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Welcome to my Blog! Anybody, providing he knows how to be amusing, has the right to
talk about himself. -
Charles Baudelaire In 2013 I started a series of photo albums on Blurb.com, named '36Exp' (a subject adressed in 36 exposures, a reference to the exposures on most common rolls of 35 mm film: 12, 24 & 36.). The books can be ordered directly from the Blurb.com website. The item immediately below this would be the latest posting.
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WORLD PRESS PHOTO 13 | PHOTO JOURNALISM ![]() World Press Photo is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary photography worldwide. The activities include organizing an annual contest, exhibitions, the stimulation of photojournalism through educational programs, and creating greater visibility for press photography through a variety of publications. World Press Photo is run as an independent, non-profit organization with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where World Press Photo was founded in 1955. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. This exhibition was visited on 18Jun13, during the last week of the exhibition in 'De Oude Kerk'. More photos of this visit on my Flickr account www.worldpressphoto.org [22JUN2013]
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EXHIBITION ON SLAVERY PAST AND PRESENT ![]()
www.fairwork.nu/exhibition.html [21JUN13] |
THE WRITER'S DESK by JILL KREMENTZ | BOOKS & PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() During a recent visit to Bredevoort, a socalled 'book town' in The Netherlands, I stumbled on this little treasure. Jill Krementz (b.19Feb1940) is a photographer and author; she has published some 31 books, mostly of photography and children's books. [17JUN2013]
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THE SHADOW WORLD - INSIDE THE GLOBAL ARMS TRADE by ANDREW FEINSTEIN ![]() This massive effort by Andrew Feinstein to dissect the global arms trade has result in a thoroughly fascinating book and a hugely important document. A monument in investigative journalism. While the larger defence contractors like BAE and Lockheed Martin - the formal industry working hand-in-glove with government - would have us believe they are distinct from and should not be tarred with the same brush as the apparently shadier world of the black and grey trades, the reality is different. While some form of arms industry is required in the dangerous and unpredictable world we inhabit, its special status and its intersection with the grey or black criminal world result in enormous costs to ordinary citizens and taxpayers, as the case of Lockheed Martin so amply demonstrates. Even the jobs produced by the arms trade cost significantly more to create and sustain than in any sector (e.g. education or care), with larger amounts of public money spent on them. There is a fundamental consequence too: the diminution of democracies where they exist, and the entrenchment of undemocratic, often barbarous states, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. The global desire for weapons and matériel shows little sign of abating, despite the economic difficulties of the past few years in most developed countries. During the course of the 20th century, the trade in arms made viable and fuelled conflicts that cost the lives of 231 million people. Closing with a quote from Naom Chomsky- "This shocking exposé unveils a shadow world of corruption, greed, slaughter, and other horrors, tawdry and gruesome in its criminality. It must be brought to a quick and final end." [05JUN13]
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OLD FILTH by JANE GARDAM | BOOKS ![]() Thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly because its style is so different from what I am used to.
Jane Mary Gardam OBE FRSL (born 11 July 1928) is an English writer of children's and adult fiction. She also reviews for The Spectator and The Telegraph, and writes for BBC radio. [04JUN13]
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VN DETECTIVE- EN THRILLERGIDS | CRIME WRITING ![]() This past week saw the yearly publication of the 'Detective- en Thrillergids', a hugely informative guide on crime writing published by Vrij Nederland. It proclaims to discuss 719 books this time and I must confess I haven't checked that number. [02JUN2013]
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DOWN AND OUT IN THE SOUTH by JAN BANNING | PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() While not the first to photograph modern society’s outcasts, his approach is different. Eschewing caricaturizing depictions, Banning places his subjects in a studio setting without their stereotypical belongings, focusing instead on their individuality — on who they are rather than what they are. It provided for very powerful portraits and an interesting document. www.JanBanning.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Banning James Swift (writer) on Twitter [02JUN2013]
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REUTERS OUR WORLD NOW 6 | PHOTO JOURNALISM ![]() This edition of Our World Now captures world-wide key events taken place in 2012 in more than 300 powerful photographs. The 18x18cm sized book is organized into 4 sections, representing the 4 quarters of the year. The images cover the full range of global reporting: politics, commerce, conflict, the environment, natural disasters, faith and festivities, entertainment, celebrity, and lifestyle. The book provides an indispensable visual record of our times, while the top-quality news photography is something to be admired in itself. [02JUN13]
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CASE HISTORIES | TV CRIME DRAMA (DVD) ![]() 'Case Histories' is a British drama television series based on the Jackson Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson. This dvd box contains 6 episodes, filmings of the books 'Case Histories', 'One Good Turn' and 'When Will There Be Good News', all written by Kate Atkinson. I'd read these books over the past few years and really enjoyed the writings by Kate Atkinson. These series do excellent justice to the books; an excellent performance by Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie with unmistaken chemistry between him and Amanda Abbington (DC Louise Munroe) and the boss-and-secretary-banter, a delightful role played by Zawe Ashton. A successful mix of suspense, drama, while the plot twists and turns.. Plus there is that wry 'Atkinson humor, dipped in dark melancholy'. Not strictly feel-good stuff. Excellent entertainment.
The series is both set and filmed in Edinburgh. [23MAY13]
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SUN STORM by ÀSA LARSSON ![]() Rarely I read a book a second time, though I hang on to most of them faithfully; for the simple reason that I have a pile of books waiting to be read.
Rebecka Martinsson, a Stockholm attorney, is heading home to Kiruna (Sweden), the town she’d left in disgrace years before, cast out from a religious community. [19MAY13]
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SINGLE HANDED | TV CRIME SERIES ![]() KRO Detectives (TV, Nederland) started recently the crime series 'Single Handed', which is situated in Ireland. I was quite pleased with the first episode, the second episode is scheduled this weekend. The plot of the first episode: Jack Driscoll returns from Dublin to the coastal village he grew up in. As a Sergeant he succeeds his father upon his recent retirement. A demanding job, covering a wide area and 24/7 on call. [17MAY2013]
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RECOMMENDED WEBSITE 'MYDAYS' | PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() Browse his mesmerizing images and be inspired! mydaysphoto.tumblr.com [15MAY13]
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RECOMMENDED WEBSITE 'ARNYZONA' | PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() Arny Raedts (b.1965, the Netherlands) is not your avarage, run-of-the-mill photographer. From images of faded, abandoned, rusty cars to colourfull and captivating landscapes full of textures, Arny had that unique perspective that most photographers just haven't got. He shows us a new world, where we can soak up the mystical atmosphere of the most weird and wonderfull places on Earth". (quoted from Tony Helsloot & Liz Jones, editors of World Photo Locations) www.arnyzona.com [15MAY13]
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THE LIFE OF A PHOTOGRAPH by SAM ABELL | PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() I had my eye out for something on Sam Abell's photography and came recently across this book, 'The Life of a Photograph' (published 2008), in a bookshop in Bangkok (Kinokuniya). And am very happy with the purchase.
Sam Abell (b.1945 in Sylvania, Ohio) is an American photographer known for his frequent publication of photographs in National Geographic. He first worked for National Geographic in 1967, and is one of the more overtly artistic photographers among his magazine peers.
From the National Geographic website: Max Cooper wrote on his blog in 2008 about an interview he did with Sam Abell. [15MAY2013]
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THE LOW HIGHWAY by STEVE EARLE | MUSIC ![]()
http://steveearle.com/ [12MAY13]
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HUBCAP MUSIC by SEASICK STEVE | MUSIC ![]() Seasick Steve has another album, his 7th: 'Hubcap Music'. Great music. [12MAY13]
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EXIT MUSIC by IAN RANKIN | BOOKS (CRIME) ![]() Edinburgh, autumn 2006, and Detective Inspector John Rebus is facing retirement from the police force. To start with the end, in a way, the title stems from a remark Rebus makes upon receiving DS Siobhan Clarke's gift: an ipod with a choice selection of music on it; his Exit Music. As Rebus tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what lookslike a mugging gone wrong. There is a (Russian) link to reality here. Reference is made to Alexander Litvinenko, hospitalised in London and victim to being poisoned by radioactive polonium-210. The rarity of this material would indicate involvement of the Russian government. In Exit Music we see a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen in town, keen to bring business to Scotland; the leading figure, Andropov, may seek a new future in Scotland for political reasons. The politicians and bankers who run Edinburgh are determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically. DI Rebus sees things a little differently... Rebus spots a link to Big Ger Cafferty and jumps to the opportunity to tie up this particular personal loose end. Things turn out differently and Rebus becomes a suspect of having clobbered Cafferty. One of the notable achievements of Rankin's books has been to create a central figure who is in many ways markedly unpleasant: a pisshead, a bigot, a man who, as someone says in this book, 'doesn't like anyone' - and make him, if not exactly likable, then deserving of sympathy, and even empathy. As Ken Stott portrayed so well for the television series. www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/sep/08/crime.fiction [03MAY2013]
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UNIT ONE | SCANDINAVIAN CRIME DRAMA (DVD) ![]() Produced by Danmarks Radio (DR), the program aired 32 episodes spanning four seasons from 2000 to 2004. Each episode revolves around an elite mobile police task force called 'Unit One' which travels around Denmark assisting local police solve crimes. Cases portrayed in the show were loosely based upon actual incidents of sensational crimes such as murders, kidnappings, cross-border sex traffic and child pornography. Rejseholdet won the 2002 International Emmy Award for best drama series. [Wikipedia] The 'Unit One' team are portrayed by actors Charlotte Fich, Mads Mikkelsen, Lars Brygmann, Trine Pallesen, Waage Sandø, Lars Bom and Erik Wedersøe. The 2 dvd boxes each contained 2 dvd's, containing in total 10 hours in 10 episodes. While each episode focusses on solving a crime, the privat lives and/or circumstances play an important role in the story; their every day life sees both tragedy as well as common occurrences such as car trouble. That particular framework of every day life brings it closer to reality. Really enjoyed these series! And if there were 32 episodes I have to find those other 22! [27APR13]
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GABRIELE GALIMBERTI | PHOTOGRAPHY ![]() His latest project 'Toy Stories' drew my attention: photographing kids in 50 countries with their toys. Real nice work. Check out his other projects too. http://www.gabrielegalimberti.com/ [27APR2013]
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THE JOURNALS OF DAN ELDON | BOOKS ![]()
The book is unique in its layout and compilations, it shows many layers of moods, commitments, social studies, anxieties; in many ways a source of inspiration. Eldon's journals are worthy of art, the book is a worthy tribute to a young man with many talents but whose life was cut short in one of Africa's many tragedies. See also www.daneldon.org [14APR13]
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(THE OPIUM WAR by JULIA LOVELL (BOOKS - HISTORY) ![]() Lovell's book 'The Opium War' (1839-1842 + 1856-1860) shows (British) Government deceiving Parliament to make war is tried-and-true tradition... Wikipedia [09APR2013]
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ALL OVER THE MAP by MORGAN McFINN (BOOKS - TRAVEL) ![]() 'Morgan Mcfinn is a self-made bum with a useless degree in Philosophy from Georgetown University who has been based in Thailand for the past 16 years. During that time he has made various sojourns (a word he’s very fond of) throughout SE Asia, India, Greece and Morocco. Prior to settling on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Siam he worked many years at a small manufacturing company in Chicago while also studying at the famed improvisational comedy workshops of Second City.' I picked up this book in a shop selling secondhand books (Dasa Book Cafe) in Bangkok. Since I saw mention of Phnom Penh (and having visited PP a few weeks earlier), and being a fan of 'dry wit' myself, I decided to buy it. The writer does go on a bit and the trouble is: he writes it all down. A rambler rambling. McFinn and the book don't seem to have much purpose and I have to conclude it didn't provide many new insights, though the parts detailing Phnom Penh were of some interest to me. [09APR13]
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