In the spirit of the holidays and the Internet I contemplated posting all the lovely electronic cards that I've received from friends but then I thought, no, that's just stealing from them. But I wanted to acknowledge the holiday season on my blog and the holiday cards that Deirdre and I send are usually humorous (or try to be) and I wanted to keep in that spirit. Then lo and behold! SFist gives me this--Arnold Schwarzenegger's holiday card, painted by Arnold himself. Nuff said.

click and click and click and click and click

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the pharmaceutical monolith that charges nearly $1,000 for a 30 day supply of one of its HIV/AIDS medications, is donating $1 to the National AIDS Fund for each person who simply visits their website and "virtually lights a candle."

https://www.lighttounite.org/

I CAN FIX IT vol. 1!

Your solutions to racism delivered to your email box as promised!
Thank you all for your amazing and powerful contributions to a
community-created list of things we can all do to help end racism.
The suggestions were on-point and often echoed each other, which is
quite promising. I compiled your words into a friendly guidebook
that I hope you will distribute freely. The book is a great thing to
bring to holiday gatherings for conversation and a great start to the
new year.

I could talk about this more, but i bet you want to see how it all turned out!

To download the guidebook click here: (328k)
http://damaliayo.com/pdfs/I%20CAN%20FIX%20IT%20vol1racism.pdf

The document should download automatically. If you have difficulty
you can view this with preview (mac) or adobe acrobat reader-
download the reader free here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

go orville!

© Orville Robertson INSIGHTS with Orville Robertson (Fotophile Magazine) about his own work. I didn't get interested in photography until I was in my early 20s My only exposure up until then was taking family snapshots and seeing an occasional photograph at the Brooklyn Museum. Of course, there were also magazines and books. I'm still not sure what made me begin to take photographs outdoors and wander around with my camera. I remember those early days of walking around after work (I still take about 99% of my photographs in the three or four hours after leaving work at 5pm) with my cheap Alpa SLR (not a real Swiss Alpa, mind you) and color print or slide film trying to photograph everything I saw. This earliest work was really awful and totally destroyed before I took about a year off from shooting, learned about Andre Kertesz and other street photographers and bought my first rangefinder. I loaded it up with black and white film and taught myself how to see and shoot. 'Markings' is a really interesting project An old friend who noticed my interest in the markings that make New York City so amazing suggested it. The focus is on billboards, posters, signs and graffiti. It symbolizes the many ways in which we choose to visually communicate and express ourselves in New York City. The photographs are taken the same way I take all of my pictures: I walk around with my Leica and snap whatever interests me. I never hide the camera or try to sneak a picture. I just learned to shoot quickly and precisely. By quickly I mean setting up quickly; I shoot very slowly otherwise. Fifteen rolls in a year is a busy year for me. It's really a lot of fun! I keep things simple and real. I try to not let pretentiousness creep in, to only shoot things I find interesting, and I have learned to walk away, even from good shots. Why? You need to keep yourself hungry and passionate. Walking away is like putting your creativity on a diet, so that when you really want to shoot something interesting you enter into a frenzy of concentration that often produces remarkable images. These are all unconscious decisions. I can never teach or be taught any of this stuff. It's deeply personal and bonded to my sense of self. I don't process or print my own work any more I have no time, and no space for a good darkroom. It's a bad habit, but I have the excellent printers at 68 Degrees to handle my film and prints. I do own a Mac and scan most of my negatives, but that's only to archive them for recordkeeping and so I can send digital samples of my work. © Orville Robertson I have two M6 Leicas, one loaded with Tri-X and one loaded with T-max 3200 I use one for daytime and the other for night work. Most of the time, I use either 35mm or 28mm lenses. My favorite lenses are the Voightlander lenses. They are really great and amazingly cheap. I recently bought a Voightlander 25/f4, which is the widest lens I've ever used. It doesn't couple with the rangefinder, so I've been trying to get used to that. I absolutely love trying good equipment for the first time because it forces me to continually freshen my approach to taking pictures. For instance, about 5 years ago I still had my first rangefinder, my Minolta CLE, but I had fallen into a rut. Then I bought my first Leica M6. It was so simple, solid, and fast that it woke me up from a malaise I had dug myself into. Similarly, when I bought a digital camera to experiment with, looking at an LCD screen made me rethink my approach to shooting with my Leicas. I became even more aware of my surroundings when I'm taking or composing a picture. I now often shoot with both eyes open to see what is not only within the frame but also what is about to enter or leave. It takes more concentration to shoot this way - and I will sometimes revert to the left-eye shooting - but it works great for me. My standard kit is just the two Leicas with a 35mm or 28mm lens, my 25mm, a spare 35 or 50mm, and now my beloved Panasonic video camera. © Orville Robertson I have never really sold my work successfully I haven't had a gallery represent my work in almost 20 years. These days I sell to institutions and private collectors. This doesn't concern me as I have a regular job as a representative for Verizon that provides me with a stable income. Photography provides me with a creative outlet rather than an income, though when I retire in about eight years that might change. Don't listen to advice from old farts like me Observe and imitate at first until you develop an instinct for what is a good image and what is a bad image. You have to understand which of your images is good or bad and why. The best advice is to really get to know yourself, and to be unafraid of expressing or showing yourself. That's where your photographs will emerge from, so you might as well master yourself first. There's no particular direction in artistic photography, only trends Some type of work will get hot and be fed upon by the curators and gallerists, and then another trend will emerge, onward and onward. Some are interesting to watch develop, some are not. I think one key trend is the increasing commercialization of the museums. They have limited budgets and will now mostly show and collect the commercially hot artists pushed by the commercial galleries. It's a sad trend but probably an unavoidable one. Curators these days have to be concerned with art and with finance. My favorite trend is to follow the increased respect (but not yet exposure) given to street photography. For me it's the most difficult form of fine art photography to master, because you're always reacting to constant and unpredictable changes. The challenge can drive you nuts. Nuances flick across your viewfinder like bolts of lightning. On the other hand there are many valid approaches to street photography that can be captured beautifully by any sort of camera. All you need is talent for street shooting plus comfortable and reliable equipment. I continue to have very mixed feelings about digital photography On the one hand it is very exciting to hear and read about the technological advances. I love scanning my negatives as part of my own digital experience, but I'm still devoted to the negative as my preferred medium. Negative are always accessible with just a loupe. My big bug with digital involves most modern cameras. They are way too complicated, big, loud. I love a small camera approach. I love simplicity. So it's not so much an avoidance of digital as distaste for the typical modern camera. I do closely follow digital trends because I'm basically a technology nerd at heart. I'm very handy with my Mac and I'm competent with Photoshop and other programs. You might as well ask me what else would I be if I weren't human! I'm a street photographer. The day photography becomes just a job is when I sell all of this expensive equipment and turn to some other some other creative outlet. To view Mr Robertson's website: http://www.newyorkstreetphotography.com For more information on Fotophile Publications: Web: http://www.inliquid.com/index.html (click on the Partnerships link) Interviewed/Written by Toby Sterling.

for all you mac users

'Tis the season, and stockings are being stuffed with ipods, and Macs nestled under the tree. But not all is well in Whoville, and there's a grinch of a surprise inside these Apple gifts: toxic chemicals. And as last year's gifts are tossed to make way for shiny new Apples, they will likely find their way to developing countries, where children of all ages will unwrap and unleash the toxic chemicals within.

Well, there's no place like New York to light up the night with a holiday wish. We've been telling Apple to go green for years, and tonight, more than 60 activists took to the streets of New York to shine green lights on Apple's iconic 5th Avenue store. Now it's your turn to shine a green spotlight on Apple.

Send Apple a special holiday card and tell Steve Jobs that all you wish for is a green Apple.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Don’t let us have all the fun! Spread even more holiday cheer to Apple’s little helpers. Pick up the phone right now!

If you want a green Apple, all you have to do is ask for it. And be sure to pass this along to your friends and family too - just add it to your holiday wish list!

For Immediate Release: November 16, 2006

CONTACT:
Kerika Fields

arrcfoundation@earthlink.net

A.R.R.C. FOUNDATION, Inc. hosts Third Annual Silent Auction/Fundraiser at Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery

The A.R.R.C. Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization developed to provide underprivileged youth with scholarship opportunities, job/internship information, and access to the arts. Inspired by a shared tragedy - the untimely deaths of Ayofemi Richards and Robert E. Conner in July 2001 - we are committed enhancing the lives of all of our youth. Our mantra: "Each one reach one.”

On Saturday, December 16th, 2006 the A.R.R.C. Foundation, Inc. will host its Third Annual Silent Auction/Fundraiser at Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The foundation will be auctioning various products and services in an effort to raise funds for its youth programs and yearly scholarship award, The Ayofemi Richards College Scholarship Essay Contest. Participating vendors include Atria Books, Hylas Publishing, Olivino Wines, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Samanta Shoes, Embora Wellness Studio and various artists including Terrance Jennings, Ernie Pannicolli, Kevin Powell, Jamel Shabazz, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Delphine Fawandu-Buford, and Tyson Hall.

The foundation is currently seeking additional products/services for the auction. Due to the A.R.R.C. Foundation’s 501 (c) 3 non-profit status, all donations are tax-deductible.

________________________________________________________________________

Advisory Board

Rev. Clinton M. Miller, Brown Memorial Baptist Church©April Silver, Akila Worksongs© Kenneth Hagood, Esq. ©Esmerelda Simmons, Center for Law and Social Justice©Damia Thomas, Tutorial Options Servicing Students©Dr. Chauncey Conner DDS

how did i miss posting this in time for the first airing but you can still catch it and hopefully it'll end up on youtube

The episode where Ms. Zoe Strauss appears on the Isaac Show for her "Style
Transformation" will re-air Monday, December 18, at 8:00 p.m. (EST, probably).


Breaking Out of Casual - Episode #210
Always casually dressed photographer Zoe Strauss needs a fashion boost for
her big gallery opening...who can turn the world on with her smile?  Who can
take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

Available now on DVD!

TWELVE DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA

(a son’s tribute to unsung heroes)

Directed and produced by Thomas Allen Harris



Purchase online at: http://www.chimpanzeeproductions.com/purchase.html




“A fascinating glimpse not just of the early campaigns of the
African National Congress, but also of the way childhood memories can
obscure larger truths.  Making copious use of rare archival film and
photographs, Mr. Harris traces [his father’s] awe-inspiring
journey.”Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

“A history of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, told from
the perspective of an extraordinary group of high school friends who
left the country . . . to help build the ANC. . . .The entire
movement, at one point or another, seemed to move through [Harris’]
apartment in the Bronx.”Neal Conan, “Talk of the Nation,” NPR

“The late Leinaeng’s [Harris’ stepfather’s] real-life exploits
play like a James Bond film.” Ernest Hardy, LA Weekly

“Intimate and intriguing.”Joanne Weintraub, Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel

“A history of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, told from
the perspective of an extraordinary group of high school friends who
left the country . . . to help build the ANC. . . .The entire
movement, at one point or another, seemed to move through [Harris’]
apartment in the Bronx.”Neal Conan, “Talk of the Nation,” NPR




“Harris crafts a compelling and poignant work using a cast that had
never acted in front of a camera and improvises from scratch.” Ron
Wynn, Nashville City Paper

“Harris’ homage to his stepfather’s life and his own African
roots is quite extraordinary.” Boun Homratsamy, Out.com

“An important documentary.”Anita Gates, The New York Times

“Inspiring.” The Tennessean (Nashville)


Thomas Allen Harris

Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela ***Best Documentary - Pan African
Film Festival***
**********************************************
DVD Available for purchase at: www.chimpanzeeproductions.com

Upcoming Screenings
*** Gwangju Biennale, Korea, September - November, 2006
***Festival Film Jakmel, Haiti, November 29-2, 2006
***Yale University, December 6, 2006
***The African American Museum in Philadelphia, December 9, 2006

Awards
***Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking -
Roxbury Film Festival
***Revolution Award – ImageNation Festival
***Best Documentary - Santa Cruz Film Festival
***Audience Award Honorable Mention – Bermuda International Film
Festival
***2006 Independent Spirit Award Nomination

The EPA Closes Its Libraries, Destroys Documents

December 1, 2006

The EPA Closes Its Libraries, Destroys Documents

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun closing its nationwide network of scientific libraries, effectively preventing EPA scientists and the public from accessing vast amounts of data and information on issues from toxicology to pollution. Several libraries have already been dismantled, with their contents either destroyed or shipped to repositories where they are uncataloged and inaccessible.

The scientific information contained in the EPA libraries is essential to the agency's ability to make fully informed decisions that carry out its mission of protecting human health and the environment. Members of Congress have asked the EPA to cease and desist. Please call EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson at (202) 564-4700 Monday, December 4, and tell him how much scientists rely on data and literature. Urge him to immediately halt the dismantling of the library system until Congress approves the EPA budget and all materials are readily available online.

Update, 12:40p.m. EST 12/1:

A few of hours ago, we told you that the Environmental Protection Agency has begun closing its scientific libraries. Several libraries have already been dismantled, with their contents either destroyed or shipped to repositories where they are uncataloged and inaccessible.

Calls are already flooding in and we're having an effect. Please keep those calls coming! Call EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson at (202) 564-4700 either today or Monday and tell him how much scientists rely on data and literature. Urge him to immediately halt the dismantling of the library system until Congress approves the EPA budget and all materials are readily available online. Click here to tell us the results of your call.

Unfortunately, we're receiving reports that the EPA is claiming that the Union of Concerned Scientists has false information and that none of the libraries have been closed. Significant evidence proves otherwise.

The Evidence

On the EPA's own library website, the five libraries that have been closed to date have been removed from the list and had their websites partially or completely shut down:

the Headquarters Library http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/hqirc/
Region 5 http://ucsaction.org/ct/ld_rfsY1QmhD/
Region 6 http://ucsaction.org/ct/o1_rfsY1QmhH/
Region 7 http://www.epa.gov/region7/citizens/irc/index.htm
and the Office of Prevention, Pollution, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS)
http://ucsaction.org/ct/l1_rfsY1QmhJ/.

The EPA libraries website links to a plan of action (http://ucsaction.org/ct/od_rfsY1QmhG/) for closing many libraries and dispersing or disposing of materials. We also have first-hand accounts from EPA employees that the libraries have been closed.

The four EPA employees unions have sent a letter (http://ucsaction.org/ct/lp_rfsY1QmhZ/) asking Congress to stop the destruction of the library network. A letter from Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA), Bart Gordon (D-TN) and John Dingell (D-MI) has prompted an investigation of the library system by the General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. And members of both the House and Senate have called upon Administrator Johnson to cease and desist with the closures until the investigation is complete and Congress has authorized action; the House letter calls for a response from the administrator by Monday, December 4, 2006.

Also, several newspapers have reported or editorialized about the library closures, including the Boston Globe (http://ucsaction.org/ct/97_rfsY1QmhY/), the Christian Science Monitor (http://ucsaction.org/ct/9p_rfsY1QmhT/), and Cox Newspapers (ucsaction.org/ct/9d_rfsY1QmhR/). Additional information is provided by the American Library Association (ucsaction.org/ct/91_rfsY1QmhQ/) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (http://ucsaction.org/ct/l7_rfsY1QmhK/).

These are large agencies; it is not uncommon for an agency to go into complete denial when confronted with questions such as the ones we are asking. However, this only underscores the importance of putting the administrator's office on notice that we are watching and will hold them accountable.

Please call EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson at (202) 564-4700 Monday. Click here (http://ucsaction.org/ct/f1_rfsY1Qmyg/) to tell us the results of your call.

We will update you on the progress of this effort next week on our website.

Sincerely,

Michael Halpern National Field Organizer Scientific Integrity Program