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What Has Worked;

"1984" All Over The World

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Today is our last school day for this year of 07-08 and I'm looking forward to seeing all the students off for the summer and then going to a teacher unwinding party at the High School. One thing that seems to have been done lately is to put cameras into the High School as a way of cutting down the trouble they have in curbing the problem of violence and just "bad behavior".. It's been in place for a couple of years I it's done that, but in thinking about it, would you want yourself to be on camera at all points when you were out in public spaces? Would you feel ok about it? What if those cameras were being manned by a group of people who wanted to keep citizens from gathering in groups of three or more and exchanging ideas? I know, it's not that way right now, but what if society changed so that it was, their cameras and computers which watched those cameras for suspecious signs could be in place by the time they took power, then what would you d...
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The Town of Shenandoah Virginia

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We rode up the Shenandoah valley hugging the eastern side northward from Afton and Waynesboro, when we came upon an old railroad stopover town that was pretty much deserted. The town is just south of Luray and it's called "Shenandoah". The town was a layover town on the railroad line that went up and down the valley and the engineers and many workers of the trains would stop in here for there nighttime rest spot. Since the trains no longer spend time on an overnight layover here the small town has died out. It's deserted and lay barren but some trains do hang out on the tracks which still run between it's "First St." and the river nearby. It's got a nice feel to it, it's got a wide not so long lay of the land, and it's gott'n a grant that improved the streets and facades of it's remaining buildings. It just doesn't have any people save a few holdouts. We ran into one man who had simply bought ...
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Summer's End Is In Sight

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Summer has but a few days left for me before it's back to work at Post High. I have seven new paintings to photograph and then I need to post those painting"s photos on both my website and blogs etc... One thing for sure, this summer I must have done something right because it's been a very productive and enjoyable summer for me. I got more paintings finished (worked on smaller sizes...well there you go) than I did last summer and met some people I really do value (old classmates up in Philadelphia on a trip up their) plus I saw a whole lot of artwork in both DC and Philly with my friend Dave Barrett. It's been a much more satisfying summer. The art I've done is much better, it's just painted better than previous work. And I've been able to link up with a group in Philly so that I will have six small paintings shown up their in Sept 8th thru Oct 8th at Benna's Cafe at 8th and Wharton Street in Center City with a group of Academy Alumni. ...
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I could offer a little hope today

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It's been a struggle to beat this illness today (it's the flu) but today I got over it. All the ugly stuff that comes with being sick seems to have lifted this evening and I'm ready to get at it once again. I don't like missing out on life so I stuck with doing my job even though I was sick for the last three days, I don't usually do this but the weather was so good for biking, etc. Tonight I'm back into my old self, feeling ok once again. I don't recommend this action for most illnesses but I was so fed up with being sick in the springtime, that I had to keep going. I enjoyed being with people these past few days, and I was careful not to touch people or too many things at work. I think I hope I didn't pass it on. Today I am hearing from a student who really wants to go to college and who wants to help people in the consumer case management program that the local community college offers to some who are recommended. I didn't say, "w...
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Photgraphs: my Dad's influence on me

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There is a historical side to me. I like revisiting the past of my family as I'm sure most people do other wise Kodak wouldn't have been so popular in the past selling memories to family upon family. Now with digital photography the past can be seen closer to the present than ever before. But I digress, the past of my childhood has recently come to my attention with regards to some photographs I rescued from my mother throwing them away. They are photos that my Dad took and with the help of a friend I was able to digitalised them and print them on a few CD's for safe keeping. I am currently working on paintings that deal with using those same photos as reference points for artwork of my own. My Dad as it was noted was really good a composing a photograph from life events. I'd like to think some of that trait got passed down to me. In art school a professor and artist said he liked my composition a lot in an early painting of my cartoon style at the Academy...
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