cluster

Photo copyright 2000 Gazelle

Rhodes, Greece

river wave

Eisbach River, Munich, Germany.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nvTbJ9CPgxY

Does anyone out there know if there are any good spots for this near Portland? Maybe I'm breaching a river surfer code asking but screw it, I'm dying to try this.

that sinking feeling

Can't remember where I found this one but I like looking at it. Can't say exactly why either.

sharp but soft

Photo copyright 1995 Gazelle

Yucca, San Gabriel Mountains, California

montreal

Photo copyright 1994 Gazelle

beware

Photo by Nick Ut

Photo by Eddie Adams

We've all see the two images above. I'm too young to remember how they appeared in the media when new but from everything I've read they were prominently published. Naturally, these photos were dangerous to those who profited from or backed the Vietnam War, but they were shown anyway and helped to turn public support against the war. And from my study of the war, including learning about the relatively mild experiences of my father while serving in Vietnam, these two photographs depict a frequent reality in that country at that time: brutality, pain, and suffering.

This week I was reading Foulweather's Monday posting and began to think about just what the public has seen of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The image in Foulweather's post could, along with many other disturbing images we've likely never seen, be prominently and regularly seen in newspapers, internet, and television news broadcasts. But they are not. Ask yourself why. Imagine yourself as an American soldier over there, or as an Iraqi or Afghan living in one of the more violent regions. Imagine being tortured or beheaded. It's incomprehensible unless you're living it, really.

Recently I heard a report on NPR about the military cracking down on soldier's access to myspace, youtube, and blogging. This in spite of the fact that no security breaches due to this technology can be pointed to during the entire time we've been over there. Again, ask yourself why.

On a much more positive note, I heard another news story which was very uplifting. And it illustrates how infrequently we get reports of this kind, and especially about what the United Nations is doing (unless it's a dismal failure).

highlands

Photo copyright 1999 Gazelle

Temple, Central Bali