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Can we get a moratorium on the word "Desperate"?

When the Russians were backed against the Volga engaged in vicious fighting during the Winter of 42/43. Russian replacement soldiers were ferried by boat at night from the Russian staging area on the East side of the river, to the besieged City of Stalingrad on the other side of the river.(At night so as to avoid being strafed by the Luftwaffe). As these young often peasant soldiers boarded the boats each night, seeing the burning city across the near frozen river some were properly scared and fell out of line in fear. They were summarily shot on the spot. No discussion. "Next!". "Move along and board the vessel!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              

 

         

 

                 Stalingrad was a DESPERATE situation!


      Could we get a moratorium on the word "DESPERATE"?

Health Care Reform is "Desperate"?
Education reform is "Desperate"?
Deficit reduction is "Desperate"?
The War on Terror is "Desperate" (and just what is "Terrorism"?)
U.S. crumbling infrastructure is in "Desperate" condition?

Main Entry: des·per·ate
Pronunciation: \ˈdes-p(ə-)rət, -pərt\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin desperatus, past participle of desperare
Date: 15th century

1 a : having lost hope b : giving no ground for hope
2 a : moved by despair b : involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
3 : suffering extreme need or anxiety
4 : involving extreme danger or possible disaster
5 : of extreme intensity

At the Academy Awards

 

          

Going to cover a riot? Man UP!

“Civil Disobedience”, a  “riot”, an “unruly mob”, “hooligans”……….all music to a news photographer’s eyes and ears.  The chaos, unpredictability, the pathos, of angry, emotional crowds of people. And Yes, the DANGER!  These environments are among the most exciting to capture moments of anarchy, humanity, cruelty and even amusement.

Watching the scenes in Egypt today, I found myself flashing back on what I would do were I to join the photographic fray. A partial primer.

What would I take in addition to my camera package?  A waist pack, with a Flashlight (LED), Soft Gloves, clean rags or hankies, water bottles (as many as you can easily carry), a cap and clear eye protection a hand held radio with pre loaded law enforcement and public safety frequencies (analog and digital), maps (no not your iPhone map) a paper blow up of the 25/50 square blocks around the area of the event (laminated in plastic), a hard hat (optional) and any must have prescribed medications. ( You may plan 3 hours at the Demo and end up in Jail for 3 days. Take your meds! And throw in a bottle of asprin too! Do I really even need to mention food?)

 Dress in sturdy pants (no shorts) long sleeves, socks and light weight ankle high shoes (Merrells ). And dress for the climate.

Important Option:  A gas mask. If you have no training or experience in the use of Gas protection, and you have the time (and money) then do it. Train with CS gas, and expose yourself to it under accepted training practices.  There are many videos for gas training. Do your homework and buy/rent/ or borrow the gear, otherwise, go it the old fashion way. Take your chances.

Press Pass (what’s that you say, you’re a “Citizen Journalist”? NO “real” press pass?) Be imaginative go to Google Images search PRESS Pass take a template and make your own, laminate it and go forth) Hell even Flickr has a “Press Pass”.  Everyone is a journalist! (I say that derisively!)  Now, don’t get carried away. Make it clean and professional in appearance and do not misrepresent yourself.  Often an official appearing badge will get you cleared into restricted areas that otherwise you’d be denied.

Covering a potentially violent demo is all about judgment. And luck!  Want to stand on the top of that  garbage truck for a better view of Police busting heads in the park nearby? Go ahead and if the truck takes off and you break your leg you knew the risk. Still, taking chances can yield visual dividends. Dare smartly!

Think and act responsibly. It doesn’t take a social psychologist to read a crowd’s mood. And an otherwise restrained group can turn into a hostile mob in a few seconds. Remain Situationally AWARE! Watch your surroundings. Do NOT “pal around with demonstrators”. They are NOT your friends. You are there to cover the event.  No matter your politics you’ll be better served by remaining neutral in your actions.  No “high fives” or “glad handing” with participants. The “perception” of favoritism or editorial bias is easy to misconstrue. Be careful!  Likewise you are not there to “be friends with the Police” (way too many young reporters these days, think of themselves as allies of the Police. ) Further, hostile elements in a crowd of demonstrators may well interpret your behavior as being sympathetic or supportive of the “state”.  Do as law enforcement instructs, say “Yes, Sir” “No, maam” and then move on and find a way around them and get back to covering the chaos of the event.
 
DON’T run from Tear gas! Relax. Check which way the wind is blowing. (And are the police advancing on your position?!) CS gas won’t kill you. Yes, it burns, yes it’s uncomfortable. Yes it may make you sick and give you a maximum headache. So what? You didn’t come to this event to feel good. You came to cover it. Man up!  Practice with gas before hand, just as military and law enforcement do. Learn to quickly put on your gas mask and properly clear and fit it.  NO gas mask? Cover your face, mouth, nose and eyes as best you can. Then pour clean water into your eyes and NEVER touch your eyes/face with your hands!  Then reload, check your batteries and media and move out!  Find the story!  Keep moving!

TIP: Watch the Police Tactical Commander on the Street. They are  key.  Locate their Command post. Often "detainees" are held in a temporary staging area. Find it. If  possible get the tactical radio frequency of all Public safety and law enforcement to monitor their actions. ( this is highly unlikely anymore as many cities have moved their radios to Digitally encrypted transmission systems.)  Still it’s worth the look.

Each demonstration is different. Go to many. The vast majority are not violent. (thus less adrenaline). But you’ll learn with each event and one hopes get better at “covering” this kind of visual opportunity. There are many additional methods and means of planning to cover a demo. What is the route?: Have you done a recon?  Where are buildings you can get access to for high shots? Do a multi-team Shoot with Radio communications between photographers. (Don't count on the Net or Cell service being up.)  Anyway Go forth!  Have a blast! 

Disclaimer: Use this information at your own risk.

The author covered many demonstrations (some violent/most not) in Washington DC and elsewhere as a (20 year)  television news cameraman.

"These are the Days of our Lives".....Freddie Mercury/Queen

Photo  Flashback

Newsweek/Beast Merger Flashback to War, a Soviet Premiere and a great Photographer

Zennie Abraham of The Blog Report With Zennie62 writes a Smart and insightful piece on this merger of Newsweek with The Daily Beast.  Abraham observes that the merger between these two Old/New media firms can't last. Why? Because the rationale is based in the East Coast/ Big Media Celebrity, "it's going to happen because we set the tone" mentality.  And the rhetoric seems very yesterday . No articulated vision as yet. The NY Times Dealbook  suggests that Newsweek really needed  the creative editorial force of Tina Brown and that's why the deal was done.  They further point out the daunting financials of both  organizations. 

Tina Brown has long been a Journalism celeb because she took chances and brought a sassy Brit attitude to US publishing. Running the New Yorker & VF is  big time media no matter the era. Analog  OR Digital!  It just doesn't get much better than Tina Brown as an Editor.

But celebrity status and  Harmon &  Diller's money will  matter little if they fail to make this union go. I'm skeptical.

I  confess, a bit of sentimentality. It was Newsweek that sparked my interest in Journalism. My Mom sent me a subscription when I was a soldier/kid in Vietnam.  It usually came 2-3 weeks late and I'd carry the latest issue in my Rucksack into the Jungle.  And it was there that I  first read the byline of World Class Newsweek Photographer Wally McNamee, who snapped the image below of Russian Premiere Leonid Brezhnev. His mind and eye influenced my career choice.  So I wish Newsweek well.

PHOTO FairUse

Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev eyes actress Jill St. John at a poolside reception hosted by President Nixon in California.

 

P 

 

Soldiers as "Scum of the earth"

 "We have in the service the scum of the earth as common soldiers..."  So said, Sir Arthur Wellsley, the Duke of Wellington in describing the British Army in the early 19th century. (Though there is some debate among historians over the veracity and the wording.)

While it sounds harsh today, there are some parallels between then and now. The Washington Post today reports that army suicides are up again.  And yet this is not a surprise. In the fall of 2008, fully 24% of the US Army's ranks were high school drop outs, some criminal waivers were permitted as well as dubious psychological enlistees.  SecDef Gates pledged to reduce this number and indeed, recruiters have slowed this flow of dregs into the army.  (Stop by your local recruiter and ask the NCO’s)

What's that you say? What does it matter? Of course it matters. One need not be a sociologist to know that higher education translates into better unit effectiveness, esprit  de  corps and general strac level of a military unit.  Poor education does not guarantee these traits…..though ask an E-7 if he wants HS dropouts in his/her unit. Or someone with a criminal past.  Lower education is almost universal among soliders with  behavior problems and criminal conduct. Drug abuse and psychological problems are shared disproportionately amongst the uneducated.

The Army should provide a full statistical description of the suicidees. The overwhelming majority will be enlisted men. Uneducated and few of these self-destructing people will have been combatants. Indeed, I'm betting most were rear echelon personnel.

The Army brought many people into it's ranks that had no business being inducted. Suicides are but one part of that failure.  The other many more important negatives these undesireables stain the army with remain largely out of the public eye.   They should be discharged post haste. The Army will be better for it.

When Short Wave Listening Still Mattered

On April 18/19 of 1995, there were two significant events in world history.  One was the machete slaughter of some 2000 (mostly women and children) in the Kibeho refugee camp of Rwanda. Only 24 hours later the bombing  of a U.S. government building killing 300+ civilians in Oklahoma City by a single person.

 
Most Americans main source of news in the US was and remains television. (at least for now) And during that spring week in 1995, the American Networks broadcast near non-stop Oklahoma stories about the 300+ persons that were murdered by an armed militia sympathizer, Timothy McVeigh.  Little else was mentioned on the still dominant evening news casts of the big three.

Like many Hams, at heart I'm an SWL.  It is where most of us were introduced to the "magic" of radio.  And also like many hams, I have a bedside short wave radio that I listen to a couple of times a week. And so it was, by late in the week during that spring of 95, I tuned across the BBC's World News Feed for the 8:00pm broadcast.  And there for the first 20 minutes of the program, I was exposed to the world beyond the parochial interests of the American news organizations. There I learned for the first time of the brutal murders that spawned a week of chaos and blood thirsty killing throughout Rwanda.  The scale of the deaths in Rwanda paled the Oklahoma  City event.  And the fresh BBC reporting was mesmerizing when compared to the insular American coverage by commercial networks.

Now recall that Marc Andresson's Netscape Navigator was only in Version 1.22 by the spring of 1995. The Web was still in it's infancy. Internet connected mobile devices were some years away.  Even TV news still mattered.  And so did Short Wave Radio broadcasts. 

As the wireless-net connected world nears ubiquity, and despite the reduced number of short wave broadcasts, to me, Short Wave Listening still matters.  Enjoy it while you can.

In the 'analog era' they called it theft.

Cruising Google news, I stumble upon a Gizmodo  blurb with a direct rip off of a celebrated Winston Churchill quote in the first sentence. The practice of plagiarism is wide spread though efforts are being made daily to discredit the "permission" culture.  Proponents of the "remix"of content and "mashups'  use intellectual "pretzel logic" (thank you Steely Dan) to justify their actions.    Google's Open Source Program manager  claims such sharing ("stealing"?)  will "make the world a better place for us all" [Sometimes these Net utopians make  me gag] The intellectual rationale for this is led by distinguished Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig who founded the 'Creative Commons" legal framework to justify the taking of other people's ideas. "Lessig presents this as a desirable ideal and argues, among other things, that the health, progress, and wealth creation of a culture is fundamentally tied to this participatory remix process". And others have pushed this concept to absurd feel good lengths. 

I won't engage these zealots. But I don't think even Professor Lessig would accept a direct rip-off quote from one of the most important historical figures of the 20th century. Would he?

 

 

The Age of the SDR is about to explode

 
As an undergraduate at the University of Texas, I once took an Economics development course under Professor Walt Rostow.  He had been Lyndon Johnson's NSC advisor and a proponent of the Vietnam War (which I participated in).  Rostow was best known in academic circles for his book, The Stages of Economic Growth: A non-communist manifesto"

Professor Rostow held that after certain "pre-conditions" were met in a society, growth "took off". Often explosively. This "Rostovian take-off" concept was widely hailed as a significant model in understanding how economies evolved.

Now I don't know if Professor Rostow was a Ham radio operator. But I do believe his "take-off" theory is valid with respect to SDR adoption in ham radio in 2010.

The emergence of SDR's has been proceeding for some years now. As creative ham techonologists make ever more incremental advances in software defined radios. Domestically the Flex Radio is probably the best known. SoftRock.Org has enjoyed a serious "cult"  like following amongst software radio enthusiasts. And many other creative  SDR's have come onto the scene in the past few years. the Perseus has enjoyed wide spread commercial success and my fav the Quicksilver SDR is an impressive leap forward in the use of open source on a FPGA.  Ham Radio SDR "Impressario" N9VV is promoting many of the new entrants into this field.

 But were Professor Rostow alive today I think he would say that the entry of HB9DRV (Simon Brown's) SDR application would be the beginning of a rapid take off and wide spread adoption of SDR's across amateur radio. It could be argued that Mr. Brown's HRD has been the single most successful software application ever introduced into the hobby.  And by bringing his imaginative vision to SDR I predict HB9DRV will be a "Rostovian take-off" catalyst.

Dedicated RF devices will not disappear. But it is clear, the age of the SDR is about to explode. And Professor Rostow saw it coming decades ago.