Saturday, September 23, 2017
The Pulitzer and World Press Photos of the Year, continued: 1986
--------oOo--------
--------oOo--------
Between 1942 and 1967 a Pulitzer Prize for Photography was awarded for photojournalism, that is, for photographs telling a news story. In 1968 that award was replaced by awards in two new categories:
- the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography (photography in the nature of breaking news, as it has been called since 2000); and
- the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (human interest and matters associated with new items).
From 1955 World Press Photo has awarded prizes for the best photographs in 10 categories, with an overall award for the image that "... is not only the photojournalistic encapsulation of the year, but represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity".
--------oOo--------
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, 1986:
Carol Guzy and Michel duCille, Miami Herald, for their photographs of the devastation caused by the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia.
From Wikipedia:
The Armero tragedy was one of the major consequences of the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz stratovolcano in Tolima, Colombia, on November 13, 1985. After 69 years of dormancy, the volcano's eruption caught nearby towns unaware, even though the government had received warnings from multiple volcanological organizations to evacuate the area after the detection of volcanic activity two months earlier.
As pyroclastic flows erupted from the volcano's crater, they melted the mountain's glaciers, sending four enormous lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides, and debris flows) down its slopes at 50 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour). The lahars picked up speed in gullies and coursed into the six major rivers at the base of the volcano; they engulfed the town of Armero, killing more than 20,000 of its almost 29,000 inhabitants. Casualties in other towns, particularly Chinchiná, brought the overall death toll to 23,000. Footage and photographs of Omayra Sánchez, a young victim of the tragedy, were published around the world. Other photographs of the lahars and the impact of the disaster captured attention worldwide and led to controversy over the degree to which the Colombian government was responsible for the disaster. A banner at a mass funeral in Ibagué read, "The volcano didn't kill 22,000 people. The government killed them."
The relief efforts were hindered by the composition of the mud, which made it nearly impossible to move through without becoming stuck.
Carol Guzy and Michel duCille's photos documented the devastation caused by the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, giving them the Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Photography in 1986.
Two rescue helicopters pull survivors of the mudslide to safer ground.
A man carries another away from the wreckage left in the aftermath of the massive mudslide that struck Armero.
More than 20,000 people were killed in the mudslide after an eruption of the volcano Nevada del Ruiz, which covered the town of Armero Columbia. Although rescuers tried to aid survivors, the devastating tragedy claimed most of the town, which later became a cemetery of sacred ground.
--------oOo--------
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, 1986:
Tom Gralish, The Philadelphia Inquirer, "for his series of photographs of Philadelphia's homeless."
Photographer Tom Gralish won a Pulitzer Prize for feature photographer for his April 7, 1985, photo essay on Philadelphia street people. Gralish spent four winter weeks on the streets of Center City photographing homeless men, with such nicknames as Spoon, Redbeard and Hammerman, for a photo story that appeared in The Inquirer Magazine. His subjects were the people who live on the street by choice, refusing to go to city-provided shelters
--------oOo--------
World Press Photograph of the Year, 1986:
Frank Fournier for his photograph of Omayra Sánchez, a victim of the Armero volcanic disaster, who died after being trapped in a mud hole for 60 hours.
From Wikipedia:
Omayra Sánchez Garzón was a Colombian girl killed in Armero, department of Tolima, by the 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano when she was 13 years old. Volcanic debris mixed with ice to form massive lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides, and debris flows) that rushed into the river valleys below the mountain, killing nearly 23,000 people and destroying Armero and 13 other villages.
After a lahar demolished her home, Sánchez became pinned beneath the debris of her house, where she remained trapped in water for three days. Her plight was documented as she descended from calmness into agony. Her courage and dignity touched journalists and relief workers, who put great efforts into comforting her. After 60 hours of struggling, she died, likely as a result of either gangrene or hypothermia. Her death highlighted the failure of officials to respond correctly to the threat of the volcano, contrasted with the efforts of volunteer rescue workers to reach and treat trapped victims, despite inadequate supplies and equipment.
A photograph of Sánchez taken by the photojournalist Frank Fournier shortly before she died was published in news outlets around the world. It was later designated the World Press Photo of the Year for 1986. Sánchez has remained a lasting figure in popular culture, remembered through music, literature, and commemorative articles.
The photograph raised again the controversy over news photographers recording private and anguished moments.
From:
At the time the now famous photograph was taken, the world was already fixated on the tragedy. Omayra was one of the victims at the centre of the associated controversy over responsibility for the disaster. Almost immediately after its release, the image captured widespread attention. According to an unnamed BBC author, "many were appalled at witnessing so intimately what transpired to be the last few hours of Omayra's life".
The image also attracted controversy after it appeared in Paris Match. The public began to accuse Fournier of being "a vulture", to which he responded by stating, "I felt the story was important for me to report and I was happier that there was some reaction; it would have been worse if people had not cared about it." He added, "I believe the photo helped raise money from around the world in aid and helped highlight the irresponsibility and lack of courage of the country's leaders." The picture later went on to win the World Press Photo of the Year for 1985.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Funny Friday
-------------oOo-------------
-------------oOo-------------
Last week I mentioned that the next 3 Funny
Fridays would be themed Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
We had sex last week so today it is time to do
drugs.
It turned out to be a little more difficult than
I thought it would be to find drug jokes that are humorous but not off. Here is
what I came up with, some are repeats.
-------------oOo-------------
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer
stops at a ranch in Texas, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect
your ranch for illegally grown drugs."
The rancher says, "Okay , but don’t go in that field over there," as he
points out the location.
The DEA officer verbally explodes, saying,
"Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me." Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he
removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher.
"See this badge? This badge means I am
allowed to go wherever I wish.... on any land. No questions asked or answers
given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand? "
The rancher nods politely, apologises, and goes
about his chores.
A short time later, the old rancher hears loud
screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's
big Santa Gertrudis Bull. With every
step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll
get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified.
The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the
fence and yells at the top of his lungs...
"Your badge... Show him your badge!"
-------------oOo-------------
Jesus, in a very worried state, convened all of
his apostles and disciples to an emergency meeting because of the high drug
consumption problem all over the world.
After giving it much thought they reached the
conclusion that in order to better deal with the problem, they should try
the drugs themselves and then decide on the correct way to proceed.
It was therefore decided that a commission made
up of some of the members return to earth to get the different types of drugs.
The secret operation is effected and two days
later the commissioned disciples begin to return to heaven.
Jesus, waiting at the door, lets in the first
disciple:
"Who is it?"
"It's Paul"
Jesus opens the door.
"What did you bring Paul?"
"Hashish from Morocco"
"Very well son, come in."
"Who is it?"
"It's Mark"
Jesus opens the door.
"What did you bring Mark?"
"Marijuana from Colombia"
"Very well son, come in."
"Who is it?"
"It's Matthew"
Jesus opens the door.
"What did you bring Matthew?"
"Cocaine from Bolivia"
"Very well son, come in."
"Who is it?"
"It's John"
Jesus opens the door.
"What did you bring John?"
"Crack from New York"
"Very well son, come in."
"Who is it?"
"It's Luke"
Jesus opens the door.
"What did you bring Luke?"
"Speed from Amsterdam"
"Very well son, come in."
"Who is it?"
"It's Judas"
Jesus opens the door.
What did you bring Judas?"
"THE DRUG SQUAD.... EVERYONE AGAINST THE
WALL!!
-------------oOo-------------
A boy asks his granny, "Have you seen my
pills, they were labelled 'LSD'?"
His granny replies, "Fuck the pills, have
you seen the dragons in the kitchen?!"
-------------oOo-------------
An oldie . . .
In pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a
trade name and generic name. For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a
generic name of Acetaminophen. Aleve is also called Naproxen. Amoxil is also
call Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen. The FDA has been looking
for a generic name for Viagra. After careful consideration by a team of
government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic
name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin,
Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.
-------------oOo-------------
A monkey is sitting in a tree, smoking a joint,
when a lizard walks past. The lizard looks up and says to the monkey “Hey! What
are you doing?” The monkey says “Smoking a joint, come up and join me, my
cold-blooded friend.” So the lizard climbs up and sits next to the monkey and
they have another joint. After a while the lizard says his mouth is ‘dry’, and
that he’s going to get a drink from the river. At the riverbank, the lizard is
so stoned that he leans too far over and falls in. A Crocodile sees this and
swims over to the stoned lizard, helping him to the side. He then asks the
lizard, “What’s the matter with you?!” The lizard explains to the crocodile
that he was sitting in the tree, smoking a joint with his new monkey friend. He
then explained how his mouth got dry, and that he was so wasted that, when he
went to get a drink from the river, he fell in! The inquisitive crocodile says
he has to check this out. He walks into the jungle and finds the tree where the
monkey is sitting, finishing a joint. He looks up and says “Hey, MONKEY!” The monkey looks down and says “FUUUUUCK, DUDE……. how much water did you drink?”
Gallery:
-------------oOo-------------
Corn Corner:
I bought some shoes from a drug dealer. I don't
know what he laced them with, but I've been tripping all day.
I hate cocaine dealers. Always sticking their
business into other people's noses.
Sex, drugs, rock & roll;
Speed, weed, & birth control.
Life's a bitch and then you die,
So fuck the world and let’s get high!
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
It be 19 September, ye bilge rats . . .
-------------oOo-------------
Arrhh, today be a special day, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Written about it previously, I have (I give up, now I’m starting to sound like Yoda).
Graham, aka Mr Trivia, sent me an item that he thought might be interesting for Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Thanks,Graham.
At first I had my doubts about the accuracy of what he sent me, particularly the end part, thinking it might be one of those things that does the rounds by emails, but on looking into it, I found that it was factual.
Below is Graham’s email to me, censored by leaving out the poem at the end.
-------------oOo-------------
English born Charlotte Badger was sentenced to be transported to Australia for the crime of theft. During her term of penal servitude she performed hard manual labour in a factory, and also gave birth to a daughter.
After her sentence had ended, Charlotte, her baby, and Catherine Hagerty (a fellow convict whose term was also served) took ship in the Venus heading for New Zealand.
The captain of the Venus was a sadistic bully, and drove the crew to mutiny. By this time, both Charlotte and Catherine had taken lovers among the crew, and they all continued onto North Island without the captain. They turned to piracy along the way, even though no-one left on board could actually navigate properly.
Legend has it that after the two women and their lovers settled ashore, the crew continued their piracy, and were eventually captured by Maori tribesmen; the Venus was burned to the waterline, and most of the crew were eaten!
They are remembered today as the first white women to settle in New Zealand. Catherine is reported to have fallen ill and died, but nothing is known for sure about the fate of Charlotte, or her child, once settled in New Zealand.
The story of "The Good Ship Venus" is now (in)famous in the words of a vulgar drinking song.
-------------oOo-------------
The following amplified version is from Wikipedia at:
That item also provides citations for the various facts provided.
Charlotte Badger
Charlotte Badger (1778 – in or after 1818) is widely considered to be the first Australian female pirate. She was also one of the first two white female settlers in New Zealand.
Early life
Badger was born in 1778, the daughter of Thomas and Ann Badger. She was baptised on 31 July 1778. Her family was poor, and one day in 1796, she stole several guineas and a silk handkerchief in an attempt to support them, but was caught and arrested. She was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude in New South Wales.
Transportation
Badger arrived on the Earl Cornwallis in 1801. In 1806 she was serving at the Parramatta female factory, during which she gave birth to a daughter.
In 1806, she travelled with her child aboard The Venus, with plans to become a servant in Van Diemens Land. The captain of the ship, Samuel Chase, was in the habit of flogging the women for entertainment, until his charges and crew mutinied. Badger and another convict, Catherine Hagerty, talked the men on board into seizing the ship, while the captain was ashore at Port Dalrymple in northern Tasmania.
In 1806, Badger and Hagerty and their lovers, John Lancashire and Benjamin Kelly, went to the Bay of Islands in the far north of New Zealand, where they settled at the pa at Rangihoua. By April 1807, Hagerty had died and by the end of the year Lancashire and Kelly had also left.
In 1826, the American ship the Lafayette landed in Vavaʻu. On the ship's landing in Sydney, they reported that Charlotte Badger and her daughter had stopped there eight years earlier. Badger could speak Māori fluently and could communicate in Tongan and was travelling on a whaling ship to America.
Some stories suggest that the other mutineers all fled but were eventually caught and hanged, while others suggest that they went pirating after Badger, Hagerty, Lancashire and Kelly left, despite not knowing how to navigate the ship. Then the Māori captured The Venus, and burned it to retrieve the scrap metal, and cooked the men on board. Meanwhile, Lancashire, and Kelly were also recaptured and Hagerty died of a fever.
In the 1825 convict muster there is listed a Charlotte Badger, with 10-year-old daughter Maria, who arrived on the Earl Cornwallis in 1801. While the birth date is estimated at 1785, it's highly unlikely there were two Charlotte Badgers – one who became a pirate and another who was listed in Parramatta in 1825.
-------------oOo-------------
Wikipedia also has a post on the poem/song The Good Ship Venus at:
It contains the following:
Origin
It is possible that this song was inspired by an actual event, where a female convict (Charlotte Badger), sailing on the colonial brigantine Venus, convinced members of the crew to commandeer the vessel, sailing from Port Dalrymple in Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania) in 1806.
Despite various reports, the ultimate fate of the Venus is unknown. This may have led to speculation by those left behind, with fantasies leading to the creation of this drinking song. One of the verses also refers to a 'Charlotte' . . .
-------------oOo-------------
The Poem/Song:
You’ll have to find it yourself by googling it.
'Twas on the good ship Venus,
By God you should have seen us,
And that's about all of it that is suitable to post.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Thought for the Day
Edward Everett Hale (1822 – 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister. One of his posts held was as Chaplain of the United States Senate (1903).
Bonus Hale quote:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)