Babushka Acquisition

I had some time to kill in between classes today so I went to the Value Village on Capitol Hill to see what I could see. After browsing aisles full of discarded softball jerseys and t-shirts celebrating various corporate team-building exercises from years gone by, I came across the “Collectibles” section of the store. It was here, tucked away alongside a plastic garden gnome, a glass seahorse figurine, and many other random tchotchkes, that I found the sweet Babushka doll pictured above. Why this babushka doll was made I have no idea, but that didn’t stop me from buying it (and at $2.99 how could I afford not to?). The five separate dolls commemorate the past five US presidents, and then, for no reason that I can ascertain, Vladimir Putin, the current prime minister of Russia. I especially like the hapless expression on George W’s face, and it makes sense that someone would put his mug on a traditional Russian doll. After all, you can’t spell Babushka without Bush.

Street Portraits

Here are few more portraits I took while in Seattle’s U-District. Pictured above is a guy who calls himself Hurricane II. He sells the the Real Change newspaper behind the UW bookstore. I think he liked getting his picture taken. The flag was his idea and he waved it around like a real pro. If you ever see Hurricane around, be sure to buy a newspaper from him.

This is a picture of Maggie. She works on the Ave as a direct fundraiser for a children’s charity. She’s one of those people who stop you on the street, shake your hand, then convince you to sponsor a child. I think that must be a really tough job, but judging by Maggie’s smile, the work doesn’t seem to be getting her down.

The Oregon Coast

Cape Meares, OR

My girlfriend and I went down to the Oregon Coast last week for a few days of camping and sightseeing. The weather was exceptional and the salt-water taffy was abundant (why is it that the only time I eat the stuff is when I’m in Oregon?). While there we had a chance to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory, aka Cheese Mecca. This was a place I had always wanted to visit because I consume vast, sometimes unhealthy amounts of their product and thought it was only right to see how the stuff gets made. Besides that, we spent our time driving up and down beautiful Highway 101, stopping here and there in the tiny little cities that dot the coast. Here are some pics:

Only good things come out of that factory.

The free cheese samples were glowing, as if they had descended from some sort of cheese heaven.

This girl gave us two of the biggest scoops of ice cream ever.

A sign on a candy store’s door in Cannon Beach, OR.

This guy was working the taffy machine and stopped to pose for a picture

Sunset on Cape Lookout, OR.

Street Shots

To say that I’ve been mildly obsessed with my new 50mm prime lens lately would be a gross understatement. I seriously can not stop taking pictures with this thing. I just took it to the Oregon coast (pictures coming soon) and I don’t think my camera left my shoulder the entire time. Now that I’m back in Seattle and have a better feel for how it works, I’ve been really getting into street photography and street portraits. Really the hardest part about this discipline is getting comfortable approaching people and not being afraid to take a picture, even if it might make you or someone else a little uncomfortable. Today I went around the University District and walked up and down the Ave for about 20 minutes just snapping away and asking the occasional stranger if I could take their picture. Most people said yes, and the few people who said no mentioned that they weren’t allowed to be photographed while working or in work clothes.  The guy above was the first person I asked and not only did he agree to be photographed, he also struck a really natural and relaxed pose, as if he gets asked for his photo all the time (or maybe people who wear sweatpants in public just know a thing or two about how to live a life of leisure). Next time I will bring a little notebook so I can remember the names of the people I shoot. Anyway, here are few more. Lemme know what you think.

Explosive Listing

Take a look at this chalkboard I spotted outside a general store near Gales Creek, OR. At first glance it appears to be pretty innocuous, just a couple of postings for firewood, puppies, towing services and whatnot. Nothing wrong about that, right?

AR-15 rifles?!? Various handguns? Something tells me we’re not in the city anymore.

New Lens, New Looks

My birthday rolled around yesterday, and along with it came my newest piece of camera equipment, the Sony DY 50mm f/1.8 lens. I haven’t played around with it that much, but so far I’ve been very impressed with the results. The pictures are sharp and clear, and the backgrounds tend to be fuzzy and warm. It’s perfect for portraits, candids, and street photography. The lens has a fixed focal length, so you have to rely on your feet if you intend on zooming in or out. It’s very lightweight and fast and easy to shoot with. So far the only difficulty I’ve had is getting used to its sensitive focus adjustment. Here are the some results from my first test shots. Lemme know what you think.

Experienced Veteran

Was watching the Husky Football game last Saturday when I noticed an odd stat under Kavario Middleton’s name. Hat tip to my friend Kevin who quipped, “That guy must be a fifth year senior…CITIZEN.” The best I could come up with is  “Kavario Dawson: the only current player on the Husky roster to have witnessed their last winning season.” Needs some work. Let me know if you can do better.

Suggested Reading: “Trial By Fire”

Cameron Todd Willingham in his cell on death row. Photo by Ken Light

Just finished reading an absolutely captivating piece by David Grann in the New Yorker. The article, entitled “Trial By Fire,” documents the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man who was convicted and later executed for killing his three children in an apparent case of arson. Grann’s article, however, reexamines the case to show that Willingham was the vicitm of a railroading of epic proportions, from poor defense attorneys, questionable evidence, and a less-than-reliable jailhouse informant. In one startling bit of testimony, the prosecution argued that the posters of heavy metal bands Willingham hung on his walls were evidence that he was a sociopath.

At one point, [prosecutor] Jackson showed [expert witness] Gregory Exhibit No. 60—a photograph of an Iron Maiden poster that had hung in Willingham’s house—and asked the psychologist to interpret it. “This one is a picture of a skull, with a fist being punched through the skull,” Gregory said; the image displayed “violence” and “death.” Gregory looked at photographs of other music posters owned by Willingham. “There’s a hooded skull, with wings and a hatchet,” Gregory continued. “And all of these are in fire, depicting—it reminds me of something like Hell. And there’s a picture—a Led Zeppelin picture of a falling angel. . . . I see there’s an association many times with cultive-type of activities. A focus on death, dying. Many times individuals that have a lot of this type of art have interest in satanic-type activities.”

The other medical expert was James P. Grigson, a forensic psychiatrist. He testified so often for the prosecution in capital-punishment cases that he had become known as Dr. Death. (A Texas appellate judge once wrote that when Grigson appeared on the stand the defendant might as well “commence writing out his last will and testament.”) Grigson suggested that Willingham was an “extremely severe sociopath,” and that “no pill” or treatment could help him. Grigson had previously used nearly the same words in helping to secure a death sentence against Randall Dale Adams, who had been convicted of murdering a police officer, in 1977. After Adams, who had no prior criminal record, spent a dozen years on death row—and once came within seventy-two hours of being executed—new evidence emerged that absolved him, and he was released. In 1995, three years after Willingham’s trial, Grigson was expelled from the American Psychiatric Association for violating ethics. The association stated that Grigson had repeatedly arrived at a “psychiatric diagnosis without first having examined the individuals in question, and for indicating, while testifying in court as an expert witness, that he could predict with 100-per-cent certainty that the individuals would engage in future violent acts.”

Furthermore, witness testimony by arson experts, which was not available to Willingham at the time of his trial, proved that the fire that claimed his three children was accidental. Despite mountains of evidence detailing Willingham’s innocence, his appeals were dismissed.

This is an incredibly well-written article and I highly suggest that if you have a little extra time that you give it a read. Grann does a remarkable job recreating the case and piecing this heart-wrenching story back together in amazing detail. Do yourself a favor and read this one.

Whole Article

Update – Slate did a follow-up to Grann’s and how it relates specifically to the use of the death penalty. [Article]

Shofar So Good

- And on the seventh day, God said “Let this go viral.”

The Jewish high holidays are just around the corner, so why not get into the spirit with a good ol’ fashioned Shofar showdown? But this time there’s a twist. As the rabbi gets his Miles Davis on with some sweet shofar blasts, a curious black dog wanders into frame to show him that he’s not the only one with a serious set of pipes. The look on the rabbi’s face is priceless. I sure wish that dog were around when I went to Sunday school. He would have made synagogue a whole lot cooler.

Related Listening: “One Day” – Matisyahu

Dinner’s Ready…or Not

Just when I thought I had seen all the crazy foods imaginable, I stumbled upon this little gem at a Korean grocery store in Lynnwood, WA. I have no idea what a “bung” is, but it doesn’t sound the least bit appetizing. No sir, none for me, now will you please pass the chicken nuggets? I may not know what’s in those things either, but when it comes to eating questionable animal parts, ignorance is bliss.