PICTURES: Exotic and out of the ordinary
Wallabies, John and Paul
Check out Picture This for more beautiful and magical images compiled by buddy Josh Johnson of electronic hip-hop group Estate. Lasers, electronics of the Ford, Carter and Reagan administration, wild beasts, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, smart design through the ages, cars of the future etc. etc. are all lovingly featured. Wonder how he gathers them all.
If you want to be a photographer, look here
Shot by Nick Onken
My photographer buddy Nick Onken has a great blog that all with even a slight passing interest in photography should check out: Nick Onken Shop Talk. Nick is a very talented photographer who has traveled all over the world shooting pieces for a host of impressive clients and magazines. He was recently featured in Communication Arts magazine and currently working on a book on travel photography. In his blog he writes about the ins and outs about what it takes to be a successful photographer. Through reading his blog I’ve really come to appreciate what drive Nick has and how it’s not just about being able to shoot beautifully but having the work ethic and business acumen to do it. Nick, who is a self-taught photographer, got his start in the business as a graphic desiger and also knows a thing or two about branding and design and how important that is to maintain your own business image. I heartily encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in photography to look towards Nick’s blog. It’s a fantastic resource.
The crisis in 11 minutes, animated
Like so many out there, I’ve been trying to keep up with the daily news of the economic crisis. I follow along with part worried concern and part morbid fascination. It almost feels like a serial on television, an ongoing saga with continuing chapters and story arcs. Maybe for future historians the whole crisis will be covered nicely in packaged collections: “Hey did you see season 3 “Paulson and TARP 1?” “Naw, I’m still on season 2: ‘Inconsistencies: Lehman and AIG’”. I wonder what the bonus extras will be like.
Until then in then, here is a short, 10 minute animated short giving an informative thought basic (intentionally so) overview of the entire crisis:
The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
Dicaprio and Winslet, Head to Baghdad
Leo and Kate: Peace and Love Ambassadors
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In an excerpt from Thomas Ricks new book The Gamble on washingtonpost.com, titled The Insurgent who Loved Titanic we read about one U.S. Army Capt. Samual Cook. Cook was able to negotiate a ceasefire with a group of Sunni insurgents in the northern Tigris Valley in Salahuddin Province by meeting with certain leaders periodically to talk, as opposed to hunting them down one by one. Ricks writes how Capt. Cook meets with a leader of one of the groups, Sarhan Hassan Wisme, who although proudly boasting of targeting Americans with 200 planted bombs, also openly admits to his love for the movie Titanic.
Cook knew that Iraqis of all stripes loved American movies, particularly the 1997 epic Titanic. Sarhan told him that he didn’t watch any American movies, that they were products of the devil. Cook jokingly asked him if he liked Titanic, knowing it was enormously popular in Iraq. Why, yes, the insurgent confessed. He recounted watching it seven times and crying every time at the ending, as Kate Winslet lets the dead Leonardo DiCaprio slip into the freezing North Atlantic.
Which got me thinking — Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet ought to pack their bags and suit up for a bona fide American and British show of good will and soft diplomacy. They could tour around Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad to Tikrit to Kirkuk and do a medley of Titanic’s greatest hits: “I’m the king of the world!” on the bow of a ship (they could substitute a simple lawn chair or bench), a dapper Leo in his shiny tux awaiting a bejeweled Kate as she steps down the grand hall steps (she could step off the armor plated humvee escort) and of course the grand finale, Leo supporting his beloved, floating on her makeshift raft, as he freezes to death and sinks to the murky deep (he could maybe just roll backwards in the sand behind a tree as Kate then calls out to the rescue boat aka the audience, for help). At the very end, with Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” blasting from the speakers, Leo and Kate could come out, smile, bow deeply, then look up to address the crowd:
“We humbly wish to show our gratitude for allowing us to perform for you today. As we all know, the people of Iraq have been through some very difficult hardships. At times it may have felt as if the entire country was crashing, like the famous Titanic ship. But we know that like Jack and Rose, the Iraqi people have the strength to push forward and to go on. And as the Iraqi people move on, move towards their bright future, the international community will be there to support you, and help to usher you into a beautiful new day filled with promise, hope and prosperity.
Thank you all so very much.”
Wave, then exit stage right. Sign some posters, shake some hands and high five. That’s how you win some hearts and minds.
Here’s a great video on Capt. Samuel Cook and his the negotiations that took place in Salahuddin Province: