Fair Trade Coffee

My Mug
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I recently wrote an article on Fair Trade coffe for my hometown paper, The Nasha Telegraph. If you have time, click this link to check out. Hope everyone's well.

Onward and Upward

So, my year as a Jesuit Volunteer has come to a close. My housemates and I said goodbye to Camden on the 6th and embarked on a little adventure down the Appalachian Trail to fundraise for JVC East. The hike was both a fundraising success and a great way to spend time with the other communities that we didn't get to see as often. And, despite the rain, we had a blast. There is a link below to photos from both the hike and our time at Blue Ridge.

As some of you may know, I'll be starting work on Monday as the Assistant Director of Service Learning at Fordham University. Grad school was put on hold for the time being as I reevaluate exactly what I'd like to study. I'm super excited about the job though and equally as excited about moving to NYC. I'll be living in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn with three others FJV's; Will, Matt and Ryan. Our house, though it may not be clean, is always open to visitors so come on by.

Lastly, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support throughout the year; it was tough at times (getting my car stolen, having my office in Atlantic City collapse, being perpetually broke) and your support was always greatly appreciated. Peace out amigos.

See this link for a small slideshow of photos from the hike.

This is a link to the rest of my photos in slideshow format. Hope you enjoy.

The Hidden Homeless of Camden

Some of Camden's forgotten . . .







Here's a link to a slideshow of my more recent photos.

Cramer Hill Market

Cramer Hill Market
Originally uploaded by giftos.

My buddy Larry and I had the opportunity to spend the last couple of weeks taking pictures of various Camden neighborhoods, cemetaries, businesses etc. This one was taken at a La Poblanita on the corner of 26th and River Rd. The owner was incredibly kind and not only allowed us to take tons of photos, he gave us a little tour as well. If you are on River Rd, please stop by and give the guy some business. Larry, an extremely talented photographer, has posted some of his photos on his own website. Check it out if you get a chance.

A little litany of things I love

Maria - Tijuana, Mexico
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Rocking chairs and porches, storms near the ocean, feeling the steam of hot coffee brush your face on a cold day, the smell of matches, making fires, New England fishing towns, playing guitar on the beach, hooded sweatshirts, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, getting kissed on the forehead, getting a sunburn while skiing, showering outside, the smell of a pipe, t-shirts made just the right length, alliteration, falling asleep with someone, smiling when you should be mad, driving with one foot out the window, winter caps, little kids deep in sleep, the feeling of chalk on my hands, mechanical pencils, hot apple cider, a firm handshake, cooking for friends, port, dusk, people playing with my hair, finishing my laundry, cigarettes in the dark, standing ovations, dancing, grandparents, grandparents that dance, humility and surprise, not criticizing what you don’t understand, ice cream headaches, getting coffee for no good reason, film, photography, being fascinated, wondering about love, never giving in to hate, duct tape and mustard, growing old together, men with white hair, two handed hand shakes . . .

Teaching position available

Kevin - Trashbag Headband
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Bilingual Education for Central America, the program through which I taught in Honduras last year, is still looking to fill its 1st grade teaching position. If you might be interested feel free to check out their website for details, email me with questions (giftos@riseup.net), or directly contact the director Jaime Tackett (jtackett@becaschools.org).

Ventnor Beach - July 2005

Ventnor Beach
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I thought this photo turned out nicely. It was taken a few weeks back at Ventnor Beach, just south of Atlantic City. The boat, which was about to be used in a life-guard challenge, nicely framed and gave some context to the photo. It was neat (and unplanned) to see the wheels reflecting in the ocean water.

Subway Photography

Pat in Camden Subway
Originally uploaded by giftos.

This photo of the infamous Patrick Mcgroarty was taken at the 9th @ Locust stop in Philadelphia. Given the recent tragedy that took place in London, subway photos like this might sadly become hard, if not impossible, to take.

That said, if you're concerned about your rights as a photographer (there are quite a few surprisingly) check out this link.

Costco, the anti-Walmart?

Harlem Protest - March 2005
Originally uploaded by giftos.

This is a terrific article describing Costco's business practices. A few salient figures:

Costco on average pays it's employees $17 an hour, 42% higher than it's competitor, Sam's Club. Costco's employees pay only 8% of their health care benefits while the retail average is 25%. Lastly, the CEO of Costco, Jim Senegal, receives an annual salary of $350,000 which is less than 10% of what most CEO's make despite Costco ranking 29th in revenue amongst American companies.

To quote the article,

"I've been very well rewarded," said Mr. Sinegal, who is worth more than $150 million thanks to his Costco stock holdings. "I just think that if you're going to try to run an organization that's very cost-conscious, then you can't have those disparities. Having an individual who is making 100 or 200 or 300 times more than the average person working on the floor is wrong."

"One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco 'it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder.' . . .

. . . it seems perfectly fair to me.

Marxism

NYC Protest - Anciano - Hi Res
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I've received some comments of late concerning the Marx quote that once adorned the top of the page. Although I appreciate the frustrations of those who were offended by my quoting Marx, I still can't help but believe that the whole world would be a little better off if everyone read a little more socialist literature. The failures and ills of Soviet Communism have cast a dark shadow on the socialist movement and sadly, anything that contains even a whiff of Marxism is considered evil by the majority of society. This is tragic. So much can be learned from a careful study of Marxism and to eschew the socialist movement flat out on the basis of a failed communist empire results in a great loss to humanity, particularly to the poor and the marginalized. Socialism and Social Democracy deserve our time academically. That said, the quote isn't even "Marxist" . . .

Valeria

Valeria
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I've had a few comments on this photo of late so I thought I might post it. I need to be honest here though: I love the photo, the framing, content, etc. but I'm just very frustrated that I let the flash go off. Notice the brightness of the cake in contrast with the low light on Valeria's face. A good one that got away you might say.

Collingswood-filtered

Collingswood-filtered
Originally uploaded by giftos.

This is a night photo that I took outside the Treehouse Cafe in Collingswood, NJ. A good friend of mine used photoshop to increase saturation and reduce the noise, both of which greatly improved the photo. Thanks again Larry.

Teaching positions available in Cofradia, Honduras '05-'06

Computers in Cofradia
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Bilingual Education for Central America, the program through which I taught in Honduras last year, is still looking to fill its 1st and 5th grade teaching positions. If you might be interested feel free to check out their website for details, email me with questions (giftos@riseup.net), or directly contact the director Jaime Tackett (jtackett@becaschools.org).

Camden Street Corner - Marine Ad

Camden Street Corner - Marine Ad
Originally uploaded by giftos.

This is a photo that I posted a few weeks back showing some of the advertising that I've seen in North Camden. I had commented on how this advertising is somewhat reflective of some of the issues facing Camden right now. Though I hadn't really intended this page to be much more than a forum through which I could post photos etc. some interesting dialogue has developed that some of you may be interested in. Soula and Jimmy started it off, thanks for your interest guys. Thanks too to Justin for your great comments, I appreciate your time and thoughts.

"This advertising is reflective of the challenges currently facing the city of Camden. Disillusioned and disenfranchised youth are often left with two options for survival: the military or life on Camden's drug ridden streets. The Marine Corps heavily recruits in North Camden and signs such as these can be found on numerous street corners."

Me in the Mirror

Me in the Mirror
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Here are some of my recently uploaded photos, more eclectic now than ever, presented in slide show format.

Public Housing Looms in Camden Night

Public Housing Looms in Camden Night
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Affordable housing in Camden is in both rough shape and short supply and, unfortunately, the fight to increase the supply and quality of such housing has been met with little success over recent years. Hope does exist though for the residents of Southern Jersey. The Fair Share Housing Center, directed by Peter O'Connor, Esq. and Former Jesuit Volunteer Kevin Walsh, Esq., is attempting to take this fight to the suburbs, using specific New Jersey legislation known as the Mt. Laurel Doctrine to force suburbs to follow the practice of inclusionary zoning when determining their development strategy.
This legislation essentially allows pioneers like Mr. O'Connor and crew to sue Jersey Townships and demand that affordable housing be included in all future development plans. Although they've been faced with many challenges and setbacks in this uphill battle, the Fair Share Housing Center has earned many crucial victories and has served as a point of pride for affordable housing advocates all across the country.

Salgado and Finkle

If you get a chance, check out two of my favorite concerned photographers, Sebastiao Salgado and Harvey Finkle. They have each produced a substantial body of work concerning a variety of social issues and their photos are absolutely breathtaking. In the near future, I hope to set up a meeting with Harvey Finkle to discuss his work with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a poor people's economic movement based out North Philly. We'll hopefully be able to visit his studio as well. If I'm able to actually set up this meeting and you're interested and in the Philadelphia area, just let me know.

Photos on Flickr

Feel free to check out some of my other photos at my Flickr Site. It's an eclectic mix for sure.

Recycling?

I'm not sure if any of you have read this article written by NY Times Columnist John Tierney. The article, published in 1996, argues that the notion that recycling is a valuable endeavor happens to be one of the largest myths ever perpetuated by society and the media. Being a strong advocate of recyling, I approached this article critically. The article is certainly misleading at times and it makes comparisons that seem to offer little value to the discussion other than shock value. However, I found many of the facts presented in this article to be very disheartening and seemingly counter to much of what I'd heard before. Whether you agree with Tierney or not, this article raises many interesting concerns. Check it out if you get a chance.

The Camden 28

A documentary is being made on the "Camden 28", a group arrested in 1971 for a heroic act of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War. They were subsequently freed following jury nullification. A beautiful example of speaking truth to power. Check it out if you get a chance.

Swords to Plowshares

Swords to Plowshares
Originally uploaded by giftos.

Beautiful biblical quote near the UN building in NYC. Taken on the way to the Pax Christi Stations of the Cross, March 25, 2005.

Camden Mural

Camden Mural
Originally uploaded by giftos.

A beautiful mural located on Haddon Ave between Cooper and Market Street in Camden, NJ.

What's to come . . .

As some of you may know, I've become increasingly interested in photography of late, specifically the field known as 'concerned photography'. 'Concerned photography', which some of you may be familiar with, is a style of socially conscious photography that aims to capture images that ilicit a response from their viewer, a response which in turn compels them to some sort of positive social action. Two of my favorite 'concerned photographers' are Sebastiao Salgado, a Brazilian economist turned photojournalist, and Harvey Finkle, a Philadelphia native whose work can be found at harveyfinkle.com. I've taken quite a few photos of late and I created this blog because I wanted a forum through which I could share these photos with both my friends and family, many of whom I seldom have the opportunity to see. Given the nature of concerned photograpy, these photos will hopefully stir some dialogue concerning the relevant issues at hand. We'll see how this all turns out . . .