes.... I remember staying up late to see Debbie Harry perform sans Blondie on SNL one night, and one of the songs she did was DEVO's "Come Back Jonee." It was pretty cool to catch a favorite performer on a late night show, when you only had 2 (sometimes 3) channels.

Too Hot

2010-08-24T09:59:00.001-05:00

Too Hot
Originally uploaded by sputnik102

Amee is looking particularly fine today.

Advertisement For The Waldorf-Astoria

2010-08-12T09:58:00.001-05:00

by Langston Hughes

Fine living . . . a la carte?
Come to the Waldorf-Astoria!

LISTEN HUNGRY ONES!
Look! See what Vanity Fair says about the
new Waldorf-Astoria:

"All the luxuries of private home. . . ."
Now, won't that be charming when the last flop-house
has turned you down this winter?
Furthermore:
"It is far beyond anything hitherto attempted in the hotel
world. . . ." It cost twenty-eight million dollars. The fa-
mous Oscar Tschirky is in charge of banqueting.
Alexandre Gastaud is chef. It will be a distinguished
background for society.
So when you've no place else to go, homeless and hungry
ones, choose the Waldorf as a background for your rags--
(Or do you still consider the subway after midnight good
enough?)

ROOMERS
Take a room at the new Waldorf, you down-and-outers--
sleepers in charity's flop-houses where God pulls a
long face, and you have to pray to get a bed.
They serve swell board at the Waldorf-Astoria. Look at the menu, will
you:

GUMBO CREOLE
CRABMEAT IN CASSOLETTE
BOILED BRISKET OF BEEF
SMALL ONIONS IN CREAM
WATERCRESS SALAD
PEACH MELBA

Have luncheon there this afternoon, all you jobless.
Why not?
Dine with some of the men and women who got rich off of
your labor, who clip coupons with clean white fingers
because your hands dug coal, drilled stone, sewed garments,
poured steel to let other people draw dividends
and live easy.
(Or haven't you had enough yet of the soup-lines and the bitter bread of charity?)
Walk through Peacock Alley tonight before dinner, and get
warm, anyway. You've got nothing else to do.

A Poem by Buffy Sainte-Marie

2010-08-06T08:52:00.002-05:00

You think I have visions
because I am an Indian.

I have visions because
there are visions to be seen.

A Poem by Ila Abernathy, 1976

2010-08-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

I am grass growing and the shearer of grass,
I am the willow and the splitter of laths,
weaver and the thing woven, marriage of willow and grass.
I am frost on the land and the land's life,
breath and beast and the sharp rock underfoot;
in me the mountain lives, and the owl strikes,
and I in them. I am the sun's twin,
mover of blood and the blood lost,
I am the deer and the deer's death;
I am the burr in your conscience:
acknowledge me.

Incident

2010-07-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

by Countee Cullen

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.

Lenox Avenue Mural

2010-07-30T10:55:00.002-05:00

by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Let America Be America Again

2010-07-27T11:29:00.002-05:00

by Langston Hughes
...I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan.
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak...

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's
ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!...

Paledaddy

2010-07-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

Calamity Amelie at Stenhamra

2010-07-21T08:46:00.001-05:00

Calamity Amelie at Stenhamra
Originally uploaded by alexander.bergstrom

I came across this shot on Flickr. I absolutely love it. The photographer is Alexander Bergstrom...I'll be watching his work with interest.

Through the Arch

2010-07-14T13:03:00.001-05:00

Through the Arch
Originally uploaded by sputnik102

A pinhole image.

Empty

2010-07-01T07:37:00.002-05:00

Put on your overcoat and your toe-nail lacquer
And your high-heeled shoes and go get what you're after
And in the grey morning haze, when you're slipping away
You'll be wondering why you're feeling so empty

So go buy yourself some shiny new gadget
To distract you from life and the things that you haven't
And when the batteries die, leaving you puzzled and red
You'll be wondering why you feel so frustrated

Not many people have seen the beast come out of the lake
Yet you're sure that you'll find it and it's not a mistake
You're spending your days in search of tomorrows
Only to find they turn into yesterdays

You know what you want, then you find you don't want it
And when you've got the answer, you don't know the question
And when the Scrabble board's jostled and the words have all changed
You quietly hide the fact that you're weeping

More Pinhole Images

2010-06-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

Ghoulish

2010-06-25T15:34:00.001-05:00

Ghoulish
Originally uploaded by sputnik102

Hey, daddy-o! I don't wanna go down to the basement...
There's something down there....

Compassionate or Whiny

2010-06-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

I'm saddened that today's rhetoric is so shallow and divisive. The conservative machinery, in particular, have so polarized the debate that there is no debate. It's all black and white, right or wrong. Simple. And many people have fallen into this because it's easy and requires no thinking. According to many on the right, everyone on public assistance of any kind is a freeloader, too lazy to work, scamming the system. (What about all the people drawing unemployment due to lay-offs recently, through no fault of their own? What about the people who, due to physical or mental impairment, are unable to work?) I'm struck by a noticeable lack of general compassion in many people today. Until these people are struck directly with tragedy in their own lives--lay-off, disability, etc.--they are content to spout the rhetoric they hear on Fox news. Many people profess deep religious faith, but don't go so far as to actually do as their faith instructs in regards to the less fortunate. We all need to spend a little more time thinking of others, of the problems facing us as a nation, as a world.

Footloose

2010-06-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

Footloose
Originally uploaded by sputnik102

Shot with a Nikon F, Nikkor 24mm lens, on Ilford HP5plus.

Last Shots from Fed-2

2010-06-21T15:54:00.002-05:00

The shutter crapped out on my Fed-2 camera on the last roll I shot. I'll probably send it off for repair, since it was dirt cheap. Here's a shot of Amee at Vandalia and a shot of my cat from that last roll.

Oily

2010-06-02T10:34:00.002-05:00

I had a friend last night express anger and frustration about the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, along with fear as to the consequences of all this oil and chemicals. I understand the sentiments, but I had read a bit more about it, and while it is the largest spill in US history, there have been far larger spills in the past.
I looked up an article from Live Science; this article ran down the ten biggest spills in history. So far, this current spill hasn't reached the top ten. The number 2 spill was in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979, and that one leaked 454,000 TONS of oil. (The current spill has reached nearly 50,000 tons.) And the number one spill was deliberate. During the invasion of Iraq, the pipes were opened by the Iraqis and somewhere near 1,500,000 tons were dumped into the Persian Gulf.
I'm aware that cleanup efforts are going to take years, probably decades, and people and wildlife are going to suffer. Unfortunately, there's no quick fix for any of this.

Testing the New Ektar Film

2010-05-24T13:59:00.003-05:00

Shot with a Nikon F, with a 50 mm f/2 Nikkor lens, on Kodak's new Ektar 100. The film is virtually grainless, but it seems flat and unsaturated until I tweak the levels in Photoshop.

Audio Test

2010-04-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

Song

Pinhole Images

2010-04-27T12:44:00.002-05:00

For Heroclix Pals

2010-04-20T11:28:00.003-05:00

I've made a pdf of the Heroclix Powers and Abilities Card which includes both the DC and Marvel team abilities. Click on each image and save it to your computer and print it out. Have fun!

I Need You!

2010-04-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

Now that the horribly cold weather is done, I need more models for my pinhole project. All shapes/sizes welcome! You can see what I've got so far at my portfolio. It's anonymous and abstract, and very cool looking. I'm trying to amass enough to make a book.

New Fed 3 Pics

2010-04-09T13:20:00.002-05:00

Shot on Ilford HP5 plus.

Tonka

2010-04-02T08:38:00.002-05:00

Shot with my Fed 2 camera.

Arms Akimbo

2010-03-23T11:35:00.001-05:00

This is shot on Kodak's newest film (yes, they're still making that stuff), Ektar 100. I had read that it was very fine-grained and scanned well. I have to say I'm really impressed. It looks so smooth in the scan that it looks almost like digital. I really like the grainy look of some films, but this is nice as well.

Photos from Another Commie Camera

2010-03-12T08:46:00.001-05:00

Shot with my new Fed 2 camera, which I also nabbed for $40.

More Pinhole Fun

2010-03-03T08:38:00.002-05:00

Snowbound

2010-02-25T12:06:00.001-05:00

Here's the resulting pinhole image from my brief lie-down in the snow.

New Fed3 Shots

2010-02-22T11:46:00.003-05:00

More shots are on my Flickr page here.

Just a Shot I Like

2010-02-17T09:58:00.001-05:00

Trying to Get Back to Normal...

2010-02-15T10:37:00.002-05:00

I'm slowly getting some traction since Mom died. I shot a roll of pinhole nudes Saturday, this time with myself as the subject. I laid down in the snow butt-nekkid for a few shots. It was painfully cold, as you can imagine. Amee snapped this pic of me when we came back inside.

Camerov

2010-01-19T09:46:00.002-05:00

Legs

2010-01-19T09:38:00.000-05:00

(Mentally providing ZZ Top music for a soundtrack.)

Fed 3

2010-01-15T09:19:00.002-05:00

I think I'll call it "Camerov." I like the sound of that. The first roll in the old Russian made Fed 3 camera I picked up recently turned out fine--only a minor light leak; the rangefinder is accurate and the lens is pretty sharp. I'm looking forward to more fun with it when the weather improves.

First Shots With Cameraski

2010-01-14T11:35:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of shots from the first roll I shot with my Soviet-era Fed 3 camera.

Pinhole Moon

2010-01-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

2 More Pinhole Images

2010-01-08T15:37:00.003-05:00

Cold Day Pinhole

2010-01-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

Pinhole Shoes

2009-12-22T09:12:00.002-05:00

Another Pinhole

2009-12-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

Long Long Long

2009-12-04T10:39:00.000-05:00

Chucks

2009-11-24T10:43:00.001-05:00

And Another...

2009-11-20T08:44:00.001-05:00

The long exposures sometimes required are giving me some new ideas using motion blur.

New Project Rolling Along...

2009-11-18T08:24:00.002-05:00

More from New Project

2009-11-12T12:47:00.001-05:00

Through the mud and the blood...

2009-11-10T10:09:00.003-05:00

To the green fields beyond.... The opening set up for the old SPI game "To The Green Fields Beyond," about the battle of Cambrai in WWI. Yet another game I've had for years and never played.

1st Shot from New Project

2009-11-09T12:47:00.002-05:00

New Project Begins

2009-11-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

I've finally started on my new photo project. I'm going to do a series of pinhole nudes, which is a bit of a challenge, due to the (frequently) long exposures needed. I've shot one roll of film so far, and once I started shooting, the ideas started to flow. I'm glad to be working on something again.

From Tsubasacon

2009-10-21T09:06:00.001-05:00

Amee shot these at Tsubasacon in Huntington a couple of weeks ago.

Spidey Band-Aids

2009-10-09T09:31:00.003-05:00

The Geek in Me...For Brad

2009-10-05T15:56:00.002-05:00

I don't want to appear "misinformed," but on the cover of his first appearance, the dark knight is clearly called "The Batman," not just "Batman." What happened later is for the more knowledgeable comic fans to expound upon. ; )

Beach Pinholes

2009-09-28T09:58:00.003-05:00

Here are some pinhole images from my vacation in June.

An Idea Completed

2009-09-22T08:54:00.002-05:00

I shot this image on a single roll of 35mm Ektachrome, moving the camera with each shot, so that when the film was processed, cut into strips of 5 frames, and put into a sleeve, it would make a complete image. Click on the image to view it larger.

Extra Texture

2009-09-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted any photos in a while; I need to get off my butt and start shooting more. Well, here's one from my "last roll of Kodachrome" shoot.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

2009-09-09T15:14:00.003-05:00

For the record, the movie "9" is the creation of Shane Acker, NOT Tim Burton. Shane Acker is the director, writer, and creator, base on Shane Acker's animated short of the same name. Tim Burton is the producer (i.e. he put up the money). So it's "Shane Acker's 9," not "Tim Burton's 9." I'm just sayin.'

I Can't Remember

2009-08-25T11:02:00.001-05:00

Yet Again, Poor Journalism at Work

2009-07-29T13:09:00.002-05:00

An article just came out on Yahoo! titled "Organic food is no healthier, study finds."
The title is truthful, the reporting factual, but there's still a problem. The writer didn't bother to point out that organic farming is not about "healthier" food; it's about a healthier, sustainable, environment. Farmers having to saturate their fields in ever increasing amounts of chemical fertilizers, chemical insecticides, etc. damaging soil and water quality is what has driven the increasing trend toward organic farming. I've never been under the impression that an organically grown carrot was nutritionally better than any other carrot, but I can be sure the carrot wasn't doused with chemicals prior to shipment to the store, and that the farmer isn't introducing more chemicals into the water table, etc.

Is Rush Limbaugh a News Show?

2009-07-29T09:48:00.003-05:00

On public radio this morning, there was a piece about the health care debate. Listen here, if you like. A man was asked if he supported or opposed the bill. He was opposed, he said, because "minorities is gonna get more attention than the whites an' stuff like that, that's the way I take it from what the news was talkin' about." Now, I have to wonder what "news" show this guy listens to, if any. I read the paper, follow news online, and listen to the news on the radio, and nothing has ever been mentioned to make me think there are any proposals on the table that would give racial preferences in health care. I would bet this guy would also say he's opposed to "gummint-run" health care, even though his kids are on Medicaid. Any attempt at meaningful debate on this issue is scuttled by deliberate misinformation.

My Project is Finished!

2009-07-07T10:13:00.002-05:00

These are shots of a piece I've been working on for several months, from an idea I'd been pondering even longer. It's a kind of faux-German steampunk wooden "catalog of the clothes to excite passions to us." "Katalog der kleidung um uns leidenschaften aufzeregen." It has photos glued to wood, laquered, and bound together with rubber and nails.

The B-52's

2009-06-24T09:51:00.003-05:00

I was digging in a shelf looking for something and uncovered this postcard from 1981. I had written a fan letter to the B-52's and received this autographed postcard with info about their fan club.

Art for 5 Fun

2009-06-23T15:48:00.004-05:00

I came across this at Deviant Art, posted by Jennifer Lewis on her blog. This sounds like a great idea, so I thought I'd give it a whirl!

I am entering into the following contract with the first 5 people who comment on this post and then commit to do the same on their blog. Just read below and if you feel up to the task copy the following into your blog and leave me a comment.
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber.
It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying.
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send me your mailing address - after I contact you.

Be the first 5 to leave a comment and be a part of it! Make sure to include your email address so I can contact you.

Beachy Keen

2009-06-22T12:14:00.003-05:00

1st Day at the Beach

2009-06-14T11:34:00.002-05:00

Here are some great shots of the girls in the pool last night. Amee shot these with available light, adding to the cool, ghostly look.

In My Backyard

2009-06-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

This map shows the proposed path of PATH, the super high voltage power line that is being proposed to take cheap electricity from WVs dirty coal powered plants to the eastern seaboard, so they won't have to build new plants in their own state. We will have our rates increased, even though the power carried on these lines will not be going to WV. The gigantic towers will cut a 200 yard wide swath through the state, and right behind my house, through the family cemetery. More emphasis on conservation, energy efficiency, and local energy production would eliminate the need for this monstrous eyesore.

Another Preview

2009-06-04T07:06:00.003-05:00

Here's another shot from my work in progress.

A Preview

2009-05-26T09:08:00.003-05:00

This image is a preview of a project I'm working on at the moment.

Wishbook

2009-05-21T07:04:00.003-05:00

My cousin sent me this link on flickr that has a 1976 J. C. Penney's Christmas catalog. Awesome. The Fonz. Aaaaay!

Hitchcock Circus T-Shirts

2009-05-07T09:35:00.003-05:00

Hitchcock Circus T-shirts are available from my cafepress store. The link is at the right, called "T-Shirts!" Pick one up to wear to the show May 30th.

WPPD 2009

2009-05-05T15:37:00.002-05:00

World Pinhole Photography Day was on April 26th. Here are some shots from that day. The galleries can be found here.

Secret Agent of Love

2009-04-21T08:07:00.001-05:00

Don't forget! May 30th at LiveMix Studio, Hitchcock Circus! One night only!

The Blind Swordsman

2009-04-09T14:44:00.004-05:00

This is a trading card that came with one of my dvd's of Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman. Shintaro Katsu played the role in 26 movies, I think. Beat Takeshi wrote, directed, and starred in a recent film about the Zatoichi character. It's a fun series of movies, and Zatoichi is cool like a samurai James Bond.

At LiveMix Studio Saturday Night

2009-04-06T07:36:00.004-05:00

Art for Art's Sake

2009-04-01T07:23:00.010-05:00

On the Deviant Art website, I came across some paintings by a fantastic artist named Jennifer Lewis. She's in Boston, and her work immediately appealed to me. I bought a print of one of her paintings--"Good Friends," (top)--and hung it in my kitchen. Her work is delightful, funny, and slightly dark. My kids say it's a little creepy, but that's part of the appeal. She graciously gave me permission to post a few images here for your enjoyment. Please check out more of her work here and here. You can buy prints from Deviant Art, or original paintings from Etsy.com. Drop her a line if you like her stuff.

Tres Amigos

2009-03-27T07:10:00.001-05:00

My brother Mark is visiting from Nashville and we got to hook up with Alan Young, his bandmate, who is also visiting from Nashville, and rehearse a bit for the upcoming gig on May 30th. Here we are standing in front of LiveMix Studio's green chroma-key wall. I haven't had the energy to stick a weather map up behind us...

AIG and Congress

2009-03-18T07:49:00.003-05:00

With all the outrage over the AIG employee bonuses paid out, I feel the need to put some mathematical perspective on this. Yes, it looks bad when a company has received 170 billion dollars in bailout funds, then turns around and pays 165 million in bonuses. It makes people mad. And when people get mad, their elected officials get mad.

170 billion: $170,000,000,000
165 million: $165,000,000
1/10th of 1% of 170 billion=170 million

Look at it this way: think of AIG as our son, away at college, who has asked us for $1000 to help with his expenses while he looks for a job. We find out that out of that money, he put a penny in a gumball machine. How dare he! We didn't give him that money to buy gumballs! Now we're mad, because he wasted a penny out of the thousand bucks. Should we huff and puff and waste time trying to get the penny back, or do we lay down some rules to make sure the rest of the money is used as it was intended?
I'm not pretending millions of dollars is inconsequential, just that it pales in comparison to the total amount of money at stake. Instead of wasting time and money trying to find a way to get back a tiny fraction of the bailout funds, our legislators need to keep their eyes on the big bucks and make sure it is used correctly.