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Current Issues  /  News & Comment
Don’t Burn The Toast
January 23, 2017
charles i. letbetter - don't burn the toast

Butter doesn’t cover the cancer-causing ingredients

charles i. letbetter - don't burn the toast

The Short Story

Britain’s Food Standards Agency says that starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, and chips, develop a toxic level of Acrylamide when they are cooked too long, ie. burned. The same thing happens to potatoes and parsnips that are kept in the fridge. Cooking the food to a golden yellow, rather than brown, is the safer move. However, the studies done have only included animals, not humans. Proceed at your own risk.

A Little More Detail

Starchy foods contain a lot of sugar, right? And when that sugar is heated above 120°C then it produces the chemical Acrylamide at levels that have shown to be toxic to DNA and cause cancer. No one likes cancer. Cancer kills a lot of people and the last thing anyone wants in their obituary is the line, “She died because someone burned the toast one too many times.” So this is a very, very bad thing.

Maybe.

The lab test have all been done on animals, most of which share a close DNA link to humans. Therefore, it is assumed that the result scientists get in the animals is the same they would get in humans. To be sure, though, they’d have to study the effect on humans. Someone would have to eat a lot of burned toast. Apparently, no one really wants to volunteer for that project, even if it includes a free lunch—of burned toast. So, as of yet, there have not been any tests done on humans. I’m sure you can appreciate why.

However, without the human studies, some scientist say the findings are inconclusive and that burning your toast is probably just fine. Don’t worry about those pesky little carcinogens. The cholesterol from the butter is probably more dangerous.

So, what are we to think?

Here’s the thing: the list of potentially affected foods includes: crisps, bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, crackers, cakes, and coffee, as a result of the roasted beans.

Wait, COFFEE?? Say it isn’t so! You can take my toast, but you CANNOT take my coffee!

The current recommendation is that you just don’t burn anything, or get it too crispy. That would imply going with more moderate to mild coffee blends as well. That rather sucks for those who like a bold coffee first thing in the morning. Still, I guess that’s better than getting cancer. Barely.

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Behind The Scenes  /  News & Comment
Texas Shootout
January 23, 2017
charles i. letbetter - texas shootout

Another Jewel Heist Gone Wrong

charles i. letbetter - texas shootout

The Short Version

A couple of guys tried knocking over the Kay’s Jewelers outlet in the Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio. It didn’t work out well for anyone. One man was killed, one robber was wounded, and six other mall shoppers were wounded as the robbers tried to escape. Both robbers are currently in custody.

How It Happened

Jewelry heists are something of a tradition in Texas, going back well before they were a state. Apparently, some people think that is a tradition worth upholding and considered a mall jewelry store a good target. Never mind that there were security guards all over the place and people all over the mall and, oh yeah, Texas is an open carry state, so a few people are probably armed and anxious to find a fresh target. Best guess is that the would-be robbers thought the mall would be relatively empty and the openness would make for an easy get-away.

Their plan didn’t come off too well, though. When a passerby saw what was going on at the jewelry store, he tried to intervene. Unfortunately, one of the robbers decided to shoot and kill the good samaritan. The firing of shots attracted a lot of attention, including that of another man who was licensed to carry a weapon. He used that weapon, shooting and injuring one of the robbers. That scared the other robber who probably feared other shoppers might be armed. So, he goes running for the closest exit, firing his gun at random shoppers because, hey, it’s Texas; apparently that’s the way it’s done down there. Six more people were injured.

Austin police were on the scene quickly and the robber was captured as he crashed his getaway car. Police found a couple more guns in the car, so there will be plenty of additional charges. There is no word this morning on the condition of the shoppers injured.

This is the second time an innocent bystander has been killed during an act of good-samaritanism in San Antonio. Not a good thing.

But then, this is Texas. They still have that cowboy reputation.

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Photography  /  PotD
Strong Women: A Gallery
January 22, 2017
charles i. letbetter - strong women

Beauty and glamor does not make a woman any less powerful

charles i. letbetter - strong women

Over the years, I’ve photographed hundreds of thousands of women. Many were beautiful models, but many were not. Every last one of them, however, has been a wonderfully unique individual. So, when someone comes along disparaging women in any way, I tend to take offense. I despise the stereotype of the air-headed model who doesn’t know anything more than how to look good. Sure, there have been a couple over the years who seem to match that description, but the vast majority are far from that. Even those who might appear somewhat clueless are usually hiding strong qualities that are not immediately evident.

So, for today’s gallery, I decided to choose a group of photos specifically highlighting some of the strongest women I’ve known, specifically focusing on images from 2003-2008 just to keep things under control. Among those, you’ll find photos of Cherokee women quilting and doing beadwork. You’ll also find the late Anne McCaffery, author of the Dragonriders Of Pern series. You’ll find musicians, dancers, actors, designers, accountants, lawyers, immigrants, and so many others that I can’t remember them all.

If I were to include all the strong women I’ve ever shot the gallery would go on for pages. They are the rule, not the exception. Enjoy.

[Remember, click on an image to view the gallery in slideshow mode.]

[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id=”9692″ layout=”contain” columns=”4″]

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Current Issues  /  Long Read  /  News & Comment
Design Your Own Dissent
January 22, 2017
charles i. letbetter - Design Your Own Dissent

Not every day is a march but every day can be dissent

charles i. letbetter - Design Your Own Dissent

I’ll admit, I was amazed yesterday. Over one million women showed up in cities around the world to protest the policies and rhetoric of the 45th president of the United States. What quite literally started as the frustrated rant of a grandmother in Hawaii grew to the largest global protest ever.

The Women’s March on Washington proved a number of things. One is that women care a lot more about issues than old white men realized. Another was that women can show up in record-setting numbers and still be peaceful. Unlike protests on Friday that resulted in 230 arrests, the District of Columbia’s homeland security director, Christopher Geldart said there were no arrests in relation to the Women’s March. Third, it proved that women are tireless when fired up. At 8:00 PM last night, long after the march was scheduled to end, there were still thousands of women marching, chanting, and waving their signs.

Most importantly, perhaps, yesterday’s protests proved that the single voice of dissent can make a tremendous difference. One might feel alone in their opinion at times, and there will always be someone who will try to tell you that you’re wrong, but when you speak up you might just find that millions of people around the world agree with you. Your voice and your opinion matters.

Now, the question is where do you go next? How do you continue your dissent in a manner that is both effective and appropriate? The energy from the Women’s March was terrific, but how does one keep that energy going when there is laundry to be done, meals to cook, pets to feed, chores to do,  and a career to chase? The true effectiveness of the Women’s March on Washington is not in the number of people who attended, but in the change it produces going forward. Dissent cannot be a one-day matter; it must be continual and persistent or it does no good at all.

Fortunately, we live in a time where we don’t necessarily have to march every day to make our dissent known and for it to be effective. We just happen to have some ideas.

Join A Group Of Like Minds

If you didn’t read yesterday’s article, Do You Really Care? then please put it on your list of things to do today. If you have not downloaded Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda, we strongly recommend doing so. Much of what I would put under this heading is covered in those two documents and I really don’t want to be overly redundant.

That being said, however, one of the most powerful forms of dissent is to organize. I’m not saying you have to be the leader. I’m not saying you have to have regular meetings. Having coffee with a couple of friends who feel the same as you can be effective, though. The power of being in a group, even if it’s small, is the support and encouragement and affirmation that comes from being with those who have the same concerns, share your worries, and are looking for their own voice. You help them, they help you, and the dissent grows stronger every time you get together.

The energy in the Women’s March on Washington is a good example how a group can be effective. Of those millions of people who marched, how many would have done the same thing if they knew they would be alone? Very few, I’m sure. A single protestor holding a sign doesn’t get much attention in D.C. A group, however, has the ability to make more of an impact. One person shared her rant with 40 people. Look what happened.

On a smaller scale, being part of a like-minded group gives you much of the same energy. Share what you’re doing as an act of dissent. Talk about the responses you get from members of Congress and others you encounter. Share your worries. Encourage your friends. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but revolutions grow out of a couple of people sitting around having coffee and a danish. Find someone. Get together.

Want to be part of something larger? Try the Women’s March 10 Actions for 100 Days.

Start A Dissent Blog

There are a lot of ways a person can speak up online, but a blog remains one of the most effective, even outside of social media. The reason is that social media is “in the moment.” People see what has been put there in the past two minutes, but have more difficulty finding material posted days, weeks, or months earlier. Blogs eliminate that problem. Blogging platforms do a great job of automatically indexing everything you create so that it’s there and retrievable at all times without too much fuss or bother.

Another great thing about blogs is that you don’t have to be a professional writer and you don’t have to attend to it every day. You can work your blog around your own schedule, in whatever manner you want, with content of your own choosing. There are no rules about what you can or cannot say or how you say it. Curse. Scream.  Whisper. You formulate the voice you want to express and then set it out there for the world to see.

How do you get started? We strongly recommend wordpress.com for most people. WordPress is a powerful publishing platform used by large sites such as the New York Times and the brand new Obama Foundation. A lot can be done with WordPress if one knows what they’re doing. However, most people don’t have that knowledge and, quite honestly, don’t want to be bothered with the time and expense of operating a full website. WordPress.com solves that problem. You can create your own blog there, on their servers, with very little effort and no expertise. You can make it large, you can keep it small, it’s all up to you.

From there, it’s just a matter of letting people know you’ve created something. Social media is good for that. Share your article with your friends. In fact, I’ll make you a promise: tag me with your dissent blog posts and we’ll share them as well. As we share each other’s content, the dissent grows and becomes more public. The power of a single voice becomes stronger.

We can help you with this one. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Hold Politicians Accountable

Let’s get real for a brief minute here. Politicians have never been the most honest group of people in the world. Whether they’re American or Mexican or French or Gambian, lying is something they all do extremely well. Our memories tend to be short on these matters, but misinformation coming out of the White House is almost a tradition. What has changed is that we can no longer afford to brush aside those lies and exaggerations. We can’t let the president or anyone else in the administration get away with deliberate and intentional lies about what they’re doing or the facts surrounding an issue.

Holding politicians accountable is a very powerful form of dissent right now because it’s not something we’ve done on a large scale before. Sure, there have been organizations such as Snopes that have cropped up in recent years, but to the extent that they don’t force their information onto a politician or anyone else, they need people like you and me to help spread the word. There are plenty of other sources as well. The Associated Press regularly fact-checks major speeches, whether by the president or anyone else who is getting national attention. Major newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post have huge archives with which they can check the accuracy of historical claims. The resources are there.

What has to happen, though, is that you and I have to be the ones to hold politicians feet to the fire both publicly and privately. Share fact-checking posts on social media. Confront your members of Congress with facts through email or letters. It is not enough that the information is being published, politicians need to know that you are paying attention. They count on the overload of information keeping you confused and uncertain of what they’re doing. One of the most powerful forms of dissent comes when you say, “Senator, I know you’re lying and I won’t tolerate it.”

Let ’em have it.

Use Social Media

Social media may be the most publicly accessible form of voicing one’s dissent there is. Generally free and open to everyone, the ways in which you can voice your dissent are innumerable. You can be as creative as you want, use almost any format you want, and address any issue you want. The world is open to hearing from you and the more unique you are in voicing your dissent the more powerful your voice can be.

There are, however, some caveats to this method. There are millions of people on social media, which means the volume of messages is heavy. There are a lot of things out there that don’t need to be repeated and are not deserving of the attention one has to be careful. Here are the guidelines we use for our own posts:

  1. Verify everything you can before sharing. We’ve gotten caught occasionally jumping the gun and posting something that wasn’t quite true. A couple of years ago, that was no big deal. Apologize, remove the post, and move on. Today, however, given the tremendous influx of fake and misleading news, we have to be ever diligent and double our efforts to make sure that what we share is accurate.
  2. Don’t be distracted by trolls. When you post something controversial or something that doesn’t sit well with some “friends,” comments are often made that start with phrases such as “Yeah, but what about …” or “That’s something a [derogatory name] would say,” in a deliberate attempt to diminish the impact of the post by pulling an argument away from the message. Don’t fall for it. When it happens, either delete the comment (you can do that) or block the person. Don’t take them on. Don’t argue with them.  That’s what they want. Remove them and continue.
  3. Use hashtags when they’re appropriate. I’ll admit, when hashtags first started becoming a thing, I didn’t like them. They seemed stupid and unnecessary. What I’ve learned over the past few years, though, is that they actually do serve a purpose, especially when one is talking about something topical and trending. People are much more likely to see what you’ve posted if it contains an appropriate hashtag such as #SpicerFacts or #WomensMarch.

Another issue that is extremely important in social media is sharing. Each of us has a rather limited audience that is a fraction of the total number of friends or followers we might have on any given platform.  When we share what each other has posted, we enlarge that audience and spread the message of dissent. The more we share, the broader the dissent becomes. Don’t be afraid. Share liberally and watch the dissent grow.

Visual Aids

A quieter but still effective form of dissent can come in the visual elements you wear or place around you. Now, let’s be a tiny bit careful here. Your workplace may have rules regarding the display of anything that might be considered political or controversial. Check if you are not sure of your employer’s policies. However, that being said, to the extent you can do so without getting fired, wearing buttons and t-shirts, posting signs and stickers that voice your dissent are very powerful. You don’t have to say a word for people to know where you stand. The more people see such forms of dissent, the more likely they are to join in the dissent, making it all the more powerful.

I’m personally of the opinion that the strongest visuals are those you make yourself, but then, I have tools to make them look good.  Not everyone has the time or motivation to create their own. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of places across the Internet that sell buttons and stickers. Cafe Press probably gives you more choices across a number of different products, from buttons to stickers to t-shirts and more.

There’s also the option of purchasing bulk buttons and stickers and distributing them to like-minded people. My personal preference is for buttons simply because my experience has been that people tend to put stickers in places where they’re not wanted and the stickers are difficult to remove. Buttons can be transferred from one piece of clothing to another and generally don’t tend to violate as many corporate dress policies.

Don’t Be Afraid To Be Extreme

To what extent you take your dissent may well depend on your lifestyle. Not everyone can be extreme in their dissent, but those who can shouldn’t be afraid to do so. I’ve already seen a couple of tattoos and at least one person has had “resist” cut into their hair on the side. Things such as car wraps are a little expensive for most of us, but are still an extreme form of dissent that is definitely going to get noticed (and make cause your insurance rates to go up).

Extreme can also come in the groups which one chooses to support. From Planned Parenthood to the ACLU to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are dozens of major organizations that are providing a voice of dissent. Each of these non-profits rely on donations. While they are happy to accept even the smallest amounts, an extreme donation from those who can reasonably do so can make a tremendous difference in voicing your dissent. Yes, it can be a bit scary, but it is worth it.

And Finally …

Don’t be afraid to inject some humor into your dissent. There’s plenty to be had and the effect of humor on dissent can be extremely powerful. Here are some examples we pulled from the #SpicerFacts stream on Twitter.

See? We can have fun and still make our point loud and clear.

How you design your dissent, the means and the methods which work best for you, is totally subjective. There are numerous options and choosing what is going to be effective depends largely on your lifestyle and level of comfort and passion. What’s most important is that we not let up in making our voice heard. Now. Tomorrow. Next week. Next year. Every time someone in this administration and this Congress attempts to infringe on someone’s rights, to deny equality to any group, to implement policies that are not in the best interest of the American people, we have to be there, loud and strong in our dissent.

We are just getting started. Together, we can resist.

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Current Issues  /  Long Read  /  News & Comment
Do You Really Care?
January 21, 2017
charles i. letbetter - do you really care

To care is to do something about the problem.

charles i. letbetter - do you really care

The Short Version

Over 65 million Americans did not vote for the person who is now the 45th president. They don’t like him. They disagree strongly with his rhetoric and proposed policies. So, millions of them are marching today in protest. We applaud and support those protests happening around the world. Yet, protesting is never enough. If we want to truly resist the new administration, we must take actions on a continual basis that reach not only through the halls of Congress, but to Wall Street and throughout corporate America as well. We cannot be silent and expect anything to change. If one truly cares about resisting, then one needs to take action.

Let’s Start With  What Was Missed

I saw a lot of people out yesterday between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. I would know because I was one of them. I didn’t want to even be near a computer or a television or anything else that would remind me of the horrible act that was taking place in our nation’s capital. A fascist and would-be tyrant was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. As with any inauguration, the event was more spectacle than actual substance. Yet, that was enough to distract our attention.

Hardly anyone noticed that there was yet another school shooting yesterday. A 17-year-old student walked into West Liberty High School in West Liberty, Ohio, with a loaded shotgun and opened fire. The scene could have been horrible, but it wasn’t. The teen wasn’t actually aiming directly at anyone. One student was wounded, but staff and teachers responded quickly and had the shooter on the ground and restrained by the time police arrived. He’ll face a charge of felonious assault. The wounded child will recover.

Who cares? Five years ago, that event would have been enough to pre-empt just about anything else on television. At the very least, it would have been inserted into the constant news coverage every few minutes. It wasn’t.  Not all that long ago, a school shooting would have been on the front page of every newspaper in the country. This morning, however, it’s not even mentioned on the website of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s not there. There’s no statement from Ohio Governor John Kasich. Nothing.

How high does the body count have to be in a school shooting before anyone cares?

Other Things You Might Have Missed

The inauguration is a big deal, I’ll give you that. “The peaceful exchange of power,” stands starkly against the ongoing situation in Gambia where defeated president Jammeh is being reluctant to step down. Neighboring countries were ready to invade over that one. So yes, the fact that we change from one president to another without having a serious power struggle is rather impressive and something to be celebrated. Yet, do we dare exclude everything else going on while we do?

Here are just a few headlines that are being under-reported this morning:

It is naive to think that none of those things matter in the wake of the dangers the new president presents. These are the dangers the new president presents. His new policies threaten everything from education and emergency management response to terrorism and international aid. We live in a world where not only what one does matters, but what one doesn’t do as well. Why are there women marching in protest in other countries than our own? Because they are just as concerned as we are as to what could possibly happen.

A Global Perspective

Being a global power means that what we do as a country affects much more than our own population. The decisions being made in Washington affect billions of lives outside our own borders and every last one of this lives is just as important as your own. The Associated Press took a look at some international reactions to the inauguration speech and this is what they found:

  • People in Afghanistan are concerned we might leave them stranded, allowing the Taliban and other terrorists to take over the country again.
  • Mexicans found the speech “hyper-protectionist” and worry about the future of American investment in their country.
  • In Pakistan, clerics are deeply troubled by the president’s promise to eradicate Islamic terrorism, fearing peaceful Muslims could become targets.
  • Japanese people are worried that the president’s decision to exit the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership will negatively affect the economies of all other participating countries.
  • State-run papers in China are worried that trade issues with the US are inevitable given the president’s rhetoric.
  • South Korea is worried that the US might not help in fighting back North Korean aggression on their soil.
  • Indians are worried about immigration prospect and ties with US-based technology firms.
  • Vietnamese people were concerned about the degree of self-focus and protectionism.
  • Australians found the speech divisive and fear this is the new “normal” for the US president.

What I fear we fail to understand is that any one of those international concerns has the potential to create a global crisis. The global economy is shaky with many nations sitting on the brink of bankruptcy and/or default. The crash of banks in even the smallest country would create a ripple effect that brings down the entire economic house of cards upon everyone. There is no immunity.  To allow terrorism to go unchecked in Afghanistan leaves us vulnerable to another attack the size of  9/11 or larger, The US is a target where you and I are more in danger than is the president.

Through every major area of concern: education, energy, technology, science, medicine, trade, banking, poverty, business development, human rights, and defense, we must not only consider how we handle those matters domestically, but internationally. We cannot simply back out of long-term agreements and programs and expect that there not be dire consequences for everyone involved.

The Power Of Fear

For the past eight years, many conservatives, especially those extremists, bigoted, homophobic, xenophobic, hate-filled people known as the Tea Party, have been afraid that President Obama was going to take their guns, install Sharia law, ship all their jobs overseas, declare martial law, and make Islam the national religion. Of course, none of that even came close to happening. There wasn’t a piece of legislation ever drafted nor an executive order ever written that proposed anything of the kind. Yet, because the power of their fear was so overwhelming, these people for whom logic fails to exist were able to not only overtake the Republican party, but elect a 70-year-old self-serving narcissist as president. When one looks at what they accomplished, one has to admit that the power of fear is pretty strong and extremely effective.

Now, those of us who are more liberal and forward in out thoughts are experiencing some fears of our own. What rights might we loose? What will happen to women’s health and a woman’s right to make choices for herself? What happens to healthcare for anyone who isn’t already a millionaire? What happens to marriage equality and the rights of LGBTQ people? What happens to renewable energy sources and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels? What happens to air quality? How do we respond to global warming? Will all our children be educated?

We probably have many more legitimate reasons to be afraid, but the challenge before us is whether we are able to harness the power of that fear or allow it to keep us silent. For most of our lives, we’ve been told to work within the system, that if we’ll just get out the vote and make sure people are informed that they’ll do the right thing. We tried that and we lost the election despite having a significant number more votes.

We can no longer count on anyone to “do the right thing.” T hat’s not saying no one will, but we simply cannot rely upon the good conscience of the American people to keep us out of harm’s way.  If we are going to avoid the outcomes we fear, we are going to have to take stronger, more decisive, and more inflammatory action than we ever have. We cannot continue to depend upon the same tactics and actions of the past. We have to do more and find new ways of doing them.

Do You Really Care

As I type this, over 200,000 women have descended upon Washington, D.C. to march in opposition to the new president’s policies. In cities around the world, millions more join them. The size of the protest is unprecedented. Yet, as much as I support them and applaud their efforts, I know that one march doesn’t change anything. If people go back to work on Monday morning and resume the same lives and level of activities as they’ve had before, our fears could very easily turn into reality.

We don’t have to accept this. We don’t have to let this happen. We don’t have to play by the rules because the person sitting in the oval office didn’t get there by playing by the rules and we can be sure he will continue to disregard them. As we saw in November, if we play by the rules against someone who cheats, we lose. We now have as president someone who has cheated the rules his entire life. To think for one second that he’s going to change his tactics now is pure folly. We can’t let this happen.

We don’t have to accept that a Republican-dominated Congress is going to do the president’s bidding.

We don’t have to accept that the Affordable Care Act is going to be repealed.

We don’t have to accept that the Department of Education is going to institutionalize segregation through voucher programs and charter schools.

We don’t have to accept drilling for oil on public lands.

We don’t have to accept young people having to work three and four jobs just to make ends meet.

We don’t have to accept having the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world.

We don’t have to accept a complete disregard for ethics laws.

We don’t have to accept LGBTQ families living in fear.

We don’t have to accept the lies.

If we really care, and I mean from the bottom of our souls with a passion that burns as hot as we feel for our partners, then we can do more than resist. We can stop this wayward thinking, misaligned, out-of-touch Congress and administration from going through with their plans. We can stop the whole thing right in its tracks.

But you have to care.

A Little More Action, Please

The success of the Tea Party was not political as much as it was organizational. A few people made a lot of noise and that noise resulted in a lot of power. I fully believe, as a progressive feminist liberal, that there are more of us than there are of them. We just have to get off our asses and work as hard outside the system as well as we do on the inside.

There’s a wonderful guide assembled by former congressional aides called The Indivisible Guide. If you REALLY care, you’ll click the link and download that PDF document. And yes, I’ll know and I WILL be watching. I want to see some major downloads of that thing. These aides have studied what happened in Congress over the past eight years and turned that into a plan for resisting the agenda of the new administration. I stayed up late reading through it last night. Their strategy and logic is sound. I won’t bother repeating it all here. Just download the damn document and read it. Have friends read it. Print it out and pass it around if you need to.

Another thing we need to do is set aside any notion of tolerance. We cannot tolerate racism. We cannot tolerate bigotry. We cannot tolerate homophobia. We cannot tolerate xenophobia. Hate is not an opinion. Hate is an attitude. We can tolerate opinions, but there’s no reason to tolerate an attitude. I don’t take attitude from our children and I damn sure won’t take it from an adult. There is no tolerance for hate. Just drop the word altogether. We are not tolerant.

Neither can we afford to be patient. We have to act now, we have to act tomorrow, and we cannot simply wait until the next round of elections and then suddenly expect that we’re going to change anything. I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “Just give him a chance and see what happens.” Funny, the people saying that sure as hell didn’t give President Obama a chance, did they? The Tea Party started right in on the first day of his presidency vowing to fight him every step of the way and for eight solid years, that is exactly what they did. We have to not only match that effort, we have to surpass it. There is no patience, especially for a narcissistic fascist.

There should never be a day pass but what your elected officials are aware of your opinions on every issue you care about. Use some common sense. Don’t put everything in the same message and expect it to be read. One subject per message, but multiple messages a day. Keep it up. Don’t back off anything and should you be fortunate enough to encounter one of your members of Congress in person, be ready with a seven-second elevator pitch to let them know how you feel.

Accumulate others of like mind and encourage them to act as well. We know we are not alone, but too often we behave as though we’re  alone. Stop it. Organize, even you can only find two or three other people. Get together. Act together. Resist together.

We don’t have to accept a damn thing. We shouldn’t accept a damn thing. The 45th president of the United States was not elected by the majority, but through a manipulation of the system. We must resist. We must object. We must blockade.  We must stand. We must fight.

Resistance Begins At Home

One of the tactics the new president likes to use is how his tweets affect the stock market. He says he doesn’t like a company and their stocks drop dramatically. He’s a bully.

That trick works both ways, though. Again, there are more of us than there are of him. We have more purchasing power and can affect the markets and the economy in must stronger ways. When a corporation cozies up to or supports his policies, we have to hold that corporation responsible. We boycott their products if we can. We protest outside their offices. We harass and press upon their board members. We upset their day-to-day business. We have to let them know that there is a steep cost to be paid for supporting this president in any way, shape, or form.

For example, do you know who paid for the inauguration? Boeing, Chevron, Verizon, Coca-Cola, and AT&T. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, most of those companies helped fund the 2013 inauguration as well. However, the amount raised for this inauguration was more than the cost of the last two inaugurations combined. The companies need to be held accountable to the public, which means you and I have to stop supporting them.

Likewise, the pale blue Ralph Lauren suit worn by the first lady was beautiful, but if Lauren supports the president then we have to send a message not only to him but to every other designer who might consider working with the first family. We cannot even indirectly support his policies in even the smallest way.

Resistance means taking back control. Control of our local governments, our state governments, and our federal governments. Indiana voters need to stop and consider how that it was our governor, the man who is now vice president, who provided party legitimacy to the buffoon in the oval office. Had we eliminated him and not let him become governor, the outcome would have likely been much different. Because we did not pay attention to local and state-wide politics, Pence happened.

This Is Only The Beginning

I feel certain that the new administration thinks all the noise will begin to die down come Monday. Once the Republicans stop partying, surely we’ll no longer feel like crashing it.

If you really care about the issues you say you care about, if they really are important to you, your life, your friends’ lives, your families’ lives, you’ll prove the president wrong. Resist.

Resist strongly.

Resist continually.

Contact a member of Congress today. Introduce yourself. Let them know you’re holding them responsible for everything Congress does and doesn’t do. Then, continue resisting from there.

Thank you.

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Photography  /  PotD
Jenn King: A Mini Gallery
January 19, 2017
charles i. letbetter - Jenn King

I hate saying goodbye

 

charles i. letbetter - Jenn KingI’ve said many times before that models inevitably come and go. Young women who are bright, talented, and intelligent are not likely to stay stuck in a place that does not offer them enough opportunity or challenges for being their best. Models move away and, too often, we never see them again. We try to get over it.

When Jenn King announced a couple of weeks ago that she is moving to Austin, TX, my first response was to give her a hard time about moving to a state governed by some of the most stupid and backward people the planet has ever seen, such as Rick Perry and Ted Cruz. Fortunately, Austin is the type of city that insulates itself from most of the idiocy around the state, but still, it’s Texas. As an Okie, I hate seeing a friend move to an under-developed country. [insert evil grin here]

I hadn’t considered how many times we’ve shot with Jenn over the past few years. Since we first met, she’s married and has a wonderful baby girl and expanded her career as a florist, which is ultimately what takes her away from us. However, as I was looking through photos earlier this week, I realized just how many pictures I have of Jenn and didn’t want her to escape without a final look at all the beauty she’s brought into our lives.

While I could endlessly extol her virtues as a model, I have to admit that my favorite set with Jenn came very early one morning as we did portraits of her and her daughter. It was early and baby girl wasn’t too sure what to think about the old guy that was trying to take her picture.  She warmed up, though, and took some beautiful pictures. Then, as we were paused between shots, a deer wandered nearby. Baby girl looked over at the deer, pointed, and called it a dog. Her sweetness and innocence made me smile.

So, without droning on forever, here is a brief look back at some of our favorite shots with Jenn. By the way, I have to thank makeup artist Danelle French for introducing us in the first place. Danelle did most the makeup for these shoots, just please don’t ask me to remember who else was involved. I’m not that talented. I’m old.

[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id=”9619″ layout=”contain” columns=”2″]

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Current Issues  /  News & Comment
The CIA’s New Rules
January 19, 2017
charles i. letbetter - cia regs

The things they want you to know

 

charles i. letbetter - cia regs

The Short Version

The Central Intelligence Agency released a new set of rules and guidelines yesterday that detail exactly what kinds of information they are allowed to collect on American citizens and how long they are allowed to keep it. This is the first time the agency has published the full set of rules without redactions. The rules have been updated for contemporary digital information sources.

A Little More Detail

We all want to know when the CIA is gathering information on us, don’t we? In fact, the agency is typically focused on foreign interests rather than domestic. Domestic issues are the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, there are instances, such as when a US citizen might be responsible for passing protected or top secret information to a foreign source, when the CIA is allowed to collect data and analyze that data over a period of time.

The whole issue of what the CIA collects and why came to a head back in 2013 when Edward Snowden leaked information showing that the National Security Administration had been collecting and storing communications data on Americans without their knowledge or permission. That upset a lot of people and as a result, Congress passed a resolution requiring the intelligence agencies to develop new rules within two years.

What was released yesterday was the CIA’s response to that requirement and the changes are significant. The last time the rules were updated was 1982, long before the Internet or cell phones or Facebook gave us ways of communicating internationally in real time. One of the big issues is how long the agency can hold on to information for analysis and with whom that information can be shared, something that is an especially sensitive issue for civil rights advocates.

Unlike the 1982 rules, which were released with heavy redactions, the new rules were published in whole and are completely open to the world. A summary of the rules can be found here while the full detail of all the rules can found here.

What All Is Covered

We should probably note first that these rules can be changed at any time for pretty much any reason and that the public does not have to be notified of those changes. Also, the changes do not cover covert operations or special assignments authorized by the Department of Justice or the Attorney General. That being said, here are some of the major topics covered under the new rules:

  • Collection of information, including techniques and sorting
  • Handling of unevaluated information
  • Retention of information concerning US persons
  • Participation in organizations in the US
  • Compliance and oversight
  • Lots and lots of exceptions

Of course, the incoming administration could change, adjust, or eliminate any of these rules, but doing so would largely be seen as undermining the public’s faith in the agency.

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Current Issues  /  Fashion  /  News & Comment
Look Who’s Walking
January 18, 2017
charles i. letbetter - look who's walking

The fashion runway just took an interesting spin

 

charles i. letbetter - look who's walking

The Short Version

Buzz Aldrin and Bill Nye will take to the runway for Nick Graham’s Men’s show titled “Life on Mars: Fall-Winter 2035.”  Aldrin was the second person to set foot on the moon, and Bill Nye is an avid advocate of space exploration. Graham’s menswear line for fall/winter has a futuristic look and considers what might be appropriate for life on the red planet.

Not Your Average Model

We’ve seen a few exceptions to the standard model casting in the past couple of seasons, but I don’t think anyone else would have thought of casting the 86-year-old former astronaut and national hero, Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin has strongly encouraged the US to explore further into space and has stated frequently that he believes we can live on Mars by the year 2035. The astronaut told WWD, “I’ve walked on the Moon, so how hard can it be to walk in a fashion show. Nick’s collection is very Mars-friendly and every astronaut should look their best when they land there.”

In addition to Aldrin, Graham has brought along science educator Bill Nye to narrate the event and Graham has even gone so far as to design a set of limited-edition bow ties with Nye’s help. For those of you not in the loop, bow ties are a standard part of Nye’s iconic wardrobe. Nye’s voice is a familiar one and adds a serious tone to the presentation without getting too academic.

And what might we be wearing on Mars? Graham tells WWD the January 31 show will include sharkskin suits, metallic rainwear, and space-oriented formalwear. Wool and wool-blended tailored clothing and outerwear will also be presented, along with “space-themed dress shirts, neckwear, scarves, and accessories.”

Spaced-theme dress shirts sounds like something astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson might wear, but there’s no mention of his inclusion in the program. Maybe he’s out of town that day.

Mens week fashion shows don’t typically draw the level of attention that is found at the women’s ready-to-wear shows a couple of weeks later. Many designers have abandoned men’s week and include men’s fashion in their more popular ready-to-wear shows. Graham’s inclusion of a space theme and popular icons should help bring some attention to his collection from science fiction fans, a group few fashion labels consider in their marketing. Whether that group will actually go out and purchase the clothes, however, may require more motivation than Aldrin and Nye.

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Current Issues  /  Fashion  /  News & Comment
The First Lady’s New Clothes
January 17, 2017
charles i. letbetter - the first lady's new clothes

She’s not going naked. Probably.

 

charles i. letbetter - the first lady's new clothes

The short version

Speculation is high regarding which designer might be selected to outfit soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump for the inauguration and its related parties. Normally, whoever is selected receives a noticeable market bump from the relationship. However, since December many designers have been saying they want nothing to do with anything or anyone related to the incoming administration. This raises the possibility that the new first lady may have to buy off the rack.

The core of the problem

Normally, dressing the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a huge honor. Fashion industry reports show hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue going to designers who FLOTUS wears to special events such as state dinners. No event is more special than the inauguration and the formal balls that evening. Everyone in fashion is watching to see not only which designer the new first lady chooses, but how her taste in clothing matches up in comparison to her predecessors.

For most women, the task of getting dressed revolves around decisions such as which blouse isn’t stained and which pair of slacks aren’t too tight around the waist. For the first lady, however, the label in the clothing is often as important as the garments themselves. The first lady is, after all, a representative of the United States. Therefore, she is expected to wear predominantly American designers. This is going to be all the more true now given her husband’s rhetoric about things being made in America. While she might look good in a Versace dress, the backlash would be significant.

Equally important is how much the dress costs, which is something that could be a significant issue for the incoming first lady. More than a few president’s wives have been criticized for wearing garments whose price tags were dramatically out of reach of the average American. However, given her previous position as the wife of a billionaire, the new first lady isn’t especially accustomed to worrying about price tags. Expect significant backlash if she repeatedly wears dresses with high five-figure pricing.

Those are the normal problems with dressing a first lady. This year, however, there is a new matter: designers don’t want anything to do with her husband’s politics. The row started back right after the election when designer Sophie Theallet, who dressed Mrs. Obama on multiple occasions, penned a widely-publicized open letter stating that she would not dress the incoming first lady. Ms. Theallet said: “The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the  shared values we live buy.”

Since then, the number of designers speaking up about the issue has been significant, to the point that many are wondering who, if anyone is going to dress the first lady, or if she might end up buying off the rack. Since first ladies are expected to look their very best, custom-fitted clothing has been the norm for generations, but the lack of cooperating designers may leave this FLOTUS with little choice.

Who is saying no

  • Marc Jacobs
  • Derek Lam
  • Tom Ford
  • Timo Weiland
  • Philip Lim
  • Humberto Leon
  • Naeem Khan
  • Josef Altuzarra
  • Donna Karan

These are the most recognizable names on the list. Many other designers have declined to make a public statement. However, it is also likely that Alexander Wang and Jason Wu, both of whom dressed Mrs. Obama, would likely decline.

Who is saying yes

The incoming first lady isn’t without options. A few designers have stuck their necks out to say they will dress the first lady. However, there is no confirmation that anyone has been selected and no one has been seen entering or leaving the Trump residence.

  • Tommy Hilfiger
  • Diane Von Furstenberg
  • Sam & Libby
  • Marcus Wainright (rag & bone)
  • Thom Browne

It is worth noting that none of the designers state a dislike for the new first lady herself. Rather, it is the association with her husband’s policies that cause significant philosophical issues. Aside from all the controversy her husband creates every time he picks up a phone, this issue may determine whether the new first lady gets along with the social elite. All eyes will be on her this Friday. This first decision is extremely important.

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Current Issues  /  Fashion  /  News & Comment
May Covers April Vogue
January 16, 2017
charles i. letbetter - May Covers April

Because political fashion is a thing

charles i. letbetter - May Covers April

The short version

British Prime Minister Theresa May is going to be on the cover of American Vogue in April. Photographer Annie Liebowitz snuck across the pond and took the PM’s pictures at May’s country estate. This is the first time any British Prime Minister has appeared on the cover of the American fashion magazine.

A little more detail

Vogue magazine’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, seems to be getting a little more politically involved of late. Just earlier this month she was seen leaving Trump Tower after a meeting with the president-elect. Now, the Guardian is breaking news this morning that UK Prime Minister Theresa May is going to be the cover girl for the April edition of the American magazine. This is kind of a big deal on two different fronts.

First, the April issue of Vogue is not its largest. March holds that title. There are a lot of people who only buy the March and September issues because that is when all the fashion labels buy multi-page ads for their upcoming seasonal collections. After that big issue, April comes in pretty thin and doesn’t get a lot of attention. Putting the PM on that cover could do a lot to boost sales, especially if there’s anything in the content that might prove controversial.

Second, this has never been done before and wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to make happen. Ms. Wintour was directly involved in securing the Prime Minister for the shoot. Rather than taking the pictures at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the PM, they waited until May was out at her country estate known as Chequers. This avoids the controversy of an American company using the Downing Street residence for profit, and also made it easier to keep the photo shoot under wraps.

To capture the Prime Minister, Wintour sent the woman who is arguably the best portrait photographer in the US: Annie Liebowitz. Liebowitz is the biggest photographic gun in the large Condé Nast arsenal and her choice is significant. Either British photographer Nick Knight or Italy’s Steven Meisel would have been more convenient, and probably less expensive. In choosing Leibowitz, Wintour makes sure the pictures have a distinctly American tone to them, something not duplicated in any of the other Vogue brands.

As for why the British Prime Minister would even be a candidate for the Vogue cover, Americans need to understand that May absolutely loves everything to do with fashion. She is much more flashy about her appearance than, say, the late Margaret Thrasher was. She’s been known to wear leopard print to official functions and has even been criticized by some in the Conservative party for wearing very expensive leather pants. We are all more accustomed to heads of state keeping their attire quiet and unremarkable. May breaks that mold in a rather strong way.

Still, the timing here is interesting. America’s soon-to-be first lady last appeared on the cover of Vogue immediately after her wedding in 2005. The magazine has a tradition of featuring the first lady at least once during her husband’s administration, going all the way back to Helen Taft. The current first lady, Michelle Obama, has appeared on the cover three times since 2009. Yet, when it comes to putting her successor on that enviable place, Wintour is having some difficulty finding a designer who is willing to dress Mrs. Trump. Because the magazine’s relationship with designers is critical, it cannot afford to dress the first lady, or anyone else, in a designer’s clothing without their blessing. While Mrs. Trump will certainly eventually get her first lady cover, it could be a while. So, the British PM gets to go first.

Are we making too much of this?

Absolutely. If Ms. May wasn’t such a politically controversial figure herself, given that whole Brexit thing, and if the political divide in the US weren’t as ferocious, then this would certainly be a page-six, one-column story. Politically, however, the stakes are high. Being in charge of Britain’s exit from the EU isn’t exactly a great way to make new friends and the PM can use all the moral support she can get, even if it’s not from her own constituents.

Ultimately, this is a brilliant power move by Anna Wintour designed with one purpose in mind: sell more magazines. That’s her job and she does it better than anyone else. While other magazines have been in decline, the Condé Nast titles Ms. Wintour oversees have all seen increases in revenue. Now, she’s taken one of the least read issues of the year and made it a must-buy. Every other publisher is green with envy. Fortunately, green is a good color for April.

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Current Issues  /  Just For Fun  /  PotD
Complete Randomness For A Saturday Morning
January 14, 2017
charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

This isn’t really an article

I just am in the mood to write and throw some words together in a form that slightly resembles sentences.

 

charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

I let myself “sleep in” for this first time in forever this morning. Sort of. I still had to get up and let the dog out and feed him, pay some attention to the cats, refresh the water bowls. Those things have to happen on schedule or there are messes made in direct retaliation. Animals are ruthless that way. Still, I let myself stretch out on the couch and snooze for another 45 minutes. That leaves me now, though, with this need to write without actually having anything that I’m supposed to write.

Stream of consciousness. Or, perhaps more accurately, stream of unconsciousness. I’m awake but there’s a large part of me that doesn’t feel awake. The children, of course, prevent anyone in the house from getting any sleep once they’re up, and they’re always up too fucking early. Always. All of them. Not just ours but every child across the planet. Too damn early. It’s a conspiracy. I blame school. They have to get up so fucking early for school that their little bodies are unable to make adjustments for the weekend. School shouldn’t start before 9. Ever.

Wait, I’m going to need pictures for this, aren’t I? Damn. I already know I don’t have anything that fits. Oh well, that doesn’t seem to bother anyone too much. At least, if it does, they never say anything. Not to me. I’m told there are people talking behind my back. Spineless chickens. There are so many easy ways to contact me, especially through our Facebook page, and rarely does anyone bother to do so. Not to complain.

Old and slow with a sense of humor

 

charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

I’m old and don’t get around like I once did. A friend from California is in town this weekend and it would have been nice to go out and catch up with her last night, but no, between the threat of ice and the deep desire to commune with my pillow nothing happened. I’d still like to see Sam, hear what adventures she’s had in SoCal, so maybe we’ll be able to work something out. Still, I’m old and one of the hallmarks of age is not just a lessened ability to be mobile, but less desire. Sad, really.

Which is why I just saw Deadpool for the first time yesterday. I sat here and watched it with my 18-year-old son, who, like his brothers, is a comic book nerd. No, I’m not sure how it happened that all three of them are that way. Anyway, we sat here and laughed all the way through the movie. Then, because timing is everything, this morning I come across this interview about the sequel. I am now uncharacteristically excited about a sequel that I probably won’t see until 2019 or so. You would think with all the technology they’d find a way to put these things together a wee bit faster. But then, writing. That still takes as long as it always has.

Even though I’m old and slow, though, hearing the six-year-old Tipster call me a “jack a-s-s” through the door still makes me laugh. Hard. She just did it again. She knows she’s not supposed to say the word ass because we don’t have a donkey so it’s an adult word. She can spell it, though. And she does. This morning, I’m a jack a-s-s because I won’t let her stand in the hallway right in front of her step-brother’s door making noise. “Go back to your room and close your door,” I told her. That makes me a jack a-s-s, in her opinion, and it also makes me laugh. Perhaps I shouldn’t. Perhaps I should be upset. But you know what? I’m not. She’s not actually saying the word. She created a workaround to express herself. I’m good.

Hashtags that are too damn long

 

charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

#WhatIWouldTellA15YearOldMe is trending. I’m guessing the hashtag was started by a 16-year-old. Twitter only gives you 164 characters to begin with. By the time you add that hashtag you only have 112 characters left with which to give yourself a world of useful advice. That’s not going to be nearly enough room, dude. 15-year-olds need a lot of advice. They won’t listen to it, of course, because they’re 15. They think they know everything already. We all did. We forgot it all by the time we were old enough to actually use that alleged wisdom, though.

 is still too long for a hashtag, though. What’s even more disappointing is all the really lousy advice people were giving themselves. Like, “he’s not really that into you.” REALLY? You have 112 characters to give yourself advice that will make your life better and that is how you’re going to use it? You might want to take another swipe at that, Skippy. Or wait another 15 years.

When I think back to when I was 15 years old, I’m embarrassed. I mean, it’s one thing to not fit in, which I didn’t. Or, at least I didn’t think I did. It’s another problem altogether to feel as though you need to exploit just how different you are, which I did. So, what advice would I really like to give my 15-year-old self if I thought there was a bat’s chance in hell of my listening (I wouldn’t)? Something like this:

  • Stop trying to please your parents so goddam much and find out who you really are.
  • A fair portion of your classmates are gay and too scared to admit it. Support them without outing them.
  • Wear jeans.
  • Stop skipping biology.
  • Don’t let your parents determine who you date. Open your damn mouth and ask the girl out.
  • Go ahead and fucking rebel. Yes, there will be consequences, but you’ll be better in the long run for having done so.

“There is a law about staying up all night”

 

charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

Those are the most recent words from the angry six-year-old. I have no idea what she’s talking about. To my knowledge, no one stayed up all night. No one wants to stay up all night. Although, there are times it certainly feels like we did. Six-year-olds, much like 15-year-olds, say a lot of things that don’t make sense. I wonder where they get it from? Oh, wait, I may have an answer for that.

Peta has bought shares in Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH). Something about crocodiles and handbags.

The Uneasy Truth Behind Amazon’s Hiring Blitz And What Startups Are Doing To Fix It. So, you’re telling me all this job growth may not be a good thing long term?

Senate intelligence panel to probe Russia hacking. That article isn’t nearly as interesting as the headline makes it sound. There’s no intelligence and they’re not actually inserting things into Russians. Dammit.

Plan for pink ‘pussyhats’ in Washington after Trump’s inauguration. Don’t even try to tell me you don’t want to read that article. Politics aside, the thought of 200,000 women wearing pink pussyhats on their head makes me wish I was there to take pictures. These women are marching for a cause but don’t think for a moment they won’t take their pussyhats and party like hell afterward. Feminists really know how to pound some liquor.

C’mon, work with me here. That pun is funny.

I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Meyer wiener

 

charles i. letbetter - Plan for pink 'pussyhats' in Washington after Trump's inauguration

That is what I do not want to be.
For if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener,
There would soon be nothing left of me.

Don’t pretend you didn’t just sing that in your head. Unless you’re like, 15 years old, in which case you’ve no clue what the reference is in the first place. We don’t always end up being what we wanted to be when we were 15. Hell, when I was 15 I didn’t even have a good grasp of what the possibilities actually were. What’s worse, there are more opportunities now than ever and I still don’t think we’re doing enough to help 15-year-olds achieve the broader vision of what they have the potential to do. We’re failing.

But, within the realm of things I’m glad I’m not, an Oscar Meyer wiener isn’t the worst possibility. I wouldn’t want to be any of these things, either:

  • Owner of a fake news site or a fake online magazine. Both are matters of vanity on the part of the people who own them. Both are meant to deceive. Both are trash.
  • Member of the president-elect’s transition team. There’s nothing good about being that close to the Great Orange.
  • Part of the maintenance crew at Trump Tower. Can you imagine the amount of puke they must have to clean up after people meet with the president-elect or his staff?
  • A Washington, D.C. police officer having to work the inauguration crowd next Friday. Feel sorry for those people. They’re not going to have a good day.
  • Stuck on an icy road in Missouri. The second death was just reported. Nothing about the weather down there is good at the moment.

So, we’ve established that life could be worse. That doesn’t mean that it can necessarily be better. Not right now. Not under these circumstances. Not with the $11 I have in my wallet. I already have coffee and chocolate and scotch. I already have a hot fiancé. I already have incredible kids. There may be a lot of things that I want, but that doesn’t mean any of them would make my life any better. Quantity does not determine quality.

Okay, I wouldn’t mind being a Nobel prize winner. That would be cool. Nothing I do really qualifies me for any of their categories, though.

Annnnnnnnd, I’m done writing now. My fingers just said, “stop.” Not audibly, of course. They’re just starting to really, really hurt. Fucking pain. I’d complain but you wouldn’t understand, and if you did it would only be because you’re suffering the same thing and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Well, maybe the president-elect’s thumbs, if that would keep him off Twitter.

I need more coffee, too. And I suppose I should find some pictures to slap on here. I think I know where to look. Totally not related to anything I’ve written, but they’re pictures that are part of a story. You like a story, don’t you? Of course you do. Especially when you get to make up the details for yourself.

 

Have fun with life.

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5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.2017
January 13, 2017
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

05:04:22 01/13/2017

 

Is Anybody Out There?

 

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

Here it is, the first Friday the 13th of the year. Of course, there’s trouble brewing as temperatures going into this evening sit right on the cusp of providing freezing rain or sleet and making everything a mess. Best guess at this point is that most of the mess is going to stay South of Indianapolis, but expect this evening’s rush hour to be a pain in the ass. Of course, why should traffic be any different from the rest of the day?

And that is why this is likely to be the last edition of 5 Things You Should Know, at least in this format. It’s too much of a pain in the ass for the few people who bother to read or view it. We spend at least six hours, often more, sorting through the news, choosing the right stories, and then selecting pictures. And for what? No one’s watching. On average, we have the same five people visiting every day. The past two weeks we’ve been asking for sponsors and gotten no response. Maybe it’s time to move on.

 

But did anyone notice?

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

Anyone who is plugged into any form of media the past twelve hours already knows that there was a ten-minute span yesterday when the C-Span feed was replaced with the feed for Russia Today1.  The switch occurred about 2:30 Thursday afternoon as Congresswoman Maxine Waters was trying to convince her more ignorant colleagues why the Securities and Exchange Commission is actually an important part of our government. The feed cut Ms. Waters off mid-sentence and went to music.

You’ve seen this story all over the media because Russia Today has been implicated by US intelligence as participating in the Russian effort to interfere with and influence the presidential election. Could this have been more of the infamous hacking over which everyone has been arguing? Probably not. The private company that owns C-Span released a statement saying that it was much more likely that the error was due to a routing problem.

The question that is on my mind is how long it took before anyone actually noticed that there was an interruption? It’s not like C-Span is the highest-rated network in the country. Most the people who watch it are hard-core political nerds and reporters desperately looking for something resembling a story. If Russia wants to really undermine faith in our political system, perhaps they should consider hacking the feed for the inauguration next week. Although, once again, would anyone notice?

 

Applying a little lube

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

We know Congress is about to screw us. They said when they were running for election that they were going to screw us and for some stupid reason we voted for them anyway. So, we should not be surprised by the fact that Congress is about to make it easier for them to repeal the Affordable Care Act2. Assuming the House of Representatives votes along party lines, which is what they’ve been doing the past six years, they’ll change the rules today so that repeal bills can pass through the Senate without chance of a Democratic filibuster.

This is the type of action that you might think would be illegal. After all, the Consitution created the allowance for a filibuster so that the minority party could at least give the majority party a chance to think before they did something stupid. However, Republicans don’t like to think and they certainly don’t want to give the American people time to rally around a filibuster and express their disagreement with what politicians are wanting to do.

The rule change does not require a presidential signature. Once both bodies have approved the change it goes into effect. Be sure, this is all about making it easier for the rich to avoid paying taxes and to eliminate things such as Medicaid expansion and subsidies to help pay for health insurance. This bill is nothing more than the lube being applied before we all get screwed. This is the Congress you elected. Don’t act so fucking surprised.

 

Fashion isn’t so profitable

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

We’ve talked frequently before about how fashion retail tends to be in a tailspin. Now, it would seem that at least some designers are getting caught up in the downturn as well. Bibhu Mohapatra, the New York-based Indian designer who has often dressed Michelle Obama, filed for bankruptcy this week3. Fortunately, this does not mean that the colorful designer is going out of business. Rather, the bankruptcy protection allows the company to restructure its debt and continue operating.

What this underscores is just how difficult it is for an independent label to survive in the current fashion climate. Mohapatra is one of a handful of small labels that operates on both sides of the Atlantic and has a reasonably strong following. However, with the general climate in fashion going toward more casual wear and a fast fashion model, designers like Bibhu find themselves in a position of having to alter both their aesthetic as well as their business model if they hope to keep up.

This also puts a light on how dependent small designers are on department stores. Mohapatra’s collection is available largely through upper-end retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fith Avenue, both have which, like many fashion retailers, have struggled to maintain their clientele. The struggles at the store trickle down to the designers whose operations are too small to open their own storefronts. The debt restructuring should make the small brand more attractive to investors. We know LVMH has been doing some shopping and the brand might fit well within that conglomerate.

 

Trying to find something different

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

Hedi Slimane seems to be having some difficulty finding where he fits best. The former creative director at Yves Saint Laurent, who left suddenly without explanation last March, was probably hoping that another label would want to take advantage of his often controversial design habits. They didn’t. While there were plenty of transitions throughout the fashion industry last year, none of the major labels even expressed an interest in Slimane. So, he has decided to become a photographer, instead4.

Now, to be fair, this isn’t totally an out-of-reach move for the now former designer. When he was at Saint Laurent, he would sometimes step behind the camera to shoot the brand’s campaign himself. However, we should also note that his doing so largely copied that same habit by Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld and neither of them manage to actually impress anyone who knows anything about fashion photography. At least Lagerfeld has some experience behind him whereas Slimane has none.

So, here goes the designer into a crowded field of people who know a lot more about photography than he does, banking largely on the recognizability of his name to make up for a lack of talent and experience. What we’ve seen from him so far is a very high contrast black and white style that falls flat and fails to show any real imagination. While I never really liked Slimane as a designer, I don’t think photography is where he belongs, either. Perhaps he should enroll in a community college somewhere.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01.13.17

All good things must come to an end, as we know, and often times those ends come without much fanfare or appreciation for what was accomplished. Many people retire and find themselves sitting alone on park benches talking to the pigeons while wondering if anything they’ve done in their life is worthwhile. Joe Biden will not be one of those people, however. After nearly 50 years of public service, the last eight spent as the ultimate sidekick to President Obama, Biden finally got some recognition yesterday in the form of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with distinction5.

Almost immediately, video of the moment when the vice president realized what was happening went viral. Somehow, despite existing in an atmosphere where nothing seems to ever be secret, the president and his staff were able to surprise his friend with the nation’s most prestigious non-military award. I’ve no clue what Joe thought was about to happen, but he was clearly caught off guard and had to turn away and wipe tears from his eyes as the president made the announcement.

While vice presidents generally come and ago without much notice or notoriety, over the past eight years Joe Biden has become the nation’s favorite grandfather figure and his BFF relationship with the president has inspired thousands of memes and points of humor, which the pair have played up much to everyone’s delight over the past year. What we don’t want to overlook, however, is that Vice President Biden would be deserving of this award even if he wasn’t so chummy with the president. His is a record of incredible service and when he boards the train back to Deleware next week, we’re going to miss him very much.

 

And that’s it. We’re done. I have no idea what’s coming next, if there’s anything coming at all. What I do know is that the lack of response we’ve gotten to this format requires I take a step back and consider some form of change. I thought there might be value in cutting through all the mass media bullshit and fake news. Apparently, I was wrong. So, we’ll take the weekend off, re-evaluate what seems reasonable, and perhaps come back with something new. Or not. Either way, good luck and have a good day.

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5 Things You Should Know: 01.12.2017
January 12, 2017
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

04:31:02 01/12/2017

 

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Some days you need a compass

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

Wow! Here it is Thursday and the wind is back as it blows us toward a weekend of freezing temperatures and possibly icy conditions across the Midwest. The Northwest is still getting pummeled by rain and snow in record-setting amounts. In fact, they’ve had so much snow that officials closed Crater Lake National Park due to avalanche concerns.

Trying to look at the world through media reports is confusing as hell. When there’s no actual news, we get a lot of news-looking articles that don’t really tell us anything of value. Sometimes you have to piece the information together to get the full picture. That’s what we’ve done this morning. We’ve sifted through the actual facts and have 5 Things You Should Know.

 

Making corporate crime personal

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

Americans are known for having notoriously short-term memories so don’t feel too bad if you thought the whole mess over the Volkswagon emission-cheating scandal was over. Nope, far from it. These things take time to wind their way through the court and it gets all the more complicated when multiple countries are involved. The US can’t just reach across the Atlantic ocean and demand that someone from another country follow our laws. So, the fact that we’re just now seeing a resolution to the scandal really isn’t that surprising.

What we’ve seen in the past two days is that VW has pled guilty to criminal charges after installing software in diesel engines on nearly 600,000 VW, Porsche and Audi vehicles in the U.S. that activated pollution controls during government tests and switched them off in real-world driving1. The software allowed the cars to spew harmful nitrogen oxide at up to 40 times above the legal limit. As a result, the US has fine the company $4.3 billion, the largest fine against an automaker ever, and yes, VW is going to pay the fine.

What you should know, though, is that the Department of Justice also indicted six high-level VW executives yesterday, which is seen as a major step in holding individuals responsible for corporate crimes, something that has been extremely difficult in the past. Now, since all six are German citizens, actually arresting them is difficult. Germany doesn’t extradite their own citizens outside the EU. However, it effectively prevents those executives from traveling outside Germany. This is a huge win for consumers and the Justice Department.

 

They China Syndrome

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

While everyone has been distracted by possible spying and interference from Russia, another larger and potentially far greater danger has been growing in the South China Sea as China has made some very strong and deliberate moves that the US should find more than a little worrisome. Earlier this week, Taiwan was intimidated into launching fighters and naval vessels as China’s only aircraft carrier sailed through the Strait of Taiwan in a very obvious display of power2. This is just the latest in a series of military events where China essentially shakes its fist at the small country.

Then, yesterday, Secretary of State nominee and former head of Exxon Mobile, Rex Tillerson, told the Senate Confirmation Committee that China should be denied access to the islands it built and then militarized in the South China Sea3. Tillerson didn’t state what legal justification the US might use in interfering in matters in the South China Sea, but it puts further stress on the relationship between China and the incoming administration.

What you should know now is that earlier this morning China launched a new electronic intelligence ship4. Care to guess where they put it? That’s right, the South China Sea. The activity we’ve seen in that region over the past few months is some of the strongest China has made in the past 50 years. We need to remember, though, that China is also deeply embedded in the US economy. Any action we might take against them would likely be met with a response from Beijing that could send the US economy into a tailspin. The ramifications are extremely troubling.

 

Redefining the press

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

If it seems as though every media outlet on the Internet is talking about the president-elect’s news conference yesterday5, the reason may be because not since the Nixon administration has the relationship between the press and the White House been so strained. While I strongly agree that the exchange between the Great Orange and CNN’s Jake Tapert was one of the most childish displays of narcissistic bullying we’ve seen to date, the fact remains that he is the new reality and media needs to adjust to deal with him more effectively.

One of the ways that is happening is that Facebook has decided to take on a larger role in journalism6. What makes this something you should know is that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was very adamant in defending the social media powerhouse against charges that fake news posted on the site may have contributed to the outcome of the presidential election. What we now know is that roughly 40% of American adults get their news from Facebook7. What we see on Facebook we generally consider to be true, whether we admit it or not.

The Facebook Journalism Project, which was announced on the website yesterday, works in three ways:

  1. The collaborative development of news products
  2. Training & tools for journalist to enable better use of Facebook
  3. Training & tools for the general public, including efforts to curb hoaxes

Exactly how legacy media outlets will respond to the project is still uncertain, but at least Facebook is stepping up and recognizing its role in the dissemination of news. This won’t make presidential press conferences any less vile, but hopefully, it will prevent the kind of unsubstantiated news stories at the center of that exchange from becoming a problem.

 

Up, up and away

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

So, with all the stress and anxiety going on across the US at the moment, perhaps you’re thinking it might be nice to get away for a while, maybe enjoy a Spring Break somewhere different, even if you’ve not been a college student for 30 years or more. The problem is, you’re an adult. You have too many responsibilities and too little expendable cash. How can you afford to go anywhere? The Icelandic airline WOW would like to solve that problem for you by offering tickets from the US to Europe for as little as $708.

Oh yeah, there are some catches to that price. What you should know is that not every seat on the plane qualifies for the severely discounted rates. You’ll pay to check your bags and if you want anything to eat or drink during the long trip you’ll need to bring those yourself. WOW is only offering the service from LAX and SFA to Stockholm, Sweden; Bristol, England; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Edinburgh, Scotland. Oh, and there’s no Wi-Fi on the planes, either.

Still, this low-cost discounted rate for international travel may be the wave of the future. WOW’s CEO Skuli Mogensen thinks that eventually you might not pay for a ticket at all and that airlines will make their profit through ancillary costs and fees. Norwegian Air plans to make similarly discounted flights available later this year when it adds new planes9. This particular sale only last through April 5, though, so if you’re going you might want to make that reservation sooner rather than later.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know

I’m beginning to think that there’s not anything that Taco Bell won’t try to stuff into or wrap around a taco. The fast food favorite of munchie-ridden stoners and college students everywhere has announced, and I swear I am not making this up, that it plans to go nationwide later this month with a taco shell made entirely of—are you ready?—fried chicken9. You may now take a moment and pick your jaw up off the floor. This is really coming to a Taco Bell near you.

This new culinary curiosity is being called the Naked Chicken Chalupa and, according to the chain, the entire shell is made of all-white seasoned chicken. They then fill that thing with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and avocado ranch sauce. Apparently, this mess has tested well for two years in Bakersfield and Kansas City, though I don’t know that I would necessarily consider either of those places culinary capitals by any stretch of the imagination.

There’s no word yet as to how much this new source of indigestion might cost you. Remember that you’ll want to eat the thing immediately and not let it sit on your dashboard or coffee table overnight. Being chicken, it should be consumed hot to avoid any chance of contracting salmonella. Of course, if you’re eating at Taco Bell you’re probably not too worried about food poisoning in the first place, are you?

 

That’s all the time and space we’re willing to commit to this morning. If you’re in the Midwest, watch out for possible Thunderstorms midday. Wherever you are, please stay safe. We like you. Both of you. Until tomorrow, good day!

 

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Art  /  Photography
Not Your Average Portrait: A Mini Gallery
January 10, 2017
charles i. letbetter - Not your avg. portrait

Because faces are so much fun

 

charles i. letbetter - Not your avg. portrait

Everyone likes a good portrait, but there are times when we’re shooting when we just have to take a break and be silly for a moment. Then, there are the times when something happens and we don’t realize it until later. This mini gallery is a combination of both. We went all the way back as far as 2003 for some of these. Sometimes the subjects knew what they were doing, other times they had no clue.  Unfortunately, all but a couple I’ve lost contact with, which is rather sad.

Anyway, here’s the gallery. I hope it gives you a few giggles.

[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id=”9440″ layout=”contain” columns=”2″]

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5 Things You Should Know: 01.09.2017
January 9, 2017
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

04:42:27 01/09/2017

https://youtu.be/Y1dUZDI66As

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A lot of news, but is it art?

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

Welcome to another Monday. Temperatures are still cold out this morning, but by mid-afternoon, we might just make it above freezing for the first time in several days. This is the beginning of a warming trend that will see central Indiana near 60 degrees by Thursday, but with that comes a reasonable chance for rain every day except today. By next weekend it will be cold and wintery again, so enjoy the warmer weather while you can.

The weekend managed to conjure up a fair bit of news for this morning. McDonald’s has sold most of its business in China and Hong Kong to investors who can help them grow. Turkey claims they’ve killed more than 40 ISIS fighters over the weekend, and the Friday’s Ft. Lauderdale shooter is likely facing the death penalty. Yet, it’s an award show that seems to be getting all the chatter this morning. Let’s look at our 5 things you should know and see if we can figure out why.

 

But first, the weather

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

We tend to look at the weather in terms of local forecasts and are typically thankful when everything is benign and quiet. A little bit of snow in the wrong place can be a real problem with it hits in the South, such as it did on Friday and Saturday last week. But what you might have missed was a massive winter storm that hit Europe over the weekend, leaving at least 20 dead and closing businesses and services across much of the continent1.

Those of you familiar with European geography know that, like the US, Southern Europe rarely sees a touch of winter. The Greek Islands are a popular winter tourist destination because they tend to stay warm. The same is true for Southern Italy. Yet, both are frozen over today and have a heavy blanket of fresh snow, closing ferries, ports, and schools. Overnight temperatures in Northern Europe reached as low as -22° F, which contributed to many of the deaths. Many of those dying are homeless and immigrant people with insufficient shelter.

At the same time, however, the Western US is getting hit with a storm of its own. Hundreds of homes have been evacuated in Nevada and in Northern California police are rescuing people from cars as the strongest winter storm to hit that region in 10 years pummels them with more water than they can handle2. This is on top of the more than six feet of snow dumped on the Sierra Nevadas in the past week. What you should know is that this is normally a high desert region that sees less than eight inches of rain a year. They’re looking at a very rough start to their week.

 

Death of a diplomat

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

People in Iran are mourning the death of Former Iranian president Akbar Rafsanjani who died Sunday at age 823. This is important because Rafsanjani, who was a political moderate, played a large role in the election of Iran’s current president, Hassan Rouhani and was a force within Iran for supporting the current nuclear agreement between that country and the West. Without Rafsanjani, Rouhani faces considerable objections from Iranian hardliners in favor of ditching the agreement and developing Iran’s nuclear program.

Given the rhetoric toward Iran from president-elect Donald Trump, many moderates and Middle Eastern academics feel that Rafsanjani’s death could not have come at a worse time. With political instability on both sides of the nuclear agreement, fears are high that the whole thing might fall apart without Rafsanjani’s voice working to keep both sides calm. Any political misstep on either side now could have catastrophic results.

In a country that has often been isolationist and protective, Rafsanjani was a rare voice of reason who advocated not only stronger ties with the West but closer relations with Iran’s Middle Eastern neighbors. A three-day period of mourning has been declared and the former president’s funeral will be held on Tuesday.

 

Using trucks as weapons

We may soon begin seeing a more diligent inspection of trucks on city streets as, once again, a truck has been used as part of a terror attack, this time in Jerusalem4. At least four Israeli soldiers were killed and 17 people wounded as a Palestinian driver rammed his truck into a crowd at a popular tourist attraction. This is the deadliest single attack in the region which has seen a considerable amount of violence over the past year.

This time, however, the US has a direct role in the causation for the attack. Tensions in the region have been high based on president-elect Trump’s statement that he plans to move the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. Palestinians have warned that such a move would have dire consequences, which has many wondering if this was merely a warning of what might be to come should the president-elect follow through on his promise.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blaming the so-called Islamic State, however, given that organization’s recent use of a truck at a market in Germany that left 12 dead. The truck driver was a Palestinian man from a nearby neighborhood known for being home to other terrorists in the region. Security cameras show the truck barreling through the streets at a high rate of speed toward a group of soldiers, and then backing up rapidly after hitting them. The driver was shot dead by other Israeli soldiers surviving the attack.

 

Ending the program but not the controversy

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

Following the death of Tilikum, the orca that killed a trainer at Sea World back in 2010, Sea World San Diego has announced that it is ending its Killer Whale show5. The final presentation featuring trainers interacting with the giant mammals was held yesterday afternoon. Sea World says it plans to redesign the large tanks and open a new orca exhibit in the spring that is more of an educational experience. Visitors will see how orcas eat and interact with each other rather than with a trainer.

Don’t think this is an end to the controversy surrounding the Sea World program, though. Tilikum died at an estimated age of 36. While that might seem old compared to the life of your family pet, orcas in the wild have been known to live well over 200 years, with some estimated to live another century beyond that. The effect of captivity on the giant animals dramatically shortens their lifespan, no matter how well their care might be.

What you should know is that Sea World parks in Orlando and San Antonio will continue their orca shows through 2019. Attendance at all Sea World parks has fallen off since the documentary Blackfish criticized the conditions of the orcas at Sea World, specifically Tilikum, saying that captivity makes the massive mammals more aggressive. Sea World has also announced they are laying off some 320 people across its 12 parks, none of which are likely to affect the orca programs.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know: 01092017

The first big awards show of the new year, the Golden Globes, was held last night and, as one might expect, the tabloids and entertainment news is full of chatter about who won what6.  Now, before anyone busts a gut, we can tell you that the musical La La Land took the lead with seven awards, which definitely brightens its chances going into the Oscars. Tracee Ellis Ross, took the award for best actress in a TV comedy for “Black-ish,” the first black woman to win in that category since 1992. Emma Stone won for best movie actress in a comedy or musical, and Billy Bob Thornton won for best actor in a TV drama.

What has tongues wagging fiercely this morning is Meryl Streep’s acceptance speech after winning the Cecile B. DeMille award, where she called the president-elect a bully and challenged the press to hold those in power accountable. What is getting the most attention, however, is when she said, “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick ’em all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.”

That comment set off a firestorm about athletics not being the arts. MMA supporters especially took exception, given the word “arts” is in the title. Stop and think about it, though. We don’t called anyone a football artist, we call them “players.” We call those who participate in MMA “fighters,” not artists. Just so we’re clear, the Fine Arts always have been, and continue to be painting, sculpture, architecture, music and poetry extending to dance and drama. Modern modifications include film, photography, and other visial elements, but they do NOT include athletics. Those are sports. Don’t get confused.

 

And that’s all we have time and energy for this morning. Being a Monday, I’m sure there will be a lot happen throughout the day today. We’ll watch it all and we’ll be back in the morning to sift through all the nonsense. Enjoy the warming weather if you can and we’ll back tomorrow.

 

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Pushing Color: A Gallery
January 8, 2017
Charles i. letbetter - pushing color

Color is more than a saturation level

 

Charles i. letbetter - pushing color

We’re focusing primarily on black and white this year, but as we were playing with the concept of color film yesterday, the conversation turned to color and how to boost it without adjusting the saturation levels. That got the wheels moving in my head. There are literally thousands of ways to boost color without ever touching the saturation sliders in Photoshop. We didn’t take time to explore all of them, but we did apply ten different methods to the photos below, each generating a different result.

Which method is best? That’s totally up to you. Different methods fit different purposes and intent. This is where one’s artistic intent come into play. Some methods are certainly more palatable to a broad audience than others, but we don’t always want to appeal to a broad audience, do we? So, take a look and consider what you can do without touching the saturation slider.

[tg_masonry_gallery gallery_id=”9389″ layout=”contain” columns=”2″]

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Kodak Returns To Film
January 7, 2017
charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

Photographers said they want it, but will they use it?

 

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

For the past five years, photographers everywhere, especially us old guys, have lamented the loss of film. When Kodak filed for bankruptcy we saw the writing on the wall. Films began dropping one by one until the only films the once-dominant company still had on the market were Kodak Gold 200, Kodak Ultra Max 400 and a series of professional films. Kodak’s premier color film, Ektachrome, was killed off in 2012.

However, what was old is suddenly new again. Take music, for instance. Vinyl had been declared dead a long time ago, but in the past two years it has begun making a comeback and now accounts for eleven percent of the music market. Could the same thing happen in photography? Is it time to bring back film?

That’s the gamble Kodak is making in announcing that it’s bringing back the Ektachrome film line later this year. They’re hoping that the difference between a good film image and a digital image will be enough to spark a retro revolution that will produce an increased demand for film. The timing seems to be right. The film has been off the market just long enough for old-school photographers and photography school instructors to start missing it.  This could be the next big thing in photography.

Maybe. Even if Ektachrome takes off in popularity, there are still some photographers face in using the film, and the first one comes with the cameras themselves. Anyone who has started in photography in the past 15 years without going to photography school hasn’t used a film camera. That’s going to be a problem because film cameras don’t have all the onboard tools that many digital photographers have come to rely upon. Want to change ISO? Have to change the film. Spot metering? Doesn’t exist except in hybrid cameras. Connectivity and GPS? Uhm, check your phone. There is no “landscape” mode, no “black and white” mode, and definitely no “art” mode. You have to know the film, know how it works, and adjust your settings manually to get the best shot.

The second issue, especially for photographers not in major metropolitan areas, is going to be finding someone who can actually process the film. While Ektachrome isn’t quite as challenging as Kodachrome was, it still takes a technician who knows what they’re doing with the chemicals or else it comes out looking like garbage. And if you need to modify the film, good luck. It is extremely challenging to work with as a slide film. While there are still several places that have the ability to process the film, almost all are in major metropolitan centers. That can be a major pain in the backside for anyone who lives and works in a rural area. And do we even want to start talking about turn around times?

Yeah, there are some problems. Yet, for those clients who really want film, this is quite possibly the film they want, especially if you’re shooting outdoors where Ektachrome does its best.

Now, I can hear digital shooters saying, “Yeah, but I can get the same effect with a Photoshop action.”

That produces two questions. First, if you’ve never shot the film then how do you know how the digital emulation should look? I’ve looked at four different popular emulation action sets and all four of them produce dramatically different results. How do you know which one is correct? The answer is: you don’t unless you have shot with the film. A lot.

The second question is WHY?  Why would a digital photographer want to emulate a film look other than for the fun of it? Okay, maybe that’s enough reason for some people. But while there may be a market for film prints, the market for emulated digital prints doesn’t exist. Then, once again, there’s also that nasty problem of emulators not being especially accurate. Let me give you an example.

One of the most flexible film emulation filters is located within the Nik Collection, which happens to be free. The emulation within the Nik Collection is preferable to a Photoshop action because it actually gives the photographer the ability to make adjustments to allow for situations where the software misreads the photo in some way. Where actions require the photographer to compensate for a yellow/red saturation that is too high, the Nik Collection filters allow one to adjust those channels and bring them back into the range of something that’s actually usable.

Does the end result match what is achievable in film? I suppose it’s possible, but one has to be ready to work with the software on pretty much every image.

Here’s what I’m talking about. Below, we took five outdoor photographs and processed them using Nik’s Ektachrome 400 emulation. For the sake of comparison, we left the default settings in place. We’ll show the raw image first and then the emulation.

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

original

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

emulation

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

original

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

emulation

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

Original

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

emulation

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

Original

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

emulation

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

original

charles i. letbetter - Ektachrome Returns

emulation

You’ll have to decide for yourself which version is preferable. You can see through the succession that the emulator tends to have some challenges with yellow and red. This is interesting given the actual film tends to push saturation on blue and green. Can it be adjusted within the filter? Yes, but one would have to know exactly which adjustments to make where, wouldn’t they?

I’m not against film emulators. They can be fun and interesting study tools, but they don’t take the place of actual film. One has to shoot differently with film than with a digital camera. There are no short cuts. “Fixing it in post,” becomes a matter of cost and skill, not convenience.

I’m excited about the return of Ektachrome and I may even dust off my old Canon F1 and shoot a roll or two if I come across some extra cash. Make no mistake, though. It’s not shooting with a digital. Don’t think you can just grab your grandfather’s camera and start shooting. Film is still for people who actually know what they’re doing behind a camera.

Take care.

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5 Things You Should Know: 01.07.17
January 7, 2017
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717

06:02:29 01/07/2017

https://youtu.be/4MvFw37SdSk

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No rest because of the wicked

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717

Ah, Saturday, we’re supposed to have a little lighter fare today, aren’t we? I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible. For those of us here in the Midwest, we’re waking up to temperatures at or below zero, which makes being out at all for any length of time rather dangerous. It’s not going to get much warmer, either, as highs today will still be well below 20 degrees. Be thankful that you’re not in the Carolinas or Eastern Tennessee, however, as they got socked pretty hard with a winter storm yesterday. Fortunately, it was not as widespread as initially feared.

For a Saturday there are a surprising amount of things to talk about. Indianapolis had two more murders overnight. The president-elect is attempting to pick on Arnold Schwarzenegger over television ratings, and prison gangs in Brazil decapitated some 30 inmates as the violence there continues to escalate. These are not the type of things we like to deal with on a Saturday, but they are things you need to know. So, adult up and let’s look at our top 5 things you should know.

 

This isn’t supposed to be possible

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717

Americans were taken aback yesterday when 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, a National Guard veteran who served in Iraq, stepped off a plane in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, retrieved his legally-checked baggage, pulled out a gun and started shooting1. Witnesses say there was no apparent motive or reason to his shooting. Santiago simply shot at anyone and everyone until he was out of ammunition. By the time he was done, five were dead and eight others injured.

Immediately, people begin asking how and why this happened here, in Ft. Lauderdale of all places. Naturally, it’s too early to have all the answers, but a couple of things are evident at this point. First, Santiago’s family states that he had been receiving mental health care and that he “wasn’t right” after returning from Iraq2. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of soldiers having emotional and mental difficulties after returning from service. We also have to realize and come to grips with the fact that the mental health care we give our veterans sucks. If mental health proves to be part of the cause, then we all have to accept part of the blame.

At the same time, many are wondering how he was able to get a gun through the airport in his luggage. Guess what: it’s perfectly legal. Guns can be shipped in checked luggage as long as they are locked, ammunition is stored separately, and shipped in a hard-sided container. All Santiago had to do was retrieve his hard-case from the baggage area. He then went to the bathroom, assembled and loaded the weapon, and came out shooting. It’s up to the ATF now to determine whether this calls for a change in the rules. I think a lot of people flying would support that.

 

Russian hacking isn’t done

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717

The National Intelligence director released a declassified copy of the same report given to President Obama and the president-elect yesterday, and what they are saying is a bit more frightening that what we first thought. There is a lot of information in the report, of course, but one of the most troubling items to stick out is the prediction that, even though the election is over, the Russians aren’t done hacking3.

The report is the most detail we’ve seen yet from national intelligence sources concerning the source and severity of Russian-backed hacking efforts regarding the election. According to the assessment, intelligence agencies have a “high amount of confidence that the GRU (a top Russian intelligence agency) relayed material it acquired from the DNC and senior Democratic officials to WikiLeaks.” While the public version lacks the supporting evidence, since that is necessarily a closely-guarded secret, the information made available makes a very strong case against the Russian government and Vladimir Putin.

Contents of the report stand in strong opposition to statements made by both the president-elect and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange this week4, both of whom denied any involvement by Russia in the election. However, what you should know is that the report is the combined work of 17 different intelligence agencies with thousands of people involved at various levels. This is much more in-depth and authoritative than a tweet pulled out of someone’s ass.

 

Retail continues to suck

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717If there is an industry that is currently in decline more than fashion retail, please let me know what it is. Just two days after Macy’s and Sears both announced large layoffs and store closings, The Limited, headquartered here in the Midwest in New Albany, Ohio, announced that it is closing all of its brick-and-mortar stores at the end of business this Sunday5. That’s right, they’re only open today and tomorrow and then they’re gone.

While the store will continue to operate online, the website is showing a 50% discount across the board, indicating a severe inventory sell-off as stores begin shipping back whatever is left on their shelves when they close Sunday evening. This is a huge blow not only to the retail sector, but also to the suburban malls in which most Limited stores are located. As both retail fashion and mall shopping decline, they leave in their wake a significant blight of empty stores and large, vacant buildings.

This doesn’t come as a big surprise to The Limited’s employees. The company had announced back in the fall that it would be closing some stores and laying off employees. Both the CEO and CFO left at the end of the year with no replacement. Some stores have already been offering steep discounts up to 90%. If you have some expendable cash, this might be a good day to go shopping, but don’t expect there to be much left. No new inventory has come to the stores since the first of the year.

 

Other people looking for work

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should Know 010717

The Limited employees aren’t the only ones looking for work. United States Ambassadors appointed under the Obama administration are expected to resign and return home by January 206. The mandate applies only to politically-appointed positions and not career diplomats. On one level, this is pretty much business as usual during a presidential transition period.

However, what is different this time around is the requirement that everyone actually be back by the inauguration. Typically, exceptions are made for those who have children in school as well as politically sensitive locations such as Germany, Canada, and Great Britain. Failing to leave some ambassadors in place means that the United States has no Senate-confirmed envoys in those countries until Congress gets through the painfully long process of approving the president-elect’s appointments.

The move not only shows complete disregard for the importance of a cohesive foreign policy, but also leaves our closest allies without a diplomatic relationship with the White House. Ambassadors are now struggling to find new accommodations and secure visas for families who need to stay until the end of school.

 

And finally …

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We can end today on a bit of a high note as employment figures released yesterday showed the economy creating 156,000 new jobs last month even as unemployment ticked up a tenth of a percent to 4.77. This is seen are solid growth despite the minor increase in unemployment. Hiring has continued a slow but steady increase over the past seven-and-a-half years, climbing steadily from the recession President Obama inherited from the Bush administration.

Even the unemployment was good news. The reason for that small increase was that more people were looking for jobs during the period, something that had been a point of concern for economists who were afraid too many people had simply given up. Healthcare was the sector with the largest employment gains, with restaurants and bars coming in a close second. Manufacturing finally managed to add a few new jobs last month as well, after having lost the previous four months.

Those who are gainfully employed are also making more with hourly wages up 2.9 percent, the biggest jump in the past seven years. What remains to be seen, of course, is whether this upward trend continues under the new administration. While the president-elect has bullied some companies into keeping jobs in the US, the actual number of those jobs has not been significant and could still result in yet another retreat in the manufacturing industry. We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

That’s all we have time for today. With weather as cold as we’re experiencing across the Midwest this morning, you’ll want to exercise extreme caution if you get out. Better yet, just stay home, stay safe, and catch up some reading.  We are, again, taking tomorrow off, hoping nothing major happens over the next 24 hours or so. We’ll be back bright and early Monday morning. Enjoy your weekend.

 

 

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Art  /  Photography  /  PotD
What It Means To Be A Muse In 2017
January 6, 2017
charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

A muse today is different than 10 years ago

 

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

muse1
[myo͞oz] NOUN
  1. (Muse)
    (in Greek and Roman mythology) each of nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.

    2. muse

    a. A guiding spirit.
    b. A source of inspiration: the lover who was the painter’s muse.

Who needs a muse? Not everyone, for sure. If one is a photojournalist one need’s a keen sixth sense to know what to shoot and when to get the hell out of a situation. If one is a portrait artist, one needs a good light setup. If one is an editorial photographer one needs a strong perception of the details in everyday life. There are plenty of creative endeavors that have no call at all for a muse.

Artistic photography is one of those genres, though, where having someone consistent, someone on whom a photographer can depend, really can make a lot of difference. I base this not only on my own experience, but what I hear from other photographers as well. While we enjoy working with several different models, having that one person, or, if you’re lucky, maybe two people, around who you can shape and build concepts and ideas is invaluable.

The requirements for that role, however, have changed over the years. At least, they have for me. For example, as inspirational as Kat is for me and as encouraging as she constantly is, you might have noticed that we took only one set of pictures of her last year, and that was while we were on vacation. The myriad demands on Kat’s time and energy leaves her without the space necessary to be a muse. She simply cannot fill that role, no matter how much I love her.

At the same time, I can no longer wait around for someone to have some spare time, or drop by at any random time of day, or call me up in the middle of the night. Those were all former options that made it easy to accommodate a muse. However, as my life and work have transitioned, that level of randomness no longer works for me. A lot has changed. What I want and need from a muse has changed. I don’t know if these guidelines necessarily apply to anyone else, but I think they make a good foundation. Every artist and photographer is going to have their own modifications to this list, but take a look and consider whether you might be someone’s answer to a serious need.

 

A muse doesn’t need to look like a goddess

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

In the past, there was always a lot of emphasis on the person in the picture being pretty. That requirement, generally speaking, is gone. For me at least, what is more important is that the model is genuine, open, and capable of revealing her true nature and personality to the camera. I’m not looking to create a fantasy. I’m not telling a fairy tale. Instead, I’m expressing a perspective of reality. I need a muse that is real and not faking it for the camera.

This means that I’m open to models who are not 19 years old, whose bodies show the wear and tear of real life. I’m open to a muse who has physical limitations, someone who has to work within given parameters and has strict limitations. Those challenges can actually aid inspiration because it challenges us to find a way to be expressive within that box while simultaneously creating something outside the normal concept of artistic figure work.

I also feel that we are at a point in our society where beauty does not always deliver the message we want. Beauty often equals conformity and there are few instances where anything artistic should be conformist. There is such a thing as being too beautiful for certain types of artwork. A muse today can be the ordinary person who simply wants to become a part of art. Those works can be every bit as moving as anything else we’ve ever created. One just has to be willing to try.

 

A muse doesn’t have to be a model

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

Historically, there have been advantages to having experienced models as muses. They understood posing. They knew from which angles their bodies look best. They understood the processes behind a photo shoot. Those were all valuable qualities to have and I’m still certainly not opposed to working with experienced people. There are times where experience is a must. However, experienced models don’t always make the best muses for a number of reasons.

A muse needs to be able to work with and capture the creative mind of a specific artist, not an entire audience of fans. Experienced models today come with large numbers of Instagram followers demanding to be fed new images on a regular basis. Models have obligations to maintain an image on social media that might be contrary to what the artist is wanting to achieve. A muse needs to be more like a blank slate without the external influence of someone else’s expectations.

Experienced models also tend to impose their own perspective over the top of the artist. The photographer suggests a specific pose, for example, and the model is reluctant because it might show belly rolls or expose cellulite or make her hips look big. Sorry, that just doesn’t work anymore. Imperfections, the natural ways in which our bodies respond to sitting or lying in certain positions, are expressions we don’t want to avoid. Working with a muse who doesn’t mind if her stretch marks show or her face is a bit wrinkled is wonderful. Act how you are, not how you think someone else wants you to be.

 

Muses allow an artist to plan

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

It’s one thing to have a concept for a photo shoot and then cast a model to fit that concept. Quite different is the experience of having a muse around which you can mold, shape, and most importantly, plan a shoot. Knowing exactly the face and the body with which one will be working allows the artist to plan deeper, to think in greater detail, and to create in ways that are more precise, even when the product being created is abstract.

A problem many of us have had before is that too many would-be muses wanted to know exactly what we were doing before they would agree to do the shoot. There is some validity in that if the model/muse has safety concerns or doesn’t know the photographer/artist well. There have been too many instances where one is asked to just show up with a bag full and clothes and wing it. That approach is not only unprofessional, it is unacceptable in the current social reality.

What we need from a muse today, though, is someone who does not dictate the concept, but rather inspires it and works with a photographer to create something wonderful. The photographer might ask their muse, “How long can you stand on one foot?” The muse wouldn’t challenge why they were being asked to stand on one foot, but would know on which foot they can stand the longest. And yes, that can make a difference. Being able to plan for the peculiarities of a muse makes the end result better and the overall process run smooth.

 

Muses understand the intersection of life and art

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

Now, more than ever I think, people look at artistic photographs and expect them to say something about life.  Figure studies that play with concepts of light and shadow fall flat on today’s audience that has already seen just about every permutation of shadow manipulation possible. While that doesn’t mean light and shadow work isn’t still valid, what it tells us is that we do well to consider placing those studies within the broader concept that envelopes some condition of life.

This affects who one chooses as a muse because some models are so dramatically disconnected from normal life that it is impossible for them to present an image of the human condition. We need muses with whom not only the photographer can relate but the potential audience as well. We need muses who help keep both us and our work real. We need muses who are grounded in what it means to be alive in 2017.

At the same time, though, those same muses need to appreciate how art intersects life, that there are moments of beauty in the things we do that are mundane and ordinary, that expressing our emotions in careful and planned outbursts can deliver powerful images, and that fragility and vulnerability is a level of beauty all its own. A modern muse is aware of how the image they portray can affect society and plays to that artistic reality.

 

Muses find synchronization with an artist

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

I have enjoyed working with several people over the years who acted as wonderful muses for a great wealth of work. Those with whom I’ve done the best, though, have always been the ones with whom there is a natural, unspoken, synchronization; a mutual agreement in the way we view life, art, love, and freedom.  As I look at what is required of artists today, I find that achieving that synchronization with a muse is all the more important.

This is one of those places where it’s the little things that matter. For example, I don’t think I could work with a muse right now if they didn’t drink coffee. Caffeine not only affects our energy level, coffee specifically puts us in a unique emotional space that is not achievable with other caffeinated drinks. I need a muse who can sit down and have a cup of coffee with me before we ever think about taking any pictures. If a model can’t meet me on that specific emotional wavelength we’re not going to do as well as we might.

Interpersonal synchronization is difficult to describe because it’s going to be different for everyone. Sometimes it’s knowing that a specific time of day works best for you both. Other times it’s the silly things like the way you both cross your legs or enjoy listening to the same kind of music. Synchronization is personalized for every artist and muse and no two muses are likely to synch on exactly the same things. One has to wait for it and let it happen.

 

Muses understand the risks

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

I can’t begin to tell you the number of times over the past 30 years where models have gotten upset because we didn’t deliver as many finished photos as they expected, or the outcome was different from what they anticipated. There have been times where, even after letting a set sit for several days, I couldn’t find anything to my liking. Understand, that is almost never the model’s fault. Some days I don’t feel well and my perspective is off. On other occasions, I may not have planned well enough or perhaps even forgot a necessary piece of equipment that prevented me from getting the shots I wanted.

More than ever, I need a muse that understands those risks. Not every concept is going to be a good one, no matter how much planning we might put into it. Work with me long and often enough and there will be those times where I fail to anticipate consequences, such as the taco seasoning that didn’t wash off or the drink mix that burned sensitive skin. When one works with an artist on a regular basis these things are going to happen.

This is one of the defining differences between a model and a muse. Models get pissed when things happen, especially if it turns their skin orange for the next two weeks. Muses understand and find a way to work it in to their life story. Muses enjoy the adventures that come from working with an artist, even if those adventures sometimes don’t come out exactly as we planned.

 

Muses know the work isn’t about them

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

One of my greatest frustrations is when we spend hours giving a set of photos a particular artistic look and/or perspective only to have the model say, “You did a good job, but I just don’t like the way I look in them.” This is the artistic equivalent of, “it’s not you, it’s me.” In a single statement, the model destroys the work of the artist and makes the whole issue about them. I can’t think of many statements that drive an artist mad any quicker than that one.

We need muses that understand that the work we’re producing is not about them at all. How they look in a painting or a photograph needs to respond to the overall theme of the image, not some personal vanity that makes them feel good about themselves. The sum of the image is greater than any of its individual parts. That’s why we select certain poses and facial expressions while leaving others alone. And yes, it’s going to differ dramatically from one artist to another. There is no gold standard in art that says we have to portray someone with flawless skin or a perfect body. If anything, art prefers exactly the opposite.

We need muses who are willing to become a part of the art, who understand that they are giving themselves to something greater, to a concept that is larger than the individual. Artistic imagery today cannot be flat and singular. As we’ve discussed already, contemporary artistic imagery has to express life and explore the whole of reality, not merely a pleasant looking portrait of a pleasant looking person.

 

Muses are flexible

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

No, we’re not talking about physical capabilities, though sometimes those qualities, too, are advantageous. When I ask a model to be flexible, I’m thinking that one needs to be open-minded about what we’re doing, the message we’re attempting to make, and the social impact of what that message might be. This can be really challenging for the would-be muse, even if they’re clicking on every other level with the artist.

Here’s the thing: sometimes art demands that we shout in order to be heard. If we oppose something that is taking place in society, it is not enough that we create an image that calmly says, “I disagree with that.” No one pays attention to those images. Instead, we have to look for ways of expressing our disdain that is dramatic, different, and even shocking. For the muse, that might mean asking them to do something they normally wouldn’t consider doing. We need them to be flexible.

For example, let’s say that I was considering doing a piece protesting men’s involvement in attempting to dictate a woman’s reproductive rights. I might think of a concept that involves the proper medical use of a speculum. There’s no way in hell that image is going to be considered safe for work, is it? Just thinking about it makes me a little uncomfortable. That wouldn’t be a “fun” set of pictures for me to take. Yet, the message resulting from those images would undoubtedly make a point. We need muses who are flexible reaching outside their comfort zone for the sake of the art.

 

Muses don’t last forever

charles i. letbetter - muses 2017

There have been times in my career where I could repeatedly call upon the same muse time after time, even with long periods of not seeing each other, and still produce wonderful results. Given the state of my life and that of society in general in 2017, I’m not sure that is even remotely a reasonable expectation anymore. What I’m seeing today is a situation where lives don’t just gradually morph from one stage to the next, they leap and jump, sometimes violently, across disparate and unexpected conditions. Life in 2017 is more fluid, more open to immediate change and that renders one’s longevity as a muse much shorter than we might like.

It is no one’s fault when what was once a creative and thriving relationship between artist and muse suddenly becomes impossible to maintain because of changes in either life. A muse’s life is suddenly skewed by the need to stay home and take care of a parent radically disabled in a car accident. A painter wakes up one morning to quite unexpectedly find they can no longer hold a paintbrush. A job offer half-way around the world suddenly alters one’s career choices. These things are a reality of our lives and sometimes we have to bid goodbye to people and things we love in order to do the things that are better.

Letting go of a gifted and talented muse isn’t easy. I’ve cried more than once. Yet, no muse lasts forever. We don’t want them to. Artists must change as well and if we latch on to a muse and never let them go then we eliminate at least some of the opportunity for us to grow and explore new forms of creativity. Muses speak to a specific period in our lives and leave behind a record of what was important to us both individually and socially at that time. Then, like starting a new book in a series, we open a new cover, find blank pages, and start to fill them with new images.

 

We may not all need a muse, but when we are lucky enough to find them they do wonderful and amazing things for our work. Perhaps you might think of the artists you know and whether you might risk being a muse. Perhaps a trial run, posing for something simple or even silly, might be a good first step. Being a muse is a special relationship and one should take care to connect with an artist whose vision is complimentary to their own. Be sure, every second one spends working with an artist is a special moment that the rest of the world should envy, and being a muse, even for a short while, is a very special calling indeed.

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Current Issues  /  News & Comment  /  video
5 Things You Should Know: 01.06.2017
January 6, 2017
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

04:43:54 01/06/2017

https://youtu.be/VxeqSkiDQ9c

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‘Tis a cold wind that blows

 

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

Brrrrr! If you feel a draft this morning, you might be in the central Midwest where temps are in the single digits and wind blowing across the snow puts wind chills well below zero. At these temperatures, frostbite is a serious possibility, especially if you have children standing outside waiting on a school bus. Be sure to dress everyone in multiple layers of loose clothing to prevent any danger there. Meanwhile, the South is gearing up for a major winter storm barreling down at them from the Rockies. This could be a rough weekend.

I could have ten things you should know this morning and still not cover everything that is newsworthy. Vice President Joe Biden told the president-elect to grow up yesterday1. It would be funny to watch to old men fight if they weren’t supposed to be leading the freakin’ country. Trump now says American taxpayers will fund that wall with Mexico2. And Hustler is suing the city of Indianapolis3, but we don’t have time for any of that. What we have are five other things we think you should know.

 

A severe lack of intelligence

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

President-elect Donald Trump is supposed to receive his national security briefing this morning, one that President Obama saw several days ago. We can only guess how the president-elect might receive the news, but it isn’t going to be pretty as national intelligence director James Clapper and other national security advisors double-down on the evidence that Russia not only was involved in hacking during the election, but engaged in other activities aimed at altering the outcome4.

Don’t expect that news to set too well with the president-elect, who has chosen to listen to Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange rather than the people with actual evidence of the hacking and other activities conducted under the authority of the Russian government. During a hearing yesterday before the Senate Armed Services committee, support for the US intelligence community was strongly bipartisan, setting up a rift between Congress and the president-elect that could affect a number of decisions in the immediate future.

At the same time, former CIA director James Woosely has resigned5 from the president-elect’s transition team and former Indiana Senator Dan Coates, whom the New York Times describes as “the Mister Rogers Senator,” has been named as the person likely to replace Director Clapper later this month6.  Put everything together and what we have is a picture of an incoming administration that is long on talk and short on actual intelligence. Definitely not a good way to start.

 

A most deplorable hate crime

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

If you were paying attention yesterday at the start of our article, we mentioned the arrest of four people in Chicago who live streamed a brutal kidnapping. At the point we were writing things yesterday, details were still sketchy. What we now know is that four people used Facebook Live to stream their torture and abuse of a mentally challenged man, who was tied up, hit, and cut with a knife by several assailants in what is being described as one of the most brutal scenes ever broadcast7.

All four people have been arrested and charged with committing a hate crime, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, burglary, robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters that, “There was never a question whether or not this incident qualified to be investigated as a hate crime …  The actions in that video are reprehensible.”

One of the challenges this crime presents is exactly what, if anything, Facebook could have done to prevent the live stream from being broadcast. While the crime itself was bad enough, having the unmitigated gall to stream such an act is beyond deplorable. Fears are that the ease of streaming events is such that other ego-driven criminals might commit even worse acts for everyone to see. Unless Facebook and other streaming providers can get a lock on this issue, they could be facing civil suits for providing the platform.

 

A continued assault on women and gender

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

As if women’s and transgender rights hadn’t come under enough fire in 2016, 2017 is shaping up to be an even larger battle. There’s more here than I have time to discuss so please click the numbered links to check our references. For starters, a federal district judge ruled the doctors may turn away women who have had abortions and transgender patients based on the doctor’s religious freedom rights8. How is this even possible? Thank that idiotic Burwell v. Hobby Lobby ruling in 2014 that sets such a precedent.

At the same time Texas Republicans, apparently unable to learn from the experience of North Carolina, have introduced a bill that requires people to use the restroom and locker room defined by the gender on their birth certificate and bans cities from passing ordinances contrary to that law9. Now, sports is a really big money maker in the Lone Star state and we don’t want to even get started on all the music festivals and events such as SXSW that occur in Austin. Threats of boycotts are already being voiced. North Carolina has lost millions in revenue. Are Texans any smarter?

Then, to top it all off, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan once again has vowed to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding as the new Republican-dominated Congress attempts to re-write healthcare laws10. This is not a new fight and Republicans tried repeatedly last year to do the same thing. The challenge facing them this year is that any attempt to defund the non-profit that provides healthcare for millions of women might result in the entire re-write of the Affordable Care Act being scuttled. Speaker Ryan best watch his step.

 

Significant change for the military

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

It is no secret that thousands of Sikh and Muslim recruits have been turned away from serving in the US military because of the strict rules regarding uniform appearance. That, however, is changing. Army Secretary Eric Fanning signed a memorandum that would allow Sikh and Muslim recruits to dress and groom themselves in a manner appropriate to their religious beliefs11. The new rules not only affect men serving in the Army, but also allow for women to wear hijabs provided they are free of any religious markings or decorations.

To be able to take advantage of the new ruling, those currently serving in the Army would need to apply for a religious accommodation. Once approved, the accommodation would follow them throughout their career and would not be allowed to influence job duties or duty locations except in specific highly-sensitive circumstances. The women’s hair code was also modified in the memorandum to allow for braids, cornrows, twists or locks.

What effect this might have on the Army rank and file remains to be seen. One of the issues drilled into recruits during basic training is that they are no longer an individual but part of a group and that they must put the needs and safety of the group ahead of their own. Having different grooming and appearance rules for some that do not apply to others would seem to be a visual violation of that general rule. Still, religious liberty advocates are excited about the change and the opportunity it provides.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things YOu SHould Know: 01.06.2017

New parents have been warned for the past 30 years that they need to be careful when introducing their child to potential allergens such as peanuts. Conventional wisdom has been to wait until a child is at least two years old before introducing them to peanuts. All that changed yesterday, however, when the National Institutes of Health issued a new ruling stating that introducing those foods as early as six months could help prevent those very allergies12.

Ground-breaking research has found that early exposure to such foods is much more likely to help infants rather than hurt them as has been previously thought. This is an extremely serious matter as peanut allergies specifically is a growing problem affecting roughly two percent of children born in the United States. Pediatricians are now advising that if a family member has an existing peanut allergy then that is all the more reason to start feeding them to the infant early.

No, this does not mean you can just toss a bag of peanuts at your little one for a snack. Common sense is appropriate here. Smooth peanut butter is likely to be the best form of introduction, and that should be mixed with things such as oatmeal. The guidelines also recommend that the child have experience with other solid foods before introducing those with peanuts. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, consult your family pediatrician.

 

Once again, we are out of time for today. Since we’ve started writing this morning, breaking news says that Russia is pulling its military out of Syria, so we’ll be watching that along with a number of other things. The latest wage report is due today as well, so we’ll be looking at that. In the mean time, bundle up, stay safe, and join us tomorrow. It’s Friday. Enjoy.

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pop culture
10 Things Mom Forgot To Tell You
January 5, 2017
charles i. letbetter - things mom forgot

Moms are human, too

 

charles i. letbetter - things mom forgot

Moms are great. Moms are a fountain of knowledge. We get a lot of our basic information about life and the world around us from our parents. We trust what they say and are woefully disappointed on the rare occasion they happened to be wrong.

Our parents do their best to equip us with everything we need to be responsible and functional adults. However, they know so much about life that they sometimes forget to fill us in some of the finer points. Sure, they make sure we understand the big stuff, but the itty bitty details sometimes are lost. Don’t blame them, it’s not their fault. There’s a lot to know and its not like anyone gives them a checklist.

So, in the interest of helping out everyone’s parents just a little bit, here are a few things that might have escaped their attention before you went out on your own.

 

charles i. letbetter - things mom forgot

That isn’t chicken in that nugget

Desperate parents do desperate things and sooner or later we’re all desperate parents. So, don’t judge that frazzled looking mom sitting in the drive-thru or picking up that blue box that claims to have cheese in with the tiny little macaroni pieces. Processed food exists for one reason only: to make the lives of parents easier. So no, there is no real chicken in the nuggets or cheese in the mac and that’s not really anything resembling meat on that frozen pizza. That’s okay, though. You survived. Your kids will survive, too. Just try to give them a home cooked meal every once in a while.

No one notices your underwear when you’re in an accident

It’s a necessary lie parents tell us when we’re little to make sure we’re actually wearing clean underwear. If you’ve had children, you understand the problem and have probably repeated the lie. The fact is, however, if you’re in an accident that is serious enough for someone to see your underpants, then underpants are the last thing anyone is worried about. I mean, you’ve lost your pants for any number of horrible reasons, you’re probably bleeding profusely, and you could possibly die. No one cares about your damn underwear. If you’re just going to the doctor for a checkup, though, then yeah, by all means, wear something clean or buy something new.

You don’t have to be nice to everyone

Parents do their best to raise friendly, well-adjusted people. Despite their best efforts, though, not everyone in the world is nice. When we encounter people who are not nice, we are not obligated to be nice back. Sure, we want to try a few times, give them the benefit of the doubt. But when someone is consistently an asshole you do not have to be nice. In fact, it is probably better for everyone if you are not nice.  One of the primary reasons assholes continue being assholes is because people keep trying to be nice and they take advantage of that. You don’t have to put up with bullshit.

Beware of friends who never read

A little bit of fine tuning: there’s a difference between people who can’t read and people who don’t read. If you have a friend you can’t read, then they need help with that issue more than anything. If you have a friend who is perfectly capable of reading, though, and they don’t, then you have a problem. People who don’t read are ignorant. Their reasoning skills are underdeveloped and their logic is flawed. Even reading fiction improves one’s mental abilities and acumen. Reading not only broadens our mind, but it spurs our imagination so that we are able to expand beyond what is our direct realm of experience. You don’t need friends who are ignorant. They are dangerous. Be careful.

If it costs more than you make in a week, buy the extended warranty

It’s always that question lingering in the back of your mind anytime you’re making a major purchase: do you buy the extended warranty? The old saw is that if you buy the extended warranty you’ll never need it, but if you don’t buy it you’ll wish you had. So, what do you do? The solution is a matter of finances because the ultimate question is whether you can afford to easily replace whatever it is you’re buying. If you’re making a purchase for which you had to save and save, then by all means, buy the damn warranty. If something happens, you’re screwed. You can’t afford to get it fixed or buy a new one. If you’re making a purchase that represents pocket change, however, then maybe it’s not so important. The general rule is that if it costs more than you make it a week, buy the extended warranty. Better safe than sorry.

 

charles i. letbetter - things mom forgot

A good pet is worth the trouble

Some people grow up with pets and learn the responsibility of caring for one. Some don’t. Some go their lives without pets. Some have pets thrust upon thanks to a spouse or lover. Pets can be a lot of work and some of them can be an incredible amount of trouble. They poop where you don’t want them to poop. They eat things you don’t want them to eat. They knock things off tables and shelves and annoy the hell out of guests, especially if one of those guests starts nuzzling up close. Guess what: they’re worth every second of trouble they cause. Sometimes, all we remember are the number of times a parent cursed at or about an animal. What we don’t see are the moments when a pet was curled up in that same parent’s lap. They give soooo much love in little ways that, as children, we never see. Take a chance and feel the love.

It’s okay to be happy when mean people die

Our parents tell us to respect the dead, that people dying is not a good thing. We’re generally taught that we should not rejoice over the death of people we don’t like. Bullshit. As I’m writing this, officials in California are pretty much waiting for convicted murderer Charles Manson to die. When he does, there will be a lot of people who are happy. Not only are nine people dead because of Manson and his “family,” he left behind a wave of influence that was violent and frightening. Him being dead is a good thing that, quite honestly, should have happened a long time ago. Mean people such as Charles Manson don’t deserve our respect. He’s not dead yet, but when he goes feel free to throw a party.

It’s okay to pee in the shower

I know, I know, that flies in the face of everything your mom told you when you were growing up. You know why she told you that? Because it took for freakin’ ever to get you to go in the toilet in the first place. She’s damn sure not going to risk ruining that habit by telling you it’s okay to pee in the shower. Now that you’re an adult, though, you should know that not only is it okay, some people claim it’s actually healthier than peeing in the toilet. It’s cleaner, it’s more hygienic, and it even saves water to boot. There is a limit, though. Only do this when you’re showering alone. Not everyone thinks peeing in the shower is cool and if you’re in there with someone you like a lot you are probably putting that relationship in danger if you pee in front of them. When you’re alone, though, by all means, go for it.

Sex sometimes hurts

Granted, if your parents were anything like mine, sex wasn’t a topic that came up very often. They got through the birds and the bees thing with a certain amount of anxiety. The last thing most of our parents wanted to do, though, was provide any details about sex. They tell you it feels go and can be a lot of fun, but that’s about as detailed as they want to get. The problem is that sex doesn’t always feel good and it isn’t always fun. There are dozens of reasons why sex can hurt, most of which are not life-threatening or even controllable. Not every body provides enough natural lubrication. Stress can cause normal sexual activity to feel painful. It’s not your fault and most the time there are things you can do to change the situation. It happens, though, so be ready for it. Don’t run screaming to the Dr. just because you got into a tight (literally) situation you weren’t expecting.

Cursing is sometimes a very effective form of communication

“That’s an adult word. Don’t say it.” Did your parents ever tell you that? Did your mom ever wash out your mouth with soap? Most parents are very concerned with the language we use growing up. They want us to be respectable adults, not someone people shy away from because they can’t complete a sentence without an expletive or four. For the most part, your parents are right: don’t say those words. They’re rude and often demonstrate a lack of civility and reasoning. However, there are times when cursing is totally acceptable. If you smash a digit with a hammer or in a car door, for example, know one is going to fault you for letting a few fucks fly out of your mouth. If you need to dramatically emphasize to someone just how fucking serious or angry you are, an expletive here and there helps make your point. Most the time, yes, you want to be polite and use words that are not offensive. But every once in a while … go for it.

 

That’s our short list. We actually have several more things like this in my book, Now That You’re 18 … which you can buy by clicking on that link. If you live close, I’ll even autograph it for you. There are a lot of things parents either don’t have time or don’t think of telling us. It’s okay. We’ll make the same mistakes and probably add to the list. We’re human. Go with it.

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5 Things You Should Know: 12.31.2016
December 31, 2016
charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

04:33:14  12/31/2016

https://youtu.be/KkIJvxmtSo0

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This Year Of Misery Ends Today

 

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

It’s Saturday morning, children. More importantly, it’s the last day of 2016. We’re finally getting this year out of our way and praying that next year isn’t actually worse, as some are predicting. Temps are on the warm side this morning in Indianapolis, but it’s incredibly windy so it still feels cold. You’ll definitely want to bundle up if you are among those daring to go out this evening.

We’re walking right past the continuing talk about Russia and hacking, even though it now appears they hacked a Vermont utility. We’re also watching but not commenting on a North Carolina judge blocking the state legislature’s attempt to strip power from the incoming Governor.  We’ll save those for next year. Instead, we have 5 things you really should know.

 

China Is Shutting Down Its Ivory Trade

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

Ivory comes from one primary source: the tusks of bull elephants. As the elephants have been hunted into near extinction, most Western countries, including all of Europe and both American continents, have banned the trade of ivory. While that ban has been in place for several years, one lone holdout has created an incredibly large black market: China. Now, that is all changing as China announced yesterday that they are banning the trade of ivory by the end if 20171.

You should know that China had previously announced plans to shut down its commercial market this year, but what makes yesterday’s announcement so important is that they will now stop processing ivory so that it can even be used in the commercial market. All processing of ivory in the country ends in March of this coming year. This is a huge deal for the safety and longevity of African elephants who have continued to be poached despite bans on hunting them across the African continent.

Of course, there’s always a dark side to changes like this. The ban will almost certainly fuel an even stronger black market for existing ivory pieces. Laws for trading existing ivory are much more spotty and differ dramatically from country to country. There are also some exceptions to China’s ban. Still, this is ultimately a good move toward a more sustainable planet.

 

A Different Kind Of Police Shooting

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

We have been watching this story with some curiosity as it has grown over the week. On Monday, the Greek Ambassador to Brazil, Kyriakos Amiridis, went missing. On Wednesday, his wife finally reported him as missing. On Thursday, the ambassador’s body was found in a burned-out car. Then yesterday, a police officer admitted to killing the ambassador and by the end of the day it was discovered that the police officer was having an affair with the ambassador’s wife. Both the wife and the police officer are now in custody2.

I know, it really sounds like the plot of a best-selling mystery book, doesn’t it? I’m sure the tale will get even more interesting as the entire story unravels. What you should know is that the ambassador’s wife is a native Brazilian, so she likely won’t be able to hide under diplomatic immunity laws in the country. A cousin of the police officer is also being held on charges that he helped move the ambassador’s body. Police say that blood stains on the sofa indicate that the ambassador was stabbed several times before being moved to the car in an attempt to cover the crime.

Officially, the Greek government has not commented on the event at all, which seems a bit strange. Brazil’s Prime Minister apologized, which is standard protocol for incidents such as this. It doesn’t seem likely that anyone with direct government ties was involved, though. This does give Rio another black eye, however, and is likely to further hurt an already struggling tourist business.

 

When Your Birth Certificate Is Wrong

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

Mistakes happen just about everywhere, but when they happen on a birth certificate getting them fixed can be challenging, and that’s when the error is something simple. On Tuesday, however, 55-year-old Sara Kelly Keenan finally got her corrected birth certificate in the mail and it’s one for the record books. In the “gender” field, instead of saying male or female, Keenan’s gender is listed as “intersex,” the first time that designation has been made on a birth certificate in the United States3.

Understand, this isn’t a matter of Keenan preferring to identify one way or another. She was born with male genes, female genitalia, and mixed internal reproductive organs. Intersex. Keenan uses female pronouns when referring to herself, but even that comes after no small amount of confusion. When she was born, her parents and doctors agreed to keep her intersex status a secret. Back in the 1960s, intersex people were referred to as “hermaphrodites,” a term that carries a lot of social bias. For three weeks, she was listed as a boy, and then issued a new birth certificate that said she was female.

When did everything change? Her father finally confessed in 2012 that they had hidden the information from her. This comes after years of hormone replacement therapy and confusion. The new birth certificate is important not only for Keenan, however, but for thousands of intersex people for whom neither the male or female gender fits. Given the importance of birth certificates for things such as which bathroom one uses in North Carolina, this is a tremendous step forward that will affect a lot of people from here on out.

 

Recognizing The Right To Learn

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

Speaking of gender, A huge step forward in transgender rights came in India this week where a school exclusively for transgender students opened, admitting 10 students who had previously dropped out of school4. India has a transgender population of over two million people. In 2014, transgender people there were given equal rights under the law, including the right to marry and inherit land. That doesn’t mean that they are quickly welcomed into society, however, and still face a tremendous amount of bias and sometimes violence. Transgender people are often thrown out of their homes and can have tremendous difficulty finding jobs.

The school in the city of Kochi aims to help reduce some of the problems by helping transgender adults sit for exams necessary to graduate high school. The program is very similar to the GED in the United States. The school has admitted six students so far, with more waiting to be admitted. The students all have a sponsor covering the cost of the education as well as food and housing. The centre also pays for gender reassignment surgery at government hospitals.

Opening the school hasn’t been easy. The school’s founder, who is also transgender, says she approached over 700 property owners before finding a suitable location. Most, she said, didn’t understand what she was trying to do, thinking that she wanted the space for prostitution. While the school is starting small, organizers hope to create a model that can be used across all of India. Approximately 56% of transgender people in India dropped out of high school, so this could be a dramatic turning point for all of them.

 

And Finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.31.16

Normally, when you think of older people collecting things, one thinks of memorabilia such as pottery or antique furniture and the like. No one ever expects them to be hoarding a fortune in artwork, especially not in their garage. Yet, that is exactly what an elderly French couple was convicted of doing yesterday5.  The court found Pierre Le Guennec and his wife Danielle guilty of illegally procuring the artwork of Pablo Picasso from the Picasso home and handed down a two-year suspended sentence.

This has not been an easy case to decide, however. The couple didn’t exactly sneak into the Picasso home and steal the art in the dead of night. Pierre was an electrician who was working in the Picasso home at the time of the artist’s death in 1973. The argument has been that the couple was given the artworks by Jacqueline Picasso, who may or may not have had a right to give the artwork away. A feud as to who holds the rights to Picasso’s work lasted until Jacqueline’s death in 1986. Claude Picasso is now generally considered to be the rightful heir of the Picasso estate.

What you should know is that no one knew the couple had the more than 180 paintings and a book with more than 91 sketches until Pierre took them to have them appraised about seven years ago. The artwork is supposedly in good condition despite having been in the garage the past 40 years. The current appraisal stands at about $105 million but could likely go quite a bit higher.

 

And that’s it. We are done for the year. We are taking a break tomorrow so that we can consider possibly trying to stay awake to see in the New Year. We’ll hopefully be back bright and early Monday morning. Until then, we hope you have a good day. Happy New Year!

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5 Things You Should Know: 12.30.2016
December 30, 2016

04:15:57 12/30/2016

https://youtu.be/b8VmVPNL2XI

So close and yet, no champagne just yet

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

Hey, look! You’ve made it this far through 2016! Only today and tomorrow left. All you have to do is stay safe for a few more hours. There are still snow flurries across central Indiana this morning so roads have some slick spots. If you live in the Northeast, you probably need a shovel.

Two more murders in Indy overnight, and if you travel from Indiana to Kentucky, it’s going to cost about $4 per trip to pay for those bridges. Don’t worry, they’ll bill you. More people are opting to stay home tomorrow night and parents are excited that school starts back in less than five days. Is life supposed to be this hectic? We have 5 things you should know to help sort out the important stuff.

 

Dear Russia: You Suck

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

After teasing it for the past week, President Obama finally released sanctions against Russia for its part in disrupting the US election by hacking political organizations1. 35 Russian diplomats have been given 72 hours to make their way back to their motherland. At the same time, he imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies allegedly involved in the hacking.

This marks the first time since the end of the Cold War that such actions have been taken against Russia. Naturally, Russia vows to retaliate in kind with CNN reporting that the Anglo-American School of Moscow has been ordered closed2. However, it seems unlikely that will be the only action Russia might take in the matter.

Over the past week, Congressmen such as Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain have called for a tough stance against the Russian hacking scheme. This seems to be about as stern a move as President Obama can make without directly involving Congress, which he’s not inclined to do at this point in his administration. The problem with the President acting unilaterally is that the sanctions may not stick. President-elect Trump seemed rather dismissive of the sanctions yesterday, saying that it was “time to move on.”

 

On The Count Of Three, Stop Shooting

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

Despite some early reports of independent skirmishes, the Syrian cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey appears to be holding3. If everyone can keep their fingers off the triggers, the next step would be peace talks next month in Kazakhstan. Allegedly, the cease-fire was signed by the heads of seven major rebel groups, though none of the groups themselves actually admit to having done so.

The cease-fire has to be considered extremely tentative and one misstep by any of the parties involved could cause the whole thing to crumble. Were there only two parties involved, the situation might be more tenable, but with so many splintered rebel groups it is difficult to know when or if everyone has gotten the message, and even more uncertain whether anyone agrees to abide by the terms. For now, every thirty minutes the cease-fire holds is a victory.

What stings is that the US has been completely excluded from these talks. Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, is seen as taking the lead in negotiating the cease-fire, a position President Obama would have certainly liked to have taken but could not.  President Obama has admitted that his administration dropped the ball on Syria and as a result, we’ve been kicked out of the game. Exactly how this might play for future negotiations in the Middle East remains to be seen, but we’re no longer in the driver’s seat there.

 

A Tough Year For Law Enforcement

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

If you think you’re having a rough year, try being a cop. As of Wednesday, the Associated Press reports that 135 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty this year. That’s up 56% over 20154. Sure, some of the deaths were from traffic accidents, but the number of police shootings has increased dramatically for a number of different reasons.

One event factoring heavily in these statistics is the July 7 sniper attack in Dallas that killed five officers and wounded nine others. More individualized attacks across the country have brought police morale to an all-time low with several officers opting for retirement rather than continuing to take the risks associated with the job. This means more young, rookie cops on the street who don’t have the experience and patience of their older counterparts.

At the same time, police are finding their methods and actions more frequently criticized. Just a couple of days ago, a video tape was released that shows a Ft. Worth, Texas officer shooting a man in the back, contradicting earlier testimony5. Incidents such as this not only erodes public trust but increases the danger for police officers everywhere. The two new murders in Indianapolis last night are proof we need a strong police force, but we need to find a way to achieve that while keeping both the police and the public safe.

 

Moving Closer To A Living Wage

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

Making a living wage gets a lot closer to reality for workers in 19 states come Sunday morning6. Employees in Washington and Massachusetts get the biggest jump to $11 an hour. Raises also come to California, New York, Arizona, Maine, Colorado, Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan and Vermont.

The push behind this raise in the minimum wage is a reflection of how our society has changed. Minimum wage jobs, typically implying unskilled labor, were originally reserved for teenagers who lived at home and had few, if any, financial obligations. It was a way to save money for college or buy a car. When the minimum wage was established in 1938, it was never intended to be enough to support a family.

Yet, as society has evolved, it isn’t teens taking those $7.50-an-hour jobs, but unemployed adults, victims of layoffs as far back as 2002, unable to find jobs that fit their skill set, trying desperately to piece together enough part-time work to keep a roof over their heads. While some argue that increasing the minimum wage is unfair and a strain to small business, there has never been an increase in the minimum wage that didn’t end up boosting the economy7. We can only hope that this trend continues to other states as well. Lord knows Congress isn’t going to do anything to help the poor.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you should know: 12.30.16

Just when you thought 2016 was almost over, someone goes and throws a wrench in the works. As it turns out, this year is longer than a normal year—by a whole second. The culprit is something known as a leap second8. The official keepers of time, an organization known as the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, warned us of such this past summer, but no one was really listening at that point. Now, as the year ends, it comes time to add that extra second, throwing off everyone’s countdowns and making the year just a little bit longer.

Why do we need to add a leap second? Because the earth’s rotation isn’t quite as precise as the atomic clocks that govern how we measure time. The earth’s rotation fluctuates, the atomic clocks don’t. So, every couple of years or so, it is necessary to add a second in order to prevent a misalignment that, unchecked, would eventually have clocks reading 7:00 PM when the sun was directly overhead.

This little second thing can cause some problems. In previous years, it has thrown off airline reservation systems and GPS satellites. The midsummer announcement of this year’s addition was made early in hopes of avoiding such confusion. Yet, what might be most important is that we guard ourselves in that extra second so that no one else dies. We’ve already had enough of that with the time we are normally allotted. Let’s try and stay alive for just one second more.

 

Speaking of time, we’ve used up all of ours for today.  Once again, thank you for reading and/or watching. Please, do stay safe as you travel to and fro. We will have news tomorrow in some form or fashion, but not Sunday. We both can use the break. Enjoy your day.

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10 People Who Should Not Be Forgotten
December 29, 2016
charles i. letbetter - 10 people you shouldn't forget

So many have died, these deserve to not fall between the cracks

 

charles i. letbetter - always remember

Death seemed to come hand-in-hand with 2016 and it has reared its ugly head far too many times on too many beloved people. The lists of notable deaths are the longest I’ve ever seen them. Yet, with each list I notice several who were left out for one reason or another. I understand. When compiling such a list, including everyone is difficult. Whether through oversight or just lack of information, many people get left off lists on which they deserve to be included.

I can’t rectify the omissions of every list one might come across. However, there are ten people often excluded who really should never be forgotten. If you’re not familiar with their lives and their work, now would be a good time to acquaint yourself.

Abe Vigoda

Abe Vigoda

Abd Vigoda. 1921-2016

Abe Vigoda was one of those people who was almost too easy to overlook. He was an everyman; the guy next door or the work colleague you constantly meet in the elevator but never really know. Most obituaries are quick to list his role as Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather, but for me, it was in his role as Phil Fish on the television series, The Barney Miller Show where Vigoda’s chops as an actor really stood out. He played a sad-sack detective who had given up fighting the system and instead fought his hemorrhoids. He perpetually looked older than he actually was, sad eyes, a slouching body, but his wit as an actor was sharp and he had that wonderful talent of making almost anyone around him look good.

He was as comfortable on stage as he was in front of the camera. In fact, he was probably more at home there than anywhere. His career was long, his list of credits impressive, and when not playing a character he had an infectious smile. We need actors like Abe Vigoda who don’t feel a need to hog the limelight and can just enjoy acting.

Edgar Mitchell

Ed Mitchell

Edgar Mitchell, 1930-2016

Being an astronaut sounds like a wonderful occupation, doesn’t it? And being one of only twelve people to actually set foot on the moon had to be exhilarating, right? Ed Mitchell led the kind of life the rest of us dream about.

But imagine what it had to be like, sitting in the pilot’s seat for Apollo 14, with all the disasters of the previous attempt at space flight whizzing through your brain. The dangers were more real and present than ever. He knew that for all the simulations and safety checks, things could still go wrong and there was still a chance he might not come back. If ever there was an astronaut facing impossible pressure, it was Ed Mitchell.

Yet, he did it. He guided the Apollo spacecraft into a successful orbit around the moon, then placed the lander exactly where it needed to be on the surface. They just don’t make heroes like this anymore.

He believed in UFOs and remote healing. Consciousness was a dominant topic for his later conversations. That trip to the moon and back got him thinking in terms not everyone was comfortable discussing. Yet, he deserves to be remembered as the one who looked on an Apollo program in tatters and said, “Yeah, I’ll give that a shot.”

Andy Grove

Andy Grove

Andrew Grove, 1936-2016

Most obituaries list Andy Grove as one of the founders and former CEO of computer chip giant Intel. That he was a technological visionary who brought us the digital life we now enjoy is impossible to argue. He should be remembered for that act alone.

However, before he was Andy Grove, technology CEO, he was András István Gróf of Hungary. A teen under the Nazi occupation, he saw how evil the world could be and at age 20 decided to escape, on his own, to the US. It was this drive, and some say his paranoia because of these events, that gave him the skills he needed to make Intel the world’s leading semiconductor company. He knew fear, he knew the risk of losing, and he kept his company from the face of bankruptcy during its infancy.

Gove’s mind operated on a level that would make most of us dizzy. He wrote the book, literally, on semiconductors, and then a best seller on his management style. He was also incredibly generous, giving CUNY a $26 million grant that totally transformed the university’s small engineering school.  He was impeccable about details, yet understood that not everyone was a detailed-oriented person. He gave those around him room to be who and what they were best at being.

The digital world is much stronger, much faster, and much safer because of Andy Grove.

Fred Hayman

Fred Hayman

Fred Hayman, 1925-2016

Whatever you know, or think you know, about Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is the work of this man: Fred Hayman. Born Fred Jules Pollag in a small town in Switzerland, Fred’s father died when he was young and his mother remarried to Julius Haymann. The family emigrated to the US and Fred’s first serious job was as a waiter at the Waldof-Astoria hotel.

Fred didn’t start out with any concept of fashion retail. Instead, he joined the Navy with the idea of becoming a dentist. That dream was never realized, though, and he eventually ended up back at the Waldorf-Astoria. Hotel work seemed to be his fate and he eventually ventured West where he became the manager of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

But then, the entrepreneurial bug bit. There were no other clothing shops on Rodeo Drive when he opened his store, Giorgio, there in 1961. There were no boutiques. No perfume fragrances wafting out open doors. What he had was an open bar, a reading room, and a pool table so that husbands would have something to do while their wives shopped. The gimmick worked. So did the yellow/black striped awning that came to symbolize Beverly Hills shopping. His success lured other luxury retailers to the street, making Rodeo Drive the place for the Beverly Hills elite to build their wardrobe.

Hayman eventually sold Giorgio and its signature fragrance to Avon in the 1980s, but still kept a small shop open nearby. I suppose as long as the store remains open people will still remember his name, but don’t forget that this is the man responsible for turning a nondescript shop into the seat of luxury.

Alan Young

Alan Young

Alan Young, 1919-2016

“A horse is a horse, of course, of course.” Those are the words that instantly come to my mind anytime I think of Alan Young. I mean, it’s not just anyone who can play alongside a talking horse for six years and that’s exactly what Young did. As Wilbur, the owner of the contrary and trouble-making Mr. Ed, Young pulled off one of the most tremendous acting feats in television history. Acting alongside other humans is one thing, but anyone who has been around horses know that even the best of them can be a complete pain in the ass on a regular basis. Yet, Young did this for six years as the show became a hit.

What few of us still remember is that Alan Young was a star even before Mr. Ed. Prior to that horse riding into his life, Young had been host of his own variety show and even won a Prime Time Emmy award in 1951. He was a staple on evening television all through the 1950s and 60s and even made a few appearances in film.

Young “retired” for a while after Mr. Ed. But then Disney lured him into the voice-over business as the voice of Scrooge McDuck and other duck-related cartoon characters. His list of credits includes such improbable titles as Ren and Stempy, and Batman: the animated series. This became his second career, one in which he was active right up until his death this past May. So sure, you may not have known his name, but chances are you grew up with his voice, somewhere, in your childhood.

Pat Summit

Pat Summit

Pat Summit, 1952, 2016

Women’s basketball never has gotten the recognition it deserves so if you’ve not heard the name Pat Summit before, that’s likely the reason. But hers is not only one you should know, she’s someone worthy of a tremendous amount of respect for one very simple reason: she is the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history. More wins than anyone, including all the guys whose names are recognized all over the world. We’re talking 1,098 career wins. In her 38 years as coach, she never had a losing season. Never. There was no way she would allow that to happen.

Most of her wins came as head coach of the Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee. She was relentless on the court. She pushed her girls hard, but they loved her for it. Ask any of them. I’ve not known any of her players to say anything negative about Coach Summit. She knew what it took to win and she made damn sure her teams got there. The fact that they all happened to be young women was irrelevant. They could have taken on most men’s teams in the NCAA and beaten them, too, were it not for the inherent sexism in the sport.

Women’s basketball arguably owes its life to Pat Summit. The NCAA didn’t even recognize women’s basketball as a sport when Pat started coaching in 1974. She was paid a whopping $250 a month, washed the team’s uniforms herself, and even drove the van to games. There was no budget for women’s basketball back then. Then, she coached the US Olympic Team to its first ever basketball medal in 1976, and things began to change. Her teams weren’t second-rate and she wouldn’t allow the university to get off treating them as second-rate, either.

Off the court, Coach Summit had a wonderful sense of humor and a quick wit when some jackass sports reporter tried subjugating her or her sport. Coach Summit knew how to use humor to defuse tense situations and teach a lesson at the same time. Unfortunately, that time was cut short with early-onset Alzheimers. Coach retired in 2013 and that horrible disease didn’t waste any time-consuming her. The next time you watch a women’s basketball game, though, remember Coach Pat Summit. The sport wouldn’t exist without her.

Alan Vega

Alan Vega

Alan Vega, 1938-2016

The music world has taken some huge hits this year with the deaths of some very well-known and popular artists. With all those names in a very lost list, it’s easy to see how someone like Alan Vega might be missed.  You probably never attended one of his concerts. You probably never saw his videos. There’s a chance you wouldn’t even like his music if you heard it. Vega was unique, a one-of-a-kind musician with a very limited audience.

So, why should you remember him? Because both punk and electronica grew out of his work. If you’re under the age of 40 and ever go to a nightclub, what you hear is the influence of Alan Vega.

Vega was a revolutionary kind of person. Attending Brooklyn College in the 1960s, he studied both physics and fine arts. He was as much a visual artist as he was a musician. Yet, he didn’t go for any level of conformity. He was part of a group that barricaded the Museum of Modern Art. As part of a project called MUSEUM: A Project of Living Artists, Vega started working with light sculptors made from digital debris.

In 1970s, he formed the band Suicide with his best friend, Martin Reverby and guitarist Paul Liebgott and began experimenting with sound the same way he had experimented with light. They called their music Punk, or Punk Mass, and within the artistic underground of that era they became stars.

That stardom never reached major radio market airplay, though, and Vega’s fame stayed largely within the relatively small community of experimental artists and musicians he influenced. He influenced a lot of people, however, and the resonance of his experimentation exists in much of the electronic and rock music heard today. He never stopped trying something new, even as he continued creating right up until his death. If you are a fan of EDM, punk, or any other electronic-dominated music form, you have Alan Vega to thank.

Pete Fountain

Pete Fountain

Pete Fountain, 1930-2016

I don’t know how old I was the first time I heard Pete Fountain play, but I remember the song. He took the old gospel melody of A Closer Walk and turned it from a dry, turgid piece of funeral-ready sadness into something with soul. A song that I all-too-well recognized as something that was sung over dead people suddenly had life. That was Pete’s gift. Give him even the shortest rif of notes and he could bring it all to life.

Pierre Dewey Fountain, Jr.,[3] was born in New Orleans. The rhythm of the city was bred into his veins and infused every note he played. He was sick a lot as a child, probably suffering from undiagnosed asthma. When a doctor advised his father that a music instrument, “something he can blow into,” might help, his father took him to a music store and he chose the clarinet. At first, his lungs were so weak he couldn’t even make a sound. He kept trying, though, and once he started he never stopped. By the time he was a teenager, he was playing regular gigs on Bourbon Street. He never left.

Influenced by the music of Benny Goodman, Fountain created a sound that was unique to New Orleans. A mix of blues and jazz, he created a tone that more woody than most, thanks largely to a crystal mouthpiece he started using in 1958. His sound was fluid and full, never shrill, easy on the ears. He could take the most boring of songs and make them exciting. That didn’t always set well with people who were accustomed to more sedate music. Legend is he pissed off Lawrence Welk with a jazz version of the Christmas classic, “Silver Bells.”

I was thrilled to see Pete live on two separate occasions, the latter being up close in a nightclub where he was unrestrained and played as though every note were made of gold. His style of Dixieland Jazz still lives in artists like Jon Batiste. You can find his recordings in music stores still. There are worse ways to spend your money, to be sure. Take a listen.

Janet Reno

Janet Reno

Janet Reno, 1938-2016

Janet Reno is not one of those people who I would have expected to include on a list like this. However, when I mentioned her death a couple of months ago and received, “Who?” as a reply I realized then that her legacy was in danger of going unnoticed. Pay attention, children, some of you may very well owe your life to Janet Reno.

Most notably, Janet Reno was the first female Attorney General of the United States. Nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993, she served in that position until 2001, the longest anyone had served in that position since 1829. That alone would be enough to earn her a spot in the history books. What she did for women in both the legal and political arenas was immeasurable. Now, add to that the fact that she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1995, understand all the physical challenges that disease created for her, and her accomplishments are even more impressive.

You should know her for more than that, though. Before becoming Attorney General of the United States, Miss Reno was Attorney General of the state of Florida where she broke new ground in the prosecution of child abuse. Most notably, she oversaw the passage of a law that would allow abused children to testify via closed-circuit television so that they would not have to confront the fear of those who had abused them.

Miss Reno’s tenure as Attorney General was not an easy one. It was her Department of Justice responsible for the Branch Davidian standoff outside Waco, Texas, that resulted in the deaths of 76 people. She also oversaw the arrest and convictions of notable criminals such as the Unabomber, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for the Oklahoma City bombing, and the persons responsible for the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center.

There is a lot to learn from the life of a woman who was totally and completely committed to the law and justice. Take some time and get to know this incredible woman.

Leon Russell

Leon Russell

Leon Russell, 1942-2016

How in the world is Leon Russell on this list? I mean, doesn’t everyone know about Leon Russell? I certainly would have thought so, but after his death last month I mentioned him to five different people, all under the age of 30, and none of them knew who he was. One person thought he was a member of the OJays. Sigh. This is why we create lists like this, children.

Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, a military town surrounded by nothing in the world but dust. I’ve never been there but what I didn’t end up sick. He began playing piano at the age of four, the same age I was when I started playing, and his parents moved to Tulsa. He went to the same high school there as Anita Bryant and formed his first band with Bread’s frontman David Gates. If you ask me who David Gates is I may have to slap you.

From Tulsa he went to Los Angeles where he became a studio musician. His style was popular and he played keyboard on a number of records for groups such as The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. He was also an active composer and arranger. He wrote Delta Lady for Joe Cocker and over 100 different artists have covered his A Song For You. He produced albums for  Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike & Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones among others. Perhaps more than anything else, he was a mentor and friend to a young British singer going by the name Elton John.

Through the 70s and early 80s he performed country music under the name Hank Wilson, but he never stopped writing and producing rock through that time, either. If you’ve listened to the 1970s recordings of the Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Helen Reddy, The Gap Band, Bob Dylan, or Willie Nelson, you’ve heard Russell’s influence both in production and often on keyboard.

I could literally go on for pages and pages with this man’s accomplishments. He never stopped. in 2010 he recorded a duet album with Elton John. At the time of his death last month, he was planning on starting yet another tour in January.

You know Leon Russell. You just didn’t know that you know Leon Russell. Now you do. I hope you will remember. Maybe this will help:

Of course, this list, like every other list you’re seeing this time of year, is incomplete. There were many, many more people whose deaths this year deserve observance. This list just touches the surface. One of the most complete lists of notable deaths this year is a “live” list compiled by the Associated Press. Take a look. Go through the names and get to know the people mentioned. They are each notable for a reason.  Take a moment and appreciate the way in which they changed their world, then let’s look at 2017 as a chance to change ours.

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5 Things You Should Know: 12/23/2016
December 23, 2016
charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

https://youtu.be/QzanwGzbS7I

Festivus for the rest of us

 

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

Good morning, and Happy Festivus for those of you who celebrate that particular holiday. Today is the day you get to make your annual complaint. Just don’t make it in my direction because I’m not listening. We have rain moving into the Midwest this afternoon while to our North a major winter storm is developing that could interrupt holiday travel for a lot of people. Wherever you are, please be safe when you’re on the road.

There is a lot to discuss this morning. Uber has moved its driverless car fleet to Arizona after the California Department of Transportation revoked the registration of its 16 vehicles. JetBlue removed some rowdy passengers from a flight carrying Ivanka Trump. And A Lybian plane presumed to be hijacked has landed in Malta. That situation is ongoing and at this point we don’t have enough details to elaborate. Let’s get into our 5 things you should know.

 

The Tunisian driver in the German market incident is dead

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

Early this morning, police in Milan, Italy reported that they had shot and killed the man believed responsible for driving a truck into a crowded holiday market in Berlin earlier this week, killing 121.  Anis Amri had been the subject of a European-wide manhunt, though as of last night Berlin officials said they believed him to still be in that city. Amri pulled a gun when stopped at a routine traffic stop in Milan and was killed in the subsequent shootout.

While attempts to actually connect Amri with the terrorist organization are questionable, the Islamic State has taken credit for the attack in Berlin, which may be part of a broader plan to boost its visibility. Early yesterday, Australian authorities said they foiled a plot to attack multiple locations there on Sunday2. The five ISIS-inspired terrorists had planned the attack using explosives, knives, and guns for high profile locations in Canberra, Australia’s second-largest city.

At the same time, there are reports of a list of churches in the United States that have been targeted for attack by the group as well3. National Security Administration officials question whether the list has any authority to it or if it is just rhetoric in an attempt to disrupt holiday celebrations. Security across the US is already heightened after the attack in Berlin, but no credible threats have been identified.

 

The nuclear arms race may be back on

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

After decades of deliberate attempts at reducing nuclear proliferation, both Russia and the United States now seem poised to start up the nuclear arms race once again4. First, it was Russian President Vladimir Putin stating that strengthening his country’s nuclear capabilities should be a chief military objective in the coming year. President-elect Donald Trump quickly fired back with a tweet saying the United States needs to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability” until the rest of the world “comes to its senses” regarding nuclear weapons.

Sounds a bit scary, doesn’t it? There are a couple of things on this topic we need to keep in mind. First, the nuclear arsenals of both countries is getting old. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties of the 1970s pretty much put a halt to any new nuclear weapons development. As our nuclear stockpile begins to age, there is some danger in radioactive material leaking from corroded containers. Plans have been under discussion for some time as to how the US might upgrade its stockpile without violating existing treaties.

At the same time, however, one has to consider the possibility that Putin was merely baiting the president-elect. If so, it would appear that the trap worked. Mr. Trump’s proclivity toward tweeting before thinking was an issue all through the campaign and this may well be another occasion where someone on his staff shows up today attempting to walk back the gaffe. Either way, there is plenty of reason to be concerned. Talk about nuclear weapons is not a joking matter and taken very seriously by leaders around the world. Any attempt at a new buildup would likely face UN restrictions as well as a Congress not terribly excited about funding such a project.

 

Worst year in history

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

If you’re thinking that 2016 has been the worst year ever, you may be correct, at least for the murder rate in Indianapolis. The murder of a man who opened his door and was immediately shot was the city’s 145th homicide. Murder number 146 came late yesterday as police found a man in the 4500 block of East 37th Street who had not only been shot but then set on fire. These murders make 2016 the deadliest year in Indianapolis history5.

All this comes on the same day that police chief Troy Riggs announced his resignation and at the end of the first year of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration. Hogsett ran in 2015 on a campaign of reducing violence in the city. However, despite aggressive efforts to bring the rate of violence under control, homicides have continued to rise. Officials are blaming everything from poverty to substance abuse and mental illness. Chief Riggs said in a statement on Thursday that the fundamental cause remains the fact that too many people are settling arguments with gunfire.

Nationwide, FBI statistics have shown violent crime to be decreasing across the nation. However, in the Midwest both Chicago and Indianapolis have defied that trend with homicides in both cities setting new records each year. Officials in both cities have struggled across multiple administrations without finding an answer to the problem, leaving certain parts of the cities as dangerous as war zones.

 

Forcing women to work

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

The president-elect’s transition team is having some difficulty finding artists and entertainers willing to perform at inaugural events next month. Just yesterday, Canadian singer Celine Dion released a statement adding her name to the list of people who have told the president-elect “No, thank you.6” This puts her on the same list as Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, and Garth Brooks, among others.

After all the many declines, inauguration planners were happy to announce yesterday that the Mormon Tabernacle Choice and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes would be performing7. Neither addition is surprising as both have performed for inaugurations before. To some extent, their presence is pretty much old-hat.

Wait just one minute, though. It would seem there is some dissension among the ranks of the Rockettes. Pheobe Pearl, one of the Rockettes, wrote on her private Instagram account yesterday that, “Finding out that it has been decided for us that Rockettes will be performing at the Presidential inauguration makes me feel embarrassed and disappointed.”

It’s no secret that an overwhelming number of New Yorkers voted against the president-elect so the dissent isn’t surprising. However, the Rockettes are owned by the Madison Square Garden Company and a union boss responded to Ms. Pearl’s statement saying that any dancer who didn’t participate in the inauguration event would find themselves unemployed. Needless to say, that stance has not set well with the Broadway community nor social media. Something tells me this situation isn’t quite over.

 

And finally …

charles i. letbetter - 5 Things You Should KNow 12/23/16

We end this week saying goodbye to Franca Sozzani, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia who passed away at her home yesterday with her son by her side8. Franca had been editor of the magazine for 28 years, taking on that position the same year Anna Wintour took the lead position at US Vogue. Immediately, memorials began pouring in from fashion’s most notable names expressing their condolences. Ms. Wintour described her as, “warm, clever, funny, and someone who could give the Sphinx a run for its money when it comes to keeping a confidence.9”  Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman and CEO of Conde Nast, the parent company of all the Vogue editions, said in a statement: “France was one of the greatest Editors who ever make a magazine. She was by far the most talented, influential, and important person within the Conde Nast International organization.”

More than just an editor of a fashion magazine, however, Franca Sozzani was a photographer. She was the daughter of a photographer and had an unquestionable passion for photography that was evident in how she put together her magazine. She championed hundreds of photographers over the years, most notably Steven Meisel. She was constantly on the look for emerging photographers and established and supported multiple programs to give those photographers a chance to show their work.

Make no mistake, she was demanding and set a very high standard for the photography that graced the pages of her magazine and even in its more expanded online galleries. Having that small Vogue Italia logo in the bottom left-hand corner of a photo was an incredible achievement, a statement to the world that the toughest of photo editors approved of your work. I am fortunate enough to have that logo on 18 photographs. We normally don’t include those images with our other portfolios, but for the next few days at least we’ve put them all online in memory of a fantastic person who pushed us all to take better pictures. You can see our Vogue Italia portfolio here.

 

We are once again out of time and space. We hope you will enjoy your Festivus activities and that you will join us again tomorrow as we try to find 5 special things you need to know for Christmas Eve. Don’t forget to subscribe, please. We hope you stay warm and dry. Have a great Friday.

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