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.

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).