I had a conversation yesterday with my partner in the little house we bought in the Midwest where we discussed concepts of home, and how though this little house was my home, my other was in San Francisco. We’ve had this discussion before, but there was a lot more weight behind it this time. We’ve lived cross country from each other in the past, and … Continue reading You Can’t Heal – 2
A few months ago I began shooting a photography series called “You Can’t Heal,” a title that includes direct reference to substance use and addiction. The full line is “You can’t heal in the environment where you got sick,” and that environment could be many things, a social group, work, family, a relationship, a city. It can also refer to any sort of addiction or … Continue reading You Can’t Heal – 1
Busy days these past couple of months…too busy to spend any time up here really, which can happen when you’re setting up a job and a new apartment cross the country while closing out another job you’ve been working for three years – and at the same time, just for the fuck of it, planning a trip to Germany and Denmark immediately after the move. … Continue reading Meanwhile, in Berlin…
Yesterday, Judge Carl Barbier ruled British Petroleum was guilty of gross negligence in the lead-up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, stating BP made “profit-driven decisions” during the drilling of the well and “these instances of negligence, taken together, evince an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risk.” Barbier went on to say that due to the “egregious” nature … Continue reading A reaction to the reckless…
I wasn’t living in New Orleans when the levees failed, I was one year in on my first time in San Francisco, watching it all unfold on television just like most people not in New Orleans…the anger is still clear, as is the disbelief. Respect and remembering those who lost and those who struggled…still struggle. And a recognition of those who still have been unable … Continue reading Nine…
It was over four years ago that British Petroleum unleashed their disaster in the Gulf Coast and for four years we’ve all been hearing about how BP will not rest until they “make it right” for the Gulf and all affected by the spilled oil from the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed eleven people and have harmed tens of thousands more. We hear it. We … Continue reading Suspend British Petroleum’s Gulf Leases, again…
Like many of you, I have been reading about the coming forced evacuations of the 120 plus homeless people who currently reside nightly underneath the Pontchartrain Expressway in downtown New Orleans. City officials began handing out 72 hour notices on Monday evening, citing health violations, safety concerns and drug use as parts of the problem which are necessitating this move. Outreach workers will be on … Continue reading The shelters may not be the answer for all under the Pontchartrain Expressway…
I was going to write this morning about Bobby Jindal. That was the plan, take the day off of work and just kind of fuck around with a silly idea I had that I found amusing, but as I read the news with my coffee I didn’t really feel like it anymore: Drive-by shooting in Lower 9th Ward leaves 2 dead, 5 wounded, including 2 … Continue reading Tired of the shooting…
Directly across the Illinois border from Chicago stands British Petroleum’s Whiting Oil Refinery in Whiting, Indiana and this huge facility creates petcoke, which in turn creates a bunch of problems in Chicago, problems that only get magnified by the involvement of the Koch Brothers and the lack of involvement by Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel… Yeah – BP, Rahm and the Kochs. What a clusterfuck of … Continue reading Thanks to BP, Rahm and the Kochs, Chicago Developing a Serious Petcoke Problem…
The steel slats from the bench dig into my legs, and we’re all damp in the air. A thicker layer of water combusts with a breezy diesel, filtering through the odor of overheated trash from the garbage can to my right…and I’m thinking about a few friends who died down here, and the sun’s going low behind down here and I lean back, facing the … Continue reading A Few Rats…and Benjamin Booker…
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 