I think this might be my week of complaining. I spent way too many words talking about cell phone etiquette when in line. Now I'm annoyed by the fact that telemarketers are already all over my new phone number!
This phone line has only been around for 10 days and I'm already getting 4-6 calls a day. Glory be the invention of caller ID since I can tell how many random calls I get while I'm away (I wonder if the dogs get annoyed by all the calls when they're home alone). What I don't understand is that Comcast says they keep all numbers private. How is possible for the Chronicle, the local Police Department, and every telemarketer around already have my number?
When I got the line I figured I would add it to the Do Not Call database but I wasn't in any rush since I figured it would take some time (and me sharing the number) for telemarketers to find out I got a phone line. Lo and behold, just 2 days after the line was installed, I got the first call! One business day! That's all it took!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Niceities
Okay, so maybe I'll sound like a rube who should get with the times. Afterall, everyone's busy so we gotta do as much as possible in as little time as possible. It's called multi-tasking right?!
But there's one thing that I really try to avoid whenever possible: Talking on the cell phone while being assisted by someone.
You know the story. You're in a checkout line and your phone rings. So you answer it and in the meantime you've gotten to the front of the line and need to checkout. What do you do? Here's the options which I think most people likely consider:
I'm sure that you can guess which option I usually take? Number 3. I used to take option 1 or 2, but at some point I realized that I was being inconsiderate to both the checker and the person on the phone with either of those options. Now, if I was being totally considerate of the entire situation, I'd just let the call go through to VM and call the person back. I only do that if I'm about to start my checkout, but normally, I'll pick up the phone and tell the person I have to hang up when it comes time.
What's my main reason for doing this? Honestly, the first thing I think of when I see someone take option 1 is that they're treating the checker like a servant. Yes, obviously, the checker is there to serve you the customer. But do you have to treat him or her like a man-servant?
I just saw this in the cafeteria this afternoon. What drove me to finally blog about this is the attitude the customer had with the checker. Not only did she continue with her phone conversation, but when the checker asked her what she had (a salad and chicken), she looks dismayed at having to tell the checker a second time. And in between telling the checker what to ring up, she's apologizing to the person on the phone for asking him/her to repeat what was just said.
Seeing that just makes me feel bad for the checker. She's doing her job and you can barely give her the 30 seconds it takes to complete a transaction? I personally feel guilty if I do this to someone and rather than make a stupid face to the checker, make the checker dislike me, and still feel bad about it, I just slow down and give each person the time and respect they deserve.
I've expanded this to regular situations when I'm with a friend. I'll usually not answer my phone unless I know it's going to be short or if the person has called me a couple of times. Even then, I still try to tell the person I'm with that I need to take the call and why I need to take it. It's the least I can do.
But there's one thing that I really try to avoid whenever possible: Talking on the cell phone while being assisted by someone.
You know the story. You're in a checkout line and your phone rings. So you answer it and in the meantime you've gotten to the front of the line and need to checkout. What do you do? Here's the options which I think most people likely consider:
- Give a smile to the checker and act like you feel guilty that you're on the phone, but you remain on the phone. You may talk to the checker if absolutely needed, but your focus is on the other end of the phone line, not the other side of the check-out counter.
- Give a smile to the checker, tell the person on the phone to hold on a second and finish your business with the checker. The whole time the phone is still on and you resume your conversation as soon as you're done with the checker.
- When you get to the front of the line, tell the person on the phone that you'll have to call them back and hang up.
- You get out of line while you finish up your conversation and get back in line when you're done.
- You don't take the call, finish up with the check-out, then check your voicemail and/or call the person back.
I'm sure that you can guess which option I usually take? Number 3. I used to take option 1 or 2, but at some point I realized that I was being inconsiderate to both the checker and the person on the phone with either of those options. Now, if I was being totally considerate of the entire situation, I'd just let the call go through to VM and call the person back. I only do that if I'm about to start my checkout, but normally, I'll pick up the phone and tell the person I have to hang up when it comes time.
What's my main reason for doing this? Honestly, the first thing I think of when I see someone take option 1 is that they're treating the checker like a servant. Yes, obviously, the checker is there to serve you the customer. But do you have to treat him or her like a man-servant?
I just saw this in the cafeteria this afternoon. What drove me to finally blog about this is the attitude the customer had with the checker. Not only did she continue with her phone conversation, but when the checker asked her what she had (a salad and chicken), she looks dismayed at having to tell the checker a second time. And in between telling the checker what to ring up, she's apologizing to the person on the phone for asking him/her to repeat what was just said.
Seeing that just makes me feel bad for the checker. She's doing her job and you can barely give her the 30 seconds it takes to complete a transaction? I personally feel guilty if I do this to someone and rather than make a stupid face to the checker, make the checker dislike me, and still feel bad about it, I just slow down and give each person the time and respect they deserve.
I've expanded this to regular situations when I'm with a friend. I'll usually not answer my phone unless I know it's going to be short or if the person has called me a couple of times. Even then, I still try to tell the person I'm with that I need to take the call and why I need to take it. It's the least I can do.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Snap! Crackle! Click! India Wedding Photos
The excuse for us to go to India was a relative's wedding. And being a wedding photographer, I obviously took photos during the events. It was actually more difficult getting shots that are different than I usually take during a wedding gig. While I'm always trying to be creative on any job, I usually take some stuff which is standard across the board since the clients are looking for certain things at a minimum. So I tried to stay away from those typical shots this time. And since I wasn't a lead photographer I had the chance to roam around and not capture every little thing. Even then, I kept thinking about all the different shots I could get of the ceremony details. So I had to stop myself from falling into that "rut".
What I tried to do is thinking about the wedding from the perspective of a guest, which I rarely do. Even when I attend a friend's wedding here, I'm always looking over at the photographer or videographer. I annoy myself sometimes with not being able to take my mind off that stuff...I'm sure I annoy my wife much more offten :)
Anyways, so I tried to stay in the crowd as much as possible and stayed away from taking photos of the bride, groom, and their parents. And here's a few of the shots I took....click through to see more about each on Flickr.
Mandap Mandwo...with a little zoom action. No Photoshop!
Trying to get the feel of the rush through in an image. Touch is such low light.
More baraati rush.
Onlookers
Captured Photographers. Notice the second guy talking on his phone even when events are going on.
There are more in Flickr so head over there to see the rest.
What I tried to do is thinking about the wedding from the perspective of a guest, which I rarely do. Even when I attend a friend's wedding here, I'm always looking over at the photographer or videographer. I annoy myself sometimes with not being able to take my mind off that stuff...I'm sure I annoy my wife much more offten :)
Anyways, so I tried to stay in the crowd as much as possible and stayed away from taking photos of the bride, groom, and their parents. And here's a few of the shots I took....click through to see more about each on Flickr.
Mandap Mandwo...with a little zoom action. No Photoshop!Trying to get the feel of the rush through in an image. Touch is such low light.More baraati rush.OnlookersCaptured Photographers. Notice the second guy talking on his phone even when events are going on.There are more in Flickr so head over there to see the rest.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
After every trip to India I get questions such as "so are things really different in India?" It's a basic question that I'm sure every person gets when they return. The obvious answer is "Yes" since India's a developing country. And there's usually an undercurrent of woe when talking about how fast India is developing like "Man, I can't be-LIEVE that people are doing XYZ there now!"
[On a quick side note, if you think about visitng ANY place after 5 years, you're bound to see changes varying from subtle to significant. Heck, in the last 5 years, even Milpitas has changed a boatload!]
So usually, when answering this question I focus on the visual changes to the country either in terms of buildings and fashion or things that you find on TV. This time however, the biggest change I noticed was much more subtle.
And that is the the onslaught of credit cards and loans. First off, I'll say that I'm a happy consumer who greatly appreciates credit cards and home loans. But while I'm a heavy user of credit cards, I NEVER rollover a balance on my credit card from month-to-month. Also, even though we have a HUGE mortgage to pay off, before wading up to our knees in loan debt, we carefully thought about our long term plan for housing since carrying this size loan is not a fun thing to do permanently.
That being said, my description about the coming of a credit-based lifestyle in India does indeed have an undercurrent of woe. The main reason for that is the likelihood that many middle-class people are going to get caught in the web of too much credit card debt. Not to say that Indians don't have a good financial sense, but until very recently, India really ran on current accounts. Basically, whether payment was made with cash, check, or some sort of draft, the money being exchanged by lay people has heretofore been real money that already belongs to them.
That obviously isn't the case with credit cards and loans. And that's what scares me. The easy availability of credit cards is a real problem here in the US where such things have been very common for at least 25 years. I've known a few people who just couldn't control themselves with a credit card in hand. Even if they may know that the money is not actually their's, they get this feeling that regardless of how much they spend, they'll figure out a way to pay it off eventually. It's this capitalist can-do attitude that can be great most of the time, but can also get you in trouble if you can't follow through.
And trust me, Indians are masters of can-do. And with easy access to credit, my gut feel is that people will get a few credit cards and buy the nice clothes they really want. They'll get a car loan so they can quickly have their own car. And when they acquire this debt, the feeling will be that even if they can't pay it off now, they'll l be making more money in the future so they'll be able to pay it off in the near future once they're earning more from the higher paying job they're going to get in six months.
There's obviously a big chance these people will get caught in a downward spiral. I haven't heard many anecdotes about people actually getting caught up in this, but I've seen the signs from various companies looking to offer credit to anyone who wants it. It could be the Citibank hawkers outside the Bombay airport offering a credit card to anyone who can show them a boarding pass (as in, hey if you can afford a plane ticket, you can afford a mountain of debt!). It could be the car ad with a big starred section offering up credit to people who need it.
And so that's the biggest change in India I've been mentioning to people. The development of a credit based economy is certainly good and will help the Indian economy grow by leaps and bounds. I just hope that the users of this credit don't forget that it's just credit, not cash in their pocket.
[On a quick side note, if you think about visitng ANY place after 5 years, you're bound to see changes varying from subtle to significant. Heck, in the last 5 years, even Milpitas has changed a boatload!]
So usually, when answering this question I focus on the visual changes to the country either in terms of buildings and fashion or things that you find on TV. This time however, the biggest change I noticed was much more subtle.
And that is the the onslaught of credit cards and loans. First off, I'll say that I'm a happy consumer who greatly appreciates credit cards and home loans. But while I'm a heavy user of credit cards, I NEVER rollover a balance on my credit card from month-to-month. Also, even though we have a HUGE mortgage to pay off, before wading up to our knees in loan debt, we carefully thought about our long term plan for housing since carrying this size loan is not a fun thing to do permanently.
That being said, my description about the coming of a credit-based lifestyle in India does indeed have an undercurrent of woe. The main reason for that is the likelihood that many middle-class people are going to get caught in the web of too much credit card debt. Not to say that Indians don't have a good financial sense, but until very recently, India really ran on current accounts. Basically, whether payment was made with cash, check, or some sort of draft, the money being exchanged by lay people has heretofore been real money that already belongs to them.
That obviously isn't the case with credit cards and loans. And that's what scares me. The easy availability of credit cards is a real problem here in the US where such things have been very common for at least 25 years. I've known a few people who just couldn't control themselves with a credit card in hand. Even if they may know that the money is not actually their's, they get this feeling that regardless of how much they spend, they'll figure out a way to pay it off eventually. It's this capitalist can-do attitude that can be great most of the time, but can also get you in trouble if you can't follow through.
And trust me, Indians are masters of can-do. And with easy access to credit, my gut feel is that people will get a few credit cards and buy the nice clothes they really want. They'll get a car loan so they can quickly have their own car. And when they acquire this debt, the feeling will be that even if they can't pay it off now, they'll l be making more money in the future so they'll be able to pay it off in the near future once they're earning more from the higher paying job they're going to get in six months.
There's obviously a big chance these people will get caught in a downward spiral. I haven't heard many anecdotes about people actually getting caught up in this, but I've seen the signs from various companies looking to offer credit to anyone who wants it. It could be the Citibank hawkers outside the Bombay airport offering a credit card to anyone who can show them a boarding pass (as in, hey if you can afford a plane ticket, you can afford a mountain of debt!). It could be the car ad with a big starred section offering up credit to people who need it.
And so that's the biggest change in India I've been mentioning to people. The development of a credit based economy is certainly good and will help the Indian economy grow by leaps and bounds. I just hope that the users of this credit don't forget that it's just credit, not cash in their pocket.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Snap! Crackle! Click! A few shots from Mumbai/Bombay
I'm a bit lacking on words right now, so I'll just mention a few photos I took while in Mumbai...click on each photo to go to the Flickr page for more description and to leave comments
The Taj Hotel in Mumbai on a sunny day. I wish I had my wide angle lens. Given that it was my first day in India, I really regretted not bringing it and thought that I'd really miss it. But in the end, I rarely thought about lens selection the entire trip since I had a good all round lens on me.
Silver Plaza shopping for jewelry. Mind blowing how efficient they are here with showing you the exact selection you're thinking about. It's almost like they're reading your mind. December is NRI (Non-Resident Indian) season since Indians from all over the world take their vacations at that time of year and so many are doing wedding shopping.
Dark magazine stand on the streets of Santa Cruz (Mumbai). In reality it wasn't this dark and creepy (the sun was just setting), but I love what's possible when you can control your camera well. The only photoshopping I've done to this is cropping and adding a bit of brightness to the light bulb.
The Taj Hotel in Mumbai on a sunny day. I wish I had my wide angle lens. Given that it was my first day in India, I really regretted not bringing it and thought that I'd really miss it. But in the end, I rarely thought about lens selection the entire trip since I had a good all round lens on me.
Silver Plaza shopping for jewelry. Mind blowing how efficient they are here with showing you the exact selection you're thinking about. It's almost like they're reading your mind. December is NRI (Non-Resident Indian) season since Indians from all over the world take their vacations at that time of year and so many are doing wedding shopping.Dark magazine stand on the streets of Santa Cruz (Mumbai). In reality it wasn't this dark and creepy (the sun was just setting), but I love what's possible when you can control your camera well. The only photoshopping I've done to this is cropping and adding a bit of brightness to the light bulb.Thursday, January 04, 2007
Snap! Crackle! Click! Let the image parade begin...
Rather than work through all of my photos and then post a final gallery, I've decided to post photos little by little. I've already edited about 1/2-2/3 of the photos I took while in India so I'm going to pick out specific ones...either just because I love the photos or because there's a story to tell.
For all these photos, I'm posting them up at Flickr so click on the image to go there and leave comments if you want. Also, since I'm posting more photos to Flickr than I'm actually including in my blog, check over there to see a broader selection.
And with that...let's begin with some village children...
As I mentioned on Flickr, there's just something about this girl that catches my eye. She's obviously a very pretty girl, as are so many of these village children. But her attitude was really what made me think twice after I took the photos. And while this isn't my favorite photo from my trip, I knew I'd want to post it first just because it left an impression.
And what else left and impression?
"Want Pen!"
I'm not sure why pens are such valued items in India, but ever since I was little, my cousins over there would always want my pens. While we've all grown up, these kids are still having a blast hamming it up and asking me for any pens. In fact, I took extra pens with me to India since I just knew there would be an occasion to hand them out.
So enjoy, and come back soon.
For all these photos, I'm posting them up at Flickr so click on the image to go there and leave comments if you want. Also, since I'm posting more photos to Flickr than I'm actually including in my blog, check over there to see a broader selection.
And with that...let's begin with some village children...
As I mentioned on Flickr, there's just something about this girl that catches my eye. She's obviously a very pretty girl, as are so many of these village children. But her attitude was really what made me think twice after I took the photos. And while this isn't my favorite photo from my trip, I knew I'd want to post it first just because it left an impression.
And what else left and impression?
"Want Pen!"
I'm not sure why pens are such valued items in India, but ever since I was little, my cousins over there would always want my pens. While we've all grown up, these kids are still having a blast hamming it up and asking me for any pens. In fact, I took extra pens with me to India since I just knew there would be an occasion to hand them out.
So enjoy, and come back soon.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
HFL = High Flood Level
Well, Happy New Year!
After a long vacation related hiatus, I'm back. Before I left for India I wasn't sure I would want to blog while on vacation, but I figured I would probably find something to write about. And while I certainly had things to relate, I really had no desire to do so. And so a month and a half passes by like *that!*
Anyways, I start off the new year with photos. And the first photo is the simplest of them all:
My hometown in India is in Surat, Gujarat (well, it's technically Bardoli which is 30km away, but let's not nitpick since I was actually born in Surat and the majority of my relatives live there too). Over the years, Surat has had its share of problems, like riots, the plague, and flooding. Last August Surat saw the flood to end all floods. Days and days of water up to 30 feet deep.
And yet, you can't tell anything of the sort happened just 5 months ago. Except for these crude markers all over the city. They're marks of history and resilience. This specific marker was about 15 feet off the ground, but they range from just 2 feet off the ground all the way up to 30 feet. And where ever you go, the City has painted reminders of what happened in early August. What's more is that people are proud of what they've overcome. So much so that even if they re-paint the outside of their buildings to erase the marks of rain, flooding, and wear and tear, they still leave an untouched box around the marker to ensure everyone remembers just how high the water came.
It's still a bit difficult to pin down exactly what happened to cause such severe flooding, but the basics are clear. Torrential monsoon rains were much heavier last summer than usual. The Ukai dam upriver from Surat was way over it's normal limits. Dam workers waited and waited to release water from the dam. And when they finally released the water, they did so in fell swoop, rather than staggering the release over time. The water reached Surat six hours later and didn't subside for at least 8 days.
Here's an editorial about how the floods could have been avoided:
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/portal/2006/10/600
This person has compiled a good set of photos from that time:
http://news.webshots.com/album/555111753wseoID
So this man-made disaster really got the best of people for while. The funny thing is that even though people were stranded without power or fresh water, they still managed to drink whiskey from rooftops every day.
Immediately after the floods, we had heard stories of mud and filth throughout the entire city of 4 million people. But arriving in town just 3 months after things dried up, I was surprised at how little seemed affected. Sure, there are still junked cars in specific areas, but life seems amazingly back to normal. The loom industry which Surat is so famous for is still running like mad. I would have figured that many looms would have been destroyed by so much water and mud, but going through the streets, you can still hear them running 24 hours a day. I heard many stories from friends & relatives about what they did during the floods. Thankfully, none of them lost anything besides some ruined property, but there were some 200 accounted deaths and likely many more uncounted deaths of those swept straight into the nearby Indian Ocean.
From the stories I had heard prior to leaving for India, I wasn't sure what to expect. Certainly some devasation would still be visible...but not a single sign except for these painted markers? Amazing. I hope to see the same reminders when I return to Surat in the future.
And so a simple photo to represent something amazing and to start 2007.
Many more photos to comes.
After a long vacation related hiatus, I'm back. Before I left for India I wasn't sure I would want to blog while on vacation, but I figured I would probably find something to write about. And while I certainly had things to relate, I really had no desire to do so. And so a month and a half passes by like *that!*
Anyways, I start off the new year with photos. And the first photo is the simplest of them all:
My hometown in India is in Surat, Gujarat (well, it's technically Bardoli which is 30km away, but let's not nitpick since I was actually born in Surat and the majority of my relatives live there too). Over the years, Surat has had its share of problems, like riots, the plague, and flooding. Last August Surat saw the flood to end all floods. Days and days of water up to 30 feet deep.
And yet, you can't tell anything of the sort happened just 5 months ago. Except for these crude markers all over the city. They're marks of history and resilience. This specific marker was about 15 feet off the ground, but they range from just 2 feet off the ground all the way up to 30 feet. And where ever you go, the City has painted reminders of what happened in early August. What's more is that people are proud of what they've overcome. So much so that even if they re-paint the outside of their buildings to erase the marks of rain, flooding, and wear and tear, they still leave an untouched box around the marker to ensure everyone remembers just how high the water came.
It's still a bit difficult to pin down exactly what happened to cause such severe flooding, but the basics are clear. Torrential monsoon rains were much heavier last summer than usual. The Ukai dam upriver from Surat was way over it's normal limits. Dam workers waited and waited to release water from the dam. And when they finally released the water, they did so in fell swoop, rather than staggering the release over time. The water reached Surat six hours later and didn't subside for at least 8 days.
Here's an editorial about how the floods could have been avoided:
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/portal/2006/10/600
This person has compiled a good set of photos from that time:
http://news.webshots.com/album/555111753wseoID
So this man-made disaster really got the best of people for while. The funny thing is that even though people were stranded without power or fresh water, they still managed to drink whiskey from rooftops every day.
Immediately after the floods, we had heard stories of mud and filth throughout the entire city of 4 million people. But arriving in town just 3 months after things dried up, I was surprised at how little seemed affected. Sure, there are still junked cars in specific areas, but life seems amazingly back to normal. The loom industry which Surat is so famous for is still running like mad. I would have figured that many looms would have been destroyed by so much water and mud, but going through the streets, you can still hear them running 24 hours a day. I heard many stories from friends & relatives about what they did during the floods. Thankfully, none of them lost anything besides some ruined property, but there were some 200 accounted deaths and likely many more uncounted deaths of those swept straight into the nearby Indian Ocean.
From the stories I had heard prior to leaving for India, I wasn't sure what to expect. Certainly some devasation would still be visible...but not a single sign except for these painted markers? Amazing. I hope to see the same reminders when I return to Surat in the future.
And so a simple photo to represent something amazing and to start 2007.
Many more photos to comes.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Abuse of Power?
I put a question mark in the title since I'm still not sure what to make of this.
If you have the wherewithal, watch this video:
If you haven't heard of it yet, it's video of a UCLA student getting tasered at Powell Library after refusing to show ID afterhours. I usually don't pay too much attention to stories about excessive force, but in this case, it's UCLA...I've walked around Powell and I can, more than usual, place myself in the shoes of each person there.
So back to me not knowing what to make of this. From this video, it's hard to argue that the UCPD over-reacted and were wrong in expecting the guy to get up after being tasered. What I can't understand is how it got to this situation. Like most security guards, UCPD is usually pretty cool. By the name, you can guess that they are actual cops and much more than just security guards, but on campus, they're far from menacing and are usually there to help out. So I'm just perplexed as to how it turned from a request to show ID, to the video you see.
Madness.
The only judgement I'm going to pass right now is that the UCPD was idiots for thinking this guy could physically get up on command after being tasered. If he was being non-cooperative before or after the tasering, they should have just picked his ass up and carried him into their cruiser. End of story.
I'll guess that the guy was probably being somewhat beligerant/non-cooperative when asked to show ID. Obviously nothing he could have done in a library situation should ever lead to something like this, but I've gotta assume there was something amiss about the situation which required mutliple UCPD to show up.
I'll also guess that the UCPD guys were in over their heads and were scared of causing an even bigger situation what with the dozens of students hovering over them. Apparently one of them threatened a student who was asking for a badge number, etc. That had to have been in the heat of the moment.
Thank god they didn't go midevil on any other students. That would have spiralled into something insane.
Thank god the other students didn't cause a physical ruckus. That would have mean serious harm to all involved.
I can't imagine how tense it must be on campus right now. I don't think too much about my UCLA days any more, but watching this, having walked those same steps, forces me to really think about the excessive use of force and what could have lead to this.
I'll be watching this story closely.
If you have the wherewithal, watch this video:
If you haven't heard of it yet, it's video of a UCLA student getting tasered at Powell Library after refusing to show ID afterhours. I usually don't pay too much attention to stories about excessive force, but in this case, it's UCLA...I've walked around Powell and I can, more than usual, place myself in the shoes of each person there.
So back to me not knowing what to make of this. From this video, it's hard to argue that the UCPD over-reacted and were wrong in expecting the guy to get up after being tasered. What I can't understand is how it got to this situation. Like most security guards, UCPD is usually pretty cool. By the name, you can guess that they are actual cops and much more than just security guards, but on campus, they're far from menacing and are usually there to help out. So I'm just perplexed as to how it turned from a request to show ID, to the video you see.
Madness.
The only judgement I'm going to pass right now is that the UCPD was idiots for thinking this guy could physically get up on command after being tasered. If he was being non-cooperative before or after the tasering, they should have just picked his ass up and carried him into their cruiser. End of story.
I'll guess that the guy was probably being somewhat beligerant/non-cooperative when asked to show ID. Obviously nothing he could have done in a library situation should ever lead to something like this, but I've gotta assume there was something amiss about the situation which required mutliple UCPD to show up.
I'll also guess that the UCPD guys were in over their heads and were scared of causing an even bigger situation what with the dozens of students hovering over them. Apparently one of them threatened a student who was asking for a badge number, etc. That had to have been in the heat of the moment.
Thank god they didn't go midevil on any other students. That would have spiralled into something insane.
Thank god the other students didn't cause a physical ruckus. That would have mean serious harm to all involved.
I can't imagine how tense it must be on campus right now. I don't think too much about my UCLA days any more, but watching this, having walked those same steps, forces me to really think about the excessive use of force and what could have lead to this.
I'll be watching this story closely.
UPDATE: So it looks like the student who was tasered will be filing a civil suit against UCPD. Not surprising as well he should do that considering what nonsense the cops put him through. Not sure of how the legal system works on this, but at first blush, I would assume that a potential criminal proceeding should occur first, then the civil portion comes next. Anyways, what I find fishy about this is the lawyer he hired has said that Tabatabainejad refused to show ID because he thought he was being racially profiled and picked out for looking Middle Eastern.
That seems like playing the race card and it really annoys me. Having been at UCLA for 5 years, I would honestly call out BS on that. Why? Because it's such a diverse campus. Because you see just as many Persians on campus as other races. If that sounds racist, sorry...but it's fact. I find it difficult to believe that a CSO would decide to pick on this guy because he looks Middle Eastern. If that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if he had 10 other Middle Eastern people to pick from. Sounds like the lawyer is just trying to get some leverage here.
And the other interesting thing the lawyer said is that when the cop didn't take his hands off Tabatabainejad he went limp. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with that and in fact it's a perfect example of non-violent protest. But it just seems kind of dumb to bait cops like that. I mean, if you've got a cause or purpose, then yeah, go limp, but in this situation it just contributes to an ever-more tense spiral. Just seems ill-advised. The idea behind non-violent protest is, at some level, to make the opposing party think about their actions and potentially change them. The UCPD obviously weren't having any of that at midnight in a library and took alarming actions...but seriously just leave well enough alone and walk away.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Heart wrenching
It's been quite a while since I posted. The world has seemingly changed what with the election results and all. A lot remains to play out so I'll reserve comments on that for a bit.
The world has also changed for me because I finally bought an iPod. Yeah, I finally jumped on the bandwagon. I'm sure I'll be listening to a lot of music on it (indeed I've got 15GB of music it on it already), but I've mainly been using it for podcasts.
I had already been using iTunes to listen to podcasts while at the computer, but having the iPod now lets me listen to news and lots of other stuff while I'm at the gym or in the car. Any MP3 player would let me do this, of course, but it's a lot simpler with the iPod since I can simply subscribe to them via iTunes.
Anyways, this isn't a post about my new iPod or about podcasts in general. It's about an NPR audio portrait which I just listened to on the drive home. Titled, "'The Ground We Lived On': A Father's Last Days", it's the story of a father's last days battling lung cancer recorded by a loving daughter. I encourage you to spend 10 minutes and hear this loving remembrance.
I've been lucky in that I've never had to deal with loss. Of course, family members have passed away, but I haven't lost someone who I've had an everyday connection with. In the remembrance of her father, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, demonstrated the power of words and capturing moments in time.
I must say that something about these types of stories really get to me. When I hear of a loss, I seem to internalize it and can't help but put myself in the shoes of the person experiencing the loss. I can't help but imagine what I would do if put into the same situation. Empathy I guess...
Oddly enough, I do the same in positions of joy. When I'm photographing a wedding, I find myself smiling so often from behind the camera. It usually happens when I see the couple smiling at each other or really letting loose after the ceremony is complete. I think about that when I take photos and when I'm doing post-production of photos or watching the video footage of the events. Ya, it's kind of odd to have a dumb smile on my face while staring at my computer screen, but that's me.
I've actually been thinking about how best to remember an upcoming trip to India. Of course, I'll be taking my camera equipment, but I've been wondering how I can record my thoughts. I'll certainly be writing, but I've been thinking about recording audio as well. Maybe it's too much NPR, PRI, and BBC I've been listening to, but the power that these recordings hold me for really makes me want to capture the moment not just visually, but through sound as well.
We'll see how it goes.
Anyone got an iPod voice recorder I can borrow for 5 weeks?
The world has also changed for me because I finally bought an iPod. Yeah, I finally jumped on the bandwagon. I'm sure I'll be listening to a lot of music on it (indeed I've got 15GB of music it on it already), but I've mainly been using it for podcasts.
I had already been using iTunes to listen to podcasts while at the computer, but having the iPod now lets me listen to news and lots of other stuff while I'm at the gym or in the car. Any MP3 player would let me do this, of course, but it's a lot simpler with the iPod since I can simply subscribe to them via iTunes.
Anyways, this isn't a post about my new iPod or about podcasts in general. It's about an NPR audio portrait which I just listened to on the drive home. Titled, "'The Ground We Lived On': A Father's Last Days", it's the story of a father's last days battling lung cancer recorded by a loving daughter. I encourage you to spend 10 minutes and hear this loving remembrance.
I've been lucky in that I've never had to deal with loss. Of course, family members have passed away, but I haven't lost someone who I've had an everyday connection with. In the remembrance of her father, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, demonstrated the power of words and capturing moments in time.
I must say that something about these types of stories really get to me. When I hear of a loss, I seem to internalize it and can't help but put myself in the shoes of the person experiencing the loss. I can't help but imagine what I would do if put into the same situation. Empathy I guess...
Oddly enough, I do the same in positions of joy. When I'm photographing a wedding, I find myself smiling so often from behind the camera. It usually happens when I see the couple smiling at each other or really letting loose after the ceremony is complete. I think about that when I take photos and when I'm doing post-production of photos or watching the video footage of the events. Ya, it's kind of odd to have a dumb smile on my face while staring at my computer screen, but that's me.
I've actually been thinking about how best to remember an upcoming trip to India. Of course, I'll be taking my camera equipment, but I've been wondering how I can record my thoughts. I'll certainly be writing, but I've been thinking about recording audio as well. Maybe it's too much NPR, PRI, and BBC I've been listening to, but the power that these recordings hold me for really makes me want to capture the moment not just visually, but through sound as well.
We'll see how it goes.
Anyone got an iPod voice recorder I can borrow for 5 weeks?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Snap! Crackle! Click! Expression
I haven't posted a photo of mine in quite some time since I haven't been doing any weddings since Labor Day. I have done some photoshoots though and this is a shot which I think really shows off the girl's personality quite well.It's usually all in the eyes, but in this case, I think it's in her smile too. You can always tell in a photo when a person isn't comfortable or is elsewhere in mind. In this instance, the girl is posing for me, but I feel like she was really "there" and having a good time with her fiance while I took photos of them. When I look at this photo, I somehow end up thinking serenity every time. At some point, I'll post another bride-to-be that makes me think "zen"
Funny, but I tend to apply descriptive words to my clients without even thinking about it. They're not usually insightful, but the terms are the first things that come to mind when I think of them and their photos.
Strategery Watch
Lo and behold, we're 14 days away from an election and we're magically able to start defining timelines and metrics for Iraq?
If you've been stuck in last week's news, catch up: U.S. general: Iraqi security can take reins in 12-18 months
This coming after months and years of hearing that no timetable could be set because it would embolden the enemy! Heck, just 8 days ago, Tony Snow said, "We're making progress. I don't know. How do you define 'winning'?" And now we're being told definitively that the US can have just a minimal supporting force in Iraq. 14 days before a mid-term election which could re-draw the political lines and shape things for the presidential election 2 years from now.
Huh.
Is it any surprise? Of course not.
Some things to think about...we should be delighted that we're getting some semblance of "truth" from some of the people in charge. But given the willful ignorance (or outright lies) we've been seeing from the admin, we should be outraged that it has taken so long to come to this point. We should be even more outraged at the politically timed messaging we're getting.
And most concerning of all, we shouldn't be surprised if we get more of the same BS once the election is over. Afterall, the current political environment is one where policy serves politics, not the other way around. So 15 days from now, I fully expect to hear about "progress" and "staying the course" and "islamofacists" and stop hearing about a well-thought out plan to help Iraq become a peaceful nation.
I don't care of that plan takes 2 years, 5, years, 10 years, or 100 years. The problem here is not the amount of time it would take to provide some semblance of peace to the region. The problem is the continued ineptitude which our leaders show at every step of the Iraq puzzle. We went in there for purely poltical reasons. Now we're showing a way out for purely politcal reasons.
If you've been stuck in last week's news, catch up: U.S. general: Iraqi security can take reins in 12-18 months
This coming after months and years of hearing that no timetable could be set because it would embolden the enemy! Heck, just 8 days ago, Tony Snow said, "We're making progress. I don't know. How do you define 'winning'?" And now we're being told definitively that the US can have just a minimal supporting force in Iraq. 14 days before a mid-term election which could re-draw the political lines and shape things for the presidential election 2 years from now.
Huh.
Is it any surprise? Of course not.
Some things to think about...we should be delighted that we're getting some semblance of "truth" from some of the people in charge. But given the willful ignorance (or outright lies) we've been seeing from the admin, we should be outraged that it has taken so long to come to this point. We should be even more outraged at the politically timed messaging we're getting.
And most concerning of all, we shouldn't be surprised if we get more of the same BS once the election is over. Afterall, the current political environment is one where policy serves politics, not the other way around. So 15 days from now, I fully expect to hear about "progress" and "staying the course" and "islamofacists" and stop hearing about a well-thought out plan to help Iraq become a peaceful nation.
I don't care of that plan takes 2 years, 5, years, 10 years, or 100 years. The problem here is not the amount of time it would take to provide some semblance of peace to the region. The problem is the continued ineptitude which our leaders show at every step of the Iraq puzzle. We went in there for purely poltical reasons. Now we're showing a way out for purely politcal reasons.
Monday, October 23, 2006
It's Strategery, Stupid
And wouldn't you know it...the admin is at it again. Trying to re-write history by claiming things that are completely wrong. What is it this time? W is trying to convince us that "Stay the Course" was NEVER part of the strategy for Iraq?
Huh?
WHAT?
Up until last week, "Stay the Course" was used so often by the admin that it was the butt of a joke on the Colbert Report where Stephen Colbert said there have always been two options on Iraq: "Stay" and "the Course"
And now we're being told that the administration is "constantly adjusting the tactics, constantly" and that "It's never been a stay the course strategy."
Listen, I'm happy as fuck if there is some actual rethinking about how to turn Iraq into a safe and thriving democracy. But seriously, we don't need lies heading into the final weeks of mid-term elections.
You know that the term "when the shit hits the fan"? Well, obviously, this admin is the one throwing up the bullshit left and right. Too bad that the fan spatters the crap across all of America and what it stands for.
Stay the fucking course, my ass.
Huh?
WHAT?
Up until last week, "Stay the Course" was used so often by the admin that it was the butt of a joke on the Colbert Report where Stephen Colbert said there have always been two options on Iraq: "Stay" and "the Course"
And now we're being told that the administration is "constantly adjusting the tactics, constantly" and that "It's never been a stay the course strategy."
Listen, I'm happy as fuck if there is some actual rethinking about how to turn Iraq into a safe and thriving democracy. But seriously, we don't need lies heading into the final weeks of mid-term elections.
You know that the term "when the shit hits the fan"? Well, obviously, this admin is the one throwing up the bullshit left and right. Too bad that the fan spatters the crap across all of America and what it stands for.
Stay the fucking course, my ass.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Product Placement
It's pretty commonplace to see products placed in TV shows and movies. It's no surprise to see a character crack open a cold one while we're reminded that he likes Bud Light. It's no surprise to see the same type of Cisco phone on almost every show you watch.
I find it really odd then, when product placements are so blatant like it makes you gag ...or worse laugh. Case in point, I finally saw The Island last night (sort of dumb movie BTW, expect for the eye candy that is Scarlett Johansson). At one point, Ewan McGregor goes for a drink and we're zoomed into a shot of an aluminum bottle of Michelob which stays on screen for at least 3 seconds. Ewan then proceeds to take a small swig and we never hear from the bottle again. That doesn't sound like much screen time for the brand, but the way it was done was really odd. Seriously, it was a fast zoom into just the bottle with nothing else on screen. I get the feeling that the director, Michael Bay, was told to place the bottle into the movie and he didn't like that. So he directed this ridiculous spot in. But hey, I guess I remember the brand so in some sense it worked.
Compare that placement with Puma's placement of their shoes at the beginning of the same movie. There was a rack of the same cool looking pair of shoes which Ewan McGregor looks through. Not a huge deal and the puma logo itself is a bit blury since the focus is not on the shoes themselves. In this case, I still remember the brand, but it definitely didn't feel odd to see the shoes in this context.
The most ridiculous, contrtive product placement in recent memory has got to be Oreo cookie placement on 7th Heaven. It might just be because I think 7th Heaven is the most contrived drama on TV, but the way they "weave" the story of Oreos into the plot itself. At a few points in this episodes, the characters specifically mention Oreos and talk to each other about whether they like to twist open their cookies and lick the cream or if they just bite right into them. Actual plot lines to ensure we remember the product!
Got any other ridiculous, contrived product placements you recall?
I find it really odd then, when product placements are so blatant like it makes you gag ...or worse laugh. Case in point, I finally saw The Island last night (sort of dumb movie BTW, expect for the eye candy that is Scarlett Johansson). At one point, Ewan McGregor goes for a drink and we're zoomed into a shot of an aluminum bottle of Michelob which stays on screen for at least 3 seconds. Ewan then proceeds to take a small swig and we never hear from the bottle again. That doesn't sound like much screen time for the brand, but the way it was done was really odd. Seriously, it was a fast zoom into just the bottle with nothing else on screen. I get the feeling that the director, Michael Bay, was told to place the bottle into the movie and he didn't like that. So he directed this ridiculous spot in. But hey, I guess I remember the brand so in some sense it worked.
Compare that placement with Puma's placement of their shoes at the beginning of the same movie. There was a rack of the same cool looking pair of shoes which Ewan McGregor looks through. Not a huge deal and the puma logo itself is a bit blury since the focus is not on the shoes themselves. In this case, I still remember the brand, but it definitely didn't feel odd to see the shoes in this context.
The most ridiculous, contrtive product placement in recent memory has got to be Oreo cookie placement on 7th Heaven. It might just be because I think 7th Heaven is the most contrived drama on TV, but the way they "weave" the story of Oreos into the plot itself. At a few points in this episodes, the characters specifically mention Oreos and talk to each other about whether they like to twist open their cookies and lick the cream or if they just bite right into them. Actual plot lines to ensure we remember the product!
Got any other ridiculous, contrived product placements you recall?
Friday, October 13, 2006
Old News
I get a lot of random magazines for free - not free trials, I just continually get them without ever getting asked to pay for them. I signed up for a free magazine once and now I get emails for even more magazines. Most of them are useless, some are interesting. The latest one I got is MacWorld.
The magazine itself is fine and a good flip. Except for the fact that it's all old news. I just looked through the October issue and ever bit of news on there seems like it tired stuff back in August.
There is quite a bit of space devote to the Mac Pro, which is the high-end desktop Apple produces. This was a desktop announced during the Mac Worldwide Developers Conference during the week of August 7th.
And I'm reading about it in the Octover issue of MacWorld. Their website has obviously moved onto other things, but the print publication just seems out of it.
Now I totally understand the nature of publishing and deadlines. I used to manage a small monthly news magazine and we had to plan way ahead for anything that was date oriented (thus we usually just stayed away from time-sensitive stuff).
I also understand that I, along with tons of other web-savvy people, get the latest news from various blogs, news sites, and friends. For the people who care, details about the Mac Pro (or any tech item) become old news so quickly.
So why is MacWorld bothering to devote so much space to this a full two months after the product is announced? They already know most of their audience must be web-savvy and on the news. And they know their publishing cycle. If they're going to miss a hot topic like a big product announcement, they should deal with it by focusing on something more useful (which is what the latter part of the mag is devoted to) and not seem totally out of it by talking about something like it was just released the day before.
It's a new world and magazine production staffs should come to grips with this. It's no wonder that these types of publications are having trouble staying afloat. The lastest breaking news is rarely news to someone when they're reading it in a magazine. Even daily newspapers sometimes feel old depending on when an event occured. But a monthly mag? Stay away from "introducing products" to your readers. And gravitate to how the product is going to impact your readers.
The magazine itself is fine and a good flip. Except for the fact that it's all old news. I just looked through the October issue and ever bit of news on there seems like it tired stuff back in August.
There is quite a bit of space devote to the Mac Pro, which is the high-end desktop Apple produces. This was a desktop announced during the Mac Worldwide Developers Conference during the week of August 7th.
And I'm reading about it in the Octover issue of MacWorld. Their website has obviously moved onto other things, but the print publication just seems out of it.
Now I totally understand the nature of publishing and deadlines. I used to manage a small monthly news magazine and we had to plan way ahead for anything that was date oriented (thus we usually just stayed away from time-sensitive stuff).
I also understand that I, along with tons of other web-savvy people, get the latest news from various blogs, news sites, and friends. For the people who care, details about the Mac Pro (or any tech item) become old news so quickly.
So why is MacWorld bothering to devote so much space to this a full two months after the product is announced? They already know most of their audience must be web-savvy and on the news. And they know their publishing cycle. If they're going to miss a hot topic like a big product announcement, they should deal with it by focusing on something more useful (which is what the latter part of the mag is devoted to) and not seem totally out of it by talking about something like it was just released the day before.
It's a new world and magazine production staffs should come to grips with this. It's no wonder that these types of publications are having trouble staying afloat. The lastest breaking news is rarely news to someone when they're reading it in a magazine. Even daily newspapers sometimes feel old depending on when an event occured. But a monthly mag? Stay away from "introducing products" to your readers. And gravitate to how the product is going to impact your readers.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Do the Most Good
Public Radio International's "The World" program had a report today on the Beirut Film Festival which is going on despite the recent bombings in Lebanon. This year's festival was in doubt for obvious reasons, but the organizers strove to make it happen no matter what. Despite the organizers' will, they still had various challenges to overcome including funding. The usual sponsors diverted funds to help rebuild the country. However an American institure (not sure which) came through with necessary funds. This got me to thinking about what should be done and by whom.
While it's great this film festival went on despite the troubles in Lebanon, I wonder if the money spent on it could have been better used to rebuild some portion of the city. One of the organizers commented about the need for entertainment and inspiration and there's no doubt that such things help to keep the human spirit chugging along. But in times of acute need, I just feel like this money could have improved the lives of people in much more important ways.
Of course, I'm not privy to all of the details and I don't even know the reality of the situation in Beirut right now. And I know full well that bread and water do not feed the human soul. Film and art are important to the being of people everywhere. But the cynic in me tells me that charity for humanitarian purposes is much more important than giving to the arts.
How does one make a decision? For me, I tend to donate to causes where not too many people seem to recognize a need. After the US invaded Afghanistan, I donated the the UN Refugee Agnecy (UNHCR). I did this not because I was against the invansion of Afghanistan. In fact, I think W did the right thing with that one. But I saw a need for the people who would inevitably have to flee from all the stuff going on around them. It was also a bit of a contrarian viewpoint to all the people donating to fund helping 9/11 victims. I felt that the US government would help those victims out in the end (which, as far as I know, it has) and so I sent money where I thought it was seriously needed.
I think for most people, this sort of decision comes down to interest and personal meaning. If someone you know has a disease, you're more likely donate for research into erradication of that disease.
But I still feel a bit odd about donating to a film festival in a time of great humanitarian need. I wouldn't have done it. Would you?
While it's great this film festival went on despite the troubles in Lebanon, I wonder if the money spent on it could have been better used to rebuild some portion of the city. One of the organizers commented about the need for entertainment and inspiration and there's no doubt that such things help to keep the human spirit chugging along. But in times of acute need, I just feel like this money could have improved the lives of people in much more important ways.
Of course, I'm not privy to all of the details and I don't even know the reality of the situation in Beirut right now. And I know full well that bread and water do not feed the human soul. Film and art are important to the being of people everywhere. But the cynic in me tells me that charity for humanitarian purposes is much more important than giving to the arts.
How does one make a decision? For me, I tend to donate to causes where not too many people seem to recognize a need. After the US invaded Afghanistan, I donated the the UN Refugee Agnecy (UNHCR). I did this not because I was against the invansion of Afghanistan. In fact, I think W did the right thing with that one. But I saw a need for the people who would inevitably have to flee from all the stuff going on around them. It was also a bit of a contrarian viewpoint to all the people donating to fund helping 9/11 victims. I felt that the US government would help those victims out in the end (which, as far as I know, it has) and so I sent money where I thought it was seriously needed.
I think for most people, this sort of decision comes down to interest and personal meaning. If someone you know has a disease, you're more likely donate for research into erradication of that disease.
But I still feel a bit odd about donating to a film festival in a time of great humanitarian need. I wouldn't have done it. Would you?
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