Boston

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON BEAUTY

BOSTON POLICE

BOSTON MARATHON

BOSTON EMS, FIRE & POLICE

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Too Darn Hot!

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According to the Kinsey Report
Ev’ry average man you know
Much prefers to play his favorite sport
When the temperature is low,
But when the thermometer goes ‘way up
And the weather is sizzling hot,
Mister Adam
For his madam.
Is not,
‘Cause it’s too, too 
Too darn hot,
It’s too darn hot,
It’s too darn hot.

Too Darn Hot, by Cole Porter, from Kiss Me Kate

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I caught Al Gore on the Daily Show last week. I’ve had a soft spot for Gore ever since I shook his hand during his last senate campaign back in the day. He would have been President in 2001 if he had only run an honest campaign – if he hadn’t treated Clinton, and his successful policies like radioactive shit and had paid no attention to the “experts” trying to rebrand him every other week. On the other hand, I think his loss allowed him to become an actual human being.

Anyway, he was talking on the show about global warming. I agreed with everything he said. Its staggeringly stupid we, as a nation, treat climate change as just below the lack of Washington parking as a problem. One political party pretends climate change is a hoax, the other barely mentions it.

The less developed countries, particularly India and China, ignore the issue, too, in their frantic effort to modernize. Think Beijing smog and add  another million plus cars then add another million plus in India (oh, yes, add about another couple of thousand coal fired power plants). When the West’s industries came of age in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries no country did – or even thought to do – anything about climate change. When America barely preaches on the subject of climate how can we expect China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the dozen other nations clawing themselves up the economic ladder with dirty carbon based fuels.

Not that it really matters.

It’s too damn late to do anything about the climate. Think about this: suppose we could wave a magic wand and reduce carbon emissions to 1985 levels and kept them there for a decade or so. 1985 levels would not reverse global warming, it would only slow it down a bit. Indeed, if we could eliminate all carbon emissions global warming would continue for decades.

Perhaps in another decade or so there will be such a catastrophic climate event world leaders will finally realize the seriousness of the problem. But what will they do? More to the point, will they be willing to drastically reduce emissions? By that time will serious cuts do any good? I suspect every industrial nation will demand the others go first (or falsely claim they are cooperating).

I’m a pessimist. If we discovered a huge asteroid hurtling toward earth with the potential to destroy all life on our planet, I have no doubt world leaders would quickly coalesce around a massive effort to solve the problem, no matter the cost.

On the other hand, its not beyond the possible that the GOP would decry the vast astronomical conspiracy to further th UN’s goal of  world domination…

But with climate change, the evidence will accrue so slowly that it will be long past way too late by the time the world gets even semi-serious…

All photos by Mario Mercea, and subject to this creative commons license

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…And Cranes that Don’t…

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FLICKR GROUPS

Cranes - Cranes & Rigging - Fairbairn Cranes – Craneporn - Grove Cranes - Heavy Crane - Gottwald Cranes

Prefer Cranes on the Wing? This post’s for you!

Photo credits: click on each image for link to photographer; all photos subject to this creative commons license. 

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By the Sea…

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Del Mar… From sixth through eighth grade I lived in that idyllic small, beach town not far north from San Diego. Hot sand, blue water, palm trees, girls in bikinis…

Sunset, Del Mar, California  

FLICKR GROUPS

Del Mar & Solana Beach - Del Mar Race Track – Del Mar Fair

Photo by Matthew Meyer, subject to this  creative commons license

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Sunday Services

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photo by Seier+Seier, subject to this creative commons license

Seier’s  set Modern Architecture

FLICKR GROUPS

Churches, Chapels, Domes, Mosques, Temples, Shrines and Monaster

Gothic Churches

Contemporary Stained Glass Windows

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Travel’s Travels

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One of my favorite photographers on Flickr is Laura Travels. Not only are her photographs wonderfully gorgeous, they were take all over the world: From Thailand to Ecuador, from Alabama to Italy. Her favorites are exquisite…

While it may not be politically correct, Laura is not only an accomplished photographer, judging from photos of her, she’s also one beautiful woman.

FLICKR GROUPS

Alabama - Ecuador - Italy – Thailand

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Red Birds!!

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St. Louis Cardinals

Photo by SenzEnina, subject to this creative commons license

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Absolutely Golden!

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Three views of the Golden Gate Bridge. All photos subject to this creative commons license.

Photo by Hunter Luisi

Photo by Dave Patten

Photo by Maskington San Francisco

FLICKR GROUPS: The Golden Gate Bridge - The Golden Gate Bridge – 75th Anniversary    

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naked girl on a bridge

 Photo by Mario Mercea, altered by me, both images subject to this creative commons license 

Outdoors, a set by Mario

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It’s (maybe) the LAW!!

Photo by Niamor83 , subject to a creative commons license

Legal odds  and ends:

The ongoing war between cops and photographers continues. What amazes me is that the  police continuing their assault even though the law is just about always on the side of photographers.

The city fathers of Ft. Lauderdale think they can ban photography in public ares of the city by fiat. A judged disagreed. The Port Authority in New York has banned photos of its trains. A lawsuit is coming.

In the world of copyright, a court  has ruled a graffiti artist’s stencil of a photograph is a violation of the photographer’s  copyright. Duh.

In a closer case, a federal court ruled  against a well known painter for his use of several of the plaintiff’s photographer’s shots in his paintings.

It’s not a good idea to  use – without permission – an iconic photo in your Tony winning Broadway musical.

There is no more difficult job in photography than shooting weddings. A photographer has little or no control of the shoot, is on a tight schedule and is under pressure to preserve her clients’ special day in appealing photographs. Here’s what can happen to a hapless shooter who isn’t up to the job. It probably isn’t the best idea to post a photo of the bride in her underwear on your website.

Unless agreed otherwise, a photographer normally retains the copyright in photographs he takes for someone else. This is elementary. But its also elementary that companies try to shaft photographers.

Sometimes it is a very bad idea to try to cash in on your copyright, even if the law’s on your side.

Nobody likes the paparazzi, but you can’t just beat them up for taking your photo; but the poor guys get assaulted all the time.

While you may photograph what you see that’s public, that doesn’t mean you can publish your photo or use it commercially if your subject is a copyrighted public sculpture.

A right wing blogger expresses contempt for a Flickr photographer’s  take down notice.

A museum prohibits photography of its works of art. Can you photograph – and  post to Flickr -your photo of that adorable Renoir? Better not!

 This photo should be illegalPhoto of Annie Stoner, subject to a creative commons license

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Annie’s sizzling set of herself in the nude

Church Bells: A Gallery

Every Sunday (and for some, Saturday) church bells ring out across the land. Whether sounding out a particular melody or simple, repeated clangs, the sound of church bells is familiar to all and a comfort to many.

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CHURCH

BELLS

By Origamidon – creative commons

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