Prague, Nuclear and the Prez

President Barack Obama gave a speech early Sunday morning in Prague. It is a city that 20 years ago revolted against its mother government. Through peaceful protest; the Velvet Revolution became a grand stand against communism and birthed a new and free nation.

So, seemingly appropriate it was the first stop of the President's official European tour and in light of the North Korean rocket launch; he proceeded to introduce an anti-nuclear world. (If you missed it, you can view it HERE) But is a world without nuclear weapons and usage possible?

Noble idea, right? He even used his ol' campaign slogan to support his hope, "yes we can." Obama mentioned that countries without the tools to build a nuclear program will not receive them, countries with them will be told to begin disarmament, and all will have ability to access nuclear energy. He said that there would be rules- and that there would be "consequences" for those that broke the rules. He talked about North Korea fatal mistake in launching a rocket amid warnings from the international community. Obama mentioned that the "Cold War mindset" needed to change. He talked about talks and sanctions. Yes, it's true that he said he's not naive to think such a thing could happen quickly, however. But he still thinks "we can."

I don't think it's as possible as we'd like it to be. Why? Because a country w/ nuclear capabilities takes pride in it's sovereignty. And can you really allow a country to have nuclear capability for all use but weapons? North Korea is a prime example of countries that will ignore any international rules laid out for nuclear usage. And Obama did not propose what those punishments would be for ignoring sanctions and resolutions.

Then again, it's not impossible. Of course the question I have for Mr. President is: when will the U.S. start using nuclear energy? France runs it's country on 76% nuclear energy and the research has been shown that it's plausible.

What's your take on all this?

Obama & Russia the Great

Obama has entered the White House and gone gray faster than we can say "cottage cheese." He stayed silent on Israel before he entered Capitol Hill in December, faced a severely cracked world economy, emphasized putting troops back into Afghanistan and faced his own whiff of opposition in London this past week at the G20 Summit. CNN International's Ralitsa Vassileva wrote an interesting blog on Obama trying to close the Atlantic gap b/t the U.S. and European countries.

The news anchor notes that Obama's foreign support in Afghanistan is growing weaker. She also stated that the U.S. relationship with Russia is tense. And in order to continue moving forward with Afghanistan, since getting through Pakistani border is dangerous, -will basically take an act of truce with Moscow. Yet Russia seems to have it's own power struggle as Medvedev is trying to rise as the true leader of the country as Putin still sits with a grip on the government's practices and policies. Of course, there is also the state of the Czech Republic and the Ukraine. Their grievances cannot go ignored.

Vassileva said, "President Obama's foreign policy is helping restore America's image around the world, but the U.S. will still have to rely more on self-help than it's allies..." If the latter is the case then, is the former still true? And what of the protests in London and across Europe last week? Ultimately, what do you think?

Documenting the World, The Missing

It's been a couple of weeks, I know, so here are the three missing. These are three from my most recent photoshoot. To see more and find out more about the Salon Modello crew, click HERE.

My Weekend Headliners...

--Tucker Carlson of MSNBC wrote a brilliant article on why Jon Stewart isn't funny anymore. Check it out.

--Rockville, CA is the webisode show by Josh Shwartz (The OC, Gossip Girl). The plot moves quick, but the bands make for good music and the characters are identifyable.

--Kings is an intriguing show broadcasted on NBC. It is a loose interprutation on the life of David in a modern setting. I'm interested in following it, more out of curiousity than anything. You can watch it on Hulu.com.

--I have begun posting pictures of Salon Modello. I did their photo shoot a few weeks ago and the photos are turning out beautiful. You can see them on my Flickr page..

--And Battlestar Galactica (yes, you heard me right) ended it's final show with a bang. Loose ends for the plot and the characters were tied up fairly well. There were a lot of great mini monologues at the end discussing the very aspect of human nature and even spirituality.

A Picture of My Brain...Lately

Documenting the World, Wk 17, Beauty Beyond

Pluggin In

It's that time again! The month of March is a fabulous month, spring breaks through, St. Patty's day is around the corner, and day time lasts a little longer. So, to start of this Springy month, let's get you going on a some great links around the web.

**Blogs
--Brett McCracken introduced a well worthwhile discussion on what it means to be "Christian Hipster." It's a rather intriguing idea on our generation and how we see the world and faith. There may be some things in the list you find you don't identify with and others you do. Nevertheless, it's a great blog...and a good comment discussion following.

--A dear friend of mine, Sola Thompson (Re-Defining Pink), discussed why she and her husband don't play the "pastor" card right away when having a conversation with someone they meet. Great concept.

--Her husband wrote a blog similar discussing the result of this practice. He called it: Experimenting in Translation. He and group of people went to a flea market recently and played music, non-religious music and their experience was astounding.

--Do you think you found Atlantis on Google Maps? I doubt it and so do they, Google Blog discusses this little rumor.

**'Bout the Web
--The WebUrbanist posted an array of the coolest Skate Parks around the world. The visuals are amazing.

--Brian Welch, you may remember from the band, KORN, talks about how he gained his faith and his life before and after on "I Am Second." It's a very cool story. I had not heard him tell it this way before.

--Recently; a dear blog buddy, Leah Tan, introduced me to a music site called the Black Cab Sessions. This is a spectacular array of artists who perform their songs in the back of black cab. Most of the sessions are run by Hidden Fruit Productions, Just So films or others. The artists usually roam the indie scene and of course all the music is "unplugged" for your listening pleasure. I definitely recommend this site!

**Recommended Reads
--Currently I am working my way through "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway. The short stories are beautifully written about...life, as it is. The people in the stories have sad tales and the conversations of the characters is invigorating. But who am I kidding? I love Hemingway.

--Next up; I will be reading two books side by side, as a study more than anything. I will be working through Boom by Tom Brokaw and Guerrilla Warfare by Ernesto "Che" Guevara. So, I am quite sure I will be sharing some of thoughts on the matter. Many of you know, historically, I am fascinated with the 1960s and their cultural influence on the world, so I expect these reads to be interesting.

**News
--You may know that Conan O'Brian will be taking over for Jay Leno on June 1st of this year. He was recently featured on "Inside the Actor's Studio," and it's pretty fascinating to listen to him talk about how he got to where he is today. It's inspiring rather and if you have some time, take a listen.

--How much do you know about the Khmer Rouge? They were a terrifying guerilla party that overthrew the Cambodian government in the 1970s. After their "fall" in 1979, there were still a number of uprisings all the way through the 1990s. As a result, the country today, is in complete disarray. However, one of the most feared Comrades of the 70s is now facing his Tribunal for Crimes Against Humainty. It's been thirty years and Comrade Duch claims now, to be a born-again Christian. Nevertheless, he is being tried for his crimes and has offered apologies. It's been an educational story to follow, if you're interested.

**Finally
--I will leave you will a little music...


Missy Higgins - Steer from Andrei Z on Vimeo.

Documenting the World, Wk 16, Ray of Sun

This week for Documenting the World, I am posting a sneak peak. I am currently working on pictures from a recent photoshoot featuring Salon Modello. This Sunflower sits in the salon and is one photo of many I will be working on over the next few weeks. It's a bright spot in the rough but artistic hair studio I go to regularly. So, friends, stay tuned...

The Thorn

One month from today begins the telling of an "epic" tale. I think that this is the greatest stage performance I have ever encountered. I recommend you check it out. Tickets are on sale at one of three locations- you can get more information at http://thethorn.net/.

The Neon Sign

I remember staring at the neon sign a mile away. I sat on the porch with a great view of that particular corner in the city. There it was, in all it's glory, but I would not be working there that night and I didn't know when I would return. I was itching for a full-time slot and wondered if I would ever get back. Oh, I suppose, since I was considered a "temp" or a "freelancer" I couldn't have considered myself full time before, but I did work 40 hours a week, trained 30 more and had made more money than most of my previous jobs.

Unfortunately, my hours for the year had run out and I had failed to make a full time connection, not that it was easy in the first place.

Sitting on the dirty, but comfortable futon on the porch and dangling my phone from my finger tips, I wondered if I would make it in again. I was frustrated and hated the idea of going right back into waitressing. Yet it was the only job easy enough for me to jump back into for fast cash . I needed the money because, now, among other challenges, my bed was at the mercy of hosts.

I knew that I was qualified for the jobs I applied for. I knew that it would take a lot of hard work, more so this time, that I was outside the building and didn't have access. It was going to require phone calls and emails that, sometimes, were never returned. I don't know what motivated me, but I would do it anyway, I needed to. Of course, in the meantime I needed to get money in my pocket, pay bills, eat and over stay my welcome on a futon in the open living room. Certainly I was grateful for a place to sleep, but it didn't take away my hopes for something better.

Staring at the neon sign frustrated me and gave me some motivation too. I suppose it was a kind of battle.

I would have many nights on that porch, trying to get a little peace and quite from the constant activity in the house, trying to figure out what was next. And over the next few months, I would struggle to get the money I needed working at a restaurant, a lounge, a retail job and finally a sports bar. Nevertheless; I found a way to stand on my feet, exercise the lessons I'd learned about moving forward and staying persistent.