photograph

PotD
Doing Sex Better
July 24, 2016
charles i. letbetter - doing better sex

There’s nothing better than good sex. But bad sex? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better than bad sex. —Billy Joel

 

charles i.letbetter - doing sex better

Sex is wonderful, but it can almost always be better

I’ve noticed that the articles where we talk about sex are among the most popular. Everyone likes to talk about sex. I have a feeling, though, that’s more because everyone enjoys fantasizing about sex. Actual experiences vary. A lot.

There are millions of articles across the Internet addressing the topic of how to have better sex. Most of them say the same thing: Relax, communicate with your partner, blah, blah, blah. Those are all things everyone should know by now. If you don’t, you’re just not paying attention. If you’re not paying attention then you’re not going to have good sex.

I recently came across a female oriented article about better ways to reach orgasm. I’ve long been an advocate of men reading articles directed toward women, especially if your partner has already mentioned that they like the article. That’s a hint, guys. Read the fucking article! This particular article goes a little beyond the norm, though. So, let’s see if I can put a co-ed spin on their five topics. Guys, pay attention.

Set the Mood

To some extent, this is one of those areas almost every sex article mentions, and with good reason. Guys will have sex anywhere. Doesn’t matter how uncomfortable it is or how inappropriate the place may be. Aesthetics don’t bother guys at all. They’re getting sex. They’re happy.

Women, on the other hand, are very sensitive to their surroundings. While being spontaneous is okay on occasion, more often than not they want to be comfortable. They want their surroundings to be agreeable with what you’re about to do. This doesn’t mean it has to be in the same place doing the same thing every time. Vary the mood from soft and romantic to hard and passionate. There are dozens of options that will work for her.

Be sensitive, though. She may like it rough, but having gravel digging into her knees may be a bit much if she’s been on her feet all day. Music is nice, but if she’s been surrounded by noise something quieter might help her mood. This is all about her, guys. You know you aren’t as affected. Take care of your partner and get the mood right.

Get in position

This is where watching too much porn can get you into trouble. Rolling around on the sheets with a new position every two or three minutes isn’t going to do it for most women. Instead of being satisfied, you both just end up exhausted. If you’re perspiring, it should be from passion, not because you’ve completed all the steps to a 30 minute cardio workout in five minutes.

Position matters a lot to women, both in terms of pleasure and, if you’re trying, her ability to get pregnant (not that there are “safe” positions, mind you; don’t be stupid). Find the positions that feel best for your partner, three or four at most, and make those the focal point of your sexual adventure. Sure,  you can mix them up and try modest variations, but if the purpose is mutual pleasure then work the positions that excite your partner the most.

Guys, this is especially important if your partner has difficulty achieving orgasm. Your fiddling and wiggling around is a distraction. She needs you to focus on what you’re doing. Pay attention to what works and stay the fuck away from what doesn’t. If she’s crying when you’re done, you blew it and it’s most likely right here that you failed.

Try a New Sensation

Here’s a common predicament: Only one or two positions work for your partner, but then he/she complains that the sex is boring. Been there? More than a few people have. The solution to that problem involves a little bit of experimentation. If you grew up in a strict religious household, as I did, this may mean you need to do some research.

Fortunately, we live in the age of the Internet and if there is one topic on which the Internet is an endless source of information, it’s sexual variety. The biggest danger here is that your virgin eyes are likely to see something you’ll wish you hadn’t seen. You might also need to adjust the safe surfing controls on your web browser.

For many, the most simple sensations can have a dramatic impact. Being blindfolded delivers an element of surprise, and maybe even mystery. Being tied to the bed requires releasing control to your lover. Nipple clamps that are adjustable are a good way to get just the right amount of pain without going too far. Using her toys on her can be especially productive. The options are almost endless.

Use (Good) Lube

One often doesn’t realize the importance of a good lube until they’ve had an especially painful experience without it. Guys, this is the one time it may not actually be your fault. While I’m not sure I trust the various studies out there, somewhere between 40-60 percent of women have problems with vaginal dryness. This is a medical condition that sometimes, in extreme cases, requires a doctor’s attention.

What’s important is that you work the use of lube into your sex so that it doesn’t interrupt the flow. Have it handy, along with a towel or wipe, know how much to use, and how to apply it in an erotic and effective manner.

Even more important is that you use the right lube. This is where it can get tricky because not everything that’s advertised actually does the job. You should always use a water based lube. This is more sanitary, works well with condoms, and comes closer to working with a woman’s natural body chemistry. Be careful, though, of those claiming to have spermicides or increase erection times. The spermicides don’t always work and the erection aids often burn and can cause a rash.  Lelo has a good list of moisturizers.

Forget how You Think You SHOULD be Masturbating

Yes, masturbation is an important part of the sexual experience for a couple just as it is when one is alone. The problem here stems from the fact that almost none of us get any instruction in how to masturbate safely and correctly. Let’s face it, as difficult as it was to get the birds-and-bees talk from your parents, hearing them talk about masturbating would be excruciating.

Mutual masturbation can be the key to bringing your partner to orgasm, though. There are a number of reasons why the normal (and abnormal) sex positions don’t allow someone to reach orgasm. Stress, lingering fever from a recent illness, too much food or alcohol, too high, or being too distracted are some of the more common situations that can keep one from finishing well.

Masturbation allows one to relax, removes the pressure of performance anxiety, and focus directly on stimulating the areas that respond the best without wearing anyone out. Again, be sure to use a good personal moisturizer. This might also be a good time for some dirty talk if that helps. Don’t be too forceful, don’t grip too tightly, don’t be afraid to use toys to aid in stimulation, and don’t lose your focus.

Never Stop Learning

No matter how many  times you’ve had sex nor the combination of methods you’ve tried, there is always something new to learn. Be open to exploration both on your own and with your partner(s). We are fortunate to live in an age where healthy sexual relationships are encouraged, even if it’s still not exactly a topic of conversation for the dinner table.  Follow the path of what feels right for you.

Better sex is possible. There’s no reason to not start making it so today.

Continue Reading

PotD  /  Social Commentary
Just The Facts
July 23, 2016
charles i. letbetter - just the facts

Prejudice is a great time-saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. —E. B. White

 

charles i. letbetter - just the facts

Everyone has their opinion, and numbers can be easily skewed but the facts are indisputable

Making clear decisions is difficult at times. When emotion and tradition say one thing but facts and raw numbers go a different direction, finding a point of reconciliation between the two seems impossible.

I’m not sure there is any issue that illustrates this fact than does the debate across the United States over guns and whether there should be any level of governmental control. I have plenty of liberal friends who are fine with the concept of no one having guns at all, including police. I have a sufficient number of conservative friends for whom even mentioning the words “gun control” borders on infringing the Second Amendment.

Philosophies on both sides are well known and I’m not going to embrace either one because both are severely flawed. The point of today’s article is not to take a side on any portion of the gun debate. Rather, to look at the numbers, the one set of indisputable facts, and see what they tell us.

The numbers related to gun deaths I’m looking at were compiled the website FiveThirtyEight. Their research was exhaustive and goes much deeper than I have time to  regurgitate here. If the issue is a strong one for you, I strongly encourage you to read their article and follow the links.

Talking Points

I know sorting through raw numbers can be challenging. Drawing correlations and finding trends and patterns takes a lot of time. Sometimes one’s attitude gets in the way of finding the facts. So, before we drill down too deep, let’s take a look at some of the major talking points to come out of the FiveThirtyEight research.

  • There are more than 33,000 annual gun deaths in America
  • Nearly two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides
  • More than 85 percent of suicide victims are male …
  • More than half of all suicides are men age 45 or older.
  • Another third of all gun deaths — about 12,000 in total each year — are homicides
  • More than half of homicide victims are young men …
  • … Two-thirds of whom are black.
  • Women are far less likely to be gun homicide victims — about 1,700 of them are killed each year, many in domestic violence incidents.
  • The remaining gun deaths are accidents or are classified as undetermined.

There are many different ways to die, but for these numbers the one thing they have in common, often the only thing they have in common, is a gun. The actual reasons for the violence vary tremendously. Gun violence is not a single point issue. We must get past the idea that there is a single solution that solves all gun deaths. The problems are much, much deeper.

Most Likely To Die

Let’s start with the top level number and move down from there.

There were 33,599 gun deaths in the year 2014

  • 28,783 gun deaths are males
  • 4,816 gun deaths are female

The picture there is pretty stark: men are more likely to die from gun violence than women. The difference is extreme. But while that looks as though we have a problem with men running around shooting each other, the reality is quite different.

The leading cause of death among men, especially those 45 or older, is suicide. We touched briefly on this topic earlier this year when new suicide statistics were released. However, when we look at the numbers in relationship to gun violence. The facts don’t point to open carry laws or assault rifles as being the primary problem. Instead, mental health and economic issues are where we need to focus our attention if we want to bring down the largest set of numbers.

And there’s the problem. We’re more than happy to yell and scream about guns, but you don’t see many people protesting over access to mental health care or the death rate due to poverty. Those are facts we’d rather ignore. They make us uncomfortable.

Killing Each Other

Interestingly enough, this is one area where the numbers are going down and have been for nearly 20 years. Attributing the decline to any one cause, such as gun laws or better policing, is coming at the problem with skewed vision. If we want to find all the solutions, we have to look deeper.

11,726 gun deaths are homicides. 9,935 are male, 1,791 are female. Those numbers include every form of homicide: during the commission of a robbery, domestic disputes, arguments between “friends,” drug-related crime, “honor” killings, gang-related hits, police-involved shootings. There are even more causes if one wants to drill down further. Each cause represents a unique problem. Each problem must be addressed individually. Just because they all have guns in common doesn’t mean that addressing the gun issue solves the problem.  

Oh, and look at this: Only 3,049 homicides are white. 6,503 are black, 1,878 are Hispanic, 186 are Asian, and 109 are native American. That’s victim count, mind you. Blacks are being killed at twice the rate of whites. We have to realize that, to some extent, the rate of homicide is more of a race issue than a gun issue. 

It’s Not My Fault

Accidental deaths, especially those of children, always get a lot of play in the media. Who doesn’t feel bad that a toddler’s life is snuffed out by a playmate who found a gun in a drawer? These  are emotional issues that get a lot of people talking, but too often they don’t have the facts to make an accurate statement.

Here are the real numbers: 427 gun deaths are of people under 15, 59 of those are accidents, 221 are homicides. Homicides. Children intentionally being killed. Mostly by adults. While accidents pull on our heart strings, that’s not the bigger problem, is it?

Accidental gun deaths occur most often among people ages 15 to 34. 210 accidental deaths were reported within that age group during the year. Then, for an interesting racial spin, they are more likely to be white males.  102 is the number there. Almost half. Call it the Bubba Factor, good ol’ boys just playing around, not paying attention. “Hey look, ya’ll, watch this …” becomes their last words. So, where’s the campaign against carelessness?

Our Fear Of Terror

One of the more interesting items in the FiveThirtyEight article is finding out that Mother Jones maintains what may be the most complete and accurate table of mass shootings. I would have expected some government entity, or a branch of the United Nations perhaps, to have taken on that responsibility. You can see the full table for yourself at the Mother Jones website.

Terrorism numbers are not included in the 33,599 deaths mentioned above. Terrorism is not a gun issue. Terrorism is a terror issue, a matter of war, and can only be resolved by addressing it as such, even if the “terrorist” is a lone gunman with a personal agenda. Guns are never the issue in these situations. Just last week, we saw how one terrorist used a truck, of all things, to kill nearly 100 people in Nice, France.

At the same time, however, keeping assault weapons out of the hands of terrorists, whether foreign or domestic, is a facet of that conversation. Again, let me say it one more time, there is no single-point solution to any  of these problems!

Stay Calm & Think Rationally

The facts of gun violence show a very different picture than what is represented in the media. Looking at raw numbers removes a lot of the emotion we get from reading an article online or watching the video of a single event. Numbers give us a chance to gain a bit of perspective and logic.

After all this, here’s one last number to throw at you: 33,599 is less than .0001% of the total US population. More people die of cancer. More people die of heart disease. More people die of causes related to obesity.

I don’t say that to diminish the importance of gun violence.  Cancer doesn’t kill you while you’re walking down the street. Obesity doesn’t happen by accident. We all want to feel safe. I merely want to put the issue into some perspective.

Guns are not the bane of society.

The Second Amendment is not sacred text.

When both sides decide to get off their high horse, stop being do damned defensive and look at the facts, then maybe we can begin to make some progress.

Continue Reading

Fashion  /  PotD
Brides Of A Different Tribe
July 22, 2016

In Hollywood, brides keep the bouquets and throw away the groom. —Groucho Marx

 

charles i. letbetter - brides of a different tribe

An increasing number of brides are opting for a style of wedding that is anything but traditional

I was amused earlier this week when Bloomberg magazine ran an article about alternative styles of wedding dresses as though the world had suddenly shifted off its fashionable axis. How dare brides not wear long, flowing, white dresses made of silk and satin and miles and miles of fabric? What of the time-honored etiquette? What of the billion-dollar industry built around weddings? Is everything going to ruin?

Of course not. We both know better. No matter what trends might be forthcoming, the foreseeable future is still going to be dominated by traditional wedding wear. There’s very little cause for worry in the short term. Brides dream of their weddings long before there’s a groom or another bride in the picture. Weddings are the stuff of fantasies and the star-lit hopes of runaway romanticism. As long as little girls dream of being a princess, there will be over-the-top traditional weddings.

Times are changing, though, and one would be crazy to not consider how modern trends are impacting the bridal industry, not just in terms of bridal fashion, but all the supporting industries necessary to make a bride’s dream come true. Change, in this case, equals opportunity if one is paying attention.

Budget-Conscious Brides

There have always been brides who do their best to squeeze every ounce of value from what they spend on their weddings. While we don’t advocate overspending on anything, there seems to be a contest among some brides to see just how little they can spend while still getting all the services they want.

To be quite honest about the matter, discount brides are a pain in the ass for everyone else. When one asks a service provider to work for less than their stated rates, or ties to trim expenses by ordering the minimum ala carte, they are devaluing the service that person provides. As a photographer, I find it extremely annoying and presumptuous when someone asks me for a discount off my smallest wedding package. The same is true for florists, caterers, and cake bakers. They all deserve to be paid fairly and not asked to discount their work.

Many brides have solved this problem by doing some things, such as making decorations, invitations, and other items themselves. Some even sew their own dress, which I think is a remarkable and romantic thing to do. There are plenty of ways to save money without cheating anyone in the process.

Alternative Brides

Kats at that age where a lot of her friends are getting married. Many are getting married out of town, so we won’t be able to attend. One we did get to go to this summer, though, was gloriously alternative. In fact, there was very little that was traditional, short of the fact there was an aisle the bride walked and they did have an officiant, which I think is required by law in most states. The bride wore a green dress. They served breakfast at the reception. The “cake” was made of Long’s donuts. Even though a thundershower soaked the area right as the wedding was about to start, the event was still wonderful, romantic, and happy.

Brides with an alternative mindset are growing in number. There are a number of reasons for this, from a change in same-gender marriage laws to a decline in religious affiliation. Many young women do not feel obligated to tradition in any way. Therefore, they are more open to exploring alternative ceremonies and creating a romantic event that suits the couples’ particular interests.

As Kat and I have discussed the eventual legal necessity of marriage, our perspective is definitely out of the norm. No church. No traditional minister. I wanted to go nude, but she wants to invite her parents, so, uhm, probably some form of clothing will be involved. What we don’t want to do is anything that someone else has already done. We’re unique rule breakers and think any wedding we might eventually have has to follow suit.

Older Brides

Another factor in non-traditional weddings is that a number of brides are older than previous generations. Part of this is due to an increase in career options. There are also more women with multiple marriages than was previously socially acceptable. More than anything, though, a high number of young women today don’t place as much importance on weddings. As a result, they’re waiting much, much longer before making that decision.

Relationship expectations have changed. Few young women today grew up in a home where Dad worked and Mom stayed home. Instead, most were either raised by single parents or in homes where both parents had to work to make ends meet. As a result, young women don’t come out of high school or college expecting prince charming to sweep them off their feet.

Waiting until you’ve traveled a bit and explored some of life’s adventures before getting married is not a bad idea. After all, many of those things become unavailable once one is tied down to the responsibilities of being married. As a result, older brides tend to have weddings that are more low-key, smaller, and more intimate affairs attended only by closest friends and family. Wardrobe is often a secondary thought with a new dress bought off the shelf at the last minute.

Happily Ever After

Ultimately, what matters most about a wedding is the union between two souls who are hopelessly and deeply in love. What they wear, where they are married, the expense involved are all factors, but, in the end, none of that actually impacts the quality of the marriage.

Every bride deserves to have the wedding the way she wants. Some will always choose to be surrounded by white and fluff and all the traditional accouterments. Others will always choose to be different. There is plenty of room for both. We wish everyone the best.

Continue Reading

Fashion  /  PotD  /  science
Wearing Someone Else’s Skin
July 21, 2016
charles i. letbetter - someone else's skin

I’m confident – confident in my skin, and I’m cool with my flaws and all that stuff. —Minka Kelly

 

charles i. letbetter - wearing someone else's skin

Fashion technology is giving us some great things, but are we ready to wear someone else’s skin?

I’m sure there are times when many of us wish we could bring back someone from history, at least for a while. We miss the intellect, the insight, and the talent of many who are gone. But, what would we do if someone from history really did come back—as a coat? That very thing may well be possible. Quartz is reporting that Tina Gorjane is growing replicas of Alexander McQueen’s skin. Why? To make coats and handbags.

Yes, you read that correctly. Ms. Gorjane is developing a new technique to “grow” skin based on a DNA sample from McQueen’s hair, which was obtained with permission. The process isn’t speedy. Getting enough material for even a handbag has yet to actually happen. Ms. Gorjane has been using pig skin as a prototype until there is enough of McQueen’s skin to develop a product. Even once she has samples available to show, we’re still not going to see products on the shelves anytime soon.

The very fact that Ms. Gorjane is experimenting with DNA products raises some interesting questions, though. Who has a right to use your DNA? Is it ethical to wear someone else’s skin? And how is this all not just a little bit creepy?

You’re Wearing Who?

On one hand, I can see where wearing the artificially grown DNA of another person, especially someone who had as much of an impact on fashion as Alexander McQueen, is attractive. Not only might we want to “wear” McQueen or Miuccia Prada or maybe even Karl Lagerfeld (shudder), we might also think a coat made of great-grandma is a good idea, or a handbag made from the DNA of a deceased spouse. I can appreciate how people might come to look at such DNA products as a form of flattery or even affection.

What’s not certain just yet is exactly how durable such products are going to be. The DNA will grow new skin, not the wrinkled and worn stuff that seemed to hang off grandma’s bones before she died. However, the process has the ability to duplicate things such as moles and scars. Ms. Gorjane apparently plans to duplicate some of the tattoos McQueen had, which could be interesting. The material is also subject to sunburn, though. Imagine having to apply SPF 30 to your jacket before going out.

We’re so accustomed to seeing new types of fabric that we’re not likely to immediately notice that someone is wearing someone else. But when you ask someone who they’re wearing, a common question among those interested in fashion, you’re probably not ready for someone to come back with an answer like, “Oh, I’m wearing my family. My blazer is my grandfather, my skirt is my Aunt Jane,  my handbag is my sister, and my shoes are my Dad.” It could happen.

Who Can Be Worn?

One of the more debatable aspects of this technology is exactly where the line is on using people’s DNA. Laws regarding DNA ownership vary from one country to the next. In the United States, for example, you do not own discarded DNA material. So, in theory, someone could take a strand of hair you left behind on a chair and develop a whole line of wearable products based on your DNA. They would not need to ask your permission, give you any credit, nor pay you for anything. Laws are slightly different across Europe, but still light enough as to leave the field open to random harvesting of castoff DNA samples.

As a person, we have a surprisingly little right to our own DNA. DNA cannot be copyrighted or patented. There is no way to legal limit how or who uses one’s DNA at the present time. Neither is there any limit to the number of times or methods through which it can be reproduced. Ms. Gorjane’s process is currently a very slow and tedious approach, which likely prevents the creation and stockpiling of large amounts of McQueen’s skin. However, should these DNA products prove commercially popular, it is quite likely that someone else would look for a way to speed up the process. What would, for now, be an extreme luxury product would almost certainly hit mainstream within a few years, creating a tremendous demand for DNA-based material.

To her credit, Ms. Gorjane did ask permissions of everyone involved in her use of McQueen’s hair as a base sample (except his surviving relatives, who are not involved in the project). History shows that we cannot expect others to be as careful, however. Laws are nowhere close to addressing these issues, either. Should the process become reasonably widespread, one could be contributing to garments around the world and never have any idea their DNA is being used.

What Are The Odds?

So, one person, a student at that, is experimenting with wearable skin. What’s the big deal? Is this really an idea that is likely to take off? Anything is possible. Luxury houses have already been investing in bioengineering companies that are likely to produce results similar to Ms. Gorjane’s. Some type of DNA-based product seems almost inevitable.

That’s not to say that it is human skin being developed. The same technology is being considered as a possible replacement for the fashion industry’s heavy use of leather products. Being able to produce leather without having to kill animals would remove a lot of the criticism the industry faces on a regular basis.

For the moment, though, growing skin is an extremely expensive method of creating material. The process is slow and requires very precise development conditions. While luxury houses might find the material usable on small collections, large-scale implementation is not economically feasible at this point. At the same time, legal considerations are likely to increase and may provide further hurdles to any widescale use of DNA material.

Imagine The Possibilities

Ms. Gorjane’s research opens the door to tremendous possibilities. Using DNA to grow skin has already been used with burn patients, but with some of the same slow issues. Were the fashion industry to find a way to make the process faster, the same technology could have amazing medical benefits as well. Where pure research can be slow and plodding at times, commercial involvement may speed up the process for other biological concerns providing broader benefit outside the industry.

Then, there’s also the possibility that one might be able to wear a nude-colored skin suit that actually looks nude, nipples and other body features included. Technically, one isn’t nude if wearing someone else’s skin, are they? Perhaps the skin could be used as a lining behind other sheer fabrics as well.

But then, what if a person who is light skinned wears clothing derived from the DNA of a person who was dark skinned? I’m not sure anyone has even considered how this fabric might impact discussions of race and even cultural appropriation.

At the moment, the issue raises more questions than answers. The potential sounds both exciting and frightening at the same time. Skin over skin could be one of the biggest developments in the history of fashion, though. We’ll watch anxiously.

 

Continue Reading

Just For Fun  /  PotD
Over-The-Top Burger
July 20, 2016
charles i. letbetter - over-the-top burger

You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars. —Charles Kuralt

 

charles i. letbetter - over-the-top burger

America is on a constant quest for the best burger and it’s a challenge never satisfied

I am not a foodie. I think we’ve established that by now. The last time I made a comment about local restaurants I was vilified for having a contrary opinion. However, if there’s one thing that gets my attention it’s a good burger. I love them. When Esquire magazine included Indianapolis’ Bru Burger Bar on its list of best burgers in each state, it didn’t leave me with any real choice but to chime in.

The danger here is that there is no such thing as the perfect burger. Americans are as divided on burger contents as they are on presidential candidates, perhaps more so. One can’t eat a presidential candidate with a side of fries and feel satisfied. Everyone has their own opinion as to what constitutes a good burger. Everyone thinks that their opinion is best. As a result, there will never be any large-scale agreement as to what makes the best burger. Don’t even go there.

What we can do, though, is take a look at what makes a good burger. Let’s consider the universal elements for a decent burger and what we expect when we walk into a burger joint anywhere in the country. Eating is fun, but sometimes creating them is more joy.

What The List Said

The same list that included Indy’s Bru also included a lot of other great burgers. While almost all of them made my mouth water, here are a few that sound especially wonderful:

  • Kula burger at Stewz Maui Burgers, Hawaii. Sitting on top of locally-sourced beef, this burger makes me hungry with avocados, red onion, a shmear of slow-roasted garlic, slow-roasted Poblano, Monterrey jack cheese, and house-exclusive chipotle lime aioli. Such a wonderful mix of flavors, possibly served somewhere within decent proximity of a beach (I can only hope), makes my stomach rumble at the thought.
  • Seward’s Folly, West Rib Pub & Grill, Talkeetna, Alaska. It’s going to take someone with a helluva lot more stomach space than what I have to even think about eating this burger. Five pounds of food in one setting is insane.  However, the ingredient list has me licking my chops. Caribou, ham, bacon, unhealthy amounts of cheese, lettuce, grilled onions, and proprietary “Fat Ass” sauce. You’ll want your cardiologist on speed dial if you actually try this burger, but the contents in smaller quantity would be wonderful.
  • Bubba Burger at Doc Crow’s, Louisville. This one’s within driving distance and we’re through Louisville every once in a while, so I may have to put this on our list. In addition to ground beef, there’s pulled pork, beef brisket, onion rings, coleslaw, fried green tomato, and a fried egg. While I’m a little concerned about how messy a fried egg can be, the combination of flavors make for serious gastronomical excitement.
  • Dublin Burger, The Barley House, Concord, New Hampshire. They had me at peppercorn-charred. Then they had the nerve to make me drool publicly by adding whiskey gravy, creamy bleu cheese, and crispy onion rings. If I can talk them into serving that with roasted potatoes and Johnnie Walker Black Label I might just die and go to heaven, or Nirvana, or some other form of cheeseburger paradise.

There are a lot of really tempting flavor combinations throughout the list. I feel for anyone who had to try them all.

What Makes A Great Burger

Again, being extremely subjective here, it seems there are some basic components to making a burger worth the inevitable heartburn and bloatedness. While anything is potentially a candidate for a burger topping, some combinations just worked better than others. If resources are readily available and budget isn’t a hindrance, here’s what I think makes a really good burger.

  • Quality meet. Start with really nice ground sirloin, around 80% lean. If the option is available too me, I like going in and selecting the cut of meat and having it ground fresh. Ground beef that has sat around for a few days just doesn’t have the same flavor. Something I like but didn’t see on Esquire’s list is mixing other ground meats, such as sage pork sausage and lamb. The enhanced flavors really make a burger take great before adding toppings.
  • Onions. Raw, grilled, sauteed, caramelized, or in deep-fried rings, every good burger needs onions. If you’re worried about your breath, bring a mint.
  • Flavorful cheese. There’s nothing wrong with putting a strong, sharp cheddar on a burger but I get excited when I see a combination of cheeses that include bleu, Gruyère, Havarti, Monterey Jack, or Muenster.
  • Creative sauces. I am not a big fan of the standard ketchup, mustard, and mayo combination. They leave a burger sloppy and mask the other tastes. I like original sauces, especially those that might include a touch of meat dripping, just a touch of something vinegary, and a hint of sweetness. There should be just enough to  provide moisture for the other toppings, but not enough to overwhelm.

From there, take the burger wherever you want. The possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination.

A Sad Irony

What really sucks about all this burger talk is that no matter how they’re prepared, I know they’re going to make me ill. I have my mother’s genes to thank for that. For the moment, I’m able to suck it up and endure the inevitable pain. I really like a good burger. However, I know that as I get older the day will eventually come when I have to give up this basic comfort food I love so much. I’ve tried replacing ground beef entirely, but the taste just isn’t the same. I’m screwed.

Still, there are times when burgers are worth whatever challenges and difficulties they might present. Burgers with friends are some of the best times anyone can have. Burgers are even good when they’re not quite as perfect as you might have hoped. Just the fact that you’re having a burger is enough of a reason to be happy.

Hopefully this little discourse doestn’t offend anyone. If it does, my recommendation is that you go have a burger and smile through the rest of your day. Nothing could be better.

Continue Reading

Fashion  /  PotD  /  science
Warming Up To Science
July 19, 2016

The truth is, as most of us know, that global warming is real and humans are major contributors, mainly because we wastefully burn fossil fuels. —David Suzuki

 

charles i. letbetter - warming up to science

The science is solid, the warnings are not new, so why aren’t people warming up to science?

31 groups of scientists delivered a letter to Congress last month addressing the seriousness of global warming. Unfortunately, Congress doesn’t seem to care. They’ve slashed the budget on almost everything that even contains the word “climate.” The director of NASA was forced to justify why the agency even studies the earth at all. Welcome to a new era of science deniers.

As I’m looking through a number of articles from different science-based journals, the term “post-factual era” keeps popping up. The term not only applies to Congress, but to the attitude of much of the general populace. That a majority of people fail to understand how something labeled a “theory” can also be “fact” demonstrates the failure of science education. If the most basic constructs of science are not understood, we cannot be surprised when theories postulated based on those constructs fail as well.

Americans have long struggled with warming up to science. Whether it’s because the teachers were seen as too nerdy, the texts too difficult to understand, or the practical application too challenging to visualize, science has gotten a bad rap as a boring subject that doesn’t really matter in real life. As a result, we now face a Congress and a society that doesn’t know how to work with the frightening things science is telling us.

Is Science Really Important?

I had to delay walking the dog yesterday morning as a major thunderstorm system rolled through the area. When I finally did walk him a couple of hours later, it was still raining a bit, but our walk wasn’t all that uncomfortable. The temperature was in the 70s. There was no wind. The smattering of rain almost felt refreshing. So, where is this warming problem scientists keep screaming about?

The issue of climate change and global warming is real. The problem is we look at weather most often in terms of what is happening right where we are standing (or sitting) at this particular moment. We tend to not care about anything that we perceive to not affect us directly. Therefore, when scientists start talking about global trends rather than your immediate forecasts we often close our ears and pay no attention.

Science matters, though, even if we ignore it or don’t understand it. You don’t have to believe in gravity for it to hold you to this planet. When scientists warn us that the planet is changing, we don’t have to understand the hows and whys any more than we understand how electricity turns on a light bulb. What is happening to the world impacts everyone and everything living on this planet. That makes science rather important.

The Danger Is Real

One degree doesn’t seem like much to us. We don’t feel a lot of difference between 87° and 88° Fahrenheit.  The fact that the US still uses fahrenheit as a measurement instead of celsius is indicative of how scientifically ignorant we are. We don’t understand the scale at all. We think of warming trends as what naturally occurs between March and April. Americans fail to understand how one degree’s increase in global temperature is a big thing.

On a delicately balanced scale, however, even the tiniest changes can have big influences. Living conditions on Earth exist precariously on the most delicate scale one can imagine. One degree is enough to cause considerable glacial melting. One degree is enough to significantly alter the salinity of the oceans.  One degree is enough to cause the extinction of species.  One degree tips the scale closer to making the planet unlivable.

So far this year, every month has been the warmest on record. We may not see that  when our neighborhood is covered in multiple feet of snow, but when the total amount of snow during a winter decreases from blanketing several states to just three or four, there’s a problem. Cyclical weather patterns might explain some changes in moisture, but they don’t account for the severity of global climate changes. Warming comes with hard figures only a fool would ignore.

Nature Doesn’t Nurture

I’ve watched over the past week as storms rolled across the plain states causing large-scale power outages. As I’m writing, friends in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas have been without power for almost a week. This is a region accustomed to storms and even tornadoes, but an electrical storm of this magnitude is unusual and significant.

Deadhorse, Alaska, meanwhile, hit a high of 85°, the highest temperature ever recorded at any location on the Arctic Ocean.

Nature doesn’t give a damn about what you want to believe.  All the ideologically-driven opinions in Congress are worthless. When nature feels things are out of balance, it reacts in ways to restore that balance. Those reactions are often severe.

Summer was put on hold last week as the Alps received a very unexpected dumping of snow. Nature chose to not wait.

These reactions a mild compared to what happens if we continue to ignore the warming problem.

We Are To Blame

All scientific indicators point to human development and industrialization as a significant contributor to the warming issue. While we are not the only factor, we are the one which can most easily and readily be altered. There are numerous things we can do, many of them rather simple. By reducing our own carbon footprint, we help keep the planet within that delicate balance required for life.

We have to start listening to science, though. We cannot deny warming trends and we cannot ignore climate science. Continuing to elect representatives who try to ignore science threatens every life on the planet.

I find it interesting that we talk so often about wanting to leave the world a better place for our children and grandchildren.   We want to make everything great again.  Yet, our actions say exactly the opposite. When we deny science, when we discount warming, when we ignore climate change, we doom our children and grandchildren to air that is unbreathable, water that cannot be purified, and food grown in a laboratory because the ground is no longer fit for farming.

Don’t you think it’s past time for us to warm up to science?

 

Continue Reading

Photography  /  PotD  /  studio nudes
One Protest, Many Voices
July 18, 2016

Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness. And they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy… or they become legend. —Jim Harrison

 

charles i. letbetter - one protest, many voices

One photograph is all it takes to ignite the voices of many people in protest

We’re not going to mention the two political conventions taking place over the next two weeks very often. At least, not unless they do something really wild and crazy like start shooting at each other (which, I suppose, could very well happen).  Political conventions are, in general, nothing more than giant pep rallies. Very expensive pep rallies. Neither one is little more than an opportunity for the party elite to get together and embarrass themselves. The voices speaking are nothing more than echoes of bovine feces we’ve already heard.

Both conventions have their protestors, too. Police are a bit concerned as Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he doesn’t have the power to suspend the state’s open carry law. This means anyone can legally carry any type firearm right up to the convention’s doors and there’s not a lot police can do about it. We’ve already seen tempers flare among protesters at campaign events. I appreciate why law enforcement might be feeling a bit nervous.

Not all forms of protest, however, are violent. There are plenty of ways through which people can make their voices heard without risking personal injury to themselves or anyone else. One such protest took place early Sunday morning in an open field not too far from the convention center. Just over 100 women met at the secret location, took their clothes off, held up mirrors, and took a picture. There was no question the act was one of protest, but exactly what the women were saying depends on who one asks.

Meet Spencer Tunick

If you follow the world of photographic art any at all, you’ve heard or read the name Spencer Tunick. For several years now, Tunick has organized some of the largest nude gatherings around the world as part of his photography projects. One recent project involved over 3,000 people. Another had everyone covered in body paint. While he certainly has his detractors, the one thing Tunick does well is organizing these exceptionally large events with precision and accuracy. He is mindful of local laws and is careful to not let matters get totally out of hand.

Tunick also allows the voices of thousands of people to be heard through a single photograph. While others may march and yell and scream, Tunick’s silent photographs carry the voices of their participants beyond a single moment. Whether the event is designed to protest poverty, homelessness, or some other critical situation, Tunick’s work keeps the reason for the protest alive as long as the pictures last. Marches fade into the dust as their echoes die off, but not photographs.

This project, which is part of Tunick’s “Everything She Says Means Everything” art installation occurring later this year, is quite a bit smaller than most. He was likely wise in doing so. A protest of only 100 women drew a lot less attention from Cleveland law enforcement than a couple of thousand would have. He also made sure the event was on private property, which he had permission to use, took place first thing in the morning so the number of spectators was few, and lasted only a few minutes. If someone is going to organize a nude protest, Spencer Tunick is the person to do it.

Many Voices

Tunick had a reason for choosing Cleveland as the site of this protest. He told the assembled women before asking them to disrobe:

The Republican party has given an excuse to hate. We have daughters and we want them to grow up in a society where they have equal rights for women.

The women had their own reasons for being there. These quotes were published in the Esquire article linked above:

I’m here because I’m a trans woman and we’re not supposed to like our bodies and I don’t like that. It’s going to be great! I’m very antsy; it’s like Christmas morning. -Harmony Moon, 25

Because of [Donald Trump’s] negative views on women. I think this is a great way to contrast that. -Monica Giorgio, 19

This 65-and-a-half-year-old Jewish grandma wants to take the best picture I’ve ever taken. -Marsha Besunera Klausner, 65

Donald Trump has said so many outrageous, hateful, inflammatory things. He underestimated his female, Republican vote. I feel like he shot himself in the foot a little bit. I don’t think he knows there’s a black, single, 35-year-old mom, like me, who is listening to what he’s saying. I don’t think he knows I’m in his political party—and that’s unfortunate. -Cathy Scott, 35

For me, it’s less about Trump and more about creating positive energy around the RNC and to create light where there maybe isn’t as much. -Sabrina Paskewitz, 23

Others took their voices, and pictures, to Twitter to announce their participation in the protest.

Stating A Message

I would be rather surprised if yesterday’s protest had any effect on the Republican nominee. If anything, I can imagine him using the event to make more derisive and divisive comments about women. The presumptive nominee doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.  Therefore, protests that don’t actually confront him and directly upset his agenda don’t appear to have any effect on the candidate.

However, that does not mean voices were raised in vain. The pictures from yesterday have already made their way around the world. Every time one of those pictures is shared or published, it takes with it not only the voice of Spencer Tunick but also the voices of every woman who participated. Just because one person chooses to not listen does not mean those voices were not heard. Others do see. Others do hear. When the message is as important as this one, the voices grow until they become a mighty shout that cannot be ignored.

I’m some ways I’m rather jealous of Spencer Tunick. I’ve done some larger multi-person nude shoots, but I’ve never topped 25 people. His ability to organize and complete such large projects amazes me.

Even more important, though, is the fact that these photographs are the voices of thousands of people. Voices that will not fade. Voices that demand to be seen as well as heard. I can’t think of a better reason to get naked.

Continue Reading

Art  /  Just For Fun  /  PotD
Public Expression
July 17, 2016

I have always looked upon decay as being just as wonderful and rich an expression of life as growth. —Henry Miller

 

charles i. letbetter - public expression

Expression is personal and has no right or wrong, but some are definitely more fun

There are so very many different methods of expression that no two people would ever need to express themselves in the same way. Such diversity is wonderful and the creativity with which some people choose to make a statement is sometimes more noteworthy than the statement itself. Technology we have now gives everyone the opportunity for self-expression. Everyone gets their chance to yell and scream. Open your mouth. Say what you want. See who listens.

One of the challenges, however, is that with so many people trying to express themselves at the same time, not everyone is heard. Sometimes we do well to employ alternate means of expression just to gain attention. Once we have someone’s attention, then we can get down to the real message. Expression sometimes needs a little advertising or at least a little teasing.

Getting attention is a risky thing. I’ve thought about printing a bunch of stickers with my website address on them. I could place them in conspicuous places around town to raise awareness that I’m here and talking. The downside to that particular form of expression, though, is that, in many cases, it could constitute vandalism or defacement of public property. I don’t need a large fine of any kind.

So, I’m thinking maybe yard signs might be an alternative form of expression. Surely, you would let me put a sign in your yard, wouldn’t you? We decided to make some mock signs to test our theory. We went to BuildASign.com and played around a bit. What we created is a different form of expression.

Hey 2016

This year hasn’t been exactly stellar up to this point, and I really don’t see it getting any better. There have been too many deaths of really talented people. There have been too many deaths of totally innocent people. The level of stupidity found in politics around the world has reached unprecedented volume. I’m rather of the opinion that 2016 needs to be put in time out until it learns to behave. Our most simple yard sign is an expression of this sentiment.

charles i. letbetter - public expession

Single?

I understand the plight of the single person. I was one for several years and didn’t particularly enjoy large parts of that existence. Being lonely sucks, especially on the weekend when everyone else seems to be out on a date. However, there is a tendency on the part of some single people to make feeble requests for sympathy by overstating how horrible life is as a single person. Not every single person is like this, mind you. We know several who embrace their singleness and make the most of it. For those few who just don’t get it, though, we have a special sign:

charles i. letbetter - public expression

Pokemon Be Gone

Yes, this is yet another gratuitous mention of that silly phone game that has been wreaking havoc all over the world. Apparently, there was a really big stir in Central Park last night over a rare Pokemon sighting. Then, the servers went down and chaos ensued. Obviously, I don’t play the game, but my youngest son does. He tells me there have been mistakes where people’s private homes have been targeted as PokeStops. The result is homeowners look out their window to find people standing around staring at their cell phones. I can only imagine how unnerving that must be. So, we created a sign to express how we feel about the issue.

charles i. letbetter - public expressopm

Open Minds

We like people who think. We like people who take information and give it a proper hearing, even when it challenges their own belief system. However, not everyone feels that way. There are plenty of people out n the world who think that their opinions and their version of the truth (which isn’t truth at all) is the only acceptable perspective on any topic. Worse yet, once the next two weeks of political conventions have ended, we are at risk of those closed-minded people invading our open-minded space. They’ll be out campaigning for one candidate or the other, insisting we see their point of view. The problem is, we’ve already considered their point of view and discarded it as dangerous. So, before those people open our front gate and try to ring the doorbell (assuming the dog doesn’t think they’re Pokemon and eat them first), we have a special sign:

charles i. letbetter - public expression

Sex Party

We’re still rather bummed that Killing Kittens isn’t throwing a sex party in Indiana this summer. We just don’t have time to go jetting down to Melbourne for the big summer sex bash down under (take that however you wish). We’re not ones to complain too terribly much, though. Instead, we thought it might be fun to begin planting the seeds of sexy thoughts into the minds of those around us. Who knows, we get enough people thinking about sex parties and they’re likely to start popping up everywhere! We think that would be a much better use of people’s time than talking politics, don’t you? So, here’s the sign we’re considering:

charles i. letbetter - public expression

Bridled Expression

There is a potential downside to this form of expression. A large number of home owners associations regulate how many signs one can have in their yard and where they can be placed. Personally, I don’t see how such agreements are not a violation of the First Amendment. I should be able to express myself however I want on my own property, right? But for some stupid reason, the damn laws manage to be upheld. Communism is what it is. Still, if you can put even one sign in your yard, we think it should be one of self-expression, not something that a political party has conceived.

Besides, expression should be fun and meaningful. You’re not going to get anything like that from a political party. Draw attention to yourself. Be expressive!

Continue Reading

Current Issues  /  PotD
Annoyed With Life
July 16, 2016
charles i. letbetter - annoyed with life

Anyone who has declared someone else to be an idiot, a bad apple, is annoyed when it turns out in the end that he isn’t. —Friedrich Nietzsche

 

charles i. letbetter - annoyed with life

Every day seems to bring another demonstration of how fucked up the world is. Annoyed with it all? Here’s how to cope

Annoyed may be too mild a word for what many people are feeling today. Pissed off is more appropriate. We are angry, some to the point of full-on rage. Yet, annoyed is more encompassing, I think, so that’s the term I’ll use. I’m annoyed with life, with humanity, with governments, with systems that don’t work, and with people who don’t seem capable of an ounce of compassion.

This morning, everywhere I look I’m seeing news of the botched coup attempt in Turkey. The day before that was the tragedy in Nice. I’m almost afraid to look at my newsfeed or Twitter because I’m fairly certain that there will be another act of senseless stupidity coming today,  or at the very least, by Monday. The world seems incapable of going more than three days without making an ass of itself. I’m annoyed with the whole mess.

Given that level of annoyance, I was intrigued when I found an article by CNN’s David G. Allen on “How To Stop Being Annoyed By Life.” Mr. Allen apparently has, or had, a tendency to be a bit of a hot head. I relate to that far too well. In the article, he offers ten tips for dealing with everyday annoyances. What he offers are good, sound, researched solutions. However, they’re directed toward personal matters. He doesn’t touch global events.

So, I want to play off that same research and consider how one might better deal with the major issues confronting us now.

Is It Really Important?

Some matters that leave me annoyed are those manufactured for political purposes. Hillary’s email. The President’s birth certificate. The tweets of a Supreme Court justice. There are far too many times when stories that deserve nothing more than to be page six filler end up becoming front page headlines. I get annoyed when someone, usually a Congressperson, keeps harping on an issue over and over and over when there’s no real substance to the very thing they’re debating.

But if an issue isn’t really important, then why do I bother getting all worked up and annoyed over it? Chill. We don’t have time to sweat  the small stuff. We have better things to do both with our time and our thoughts. Wasting energy on matters of insignificance is futile. There is no resolution to the alleged problem. The people talking about it will never be satisfied. Focus on what is important and try to not be distracted by all the noise.

Should It Be Ignored?

I use this anytime someone is behaving like a child on a national or global stage. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un falls into this category. Every once in a while, he feels like the world isn’t paying any attention to him. So, he fires a missile into the South China Sea. It sounds threatening on the surface, but after a while, we realize there’s no real substance to the threats.  Kim Jong Un is annoyed, so he wants to annoy everyone else.

Ignore him, with caution. We do the same with our six-year-old when she pitches a fit over bedtime. We put her in her room and she yells and screams and calls us names until she wears herself out. We don’t respond. We listen, just in case she were to do anything dangerous, but unless she’s dismantling furniture we let it go. The same applies to the actions of many world leaders. In fact, had the media taken this approach at the beginning of the presidential race, we wouldn’t be looking at the ridiculous Republican ticket we now face. Some people just insist on being loud and noisy. As long as there’s no immediate danger, we do well when we just ignore the rants and walk away.

Can You Change The Situation?

This comes back to focusing on what is really important. Can I do something about racial disparity? Yes. So that topic is worth my time and dealing with the frustration. Can I do anything about the current situation in Turkey? Nope, not a damn thing. There’s no reason for me to be annoyed by that which I cannot change. Those matters are out of my hands.

One of the challenges that come with the world so connected by information is that we mistakenly think we have a stake in matters that really don’t involve us. We might show concern for innocent people trapped in an airport or aid workers pinned down in a firefight, but we have to accept the fact that we cannot solve all the world’s problems by ourselves. Sometimes we have to let people deal with their own problems and their own tragedies for themselves. If you cannot change the situation, it is not your burden to carry.

Do You Have All The Information?

Earlier this week, a number of people shared this article because of its enticing headline about Marijuana and alien DNA. The link came through my newsfeed at least a dozen times, usually with a comment such as, “This is really exciting,” or “Now we know why marijuana cures so many things.” If anyone bothered to actually click the link and read the article, however, they discovered that it had nothing to do with weed, or DNA, or NASA, or aliens. Instead, it was a study on just how often we share things without bothering to read the article.

We, as a generalized group of Internet users, get annoyed often by issues we simply did not bother to understand. We look at an over-sensationalized headline and form an opinion without bothering to get the facts. Then, as Nietzsche says in the quote above, we get annoyed when we later discover that our opinion was not only wrong but totally baseless. I find myself far less troubled by things when I bother to read the full story before opening my big mouth.

Be Part Of The Solution

We have little right to be annoyed at a situation we can change ourselves. We might not see that change overnight, but when we see a situation such as racial disparity or income inequality or gender discrimination, we do well to fight rather than just sit on our ass being annoyed. Don’t like the looks of the presidential election? Get the fuck out there and vote, encourage others to vote, take a neighbor to vote.  If 30% more people voted this November than did in 2012, we would see overwhelming change.

Annoyed by discrimination? Be part of that solution. No, it’s not going to be easy. No one likes being called out on their shit and when you do they’re going to resists. But if you’re really annoyed, then you have to act and hold whomever’s feet to the fire until a solution is reached.  Don’t back down, don’t give up.

I’m at an age where I have to watch what I let get to me. Being annoyed gets my blood pressure up. If I get all worked up over some piece of nonsense, I could have a heart attack and die. Is there anything worth that risk? Not much.  We do better to control those emotions and keep ourselves in check. Address what’s important and leave the rest.

You’ll have  a better weekend if you do.

Continue Reading

Music  /  PotD
The Distraction Of New Music
July 15, 2016
charles i. letbetter - the distraction of music

Clever gimmicks of mass distraction yield a cheap soulcraft of addicted and self-medicated narcissists. —Cornel West

 

charles i. letbetter - the distraction of new music

In a world so full of horror, we need some distraction to keep from going insane

Here we are at the end of another week, finding ourselves staring at the monitor in disbelief. As I’m writing, the death toll from a truck driver plowing into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France, stands at 85. We are shocked. We are saddened. We are fearful. We are furious. How can this keep happening? Is there no place safe? Are all our efforts to keep ourselves safe for naught? Is this the distraction or is this life?

Part of our frustration comes from that fact that most people know that love and compassion are the solution. In the days between incidents, we see those examples of selflessness and caring between people of disparate groups. A black child hugs a white police officer. A Muslim community gives aid to members of a Christian community in need. The pictures are quick to appear and pushed heavily by media. We want to think that there is still hope. We prefer the distraction of good things over bad.

The truth is that when such inconceivable horrors plague us on such a regular basis, we need the distraction to keep ourselves from going insane with worry and fear. With apologies to Dr. West’s quote above, knowing that we are being distracted does not deter us nor rescue us from the reality. Rather, the distraction of entertainment, specifically music, occupies the fear centers of our brain so that we can more distinctly focus on the severity of the issues.

Three well-known female vocal artists dropped new singles last night. They are a necessary distraction. Listen.

Katy Perry: Rise

You do have your dancing shoes on, right? The electronic-driven sound of this new song is made for dancing in a dark club with swirling lights. The words, “I’ll survive,” pop out early in the first verse and then you’re not sure of the rest of the lyrics for most of the remainder of the song. You don’t care. All you want to do is dance hard, until your body is soaked with sweat and you’ve forgotten all the hate and danger in the world. I won’t bother passing judgment on whether this is Ms. Perry’s best song ever. This is a distraction. Forget the world and dance.


Katy Perry – Rise (New Song) by 12hzx

Britney Spears: Make Me

Pop diva Britney Spears is always good for a distraction or two, though it’s not always the music that’s distracting. This is a sexy, sultry, summer love song that brings the heat in a good way. In fact, for those so inclined, this might be worth adding to your love-making playlist. The slow tempo never varies, even when rapper G-Eazy jumps in (because, apparently, there’s a requirement in pop music now to feature a rap segment).   Steady, sensual, Ms. Spears does an acceptable job of keeping your mind off terrorists and insane politicians for a few minutes.

India Arie: Breathe

This beautifully calm song from one of music’s most beautiful voices feels more like inspiration than it does a distraction. The song begins with soft acoustic guitar. The lyrics start: Sometimes you just can’t believe the things your eyes see so much, injustice in this life. It’s happening right on the TV screen.” The song hits close to home for every person of color and anyone sensitive to the realities of being non-white in the United States. The song reminds us that sometimes, many times, the first thing we have to do is stop and breathe. Throughout the song, Ms. Arie is surrounded by a beautiful group of people who join her on the chorus. The elderly lady sitting just left of India is especially wonderful to watch.

Whenever the next tragedy strikes, and I’ve no doubt there will be another far too soon, this is the song you want to play. Play it over and over until you get the message. We all need to breathe.

A Time For Everything

I know emotions are running high today. There is a desire on the part of many to express their feelings of anger and frustration. There is a time for protest, and perhaps this is that time. I firmly believe that there is also a need to step back, let go of the issues for a moment, and reassess our place in the world. Take a moment to be distracted by something beautiful, something fun, something happy. It is the only way any of us survive.

Continue Reading

Current Issues  /  PotD
More Important Than Porn
July 14, 2016
charles i. letbetter - more important than porn

People lose their capacity to walk, run, travel, think, and experience life. I realise how important it is to use the time I have. —Viggo Mortensen

 

charles i. letbetter - more important than porn

The GOP thinks porn is a public health risk. There are other things so much more important

Priorities can get really fucked up and one can lose sight of the things that are important when one is trying to run for office. The GOP, however, has really jumped the shark with their presidential platform. In addition to wanting to screw the poor, violate the First Amendment by requiring religious instruction, and rolling back marriage rights, the GOP has also decided that porn is a public health crisis.

I’m not going to turn this into another diatribe in support of porn. I’ve already done that enough times and if you’re interested I’m sure you can search our archives and find all those entries. What is important in this conversation is that the GOP doesn’t seem to have a clue what is really important across our country. Nowhere in their platform do they address the most critical issues that face our country. Instead, they choose to pick on emotionally sensitive moral issues that tickle the ears of those sitting in church pews on Sunday morning, an audience that is in steep decline.

GOP also seems to be woefully ignorant of the fact that morality cannot be legislated. Let’s use the 1986 Meese Report as a perfect example. Millions of dollars were spent, attempts were made to change laws, but nothing could ever be implemented because it would violate the First Amendment. Even when they do manage to enact a law, such attempts are ultimately unenforceable. Write all the bedroom laws you want, porn still happens.

Maybe we should focus on more important things.

Gun Violence

This should be the number one priority of any Congress and/or state legislature. We know that mass shootings have surged. We know that more and more people are being killed. We know that the United States is the only industrialized country with such a severe problem. Yet, Congress made it illegal for the Centers For Disease Control to even study the matter, let alone make intelligent recommendations on how to address the issue.

Excuse me, but would you care to explain to me what could possibly be any more of a public health issue than our own people dying at the hands of our own people? With few exceptions, it is American citizens who have grown up here all their lives, buying guns legally, that are committing these horrible acts. While a few recently might have been influenced by foreign groups, no outside terrorist organization has had any direct part in US gun violence. We are killing ourselves.

When was the last time you heard of porn being directly responsible for mass numbers of deaths, hmm? Can porn even come close to killing the number of people who are killed in the US with gun violence? Of course, not. This is the kind of nonsense that gives the impression that Congress is doing something while still ignoring the more critical issues. Gun violence needs to be addressed and until that happens almost anything else is a waste of time.

Matters Of Race

Stop pretending that the United States is not a racist society. The few steps forward that we’ve made since the 1960s have been largely gutted by the GOP. However, they would much rather address issues of porn and sexuality, which really are of no legitimate interest to anyone on Capitol Hill, rather than actually address the issue that is right in front of their faces. The GOP has repeatedly denied that a race problem even exists, despite countless studies showing that blacks and hispanics are disproportionately poor, disproportionately under-educated, and disproportionately incarcerated.

Republican attempts to ignore racial issues are done at their own peril. With the recent events of last week, it seems obvious to me that the disenfranchised in this country have or are about to reach a tipping point. Those who feel put down and disserviced by the current system are increasingly ready to rise up and begin taking action. Some of those actions will be legal and appropriate. Some will not. Either way, the status quo is not sustainable. Talk all you want about which lives matter, until there is some concrete action taken at a federal level there is no truly safe place in the entire country.

At the beginning of last night’s ESPY awards, which are for outstanding achievement in sports, four NBA stars, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, started the show with a sobering statement regarding recent events and racial mistreatment. Their words are strong and important. I’ve not been able to find a copy I could easily embed here, but you can watch the video at The Wrap if you wish. I strongly encourage you to do that.

Crumbling Infrastructure

Many of the things that make this country run, such as highways and the power grid, were created in the 1950s and 60s. They are all woefully out of date and in desperate need of repair. Yet, Congress has continually ignored funding any updates and repairs, determined to focus their attentions on less important things like, oh, porn. One Republican senator was even caught watching porn on the Senate floor. Must have been some kind of undercover investigation.

The Wall Street Journal published a very frightening article yesterday (that is, unfortunately behind a paywall), documenting how severely at risk our nation’s power grid is. We don’t even think about the fact that most substations have no security other than a chain link fence. Sabotage a handful of those substations at the same time, and the chain reaction could cause the entire nation to go black. Are you afraid of the dark? We are so heavily reliant on electrical power, we would be sitting ducks. There would be no way to communicate with police or other emergency responders. Chaos and anarchy would be inevitable.

Congress has known for several years that the infrastructure was in desperate need of attention. Unfortunately, they would rather spend their time and our tax dollars on things like propagating war and tax cuts for the super-rich. They have woefully lost sight of what is genuinely important and making up false issues to please the ears of mindless voters who are incapable of seeing the wool pulled over their eyes.

Other Important Things

The complete list of things more important than porn is far too long for me to list here. Needless to say, there is nothing in the Republican platform that is genuinely critical. There is nothing in the Republican platform that manages to benefit society. There is nothing in the Republican platform that anyone with half a brain would want to support.

Meanwhile, issues such as child hunger, obesity, access and quality of education, preschool, poverty, water availability and quality, global warming, prescription drug abuse, abuse of the elderly, and dozens of other issues are totally ignored, many  of them by both parties. Congress and state representatives seem to have no clue as to what is actually bringing harm to America. There are real health crises out there, but no one is paying any attention.

One final thing that is more important than porn: real sex. Might I suggest this article on How To Organize A Threeway. You know you’re curious. This could be just the thing to save you from ravages of porn. Be sure to read the sidebar addressing STD issues as well. This is a health issue, after all.

When one loses sight of what is important, one is no longer in any place to govern. For that matter, those who cannot determine what is a priority isn’t fit for employment for any kind of job. This GOP platform has no qualities that qualify for public debate. This is all nonsense that needs to be burned and put away forever.

Continue Reading

Art  /  Fashion  /  Photography  /  PotD
Are We Still Photographers?
July 13, 2016
charles i. letbetter - are we still photographer

Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs look like photographs. —Alfred Stieglitz

 

charles i. letbetter - are we still photographers?

Is the ability to do more justification for abandoning what we’ve done before?

Take a look at the image above. Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t, or maybe you’re not sure. Any of those opinions is acceptable. What’s important, though, is that I did not ask you to look at a photograph. I asked you to look at an image. Photographers understand the difference. What you see here might have started with a camera, but the offset double exposure was manufactured in Photoshop® as was the processing. What you see above barely resembles the photographs at all.

Are we still photographers? I’m speaking specifically of those of us who consider the medium of photography our profession, or at least more than just a casual hobby. British fashion photographer turned media specialist Nick Knight doesn’t think so.  In an interview published this morning in Business of Fashion, Knight makes the case that we do so much more with images today that we can no longer put modern imagery in the same class as that produced by legends such as Richard Avedon and Robert Mapplethorpe.

While I found the interview itself rather gratuitous and was annoyed by Tim Blanks anointing of Knight as some kind of creative god, there are some valid considerations. What we do with imagery now can be considerably different than what we were doing 30 years ago. But does that mean we are not photographers? If we’re not photographers, what are we? How do we define ourselves and our work?

Carrying Around A Camera

Perhaps the question of whether we are photographers wouldn’t such a volatile issue if people would just stop asking us, “what is it you do?” Replying with, “I’m a photographer” has been my answer for more than thirty years. Identifying as a photographer is a role that people understand. Regardless of how manipulated an image might be, publishing entities still give credit to a photographer. We simply can’t think of any other way to accurately describe our work without launching into a detailed diatribe that hits the boredom point after 15 seconds.

Knight refers to what he does as “image-making,” for lack of a better term. His justification is that the end product might include sound or 3D or any number of other elements he might include. He also thinks photography is dead in traditional terms. He refers to his website, SHOWStudio, as “the home of fashion film.”  Nick is very good at what he does, but when we strip it down to its core, the base product is still the same: photography.

While what we do with a photograph has changed, however, the base product hasn’t. Nick’s not carrying around equipment that’s any different from the rest of us. The base product of a still camera, even if it’s housed in a phone, is a photograph.  If the base product is multiple images strung together so as to infer motion, then it is a motion picture, or film. Therefore, the people who create those photographs or films are known as photographers. We can add additional titles on to that, but for public identification purposes to call ourselves anything other than photographers is just silly.

To Modify Or Not To Modify

At the heart of this issue is whether and how we modify an image. Now, let’s be clear: photographers have always modified images. The type of toner being used is the most basic form of image manipulation. Toner changes the base color of an image. This is why some older images are different shades of brown or amber, while others have a more silver or blue hue. To say that photographers didn’t begin manipulating images before 1985 is disingenuous at best.

What has changed, though, is the ease with which image manipulation is done. Global filters are everywhere, even on your cell phone. All one has to do is touch a button and the image is altered in any number of ways. More advanced software allows us to add and remove objects as well as change the shape of things and people. Sometimes those modifications are necessary and welcome. Other times, though, the results are nothing short of a disaster.

Nick mentions his amazement with what people are doing on Instagram. Yet, over the past couple of years, one of the most-used hashtags on the social media site is #nofilter. People are proud and happy when the photograph they take is of sufficient quality, in their opinion, to not require any form of filtered distortion. Much has been made in the media about magazines altering the shape of models’ bodies. A growing number of prominent models are including riders in their contracts that prohibit any physical alteration of the pictures for which they’ve posed. While there are many modifications available, they are often not well-advised.

Evolving As A Medium

Nick makes an interesting statement that not only reflects his views of photography but of its relationship to society. He says:

… we must be creating new things. We must be evolving as a species. We can’t be the same physically and emotionally as we were 500 years ago. We’re no longer chimpanzees, but we’re not where we’re going to be. Although they are the same stories, we’re not exactly the same people.

I don’t think anyone would question that the equipment with which we take photographs has changed dramatically. Photography has been in a constant state of evolution, if one wants to continue misusing that word, from its very inception. Wet plates, copper plates, film of various sizes and quality, digital development and everything else has kept the medium of photography in a constant state of flux.

Photographers have always been agents of change. We are constantly looking for a different way to use this tool to express ourselves. While the rate of change has sped up thanks to the technology brought to bear, and the number of people involved, to infer that the medium has ever been stagnant is misguided and, quite honestly, insulting to the photographers like Avedon and Mapplethorpe who helped push the medium forward.

Take My Picture, Please

While there is plenty of reason to get all excited over the new and different ways one can use digital images to create things never before imagined, we cannot let go of the fact that all the cool and creative things people like Nick Knight and others do is the exception, not the rule. The primary use of a camera always has been, and still remains, to capture a moment. We see it in the selfie obsession that has consumed the Internet.  We see it in the volume of pictures people post to various social media sites.  Filtered or not, what matters is that photographs remind us of something we did or something we saw or someone we loved.

A lot has been written about how Millennials are an experience-based generation. They invest less in physical objects and more in doing things. As a result, they are less interested in hiring someone to create a distinctively new and different digital image and more interested in hiring photographers to capture those experiences that mean the most. From weddings to diving expeditions to parachute jumping, photographers are much more frequently asked to capture those experiences than create something cold in a studio.

Not that there isn’t a place or demand for what Nick Knight and others do. There is. But the global demand for their work and innovation is nowhere near being strong enough to warrant completely redefining the entire medium. At the end of the day, all anyone wants is for us to take their picture.

Tomorrow, We Will Still Be Photographers

Our medium of capturing images continues to change. We all know that. There are some incredible and mind-altering advancements coming in the very near future that could well change, again, the way we look through a camera and decide what to capture. How we process those images continues to change as well. Wonderful things are coming down the road.

Perhaps, someday, when we gain the ability to take recognizable pictures in the dark, we can refer to what we do as something other than photography. The word means “writing with light.” As long as there is still the transfer of light onto media so as to capture an image, we will still be photographers. There’s nothing in that word to cause us shame. Embrace it rather than run from it. We are photographers and damn proud of it.

Continue Reading

Advertising  /  Fashion  /  PotD
You Better Shop Around
July 12, 2016
charles i. letbetter - you better shop around

Buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window; Why, why, says the junk in the yard. —Paul McCartney

 

charles i. letbetter - you better shop around

Shopping has changed and using a single source is rarely a good idea

Today, July 12, is the big Amazon Prime sale. Think of it as second Christmas. Sales are huge. People who never shop online make purchases during this sale. Traffic numbers are immense. The best deals sell out in a flash. Every other retailer on the Internet cringes when the online juggernaut has this sale. Amazon is so huge, so overwhelming, that no one can afford to compete. Even Wal-Mart doesn’t try to match prices. They do offer free shipping with no minimum purchase, but that’s nowhere near the savings some Amazon deals offer.

This is the way shopping works now. Deep sales, free shipping, and everyone has to find a way to compete with the big guys. There’s always a sale somewhere. No one ever pays list price. Even Amazon stopped showing list prices. Instead, they just show the sale price because that’s what they know people want to see when they shop online. The sale price.

Luxury goods have been in a free-fall all year. Discounters, outlet shops, mid-market retailers, and re-sellers are where all the business is going. Online fashion magazine Business of Fashion says stores need to look and think more like Facebook. The op-ed by John Bricker says that stores need to be more of a social gathering place, not just a place to shop. Coffee bars, art galleries, and social events are all part of the shopping experience as Bricker imagines it.

I’m not sure he goes far enough, though.  People still shop around. Let’s look at alternatives.

Tighter Integration

Bricker’s article mentions that women in the 25-35 age group pre-shop, arriving at a store already prepared for what they want. Why didn’t they go ahead and make the purchase online? They want to feel what they’re getting. That’s not surprising, but retailers are still not playing that strategy to their full advantage. The online experience needs to merge with the brick-and-mortar experience so tightly that shoppers consider it a single event.

For example, if a woman finds a set of sheets online that appear to be what she wants, she should be able to mark and save that product without putting it in a shopping cart. She already knows she’s not making the purchase online, so why would she put the item in a cart? Yet, if she doesn’t, she loses the location of the item and may have difficulty finding it when she wants to go back. Then, when she gets to the store, she has difficulty finding the sheets she wants midst all the stacks of other sheets. If she doesn’t find them quickly, she leaves frustrated.

Stores would do better to lock down that sale by doing three things:

  1. Provide a way to save items of interest online
  2. Encourage the shopper to visit the nearest store to see that item
  3.  Use the store’s app to guide  the shopper to interested items when they arrive at the store.

Just those three things would increase actual sales by at least 10%.

Help Customers Compare Prices

This is taking a tactic once used in large New York department stores and giving it a digital comeback. Retailers know people shop around online looking for the best deals. Let them do the same in store as well. Wi-Fi connected apps at displays could easily list the price of an item and then show what the same item sells for both online and at other brick-and-mortar stores in the immediate area.

What this strategy does is keep a customer in the store.  You don’t want to run the risk of them walking out the door to compare prices and never coming back. That already happens far too often for most stores. By allowing customers to comparison shop right there in the store, the retailer could choose to match a competitors price, provide coupons to apply to the sale, and inherently increase the stickiness of keeping people in the store longer.

Of course, this means marketing people have to do a better job watching competitors’ pricing, and that can be a very difficult job. However, with the ability to search instantly across a wide number of sites, building an app that would track such competition on the fly shouldn’t be too terribly difficult.  For all I know, that software may already exist. If it does, though, it needs to be used more efficiently.

Make The Store A Destination

We read a lot about Millennials looking for experiences. Retailers can tap into that by making shopping more of a destination; a place one wants to go even if they’re not actively in the market for anything the store offers. Sorry, but coffee and art are yesterday’s marketing tactics. Retailers today need to find more event-driven and exciting reasons for people to come through their doors and shop.

I still remember when a specific sporting goods store opened in Atlanta with a 40-foot climbing wall in the store. My boys loved going to that store just to climb the wall. Sure enough, we purchased something every time we went. When that store was bought-out by a competitor, though, they took out the climbing wall. Care to guess how many times I’ve been in any of that retailer’s stores since? Zero. I’ve no immediate need for their products, so I walk on by.

Whether online or brick-and-mortar, retailers have to do more than just offer sales to get people to look. If I were CMO of a major chain right now I would be looking for some way to make stores attractive to Pokèmon Go players. What the store sells is irrelevant. Getting more people through door inevitably means more people are going to shop. Playing to social trends rather than marketing trends may be the stronger strategy for the future.

Increase Visibility Of High Need Items

Briker also mentions that people separate their shopping into two groups: wants and needs. They buy the needs first, often without much comparison shopping, then shop around for the things in their want list. The traditional tactic has been to put high-need items toward the back of the store so that people have to walk past everything else, increasing the possibility of an impulse by. For many years, that strategy has worked.

What grocery store chains such as Kroger have found, though, is that placing high need items such as milk, eggs, and bread near the front of the store, close to the checkout, increases brand loyalty among consumers. When a busy mom needs to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home from work or between shuttling kids from soccer practice to piano lessons, she remembers the store that saves her from walking all the way to the back. She’s more likely to return to the same store when she needs to buy a full basket of groceries.

Fashion retailers, especially department stores, could learn a lot from this tactic. Consider what shoppers most likely need and make it accessible without having to traipse all over the store. A hair straightener is not likely to be a must-have-right-now purchase, but a lipstick is. Sports socks are not sexy, but when the drier eats half your last pair you need a replacement before you go running in the morning. Build brand loyalty among a generation not inclined to be loyal.

Shop Around

More retailers need to consider throwing out the playbook and completely re-examine what it means for people to shop. Even those in the over-65 age group don’t shop with the same habits as they did ten years ago. Everything about shopping is new. The winners are going to be those who don’t look like retailers. Embrace innovation and realize that one has to meld into society to benefit from it.

Continue Reading

Just For Fun  /  Music  /  PotD
Everyone Needs A Theme Song
July 12, 2016
charles i. letbetter - everyone needs a theme song

I don’t know why my brain has kept all the words to the Gilligan’s Island theme song and has deleted everything about triangles. —Jeff Foxworthy

 

charles i. letbetter - everyone needs a theme song.

Everyone needs a theme song that follows you around and announces your presence.

Everyone needs a theme song. You know, just a short 16 bars of something that people hear and know with whom it is associated. Bands and singers have theme songs. Commercials have theme songs. Movies have theme songs. And we all know the tunes to the themes of at least four or five different television shows. Having a song that’s particularly yours is great branding for a business person and a good way for the creative person to stand out. Everyone needs a theme song.

Of course, not just any song works as a theme. Music has to be catchy. If people are to remember the song and associate it with a specific person, then it needs to have a unique hook that grabs hold of a person’s brain and doesn’t let go. Not every song does that. In fact, very few songs manage to meet that criterion at all. Some are too slow. Many are too repetitive.  Way too many are just plain sloppy. If you don’t have a song that has the right hook, one that really manages to make you stand out, there’s no point in having one at all.

My particular problem is that I’m a complicated person, not too terribly easy to define. I’m looking at several different choices, but nothing seems to fit.

Songs About Photography

There are a few dozen songs about photography. It’s tough finding one that hasn’t been overused, is too slow, or too damn depressing. Freeze Frame by J. Geils Band, Def Leopard’s Photograph, and the Neil Simon hit Kodachrome are instantly non-contenders because they already represent something/someone else. So, we would have to consider something different.  Here’s what’s on my short list.

Picture Book by The Kinks is certainly snappy, even if it is a bit dated (1968). It never was too big a hit so not many people are going to associate it with something/someone else. I think my biggest concern is that the sound might be too thin for what people are accustomed to hearing.  Try it out.

Cameras  by Matt & Kim seems to be a contender. I like the jazzy feel that is almost a rhumba. This song is a little newer (2010)and I’m pretty sure only ardent Matt & Kim fans would recognize it.

Into The Lens by Yes is a consideration for the introduction if nothing else. Okay, the song runs eight and a half minutes long, which is a bit much for a theme song. But, it’s Yes and that intro is about as cool as any. Plus, once again, there are only a few people still living who would recognize it.

Fashionable Themes

The more I think about it, perhaps it might be best if I don’t have a theme song that actually focuses on photography. After all, I do the writing thing, the fashion thing, the advertising thing, and all those other things. There are some good songs that have been used on runways that might make a good theme song. Perhaps I should consider one of those.

What Kind of Man by Florence And The Machine gets on my list for this chorus alone:

And with one kiss
You inspired a fire of devotion that lasts for twenty years
What kind of man loves like this?

Don’t tell me that isn’t theme song material right there. Add that to the way Florence and the Machine rocks the middle of the song and I think we’ve got a potential winner right here.

Really Love by D’Angelo could be the song that captures my dark, brooding side. Imagine walking into a room as the discordant strings play behind me. It would definitely get everyone’s attention, I think. The image it projects might be a little more swashbuckling than what I might actually present in person, though. Am I up to the challenge?

America’s Sweetheart by Elle King certainly has both the tempo and the attitude I like in a theme song. I think it’s one of those where you turn up the volume and let it blow down the doors before entering the room. In fact, timing one’s entrance to match the lyrics, “What do you want from me?” would probably get astounding results.

Symphonic Themes

These would seem to be the most obvious choices, wouldn’t they? There are no lyrics to get in the way, and the melodies are strong enough to stand on their own. These are themes that could really get stuck in a person’s head.  Maybe one of these might work.

Anton Dvorák’s Carnival Overture, Op. 92 starts right out the gate sounding as though you might have missed the first few bars. Your ears try to catch up and the next thing you know you’re chasing the melody for the rest of the afternoon. My only concern using this as a theme song is that it may be a bit too busy for some ears.

Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a fanfare for orchestra by John Adams. It’s not too long, though we generally think of fanfares as something short and quick. I like the steady driving rhythm that reminds me of a newsroom or the constant scurry of an ad agency.

Finally, Janácek’s Sinfionetta: Allegretto is a cool fanfare of brass and timpani that isn’t overdone. It’s a little slower than the others, but then, I’m a little slower these days, too. It’s also short enough to play in completion without people getting bored.

Which To Choose?

Now you’ve seen, and hopefully heard, my top nine choices. The question remains whether any of these should be my theme song? If so, which one? I think I could run with any of them, potentially. My fear, however, is that after a couple of weeks, hearing it multiple times a day, I’d grow tired of my choice and want a new one. I can be fickle like that. I mean, a long, long time ago, I actually liked You Light Up My Life. I even went to the horrible movie of the same name. I do make decisions that I later regret.

I’m more than happy to accept your vote if you’d like to let me know what it is. You could also make a different suggestion if you felt like it. You won’t though. It is extremely rare anyone clicks on a link. I suppose you’re too busy. Or maybe you’re just not impressed because I don’t have a cool theme song.

Yet.

That may soon change. Everyone needs a theme song.

Continue Reading

Personal  /  PotD  /  Social Commentary
Games People Play
July 10, 2016
charles i. letbetter - games people play

We learn games as children that we never give up; games of pretend, games of manipulation and games that allow us hide. We never stop playing those games.

We play many games but seldom do we win

We play many games but seldom do we win

Even the day weekends go by too quickly. Here we are already at Sunday. I am not overly anxious to leave our campsite other than for the fact I’m beginning to develop an appetite for something other than hot dogs and granola bars. Monday long dark on the horizon. Kat is back at school. We have fence posts to set. Things to do.

Are you old enough to remember the song Games People Play? Joe South recorded the song in 1968. Being a mere child, I thought the song was talking about the sort of games eight -year-old knows, like tag and hide-and-seek. I thought the song was about fun.

Silly child. Sure, we still the same games, we just call them different names. For example, adult tag involves shifting the blame or responsibility to someone else so you don’t get into trouble. We play hide-and-seek by dodging what’s difficult until there’s no place left to hide.

I can’t say there are no shenanigans out in the woods. I’ve seen them. But, at least out here, moments of frivolity are more about building the best campfire or snagging the best spot. Rarely does anyone here get hurt.

I’m not looking forward you returning civilization. I don’t like being forced into situations where I have no hope of winning. You can have the politics and the lies and the flies. Keep the rodent traces you yourself.

Life doesn’t work that way, though. We’ll see you tomorrow with something closer to normal. Maybe e can bring a bit of peace back with us. We just have to avoid the games.

 

Continue Reading

PotD  /  Status
Something Beautiful, Something Good
July 9, 2016
charles i. letbetter - something beautiful, something good

charles i. letbetter - something beautiful, something good

The classic forum if the human body is one of the most good and beautiful things in all of creation

I woke this morning to the sound of a bird I don’t recognize. The motioning was cool. The ground was hard. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and reached for my shoes. The morning is beautiful.

This morning’s post is going to be short, and different. I’m not interested in what’s going on with the outside world. For the next two days we’re camping. No electricity. No Wi-Fi. No bathrooms. We’re enjoying what is beautiful.

This is good. The little ones are old enough to help a little. We have friends with us. We brought the dog. We have no contact with the hate and stupidity taking place elsewhere.

The earth is a beautiful place. We would probably do well to spend more time out here. Unfortunately, this is the only trip we’ll be able to make this year. Kat’s schedule doesn’t give us any extra time before the kids start back to school. So, we’re making the most of the time. Hiking. Swimming. Sitting by the fire telling stories.

We don’t have to spend all our time worrying about other people. One of the nice things about camping is that everyone does their own thing. No one bothers anyone else, if you happen to actually see anyone else. You know there are other campers nearby, but no one cares about the color of their skin or whether they’re the same gender or what their belief system might be. We’re all just here, enjoying what is good and beautiful.

Maybe, just maybe, if we lived a bit more like this all the time, letting everyone live their own lives, be whoever they want to be, we wouldn’t be so inclined to kill each other over stupid shit. Perhaps, if we focused more on the beauty around us we’d be able to see the good in others with no consideration to our differences. Maybe.

I’m stopping here. We have coffee to drink, hikes to take, books to read. Perhaps you should do the same. Unplug. See what’s beautiful.

Continue Reading

Current Issues  /  PotD  /  Social Commentary
In Others’ Words
July 8, 2016
charles i. letbetter - in others' words

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. —Robin Williams

 

charles i. letbetter - in others' words

I no longer have words to express all the emotions over events of this week. Perhaps others can communicate more clearly.

Words are insufficient.

If anything, talking seems meaningless at this point. As I’m typing, police operations are still ongoing in Dallas. Five police officers are dead. Five others and one civilian are injured. The attack was planned, calculated, and carried out by people with experience. There may still be bombs planted in a parking garage. Downtown Dallas remains on lockdown.

There is much we still don’t know, but there are a few things that seem certain at this juncture:

  • The #BlackLiveMatter protest was peaceful and even friendly up to this point
  • The murders of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile influenced but do not justify this event
  • Hate gained a foothold that will not easily knock loose.

I am angry. I am heartbroken. I am distressed. I have never been more ashamed of the United States than I am at this moment. 130 years after the end of the Civil War, we should be past this, but we’re not. In the aftermath of that war, we allowed hate to persist. Across the whole 19th century, we allowed hate to affect how laws were drafted, how social rules were established, and how voting lines were drawn. We could have stopped it all, but we didn’t. Now, we reap the horrible consequences.

So Many Words

In the past 24 hours, the Internet has exploded with words, memes, and pictures. Among the moist poignant was a child holding a sign outside the school where Philandro Castile worked as a food service supervisor. The sign related how “Phil” helped this special needs child make sure he had time to  eat and make it to class on time. Another picture showed a child holding a sign relating how “Phil” helped him make good food choices. Yet, this same man was shot by police in cold blood.

Someone pointed out on Twitter that after the Orlando shooting gun advocates said those in the club should have carried guns. Yet, Alton Sterling was shot because he was carrying a gun. I’m curious to see if those same gun advocates will support the right of the Dallas snipers to possess what had to have been some form of high-powered rifle.

None of the people who have died this week deserved that fate. Not Alton Sterling. Not Philandro Castile. None of the Dallas police officers. Yet, for whom will justice be served? Anyone?

Other Voices

I can no longer wrap my head around what is happening. I’m leaving for a few days. We had already planned a camping trip for this weekend and unless there are intervening circumstances in the next few hours, we’re still going. We need a break from the insanity sweeping across the United States. I will post articles both days, but they won’t be related to this horrible mess. I just don’t have the words, or the heart, to continue this conversation.

So, I’m giving you the words of people who better express their reactions to this week. Please note that all these comments were made prior to the shooting in Dallas, but that does not mitigate their importance at all. Some are the words of leaders. Others are the words of friends. And while I know you generally don’t like clicking links you find here, where you see a “More” link, please click it and continue reading. The words are important.

Don’t offer prayers because you’ve been praying my entire life and look what good it’s done. Don’t offer your thoughts, either.  Offer action based not on anger, but on compassion. I am convinced that is the only way we survive.

Update: 11:00 AM EDT- President Obama’s remarks on Dallas have been added.

President Obama

Congressman John Lewis

Earlier yesterday, Congressman Lewis posted his mug shot from Parchman Penitentiary after being arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for using a so-called “white” restroom. Of all the members of Congress, Mr. Lewis has a unique perspective of what it is like to stand up to brutality and injustice. His words carry weight white Congress members can never lift.

Congressman André Carson

Mr. Carson’s perspective is also unique. Not only is he black, he is also Muslim and a former police officer.  Click through and read all his words.

Mark Zuckerberg

The immediate aftermath of the shooting of Philandro Castile was broadcast live on Facebook. His words demonstrate how technology is a tool against injustice.

Abdul-Shaheed Aaron

Mr. Aaron is a colleague here in Indianapolis. A few years ago, he was attacked while walking back to his car after a shoot. All his gear was stolen and he was gravely injured. He understands the fear. Listen to his words.

 

Syretta Bell

Syretta may be my all-time favorite makeup artist. The work she does is exquisite. Her words as a black woman are worth heeding.

Jubilation Lee

She’s a single mom who works hard to take care of her kids and raise them to be respectable people. The parallel she draws is a kick to the gut. Yeah, we’re at a point where such a reference is legitimate.

Beyoncè

The singer posted this message on her website yesterday. The words are stirring.

At the end of it all, we have some decisions to make. What happens over the course of the next three days could change the United States forever. We can choose compassion or we can choose hate. We’ve had enough words. We need change.

Continue Reading

Current Issues  /  PotD  /  Social Commentary  /  video
Let Me Offend You
July 7, 2016
charles i. letbetter - let me offend you

I don’t set out to offend or shock, but I also don’t do anything to avoid it. —Sarah Silverman

 

 

charles i. letbetter - let me offend you

If we can offend you with this photo, you’re probably not going to like the rest of the article, either.

I am proud of the pictures above. The play of light and shadow around the partially clothed figure of a young Korean-American woman is both dramatic and beautiful in my eyes. I thought about using an image that was more erotic, but my purpose isn’t to offend anyone with material that pushes an edge. Rather, my purpose this morning is to demonstrate how easy it is to offend someone simply by having an opinion.

Offending people is apparently rather easy. About a month ago, I wrote an article about how living in a city full of foodies rather sucks.  Somehow, the story was picked up by a local food blogger who posted a link to the article on her Facebook page. Having totally missed the point of the article (apparently I wasn’t clear enough for some people), she took offense and encouraged her followers to do the same. YAY! My hit count went through the roof the next three days!

Did her words negatively affect me in any way? Nope. I laughed. I’m still laughing. If I can offend some 2,000+ people with a little article about why we don’t eat at trendy restaurants, then how many people can I offend if I really try?

Apparently, the key to offending people is readers misunderstanding. If you skim, rather than reading every word, you might be offended. If you don’t click the supporting links (the grey text), you might be offended. If you form opinions without accurate information, you might be offended.

A Culture Of Self-Righteousness

Let’s be very clear exactly what I mean when I talk about a culture of self-righteousness. Dictionary.com defines the term “self-righteous” as follows:

[self-rahy-chuh s] adjective
1. confident of one’s own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.
[self-righteous. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self-righteous (accessed: July 07, 2016).]

Notice the last portion of that definition: “intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.” That is who we’ve become as a society. We have become so sanctimoniously self-righteous, not merely as individuals, but as a whole population, that anything that does not come from our own mind, or agree with our precariously cobbled opinion can offend us.

I laugh when I see self-righteous indignation coming from a six-year-old who is convinced we’re mean for not letting her have a bag of chips to take to bed with her. I’m not so amused when I see the same childish behavior from an adult. Such intolerance and smugness are disgusting character traits.

Furthermore, those of you who claim to be Christians, as many Americans do, are violating your own religious precepts. Here, let me provide those reference points for you:

There are similar passages in the Quran as well as Buddhist and Hindu texts. All major religions teach tolerance, compassion, and humbleness. None teach that we should beat each other up in the comment section.  Yet, here we are, doing that very thing. Self-righteousness is so engrained we consider it part of our First Amendment right to free expression.

An Inclination Toward Ignorance

All that self-righteousness pushes us toward ignorance. We listen to part of a statement and quickly determine whether it agrees with our own opinion. If we think it does, we share it. If not, we flame it. We don’t bother to check whether the statement is valid. I can offend people with a totally true statement, provide them with the evidence supporting that statement, and they’ll still be pissed.

For example, yesterday’s article was all about checking sources.  Inside that article, I provided multiple links to articles supporting our statements. We were able to offend some Republican supporters without them even reading the article! And of those who did read the article, how many people do you think actually checked any of the sources? One (thanks, Courtney).

Such willful ignorance leads us to make stupid, insipid, uninformed statements that serve no one. We react without thinking, without getting more information, without applying any sense of reason or logic. All we care about is our own opinion.

Case Study #1: Jesse William’s BET Acceptance Speech

Just in case you were unaware, Jesse Williams is an actor. He is best known for his role on the television series Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t watch the show, so I can’t make any comments as to the quality of his acting. However, he was recently presented with the BET Humanitarian Award. He gave what I thought was a stirring and inspiring acceptance speech. However, that speech managed to offend a whole truck-load of people. Here, watch the speech for yourself:

Celebrities, Music, News, Entertainment, TV Shows & Videos | BET

BET.com is your home for all the latest celebrity, music, fashion, entertainment and African-American news. Check out your favorite BET shows and watch video!

Almost immediately after the speech, someone started a petition on change.org to fire Mr. Williams from Grey’s Anatomy and boycott ABC, as though the network had anything to do with the content of the awards show. The petition was started by someone named Erin Smith, which is such a common name as to not be worth tracking. She was offended. She considers the speech racist.  23,000 people agree with her. Multiple counter-petitions were started in response.

Fortunately, those who actually have some say, such as Grey’s Anatomy producer Shonda Rimes, handled the petition appropriately.

That’s it. No long statement to be debated. Just a short affirmation that she’s not going to let a stupid petition affect what is ultimately for her a business decision. Being offended achieves nothing.

Case Study #2: Liz Krueger’s Dress

Here’s the scoop: Mrs. Krueger is a nutrition and fitness coach. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that she has a trim and attractive body. Being trim and attractive (and married), she felt it would be safe to wear a dress to a friend’s wedding that compliments her body. She posted a picture of herself wearing the dress on Instagram. The response was not as positive as she might have hoped.

What’s worth noting is that it is other women whom the dress offends. The amount of bullying in the comments was outrageous. Then, the bullying carried over to other social media and was picked up by various sports and fitness magazines.

If someone can offend you for wearing a dress that makes their body look good, you should probably seek professional psychiatric help. You have a problem and you are a blight on humanity.

Case Study #3: House Democrats Boo Sen. Bernie Sanders

It was a closed-door meeting between Senator Sanders and House Democrats yesterday, so there is no C-Span video to corroborate the story. What allegedly happened was that a handful of congressmen booed the senator for not yet having endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. That part of the meeting is not public record, but information like that doesn’t stay quiet long.  Within minutes, Politico had the story:

There are multiple points to be made here. First, that anyone booed a sitting Senator within the halls of Congress is an egregious violation of decorum and protocol. We expect our elected officials to act better, to be professional. Booing is childish and immature. Such actions are not appropriate for members of Congress.

Secondly, Senator Sanders is playing out a very specific strategy. Disagreeing with a strategy is not surprising nor unwarranted. That anyone would be butt hurt enough to boo him, however, demonstrates a severe level of ignorance and over-the-top self-righteousness. Get the fuck over yourselves. If you have a legitimate objection, state it appropriately and intelligently. Demonstrating your offense by booing is childish.

Case Study #4: We Keep Shooting Black People

Be warned, the video below was taken immediately following the shooting of Philando Castile by a Falcon Heights, MN police officer. It hurts to watch this, but you have no sufficient frame of reference for forming an opinion if you don’t.

https://youtu.be/sZ7DhbRUvNI

NOW is when you should be offended. This comes less than 24 hours after Baton Rogue, LA police shot unarmed Alton Brown. While officials in Falcon Heights are trying to frame this as an exception to their normal manner of policing, the fact remains that Castile was shot for no damned good reason. Don’t tell me he should have behaved differently. Don’t tell me that his actions were threatening. Nothing excuses the fact that, once again, police shot an unarmed black man. We all need to be upset. If this doesn’t offend you, there is something terribly wrong with your sense of humanity.

I understand, being a police officer is difficult and that they must make snap judgments. I understand they are putting their lives in danger every time they make a traffic stop or respond to a 911 call. I get that. However, there is never a good reason for shooting an unarmed person. Furthermore, the fact that black people are victims at rates much higher than anyone else should be causing police everywhere to exercise greater restraint and caution. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS SHOOTING!!

Before You Argue

If nothing I’ve said or presented here offends you in any way, then perhaps I have failed in my quest to offend everyone. Maybe I should have talked about how much I dislike Indiana state government. Or I could just call you ugly, but that’s why we have mirrors. If I have managed to offend you, you are welcome to respond, but there are some rules.

  1. You must back up your opinion with fact.
  2. You must support your facts with legitimate sources, not right- or left-wing editorials.
  3. You must have read, in whole, any supporting material we provided above.
  4. You must frame your argument in complete sentences without using testing shortcuts.

Should you choose to not follow these rules, your argument will be deleted without response. I don’t mind you disagreeing, but you’re going to be civilized about it or your comments are invalid.

One Last Thing

There is a phrase that has the potential to offend anyone who has made it through unscathed to this point. According to the Urban Dictionary, the line is part of an old joke involving the Lone Ranger walking into a bar. It has since been used in multiple movies and countless conversations where one might wish to discount the opinions of another. I leave you with this phrase in hopes you are offended. I really don’t like to fail first thing in the morning. Here it is:

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

Have a good day.

Continue Reading

pop culture  /  PotD
Consider The Source
July 6, 2016
charles i. letbetter - consider the source

Crazy old people are our entire source of polling information. —P. J. O’Rourke

 

charles i. letbetter - consider the source

We have become careless about what information we believe, even when the source is obvious

As long as there has been verbal communication among humans there has been a propensity to exaggerate and distort facts to make oneself look good or persuade others to agree with their opinion. Many mistakes have been made because people chose to believe rumor and conjecture over evidence and reason. This isn’t something we can blame on the Internet. We were already very good at believing stories without regard as to the source of information.

Rumor mills exist in every small community, feeding on the presumption that someone did something wrong or unethical without bothering to check for facts. Such rumor mills were especially strong in the churches we attended while growing up. There was almost always an accusation that some poor soul, who had fallen out of favor with someone else, had been caught “sinning.” Perhaps it was the rumor that the school superintendent had a glass of wine with his meal while attending a conference out of state. Or maybe the idea that Widow Jones had a male friend she would visit over in the next county and sometimes she didn’t come home until the next morning.

Those pushing such rumors were almost always the same few people. As a result, any time such a story made it’s way back to my father, the pastor, he would simply roll his eyes and say, “Consider the source,” and move on. He understood that giving a rumor any attention only helps it to grow.

Welcome To The Internet

One of the great promises of the Internet is its ability to give almost anyone and everyone a chance to make their voice heard. Information is not limited to media or official government sources. When something major happens, there is frequently someone on hand either live tweeting or even live streaming the event. The challenge comes when accounts from official sources differ from pedestrian sources.

A perfect example is the case of last night’s shooting by police of a man in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If one clicks that link, you can read the account of the incident as reported by the Associated Press, a generally trusted news source. Their story is that a man leaving a convenience store called police after allegedly being threatened with a gun by a man selling CDs. Police arrived, an altercation ensued, and the CD seller was shot.

However, if one looks at all that is on Twitter regarding the incident, including a video that might be disturbing for some, one might come away with a very different opinion.  The video alone is enough to sway opinion dramatically. I fully expect this event to explode as the day grows and more people find out about it. Rumors and conjecture will dominate the story. Figuring out which details are fact and which are fiction becomes difficult in moments like this.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

We were given that instruction back in high school, were we not? At the point that teachers begin assigning projects that require research, we are warned that not every source is reliable. Again, this happened long before the Internet. Just because information is printed somewhere doesn’t make it reliable. An account of an event from Associated Press, for example, was considered more reliable than one from Time magazine. The tendency of the latter source to editorialize opened the door to rumor and supposition that might not be based on evidence.

Unfortunately, we’re now willing to believe anything that comes in meme form and agrees with our own opinions.  We’re not even bothered that sources aren’t cited. In fact, I’m frequently alarmed that, despite my continued effort to cite sources in all my articles here, rarely does anyone actually click those links and verify the source.  I could be feeding everyone a truckload of bullshit. As long as what I write is consistent with what one normally expects from me, no one questions anything.

How do we know which information is correct and which is a lie? Unfortunately, we can’t always know for certain. However, on major issues, two primary sources have come to bear that are generally more reliable than most. Those are Snopes and Politifact. Between the two, they address the majority of rumors getting the most amount of traffic on the Internet. While they’re not authoritative in getting anything corrected, they at least provide us the ability to check sources. Let’s take a look at some trending topics they’re dealing with today. [Headings are links to source stories.]

Sharpie Marker Giveaway

This is an example of dozens of other retailer giveaway scams, none of which are valid. In this case, the image that pops up in your Facebook newsfeed claims that Sharpie is giving away a set of 24 markers just for liking and sharing their page. The problem is, when one clicks the link, they are not directed to anything owned by Sharpie at all.  Sometimes the links even appear to be random.

While Snopes doesn’t accuse the perpetrators in this case of operating a phishing scam, any time a link takes you somewhere you weren’t expecting to go your information is in danger. Almost nothing is free. Both retailers and manufacturers have found better and more reliable ways of getting your attention. If someone wants to give something away, consider the source. Nonprofits still do occasional giveaways, but major corporations don’t.

Britons Did Not Understand The Brexit Before Voting

Even I fell for this one. With sources such as the Daily Mail and the Washington Post making claims based on their interpretation of Google trend data, it was extremely easy to be taken in. However, it turns out that the headlines were wrong. Journalists who didn’t understand how Google trends work misinterpreted the data. As a result, what the newspapers were printing was inaccurate. Still, assuming that the source was reliable, every other news agency then ran with the same story.

Oops.

Politifact goes to great length in attempting to explain how the mistake in reading the Google trends data could result in less-than-accurate statements. Turns out, that a) the data is a sample, not the whole search set, b) it is impossible to tell if people were making the same searches before the vote, and c) other more detailed and informed questions wouldn’t be included in the survey set.

Marti Hearst, a professor for the University of California at Berkeley’s school of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, said: “Only the most common (and therefore the most ignorant-sounding) search queries will make it to the top”

Think When You Read

We have an obligation when reading to test the validity of any source. Just because someone says something we like doesn’t make it true. Richard Harrison of Pawn Stars is not dead. When we share and perpetuate such false and misleading information, we contribute to the problem. How does anyone know what to believe? If even the Washington Post can be fooled, how do we ever know which source is reliable?

The answer is that we have to examine the evidence ourselves to the extent possible. We’re not always going to get everything correct, but we can minimize the amount of dishonest and misleading information we share. Don’t take anyone at their word. Not even me. Any time you see text in a different color, that’s a link to a source. Chase them. If I’m wrong, let me know.

We are all part of the information system now. We have an obligation to get it right.

Continue Reading

Hashtag Philosophy  /  Just For Fun  /  PotD
#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest
July 5, 2016
charles i. letbetter - #SaySomethingCompetelyHonest

Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest. —Isaac Asimov

 

charles i. letbetter - #SaySomethingCompletelyHonest

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest is trending on Twitter, but can we handle the honestly?

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest is trending on Twitter this morning. I’m glad it is because I didn’t have a clue what I was going to write about. We’re in a fashion lull, nothing I’ve seen in the photography world inspires me at the moment. Advertising was all centered around the 4th so it seems old now. Besides, we’ve not done a hashtag game in a while, so this really could be a lot of fun.

This particular hashtag is interesting because people seem to be using it as a means of confession. Are we really feeling that guilty or is that just where our minds first go when we’re asked to be honest. After looking at some of the initial entries, I was reminded of the “Midnight Confessions” skits on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Some of the “confessions” or “honesty” seem a bit self-serving and trite. But then, the Internet does self-serving and trite so very well we shouldn’t be surprised.

I think there are several ways we can explore #SaySomethingCompletelyHonest. Looking at other’s thoughts is fun, of course. There are some subdivisions I think are worth adding, as well. At the very least, it should be informative and fun.

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – The Tweets

Here are a few samples pulled from the top of the pile this morning:

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – Confession Time

Those were entertaining enough, but let’s make the game a bit more personal, shall we? I won’t actually tweet these (at least, not yet), but if we’re being completely honest, this is how I feel this morning.

  • I like using hashtag games for morning topics because they don’t require a buttload of research.
  • I’m thirsty, but I’ve not gotten up to get water because I don’t want to risk waking the dog.
  • I try to drink 24 ounces of water before my first cup of coffee. Allegedly, it’s a healthy habit. We’ll see.
  • We totally went lame on the fireworks last night. Everyone was in bed by 9:00 PM.
  • It’s impossible to get any time alone during the summer. These kids are exhausting.

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – Reading & Writing

I write, you read; it’s a symbiotic relationship. However, if we’re being completely honest, there are some aspects of this relationship I find frustrating. So, in the spirit of being completely honest, let me share those with you.

  • The average article takes two to three hours to write and edit after all the research is done. When only two people read the article, I feel like I’ve wasted my time.
  • There is a direct correlation between the amount of nudity in the photographs and the number of hits on an article. The lust shows through.
  • I would love to see more people subscribe so that we wouldn’t have to rely  on social media for distribution.
  • Trying to time publishing and sharing on social media is a pain in the ass.
  • When no one shares the link to an article, I take it as a personal failure.

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – Philosophy

Issues are a big part of everyone’s lives. Some we try to ignore, others we embrace and some issues even incite passion. If we’re being completely honest, though, the underlying philosophies are what really drive us, or find us guilty of fraud.

  • It’s impossible to be honest about world hunger while shoving a half-pound, double-thick, bacon cheeseburger in your mouth.
  • The closer we come to personal poverty, the more we care about the poor.
  • One cannot convince the willfully ignorant to care about anything that involves education.
  • Without compassion, there are no solutions to social problems.
  • Those who build walls do greater harm to those inside the walls than those on the outside.

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – Photography

Photography is where the bulk of my passion lies. While I enjoy all the creative pursuits available to me, photography is where I am at home and where I have the deepest opinions. If we’re being completely honest, there are some things you might need to know:

  • It doesn’t matter what camera you use, nor which lens. What matters is your own creativity and mastery of how to use what is in your hands.
  • More people should risk being a photographer’s model. You’re more photogenic than you think.
  • People who overly criticize photographs of themselves drive me batty. You’re beautiful. Accept it.
  • I seriously want to slap someone when they equate nudity with porn.
  • I miss shooting every day, but I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the editing.

#SaySomethingCompletelyHonest – The Lighter Side

All this honesty gets a little intense after a while, doesn’t it? So, let’s end this with some lighter statements that leave us feeling a bit better about ourselves.

  • The best part of my day is having coffee with Kat every morning.
  • Listening to the dog snore never fails to make me giggle.
  • It’s especially warm and fuzzy when the oldest cat stops you and demands to be loved.
  • Afternoon naps are the key to sanity and long life.
  • There is no such thing as too much love.

There you have it. Everything in this post is completely honest, no holds barred. Can we actually handle this much honesty? Perhaps honesty is easier when we break it down into 140 characters or less. That may well be what makes these hashtag games so popular. I hope you’ve enjoyed this diversion. Perhaps we’ll find something more serious for tomorrow. Or not.

Continue Reading

PotD  /  Social Commentary
Freedom To Chill
July 4, 2016
charles i. letbetter - freedom to chill

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. —Soren Kierkegaard

 

charles i. letbetter

Eschewing all the seriousness afforded this day, let’s celebrate the fact our lives are not horrid

Happy Independence Day, United States! My, but we do love our 4th of July celebrations. Fireworks, parades, bands, families, and cookouts are all part of the tradition. We also have a tendency to wax philosophical on this day. Look around the Internet and you’ll find dozens of essays on freedom. Some quote the Declaration of Independence: “When in the course of human events …” Others quote the preamble to the Constitution: “We the people, of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union …” Plenty discuss responsibility and many honor the sacrifice of those who have fallen.

All of those topics are well and appropriate for the day. I have no problem with the topics themselves, but at this point in my life, I’ve heard those topics run into the ground. One would have to be masterfully eloquent to keep my attention very long.

I understand the responsibilities of being an American. I appreciate the sacrifice of those who served and are serving (we’ll be talking with our Marine later this morning). The part of being an American I have difficulty doing is what many of you seem to do so well: sit back and relax. I can sit and try to watch a movie, but it is difficult to not have my phone in my hand. There’s also the matter of keeping the kids and the animals from destroying the house. One does not just sit and chill in this house without some effort. Where is that freedom thing, again?

Freedom To Not Work All The Time

Please note the qualifier in that heading. I’m not saying there is a freedom to be a lazy bum that sponges off society. Few people in our society actually milk us for our generosity. A majority of people who receive some form of federal assistance are employed, but still earn less than the $1000 a month income cap on assistance. But everyone who works needs a break. We look forward to our weekends, our vacations, and our federal holidays. While we may work hard, the US still has a party mentality that celebrates those moments when we’re not working.

Except, I can’t do it. You’re reading the results. Despite the fact that it’s a holiday, I’m sitting here in the wee hours of the morning doing research and writing. Kat always suggests that I just rerun a previous article on days like today. Certainly, I have the freedom to do that and give myself the day off. I can’t bring myself to do it, though. I have to get up to walk the dog, anyway, and as tired as I am, I feel obligated to sit down and create at least one new article every day.

Keeping busy is a point of anxiety for me. I need to be doing something all the time. Even things that should be relaxing, such as grilling out or entertaining friends becomes work for me. Still, I think of the garment workers in Bangladesh who work 80+ hours a week, live in cramped dorms provided by their employers, and rarely see their families. They do not have the freedom to not work. They have no choice. No matter how busy I make my life, I am still better off because I have the freedom to stop if/when I wish.

Freedom To Improve

We are all far from perfect. There is a lot we don’t know, even though there are books written on almost every topic imaginable. Fortunately, we have the freedom to improve. We can read. We can take specialized classes. We can even go back to school and get a degree completely different from anything we’ve done before. While perfection may always elude us, we have the freedom to make ourselves a little less imperfect.

An important part of that improvement is the freedom to read anything we want. I read with interest this week how what we read matters in our brain development, even as adults. Those who involve themselves with “deep reading,” such as academic journals, non-fiction, poetry, and literary fiction, hold advantages over those who only read online or mass-market fiction. Deep reading synchronizes the communication areas of our brain. As a result, we speak better, write better, and are more articulate in our conversation with others.

I remember hearing in school how children in the former Soviet Union were given tests at an early age that determined  their eventual occupation. They were trained to a level of proficiency in that occupation and that was it. Improvement was limited and opportunities were few. I am thankful we have the freedom to make ourselves better.

Freedom To Love

We’ve had to fight for this one and there are still many places across the US where loving whomever you choose to love is challenging. The freedom to love, though, has grown tremendously over the past two years and shows no sign of letting up. Part of that whole being able to chill and relax thing is dependent, at least in part, on being with people you love. This is why families get together on holidays such as this.

Loving is important and understanding why we love the ways we do deepens and enhances our ability to love. At least, I think it does. There is a book by Skye Cleary called Existentialism and Romantic Love  that I highly recommend. In the book, Cleary considers all the various webs of relationships into which we’re born. She explores the complexities of loving and being with others and how that affects our place in the world. After reading the book, I’m fairly sure there are even more areas of love we have yet to explore.

Not everyone is so fortunate, though. There are still too many places where LGBT relationships carry a death sentence. There are too many places where young women are not allowed to choose their own mate. The freedom to love is a relatively new concept for the entire world. We should celebrate that we are here to appreciate and take advantage of the progress.

Freedom To Be Entertained

I don’t watch a lot of television, but it’s there when I choose it.  We don’t go out to a lot of movies or shows, but they’re there when we want them. We have more entertainment options than we have time. There are even places you can download or stream movies legally.  We are inundated with the freedom to escape reality for as long as we need.

Entertainment is a critical part of our lifestyle and our ability to chill on weekends such as this. Whether we’re taking in live music or binging on Netflix, our entertainment choices give us the opportunity to set aside all the worry and stress that threatens to kill us. Some of us are good with an hour or so a day. Others need a bit more. Plenty of people even sleep with their televisions blaring away at them. While a danger of slothfulness is worth watching, that we have such freedom is exceptional to this time and place in history.

I plan to try very, very hard to chill the rest of the day. I want to enjoy that freedom, maybe take a nap, sing songs with my 18-year-old, or enjoy a cup of coffee with Kat. Thousands of men and women died for this freedom, after all. Even the lesser freedoms are worth celebrating. So light up a cigar if you’re so inclined, fill a glass of scotch if you have it, and let’s enjoy the day.

Happy Birthday, America. Thank you for the gift of that freedom to chill.

Continue Reading

Mythology  /  PotD  /  studio nudes
Everything Is Temporary
July 3, 2016

One can have many regrets in life, but they are temporary. There are lessons to learn from every mistake. —Jeev Milkha Singh

 

charles i. letbetter - everything is temporary

Everything that exists has a beginning and an end. Nothing lasts forever.

When I looked out the window a moment ago, the sky in the East was a dark, brilliant pink. Now, it is just gray. Rain is coming and while it might be problematic for those with outdoor plans it’s nature is to pass over us and be gone. My youngest son is here but only for a month.  As much as I would like him to stay, his visit is temporary. He must return home in time for school.

At the center of most every major belief system is the concept that everything that exists, has existed, or will exist on this planet and throughout the universe is temporary. Things are planted, grow, and then wither. People are born, live their lives, and then die. Stars in the sky burst into being, burn bright, then implode upon themselves. Everything is temporary.

Not that everything reaches its demise within the same time frame. The 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever works on the premise that diamonds are valuable because of their strength and permanence. However, while the erosion of a diamond may not be something observable within the span of a human lifetime, even they do eventually dissolve like Jill St. John’s career.

Being Temporary Is Good

Permanence is overrated. Some people want to live forever, but if life is not temporary then neither is the pain and suffering that accompanies it. Some people want great buildings of architectural importance preserved in perpetuity. Yet, with the crumbling or demolition of the old comes the opportunity to create new, perhaps better and more functional buildings.

When  we regard something as permanent, we immediately devalue that object or idea because we assume that it will always be there. Many times, when I was younger, I stood by the grave of a deceased parent as their adult children mourned that they did not spend more time with them. “I thought they would always be there,” is the cry of many who were neglectful because they did not appreciate the temporary nature of life. We think towns and cities last forever, but they don’t. Mountains and oceans are temporary, even as they’re always changing and adapting.

The temporal nature of the universe is important because it allows us to appreciate what is here now.  While we might miss certain items and aspects and people from the past, knowing that our life here is temporary provides us with some motivation. We focus our attention on those things we might lose. As we realize that everything is temporary, we appreciate more of what is around us. Even our lives earn greater respect as we consider our temporary nature.

Appreciating Life

While we inherently know that life is temporary, we don’t always realize just how short it might be. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) posted the account of a tragic shooting that occurred yesterday. A large extended family had gathered to celebrate the life of a deceased loved one. As family members were standing outside a home, an apparently unrelated person walked up and started shooting. There was no apparent provocation. At this point, there’s no evidence that the shooter knew anyone in the family. He shot three people. One died on the scene. One died a couple of hours later at the hospital. A three-year-old remains in critical but stable condition from being shot in the hand. Life is just that temporary.

At the same time, though, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel was 87 when he died this week. While he outlived most his peers, he understood the temporary nature of life. His mother, his father, and his younger sister all died at Auschwitz. The temporal reality of their lives and others he knew motivated him to write his award-winning biography Night. That book brought the horrors of the holocaust to life and emphasized the value of all life.

Without death constantly lurking, would we appreciate the lives we have? Almost inevitably, we would take greater risks, indulge in things that are harmful, and worry less about the danger our actions might bring to others. If we had no fear of death, would we have any compassion for others at all? That life is temporary keeps us focused. Knowing our days are numbered pushes us to do things now rather than later. Our actions are kept in check and we have greater compassion for others because life is temporal.

Government Comes To An End

Earlier  this morning, I was reading an article by David Van Reybrouck on “Why Elections Are Bad For Democracy.” He makes the argument that the concept of one person/one vote is flawed because not every voter is intelligent or necessarily thoughtful in the way we vote. Such a deficiency leads to harmful results, such as the Brexit, because it is falsely assumed that Britain leaving the European Union was the will of the people. He argues for something called Sortition, selecting legislators by well-managed lottery. The advantage would presumably be that those who are inherently unqualified would not be elected.

Others are willing to consider even changing our very form of government. In a Gallup survey done last year, 47% of Americans said they would consider voting for a socialist. Stil,l others would happily vote for a totalitarian who would provide hard-line consistency in government over a prolonged period.

As we celebrate our independence from British rule this weekend, now is a good time to consider that democracy as we know it is temporary. As our current system becomes increasingly dysfunctional, dramatic changes to that system become inevitable. What we celebrate now may not exist 20 years in the future.

Awareness And Contemplation

If all that exists is temporary, then how are we to respond? Do we live in fear of our inevitable demise or do we seize each day and look to make it count? Do we consider how our actions might make existence even more temporary for other lives, other economies, or other cultures? Do we contemplate anything at all?

As we become more aware of our temporal nature, we realize we must do the most with what we have. There is no time worth wasting. If we are to create, we must create now. If we  are to show compassion, we must show compassion now. If we are to revel in the love of another, we must love that person now.

My late mother endured many turbulent periods during her life and not all of them were handled well. She was fond of saying, though, that, “this, too, shall pass.” She understood that nothing, even the bad days and bad circumstances were going to last forever. She embraced that which is temporary. Perhaps we should do more of the same.

Let us dance in the rain. Let us love unconditionally. Let us live the fullest of lives now.

Continue Reading

Music  /  PotD  /  video
Music You Can’t Share With Kids
July 2, 2016
charles i. letbetter - music you can't share with the kids

I feel happy to terrify kids. —R. L. Stine

 

charles i. letbetter- don't let the kids watch

The law says you have to protect your kids from porn, but it doesn’t say anything about music videos

For most kids, their first taste of music comes from their parents. They hear what we play on the radio or our phones. We casually fire up our playlists while we do work around the house and don’t give a second thought to what our children are hearing.

Kids love music. Any music. They don’t care what  the words mean. Last year, Little Man’s kindergarten class learned the Jackson Five’s ABC for their graduation program. You think that’s going to be cute until you hear the words coming out of your six-year-old kid’s mouth:

Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now!
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooh ooh!
Shake it shake it, baby, huh!
One, two, three, baby, ooh ooh!
ABC, baby, nah nah!
Do re mi, baby, huh!
That’s how easy love can be.

And then their little booty starts shaking and you damn near fall out of your seat from laughing so hard. You know the kids don’t have a clue that they’re singing about sex. Right now, it’s cute and funny. But then you hear them using the same language with each other. When little boys start demanding that little girls stand up and “shake it” for them, it’s time for some lessons in how to talk to people.

So, we took a look at some of the newest music videos released this week. All are bound to be chart toppers. Take a look, though, and think: is this something you can share with your kids?

Rihanna

Let’s start with the mildest video of the set. Rihanna’s Sledgehammer, which just dropped a couple of days ago, is part of the soundtrack for the next Star Trek movie, which I assume is due later this fall. Kids can probably watch this one and be okay. All the sensuality is muted and preserved in the subtleties of the video. In fact, this  is probably the most dressed Rihanna has been for a video in quite a while. The lyrics are what will get you, though. Take a look.

Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals

Vevo is the world’s leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more.

Fifth Harmony, ft. Fetty Wap

Five attractive young women, in swimwear, on a beach. Both the song and the video are sexy from top to bottom. However, while the sensuality is aggressive and the video frequently gets in the way of the music, it’s still at a level that most kids are likely to ignore the sexy and get more into the rhythm of the music and the bright colors. That is, until Fetty Wap chimes in. Say some of those words around the wrong person and you’ll be picking your little ass up off the floor. Some are already touting this as the song of the summer, though. Best get familiar with it now.

Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals

Vevo is the world’s leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more.

Nick Jonas

Your kids are going to listen to this song and, hopefully, not have a clue what Nick means by the phrase, “under you.” There are also subtleties to the video that seem to infer a level of domestic violence. The imagery in this one could be rough for kids whose parents fight a lot. For adults, it’s just another breakup song, though, if his only regret is that he didn’t get to have sex with the girl then it’s probably a good thing they broke up. For kids, though, there is a lot here that might require some explanation when they start repeating it back to you.

Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals

Vevo is the world’s leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more.

Niykee Heaton ft. Migos

I really hesitated about including this one. There is a form of implied violence throughout this video that reflects the same kind of violence we see too often among inner-city teens. Toss in Niykee’s good looks dressed in little more than a swimsuit, and one can understand why forecasts for this song are pretty strong. There is a particular audience with which this song is going to resonate well. However, the video is not for  kids. We can excuse much of the song as it talks around the topics rather than directly at them. When the first image one sees, though, is an automatic weapon, and gunshots are among the final sounds, one has to question whether this video is unnecessarily promoting a culture of violence that our country doesn’t need.  Proceed with caution on this one.

Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals

Vevo is the world’s leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more.

Fergie

We saved the sexiest for last. Fergie’s latest solo release will hit number one on the charts. Fortunately, there’s a radio edit and if your kids hear the song that’s the version that’s likely to tickle their ears. However, Fergie’s never been a shy one and she drops enough f-bombs to recapture every remaining Daesh stronghold in Syria. Why is it that kids pick up the word “fuck” so easily and quickly? It doesn’t even matter if they never hear a parent say the word. Fuck is part of the first-grade vocabulary whether anyone likes it or not. This song is not going to help that matter at all.

I must say that I love a lot of the pin-up style costuming used in the video. The bright colors and over-the-top styling are quite artistic. Much of the look here reminds me of Christina Aguilera’s Candy Man video. This is much hotter than Xtina’s take on the era. If one is concerned about a child’s body image, this may not be a video they need to  see. Adults will love it, but kids are going to ask a lot of questions. Be prepared

Where to Watch Music Videos | Vevo Originals

Vevo is the world’s leading music video network. Watch music videos on your favorite apps, streaming services, and devices, including YouTube, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Fire TV, and more.

Your Call

I’m certainly not one to make valid parenting suggestions. From an adult perspective, all these videos are about as sexy as they can get without turning to porn. They’re a pleasure to watch and to hear. I know we have trouble keeping adult words and phrases out of the mouths of our kids, and I’m guessing ours aren’t much different than yours. How you deal with the music and the videos are your business. You know what’s best for your family. Exercise caution as you see fit.

And meanwhile, we’ll be over here dancing.

Continue Reading

Advertising  /  Social Commentary  /  video
Awareness You Can’t Escape
July 1, 2016
charles i. letbetter - awareness you can't escape

The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. —Aristotle

 

charles i. letbetter - awareness you can't escape

Awareness sometimes requires cultivation. Other times, one cannot escape it.

Awareness is a state of consciousness, the point at which we realize something exists and are able to understand that existence, at least, in part. Sometimes, awareness has to be carefully cultivated. Physics, for example, holds various levels of awareness, the deepest of which only come with intense learning. Other matters, however, are more straightforward, perhaps even blunt. All one needs to know in order to respond appropriately can be said in a matter of seconds. Fire, for example, is hot. Even a baby understands after the briefest experience that fire is hot.

Every day, we develop more awareness. Perhaps we see a new store or read a new book. Maybe we have a conversation with a friend. Everything we do has the potential to increase our awareness. Even watching commercials.

Each year, at Cannes, the best advertising campaigns are presented and given awards based upon the quality of work. Some do an amazing job of selling a product. Others blaze new trails in technological innovation. What always strikes the hardest, though, are those that create awareness. These are the ads that make you stop and think, and give you information that leads you to act, become involved, and begin conversations.

Of this year’s winners in the film and film craft categories, four gold winners did an amazing job at creating awareness. I want to share those with you. Watch each one and let them change you.

Make Love, Not Scars

Acid. The word immediately raises warnings of danger for most teens and adults. While there are many legitimate uses for acid, however, one of the most frequent is as a weapon of personal destruction. We don’t see as many acid attacks in the United States. Awareness is low because it is usually treated as a felony assault and handled through local justice systems. Elsewhere in the world, however, acid attacks are devastating. In countries were various forms of acid are sold openly and are easily obtainable, acid attacks are a common form of personal vendetta. Most of the victims are women. Many victims are under the age of 18.

Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai created the following piece to raise awareness of this horrible issue. Incidents involving acid attacks are growing, but governments are doing little to stop them. The piece is short. Please watch. If you are inclined to investigate further, please visit Acid Survivors Foundation.

 

Never Alone

For many gay people, coming out to one’s family and friends is one of the most frightening experiences of their lives. One can never be quite certain how people might respond. Will they be accepting? Will they be angry? Will this be the end of relationships?

If one is captain of the Wales national rugby team, that fear is overwhelming. Rugby is a tough sport, one of those games allegedly created for and played by only the manliest of men. Gareth Thomas faced that fear. What he discovered, however, was that he was part of a team that had his back, no matter what anyone said. With millions of fans, there were inevitably some who didn’t understand. Still, the team supported Gareth and they continued to win games.

Guinness sponsored the award-winning film piece developed by AMV BBDO London and produced by Stink London. There’s no mention of beer here, though. No one goes out and has a pint at the end. Instead, the emphasis is on the power of a team, supporting those whose lifestyles are often vilified and misunderstood. Everyone who comes out as gay, lesbian, bi, or transgender needs a team behind them. Be part of the team. The version that won the award is below. You can watch Gareth’s full story here.

https://youtu.be/rBOTKSQ89M8

Manboobs

Censorship on social media is severe. Most apps assume that anything on your computer or especially on your phone is accessible to minors. Argue all you want, I know all too well how difficult it is to keep sensitive materials away from little hands and prying eyes. Once children reach a certain age, the more one tries to deter them the more determined they are to see what’s there.

However, that censorship becomes a complete pain in the ass for organizations trying to raise awareness for things such as, oh, let’s say breast cancer. Talking about breast cancer becomes exceptionally difficult when one can’t show real breasts. How does an organization teach women how to check for lumps, an extremely important form of early detection, if they can’t show breasts?

Some brilliant minds at the David agency in Buenos Aires came up with a creative way to address those problems for an Argentinian awareness and support organization, MACMA. The spot comes with a bit of humor but is also extremely informative. Viewers are then encouraged to make their own video. If you care to do so, let me know. We’ll be happy to help.

https://youtu.be/Ais88Os_CTg

Dear Daddy

Our final piece hits really, really close to home. Until I had a daughter of my own, I didn’t think much about the vocabulary I used and tolerated from others. I didn’t give as much thought to what might be harmful. In watching and helping Tippy grow, I’ve learned that even the most innocuous, unintentional things we do and say truly matter.

We are moderately aware to the sensitive nature of body image. However, this piece developed for Care, Norway, raises awareness to a whole new level by putting it in terms that are inescapable. Just imagine if your unborn daughter could write you a letter. This short film is one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever encountered.

Conceptual credit goes to ad agency Schjaerven Reklamebyrå and production company Tangrystan, both of Oslo. I dare you to watch this film and not be moved. If you’re a daddy, or about to become one, I dare you to not cry.

The majority of ads are not all that serious. The majority of ads aren’t worth our time. These four, though, hit us with an awareness we need. There is no escape. You have now been enlightened. Go, enlighten others.

Continue Reading

Advertising  /  Art  /  Fashion  /  Photography
Goodbye, June 2016
June 30, 2016
charles i. letbetter - goodbye June 2016

All June I bound the rose in sheaves, Now, rose by rose, I strip the leaves. —Robert Browning

 

charles i. letbetter - goodbye june 2016

With the year half over, leaving June is like setting a marker, daring the rest of the year to improve

June 30. The year is half over. While the month has had its happy moments, such as the wedding of two dear friends, June has also seen a lot of death, a lot of turmoil, and an incredible amount of global stupidity. We’ve suffered the largest mass shooting ever in the US. We’ve laughed about secret sex parties. We’ve mourned the death of a real champion. We even tossed Kat in the water. For a mere 30 days, a lot happened. Our world has changed dramatically from where we were at the end of May.

To some extent, today puts a half-way marker on the year. We look back and see all we’ve lost, all that happened, and we dare the rest of the year to be better. We’ve had enough suffering. We don’t want more bad news. We don’t need more nonsense. We need new champions rising to the cause. We need faith restored in our governments. We need to feel that the entire planet is not hurtling out of control.

Of course, none of us can predict the future, and I’m not sure we want that ability. What we might see there could be too frightening to imagine. We’re also too early to start writing obituaries for the year. We can’t yet give up hope when so many good and wonderful things could yet happen.

Pictures You Might Have Missed

Midst all the activity of this month, chances are you might have missed a picture or two along the way. In fact, we’re pretty sure you did because we know which articles received the least amount of attention. So, before we totally close out this month of June and proceed forward with our year, we want to give you a chance to catch up on the pictures. There were some new ones this month, which is surprising given how busy we’ve been. So take a moment, enjoy the view and we’ll look forward to July.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Continue Reading

Page 16 of 36