I ‘ve donated this bear to the www.elkinvalleytrails.org It will be auctioned off at there Trailsboogie event on June 16, 2016 at the Liberty 222 East Main downtown Elkin NC. Everyone Welcome! Food, Drinks, Trail Info, Music, and silent auction. Starts at 5:30 pm
Check the website out for more info
Is Democracy only for the connected? Is the Democratic process dying? Are our laws being applied to all fairly? Do people even know what happens at the local level of government? Are corporations overwhelming Washington with lobbyists?Asking ourselves questions is a good place to start. Local government is a good place to start. We need better leaders, nurture good leadership locally and you will have better leadership in Washington.
Apathy by the majority will allow the minority to rule. Pay attention to what’s happening in your local government.
I love this photograph its a simple quiet place for someone to sit and contemplate.
With the advent of the internet, smart phones and satellite surveillance we are losing privacy and personal space. Find personal space and keep it that way, don’t share everything online. If you want to keep something private keep it off the internet and your cell phone. Everything that is on the internet and on cell phones is recorded by something. Companies are putting dossiers on everyone that are sold to whomever wants it. You have no right to inspect or correct this information.
” Big brother is watching you” George Orwell
It should be restated “Everyone is watching You”
I remember reading the 1984 by George Orwell. I also remember the advent of public video cameras at road intersections and the public outcry. Now everyone does selfies and shares them with the entire world.
Land line telephones are the only place you have and expectation of privacy. If you use a portable phone that is connected to a land line you have no privacy. Snail mail that goes through the United States Post Office you have an expectation of privacy. Hillary should have stuck to writing letters. My point is people are using their privacy protected services less and the non private internet, email and cell phones more.
Everything that is stored in a digital database will be stolen, hacked and made public eventually. Whether this information is true or not. The most important thing is to protect minor children from engaging in online activities that will destroy their lives. Protect your privacy and future!
Another photography tip : Notice what others don’t.
In a prior post I talked about walking the streets of Charleston South Carolina. On Saturday morning there is a farmers market at King and Calhoun Street. I would stop for coffee and breakfast. I noticed this fountain with Rotarian sayings. It was obvious that a homeless person had spent some time on this bench under this Rotarian saying ” Is it fair to all concerned? ” I sat for an hour watching to see if the many passerby’s would notice this ironical momentary monument of our society. Of the couple hundred people that passed by, none did.
Many times at my gallery people asked, ” What photos I’m most proud of? ” I show this one and they look at me sorta funny until they understand it. This image is pure irony and says all that needs to be said about homelessness in one nondescript photograph.
I used to participate in an art festival in downtown Charleston South Carolina. It was during the Spoleto Festival and close to Calhoun and King Streets. Every morning at dawn I would drive into downtown Charleston and park my car then grab my cameras and walk the streets.
This gem I found in a vestibule on King Street. I can just imagine someone secreting about with a stencil and a can of spray paint. Was this a message directed towards a single person or for all of humanity. I think it was personal,it was in a corner hidden from the unobservant.
You choose on a daily basis whether you are going to be happy. You choose what is going to be the most important thing in your day. Dwell on the best things that happen to you no matter how insignificant to others.
Surround yourself with happy people and things. Your private spaces should have positive and uplifting artwork. Find the sayings and artwork that inspire you. Plant these in your private places such as desk drawer, car,bathroom and wherever you choose. As you travel through your day you will be reminded happiness is a choice.