Monday, October 24, 2011

Hale & Hallow . . .

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This afternoon I finally got around to watching Michael Moore's movie titled "Capitalism: A Love Story". A little late getting to see that, but it is just as timely now as when it came out a couple of years ago. Perhaps more so. His references in that film to the 99% and the 1% have been in the press rather a lot these last few weeks. Are the protests in NYC and elsewhere a sign that people have finally really started to have had enough of certain bankers' and corporations' massive greed ? Despite the government bailout of the banks after the disasters of 2008, the church of greed went right back to their poisonous pilfering and pillaging practices. The bankers trading in virtual (and virtually incomprehensible) derivative products are the worst of the lot. Shame to each and every one of them. When I look at how much interest I have paid on my mortgage over the past ten years, and look at how little money I have in the bank today to fend for the uncertain future with, it makes me see red. We've been getting robbed. Enough is enough. May they all choke on their caviar crackers.
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Speaking of New York City, my oldest daughter was there on vacation last summer, and when she spotted this skeletal window display, she thought of me, and took the below photo. She knows how much I love the music and artwork associated with that legendary band, the Grateful Dead, and sent this off by e-mail to me as fast as the internet could carry it. Given that we are getting close to Halloween (hallowen ?) now, this seemed like a good time to share this with all of you good people out there. (And many thanks to you, sweetheart, for thinking of your papa when taking this photo !)
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And even more recently, my youngest daughter was walking in Paris with la Grenouille when they saw this amazing piece of street art on a sidewalk. My youngest had the same reflex as her big sister, and took a photo for papa. Am I not the luckiest father in the world then ??? And what a visionary the artist was who saw a ribcage of a skeleton when seeing that grill there in the ground ! And then to do it in pink ! (Thanks honey !)
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And with these next three images I just wanted to give you a little Fall color from France, and hopefully slip in just in time before James' Weekend Reflections shuts up shop here tonight. There is still a little beauty left around us. All around us. When I mentionned above something about seeing red, this is the kind of red I'd rather be seeing.
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41 comments:

JeannetteLS said...

That bottom photo looks like a painting of a dream... What a lucky father you are.

Ah, the Dead. It was fun when my son was about 17, to walk into his room when I heard some familiar strains and he said to me, "Did you hear of the Grateful Dead?"

I looked at him and said, "When you asked me that about the Beatles, you were so shocked. Think a moment son. Hippie. The Doors. PHish. Wha--"

"I keep forgetting you were a kid once."

It's such a shame... he would have made such a lovely adult had I not fatally beaten him down pillow.

Sorry. I digressed. I am so enjoying your blog.

Owen said...

Hi Jeannette, you are certainly the early bird here today, and I enjoyed your comment, and the slightly murderous tone is well in keeping with the halloween season. I trust he resurrected himself after his run in with a bludgeoning pillow bearer. Yes, they do tend to forget that we were also younger once, and went through much of what they are going through... be well...

James said...

Beautiful reflections! Your daughters did great jobs of capturing some very cool stuff. I'm not a Michael Moore fan but I am a fan of The Stooges and the name of the store was probably taken from an early 1970's Stooges song.

Checkout this video from 1972.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vnwSVTOnqQ&feature=related

desi said...

Dear Owen,

a Very Long time no speak.
Your blog is still as good as ever!! :) I like the new header photo(don't know how new it is, but it shows how long since i've been an active blogger)
Like always I'm too excited to see you photographs, i first look at all the pics and THEN go read afterwards!! I wish we had a such beautiful autumn season as you!! It's summer here now, very VERY hot!!

I'm also slowly but surely starting to blog again, so feel free to go have a look at my newest pics. :)

Greeting from South Africa
Desi
x

Anonymous said...

Nice

Steve said...

In my opinion the bankers are the new Catholic church.

And all those attendant woes are still as apt.

Deborah said...

Just the other day I was thinking of your reflecting images, Owen, wondering what you would have done with the sailboat reflections I was trying to capture in a less ordinary way.
These rich reds and golds of autumn are beauuuutiful. Sumptuous. And yes, how gratifying it must be that your daughters have your eye for the unusual and the same reflex (!) to share it.

PeterParis said...

Shall we join the "indignés"? They seem to have problems to get organised in Paris. But yes, I'm as "indigné" as you!

In the meantime, at least it's nice to be a happy and proud dad!

mythopolis said...

Well, its about time people began to wake up instead of being led passively around like blind sheep for the past several decades!

I love the shots of blushing fall, even though I know I soon will be looking at a dormant naked woods.

The skeleton on the sewer grate looks stencil-cut...wonder if the artist painted others here and there?

French Girl in Seattle said...

Bonjour Owen. Loved this Halloween-themed post. My favorite pic is the pink skeleton. How creative of the artist indeed, and how good of your daughter for spotting it in the street! Loved your automnal reflections too! A bientôt, Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Karine A said...

Bonjour Owen!
Magnifiques ces reflets aux couleurs d'automne !
Pour l'expo, je t'envoie une invitation par mail bientôt.

Reena said...

Great shots by your daughters! And enjoying those fall colors.

Lynne with an e said...

Indeed you are a lucky papa to have daughters attuned to your quirky tastes and who are ready, willing, and able to please you in small but meaningful ways. Their finds and photos are so much fun!

Those autumn scenes...are you sure you're not secretly in Canada these days?

Stickup Artist said...

How wonderful that you've passed onto your daughters the ability to look at wonder and humor at the world around them. I know that capacity will enhance their lives no matter where they go or what they do. And that last reflection image is a knockout! I could seriously live with that, huge, on one of my walls and never get tired looking at it. As far as the nutty world goes, I'm glad that people are finally taking a stand. A healthy middle class is not the norm in human history, so we must make plenty of noise, or else lose what ground that had been so painstakingly gained. Great post. Happy Halloween!!!!

Owen said...

Hey James, Many thanks for the link to the Stooges piece. When I first read your comment here I thought right away you were talking about the Three Stooges, but when I got to the video I realized... not quite the same stooges... :-) As for Michael Moore, it seems to me that he has his finger right on the pulse of a lot of what is wrong with the USA, and has been documenting these issues for the past couple of decades, but I know there are people who don't care for his style or his messages. He has been recognized at the Cannes Film Festival, which is quite an accomplishment for the pudgy guy from Flint, Michigan who first started filming his anger as his home town was devastated by General Motors throwing people out of work, and then they lost their homes in the aftermath of the factory closings... he went on from there.

Owen said...

Hi Desi !!!
It's been ages... am very happy to hear from you and was just over admiring a lot of your recent photos, left you a little note over there...

Hope all is good, apparently it is, and seems you are doing tons of photos... fantastic ! Am thrilled if you've enjoyed some the pix here at the Lantern... stay in touch, hope to hear more soon about what you're up to. Feel free to drop an e-mail to owenmart333 at gmail dot com.

Cheers !

Owen said...

Me... many thanks...

Owen said...

Steve, a fine analogy ... Yes, and where we are today, one hundred "Hail Mary's" won't save us now

Clytie said...

Hi Owen,
I'm so enjoying your daughters' contribution to the Magic Lantern Show - they must have a touch of toad in them! That's a good thing!

I heard on the news today that the massive Bank of America (AKA B.A., ahem!) is going to start charging a monthly fee to all customers just to use their ATM cards. The funny thing is, with the "occupy" protests in full swing against corporate America, this is not the best move on their part. I hear they are losing customers by the thousands. I am one of them.

As to your Reflections post ... that first shot gave me goosebumps, but the second and third ones gave my goosebumps goosebumps. These shots are stunning!

Owen said...

Deborah... sailboat reflections ? So you've been out on the water again... in the Mediterranean ? Greece ? A mountain lake in Canada ? Elsewhere ? Would love to see your reflections, sails and water... what better ? Yes, am very happy both girls seem to enjoy making phtos for others... which is more than half the pleasure of it.

Owen said...

Hey Peter... glad you got back all in one piece after your incredible trip... have been looking at each step of the way, and will be by soon to see Mongolia part 2... Work is keeping me plenty busy these days. I think sooner or later even in Paris the indignés will make themselves visible... after they finish their glass of wine...

Owen said...

Hi Dan, Sheep indeed... but even sheep may dream of running free, without being herded... like their ancestors did... must have some genetic memory of something different. As for the skeleton, a lot of the street art around Paris is stencil cut, I guess it lets them work faster, and get finished before the local constabulary patrol comes around... wouldn't want a work like this to be left half finished if they had to run off in the middle of a thigh bone...

Owen said...

Un grand Merci, Véronique, suis content si tu as pu passer un bon moment ici... just odds and ends here today, slices of life...

Owen said...

Merci bcp Karine, et j'attendrais avec plaisir les infos sur ton expo Parisienne...

Owen said...

Merci Missing Moments... I'm lucky to have those two young photographers around, and woods nearby to go walking in...

Noticed in your profile where it said "Philadelphia"... I'm from that area originally, before moving to France, was born in Philadelphia... Am enjoying your avian conversations...

Owen said...

Lynne, ssshhh, don't tell anyone, but I was secretly up in northern Quebec the other day, tracking down some sugar maples to take back a few barrels of barely refined maple syrup, and several hundred pounds of maple sugar candy, to help get us through the winter here...

I never cease to be amazed by what these two young ladies will come up with next for me. Emilie brought back numerous shots of abandoned houses from the US this summer, knowing I would love them... and Lucie has been doing some surprisingly creative series. I hope they will both take it far...

Owen said...

Ah Stickup, for sure, we don't want to lose ground, already the future isn't looking so bright any more... but some of the issues Michael Moore brings to light in "Capitalism" just defy comprehension. I'd never heard of "Dead Peasant" life insurance policies before :

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/02/24/dead-peasant-policies-the-next-big-thing-in-insurance-litigation/

And couldn't help but think of the line about peasants in John Lennon's song "Working Class Hero"...

As for my dear daughters, I'm very very lucky for sure...

Owen said...

Hi Clytie... congratulations on leaving BOA. Pretty funny that they are putting fees in place for ATM card use, because unless I'm mis-remembering, ATMs were put into place to allow banks to reduce their staff of tellers, and thereby realize big savings. Now they want to make another round of profits off the machines... more shame on there already dismal legacy. Glad you liked the reflections, walking in the woods calms the spirit after it's been riled up by the "news"...

Pat Tillett said...

I'll mostly speak to the photos. They are both interesting and beautiful. As to the politics, I'm not surprised that people are upset and starting to see that it really is us against them... Because it is...

clo said...

Hi Owen,..
Merci merci mille fois pour ta gentillesse...ta présence toujours ...:)
Merci aussi pour tes photos qui sont d'une beauté incroyable..tu sais que j'adore les reflets dans l'eau ,peintures surréalistes ou les yeux se perdent avec bonheur...
Malgré ce long silence ,je suis passée souvent et tes photos sont de plus en plus belles..
Mille douces pensées du sud ,ou il fait gris et pluvieux..:)

Anonymous said...

great !

Lynne with an e said...

Mais voyons donc, Owen! On a du sirop d'érable à Nouveau Brunswick! On peut même l'acheter au village icitte. And as an added benefit, Pierre will make you pancakes for breakfast to pour it on.

Kate Cullen Fisher said...

Oh my goodness, Owen - 1st The Dead, then Autumn Dreams...you three make a fabulous team!

nathalie said...

Trop mignon, tes deux filles qui chacune pensent à prendre des photos pour leur papa - elles sont géniales toutes les deux, quelles fabuleuses trouvailles !

Complètement d'accord sur ton coup de gueule du début. Dis papa, c'est quand qu'on va où ? Il est grand temps qu'on change tout ça. Mais j'ai du mal à croire que F.HOllande va être la bonne personne pour mener tout ça à bien. Quant à Sarko, on voit ce qu'il fait... Ca ne donne pas beaucoup d'espoir d'une solution politique. L'election américaine l'année prochaine va être sacrément intéressante.

Le Journal de Chrys said...

Des reflets comme une peinture. J'aime beaucoup.

Bonne semaine Owen

Maria O. Russell said...

That photo of the pink skeleton is priceless, M. Owen.

Have you heard of the Sugar Skull Tradition?

Please stop seeing red, Monsieur-it is not good for your eyes.

Have you forgotten that green is the color that restores eyesight?

I think you are a very lucky father...

Catherine said...

love that pavement skeleton!! very witty!! I shall really miss Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico this year - for 6 years I went to amazing different places to bear witness to it all... thos autmn colour shots are also gorgeous. Greetings from the Riviera...

The Sagittarian said...

Great photos! Those Autumnal colours are so beautiful, I always thought it would be cool to have hair with all those colours (yes even the greens) but I think Mother Nature has an idea that I'm more 'wintery' (going snow white??)

Roxana said...

i've been deadly busy this last week (last weeks) and i am sorry i couldn't be here on time, but i am (slowly) catching up - give your two princesses a kiss from me, they deserve every praise for their sweet gesture :-)

the last image is gorgeous, reminds me of the late Monet...

colourful hugs and plenty of bisous :-)

Plum' said...

Bravos pour ces reflets de feu ! Ta lanterne est vraiment magique - et ton "oeil" surtout :)
Bises

Lydia said...

Ah, that wondrous lake with the glorious color reflected there! So beautiful, Owen. But the last image is my favorite. I could stare at it long and long. And did.