Ponderlings

Bono hearts Africa

2007-03-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Bono appeared on Oprah recently and told the audience the staggering statistics of the continents. However, these statistics were not covering the deadly sweep of AIDS in the nation, but the effects on the economy of Africa while attempting to repay their debts to the rest of the world.

Bono stated:

Africa spends $40 million each day repaying old debts to rich countries. This massive debt prohibits African nations from developing the infrastructure and trade agreements they need to thrive.
Africa spends four times as much on debt repayment as it spends on health care.
For every one dollar sent to the poorest countries in aid, $1.30 is sent back to the leaders as debt repayment.
Africa spends over $14.5 billion dollars yearly repaying debts. It receives only $12.7 billion in aid.

He is trying to encourage citizens to engage with their governments and hold them to the support and promises they made to Africa.

Oprah's School

2007-03-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Oprah recently had a special on the opening of a school she founded in Soweto, South Africa for underprivileged girls. She spent approximately $40 million on it and, according to CNN, intends to stop at $50 million.
I heard from others and read articles where people were complaining about Oprah’s school. They said that she shouldn’t help over there because we already have so many problems over here in America.
I have a HUGE problem with their complaints. Yes indeed we have problems here. However, unlike most Africa countries, we have the right freedom in government, access to resources, and knowledge to accomplish such things. The person I was talking to commented that, even if a school was built over here, most of the people it was intended for wouldn’t even want to go. She pointed out that they have such a strong desire for knowledge in Africa so they can fight their way out of their oppressive environments.
So, I applaud Oprah for her global charities and for her desire to give opportunity to those who have none.

Cheap Revolutionaries

2007-03-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

We talked about iconic images in class a few weeks ago. One that I thought of but didn’t mention (sorry, Dr. Carey) was the photo of Che Guavara by Alberto Korda. Though I do not agree with many of the methods he used when in power, he would not let himself be easily brought down by those who opposed him. This very popular image of the revolutionary has been shamelessly exploited and can bee seen on all sorts of clothing items on teenagers and middle-aged wannabes.
I don’t think that most of them actually know what he did and what he stood for. They just see him as a revolutionary and apparently that’s cool. Kind of like being unique…just like everyone else. My problem with the people who don’t know is that they’ve turned a cause (whether it be good or bad) into a trend. I think if Guavara saw his face plastered everywhere he would be outraged. It’s almost as if they are watering down what he believed in and fought and killed for. Though he has been popularized in this type of media, I think it’s important for people to know what they are promoting and supporting, not just wear or speak it as a trend.

Obama and Clinton

2007-03-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, democratic rivals for the presidency, both recently spoke in Selma, Alabama. Selma is an important site during the http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/bloodysunday/a/bloody_sunday.htm movements of the 60’s.
What I noticed in the BBC article was that both of them spoke at local churches. Perhaps there was no other location for their political endeavors and the churches were the only gathering location, but I have a problem with that.
I’m not standing on a platform of Separation of Church and State, but it is as if these presidential candidates are associating religion (an important tradition of the South) with their political affiliations.
Christ was careful not to associate Himself with any political party. He was purely by Himself, of Himself, and for Himself, for He was God. He was not a Democrat. He was not a Republican. He was not a subject to Caesar, nor a fiery Zealot.
So, in this age of religious tradition and political factions, I disagree with Christianity being affiliated with one certain party or tradition and I do not think their speeches should have been held in the churches.

Carolyn Cole

2007-03-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Carolyn Cole is definitely an outstanding figure to me. She got an early start shooting political events that would easily put her life in danger. Yet, she continued on this path, working for the Los Angeles Times for a number of years.
Listening to her stories and her experiences absolutely astounded me. She seemed fearless (unless it was public speaking) and she seemed toughened, for I know she has seen things that would make a majority of Americans queasy.
Carolyn spoke of the importance of knowing exactly what your job is. When she was imbedded with the Iraqi’s when the war started, she wasn’t being anti-American, she was doing her job to record the lives of Iraqis during the war.
Media is a vital part of human communication. There is no doubt about that. I truly believed that Carolyn has tapped into that and captured one of the most basic necessities of humanity: survival. Her photography evokes such pain, urgency, feeling...everything. All of these feelings seem so foreign to our American way of thinking. We’ve never had to fight to survive unless it was in a video game.
I am thankful to Carolyn for being so devoted to the truth and to humanity. I am thankful that she brings all of those people “over there” and drops them uncomfortably in our living rooms, offices, and front doors.

Photojournalism Conference

2007-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Southwestern Photo Conference. What can I say? I think I shall explore the different photographers that I met there, speaking from personal experience and from outside information.
As an overall event, I am so thankful that I did go. I know that I would never have learned as much anywhere else simply because of the deluge of advice, wisdom, and personal experience from the photographers that were there.
I was intimidated, to be honest, by all of these photographic greats, but these fears were soon dispelled as soon as we started talking about Starbucks or locally brewed as the preferred coffee choice. One of the most outstanding aspects of this conference was the way many of the speakers, participants, and volunteers were so open to sharing their heart and their vision with me. It is in this environment that I learned as much as I did.
It also showed me that it is a unique field that we are called to. In this media field, photographers (both Christian and non-Christian) share their hearts through their photography. I have often heard Christians refer to the media as “evil” and “a tool of Satan.”
I, Kate Gazaway, beg to differ. These photographers showed me their hearts by lighthearted conversation and delving deeply into their photographic genius. They are making an impact on their world as professionals, as struggling artists, as teachears, and as students. The media is not overrun by Satan, for it is being infiltrated by Christians with a heart for God, an eye for compostion, an a purpose for their craft.

Super Bowl Commercials

2007-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

When I asked various people yesterday if they were watching the Super Bowl, many replied, "Yeah, but only for the commercials."

Super Bowl commercials are infamous for two things: being funny and being expensive. I question if it's worth it. I read that last year's Super Bowl had approximately 90.7 viewers during the game. That's a lot of people to be advertising to. It's not just in America either. I was amused to see one of my friends in Finland getting psyched up for the game and at dinner last night, I was told that entire stadiums in Europe are rigged with a huge screen so American Football fans could watch the Super Bowl.

I watched some of the commercials on YouTube today. I only laughed out loud at about three of them, and I have a pretty easy going sense of humor. CNN reported that the average 30 second spot went for about $2.2 million. That's a lot of money for a little bit of football.

Turbo Razor

2007-02-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this blog is about how technology, or things related, play into my life. Sometimes, I think, the "simple life" sounds nice. Does this mean no modern technology? Does whittling a log in a cabin by candlelight sound nice? Maybe a little. I think I'll try a day, someday, when I don't use any modern technology.
Well, what got me thinking about this was my brother's shaving razor. I was home this weekend and realized I needed to shave my legs, but alas! I was razorless. So, to remedy this troubling situation, I decided to be sneaky and use my brother's razor instead. It was a beautiful silver and green color with a look that said "I mean business." It was a Gillette Mach 3 Turbo.
While I was shaving, I must have hit a button on the razor because it started vibrating. This startled me a bit, and it took me a little while to figure out what it was. See, I remember back in the day when razors didn't have all these new fangled battery vibrations or quintupple aloe protection bands. I remember when it was just hard metal against soft skin. Or, in a more non-traditional use, as razors have been used as unpleasant "tricks" in happy children's "treats" during Halloween. Apparently the vibrating motion allows hair growing in opposite directions to be removed with a single stroke, rather than constantly assulting your sensitive skin with an uncaring razor.

Sports photography

2007-01-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

I shot the basketball game on Saturday night against North Florida. It was my second time shooting indoor sports and my second time using a Canon. I'm not quite sure what type of Canon it was, but I felt like it was worth more than my life. It could shoot continuously, capturing a drive or a layup as if it was a flip animation book. Amazing.
I've never really been fond of doing sports photography. However, I found on Saturday night that I really do enjoy it, despite the difficulties of lighting, fast action, dangers of being killed, getting hit on by the mascot, etc. It's an acceptable challenge.

The American President

2007-01-29T13:13:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend Jonny in Australia, and he asked my opinion of George Bush. After speaking my mind, he went on to say how he's glad George Bush is a Christian, but there certainly are a few things he could have done differently. He said that in the movies, the president is always the warrior, the top guy, the one everyone looks to in a time of crisis and knows that he'll get things done. "I don't think George Bush is that guy."
What struck me was how he referenced Hollywood movies (such as The American President, Independence Day, or the West Wing) as a standard to compare the American President to. Does the media effect our perceptions of society? I say yes. How about the societies of the world? Again I say yes. For instance, when I was in Australia, I met some Aussies who had only seen Americans on television and never met one in real life. In their case, Americans are only as the media portrays them (which isn't the best, I must say).
But back to Jonny's statement, is it fair to hold up our president (or anyone else for that matter) under the light of Hollywood with preconceived notions of how it should be? Is the media setting unfair expectations of real life?

hmmm....

Iraqi Kurdistan

2007-01-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

Iraqi Kurdistan was a very creative media piece by Ed Kashi on the Media Storm page. Instead of fluid video, it seemed he used a quick, frame by frame, stop motion effect. Like I said, it was very creative, but I eventually caught myself having to look away because it was starting to hurt my eyes. This was the only pitfall I found for the piece.
I did find that:
- the music went perfectly along with each of the segments of the presentation and was unique yet cultural to the area
- the piece did an excellent job at exploring the "everydayness" of life from a outsider-becoming-insider perspective and seemed to give an unbiased opinion of the war in Iraq. I think this stood out to me because all the news shows is the riots, bombs, and military joys while this piece showed that along with the real life aspects of the Kurds.

I admire Ed Kashi for his perspective on the lives of these people. He captured so much emotion through the piece: the playfulness of children (even in rubble), daily chores, the pain of the war victims, the earnestness of the government officials, and the strength of the people. I was very glad to get this inside perspective, not as a way to "know the face of our enemy", but to find things in common with our fellow human beings. Hats off to you, Ed Kashi.

Bloodline

2007-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

I watched the multimedia presentation "Bloodline". The photographs and audio were done by Kristen Ashburn.

Besides having an overall powerful impact and allowing the viewer a deeper look into the darker corners of HIV, here are a few points I noticed about the presentation itself:
- Well balanced mix of video, interviews, and photography
- It was a nice effect to have all of the photos in black and white and all the videos in color.
- though some photos were obviously set up, they still were able to tell the stories in a real enough way and allowed the viewers emotions to be involved
- the photos were overall compositionally correct. Even the ones that broke the rules were still effective in getting the story and emotion across
- The music went with the photos and stories very well
- Both the photos and videos gave a sense of urgency, place, and pain felt by the subjects
- The photos were very contrasty and dark. It gave a feeling that what they were talking about-- the HIV-- was their death sentence

I couldn't find anything overtly wrong with this piece particularly since it's an issue so close to my heart. I thought it was very well done; respectful and urgent at the same time.

Kudos to you, Kristen Ashburn.

Torture chambers and camera findings

2007-01-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

I was able to take some photos for Photo Staff using my new Nikon D80 camera. My first project was to take pictures of the tanning bed across the street. I met the owner outside and he let me in to take photos of the only room that has been finished so far. I thought the tanning bed looked like a miniature torture chamber. I'll be staying away from those.

I've been reading through the instruction manual in effort to get to know my camera better. Dr. Carey had to explain more about it because at times I'm technologically stupid. More on this camera contraption later...

Numero Uno

2007-01-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

I think I will start out with the intention of talking about this one specific topic, but I have a feeling it will evolve into something else. My goal is to relay the life around me-- as one human bearing witness to the rest of humanity. There will also be sprinklings of the media and all that's involved.
This is also a class assignment. When I am forced to write, it usually comes out muddled and sub-par, which isn't my intention but usually happens. So, Dr. Carey and readers...beware.
I recently was thrilled to recieve this lovely black Mac computer that I am currently typing this little ditty on as a "Congratulations, you're going to a new college" present. Yes indeed, this will be amazing.