Bush League: The Warm Heart, Mr. Muntale :: 05. 1.08
Receiving a hand written letter from a friend in Malawi is a huge treat. From Mr. Muntale, a shop keeper and local chief in the Hewe valley:
"Dear Cy Kuckenbaker
First and foremost, I would like to know your life. How are you treated there?
With me here and the family, I am doing fine.
Sir, I have thought it wise to write you a letter because since you left Malawi, no communications with Mkwinda (that's him). You have been here in Malawi, chatted with us, to me that was a very good thing.
I know traveling is money. For you to come to your friend Jake. It means you really love one another.
The next thing is that you have been with us here (in his shop), so I should apologize if in any way myself or other people have done anything bad to you.
Nothing more to prolong. May God allow us to communicate once more in letters or physically.
Your Loving Brother"How can you not love a guy that writes like that?!
Drinking the Tigris: Old Glory ::
I was perusing flickr the other day and came across my buddy JR's latest photos. This one caught me off guard. From his notes:
"This is the massive face of the BP Hydrogen Refinery in Long Beach. It faces the 405 freeway; several thousand people see it every day on their way to and from work. It's a pretty provocative image made more so with each passing day. While I was shooting the plant, well within my rights, a security guard zipped up in his company truck and demanded I stop taking photos. He asked me to return to my car where I would meet him. By blowing through a red light, he beat me back to my car, which he had blocked in with his truck (it was the only car in a vacant lot on a Sunday afternoon). He wouldn't allow me to leave until I had given him my name, phone number, street address, place of business, and "reason" for being there. He claimed that "since 9/11, you can't shoot anything you want," and that I would need to check with the local police in order to find out what I was allowed to shoot. Unfortunately, this kind of misinformation about photographers' rights in the post 9/11 America is becoming more and more common. I eventually gave up trying to explain my rights as he seemed more intent on filling out his paperwork and keeping his job. It was a sad experience - his written english was very poor, and I ended up having to write the report for him. It's a hollow feeling to be forced to help someone take away your liberties; America in microcosm."
Bush League: Zolokere Choir :: 05. 6.08
I put this video up ten months ago and its been averaging around a thousand hits per month. It passed 10 thousand today. A nice landmark! It’s a no brainer considering how good the music is, but even so, the response is way beyond my expectations.
I'm glad to say that more will come out of this. No details for a while, but I've been talking with Malawi Jake about doing some field recordings that focus on this music. He's looking for a fitting project for his post-Peace Corps return to Malawi and it looks like it's going to happen this autumn.
I was shooting a soccer practice for Bush League when I heard the choir start. I recorded five or six more songs, so I'll have to post a couple more for you soon.
Bush League: 14 sec Malawi Moment of Zen :: 05.22.08
Drinking the Tigris: Bush League :: 05.27.08
Last week, I got to go over to the (scary) place where the Iraqis train and fire a full auto AK47. It was fun and broke the monotony. Nobody should ever be allowed to own one of these things, its ridiculous that there's an argument about it in the U.S. Otherwise my day to day life is so monotonous that I can't remember anything about it.
My personnel life is also pretty lame, but at least I have my film to keep me going. Every now and then I hit a patch in the footage that reminds me why I love it so much and why its become the focus of my existence.
Bizarre extremes?
This page contains all entries posted in May 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.
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