The Conscious Rebellion

If you knew of the cracked roads and rubble...

2011-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

(This post was originally posted on the ACDMedia blog: acdmedia.wordpress.com)

January 1st, 2011

It’s been about 48 hours since my return back into Brooklyn, and I am just now feeling able to process my short trip to Ayiti, “the land of the hills”. The past 24 hours I’ve been wallowing in my deep emotions of regret and self-pity, as my already-short-trip to Haiti was cut even shorter by a severe allergic reaction on just my second day of the trip. I left my partner on the 31st right before all the festivities, much to my dismay, with worry that my condition would worsen.

Thoughts like, “but I went to Haiti to document and experience their Independence Day,” and, “I didn’t shoot all I could shoot,” interrupt my thoughts disturbing my workflow from time to time, but as I view these photos, the streets of Port-au-Prince from the perspective as a passenger in the backseat of a moving car, I am taken back to the sounds and the rhythm of a nation that holds its people as if it were a collective grid, everyone having such stolid looks of purpose on their faces, gracefully walking while carrying unimaginably heavy loads on their heads, not an easy thing to do if you knew of the cracked roads and rubble, an obstacle of balance for any foreigner to this magical island.

I am delighted by the fact that Haiti is truly my first international trip as a photojournalist and adult, as it has given me more the perspective of a young child experiencing something for the very first time. What I had thought would be my Achilles’ Heel for the trip (and might still have been in many ways) actually in retrospect has become my greatest gift as I edit these colorful vignettes of a nation that’s sacrifice of independence two hundred years ago still remains to be the people’s greatest but most beautiful burden. For, through the eyes of a child, all things remain new, and arguably, objective, without the filters of culture or previous experience, these images that I have taken on my short journey are truly representative of my visual experience in Haiti.

Before we had reached Port-au-Prince, we had a chance to visit the shore of Miami and give thanks and receive blessings for our time. I didn’t know at the time what to ask for and what to say, but now I realize that what was given and received was a message asking for patience, humility and reflection through the practice of analyzing photographic art, something that has been difficult for me as of late. So, again, humbled, I am also grateful to be given the opportunity to walk through these images with our audience. I hope that these images bring to you a memorable experience, not just documentation, but a transferring of the warm and generous spirits I was graced with during my short stay from December 28th to December 31th, 2010.

To view the slideshow, click here.

Image 1, Oja looking out at his homeland.

We landed in PaP around 3:30PM, on December 28th, 2010. The international flight was generous, surprisingly, with the amount of luggage we were able to carry on. 2 checked bags, 50 lbs each, 2 carry-on items equating a total of 40 lbs. Not too shabby. From the plane we were taken to a shuttle to drive us from the aircraft to the airport. The shuttle had large windows which complemented the scenic view of the hills and mountains on the horizon. With purpose, caution, and love in his eyes, Oja looked out the shuttle, receiving the energy given off by the mountains.

Image 2, the view of the hills from the shuttle.

The Canadian maple leaf on the tail of the plane is demonstrative of the international presence in Haiti. Throughout the trip I would be met with many flags, branded like brand names on merchandise, with the purpose of advertising the outside countries, as if to say, “See, we did this for you.”

Image 3, the view plus Haitian walking by.

Image 4, view from backseat window.

My first memory of the airport is comforted by live Haitian music performed by Haitian musicians with bright smiles. As we exited the airport to search for our arranged taxi, several cabdrivers approached us asking repeatedly if we needed a cab. We were finally met with our driver, Gregory, who held a sign that spelled, “OJA.” Even though we had found our driver, other drivers asked to assist us with our luggage in hopes that they could be tipped. As we walked to the car, people continued to approach us offering their services. When I finally got to the backseat, I looked behind me to watch Oja tip one dollar bills to drivers that had assisted us with our luggage.

I remember looking out the window and seeing UN trucks carrying UN soldiers armed with large guns, their white faces looking down at a sea of black Haitian cabdrivers. An image I regretfully did not capture.

Image 5, The 3 hands.

The globe held up by three hands representing France, the US, and Canada, displaying their imperialistic nature upon the world, built by Aristede can be found by the airport, encircled by waving Haitian flags, a sculpture that represents the consciousness of the nation. As cars pass by with people standing in the back, Oja points out to me this epochal sculpture.

Image 6, passengers and flags.

Image 7, red glowing building.

As the sun was setting, we sped through the streets of PaP, passing bright buildings that appear as blurs. Even though it was getting dark out, these buildings all had an intense glow to them.

Image 8, from the back passenger’s view.

Image 9, election graffiti.

Graffiti displaying various political opinions displaying the political unrest that exists in current day Haiti.

Image 10, the balance of the Haitian people.

This image captures one of my first sightings of witnessing Haitian people walk with magical and collective grace.

Image 11, Club 31.

As the sunsets, the buildings continue to glow with palm tree silhouettes in the background.

Image 12, presidential election posters.

A fairly mild display of a presidential candidate on a wall.

Image 13, wild chickens that know how to dodge traffic.

Vanissa, ACD

Kenny Lazo's 27th Birthday Vigil, January 2nd, 2011

2011-01-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

Kenny Lazo 27th Birthday Vigil, January 2nd, 2011 - create a slideshow

2nd Year Anniversary of Gaza Massacre, January 9th, 2011.

2011-01-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

2nd Year Anniversary of Gaza Massacre - flash slideshow maker

Updates & Transitions.

2011-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

A Palestinian activist waves his peace sign to passing vehicles, some who are attending the Hebron Aid Flotilla fundraiser by the Hebron Fund @ Chelsea Piers last night, November 16, 2010.

I have skipped two seasons somehow, and now find myself at the tail end of 2010. Oops. I first began the blog as a way to document my ventures as a photojournalist but as I've gotten more involved the core of intention has somewhat changed. I intend on keeping up with this blog as a way to archive my work, but my work as a photographer/activist has changed. I haven't figured out how to articulate the transition, but I will find the words.

Last night I photographed the protest against the Hebron Fund, which is an Israeli non-profit organization, that raises funds to continue the Jewish settlements in Hebron, a city located in the West Bank, inhabited by 160,000 Palestinians, 500 Jewish settlers, and thousands of IDF soldiers. This little bit from Wikipedia paints a dim picture of what Palestinians are going through in Hebron:

Palestinian control of Hebron is limited to the 20 or 30 square kiliometers of H1, which contains around 120,000 Palestinians. In H2, where more than 500 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians, the Palestinian populations' movements are heavily restricted whilst the Jewish settlers are allowed total freedom of movement and protected by the IDF.^[13] Palestinians are not allowed to use Shuhada street, which is one of the main thoroughfares of Hebron, which is restricted to settlers. Shuhada street has received millions of dollars of renovations funded by the United States.^[13]

As a result of these restrictions, about half the shops in H2 have gone out of business since 1994, in spite of UN efforts to pay shopkeepers to stay in business. Palestinians cannot approach near where the settlers live without special permits from the IDF. Palestinian criminals come to H2 to flee the Palestinian police.^{[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron)}

(My photos were featured on Adalah-NY's website, a Boycott Divestment Sanctions organization. You can also view the whole set here as a slideshow.)

Now to articulate my transition...The collective I started at the tail end of last year, called the Alliance of Conscious Documentarians (ACD), has been materializing over the course of the last few months. My first attempt at organizing ACD was at the annual antiwar march in Washington, DC, March 20th, 2010 and the May Day Rally here in NYC. The photos were taken by myself and 4 other photographers (Pete Pin, Johanna Galvis, Bill Hackwell, & Gabi Lazaro) and can be seen here. It was a great experience working with these talented photographers, and we were able to put together a comprehensive set of the March 20th protest.

In the summertime, I continued my project of documenting the after-effects of Police Brutality on victim's families, and joined forces with Oja, who is mainly known for being a spectacular NYC DJ, but is also an incredible human encyclopedia and aural historian. Together, we've been continuing the work of documenting and broadcasting cases of Police Brutality, and also covering other struggles, like the Lynne Stewart case and the Palestinian right to return. The union has been most fruitful, as now ACD has the crucial component of sound adding a whole new dimension to photographic storytelling.

We are in the middle of putting together a blog: http://acdmedia.wordpress.com , and a youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/acdmediachannel which will log our work. We have recently completed our first international ACD trip to Haiti to document the condition of the earthquake displacement camps.

As we continue our work, I will utilize this blog as a means of documenting my personal experiences, giving space for myself to process and continue the documenting of my experiences as a photographer.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned.

The Birth of a Coalition

2010-05-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

A bus full of activists!! The success of our organizing ;) for the 2nd Year Anniversary Vigil for Kenny Lazo, April 10th, 2010.

The last few months I have been busy building and co-organizing with Jennifer Gonzalez (Kenny's son's mother), the ANSWER Coalition and the October 22nd Coalition the Justice for Kenny Coalition, which is a new coalition that connects Police Brutality with Immigrant Rights. We have had some very successful events. On April 3rd, we had our very first event at the Brecht Forum where we featured several key speakers including: Jennifer Gonzalez (partner of the late Kenny Lazo), Juanita Young (mother of the late Malcolm Ferguson), William Bell (father of the late Sean Bell), Nicholas Heyward (father of the late Nicholas Heyward, Jr.), Allene Person (mother of the late Timor Person), Kathie Cheng of Oct 22 Coalition, Monica Ruiz of ANSWER Coalition, Pierre Yurovski of Amnesty International, and Frances Villar 2009 PSL Mayoral Candidate for NYC. We showed, Police Terror: The Police Murder of Kenny Lazo, a documentary short by ANSWER's Eddie Pages, Forced Trajectory: Images from the After Effects of the Police Murder of Kenny Lazo, a photographic essay by me, and we also featured ANSWER's Kenneth Chan Cruz' artwork. After the film, slideshow, and speakers, MC Majesty hosted the spoken word / hip hop portion of the event, featuring Spirit Child, Peggy Robles Alvarado, Raul K Rios, and Fifth Column's BadSportt. The night ended with us fundraising over $500, enough for us to rent a bus to go from the city to Bay Shore, Long Island for Kenny's 2nd year anniversary vigil held right outside the Suffolk County 3rd Precinct where he was left to die on April 12, 2008. Our event was covered by NY1, who stayed for nearly 70% of the event, and played repeatedly on NY1 headlines all Easter Sunday. :)

William Bell, father of the late Sean Bell, sits, listening to the speaker. Kerbie Joseph of the ANSWER Coalition and PSL sits in front of him.

Brian Benitez, Kenny Lazo's cousin, speaks out in public for the first time about Kenny's murder.

Hip hop artist, Majesty, performs.

Jennifer Gonzalez, Kenny Lazo's partner, speaks about her experience after Kenny's abrupt death, April 12th, 2008.

The following week, we used our funds to rent a school bus and took 20-some activists with us from the city to Bay Shore, where we demanded justice for Kenny Lazo in front of the 3rd Precinct of the Suffolk County Police Department. The purpose of this was to connect NYC with Bay Shore so that the people of Bay Shore could literally witness our solidarity. There, we met with several of Kenny's friends and family members, including Kenny's mother, Patricia Gonzalez, and Kenny's father, Elfonzo Lazo who both traveled from out of state for the event. The event was held from 1PM-5PM, but the energy of the crowd was so powerful that we decided to stay until 6PM. As traffic passed, we received several car beeps in support of our cause. Several activists and artists spoke on the mic, condemning the obvious corruption of the Suffolk County police, and also police brutality on a national and international level. Speakers included: UK MC LowKey, MC Majesty, MC Eva Egypt, PSL's Frances Villar, March Forward!'s Edward Pages, ANSWER's Vanessa Frida, Kenny's partner, Jennifer Gonzalez, Rebel Diaz Art Collective's Marcel Cartier, Kenny's parents Patricia Gonzalez & Elfonzo Lazo, myself, and others. This event marked the 2nd year anniversary of Kenny's death.

Both events were later mentioned in PSL's Liberation newspaper which is distributed nationwide. Click here to read the article.

Kenny's father, Elfonso speaks on the mic, Patricia Gonzalez, Kenny's mother on the right.

MC Majesty on the mic, who enthusiastically hosted the April 3rd event.

MC Eva Egypt on the mic condemning the SCPD.

UK MC LowKey spittin' rhymes about police brutality.

Immigrant Rights, March 21, 2010, D.C.

2010-03-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

One of my immigrant rights photos got published in today's Socialist Worker:

http://socialistworker.org/2010/03/25/renewed-fight-for-our-rights

And some other photos from last weekend will be published in Monday's paper edition of the Socialist Worker. So, if you get a chance, pick one up. :)

My Immigrant Rights set on Flickr from the March 21, 2010 demonstration in DC can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157623677035784/show

Weekend in DC -- Summer Teaser

2010-03-23T15:41:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I traveled up to DC for the March on Washington, the annual anti war march organized by the ANSWER Coalition. I ended up attending 2 other events - and took a shitload of photos. :)

I'm still working on the March 20th photographs - I have to sift through about 800 of them (trigger happy). The demonstration was amazing, although a bit short (I'm comparing it to last year's march, where we marched to Crystal City and it took forever). There was an estimate of 10,000 people at the march. I had a severe headache the entire march so I wasn't too happy with the blazing sun. It was nearly 80 degrees out.

The picture above is of an AIPAC conference participant giving the finger to a protestor who...really hates Jews. Doesn't help at all considering we're protesting AIPAC as well, but with sound arguments. I hope they don't put us in the same category of crazy, LMAO.

Although the AIPAC protest was small, it was visually quite stunning. Code Pink had a strong visual presence and their pink banners and outfits really contrasted well against the gray Convention Center. You can see the whole set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157623674056522/show

After the AIPAC protest, I shot the Immigrant Rights rally at the National Mall where over 500,000+ immigrant rights activists camped out from 1-4:30PM. Around 4:30, everyone began leaving and marching passed the Capitol and Supreme Court. It was a powerful experience walking with so many people, many of them with their families.

Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157623677035784/show

JUSTICE FOR KENNY LAZO - April 3rd @ the Brecht Forum

2010-03-23T13:27:00.001-07:00

We're throwing a Police Brutality awareness / fundraiser event for Kenny Lazo on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010, at the Brecht Forum from 6:30-10:30PM. The event will be featuring several speakers including Jennifer Gonzalez (partner of Kenny Lazo), Juanita Young (mother of Malcolm Ferguson), William Bell (father of Sean Bell), Kathie Cheng of the October 22 Coalition, Monica Ruiz of the ANSWER Coalition, and several artist performances including, Badsportt, Peggy Robles Alvarado, Raul K Rios, featuring DJ Oja, and hosted by Majesty. We will also be showcasing photography by myself, artwork by Kenny Chan-Cruz, and showing ANSWER's Eddie Pages' 30 minute documentary short, "Police Terror: The Murder of Kenny Lazo."

There will be food and art to bid on, so bring your cash. We are raising money to pay for transportation from the city to Long Island the day of the 10th (Saturday, April 10th) so that city dwellers can support the people of Suffolk County, who are brutalized and antagonized by the racist Suffolk County cops on a day by day basis.

The above is the official flyer - please print and distribute, repost, twitter, facebook, etc....Thank you :)

2010, Haiti, Chile, Hawaii....

2010-03-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

This first quarter of 2010 is rough. First Haiti, now Chile, and Hawaii preparing for the aftereffect tsunami.... The above is a photo of Chileans walking away from a bridge destroyed by the earthquake in Santiago, provided by Getty Images (sadly they did not credit the photographer). Here's the link to some other photos covering the aftermath of the quakes in Chile: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2010/02/world/gallery.large.chile/index.html

I ask myself, like many others, why natural disasters often hit the indigenous people of the world, and why is it that we suffer the most, in our impoverished conditions, with our cultures exploited.

I've been inundated with work these past few weeks, and I've wanted to post but have been reserved to post about ongoing projects. Sometimes I think just seeing the finished project without seeing the steps to completing can be more compelling.

I'm getting geared up to go to DC to march in ANSWER's annual March on the Pentagon on March 20th. I'll be organizing with other photographers so that we can achieve as much visibility as this movement needs. If you're interested in coming along and shooting, send me a message or drop a comment.

Peace.

Fences & Tanks Show, Saturday, February 27, 2010

2010-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

COME THROUGH! Would love to see you...and why would you want to miss out?? :)

Biz Card

2010-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

My new business card, introducing the Alliance of Conscious Documentarians, which really just exists as a Facebook page right now....but I have plans, and I'm particularly ambitious about this. MUHAHA.

Culture Clash @ Brecht Forum

2010-01-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 2010!!

I'll be showing at the Brecht Forum on January 30th-31st. I'm in the middle of gathering the prints for it and I have a headache from too many pictures in my mind.

I'm better at organizing my sock drawer than my photos.

We Are Kenny Lazo (1983-2008)

2009-12-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

Kenny was brutally murdered by five racist Suffolk County cops nearly two years ago. Tomorrow, Kenny's family and supporters will be demanding justice outside the 3rd precinct where he was killed. The following is a post by the mother of his son, Jennifer Gonzalez:

Murdered BY FIVE 3rd PRECINCT OFFICERS!

Please help us Fight for Justice and Put an End to Police Brutality!
1650 5th Ave, Bay Shore ( Long Island )
Wednesday, December 30th, 6-7:30pm.

The Murder of Kenny Lazo: Details of the Case

Kenny Lazo, 1983-2008, beaten to death while in police custody

On the night of April 12, 2008 Kenny Lazo fell victim to a ruthless and malicious crime. Kenny’s life was taken by those who are sworn to protect and serve: the Suffolk County 3rd Precinct Police Dept.
Kenny Lazo was pulled over by 3rd precinct officers, John Newton, James Scimone, William Judge, Christopher Talt and Joseph Link. Police have failed to explain why Kenny was pulled over.
While the cops claim that Kenny tried to elbow one of the cops and, more unbelievably, that he tried to get a gun, what we know for sure is that Kenny was handcuffed, forced down on the ground, beaten and choked with flashlights. He suffered from blunt impact to the head, face, torso, arms, with multiple abrasions, contusions and lacerations of the face and scalp. He went into cardiac arrest. He was then brought to the 3rd precinct with NO medical attention.
As Kenny was taking his last breath lying on the precinct floor, an eyewitness heard the officers involved in beating him joking and proudly demonstrating in the front lobby how they did it. An hour after being brought to the 3rd precinct, police decided to finally call for an EMT. Emergency assistance found Kenny lying DEAD on the floor wearing nothing but his underwear.
The Suffolk County coroner ruled Kenny’s death as a HOMICIDE as a result of his injuries at the hands of our own police department.
Kenny was a loving father to his beautiful son, a good son to his parents, a loving and supporting partner to his girlfriend, a hard and committed worker and a solid contributor to our community.
Though the FIVE OFFICERS were left off the hook, our fight for justice will not stop. We must come together as a community and put an end to this criminal behavior by the Suffolk police.
In the name of justice and what is right, we must unite as a community and demand that the DA take this case seriously and that charges be brought against the five police officers. Police brutality hurts all of us! You never know if you or your family member could be next!

Protest at the 3rd Precinct! Demand the D.A. charge the killer cops with murder!

Links: http://www.mylitv.com/view_video.php?viewkey=34362ac261db280128c2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIuQgemjWk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtFdjTdbdk

Tomorrow Marks the 1st Year Anniversary of the Gaza Massacre

2009-12-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

A boy and his father gather with others at a Brooklyn for Peace Vigil for the Gaza Massacre last January.

Passionate activists gather in Times Square last year right after the Gaza Massacre.

A young boy delivers his conscious message at a NYC protest for Gaza last year.

Organizers hand out leaflets to raise awareness of what is happening in Gaza.

When you're Palestinian, this is a way of life. Brotherhood has a whole different meaning.

Palestinian Activist friends Mahmoud Mishal and Moayad Toom show solidarity at a Gaza protest last year in NYC.

Activist youths show their signs of solidarity, love, and resistance to occupation.

Tomorrow marks the 1st year Anniversary of the 22-day bombardment on Gaza by Israel that resulted in nearly 1500 Palestinian deaths, 60% of which were women and children. I was in Ottawa visiting my Godfather wishing so much to be standing by my Palestinian friends who have grown up watching their parents mourn in front of the television over the continuous seige of their homeland.

As I write, "over 500 people from 20 countries, in 250 vehicles loaded with Humanitarian Aid, are left stranded in Aqaba, Jordan, having been refused permission to enter Egypt," reports John Hurson, an Irish Activist on the Viva Palestina Tour led by British MP George Galloway.

As international sources such as BBC, AlJazeera, and World Bulletin all report the convoy's latest status, national media outlets like Fox News and CNN steer clear of such mentions and focus on the latest Hollywood gossip and the daily witch hunt for domestic terrorists.

The following is a note from John Hurson, speaking on the convoy's current situation in Jordan, and what steps you can take to help out. Thank you to Barbara Columbus and Maryam Zohny for their additional contacts:

Well folks, as you awake today from your Christmas hangover, over 500 people from 20 countries, in 250 vehicles loaded with Humanitarian Aid, are left stranded in Aqaba, Jordan, having been refused permission to enter Egypt.

The Egyptians have placed 3 conditions on the convoy if it wants to enter Egypt.

1. We hand all our vehicles and aid over to UNRA.

2. We drive 500 miles abck to Syria, and take a 24 hour ferry through the Suez Canal.

3. We have to ask Israel for permission to cross from Egypt to Gaza.

All 3 conditions have been flatly rejected by everyone on the convoy, as we want to cross into Gaza and hand our aid over to the Palestinians ourselves.

Would you phone Canada to ask permission to enter the US? Would you ask France for permission to go to Germany? For the 1st time, Egypt have now openly admitted that they are under control of Israel/US.

This has been the lead story on Al Jazeera for the past 24 hours, and there are media teams from all over the Arab world here in Aqaba following this story. Needless to say, everyone watching is totally outraged by Egypt's complicity with Israel/US in denying this convoy of aid to reach Gaza.

Yesterday, Christmas Day, I dressed up as Santa to lighten the mood, and everyones sprirts lifted.
Al Jazeera interviewed Santa, who explained that the children in Gaza were the only ones in the whole world who didn't recieve any presents. Santa explained that while flying through the air on his sleigh with the reindeers, he was stopped and refused entry. Santa was upset as this was the only place in the world he could not visit. I will post the clip whenever I get it from Al Jazeera.

Tomorrow marks the 1 anniversary of the start of the 22 day massacre of over 1,400 people. In solidarity, we are all going to embark on a fast. We will all fast for as long as it takes for us to get into Gaza with our aid.
We are calling on people all over the world to fast with us, and with the Palestinians, who fast every day due to the illegal siege imposed upon them by Israel/US/Egypt.

It's time to take a stand and say "Enough Is Enough". This siege has got to stop, for the sake of humanity.

I am calling on ALL the members of the "Ireland To Gaza" Group to call the Egyptian Embassy and demand that we be allowed to enter Gaza, and deliver our aid.

The contact details for the Egyptian Embassy in Dublin are: +353-1-6606718 / +353-1-6606566 / consular@embegyptireland.ie

The contact details for the Egyptian Embassy in London are: 0044-20-7499-3304 / eg.emb_london@mfa.gov.eg”

Please contact them, and express your outrage at their refusal to allow Humanitarian Aid into Gaza, and to let them know that you will never travel to Egypt again, as long as they are the lap dogs for Israel/US.

Please forward this message on to everyone you know, and invite them to join this group. Plus, please leave a message of support for everyone who is stranded here in Aqaba, and for the Palestinians who need our support now, more than ever.

John Hurson

Stranded in Aqaba, Jordan

Here's a list of other Egyptian Embassies contact information around the world, please email or phone them:1. Egyptian Embassy in Athens, Greece
Phone: 210 36 18 612 13
Fax: 210 36 03 538... See More
Email: emb.egypt@yahoo.gr, eg.emb_athens@mfa.gov.eg

2. Egyptian Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0) 70-354 20 00, +31 (0) 70-354 45 35
Fax: +31 (0) 70-354 33 04

3. Egyptian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: (46 8) 662 9687 or 662 9603 or 660 3145
Fax: (46 8) 661 2664

4. Egyptian Embassy in Bern, Switzerland
Phone: 031 352 80 12 / 13
Fax: 031 352 06 25

5. Egyptian Embassy in London, United Kingdom
Phone: 020 7499 3304
Fax: 020 7491 1542
Email: eg.emb_london@mfa.gov.eg

6. Egyptian Embassy in Washington D.C., United States
Phone: (+1) (202) 8955400
Fax: (+1) (202) 2444319
Email: embassy@egyptembdc.org

7. Egyptian Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela
Phone: 0058212 9926259
Fax: 0058212 9931555
Email: egyptianembassy@cantv.com.ve

8. Egyptian Embassy in Berlin, Germany
Phone: 030 477 54 70
Fax: 030 477 10 49
Web Site: http://www.egyptian-embassy.de/
Email: Embassy@egyptian-embassy.de

9. Egyptian Embassy in Paris, France
Phone: (+33) 1 53678830-32
Fax: (+33) 1 47230643
Email: Paris_Con@mfa.gov.eg

10. Egyptian Embassy in Beijing, China
Phone: (8610) 6532 1825
Fax: (8610) 6532 5365
Email: eg_emb_bj@yahoo.com

11. Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada
Phone: (613)234-4931, (613)234-4935
Fax: (613)234-4398
Email: egyptemb@sympatico.ca

12. Egyptian Embassy in Canberra, Australia
Phone: (00612) 6273 4437 - 6273 4438
Fax: (00612) 6273 4279
Email: egyembassy@bigpond.com

13. Egyptian Embassy in Amman, Jordan
Phone: 5605175 / 5605176 / 5605202 /5605203
Fax: 5604082
Email: egypt@tedata.net.jo, embegypt@tedata.net.jo

In the U.S., contact the Egyptian Embassy, 202-895-5400 and ask for Omar Youssef or email omaryoussef@hotmail.com

Also contact Ahmed Azzam at the Palestine Division in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cairo, tel +202-25749682 Email: ahmed.azzam@mfa.gov.eg

____________________________________

This just in from NYC Activist Delayne DeMorgandie who is a part of the Gaza Freedom March currently stranded in Egypt:

As we are poised to commemorate the December 27 invasion of Gaza, our delegates from around the world are gathering in Cairo. As you can imagine, the situation is changing moment by moment and there are lots of rumors. Tonight, the Ma’am News Agency put out a release saying, “Despite earlier announcements that the crossing would be closed until January, Egyptian officials will open the Rafah crossing for four days next week, three for general traffic and a fourth for Egyptian citizens. Head of the Administration of crossings in the de facto government Ghazi Hamad announced Saturday that the crossings would be open starting Tuesday 29 December. On Friday Egyptian nationals only will be permitted to cross. Each day 10-12 buses loaded with 60-70 passengers each will leave Gaza.”

The Foreign Ministry, however, has told us they knew nothing about this and that our situation, i.e. being denied entry, had not changed. For us, however, this represents a major change because it means there might be an opening since the government can no longer say that the border is too unsafe.... See More

We're trying tomorrow anyway to get to Al-Arish and then hopefully Gaza.
_________________________________
For those of you in major cities, please try to partake in a Gaza demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the massacre tomorrow. In NYC, protesters will be meeting at 1:00PM on 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in Times Square.

My Pictoral Goodbye.

2009-12-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Roses on his coffin.

A page in our scrapbook where we glued pictures of him and ourselves, wrote our last words to him, and buried with him.

My cousins and I working on our speeches and scrapbook for the funeral. I did not take this picture (I'm in it :) ).

One thing our Grandfather taught us was to always eat together as a family.

So my grandfather passed at the end of last month. I took maybe 600 photos during my weeklong stay in Toronto - what I refer to as a weeklong funeral. Honestly they've been too painful to look at, and I ended up shooting almost everyday this month, probably just to bury the memory of the melancholic event.

Tonight I got to take a closer look to see what kind of photos I took, and I was overwhelmed with the messages of love and continuity that people so subconsciously desire in their intimate relationships, whether within families or friendships. There were many images of my family gathering, breaking bread together, sharing relics that remind them of my grandfather and his lessons of love and family, supporting each other in the darkest of times, and even making light of heavy moments with a silly joke or warm gesture.

I had scruples over documenting the funeral, but was also faced with the desire to be responsible and be the eye for those who couldn't be present (my sister for example, who could not come because she was 9 months pregnant). As a photographer, often times I feel my way of avoiding reality is by turning difficult events into artistic ventures. I'm not not taking things seriously; moreso, I'm avoiding my own pain by putting my emotions aside and focusing on what is happening outside of me. It is this switch that I make that allows me to transition from a feeling person to a fly on the wall and simply be an eye for the absent.

There were times throughout the funeral that I would feel guilt for attempting to get that perfect shot, seemingly ignoring the fact that it was indeed a funeral, and in fact, my beloved grandfather's funeral, with my family members' pained faces and weakened postures. I would have to remind myself of those who could not be there but so wished to be with us during such an epochal time in our family's history, and that would keep my mind on the original task. In a sense, I was also absent myself, like them, behind a camera, not truly being engulfed 100% by what was happening - perhaps this was my way of avoiding my own feelings, the most common behavior of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nonetheless, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make in order to present to the absent what was occurring those very important moments.

As I sift through the photos now, seeing the crying faces of my family members, I am brought to tears, reminded of their pain, and what the loss of my grandfather means to me. On the contrary, within the same set, I am uplifted from seeing the resilience that so easily shines in my family, a legacy that George Yun Kee Koo left behind. The day he was buried was so bright and beautiful, it was almost surreal, considering the weather forecasts leading up to that day had warned of heavy clouds and continuous rain.

Since the funeral, I've been sharing Grandfather's stories with my students, and they've since built a connection with him, considering him a hero and a role model. For a man who raised 18 children, 11 not his own, while he was alive, and to still continue teaching the youth now that he is gone.....What greater legacy is there? Because of this I have decided to share this post, and to share a few of the photos with you.

See the rest of the set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157623047031402/

Lyrical Revolt XIII

2009-12-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

Lady Che on the mic.

Eddie of ANSWER telling us about the Liberation Newspaper.

Hasan Salaam & Rugged N Raw.

Hipnotic and Anthony Polanco on stage at ANSWER's 13th Lyrical Revolt, November 14th, 2009.

I've been bogged down with....everything, and have been a bit behind my editing schedule. With that said, here is complete set of Lyrical Revolt 13 photos posted on my FlickR account. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157623009683370/

Just Another School Closing: RIP William H. Maxwell

2009-12-05T19:20:00.001-08:00

"Will you close our school too? Where will we go?"

This note was posted by GEM (Grassroots Education Movement)'s Seung Ok whose group raises awareness of the damage Mayoral Control has over the NYDOE. Public schools can be shut down for a many number of reasons (up to 200 reasons), and the school report card/progress report is often what determines the closings. What is the determining factor on a school progress report? Student test scores. What is the deal with these test scores? They test special needs children (beginnning at the 3rd grade) and also English Language Learners (aka people of COLOR), who both obviously cannot perform well on the tests (majority of both students cannot read the exam - how are you going to score well on an exam you cannot read?). The schools that end up being shut down are schools that have the highest percentages of ELLs and Special Needs students. The system sets these children up for failure, and these schools for failure. This is the institutionalized racism and discrimination that I try to raise awareness about.

William H. Maxwell is now just another statistic, added onto the list of school closings. Read the rest of this note to investigate further:

A school that has served countless students since 1951 is on the chopping block, as the mayor’s newest round of school closures descends upon New York City. William H. Maxwell V.H.S. – a career and technical school - that houses majors in medical careers, cosmetology, fashion, and graphic design is the latest casualty. It is a school that requires more credits from its students than the average city high school, due to the additional credit hours involved in the majors.

Although successfully overcoming the state’s SURR list status in the past – almost immediately – it was filled beyond capacity, to 2000 students – in a building that was listed to serve 900. The influx of students came from other closed schools, such as Jefferson High School, in the first round of closures that the mayor instituted. It is in this context that the school received an F rating by the mayor’s progress report in 2006. The percentage of special-ed students is currently double that of other high schools at 22%. The school also services ELL students, which comprise 5% of the enrollment.

In the following year, the staff and newly appointed principal managed to obtain a D with a rating just shy of 31 (the cutoff score to obtain a C). Small learning communities were instituted, teachers voted for advisory classes, instituted retesting, and increased tutoring hours. This year, a double digit gain was seen as the school amassed a rating of 43.2. However, the DOE increased the cut off score to 44. Therefore, it was categorized as a D school for the second year in a row. If the scale had not been abruptly changed, the school would have been just shy of getting a B on last year’s scale.

The school had been in the headlines as recently as this summer. In an article about credit recovery in the NY times, teachers in Maxwell exposed the pressure by the mayor’s DOE to offer kids dozens of credits – seemingly for doing holiday packets of worksheets – with no certified teacher in that field present. Although recovery credits are legal according to Bloomberg’s DOE with hardly any guidelines or restrictions, teachers took exception, and many refused to go along in signing off on these packets – contending that it was the mayor’s version of social promotion and a watering down of education for political gains. In addition, many of the hard working students who attended daily, vocalized the unfairness of these credit “give-aways” to those who had not made the same effort.

The recent announcement of proposed closure by Superintendent Cumberbatch to the staff left many sitting in the auditorium confused and angry. Adding to the confusion was the fact that the DOE awarded performance bonuses to the staff for recent academic gains (* see charts below). Questions were asked about the seeming randomness of the increased cut off point. Teachers angrily pointed out that the school had recent graduates enrolled in Cornell, NYU, SUNY colleges such as Binghamton and Stony Brook, and a multitude of CUNY colleges. In addition, numerous students currently work in the very fields they majored in while attending Maxwell.

Many of the teachers voiced a feeling of betrayal, after years of instituting every suggested change and initiative brought down by DOE representatives - portfolios, individual goals, diagnostic testing, differentiated learning, and a weekly array of meetings to conference on struggling students – often times ignoring the union guidelines of working through lunch periods and after school hours. This hard work produced a Proficient rating from the New York State Education Department’s quality review.

This anger has transformed into determination, as the staff, students, parents, and past graduates now mobilize to demand that the mayor lay his hands off this proud school. It’s evident that the mayor does not want this round of closures to stir up a backlash of community uproar. Several times during the announcement, the superintendent kept reminding the staff that the open forums were merely a formality that existed because of the new governance laws – that the decision is a foregone conclusion. These warnings, however, seemed to have failed to pacify the school community. As one teacher noted, maybe it’s a relief to finally know where we stand and know who we are fighting. And even after years of stress, being on the brink of closure, the staff feels reaffirmed that the school and its successes are worth this struggle. At the public forum on Tuesday, Jan. 12th,at 6pm in Maxwell’s auditorium, the school promises to show the mayor what happens when the talents of many voices come together – to contrast the decisions of just one single man.

- The Community of W.H. Maxwell Vocational HS.

* Maxwell’s statistics: (shows improvement in nearly every category)
(see photos)

Two Protesters in Times Square, Arrested for Simple Protest

2009-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

Protesters from various groups (some directly off the streets) gathered in Union Square and march to Times Square yesterday at 6PM. When they reached Times Square, two protesters were arrested for simply protesting the escalating war in Afghanistan. Neither of the two attempted to provoke police officers or were doing anything illegal. They were literally grabbed off the street by NYPD and arrested. There are reports of NYPD mishandling them (nothing new), but I want to get the official word before I put that out.

Although not very sizable, the protesters were passionate about protesting the occupation of Afghanistan, making sure bystanders heard their words, "While you're shopping, bombs are dropping!," "1, 2, 3, 4, We don't your fxxkin' war. 5, 6, 7, 8, Turn the war against the state!" "Resistance is Justified, Afghanistan is Occupied!" were a few of the chants shouted. Protesters included World Can't Wait's Debra Sweet and Elaine Brower, Elaine who was a part of a sit-in at West Point two days ago where Obama announced sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. I was happy and proud to stand and chant beside them.

More to come from this set, stay tuned.

Rejuvenated.

2009-12-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

I'm back in the city after a week long in Toronto with my family, and although I'm sleep-deprived and everything is seemingly out of order in my personal and work life, I feel rejuvenated and am enthused about being in NYC for the month of December before the holidays come around.

The week in Toronto was like a week-long funeral/family reunion, and despite the awful circumstances of losing my beloved grandfather, spending quality family time with my relatives from all over the place and my parents was much much needed, and I have only strong messages of love, family, community, and respect to carry with me.

I took these photos the day I found out my grandfather was on his deathbed. Nice images of people of color that I'm adding to my NYC transit set:

"I'm an immigrant to Heaven." - George Koo.

2009-11-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

A little video I made on Animoto featuring this boy's dance that I photographed minutes after learning that my grandfather was dying. RIP, George Koo, we will meet again.

Thank you, Eddie Pages...

2009-11-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

Eddie Pages & I representing "Workers" at our joint Birthday party last Friday.

My friendship with the Talented Eddie Pages began when I met him on the ANSWER bus to a GAZA protest in DC. Soon, we discovered that we were 5 days apart, born the same year, and both shared a common love for the visual arts, him with film and me with photography....And, lemme tell ya, when us Scorpio Metal Monkeys get together, you can expect all kinds of creative collaboration happening!

Our first collaboration was March 21st, when ANSWER organized their annual national March on the Pentagon against the occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan & Palestine. We dropped off mock coffins at war profiteers parking lots while laughing at the robocops who surrounded the front doors with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfits. The experience was militant, dramatic, loud, and visually stunning. I went down super early to organize and take photographs, and Eddie compiled my photos and made a video out of them to an MIA song. So here it is below....and thank you Eddie, you made my photos come out alive!!!

March 21st March on the Pentagon from Eddie Pages on Vimeo.

Today he sent me a link of my performance at last Saturday's Lyrical Revolt 13, and it was edited so beautifully. It's kinda weird seeing myself on video, but heh....here it is:

Vanissa W. Chan from Eddie Pages on Vimeo.

Thank you, Eddie. You're the BEST!!! One Love.

Me...On Stage!

2009-11-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

Me performing my poem for the first time ever at the ANSWER Coalition's 13th Lyrical Revolt at the Rebel Arts Collective in the South Bronx. My buddy, the talented Eddie Pages, is next to me recording my performance.

Ever since my very first spoken word event at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, a few years ago when I was very new to NYC, I desired to be on stage. I never thought I'd ever muster up the courage to do it, but things change :). I wrote a lot of poetry when I was in high school and throughout college, but never had the idea of reading it outloud..the concept was just foreign to me. Where I grew up, a poetry reading was very...hmm, bookish and bit boring! But here in the city, where a multitude of cultures collide and ways of expression intertwine,....a spoken word event is quite an event (ok, that was the understatement of the year...it's POWERFUL and ....awe-inspiring!!)!

When I asked my friend Jinnette (kickass activist/poet/superwoman) to go over my first poem with me, she encouraged me to perform at the 13th Lyrical Revolt...at first I was like, "HELL NO.." but the idea grew on me and I practiced for a few weeks. I was the second performer on stage, which I think worked out well because I had to take photos, and I would have been freaking out the whole time if I was going later. The experience was magical and indescribable. It felt liberating and it was so well received by the warm crowd which I really appreciate because the content of the poem was very personal and difficult for me to share.

Thank you to my friends for their genuine love, support, advice, feedback....and presence. I couldn't have done it without you! I'm grateful. X.

Thank you to Libor Koznar for the photos!
http://artandstruggle.com/

LYRICAL REVOLT 13...Success!!!!!

2009-11-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

Baron of Red Clay.....tellin' it!!!!

Hasan Salaam & Rugged N Raw on stage.

The Lyrical Revolt 13 was amazing! I'm not yet finished with editing, so bear with me,...a week..a week and a half...but, I wanted to blog because I was soooo thrilled to get up on stage and recite my first poem in like ten years of not writing in prose, and the response, the love and support that I received afterwards was soooo perfect, I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends. So..that's the reason for this post...just a big THANK YOU to my friends who helped me practice, encouraged me to go on stage, and convinced me to believe in myself - helped me not to shit in my pants, THANKS!!!!!

XO.

Not Just A Pretty Face...

2009-11-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

I've recently been obsessing over beautiful, intelligent women who know their power, and have been fortunate enough in the last few years to really get to know some very respectable ladies :). My close friend, Christina Empress, is one of them. I met Christina through my friend Trevz, who publishes The New Pop, which is one of the dopest online magazines covering NYC artists (go check it out!!!!), who a few years ago, recruited Christina and I to be in a music video featuring NYC artists. The event brought many artists together, and when Christina and I met, it was love at first sight, lol. On the surface, you can see why - she's totally freaking gorgeous - but skin deep, she's even more awe-inspiring.

Christina has been DJing internationally for several years, and is currently working on the finalities of her solo album featuring her as the singer/songwriter, titled, "Disconnect" which will soon be released. I have been fortunate enough to hear a few songs and....my mind is blown. This girl is TALEN-TED!!!! She's going to go Platinum, I have no doubt. You can hear samples and get updates of this beautiful, intelligent, musical vixen at her website: http://www.christinaempress.com. She's in the middle of scheduling her tour dates and album release date, so stay tuned because her show is going to be off the hook!

Earlier this fall, I had the privilege of photographing her in a very intimate setting - her apartment! I enjoy shooting people in their environment because it reveals so much about their life, personality, and what inspires them. Enjoy the photos and check out her links...you don't want to be missin' out!

Become a fan of her's on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Empress
Check out her new website: www.christinaempress.com
Listen to older songs: www.soundcloud.com/empress
Link to her old website: www.djempress.com

Lyrical Revolt XIII

2009-11-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Rebel Diaz performing at the Lyrical Revolt X.

Denice MsMisconception Frohman performing at Lyrical Revolt XII.

Abraham Velazquez of The Peace Poets, at the Lyrical Revolt X.

So it's that time again....The ANSWER Coalition's popular spoken word/hip hop event, the Lyrical Revolt (number 13) will be happening again this Saturday, at the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective located in the South Bronx. ANSWER stands for Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, and is a coalition of fantastic, compassionate, driven community activists. The event is a fundraiser for ANSWER which organizes these insanely huge and powerful national marches against war and racism, so if you come out, you'll be coming out for a very important cause. I'm super excited about this event..this will be my 4th Lyrical Revolt, and the 4th one I've photographed! Also, if I don't chicken out ..I'll be performing my first poem on stage EVER.....I'm a bit jittery when I think of it now, but I know a miracle will happen when I get up there and I won't be nervous at all! :)

Doors open at 8:00PM, show begins at 9:00PM...seriously, be there or be missin' out!!!

Location, location, location:

478 Austin Place, 2nd Flr.
South Bronx, NY 10455
by 149th and Bruckner
6 train to E. 149th St.
BX19 to 149th and Southern

Review the old Lyrical Revolts through my Flickr site:
LR X: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157613501426095/
LR XI: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157619288867194/
LR XII: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622026506911/

The Lid Popped Off....

2009-11-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

..At work and I've decided to play hookie tomorrow. My first time this year.

I'm sick with some kind of bug, and I have too many fun, important plans to allow some kind of nasty bug to get in the way...so, I'm relaxing and working on a few photos.

I was able to work on a few concert photos of VERITAS, my friend Thai's band, that I photographed (and had a blast with) a few weeks ago. They're still doing their nationwide tour, so be sure to try and catch them in your area. You can check out their stuff at http://www.myspace.com/veritasband

Please see the added photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622543085625/

My favorite shots are shots like this of them in the convenient stores:

Which I realized when I was with them that they must walk into so many convenient stores per day just to get their munchies fix and restroom breaks. They could do some sort of sociological study on their convenient store encounters. Somebody should tell them......They could start a convenient store blog. Or maybe I just need to go on tour with a band and document their adventures..aahhhh...did I ever mention that one of my favorite movies is Almost Famous?? :D

Happy entrails.

Yankees in the Streets.

2009-11-09T13:32:00.001-08:00

On the night of November 5th, the Yankees won the World Series. On my block in Bay Ridge, things got a little exciting. Kids ran out of the bars and trashed the streets with rolls of toilet paper. The neighborhood came out of their living rooms and celebrated with the people in the streets. This was for sure a one of a kind, New York experience.

As a mobs of people exited the bars, people began filling the streets and blocking traffic. Not long after, several NYPD cruisers showed up. Cops began approaching the mob of people slowly, with their sticks out. As they walked slowly towards the crowd, the mobs on both sides of the streets and in the middle began calling out, "AAAAAASSSHOOOOOLLLLEEE, AAAAAASSSHOOOOOOLLLLEEE!!"

The Scene on the corner of 86th Street and 3rd Avenue.

I think there may have only been one arrest that night, but I'm not sure. I got a bit of the one I saw that happened right in front of me, but it was too dark to get it all.

Plain clothes cop in the Yankees shirt on the left picks a fight with a man (you can see his friend holding him back).

The plain clothes cop in motion, grabs the man, wrestles him to the ground and arrests him for no apparent reason.

Traffic gets more and more congested as cars slow down to see the crowd on 86th and 3rd, some encouraged to stand out of their cars to share their joy with the people on the streets.

Some low rider action to add to the festivities. :)

Last Year til 30.

2009-11-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

On my birthday, I went around and photographed places and people I saw. Here are a things I found...

Visiting the delicious Christina Empress at Rebel, here with lighting guy, Scott.

Fishmarket, Chinatown.

Many street vendors, like this one, are family-run. This one is located on Canal and Mulberry, and sells yummy Chinese cakes that are a popular snack these days.

Ruby helping her father with the Chinese cakes business.

Chinatown, Manhattan.

This wonderful lady works at the street vendor right outside the Canal/Centre Street train station. They sell amazing fishball kebobs, chicken kebobs, flavorful fried chicken, noodles, and fried rice. $2.00 can get you a long way.

I had to stop this guy and take a picture of his shirt. Hehe.

Maggie, mother of Shawn, Shanna, and Symone, on ACE to Crown Heights.

A boy sleeps on his mother's warm lap.

! What?!

2009-11-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

Jamilla El-Shafei, an amazing community activist, chose my photo of her to be her profile picture on Michael Moore's blog!

*sigh*

Maybe one day I'll get to meet him, he's very easily one of my biggest heroes.

Cheater (Re: Bloomberg.)

2009-11-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

I took the union workers' Bloomberg flyers and threw them in the trash next to a pretty Naked juice bottle. And while in the grand scheme of things, I probably didn't do much, I was still able to demonstrate to the union workers that it doesn't take much to disobey orders and make a political statement at the same time.

Also, I was able to take this pretty picture of Bloomberg being in the trash. Immature, obnoxious, annoying? Yeah, maybe. But definitely conscious, which I think above all, is more important.

The image above demonstrate Bloomberg's sneaky tactics to hoard more votes (much like Obama's "working families" and Democrat options). When you have billions of dollars, you can do stuff like that. Thompson and Bloomberg's two name listings were to the farthest left, which, in this country, we read beginning at the left side, while socialist candidates were all to the far right. Perhaps this is the order of voting booths, to stick Democrats and Republicans first, but really? How fair is that? And of course, if you read my earlier post, Frances' name didn't even appear at some voting booths. Please, don't try to convince me that it was just an accident. They wouldn't have made that same mistake with Thompson or Bloomberg.

My vote for Frances!

Frances Villar came in with over 3,500 votes, which is the most any socialist mayoral candidate has gotten since the early 1980s. The work, outreach, political message was well worth it. The working class will awaken and when we become conscious, our movement will be unstoppable, because we are the nuts and bolts of this country. There's just too many of us, and too little of them.

Our bank accounts may have smaller numbers, but our shit doesn't stink any less than Bloomberg's (and with the way he is aging, I'm sure we eat more beautiful-er than him :) ). Our passion for life and living could never be outshined by dollar signs.

Congratulations to the PSL for a job well done, and I am honored to have been a volunteer in your movement.

A Democratic Right.

2009-11-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Frances Villar, 2009 NYC Mayoral Candidate, and the Party for Socialism & Liberation, standing in solidarity with LGBT peeps at this year's PRIDE Parade.

I was a bit behind on my emails, but today when I caught up I found this newsletter from the PSL, who has been working their tails off on Frances Villar's mayoral campaign. Apparently, she didn't show up on the ballot in a few spots.

Here's what the e-newsletter said:

"Don’t let them steal our vote!

Vote Frances Villar!
Socialism and Liberation

In a massive effort, tens of thousands of Frances Villar flyers demanding “Put Poor and Working People First!” are going out across the city. Volunteers across the poorest neighborhoods of the city are reporting a good response with people excited to vote for a candidate who will stand up to the city’s billionaires.

The Frances Villar for Mayor campaign has received several reports of going to the polls and receiving ballots that did not have Frances’s name! If you encounter any difficulty, please send a report with all details, including the polling place, to nyc@VotePSL.org or call 212-694-8762.

A voter from the Bronx reported, "It was around 7:50 am when I went to vote at the 143rd St Community Center and there was a "problem" with the polls: Frances's name wasn't there. After I protested about her name not being on the ballot, they told me, 'she probably didn't make it on.' I knew that was wrong and kept telling them that Frances is supposed to be on the ballot. Finally, they got out the paper ballots -- and her name was there."

“The attempt to try to silence the voice of poor and working people is a crime and a slap in the face of democracy,” charged PSL campaign co-coordinator Yenica Cortes. “We will challenge any attempt to commit fraud against us in the courts and in the streets.”

PSL volunteers collected 14,000 signatures in two weeks in July, more than twice the number required to get on the ballot. The France Villar campaign was the first independent candidate to file petitions, and is supposed to appear on Column F, immediately after the parties registered in New York State.

“The billionaires and ruling elite in this city might try to silence me, but it won’t work,” France Villar said. “This campaign is about fighting back.”

Call the New York City Board of Elections (212) 487-2170 and tell them that we will not allow this fraud to go unchallenged.

There is still time to vote! Don’t let them silence our voice!

Vote Frances Villar * Socialism and Liberation"

Regardless of whether or not you support the socialist cause is aside from the issue. This country is a Democratic Republic, meaning that it is run by a government that is for and by the people. If a legitimate mayoral candidate is shut out of the debates and not showing up on ballots, how can this country be called a democracy? The point is is that it is not. If you want to run as a politician, your bank account, race, class, and gender matter. Hence all the old rich, white men who run for office and win.

Last night I bumped into more Union workers (it was a wood-worker's union) who were handing out Bloomberg flyers even though they definitely did not support him. Again, I took their flyers for them and threw them in the trash. I'm seeing more and more of a "cool" callousness and carelessness in our community that is widespread and dangerous - if you are only concerned with your everyday life and not much outside that circle, what role will you play in society? Some people say, "Oh, I don't vote." Whether they realize it or not, their inaction becomes a part of a mass movement of inaction across the country. If we can only extend our consciousness to what is in our world and with only the people who we care about in it, and we don't recognize and respect the existence and quality of life of others, then who will stand up for us when a crisis reaches our front door?

I am proud that I pulled the lever for Frances. It feels good on my conscience that I voted for an alternative who will stand up to bankers and billionaires and represent the true working class of New York City. When people ask me why I voted for Frances, I know exactly what to tell them, and it won't be, "Oh well, I voted for the lesser of two evils."

Here are a few slideshows from the mayoral campaign:
Frances Villar for Mayor, at Grand Concourse, Bronx:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157619413761866/show

Frances Villar for Mayor, at Fulton Street Mall, Brooklyn:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157620805377370/show

Frances Villar for Mayor, at the PRIDE Parade, slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157620677609581/show

RATS! The greater of the two evils won...

2009-11-04T11:41:00.001-08:00

Well. Bloomberg won, which totally rains on my parade. I'm not sure why, because if Thompson would have won, it would have been the same thing. I'm sure mayoral control of the schools would continue.

I took a few photos from last night's flyering at Broadway Junction, but have not edited the photos yet.

So, until then I'm putting a cute picture up of Nico, my beloved German Shepherd/Doberman Pinscher mix. You can see the rest of his set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622689959652/

Marathons and Werewolves.

2009-11-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

This will have to be a quick blog, although I hate to rush posts. I'm about to head out of work to volunteer flyering for PSL's Mayoral Candidate, Frances Villar @ Broadway Junction (find out more about her at http://www.votepsl.org). I'll be documenting that, so I'm looking forward to it.

This past weekend was filled with activities including Chicken Grinding, Werewolf scares, and documenting misled marathon runners.

I had the privilege of taking two of my students to the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village. Unfortunately, it was a bit rained out, but the kids still had fun. I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked because I was supervising the whole time, but I did get a few of the kids documenting the parade themselves, which was great. I love watching kids with cameras -- getting them started early with visual expression is a goal of mine, which hopefully one day I will get to see the fruition of my efforts.

To protect their identities I'm only posting photos of the kids that have an unidentifiable quality to them.

Sunday morning while doing laundry I realized that the NYC marathon was happening right on my block, so I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. I got this one shot of an old man in a batman mask wearing a, "Barack Obama, President Forever," jersey. Must be inspired by, "Batman Forever," or something like that. Anyway, I know it's unpopular to dislike Barack, but I have more reasons than one to not be in his fan club. Not standing up for the Palestinian is enough reason for me to dislike a politician, but his stance on the escalating wars in the Middle East, Education, charter schools, and merit pay for teachers (and wanting us to work on Saturdays?!) is enough for me to use a photo of him for dart practice.

Enjoy.

J. utilizing her point-and-shoot as a video camera during the Halloween Parade so she can show her family back at home.

I. pretending his Coke bottle is the steer to his ship. Halloween, 2009.

I was jealous of this baby's costume.

Scary werewolf that almost made me scream. :-O

A somewhat daunting message...shouldn't it be a wonderful thing, rather than something threatening? Subway, Halloween, 2009.

Chick & pals!

Enthused Batman Barack-Lover.

Families sit at the sidelines on 4th Avenue and 86th Street in Bay Ridge to cheer on the marathon runners.

Sitting, eating a severed foot.

2009-10-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last year I got a bucket of eyeballs for my students, but this year they only had packages of various body parts. And also, candy costed a million dollars this year.

I'm exhausted after a long "Character Day" at work. I spent most of the day face painting. By the end of the day I was speed-face painting, lol. Right now I'm literally falling asleep at the computer. But, I have to blog, I made a vow. Lol.

This weekend it looks like I'm going to photograph some of the Halloween Parade, which should be fun. Might see some severed body parts.

Anyway, here are a few photos from today of the little faces I painted on.

VERITAS

2009-10-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of photographing my old friend Thai's rock band, VERITAS, an "operatic" Seattle-based rock band consisting of three lovely females and two Asian boys with mohawks. Not only are they aesthetically yummy, but their music is pretty awesome too ;). You can check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/veritasband

You can also check out my growing set of them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622543085625/

This particular photo I'm fairly proud of. The night and lighting was just perfect for experimentation. I felt like a director, and liked it. :) I hope to do more creative work with artists like VERITAS to explore more visual concepts.

Frances Villar for NYC Mayor!

2009-10-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Frances' two adorable babies, Justin and Jana.

Jana posing with my keffiyah.

Danny ripping up an LGBT supports Bloomberg sign, because we know conscious LGBT peeps know Bloomberg's a wormy little bastard.

Frances posing with Danny at NYC PRIDE, 2009.

Frances speaking at a PSL Socialism Conference in DC.

To counter my Bloomberg post, I thought I'd go ahead and talk about PSL (Party for Socialism & Liberation)'s mayoral candidate, Frances Villar. Frances is an Afro-Latina from the Bronx who is a young, single mother of two beautiful children, a student, and a community activist who stands up against Obama's wars, stands in solidarity with Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Honduras, and the rest of the international working class. She rejects capitalism, colonial-type wars, zionism, and evil private corporations that like to suck dry natural resources of our country and others while profiting off of them. Basically, she kicks ass.

You can read/find out more about Frances at: http://www.votepsl.org.

I had the honorable opportunity to photograph her over the summer and help collect signatures for the campaign, so I'll post a few photos that I took. Also, when you go into vote on November 3rd, be sure to check the ballot for her name, and if you're a supporter, go ahead and vote for her. NYC Councilman Charles Baron (who I have also had the privilege of photographing) supports Frances, and so do I!

Bloomberg in Bay Ridge

2009-10-29T16:20:00.001-07:00

So a few weeks ago, Bloomberg appeared in my neighborhood. I was literally in the middle of doing my laundry when I noticed that we had a street fair here in Bay Ridge.

So, I was like, "Eh, whatever..we have street fairs all the time," and then I saw like a swarm of people around one person, and then I saw his face, and literally, my stomach turned.

He had a distasteful yellow shirt on, and a dinosaur for a face..yes, it was indeed, our billionaire of a mayor who has nothing in common with the people of NYC, who continues to serve the interests of the rich, and the Zionists, who went to fxxking Israel after the attacks on Gaza a year ago to defend Israel, whose mayoral control of the public schools has suffocated both students and teachers, forcing our hands to prep kids for culturally-specific exams, and setting us all up for failure..but oh look, what great colors he chose for his campaign...Let me, the responsible American, go vote for him because his team put together such great color schemes and not at all be aware of what he really does for NYC and it's people...Yes, I'm a bit angry and bitter.

So, when I saw him, I had mixed feelings..should I grab my camera or not? I figured I'd take the opportunity, so I went back home and grabbed my camera.

I held onto these photos because I wasn't sure what to do with them, because it's pretty obvious how much I hate Bloomberg.

So, I thought I'd just attach my opinion to them, just to make sure people know how I feel.

Bloomberg = Asshole (Zionist Pig)

View set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622523506917/

The Secure Man.

2009-10-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm glad my buddies Eddie and Jinnette can be my models for this photo. The body language (more specifically her arm on his lap) communicates to me a man who is secure enough about himself to be in a relationship with a strong and dominant woman. Looking back in my past relationships I realize all but one of my exes were intimidated by me, and the one that wasn't was truly able to love me fully and was in fact a self-proclaimed feminist.

At a PSL fundraiser party this past weekend I had the privilege of catching up with some old friends from ANSWER Coalition, one of the largest and most left (if not the most) Anti-War organizations in the nation. This is a shot of who I like to refer to as the Original Eddie Pages (posing with a Che ANSWER banner), who is ANSWER's unofficial videographer. You can see more of him at http://www.youtube.com/eddiepages.

These lovely ladies are also a part of PSL and ANSWER. The NYC PSL branch just keeps getting better and better looking, lol.
This was outside around 1AM in Inwood Heights right before we started getting into an argument with some sexist street mo'fo's who referred to women as "broads and bitches," and felt that we were failing our significant others by being out on the street for a cigarette break. Luckily there was a fence between us and them, otherwise I think we would have had to resort to some serious nut-crushing.

See the rest of these party pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622549946089/

On The Train

2009-10-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

I have began a few sets on my Flickr Account, which I will be posting links to on a regular basis. I get overwhelmed with photos sometimes and the storage of it is a bit confusing. I hardly ever feel secure in where I store them. In the last two years my Mac has crashed on me twice resulting in some devastating losses.

This particular photo is a favorite that I took this weekend off the Myrtle Avenue stop in Bushwick on the J train. Notice the little white pup the man on the left is holding. I have a strong interest showing a realistic perspective of the NYC subway culture, and how commuters from this city function in general. There are so many commuters in this city, and we're forced to share space in such small spaces in such an overwhelmingly large city. New Yorkers have to be clever with the way they carry their belongings, like this man with his bestfriend.

On The Trains Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanissa/sets/72157622677869146/

The First Post.

2009-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of one of my students that I took on a field trip two days ago to see Where The Wild Things Are. There's a lot to be said about the photo: the background advertisement with the writing, my student with his eyes covered by his hands and his gesturing hands with the toy...I like that his eyes are covered and yet the photo still displays the subject so intimately. It's very clear he is having quite an imaginative moment with his toy.

This is my first post. I feel like I should have a drumroll or something, but seriously, I've been meaning to photo blog my work for awhile now, and have finally buckled down to do it. So, I guess I should have a drumroll just to mark this epochal event, heheh. Use your imagination.................drumroll.................................!

I'm not sure what's supposed to happen now, but thanks for reading my first post, and visit often, because I'm taking photos nearly everyday like a crazy person. And, I probably have something to say for each photo I take.