SATURDAY PHOTO

Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson
San Diego, June 1992

by Neil Leifer (b. December 28, 1942 in New York, New York)
(See sidebar for others)

Neil
Leifer began his career pushing wheelchairs into New York Giant games
to get free admission and then slipping in with the photographers on
the field. When he was 15, he got some photos of the game winning
touchdown of the first overtime game in league history between the
Giants and the Baltimore Colts in the NFL in 1958. He sold them to
Sports Illustrated and they put him to work. He had his first cover
shot at age 19. He was known for taking risks like when
he put a camera in the rafters of the Houston Astrodome to get a shot
of the canvas when Muhammad Ali knocked out Cleveland Williams for the
1966 heavyweight title. After more than 150 covers for Sports
Illustrated he left for bigger assignments with Time Magazine. Now 63,
he’s begun to slow down to just taking pictures of his grandchildren
except for occasional cover shoots for Sports Illustrated. Here are some more of his famous photos.

Deep Thought:
“Love is not something that you can put chains on and throw into a
lake. That’s called Houdini. Love is liking someone a lot.”
Today I am grateful for: Gentle people and other creatures
Guess the Movie:
“Here is the list of things to do while I’m away. Batteries need to be
replaced. Toys in the bottom of the chest need to be rotated. Oh, and
make sure everyone attends Mr. Spell’s seminar on what to do if part of
you is swallowed. Okay? Okay, good, okay.”  Answer:  Toy Story 2, 1999.  Winner:  RnBoW_SPOT.
One by One, Towns are Urging Peace
by Karen Dolan
Polls show that the American people are overwhelmingly dissatisfied
with the war in Iraq and want our beloved troops to come home as soon
as possible. Nearly 80 communities nationwide have put these sentiments
in city and town council resolutions that call for bringing our sons
and daughters home from a war that has become a deadly quagmire and an
occupation as unpopular in Iraq as in the United States. (Rest of
article here.)

TUESDAY POLITICS

So bizarre. First of all, how many of us know the geography of the whole darn Middle East well enough to know exactly where is Dubai, let alone the United Arab Emirates? For years now, we’ve been bombarded about terrorists, 99% of whom seem to have come from the Middle East, told to go about our normal lives but be paranoid as hell about anyone or anything in our environments that looks “different” or “suspicious.” Most of us have PTSD left over from 9/11 and pre-PTSD for whatever mysterious form terrorism will take next. And now we’re asked to comprehend that six major American ports will be owned by a Middle Eastern country??!! And that this was apparently just up and decided by the Bush administration without consulting the Senate or Congress or pretty much anybody. On Public Radio coming home from work I heard some shipping corporation type cooing that “what was the big deal”, the UAE would just own the company, they wouldn’t control security, no employees would change there on the docks or in the U.S. port offices. Then I saw a senator or congressperson from Florida on TV when I got home just fit to be tied that there wasn’t any kind of oversight committee about this, and in fact Miami’s mayor has demanded an investigation. And he’s not the only one. Republicans and Democrats alike are fuming. Governor Pataki of New York is pissed and so is Governor Ehrlich of Maryland. It’s not just about Fear of Arabs either. It’s that this would be a country managing the ports through Dubai Ports World (a firm it owns), not just an individual corporation. But the firm IS a corporation and the reason that’s worrisome is that corporations pay attention to their shareholders more than to security. Ports are best run by public port authorities. But Bush says, “who cares”, the deal’s final and the sale is closing March 2. So there. Nine days and counting. Remember when you only had to have someone look crosseyed and the color alarm thing would go to yellow to orange to red? I guess as we count what is it 22 dead in Iraq today the color is green to go on this one. Bizarre……

Deep Thought: “If you’re an ant, and you’re walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin.”
Today I am grateful for: Frozen food
Guess the Movie: “Listen. Since I’ve met you I’ve nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait. We’re caught in the middle of something sinister here, my guess is dad found out more than he was looking for and until I’m sure, I’m going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done.” Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989. Winner: dharmachild.
‘Partial Birth’ Abortion Ban Draws U.S. Supreme Court Review
by Greg Stohr
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the federal government can ban what opponents call “partial birth” abortion in a case that will pose the first test of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s approach toward reproductive rights. (Rest of article here.)

SUNDAY GOOD NEWS

I have to say I haven’t been following the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy so closely that I actually saw the 1000 meter speedskating
competition from start to finish. In fact, I didn’t see it at all yet, but I wish I had. I HAVE been hearing lots of flack on the media about the winner. Born in Chicago 24 years ago and raised by his mother, Shani Davis started skating in south side roller rinks at age 2. At 6 he switched to ice and (one of those quirks of fate) when his mother started working for an attorney whose son was a speedskater, Shani was
encouraged to try it too. By age 8, he was winning regional competitions. Twelve years and many competitions later, he was part of the US Olympic team in short track speedskating in 2002 in Salt Lake
City as the #6 competitor and he didn’t get to compete. In 2003 and 2004 he won the North American championship three times in long-track speedskating, which made him able to compete in the World Championship where he won the silver medal, losing the gold to Chad Hedrick. In February 2005, he became the first black American speedskater to win the World Championship all-round. He qualified for the current Olympics in the long track, winning his gold medal in world record time and
became the first African-American athlete to win an individual gold in Winter Games history.

So what is the flap? Apparently, US teammate Chad Hedrick (out of Texas) had a chance to win a record 5
golds if Davis had agreed to skate with a three-man team in a different speedskating event. Fact is, he was only asked to join the team a week in advance and was never formally part of the event. He also didn’t want to shove aside skaters who were chosen specifically for that race when he wasn’t. And he had focused on winning the 1000-meter all along, which would have kept Hedrick from getting his 5 golds anyway. For sticking to his long-term dream, he’s been called unpatriotic and selfish and been the brunt of racial epithets. The good news is a young black man from humble beginnings worked hard for years to make history as an athlete and did, possibly inspiring others in the field of winter
sports. The bad news is his victory is the target of a snipefest. Fortunately, he didn’t get this far by being intimidated.

Deep Thought: “Let’s be honest: isn’t a lot of what we call tap-dancing really just nerves?”
Today I am grateful for: Being able to watch my grandson experience being 14 and never having to go there again myself
Guess the Movie: “Wait a minute, Doc. Ah… Are you telling me you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” Answer: Back to the Future, 1985. Winner: Eliminate_the_Impossible.
Feingold Blasts Failure to Investigate Domestic Surveillance Program
WASHINGTON
- February 16 – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold released the following statement this afternoon following the Intelligence Committee Meeting. “The Intelligence Committee’s failure today to begin an investigation of the administration’s illegal domestic surveillance program is inexcusable. The Senate Committee charged with conducting oversight of intelligence matters has a responsibility to look more deeply into the President’s illegal secret wiretapping of Americans. The President has broken the law and Congress needs to hold him accountable.” (Rest of article here.)

SATURDAY PHOTO
(See sidebar for others)

Helen Keller (Hands)

by Yousuf Karsh
1948, gelatin silver print, 46.0 x 36.7 cm.

Yousuf Karsh died in 2002 at the age of 94, having become one of the world’s most famous portrait photographers. Click here and you will almost surely see one you’ve seen somewhere in your life. His image of Winston Churchill is said to be the most reproduced portrait in photographic history. (More about that here thanks to JacquiRashawna).  In this photo of Helen Keller’s hands you can see one thing he did with studio lights which was to light a person’s hands separately. He was born in Turkey (which was then called Armenia) and, like Lotte Jacobi (the photographer from the last Saturday Photo I posted), he had to flee his homeland because of persecution. He wound up being sent to live with his uncle in Canada, who was a photographer and who eventually had him apprentice with a famous portrait photgrapher in Boston. After four years he returned to Canada and set up a studio near the Prime Minister’s Office. As luck would have it, the Prime Minister discovered him there, took a liking to him and started introducing him to visiting dignitaries who sat for portraits. And eventually Churchill came to town, and the rest is history. Of the 100 people named by the International Who’s Who [2000] as the most notable people of the century, Karsh had photographed 51. Karsh himself was the only Canadian to make the list. Karsh said “My chief joy is to photograph the great in heart, in mind, and in spirit, whether they be famous or humble.” And boy did he ever.

Deep Thought: “Instead of a trap door, what about an area of the floor that just shoots up real quick and smashes the guy against the ceiling?”
Today I am grateful for: Weather forecasts (especially when they’re not blizzards like is happening to our east coast members)
Guess the Movie: “You tell God the Father it was a kindness you done. I know you hurtin’ and worryin’, I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now. Because I want it over and done. I do. I’m tired, boss. Tired of bein’ on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we’s coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. I’m tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There’s too much of it. It’s like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?” Answer: The Green Mile, 1999. Winner: Eliminate_the_Impossible.
On Fear, Lizard Brains, and 1984
by Arianna Huffington
I spent much of yesterday having people try to scare the hell out of me. In the morning it was President Bush. At night it was Big Brother. At times, it wasn’t easy telling them apart. Let me explain: (Rest of
article here.)

FRIDAY FIVE (well ok 10))

Appetizer – What was a class or course you took while in school that you realize now was a total waste of time?
Shorthand. I can’t think of a single person in the last 20 years I’ve heard say they used shorthand for any reason. When I was in high school it was a given that you took typing and shorthand if you were a girl because god knows very few girls would have an actual Career. Now the typing part came in handy to this very day. Modifications though – we used little pieces of correction paper, oh jeez we also used carbon paper way back then. Then it became whiteout, then correction tapes, then electric typewriters, then electronic typewriters, and then quantum leap – computers/word processing. Next quantum leap mindreading you think?
Soup – Who is the tallest person you know?
My son is 6’7” or 6’8”, I can’t remember which and it really doesn’t make that much difference. He’s like a tree. It would take a lot to knock him over. He hates it though. Hates to be stared at. Adolescence was excruciating for that reason. 10 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. Now that’s a solid gift to the world.
Salad – What’s your favorite midnight snack?
Life begins with much waking during the night for snacks and ends the same way. Most of the time it’s just trips to the bathroom now, but sometimes I wake up just enough to worry about something and then I can’t go back to sleep, so I snack. Usually something small I can leave crumbs in the sheets with – nuts, crackers, etc.
Main Course – Have you ever found money somewhere? If so, where did you find it, and how much was it?
When I was a hippie in the Haight-Ashbury, a friend (without telling me) had some hash shipped to himself at my address from some foreign country hidden inside a silk elephant. It was so mysterious, this package, that when a second one came a few weeks later, my housemates and I opened it instead, found more hash, and didn’t tell the addressee. I sold the hash through another friend and bought my first used VW bug. That was my only drug sale ever. It pissed me off. What was my friend thinking to put me in such jeopardy? Those were some insane days.
Dessert – Where would you like to retire?
I already am semi-retired. Did so much traveling in my youth I really don’t feel that fascinated to do more now. Just want to create an oasis of peace and beauty where I can travel ever inward and of course bring loved ones with me.

Deep Thought: “Isn’t it funny how one minute life can be such a struggle, and the next minute you’re just driving real fast, swerving back and forth across the road?”
Today I am grateful for: Feet
Guess the Movie: “Hey Paula, I gotta tell you something. I’m really excited about it. For the first time- today, I woke up, I came to the store, and I feel confident to say to you that if you don’t take this Michael McDonald DVD that you’ve been playing for two years straight off, I’m going to kill everyone in the store and put a bullet in my brain.” Answer: The 40-Year-Old Virgin, 2005. Winner: sherab_zangmo
Kidnapped U.S. Reporter Seen in New Video
By DIANA ELIAS
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 9, 2006; 4:44 PM
KUWAIT CITY — Kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll appeared in a video aired Thursday on a private Kuwaiti TV channel, appealing for her supporters to do whatever it takes to win her release and saying “there is a very short time.” (Rest of article here.)

THURSDAY WHATEVER

I wish I might have seen
the battles which that tree fought while I slept,
for this morning without doubt
it is a victor.

Deep Thought: “Whenever you read a good book, it’s like the author is right there, in the room, talking to you, which is why I don’t like to read good books.”
Today I am grateful for: Eager beavers
Guess the Movie:
“All right now, I’m comin’ out. Any man I see out there, I’m gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I’m not only gonna kill him, but I’m gonna kill his wife. All his friends. Burn his damn house down.” Answer: Unforgiven, 1992. Winner: Eiiminate_the_Impossible.
What Really Happened
by Cindy Sheehan
Dear Friends,
As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.
I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country. (Rest of article here.)