Dohiyi Mir

I Have A Reality (Dreaming In Color)

In which NTodd celebrates an historic day.  (27:40) 

Features: Public Enemy, Bobby McFerrin, Living Colour, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.  Bonus Links: I Have A Dream, President Obama's Acceptance Speech, PaxLive on Fridays at 3pm Eastern.

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ntodd

(x-posted at Pax Americana)

The Worst That Can Happen Is They Reject Me

Just finished applying to be a part of the The Art of Action project sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council:

The Arts Council is collaborating with Vermont entrepreneur and philanthropist Lyman Orton on a unique project:  The Art of Action - Shaping Vermont's Future Through Art.

Ten visual artists will be commissioned to create two-dimensional works of art that address issues shaping Vermont’s social, political, environmental, and economic future.  Informed by the work conducted by the Council on the Future of Vermont, "The Art of Action" project is designed to inspire people to take action to realize their vision for the future of our state. 

Commissions will range from $10,000 to $40,000 and average $25,000.

I had to provide 9 images of example art, my resume and an "artist statement" of fewer than 4000 characters.  Figured I might as well share it with you:

Vermont: Far Away Close

I’ve never applied for any type of grant before, let alone an artistic one but since I am currently on an Amtrak train returning to Vermont from Washington, DC, I thought I might as well use the time to try something new.

I grew up in Ohio and moved to Vermont in 1991 after graduating from college in Maine.  My grandparents lived in New England so we usually spent at least a couple weeks up this way every year, and often drove through Vermont.  The contrast between a literal flatland and the Green Mountains is obviously stark and I always found this state’s landscape to be welcoming, friendly and cozy, which is the main reason I came here after school.

I got a job that had me travel all over the country and while I enjoyed going to new places, particularly cities, nothing was better than coming back to the cool mountains of home.  I’ve owned a camp in the Northeast Kingdom for 10 years and one day I realized I didn’t get to spend enough time there, nor in my state exploring, so I started going on 251 Club jaunts, which I document online (www.251club.org).  Part of the sensibility that informs my photographs in general comes from an exhibit I saw in Denver, CO, several years ago called Colorado Then & Now, featuring pictures William Henry Jackson took of the state in the 19th century and John Fielder replicating them in 20th to show how the landscape changed.

I live in cow country and have seen the living, working landscape evolve as farmers subdivide, new bedroom communities are established when industry and business move in, etc.  I wonder about the inevitable changes brought about global warming: will we see more patchwork quilts of agriculture spring up as local food production becomes more important, with forest or developed land reclaimed for such use; will family farms be able to recover if petroleum-based fertilizers and gas-powered equipment become even more expensive; will barns and covered bridges and old churches be maintained when communities cut back on “luxuries”?

A lot of what draws people to Vermont is the Bob Newhart, picture postcard mythos, and it will be a challenge to maintain that character we and our visitors cherish whilst creating a sustainable economy and environment.  My eye is usually drawn to balance and contrast between agriculture, forest and the invasion of modern life, all of which are impacted and have impact on our tax base, infrastructure and ability to teach our children how to survive and thrive in a new world.

I’d like to spend the year more rigorously documenting the unique and the mundane aspects of Vermont life in all 251 towns photographically and try to capture both the picturesque, idealized landscape and the close-up details that you can only see if you come here and get off the paved roads, to show how things are changing for better or worse, falling apart or being sustained. I hope these images are representative of how I look at and present our state.

Shed – sheds, shacks and barns in various states of upkeep are a good indicator of Vermont’s cultural and agricultural “health”

Southern Vermont – from a train this week, a stereotypical farm community beyond cell service

Pumpkin Harbor – a few miles from my house we have the ski industry in the background and a farm in the fore split by a paved road

Cows – the other direction from my house, such scenes are common because roads necessary for non-farmers like me have divided farm land

Day Ranch – zoning, what zoning?  Guests are usually astounded to see horses and other livestock in residential areas

Fletcher Garage – the old garage retains character that our new one lacks

Swing – Tilley Farm, recently subdivided for development by Pizzagalli

Windsor-Cornish Bridge – how people might see Vermont from Amtrak

Randall Bridge – details oft missed as you ride by

Thanks to Ericka for first discovering this was even going on and for encouraging me to actually try for it.

ntodd

PaxLive Moves To Fridays

Had such a good time Tuesday broadcasting from the Jefferson Memorial that I wanted to do another show right away.  Oh, and Tuesdays won't work for me starting next week since I have two sections to teach on campus, but Fridays give me a chance to summarize the week, look ahead to the next, etc, which Sinfonian can pick up and run with Monday afternoons on BlastOff! Radio.

So starting tomorrow PaxLive is on Fridays at 3PM Eastern/Noon Pacific.  Call-in number is (718) 766-4126, or you can join the online chat.

ntodd

Train 56

Baltimore.

Trenton.

The train rolls on...

ntodd

At Least There Are No Tiaras

Auntie Beeb:

Protesters have been occupying government buildings in Bangkok demanding that the government resign. Here, protesters and other Bangkok residents give their view on the situation.

UMNUAY SAE-HAU, ECONOMIST, 65, BANGKOK

I am not a very political person but I have been attending the protests by the PAD [People's Alliance for Democracy]. I support the rally because I have no faith in the government. I do not trust it - there are many questions outstanding about its honesty.

We want a cleaner government. They cannot just get elected and forget about the electorate. A government has to be accountable.
...
VANISA SURAPIPITH, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, 35

I went to the protests after thinking a lot about it. My parents heard about it and heard why the PAD were protesting and they shocked me by saying they would come down from northern Thailand and take part in the protest.

I joined them too. I saw that the people there came from many different backgrounds.

TEERASANG YOOBHO, WRITER AND TRANSLATOR, 23, BANGKOK

I don't agree with all of the protesters' demands. I went to the protest to listen to what they have to say.
...
I think the protesters are wrong in taking Government House. They claim to be demonstrating within the law - it doesn't seem like that.

I believe the prime minister should resign. But I don't think the demonstrators should go about it this way.

Interesting, though, that even people who disagree with the protesters and their tactics go to the protests to see for themselves...

ntodd

Sorelegblogging

We've walked so much the last two days it felt like we were pinking Congress.  Anywayz, we started our walking tour at Metro Station and headed over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...

Segway tourists pose for a pic in front of Obama's new digs.  Dorks.

This woman has been holding continuous vigil in front of the WH since 1981.

More about Concepcion, and almost a score of photos of DC below the fold...

Continue reading "Sorelegblogging"

franklin

philosopher.  printer.  philanthropist.  patriot.

ntodd

natural history

if this posts, it will be as miraculous as these little flowers.

ntodd

damn typepad

works for a while, then the mobile app craps out yet again.  so i guess u can't see the pic below.  hell, u might not see this post...

pic disappeared completely, so i deleted the farragut post.  grr...

ntodd

tarot

hecate gave us a very interesting reading in the wee hours.

ntodd

Bangkok Is The Dumbest Place To Protest

NYTimes:

Thousands of anti-government protesters blockaded the prime minister’s office on Wednesday and their leaders challenged the police to enter and arrest them.

Following a clash between protesters and the police earlier in the day that left several people injured, nearly 2,000 police officers with helmets and riot shields pressed in around the demonstrators, who were inside the prime minister’s gated compound but did not enter the main building, called Government House.

The police said that a court had issued warrants for the arrests of nine of the protest leaders.

The raid by protesters on the prime minister’s office, as well as on several other government buildings, which began building on Tuesday, were part of what the protesters called a “final push” after three months of demonstrations aimed at unseating the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

In other protest news, check out this video of a Code Pink protester getting slammed to the ground by a Denver cop.

ntodd

I'm Sure They Were Taller And Funnier In Person

Sinfonian met The Woman of the Hour and her husband.

ntodd

Pink Tourism

We started our day of tourism at the Code Pink House.  Even though I know the door code--nobody's home because they're all in Denver, duh--we just hopped into the front yard for a quick picture on the stoop...

Yeah, I'm a dork, with NTodd's Pa's Wife's crooked top teeth and NTodd's Pa's hairy Slavic nose.  What of it?

ntodd

There Still Exists Something And Someone Still Pure And Whole

I'd been to the Holocaust Museum last year when I was in DC for a teaching gig.  Wiped me out.  Still, I needed to take Ericka there and really needed to see it again.

Last time the person whose ID card I took survived.  This time I died at the age of 13--Ericka's fate was unclear.

The nice thing?  There were 10,000 names on the Wall of Righteousness.  People resisted in the heart of the unholy land.  Some people remember that.

ntodd

The Lady Of The Senate

Great Hillary speech so far tonight, and a lovely poem Hecate introduced me to.  Maybe there's a connection.

ntodd

Keebler Elf Makes Wake Up Calls

My candidate didn't come close to winning, but he still kicks ass at the DNC:

Short in stature, the Ohio congressman leaped up onto his tip toes time and again, thrusting his arms out and up, getting the crowd to roar so loudly he had to yell into the microphone to be heard.

It will become known as the “Wake Up, America” speech.

“Fellow Democrats, are you ready for November?” he asked.

“It’s election day 2008 and we Democrats are giving America a wake up call. Wake up, America!”

"In 2001, the oil companies, the war contractors and the neo-con artists seized the economy and have added $4 trillion of unproductive spending to the national debt. We now pay four times more for defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil and twice what we paid for health care.

“Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions. Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid with borrowed money. Tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared into thin air, at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis, while all the president’s oilmen are maneuvering to grab Iraq’s oil.”

Meanwhile, with the U.S. helping to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan, “there is no money to rebuild bridges in America.”

Then he launched into a “Wake Up” litany...

Can DK pretty please be the first Secretary of the Department of Peace, President Obama?

ntodd

In Case You Missed It

Today's PaxLive is archived.  We had a squirrel make an appearance, and even a hummingbird.  And some humans.  And we sang kumbaya.

ntodd

parachute

our roof at the tabard inn.

ntodd

mmmmore

by our table.

ntodd

dinner

outside.

ntodd

Missthingblogging

The Queen sits on her throne as we sip our coffee.

Okay, okay, now we're really leaving...

ntodd

Michelle Obama Rocks My World

Our next First Lady:

[Y]ou know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name, even though he'd grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, his family was so much like mine. He was raised by grandparents who were working class folks just like my parents, and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did. Like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities they never had themselves. And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them.

That's just brilliant.  Really, grab each of the things people already have heard from the haters and weave it into your official narrative, humanizing President Obama.  Let's see Cindy McCain do that.

Wish we'd been able to watch the speech, but timing wasn't right for where we were in our travels.  Anyway, we're here in DC thanks to Amtrak, spending the morning at Hecate's house before heading into the capital, so no time to watch the archive just yet.

While we're out and about, please set a reminder to listen in on the first ever PaxLive broadcast 5:00 to 5:30pm Eastern, featuring Liz from Code Pink and Sinfonian from BlastOff, both of whom are in Denver as I type.  I will be taking calls at (718) 766-4126, and there is an online chat as well.

ntodd

Mirror, Mirror

NYTimes:

As it sifts through the riches of the extraordinary Gilman Collection of photographs, acquired three years ago, the Met is slowly bringing its holdings of contemporary photography up to speed. In the fall the museum dedicated a new gallery, the Joyce and Robert Menschel Hall, to the exhibition of post-1960 photography.

“Photography on Photography: Reflections on the Medium Since 1960” is the second installation in this space. It is better than the first, largely because of its variety of works (by artists male and female, young and old, American and European, famous and fledgling). Thomas Ruff and Hiroshi Sugimoto are here, but so are Janice Guy, an artist turned dealer who is benefiting from a sudden interest in her early self-portraits, and Mark Wyse, a young photographer who is also active as a curator. The 21-artist mix isn’t perfect, but the curator, Doug Eklund, deserves credit for taking a few risks.

The show is also an excellent epilogue to the historical survey “Framing a Century: Master Photographers 1840-1940,” just across the hall in the Howard Gilman Gallery. If “Framing a Century” presents a hallowed history of photography, “Photography on Photography” gleefully violates that sanctity.
...
“Photography on Photography: Reflections on the Medium Since 1960” continues through Oct. 19 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; (212) 535-7710, metmuseum.org.

Ericka and I are hopefully going to see the exhibit in October since we're attending a Cocktails for Change gathering hosted by CCFP in New York before the show closes.

ntodd

Brooklyn

Ericka shot this lovely picture with her little Olympus.

ntodd

New Haven Redux

Yes, we are on Amtrak.

For several more hours.

I'm not sure if this is a look of adoration or bemused tolerance.

ntodd

Pinking Denver

L in comments points out an FDL post by David Neiwert:

There...was a healthy contingent from Code Pink outside. They really set the Blue Dogs en route to the venue on edge -- most of them walking in did their best to ignore and avoid them.

Glad that Code Pink is finally getting some notice from one of the premier liberal blogs, given their difficulty getting mainstream coverage.  After internalizing that brief mention, I clicked through to a previous post by Jane Hamsher, who moderated the panel I was on about "having an impact" during EschaCon in March:

Last night I was at a party with Matt Stoller when he found a notice in the paper announcing a party that AT&T was having that night for the Blue Dogs.

Glenn Greenwald  instantly became a man with a mission:  he wanted to go interview the guests and see how they felt about their telecom hosts and the retroactive immunity delivered to them by the Blue Dogs, at bargain basement prices.

We had no invitation, but nobody really cared.

So Christy, Pach, John Amato, Egregious, Ian Welsh, Dave Neiwert and Stoller headed for the party.  Using my HarrietCam flip video, I was Glenn's videographer as he asked one guest after another why they were there and what their connection to AT&T and the Blue Dogs was.

It was remarkable.   I've never seen anything like it, really.  Glenn would announce that he was from Salon.com, ask them if they would be interviewed about the party, and nobody wanted to say who they were or even acknowledge that they knew what the party was about.

I guess it's also nice that FDLers have embraced tactics that Code Pink has been using for quite some time: paying attention to public schedules, quickly deciding to act, go to venues univited, trying to get people in power to explain themselves on camera, etc.  Variations on these themes are the stock and trade of pinkers as they do work on Capitol Hill, follow McCain around, and even try to remind Democrats why we elected them in 2006.

I'd written to Jane and my fellow panelists, Atrios and Digby, suggesting that there were some goals and tactics that so-called A-list bloggers and activists who've been on the ground for quite some time might have in common, pink spandex and tiaras notwithstanding, and that perhaps there was an opportunity for a coalition during this campaign season.  Sadly, I didn't get any response, but I'm sure all 3 were busy packing for Denver and/or have my email addy blocked at this point.

Anyway, wouldn't it be grand if bloggers interested in our broken media and how it ignores stories about dissent and other important things would actually cover the dissenters.  I hear lots of people saying, "I wish somebody would ask McCain/Pelosi/Random Congressperson questions about XYZ."  Well, I'd love to see everybody go be that somebody but since some folks can't, at least support the somebodys who've been doing just that over the last few years.  Code Pink's done a lot of work regarding FISA, AT&T and wiretapping--something FDL has focused on a lot--and has been "busting" McCain all over the map--one of the things Jane mentioned in Philly was birddogging the GOP nominee--so one would think these would be interested in working with pinkers in some capacity, even without dressing up.

Speaking of Code Pink in Denver, my friend Liz from the DC house will be joining me live from the convention tomorrow starting at 5pm Eastern/3pm Mountain on the inaugural broadcast of PaxLive.  My buddy Sinfonian will also be on tap, and both will share their thoughts and activities on the ground.  Please listen, call in and/or join the live chat Tuesday.  And if you see any FDLers in your travels, tell them to as well...

ntodd

Brattleboro

Dirtfy fucking hippies, always being naked and shit.

We did indeed hop a train.

Uh...yeah, a crappy shot, but I really liked the broken screen door on the right of that building in front, and the whole "town on the edge of a river" feel. Just couldn't quite get a good hip shot off.

I believe this is still in Vermont.

ntodd

Bellows Falls

Ericka went to the other side of the train when we were crossing Bellows Falls and called me over to see more raptors than either of us had ever witnessed before. 

Crossing the falls back into Vermont from New Hampshire. 

Accidentally moved my polarizer and got some neat rainbow effect which distracted me momentarily from the apparent leaks in the dam. 

The station. 

ntodd

White River Junction

Our conductor helps passengers board.

Yet another cute little Vermont town by the tracks.

Couldn't post for a bit because we lost signal in the boonies.  Now we've just left NH and passed the Cornish-Windsor bridge a little while ago...

ntodd

Peanut?

A signature NTodd shot with my Q.

Broken ties along a 4 mile stretch near WRJ where a derailment occured on August 15th.

As we started slowing down, the conductor informed us that crews worked round-the-clock to repair the tracks.

As I blogged just after that aforementioned derailment, this trip is pretty much designed for fun although I think it's an important pilgrimage that everybody should undertake.  I've found myself feeling more connected to the goings on in DC since I've been coming down here on a regular basis--part of it is simply the reality of being where shit happens.

And train travel is just wicked cool, even if it takes twice as long to get there as by plane.  A favorite scene from It's A Wonderful Life:

GEORGE
Thar she blows. You know what the three most exciting sounds in
the world are?

UNCLE BILLY
Uh-huh. Breakfast is served; lunch is served; dinner . . .

GEORGE
No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.

Even the intermittent Internet connectivity from White River to somewhere in Northern MA--the horror!--is part of the fun.  When there's no service, Ericka and I look out the window, take pictures, and, like, talk without using Twitter!  Crazy, I know...

ntodd

On The Train Again

Typepad's mobile app is crapping out on me again when trying to upload pics--bah.  Anywayz, a couple from my phone as our latest epic adventure begins.

Over by the ESX station.

Yay, the train!

Dog bless wireless broadband...

ntodd

My Way Or The Highway

AP:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, hoping to unite the Democratic Party and cement her future in it, will gather her hard-won primary delegates Wednesday at a reception where she is expected to formally release them to Barack Obama.

Sounds like just the kind of gambit a narcissistic bitch would take in trying to undermine Obama's campaign so she can run in 2012...

ntodd

Sunday Pearlblogging

With the dogz at the Resort, Pearl is much more comfy than usual.

ntodd

Faberge Nest Eggs

In today's Method, I'll teach your grandmother to suck eggs!

ntodd

Republic of Insects and Grass

Giant atomic mutant by the front door.

ntodd

How Many Homes?

Lea-p in comments linked this excellent diary on McCain's Housing Problem.

ntodd

Sunday Assmussen

The only poll worth paying attention to™:

Sunday, August 24, 2008

On Sunday—the day before the Democratic National Convention begins--the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows Barack Obama attracting 46% of the vote while John McCain earns 43%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 48% and McCain 45%. This is the first time Obama has been up by more than two percentage points with leaners since his “Berlin bounce” began to fade on July 28 (see recent daily results). Tracking Polls are released at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time each day.

Yesterday, Obama announced that Joe Biden will be his running mate and the initial reviews are mixed. Polling yesterday found that 39% believe Obama made the right choice while 25% disagreed. Women are less enthusiastic about the choice than men and the McCain campaign was ready with their first ad showing Biden in his own words.

Data from Rasmussen Markets currently gives Obama a 61.4 % chance of winning the White House.

McCain is viewed favorably by 57% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 55% (see trends). Biden is now viewed favorably by 48% of voters, up a few points since being selected as Obama’s running mate.

The Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator currently shows Obama leading in states with 193 Electoral College votes while McCain leads in states with 183 votes. When leaners are included, it’s Obama 264, McCain 247. Only three states remain in the toss-up category—Virginia, Colorado, and Nevada.

Why can't McCain close the deal?

ntodd