Quick hello!

A quick hello and update on stuff...

Hello.

OK, well ,it was nice to have a few days off work this week, although the weather turned a little for the worse, it was just nice to sit back with my lovely ladies and just forget about stuff. I didn't actually get anything productive done, but I did end up watching more films than I probably have in the last 20 years. We took out Netflix to try, and it has actually been very good so far.

A friend of mine through Twitter sent me a Jeff Bauman wristband. Most people have to ask what it represents, but I am happy to explain or point to my previous posts to show why I wear it.

Updates regarding my twitter wars (!), the last couple of weeks have been quite nasty again, with people still quoting ridiculously badly made videos and pixelly photographs. Some of the comments just recently have been nothing short of despicable, but thankfully we've managed to silence a lot of them with either simple facts or simple talking downs...

Aside from that, nothing much to report. I've been gathering some facts for some more posts, and collecting some photos and stuff so I hope to write about some different things. I also have some new things to moan about, so I shall get them off my chest in due course.

So, I'll be back again soon!

An overdue recap on the Boston bombings, victims and slander, how good (and bad) people can be, and my role as an activist (phew!)

In April, my last blog (I know...!), I wrote about my personal feelings regarding one of the many victims at the Boston bombings, Jeff Bauman. More on that later. Now, I return with the longest blog title ever seen, and some stunning, often chilling observations.

What I'm writing about today, is both verging on the unbelievable, the disturbing and the downright infuriating. In the time since I wrote my last piece, many issues have come to light. Social media has become both a blessing, and at times a hateful, spiteful place. You see, there are groups of people that really do believe that the bombings in Boston, the victims and the terrorists are all fake, staged and the work of the US government.

Conspiracy theories are as old as the hills, and come hand in hand with pretty much any major event or atrocity worldwide. Pearl Harbo(u)r was staged. The Apollo missions were an elaborate hoax. You name it, someone has questioned it, no matter how irrational it may seem. Boston has been no different, and maybe because of my own personal views, it has been magnified like a pinhead at 150x. It seems that for every ten people with sound minds realise what an awful thing happened, there's one that doubts. But not doubts - they swear they are right, convinced they have irrefutable proof of victims being actors, or the bombers being innocent...at times, it's been tough viewing. (At other times it's been farcically surreal.)

I read with bewilderment about how the whole incident was staged, and every photo you saw of injured people was all a big hoax. Those horrific wounds you might have seen? Make-up. Missing limbs? They were already amputees, hired by authorities to make it look 'real'. I kid you not. YouTube videos popped up everywhere, with chilling stills festooned with red circles pointing out the elements of hoax, overlaid with tense synthesizer music.

You can stop laughing - these people are serious - stay with me here.

I think every element, every person there has been analyzed to a saturation point. All based on varying quality jpegs and ropey timelapsed videos. And so it went on. I observed for a few more days, until I couldn't help but start to respond to these people. Especially when they slandered victims. So, I set up a secondary twitter account, and became something of an activist for the innocent people. I wanted to stop these people and their lies; I'm sure many victims may have used twitter and I didn't think it was right that they might well come across such slander.

So I began to reply. Reservedly at first, with simply replies like 'you're wrong here', or 'please think about what you tweet' etc. But this was either ignored or mocked. I was accused of being close minded, 'conditioned by the media, shampooed by the government'. (They like that one a lot.) I engaged with many people who obsessed with looking for 'proofs' of the whole thing being a false flag. I've had sickening, sad photos thrown at me with captions of 'explain this, then'. I've seen laughable photographic 'evidence' using Photoshop skills in line with an eight year old on Microsoft Paint. I've even been accused of being a paid FBI agent, out to quell all naysayers. But this isn't laughable. This isn't merely impressionable young people being influenced by adults who really should know better. It's all down to something even more unbelievable to be really, quite worrying about the influences of social media at it's very worst. I shall explain this, in a second. For now, here are some genuine examples of tweets I've faced recently.

You get the picture, and I'm sure you'll agree, it's far from pretty. I could share literally hundreds, but they all boil down to much the same conclusions and speculations. So the reason for a lot of these fake-cryers? Their support for the bombing suspects. They firmly believe the Tsarnaev brothers are innocent pawns in a bigger government game, and that they were set up. Because of their relatively young years, it's perhaps almost understandable that a lot of teenage girls may well find the thought of 'bad boys' attractive. This form of hybristophilia is by no means uncommon, but social media can add much fuel to an already high octane situation. Just search twitter with the #freejahar hashtag, and you'll see the craziness I see every day.

I've watched this whole thing as it's played out, sometimes in the thick of it, sometimes as an observer. There's no doubt that a lot of young (and not so young) people have been completely sucked into this belief. Easily led, naturally rebellious youngsters have hopped onto a bandwagon, all part of a cast that you just couldn't script. The wannabe rap 'artist' who gathered thousands of followers by claiming he knew and supported the suspects...the creepy conspiracy theorists, living in their basements to avoid the chemtrails that brainwash the rest of us into believing government hoaxes...the countless teenagers, who cry out against the government, yet hide their accounts from their parents...and then, there are the good people. The people who have the morals and respect to go to much greater lengths than I have to protect the dignity of those truly affected. I have become acquainted with many over the last couple of months, and it's been wonderful to help these people, however small that help might have been, to highlight and confront warped minds. These people have received threats, abuse and continual fights with being reported as 'haters' - something they really are not. They just believe in what's right, as I do, and I shall continue to do what I can to get these mindless few off their soapboxes. I guess, I'm living out the person I wish I could be sometimes, fearless, almost outspoken. It's a good and productive way to let off steam.

So, the battle goes on; and whereas many would think it's better to just leave it be, or walk away from such crackpots, I can't right now. And, for as long as it takes, I won't.

Now, as promised some thought pertaining to my last entry. I sent Jeff his drawing, and I wrote a short letter wishing him well etc. I didn't want to harp on about the obvious, so I tried to make it humorous, respectful and to just say I understood that my letter was one of thousands he may see, but my well wishes were not to be diluted by that.

The response from my last blog was heartening, because it echoed a lot of people's thoughts (the good people, of course.) I received a lot of good feedback from that article, which was more than I expected.

And, if you haven't followed Jeff's story and recovery like I have, there are some articles out there that are far better than I can write. This one is one of the best. Needless to say, the man has been through an awful lot, but continues to be an example of what bravery, resolve and support can achieve. And that's the sort of thing that I've been defending the last couple of months. 

My next blog, I promise, will be something less dramatic. and I will not leave it so long again (hey, I've been busy being a goodie!) - although if you're interested, I'll keep you updated with how my battles have been going...

I'm desensitised to things I see on the internet...oh, wait, no I'm not.

First of all, record reviews, updates on my new retro finds and other malarkey have been on hold for a while. I'll be back to those sometime soon.

A strange thing happened to me this week. The Boston bombings happened shortly before I left for work, and so I couldn't really keep up with the news much, other than I knew it was bad. As best as I could, by listening to the radio in the car radio and it's vague reporting on the way to work, or checking my phone at opportune moments. 

News was streaming in at an astonishing rate, and sometimes with astonishing inaccuracies - but obviously you don't know this at the time - and was flooding my social media streams. Shortly after arriving at work, and just before phoning home as I always do to check in as safe (!), I flicked through my Facebook timeline to see if there was any more news. 

In some ways, I wish I hadn't. A couple of friends had posted nothing else but graphic photos of injured, maimed people - posted possibly before these people even made it to hospital. I was actually angry. Was this to shock? Was it necessary? If I'd have come across these pictures, would my first instinct be to share them on Facebook, on Twitter? Not at all. I was shocked. Even a little upset if I'm honest. I was upset that people were clearly in a bad way, yet someone was poking a camera at them. I was upset that they could have been helping rather than snapping, filming. One or two pictures really bothered me. I had a troubled shift at work all night thinking about the photos and the people in them.

When I got home in the morning, I spoke to my wife about what I'd seen and how I felt. And she made me think, as she said that the photos are a necessary evil to an extent, no matter how bad something is, it still needs to be shown so that we all know how atrocious something may be. I could see her reasoning. I went to bed, still troubled, still thinking about the pictures I'd looked at that night.

Which begs the next question. Why did I look? Ok, when scrolling down your Facebook there's no warning about what will appear further down the page. Twitter hashtags for any news make photos a little easier to avoid, but not always. But it's a human trait isn't it? If we see a car accident on the motorway, we rubberneck and try to see a glimpse. You know you shouldn't look, but you can't help it. 'Grisly photo of bomb victim - WARNING' - yet your mouse hover over the link. Your finger ready to tap that address on the touchscreen. Your curiosity takes over - you know that you're more than likely going to reel back with a wince once you see it. 

But you still click.

I did, and have suffered for it. I'm not particularly squeamish of photographs (real life may be different), but what I saw really did bother me. Because it was real. It was visceral, full on and utterly shocking. I even felt a little queasy. But I kept looking, taking in the photograph, trying to desensitise myself to the horror on my screen.

I'm not going to show the photos of course, and I'm sure you've seen them, most certainly one. I'm not going to describe them either. I saw a lot of pictures that Tuesday. I didn't want to, but my ridiculously disobedient curiosity took me further, link to link. But aside from the shock, I also realised I was genuinely upset. And that is why I think I was bothered for the days that followed.

The main photo of course, was that of the man in the wheelchair who's legs had been destroyed. It was the first picture I saw, and the one I kept looking at. Once I'd got over the shocking graphic of the injuries, I looked further. Reasoned with the picture. It was almost iconic of the terrible thing that had happened. I felt bad for the man. Terribly sad. Straight away, I wanted to see if the man was ok, as far as he could be. I couldn't find much mention, just people posting the picture all over the place. I could accept this by now, but for some reason I needed to know if he was ok. Eventually, I found an article written just a few hours before I started looking, with a report that the man was obviously very poorly, but actually in a stable condition. I dug further, scanning the news reports and tweets. This led to me a page on Reddit, apparently posted from one of the man's friends, updating on his status also. Reading through the thread, there were some links to other photographs from the moments immediately after the bomb blast, and, maybe foolishly, my curiosity once again got the better of me and I opened a couple of the links. The photos were brutal, more shocking than the news photographer's picture. These were raw pictures of death and suffering, as it happened and because of their snapshot style, hit perhaps harder than any Canon EOS wielding pro could ever achieve. I'm not going to describe these pictures, other than to say that again, I was disturbed for a while, then shocked, then sad. I viewed them with a morbid, disgusted curiosity, and I was angry at myself for it. I wished there was something I could do, but then, I guessed did thousands of others.

The next day or two was kind of strange. I woke up thinking about not only the horrible images, but also of the man in them. My conscience was in turmoil about the ethics of photos like this being released. I spoke to my wife about my concerns, and she again convinced me of their relevance. She's good at that, and it's one of the things I love about her.

But I still was thinking constantly about Jeff Bauman Jr. The man who had had his photo splashed all over the world because he had been so badly injured, and had been captured in such a graphic way. 

Here is a story on Mr. Bauman Jr. that appeared the day after. (No graphic images on the page)
http://www.ibtimes.com/meet-jeff-bauman-boston-bombing-victim-graphic-wheelchair-photo-now-stable-condition-1196493#

Around the same time, a fund was set up to raise money for the horrendous medical bills that come with a stay in hospital in America. At the time, just a few hours in, almost $20,000 had already been raised. At the time of writing, the fund is at $220,000. 
And yes, I donated. I didn't think about it, just a small amount because I felt moved to. Again, it's hard to explain. But I wanted to, even by putting a few dollars into that fund, know that maybe I might have helped buy some medicine, or a bandage. Anything. And I felt so much better, better with myself because I had been annoyed at myself for looking at the pictures in the first place, and better because I might just have helped this young man, even in the smallest way. That's not self righteous, or indulgent, I genuinely felt good.

Which once more bought me back to the ethics of being able to see photos like the ones I saw. Had I not seen any of this, kept away from it and blocked the horror from my phone, computer or whatever...I may not have ever made that donation. So, in some uneasy way, I'm glad I saw the pictures. They moved me to do something. 
On the other hand, it's very difficult to imagine the effect the photos might have on the family and friends of Jeff Bauman Jr. They are never going to want to see them. Yet, the internet will forever show pictures of Jeff in that wheelchair, because it's almost been adopted as the iconic image of the atrocity. I just hope that they have the decency to censor them appropriately in the future.

Edit

Since I wrote much of this, I'm glad to say that Jeff's condition has continued to improve, and further articles written are giving more of his story. The fund has reached over $300,000 and is still going strong. And I have been in contact with his official support page, who said he'd 'absolutely love' a drawing of a Boston sports team.
I'm pretty sure I can manage that...
and, I wish Jeff all the best in his recuperation.




Here's some links which (should) be free of graphic images, but help tell the story better than I possibly could - if you haven't read them already.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/bomb-victim-helped-id-suspects-hospital-bed-article-1.1321582 - how Jeff Bauman helped identify the Boston bombers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/16/carlos-arredondo-hero-boston-marathon - The story about the man that saved Jeff Bauman's life, Carlos Arredondo.

http://www.gofundme.com/BucksforBauman - Fundraising page.

https://www.facebook.com/supportjeffandfamily - Facebook support page.


My very last word.
For the conspiracy theorists, the people that have said that this is all fake, including Jeff's injuries - ask yourself, would you tell him or his family, to their faces that it was fake? I very much doubt it. And how anyone could think like this, try and profit from things like this and exploit things like this - well, I've found out in the last few days that it angers me a lot - and I am far from an angry person. 
Hopefully, I'll have something nicer to report next time.

It's been so long, again.

It's been so long...again! My plans to be writing were waylaid by 101 other things, NOW I am truly blogging again (especially since I found out I can do it on the go, on my phone!)

Here's what I plan to talk about this week:

'Record Review' - A regular feature, this will take a critical look at the musical works of my favourite artists. I have my first one just about ready, in my head. I just need one more listen...

'Retro Review' - Not so much a review, but a piece on a game or gaming system I like(d). 

Plus, lots of rambling about where I live, used to live and my ever growing list of life's frustrations...

For now, from a personal view, at least artistically, I seem to have been heading in a new direction just lately. Partly due to circumstance - my kitchen is really not the most suitable art studio - rather than going through the absolute inconvenience of setting up and packing away whenever I want to do some painting, just recently I have returned to an old love, graphite. There's something very rewarding yet simple about working with a pencil. And it's been quite liberating, no pressure, no expectation, no worrying about using too much of this or that because it costs a fortune to replace...no, it's been very liberating. Just me, some pencils and a cartridge pad. It works well for all of us at Tearle Towers. And of course, the output is higher. Three drawings in four days work? Nice. And I didn't skimp with the smudgy stumps either. So, for now I'm strictly pencil. And doing lots of different subjects that I probably wouldn't touch in colour. Here's the latest:

I really did enjoy every minute of this, even the agony of creating that black background. There'll be more of this sort of thing I can tell you.


What do you mean, is it Beyonce?

Long time no see!

Having had absolutely no time recently to even write the simplest of blogs, I thought I'd write a small entry today just to show that I am still here and back to blogging again. Besides, I don't think there's a rule for how much you have to blog...is there?

So I have no particular subject today, just a general 'I'm back' post. I have however, been thinking of some things to blog about in the coming entries and have lots to write about. As ever, some will be of interest, some will be of no interest to anyone but myself (probably), and some will be completely random (likely).

Anyway, it's nice to be writing again, and to be back on here :-)