Shamrocks and Shenanigans

As some of you may know, I just got back from a 10 day trip traveling around Ireland. We rented a car in Dublin and drove around the coast - on the left side of the road and the right side of the car! - stopping in Killarney, The Dingle Peninsula, Doolin, Galway and Derry in Northern Ireland, where we saw Van Morrison in concert. The trip was great and the sites spectacular - check out the following link to see a short slideshow of photos from the trip.

When One Bike Breaks

As we approach Easter, a time when we focus on peace, love and a renewal of spirit, I can't help but reflect on my experience in Thailand. I mentioned to the Fordham students with whom I worked many times how I thought this photo embodied so much of my Thai experience - a simple sharing of the little one has, and with a smile! One student's bike breaks on the ride to an afternoon picnic, a piece of rope is found, and the friend with his bike that works pulls the other upward and onward. Community like this is such a treasure. May we all be inspired by such sharing and humbly seek to live it in our daily lives! God bless and Happy Easter!

LA Protest Against Immigration Legislation

"Police said more than 500,000 people marched Saturday to protest a proposed federal crackdown on illegal immigration. Wearing white as a sign of peace, and waving flags from the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala and other countries, they came to show that illegal immigrants already are part of the American fabric, and want the chance to be legal, law-abiding citizens." Associated Press

Could you imagine such public support for their anti-immigration legislation. That certainly doesn't mean it won't get passed though. Please contact your representatives and let them know that you don't support HR 4437. What this country needs is just immigration reform, not legislation that will further marginalize our immigrant population!

The Camden 28 Film Screening - Fordham Lincoln Center

I wanted to let you all know about an event that we'll be having here at Fordham Lincoln Center this Monday March 27th at 7pm.

We are going to be screening a movie called the Camden 28, which recounts the 1971 raid of a Camden draft board by activists protesting the war in Vietnam. In the group were one Lutheran minister and four Catholic priests, including Rev. Ned Murphy, Fordham University Jesuit, founder of the P.O.T.S Soup Kitchen in the Bronx, and one of the area’s leading proponents of social justice. All but one of the remaining 23 were Catholic lay people. All were part of a nonviolent anti-war movement the government and the media referred to as the “Catholic Left,” which had claimed responsibility for over 30 draft board raids and the destruction of close to a million Selective Service documents and had become one of the most inventive forces of the anti-war movement. The group hoped to call attention to war’s damaging effect on urban America.

The documentary tells of covert preparations, government intrigue, the raid itself and the ensuing legal battle, which Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called “one of the great trials of the twentieth century.” A quarter-century later, key participants openly discuss their motives, their fears and the tremendous personal costs of their actions. It is a story of friendship and betrayal played out against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods in recent American history.

Anthony Giacchino, the film's producer and director is going to be in attendance as is Fr. Ned and we hope to have a question and answer session following the film. It should be a really neat evening and I'd love for all of you to be there.

The event will be taking place in the New Student Lounge. If you're interested, RSVP at x7464 or giftos@fordham.edu.

Much Peace,

Jon

Monks Enjoying Some Soup

Monks Enjoying Some Soup
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I've finally scanned in some of my black and whites from Thailand. To see them in slide show format, click here.

Land of Thai

Thai House Father
Originally uploaded by giftos.

I've posted a handful of my color photos from Thailand - feel free to check them out. I hope to have some of my black and white photos scanned in soon. This was the house father with whom I stayed while in Ban Nong Hoi, a small village in the Isan Province on the border with Laos.

Back from Hiatus - sort of

Hollis Shadow
Originally uploaded by giftos.

For whatever reason I went almost the entire fall in New York without taking any photos, and I must say that I really missed it. Thankfully, I had a great trip to Thailand over break (I chaperoned a Fordham Global Outreach trip) and I hope to post some photos from my time there very soon. In the meantime though, this photo was taken in Hollis, NH in December during an outing with my buddy Larry (see link). I really liked the composition, especially the shadow in the bottom left, and the partial reflection of the house and the tree in the pond.