The Strangeness of the Times

(Far be it from me to criticize grammar, syntax or anything relating to proficiency in the use of the English language. I am aware of my own weaknesses in this area. My complaints below are more conceptual than grammatical)

As a recent subscriber to the NY Times, I continue to be amused and disturbed by the nature of the headlines and reports this paper generates. This evening on the NY Times website a prominent headline reads "Iraq Seems Calmer After Cleric Halts Fighting."

Although in recent years opinion polls and perception have come to dominate news headlines, one still yearns for some level of certitude from a publication with the prestige of the Times. Does Iraq "seem" calm or is it in fact calm. Has violence really subsided or has the killing just gone in doors or maybe the Times reporters happened to be in the wrong place at just the right time.

The problem with the use of the verb "seems" in relation to a word like "calm" is that there is a kind of logical contradiction here. Calmness is a matter of relativity and subjectivity - and therefore it must be impossible for something to seem calm without being so. One might get the impression from this article that there has been a lull in hostilities; that tomorrow morning fighting might again escalate. However, calmness would still be an apt description for this moment in time. Why is it necessary to say that the situation "seems" calm?

Consider the following headline - "New Thai Eatery Seems to Serve Mouth-watering Spring Rolls." Does this make logical sense? How about next weeks possible headline? - “Iraqi Streets Seem More Violent After Government Crack Down?”

This has more to do with the political and ideological orientation of the Times than the situation in Iraq. There are many ways that this positive news could have been reported. However, the Times, as usual chose to promote a sense of failure and uncertainty with the very first line of this article.

Post-wedding shoot with the Pakman

Once again I was out shooting with Pak. This time we were finishing up a wedding that we shot together a few months ago. The resuls weren't too thrilling, but we learned a lot.

Here are few of the shots.

Unfortunately, blogspot crushes the resolution and gives the images a blocky pixelized look :(.

Out shooting with the Pakster

Its been fun spending more time with my buddy Pak So from High School days. Here are two shots from a few months ago. I never got around to posting them. We had the chance to make some really nice images from a very cool vantage point.

But is it Real?

On the lawn at camp

I finally made it back to camp. It was a wonderful day and a half!

Buhahahahaha - Now I get it...

This guy is hysterical, in more ways than one!

From the pro photog at Tim's wedding

Here I am pretending to be a musician. Looks believable no? The sound is another matter.

V. Mullova

My favorite violinist plays some J.S. Bach. I have never heard a recording by Ms. Mullova that didn't impress.

Tim and Kia's Wedding

It was a joyous day, a unique wedding experience, and I was happy to be a part of it in some small way.

My favorite family photo

Peter at Kaaterskill Fallsf

To My Many Fans

I have not been posting to this blog for some time becuase blogspot has been giving me a hard time when in comes to posting photos. I have instead been using www.pbase.com - a photo gallery service that, although somewhat problematic, is much more user-friendly. My galleries can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/wupeide/galleries
Thats all for now.

Peter

Into the trenches with the Pakman

Pak Ki So - aka PaxaP
We shot a wedding together the other night. Good times and room for improvement, at least on my part.

more samples

Here I have bumped up the saturation to make the problem obvious.

D80 For Events Photos?

Here is a sample of what my new D80 can do.
The levels look a bit low on my office monitor, but you get the idea. D80, ISO 800, 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR @ 1/80 & f/2.8

Some Snapshots from Andy's wedding

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