Through the Lens of War

INCIDENT:
James Nachtwey's photography has recently received lots of attention as his new exhibition titled "The Sacrifice" opens at the 401 Projects in the West Village of New York City. This new exhibition documents the sacrifice being made overseas by medics, physicians, and soldiers in Iraq. Nachtwey's talents was also recently acknowledged by his award of a 2007 TED prize.

World’s Cruelty and Pain, Seen in an Unblinking Lens

Shattered 9/11/2001: a remarkable collection of photographs by photojournalist James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey

MORAL:
It is easy to separate ourselves from the war abroad. Ironically we are disconnected from the reality of the Iraq war even though we experienced the very real reality of 9/11 and knew firsthand how devastating it was to every American. But somehow we are immune to the news stories about the tragic deaths of soldiers or of innocents, or of entire towns being leveled in the Middle East. Nachtwey's work is an important reminder.

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." - James Nachtwey

Hope for the Masses

INCIDENT:

MORAL:
This video is so ridiculously adorable and at the same time restores some of my hope for the world. It is a simple gesture that embodies so many things... among them trust, peace and love.

People Suck Sometimes

INCIDENT:
Have you ever heard of American Girl dolls? You probably have if you have or know someone who has a little girl. It is a very popular brand of dolls for 8 to 12 year olds with generous parents. We are talking about $100+ dolls that wear $25 outfits. If you ever have walked around downtown Chicago you are guaranteed to have seen multiple little girls with the red bags from the ridiculous store (American Girl Place) dedicated to such dolls.

As you can probably ascertain I am not a big fan of these expensive dolls. I wasn't a big doll person growing up so I have little love for those freaky looking miniature humans. I mean you don't see horror movies about evil legos or capsela monsters. Anyhow, I diverge...

So I just read a disturbing story about a 6 year old girl who went to American Girl Place to get her doll's hair styled. Apparently there is a hair saloon at the store where stylists do your doll's hair. Yeah, exactly. Creepy. Anyhow, this little girl had saved up her own money and bought a perfectly good doll from Target. The American Girl Place website says "bring in your favorite doll to be styled." It doesn't say "bring in your favorite AG doll." But I'll get to that in a minute.

So the little girl brings her Target doll to get styled at American Girl Place. She is then berated by an employee for not having an AG doll with other moms joining in on the fun. Disgusting.

Read the article if you want to get angry.

American Girl Place Mocks 6 Year-Old For Having A Doll From Target, Refuses To Style The Doll's Hair

Fake Out

MORAL:
I have a complex about fairness. It really pushes my buttons when I perceive a situation to be unfair in any way to any of the parties involved. But this one really pissed me off because of the blatant disregard for this little girl's feelings as a person... let alone that she was only 6 years old. Why are we instilling in children that materialism is good? Perhaps even something to envy? A little tact could have gone a long way in this case. But unfortunately all that was given was a harsh lesson about capacity of people to be cruel.

Visual DNA

INCIDENT:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

MORAL:
Visual DNA is still in its beta version so I assume the basis of the visual profiles is limited. The idea behind it is obvious. There are times when we cannot come up with the words to describe our internal states. Visual imagery sometimes can convey these states better than spoken or written words. Unfortunately the images in Visual DNA are not very complex and I feel they could be articulated with words, which completely defeats the purpose. The questions asked don't beg for complex answers that would warrent visual stimuli that cannot be described verbally. But what are the types of questions get to the core of our complex internal states? And what type of images represent these states?

Restless Nights

INCIDENT:
So for about two months now I have been having some problems sleeping. I can't seem to have one night of restful sleep. As a side note... to top it all off, I read an article this morning about research from the University of Bristol that coffee (rather caffeine) does not make someone more alert than normal. What?!

Coffee 'no boost in the morning'

MORAL:
Perhaps it is anxiety or stress or maybe the fluctuating temperature in the apartment, but I have tried almost everything to address this increasing problem in my life. It's amazing how annoying it is not to be able to sleep well day after day. It affects everything.

Inspiration

INCIDENT:
Artist Phil Hansen (www.philinthecircle.com) painted 30 different people or objects one on top of another on his torso. Some had an artistic influence and others had an impact in different parts of his life. He then peeled off the entire piece and cut out his portrait.

MORAL:
I could use some inspiration artistically and personally. And the creativity of others usually fills in this void.