Check out my new online portfolio
Finally sold a photograph! This has inspired me to put together a more extensive online portfolio, as well as to work on new images. Here are a few.
Read More
Sat - January 10, 2009
Flame War Survival Guide
This humorous piece that explains a lot
about what it means to be a flame warrior and why we see so much of it in the
comment sections of the online
newspaper.
Keep an eye out for people who do this, and try my tips posted at the end. (Originally posted on Random Acts of Love II- my D&C blog.)
Keep an eye out for people who do this, and try my tips posted at the end. (Originally posted on Random Acts of Love II- my D&C blog.)
Posted at 02:37 PM Read More
Fri - January 9, 2009
Good news is no news: How the news distorts city life (redux)
Why I love the City of Rochester in spite
of all its problems.
Posted at 10:09 AM Read More
Thu - January 1, 2009
Poverty and Cultural Capital: why some poor make better choices than others
This post came out of a discussion on the
19th Ward Yahoo group about why we have such a persistent problem with trash and
disrespect for other people's property. One poster suggested hopelessness --
deriving from poverty -- as an explanation (though not excuse). Another talked
about mind sets, noting that a person who is happy and a person who is depressed
will look at the same sunrise and see it completely
differently.
As one who conquered 15 years of major clinical depression, I know what hopelessness feels like. I also know what it feels like to come out of that condition. And I have some sense of what it takes.
As one who conquered 15 years of major clinical depression, I know what hopelessness feels like. I also know what it feels like to come out of that condition. And I have some sense of what it takes.
Posted at 03:26 PM Read More
Wed - December 31, 2008
Without Hope, Change is Impossible (Re-Post for the New Year)
I wrote this on my blog on the Democrat
& Chronicle pages. Since I know the reader-interactive pages are not
google-able, I am also posting it here. This is about a 48 year-old Iowa
farmwoman, who as a freshman at the University of Iowa had much to teach me as a
graduate student.
NOTE: I reposted this because my original D&C weblog is no longer accessible, thanks to the piranhas and their feeding frenzies.
NOTE: I reposted this because my original D&C weblog is no longer accessible, thanks to the piranhas and their feeding frenzies.
Posted at 03:42 AM Read More
Tue - December 30, 2008
Here we go again!
"Taxed" (aka "Stinks") finds another
excuse to trash the 19th Ward
Posted at 10:05 AM Read More
Fri - December 26, 2008
Unrepentant Scrooge Strikes Against The Beloved Community
“TaxeduptheWazoo” is at it
again, back under the new identity
“RochesterStinks.”
Please contact D&C editorial page editor Jim Lawrence with your thoughts about this man and his “contributions” to reproducing the very culture that The Beloved Community AND, supposedly, the D&C, is attempting to fight:
jlawrenc@democratandchronicle.com
Please contact D&C editorial page editor Jim Lawrence with your thoughts about this man and his “contributions” to reproducing the very culture that The Beloved Community AND, supposedly, the D&C, is attempting to fight:
jlawrenc@democratandchronicle.com
Posted at 01:09 PM Read More
Wed - December 24, 2008
Neighborhood Peacewalkers
Had to cut my talk before City Council
last night down to 2.5 minutes because there were so many others there to speak.
No time to sing my Peacewalker's anthem. Maybe we'll do this in January. Maybe
I'll get a whole group together to sing!
Anyway, this is the longer version I would have given if there had been time, plus my Peacewalker Anthem handout I want to post around the city wherever Ii can.
Anyway, this is the longer version I would have given if there had been time, plus my Peacewalker Anthem handout I want to post around the city wherever Ii can.
Posted at 09:19 AM Read More
Mon - December 22, 2008
My Perfect Day: Part 3 -- Finishing Up
Monday, Dec. 22, I had an astonishingly
perfect day -- this is Part 3
Posted at 08:56 AM Read More
My Perfect Day: Part 2 -- Walking in the 'Hood
Monday, Dec. 22, I had an astonishingly
PERFECT day! This is Part 2
Posted at 08:53 AM Read More
My PERFECT day!!! Three Parts: Part 1 -- Picture Taking and Christmas Shopping
Monday, Dec. 22, I had an astonishingly
PERFECT day! This is Part 1
Posted at 08:33 AM Read More
Fri - December 19, 2008
VENT!!!!
Venting about the very bad day I
had...but be sure to read my next post about my PERFECT day a couple of days
later!!!
Posted at 08:27 AM Read More
Sat - December 13, 2008
Support The Beloved Community AND your friend Georgia
Help support a wonderful cause and me at the same time! Your donation to the Beloved Community will pay for me to work on developing a website for the organization and other professional communications tasks as needed.
Posted at 02:43 PM Read More
Sun - August 31, 2008
My Grief, My Grief: Homicide at Maxwell & Ellicott Streets
A response to a homicide and shooting at
Ellicott and Maxwell Streets in Rochester, NY. I used to own a beautiful home
one house away from that intersection on Ellicott Street. I am deeply saddened
by these events and what they represent in terms of an escalation of violence in
our community.
Posted at 06:53 PM Read More
Wed - August 27, 2008
The Beloved Community is Coming...Restoring Our Streets in Which to Dwell
Since November 15, 2006, in response to
what I felt to be a deep calling, I have been on the steering committee for a
grassroots, faith-based organization that has called itself the Coalition for
Community Standards. A project of the Greater Rochester Community of Churches,
Faith Community Alliance, and Baptist Ministers Alliance, and comprised of
members from a wide variety of churches in the Rochester area, we are using the
research we did through our community forums on violence last year to develop a
campaign we hope will enable the community we love to become a truly Beloved
Community.
We are calling this "The Beloved Community is Coming...Restoring Streets in Which to Dwell"
Posted at 01:55 AM Read More
Sun - June 22, 2008
Two-Hour bike tour (with photos) of my beautiful city
Ok, I'm BACK. I know I've been away a
while. Here are some photos I took yesterday on my bike ride. I rode down to
Genesee Valley Park then up the river trail to the Pont de Rennes Bridge. Long
ride, but beautiful stuff seen along the way!
Posted at 03:04 PM Read More
Fri - April 11, 2008
My Bad: Pointing out Gannett's Cookie Cutter online format
A version of this was posted earlier
today in my D&C weblog. Within an hour it was deleted. I guess there are
certain things you can't do on your D&C blog. One of them is you can't
criticize Gannett.
Posted at 02:48 PM Read More
Thu - April 10, 2008
Suburban and rural drug abuse not reported locally
While middle-class suburbanites feel smug
over their low homicide rates compared to urban areas, the drug-related deaths
and devastated lives on their own streets are hidden behind closed
doors.
Posted at 03:17 PM Read More
Mon - April 7, 2008
Blighted Neighborhoods: coming to your doorstep thanks to lending practices
Wide-scale bad decisions impact
everyone, not just the fools who made them. Whether or not taxpayers bail out
the people who fell for the sub-prime mortgage schemes (and the banking industry
that promoted them), everyone will pay for this fiasco. (Also a D&C blog
post).
Posted at 01:19 PM Read More
Sat - April 5, 2008
What could happen if Zero Tolerance Works
Another from my D&C Blog: I've had a
fascinating internet romp today. Chanced upon several news articles and other
publications noting the surge of gang activity in suburban towns -- attributed,
in large part, to successful police crackdowns on crime in the nearby
cities.
Hey, I think I've hit on something. If these articles are any indication, if the RPD is successful in cracking down on violent crime and drug dealing in the city, why it just might move out to the burbs.
Hey, I think I've hit on something. If these articles are any indication, if the RPD is successful in cracking down on violent crime and drug dealing in the city, why it just might move out to the burbs.
Posted at 10:45 PM Read More
Tue - April 1, 2008
System vs. Choice: a view from the trenches
This essay was declined for publication
by the Democrat and Chronicle because in the process of submitting it I
mentioned that I happened to have sent a version of it to Rochester Police Chief
David Moore. Supposedly anything you write has to be "exclusive" -- never mind
that one's creative processes do not always work that way. Originally I was
afraid to have this published by the paper, but I gained courage after
discussing my ideas with people on the 19th Ward Yahoo Group. What I have
learned from this is this: never tell an editor anything about the process
behind your work.
This is about observations of mine from "the trenches" -- living as I do on a street and near an intersection notorious for crime, especially gang activity. I have seen many improvements in the nearly two years I have been here, and especially recently with the stepped-up policing that came with the Zero Tolerance initiative. I am not, as my D&C critics would have it, a "Mary Poppins" blithely unaware of the very real problems in certain neighborhoods, including my own. I decided to publish this despite the fact that it could fuel more of my critics' fire. I decided to publish this because the truth needs to be told, unvarnished. And while we are telling the truth, we need to take note of progress and hopeful signs. As I have argued repeatedly, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
This is about observations of mine from "the trenches" -- living as I do on a street and near an intersection notorious for crime, especially gang activity. I have seen many improvements in the nearly two years I have been here, and especially recently with the stepped-up policing that came with the Zero Tolerance initiative. I am not, as my D&C critics would have it, a "Mary Poppins" blithely unaware of the very real problems in certain neighborhoods, including my own. I decided to publish this despite the fact that it could fuel more of my critics' fire. I decided to publish this because the truth needs to be told, unvarnished. And while we are telling the truth, we need to take note of progress and hopeful signs. As I have argued repeatedly, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Posted at 09:16 AM Read More
Sat - March 29, 2008
Good news is no news: How the news distorts city life
Every day thousands of people in this
city go about their business, resolving conflicts without resorting to
violence, helping out friends and neighbors, doing the right thing. None of that
will make the newspaper. When people get along the way they should, what's
to
report? ...If
your understanding of city life comes from the newspaper, what do you expect you
will see? You will not see the Odis Nicholsons until somebody kills
them.
Posted at 02:08 PM Read More
Another day, another round of sniping at the city
Here we go again. A crime story gets
posted on the D&C online. And someone has to pounce on
that. Eventually the comments turn the story into evidence that the city is a
"sewer."
Posted at 12:16 PM Read More
Sun - March 23, 2008
"Money buys happiness -- if you spend on someone else" (Reuters)
Found this yesterday on the Reuter's news site.
Another of my D&C posts. An answer to why the comment sections in that paper
are so full of people who love to hate not only the poor but working stiffs who
have a hard time making ends meet.
Posted at 11:28 AM Read More
Sat - March 22, 2008
Why there are so many cranks posting to the Democrat & Chronicle reader-interactive pages
Another post from my D&C blog I am
making available here.
Posted at 10:45 AM Read More
Mon - March 17, 2008
A boatload of fun arguing with "oreilly" re: MCC Presidential Search Process
I've just had a boatload of fun arguing
with someone who goes by the handle of "oreilly" on the Democrat and
Chronicle reader-interactive comments section. Well, not
just oreilly, but "originalaveragejoe" and a few others. This is all about the
controversy over the search process for Monroe Community
College .
Posted at 12:02 AM Read More
Sun - March 16, 2008
Urban vs. Suburban: Facts Fly in the Face of Myths
Posted these two pieces on my Democrat
and Chronicle blog and decided to put them here, too. Who knows how
long that blog will be accessible, and besides I think my regular readers would
enjoy these too.
Posted at 12:08 AM Read More
Thu - March 13, 2008
Hope for Rochester Youth Found at City Hall on the Road
A chance meeting with three remarkable
young black teens gives me hope for Rochester's future.
Posted at 11:55 PM Read More
Mon - March 10, 2008
My "Homicides 2006" video on YouTube: the hits keep climbing
Noticed today how the hits on my "Homicides 2006" video on YouTube just keep
climbing. Up to 1,546 as of today. I seem to have touched a lot of people with
this.
Posted at 06:24 PM Read More
Fri - February 29, 2008
Standing up to Street Thugs
Wrote this in response to a column by D&C editorial page editor James
Lawrence in today's paper.
It's about time for black youth to look to the real black celebrities: not the rappers, not the basketball players, not any of those who seem to have no moral compass nor concern for anyone but themselves -- no, the real celebrities are all those amazing people who risked their lives (and in some cases lost them) to fight for civil rights and justice.
It's about time for black youth to look to the real black celebrities: not the rappers, not the basketball players, not any of those who seem to have no moral compass nor concern for anyone but themselves -- no, the real celebrities are all those amazing people who risked their lives (and in some cases lost them) to fight for civil rights and justice.
Posted at 01:15 PM Read More
Sat - February 23, 2008
Me and my big mouth: Catholic Courier story
I didn’t really intend to end up
being the lead and a major source in this reporter’s story in the Catholic
Courier, but I guess she really liked what I said.
Posted at 02:51 PM Read More
About the Author
"Random Acts of Love" is my weblog, but I have numerous other websites you can link to through this blog.
"Random Acts of Love" began in February, 2004, and I have been posting to it fairly steadily ever since, although there are a few months when illness and other issues have kept me away. I write about nearly everything under the sun. I also do a lot of photography and digital art and I teach journalism online. Recently I've also started posting videos to YouTube.
When I am not doing that, I am trouble-shooting Mac computer issues. Oh, yeah. I also do a lot of community activism. (Can anyone say ADD? I call it AEG -- "attention excess gift.")
I hope you enjoy reading what you find here, and that you will respond to the things you like (and argue with me over things you don't!). You can e-mail me directly from the "Feedback" link that is included with every post.
This weblog is provided free of charge. However, if you like what you read here and want to ensure that it stays online, you can make a donation through PayPal below. Or you can go to my giftshop at CafePress.com and purchase my greeting cards, post cards, pillows, mugs, and soon posters and prints.
See also my posts to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reader feedback sections here.
You can also read samples of my creative work and see my photography and artwork on my creative website.
Help Keep This Blog Alive: Donate!
Categories
Quotes
"The difficult I'll do right now
The impossible will take a little while."
-- From "Crazy, He Calls Me"
written by: Bob Russell / Carl Sigman
Sung by Billie Holiday
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all..."
-- Emily Dickinson
"In our sleep, pain, which we cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom, through the awful grace of God.
-- Aeschylus, Agamemnon
-- From "Crazy, He Calls Me"
written by: Bob Russell / Carl Sigman
Sung by Billie Holiday
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all..."
-- Emily Dickinson
"In our sleep, pain, which we cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom, through the awful grace of God.
-- Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Photo Albums and Website Menus
Briar Rose Creations: Image Portfolio
Briar Rose Creations Gift Shop
News Photos
Family Photos
Friendly Photos
News Photos
Beautiful Things
Biking Blog Entries
Slide Shows and iMovies
Archives
Web Rings
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Subscribe to this blog using XML/RSS Feed
Miscellaneous Stuff
Miscellaneous
Recommended Blogs
I have just begun this feature. Come back later for more. For now, check out this one (mentioned first in this entry):
North Coast Cafe
Contentious (Amy Gahran)
Visitor Statistics
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Published On: Jan 10, 2009 02:44 PM
Published On: Jan 10, 2009 02:44 PM