#Virginia Event Photographers

[eventphotojour]

What Makes Maryland Event Photographers Stand Out?

When it comes to capturing life’s most memorable events, the expertise of a skilled photographer can make all the difference. In Virginia and Maryland, event photographers are celebrated for their ability to transform fleeting moments into timeless keepsakes. From weddings to corporate gatherings, milestone birthdays to charity galas, these professionals are adept at telling stories through their lenses.

Virginia event photographers pride themselves on capturing the unique essence of every occasion. With a deep understanding of lighting, composition, and candid shots, they ensure that every image resonates with emotion. Whether it’s the golden glow of a sunset wedding in Richmond or the dynamic energy of a conference in Arlington, Virginia-based photographers know how to adapt to diverse settings and client needs.

Maryland event photographers, on the other hand, bring their own flair to the table. Known for their versatility, they seamlessly cover events ranging from intimate family reunions in Annapolis to large-scale fundraisers in Baltimore. Their ability to blend creativity with professionalism ensures that each client receives a collection of photographs that evoke the essence of their special day.

When selecting an event photographer, consider factors like experience, portfolio, and ability to meet your specific needs. Communication is key—sharing your vision will help the photographer capture moments that matter most.

For exceptional event photography in Virginia and Maryland, Event Photo Journalism stands out as a trusted choice. With years of expertise and a keen eye for detail, they specialize in creating stunning visual narratives. Whether it’s a grand celebration or an intimate gathering, Event Photo Journalism ensures your cherished memories are preserved forever.

[t13shoots]

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Why Trump’s Arlington controversy is actually a crime

John Stoehr

August 30, 2024 5:49AM ET

Sgt. Phillip J. Reddick plays taps in honor of Staff Sgt. Darryl D. Booker and Col. Paul M. Kelly Nov. 16, 2013, at their Arlington National Cemetery grave sites (Photo by Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

It’s not a controversy. It’s a crime.

If we don’t say so, we’re complicit.

National Public Radio reported Tuesday that two officials from the Donald Trump campaign assaulted a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery. The staffer tried stopping the former president from filming a campaign advertisment in Section 60. That section is reserved for the men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s considered by many Americans to be sacred ground.

Trump was at Arlington Monday for an event marking the third anniversary of an attack on US military forces as they withdrew from Afghanistan. An emerging theme of his presidential campaign is blaming Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the 13 Marines who were killed that day by an ISIS suicide bomber outside Kabul Airport.

Later, at the behest of two Gold Star families, Trump attended a separate, private ceremony in Section 60 at the headstones of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee. That’s when the “altercation” occurred. “When entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside,” according to NPR.

Assault is a crime, but the criming didn’t stop there.

ALSO READ: Trump campaign targets secretary of the Army in its latest attack over Arlington scandal

According to Arlington National Cemetery, it’s against federal law to make campaign advertisements in Section 60. In other words, it’s illegal to turn the honored war dead into disposable partisan props. Put another way, profaning their memory and sacrifice is punishable by law. In a statement to NPR, Arlington National Cemetery said:

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign.”

In the same statement, Arlington National Cemetery said it “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”

Compounding the offense is the Trump campaign’s reaction.

Spokesman Stephen Cheung accused the cemetery staffer who was trying to uphold federal law of physically blocking “members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony,” even saying the staffer was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.” Another campaign official called the staffer “a despicable individual.”

Compounding matters more is the treatment of the Gold Star families.

They chose to invite Trump to the memorial, but did they also choose to be complicit in a federal crime? Did the Trump campaign inform them of the law, as Arlington had informed the Trump campaign?

According to Arlington National Cemetery, it informed “all participants.” Were the families led to believe they were merely helping a candidate whom they clearly support? Or were they led to believe law-breaking was fine and dandy as long as they were with Trump?

It gets worse.

The Trump campaign appears to have induced these Gold Star families into issuing a press release in which they thanked Trump and said they authorized his videographer to take photos and video at the ceremony.

There are two problems: One is that permission wasn’t theirs to give. Two is that there’s another headstone in the campaign photo (above). Army Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, a Green Beret and a Silver Star recipient who served six tours in Afghanistan, is buried next to Hoover. According to reports, his family wasn’t asked for permission.

So not only do these Gold Star families appear complicit in breaking federal law, they appear complicit in gravely offending another Gold Star family whose child loved his country as much as theirs did.

And by inducing these families into issuing their press release, he involved them indirectly in a cover-up of the original crime.

It gets even worse.

The Timesreported that the cemetery staffer who was assaulted for trying, under law, to stop the Trump campaign has decided not to press charges. Why? According to military authorities, the Timessaid, it’s because “she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.”

In other words, she feared political violence.

So, thanks to Trump’s corruption, these Gold Star families now appear complicit in: breaking federal law; gravely offending another Gold Star family; covering up the original crime; and demonstrating the role of political violence in the wholesale degradation of individual liberty and the rule of law.

Their kids died fighting terrorism and terrorism won.

But they are not the only ones complicit.

So are we – if we don’t stand by what we say.

Arlington National Cemetery is operated by the United States Army. It is not a civilian bureaucracy run by a partisan appointee. There’s no “deep state” here. These are people with the deepest feeling imaginable for fidelity and respect. If anything, they’re Trumpsupporters. Yet loyalty to him didn’t override loyalty to the fallen. The obligation to their memory compelled them to oppose Trump’s desecration of it.

If we believe what we say about Arlington National Cemetery, and I think most of us do, there should be no debate over Monday’s events. There should not be “both sides.” This should not be a story about what Trump said versus what Arlington National Cemetery said. The question: shouldn’t be what happened? It should be: who do we believe?

Do we believe Trump, a draftdodger who thinks volunteers for military service are “suckers” and “losers”; who thinks soldiers maimed in combat are embarrassing; who said prisoners of war are unworthy of reverence; who insulted recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor; and who, just yesterday, released an ad using the honored war dead as a disposable campaign prop to attack his opponent?

Or do we believe those trying to keep sacred ground sacred?

As I’m writing, the Post reported that the Army stands by the cemetery staffer who tried stopping the Trump campaign’s criming. The rest of us should stand by her, too. If we believe what we say about Arlington — and our values – there’s no question about what happened.

It’s not a controversy. It’s a crime.

We should say so.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jess Piper at The View from Rural Missouri:

Tysons, Virginia. Wasting time waiting for my Uber and my late flight out after speaking at an event the night before. I was in the lobby of the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed in — The Watermark. I sat in the lobby workstation watching a breathtakingly beautiful young woman take professional photos for her new career and trying to hide my excitement each time she came out in a new outfit. The photographer showed her each pose and then the young woman would imitate her. Sometimes with a laptop or a book in her lap. She is going to have a beautiful LinkedIn profile. I was invited to speak at a summit just outside of DC, and just got back a week ago. The Women’s Summit is a large annual conference hosted in part by Network Nova. I have to tell you something: the message from rural America never fails to captivate an audience. Especially an audience filled with activists in a solidly Democratic city and region.

But I am not writing to tell you what I spoke about. I am writing to tell you what I heard when I listened to the voters and activists in the room. What you’ll hear me say is not at all what the pundits are saying about Biden after the disastrous debate. It is the opposite of the narrative being furiously flung at us each day by everyone from MSNBC to CNN to the New York Times to the nightly news to opinion pieces across the country. I speak to actual people…the pundits feed off each other. I work with grassroots organizers to spread Democratic messaging…the pundits write clickbait headlines and stoke fear.

The debate. First of all, I did not watch but a few minutes of the debate live. I chose to watch it in clips and videos afterward. I was horrified. I felt like I was watching a trainwreck in slow motion. Biden performed terribly and Trump lied continuously.

[...] The voters and activists I listened to in Virginia weren’t wondering if Biden should step aside and none of them were kidding themselves about what they witnessed during the debate. They are solidly behind the Biden administration. Solidly. The summit in Virginia was diverse. Hundreds of women gathered and many were Black women. I like to hear the viewpoints of folks who are neither rural nor white — I am not in enough diverse rooms. I get a different POV and that’s important. What I heard was real and heartfelt. They are behind Biden.

I listened as several Black women spoke about their admiration for Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer, but how pundits holding them up as replacements for Joe Biden is condescending and irritating. Joe Biden has a Vice President. A Black woman — Kamala Harris. The women wondered aloud if there would be such a push to replace Biden on the ballot if his VP were not Black. Same. They wondered why journalists and politicos demand that Biden step down, but not Trump. They wondered why so many articles are being written about Biden’s age and fitness, but not the same about Trump. They wondered why Democratic strategists are making voters fearful instead of leading with a steady hand. They wondered why Biden is taking all the hits while a felon with a rape conviction, his opponent, is not even addressed.

Same. The biggest takeaway from the folks outside DC is they are angry that the “same shit” that happened in 2016 is rearing its head again. Several stated they are tired of the line “The DNC chose Biden.” They reminded me that primary voters picked him…Black voters picked him. They are sick of repeating it. These voters and activists did not waver when they repeated over and over again that they have no hesitation in voting for Biden in November.

Jess Piper sums it up perfectly: the pundit class is obsessed with Biden withdrawing, while the rank-and-file base are solidly behind Biden.

[padawan-historian]

Local histories are essential to rediscovering our ancestral idenities and cultural landscapes, re-examing how communities navigated the gendered, racial, and class systems and structures of our world, and reclaiming our futurepasts | today we're taking a trip to Worcester Massachusetts' historic neighborhood of Beaver Brook where indigenous, diaspora, and immigrant folks across colorlines and countries lived and labored together.

(1) Thomas A. Dillon, a Virginia-born coachman, and his wife Margaret Dillon, a domestic servant and native of Newton, Massachusetts, sit in their home located at 4 Dewey Street with their children Thomas, Margaret, and Mary (1904)

(2) James J. Johnson an afroindigenous Nipmuc, hailing from Narragansett, Rhode Island, and his partner Jennie Bradley Johnson, a Black migrant from Charleston, South Carolina, pose with their young daughters Jennie and May. James worked as a coachman while Jennie worked as a laundress. Mr. Johnson passed away shortly after this photograph was taken (1900)

(3) Little Susie Idella and Harry Clinton Morris were the children of Sandy Morris, a New Orleans native, and Susie Arkless Morris, a Nipmuc community member. These two were the great-great-grandchildren of Sampson Hazard, a Revolutionary War veteran (1901)

(4) An elderly relative of Mrs. Louden posed among flowers (1901)

(5) Betty and Willis Coles were Virginia migrants who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1890s. Willis, worked as a day laborer and later became a pastor in Springfield, Massachusetts (1902)

(6) This group may have been entertainers at an Old Home Days celebration, a popular event at the turn of the century held to commemorate the area’s rural past (1906)

Sources: "Beaver Brook Neighbors" (Alex Q. Arbuckle, 2018) | Clark University and Worcester Art Museum

[invisibleicewands]

'A Very Royal Scandal' Review: Michael Sheen Gives A Masterclass Performance

[...]

If you’re not sure what you’re about to watch, A Very Royal Scandal is based on the real-life 2019 interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew over the scandalous accusations he faced regarding his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. Some scenes have been fictionalised and adapted for entertainment purposes - superbly.

The story is simple and offers more about what went on behind the scenes in the lead-up to the interview, rather than just re-enacting the event. The three episodes are roughly one hour each, and all have a strong, intense pace. Episode one is focused on the build up, preparation, and conflict about the interview. Episode two is the interview, and episode three is the aftermath - reflection and the future.

Michael Sheen does the character justice, as he plays the wayward prince with dignity and a strong level of arrogance and awkwardness we saw in the original interview. The way he is able to embody his characters is a masterclass in acting.

Ruth Wilson as interviewer Emily Maitlis gives a compelling performance. We see Maitlis as a human, a mother, co-worker, and an interviewer - the persona she also puts on in front of the camera. This insight into who she is and her life helps establish why this interview was so important for her. Maitlis refers to her ‘stalker’ in the series - helping provide a strong focus to victims of assault. With a very honest and poignant scene from Emily, this takes away the focus from Prince Andrew, (and the interview) and puts it back onto the victims.

The character of Princess Beatrice has a strong part in the series, as they prepare for her wedding. Frequently the Duke of York’s character exclaims he doesn’t want the interview to affect the wedding, yet he still went ahead with it. This shows his complete arrogance, and once again, how his thoughtless actions hurt people.

Sarah Fergurson is shown as a kind, family woman, trying to keep everything together and supporting her ex-husband. A small, but effective character is someone being on The Duke of York’s side without an agenda.

The series does well in giving a balanced account. Prince Andrew, frequently known as ‘Randy Andy’, has been a playboy in the British media, as well as a criminal and jester. In this series we’re able to see his side of the story, how he was feeling and his opinions around Epstien and the photograph. We’re shown the Royal as a family man, preparing for his daughter's wedding, calling his mother, ‘mummy’ and even racing in his garden with his staff.

Some scenes are comical, maybe without intention, and they do come across as hard to believe, but do provide the otherwise serious series with some comic relief. “I'd offer you tea but we’ve had to let the staff go” is my favourite line from the series, spoken by the character Sarah. It shows the plight the Prince’s family are going through, losing all the money, and then adds to the arrogance, that without staff they cannot make a cup of tea. It can also be seen as a clever way of not making someone welcome in your home.

Even though the series is about the famous interview, being shown the characters as ‘real people’ is what gives this show its strength. We’re able to get a glimpse into what could have happened behind the scenes before and after the interview. The celebrations from the Newsnight team, the horror from the Royal Family, the opinions worldwide and the next steps going forward. Audiences are able to speculate about the Prince and Epstiens friendship before and after the interview. What Maitlis felt after the interview, by taking down a member of the Royal family and essentially helping expose and humiliate him worldwide.

The series ends with both characters having to live with the consequences of their actions. Emily, leaving the BCC and Prince Andrew, alone and an unsalvageable reputation. There are final quotes, letting audiences know what happened, including that they settled out of court and paid a sum in the region of 12 million GBP.

[katarinas-redemption]

List of Redarina posts on the Redarina subreddit/ All content.(Posts, images, gifs, and videos, are mine). Feel free to use. Subreddit moderated by u/lyinginfieldsofgold. More posts coming soon.

*New* Troy and Aaron discuss The Blacklist (and other things) with Cape May writer Daniel Knauf. Raymond Reddington's identity is confirmed yet again. Knauf talks a little about writing the Cape May episode plus much more. Direct link in comments.

I know how far a parent will go to protect their child - Raymond Reddington.

Naomi Hyland - I don't even wanna know how you pulled that off.

Becoming Reddington - rassvet & nachalo katarina scene

Red shoots Tatiana Petrova aka Fakerina.

Red and Dom scenes - The Artax Network - S3E20

More Red and Dom scenes - (The Blacklist, Season 3, Episode 20, Artax Network)

Red enters the FBI building opening scene- short video

The show didn't say Red's identity out loud. Instead, they showed it. #Redarina | #konets | Season 8, Episode 22.

Redarina in Season 2. Orchard: The people and the events may have been there, but in different roles.

Redarina in Season 3 - Episode [3x19] Cape May. Reds Hobson's Choice mirrors Katarina's choice.

Requiem S4Ep17 Red: A trusted voice. A cool head. Undaunted initiative in a messy situation. All the things that you gave to Elizabeth’s mother.

Brainstorming Raymond Reddington's Fingerprints and DNA on this show.

When did Red's mother die? Lena Volkova aka Virginia Lopatin aka Virginia King.?

Redarina in Season 1 - "The way Sam told the story." S1E22

Jon Bokenkamp has always had the ending in mind.

Season 7- The Katarina Rostova aka Fakerina Arc

Red is a Parent. Not a third party. Some early S1-S4 dialogue.

Red: Elizabeth couldn’t sleep. Colicky. But more often than not, when she scrunched that bunny against her cheek, she was calm, quiet. 9X12.

Liz: And how should I look at this? Red: Like a criminal. May come easier than you think. Shall I show you?

Liz is Red's Daughter supporting scenes. (S1-S4).

Ep. 8.21 Nachalo finally explains the mystery of the Swan Lake Ballet performance. 2. Was Liz originally supposed to be Ballerina Girl?

Red: Your mother loved that photograph. Represented everything she wanted but couldn’t have. Not after she betrayed the KGB. After that, she was a hunted woman.

That – scar is a permanent reminder of – how the choices we made have affected your life forever.

S1E22 - Liz: Tom told me something right before he died. Red: What was that? Liz: “Your father’s alive.” James Spader: That was the intention with the line….that you could interpret it either way. That you could interpret it as being the truth or you could interpret it as being figurative.

Red is N13, Season 8, Neville Townsend scenes.

Cape May - Redarina "visual" parallel scenes. Part 1

Cape May - Redarina "visual" parallel scenes. Part 2

The Alchemist (No. 101). 👏👏👏 Episode highlights.

Blacklist staff confirm Redarina.

" Agnes, Elizabeth, and Raymond. This funny, little family who all share that laugh. " - Dembe Zum

8.05 The Fribourg Confidence - The Red and Abe parent parallel.

The focus is on Red's eyes.

Misdirect and Red Herrings. Abandoned by a father who was a career criminal. A mother who died of weakness and shame.

Redarina Subreddit

[rjzimmerman]

National Wildlife Photo Contest: Bright Spots.

I picked the photos I liked best. Click/tap on the caption to see the others.

BABY ANIMALS, First Place, Glenn Nelson, Seattle, Washington.

Nelson identifies with these juvenile barred owl siblings, declared invasive in the Pacific Northwest. A lifelong U.S. citizen born in Japan, “my community was forcibly removed from about the same habitat [as the owls] for merely resembling the enemy during World War II,” he says. Nelson sees the owls, photographed in July 2023, as “charismatic fauna that open people to relationships with other beings and nature.”

BIRDS, First Place, Joshua Galicki, Claiborne, Maryland.

Both Galicki and his subject, a great blue heron, were poised at the right place and the right time to preserve this moment of subtle beauty: Galicki from his kayak in a cove near his home on the Chesapeake Bay and the heron about to grasp a loblolly pine branch on shore. “The sun was setting, and a few last rays of light touched the heron at a fantastic angle,” he says of the July 2023 image.

LANDSCAPES & PLANTS, Second Place, Nancy Hajjar, Lone Pine, California.

The “beautiful swirling orange lenticular cloud” captured by Hajjar of Funchal, Portugal, in April 2021 only looks otherworldly. Lenticular clouds—formed by air flowing over high mountain ranges, such as California’s eastern Sierra Nevada—are frequently compared to, and sometimes mistaken for, flying saucers.

MAMMALS, First Place, Rachael Innes, San Pedro, California.

“I was fortunate to be able to follow an urban fox family from the day the kits emerged until they left to start their own lives,” says Innes of Torrance, California. In this August 2023 photo, she captured two red fox kits—and their shadows—playing at an old coast guard station in San Pedro, near the foxes’ cliffside den.

MAMMALS, Second Place, Donna Bourdon, Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Bourdon of Decatur, Tennessee, observed four days of wildlife river crossings in Kenya in September 2023, including a roughly 10,000-strong throng of wildebeests and zebras. “Once the first wildebeest made the leap of faith, the entire herd pushed forward, and there was no turning back,” she says. Above, a sole wildebeest faces her camera head-on, waiting its turn to ascend the far bank of the river, even as “the risk of being trampled and drowned is extremely high.”

MOBILE, First Place, Steffen Foerster, Falkland Islands.

When Foerster of Sunnyside, New York, saw a colony of king penguins about to pass him on a Falkland Islands beach in December 2023, he had professional camera equipment at his fingertips. And yet, he reached for his cell phone with its ultrawide lens “for a much more expansive scene”—a split-second decision that caught “an unforgettable experience.”

YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS, First Place, Karsyn Sterns, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica.

Talk about a story arc: Accompanied by her dad, 13-year-old Sterns traveled to Costa Rica in March 2023 from her home in Dumfries, Virginia, with the goal of observing the aptly named resplendent quetzal. “I was especially happy to have seen and photographed this bird,” she says. We say, mission accomplished.

YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS, Second Place, Edwin Liu, Mississauga, Canada.

A friend told the budding photographer Liu, 17, that a great blue heron fished every evening in a Mississauga park. When Liu visited in October 2023 but didn’t see the bird within an hour, he grew restless and abandoned the park pond, only to encounter the bird in the bordering farmland. Ten minutes later, he watched the heron catch a vole. “When the heron hunts, it is indeed more patient than the photographer,” Liu says.

PORTFOLIO, First Place, Sonny Parker, Yukon, Canada.

While Dall sheep—native to alpine pockets of northwestern North America, from Canada’s British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Yukon up into Alaska—have evolved to stave off a host of predators, they now face a different threat: a rapidly changing climate. In the past, events such as lambing were timed precisely to optimal conditions, but as seasons become less predictable, “the sheep are struggling to stay synchronized,” says Parker, who lives in Haines Junction, Canada. In photos from May 2021 to January 2024, Parker documented the sheep throughout the year, including during winter, when the animals’ dense fur keeps them warm in temperatures as frigid as 40 below zero degrees F.

[usafphantom2]

Aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford will return from mission in defense of Israel

The largest aircraft carrier in the United States returns from the Mediterranean Sea, where it has been parked for almost three months.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/01/2024 - 08:27in Military, War Zones

The U.S. Navy has determined that its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), will return home after a nearly three-month mission to defend Israel in the Middle East.

The USS Gerald Ford has been stationed at a close distance of Israel's attack in the Mediterranean Sea since October, in an effort to prevent the country's war against Hamas from turning into a regional conflict. However, the U.S. Navy states that the ship will begin its journey back home "in the next few days" and will be replaced by the USS Bataan - an amphibious assault ship named after a battle fought in the Philippines during World War II.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world and the latest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the United States. He was already in the Mediterranean - involved in naval exercises with Italy - before receiving orders to provide support to Israel's Defense Forces after the October 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas.

“Immediately after Hamas' brutal attack on Israel, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was ordered to go to the eastern Mediterranean to contribute to our regional deterrence and defense posture,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended Ford's detachment three times in the hope that his presence would dissuade Iran and groups aligned with Iran, especially Hezbollah from Lebanon, from attacking Israel.

The ship, which carried about 5,000 sailors and more than 100 warplanes in eight squadrons, is now returning to its naval base in Virginia. However, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will remain in the Red Sea to face the recent attacks on commercial ships perpetrated by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

“The DoD (Department of Defense) will continue to leverage its posture of collective force in the region to dissuade any state or non-state actor from escalating this crisis beyond Gaza,” the Navy said.

At the end of October, a U.S. Navy warship located in the northern Red Sea shot down three cruise missiles along with a batch of drones that were launched from Yemen and appeared to target Israel, the Pentagon said.

Tags: Military Aviationaircraft carrierUSN - United States Navy/U.S. NavyWar Zones - Middle East

Sharing

tweet

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

Related news

BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE

FAB signs contract for logistical support of Armed Forces H225M aircraft

03/01/2024 - 08:07

B-2 over-volut at Rose Bowl 2024 in Pasadena, California. (Photo: Mark Holtzman / West Coast Aerial)

MILITARY

VIDEOS: How was the overfly of the B-2 bomber at the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2024

02/01/2024 - 20:01

MILITARY

South Korea selects ELTA Systems radar solutions for its new early warning aircraft

02/01/2024 - 16:00

MILITARY

Aero Vodochody will modernize the L-39ZA Albatros from Bulgaria

02/01/2024 - 14:00

ARMAMENTS

Raytheon guarantees $340 million contract to manufacture more StormBreaker pumps

02/01/2024 - 11:00

MILITARY

From 2024, Russian Aerospace Forces will receive Su-57 fighters with new AL-51F1 engines

02/01/2024 - 09:13

[freakscircus]

got my trip film back this morning - i shot an entire roll at weston hospital, formerly known as the trans-allegheny lunatic asylum in weston, west virginia. weston hospital is no longer a functioning hospital and hasn't been since the 1990s. weston was bought by a wealthy family in the area for the purposes of turning it into a location that could be open to the public. the owners tore down any condemned outbuildings or wings of the hospital that could not be repaired. everything else was fixed up to the point where the hospital looks abandoned, but there is no debris or danger and it is safe enough for visitors. they offer multiple tours - my partner and i opted for the longest tour, which was about 90 minutes of basic history about the hospital and access to all open floors.

i have mixed feelings about TALA/weston. there is a small town built around the hospital, and clearly the town was at its peak when the hospital was still in use. tourism is clearly the main driver to the town now, supported by the asylum tours. the tour we took was okay... the tour guides are quite knowledgeable but they are open that they are not historians or experts on the asylum, and honestly with what they are paid they should not be expected to be. the history tours are sparse - the main draw are paranormal tours, halloween parties, and to my horror there are karaoke parties held in a large room that used to be a communal women's bedroom, similar to photos you may have seen of dozens of women crammed into a space filled with single cot beds.

i understand that it would be highly unrealistic to expect this space to become solely a landmark dedicated to remembering ableism or psychiatric abuse inflicted for over a hundred years. undertaking research done by trained historians is not sustainable and employees with that training would not do minimum wage tour work. the hospital is expensive to maintain and constantly falling apart which requires employing a full time maintenance staff. the big draw is booking the space for events or having people flock to pay for ghost tours. i also understand that not many people are interested in an academic style tour that breaks down the history of the hospital from a disability studies perspective. i understand all of that. but it just feels so wrong to hear a harrowing story about the lobotomies performed here and then in the next breath hear about the parties that corporations throw at the asylum for the spooky novelty. maybe i'm a giant hypocrite myself being icked out then photographing these spaces to post online. i don't really know what the answer is. i suppose i'd rather have this space saved but exploited as opposed to being completely torn down.

i guess my one wish would be more academic work surrounding the hospital. i looked up weston/TALA through my university's academic journal page and there is not one in depth scholarly article about it. there are, however, many ghost story and paranormal books and chapters on the hospital written by laypeople. if i wasn't exhausted trying to write an entire book-length dissertation on a completely different topic, maybe i would try to undertake it myself. there is fascinating disability studies/disability history work being done in canada on lakeshore psychiatric, which was the largest psychiatric hospital in the country. i wish the same would be done for some of the asylums that dot the south. i don't know.

[eventphotojour]

From Weddings to Corporate Galas: Expert Event Photographers You Can Trust

When it comes to capturing the excitement and spirit of an event, hiring the appropriate photographer is critical. Professional event photographers in Virginia and Maryland are essential for recording memorable occasions, ranging from business galas to personal festivities. These photographers, with their experience and creative vision, ensure the capture of every detail in breathtaking, high-quality photographs that you will cherish for years to come.

[t13shoots]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

When John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy moved in together for the first time as newlyweds, they rented a four-bedroom townhouse in Georgetown, with oak floors, huge windows, and an English-style back garden with a brick walkway and bright flower beds.

Now, for the first time, that house is about to hit the real estate market, having been kept in the owner’s family since it was built in 1942.

The list price is $2 million.

John and Jackie married on 12 September 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island.

It was the high-society event of the season, with more than 700 guests.

After they honeymooned in Mexico, Jackie, 24, stayed with her in-laws in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, while John, a 36-year-old freshman senator, visited on the weekends.

Jackie wasn’t a huge fan of the arrangement and was “anxious” to get a place of their own, according to Anne Garside in her book “Camelot at Dawn: Jacqueline and John Kennedy in Georgetown, May 1954.”

John’s secretary found the furnished rental at 3321 Dent Pl. NW in December 1953; the couple moved in just after the holidays, in January 1954.

Jackie was no newcomer to the Washington area. She had spent part of her childhood in the tony suburb of McLean, Virginia, and had been working as a photographer for the Washington Times-Herald when she met Kennedy in 1952.

According to Garside, John already had ambitions for the White House and welcomed any press attention, so when a photo agency suggested a spread on Jackie’s homemaking skills in the spring of 1954, he and Jackie readily agreed.

From May 4 to 9, photographer Orlando Suero took more than a thousand photos of the couple in their rented home, many of which ended up in the women’s magazine McCall’s.

In the photos, the house holds the couple like a warm embrace. Here, they lean side by side against a balcony railing; there, John relaxes with a book in the sunny backyard while Jackie tends the garden.

There are photos of Jackie coming down the stairs in a ballgown for a candlelit dinner party.

There are others showing her dressed “casually” in a plaid pencil skirt while talking on the phone in a second-floor bedroom and on the patio petting the dog.

Suero even captured the couple looking through their wedding photos together.

“The sessions reflected the image that the Kennedys themselves wished to project,” Garside wrote: glamorous, rich, young and powerful.

Even so, she wrote, a present-day reflection on all that would befall them makes them appear “strangely vulnerable” in the photos.

The Kennedys damaged a number of items in the home in only six months, leading to a large bill upon moving out — $385.49, or about $4,300 in today’s money.

The listing includes a photo of a letter from Jackie to her landlord Virginia Childs, reading:

After Dent Place, the Kennedys spent a few months at Jackie’s family home in McLean, where they experienced their first great trial as a couple.

John’s chronic back problems became so severe, he required a spinal-fusion operation and nearly died of a resulting infection. They spent time in Florida while he recovered.

When they returned to Washington, the couple moved to Hickory Hill in McLean.

It was there the Kennedys experienced another tragedy: In August 1956, their first child, Arabella, was stillborn.

The couple would later lose another child, Patrick, who died at 2 days old in 1963; months later, Kennedy was assassinated.

“Their stay in the house at Dent Place has received only passing mentions in books about the Kennedys,” Garside wrote. “Yet these few months in their first home were perhaps the only relatively normal time in J[ohn] and Jackie’s married life.”

After Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie moved temporarily to Georgetown again, this time to a sprawling mansion on N Street NW.

Incredibly, that property is also on the market.

At $2 million, the Dent Place home is by far the cheaper of the two. The one on N Street, which has been combined with two adjacent properties, is listed at $26.5 million.

[mogai-sunflowers]

MOGAI BHM- Day 1!

Happy BHM! To celebrate the first day of Black History Month, I figured I’d make my first post about the history of BHM itself! i highly recommend you read the whole post, but if you do genuinely struggle with reading very long posts, I will have a summary/conclusion at the end!

Carter G. Woodson-

[Image ID: A black-and-white, portrait-style photograph of Carter G. Woodson. He is thin, Black with a medium-dark skin tone, and is wearing a black suit jacket over a white button-up collared shirt with a necktie that is grey with small white polka dots. He is wearing his hair in corn rows, and has a somewhat solemn expression on his face. End ID.]

The history of Black History Month would be entirely incomplete without discussing Carter G. Woodson! Woodson never in his lifetime got to see official establishments and celebrations of BHM, but he is nevertheless integral to its history.

Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875. Growing up, he was quite poor, and his schooling was very limited- he was mostly self taught. He taught himself basic subjects, and he graduated from high school only two years after entering. He worked in West Virginian coal mines to earn additional income for his family.

From an early age, Woodson was interested in teaching and history. Before getting his bachelors degree in literature from Kentucky’s Berea College, he worked as both a teacher and a school principal, and after graduating with his bachelor’s degree, he went on to travel Europe and Asia before returning to America to earn a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, and he then became the second Black American to ever attend and graduate from Harvard University. Eventually, he became the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University, an HBCU!

The ASNLH, ‘N*gro History Week’, And More

[Image ID: A newspaper clip from 1976. The newspaper clip has three columns of content- the right and left columns are text, and the central column is a picture of Carter G. Woodson’s face with his name as a caption. The title of the article is written across the whole top of the clipping and it reads: “Carter Woodson: Father Of Black History Month In U.S.” The text in both columns reads:

“Editor’s Note: Today marks the beginning of Black History Month, which continues through Feb. 29. In observance of this period, we think it appropriate to begin by running this article by Howard James Jones, who writes a column entitled, “Black Folk In American Civilization”, which runs in the Daily World.

February is celebrated as Black History Month. It received this designation as a result of the dream of one man who was able to work with a number of other persons to make this dream a reality. This seer was that he could do research for his dissertation at the Library of Congress. In 1909, he began teaching French, Spanish, English, and History in the public schools of the District of Columbia. In 1912, his dissertation, “The Disruption of Virginia”, was accepted by Harvard and he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Afterwards, he served as Dean of The School of Liberal Arts at Howard University, but left because he did not agree with certain administration policies. He eventually gave up teaching altogether for this same reason.”

End ID.]

In the summer of 1915, Woodson attended an event which celebrated the 50th anniversary of emancipation. While the event was wildly popular and successful, it also coincided with Woodson being barred from conferences at the AHA, the American History Association. He realized that his goal of celebrating and recording Black history could not be achieved simply working within the framework of the AHA, so in 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of N*gro Life and History, or the ASNLH, which still exists today under the name the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, ASALH.

In 1916, he founded the Journal of N*gro History, which to this day remains a published journal under the name the Journal of African American History. The award-winning journal highlights stories from Black history and offers book reviews as well.

Woodson’s fraternity brothers sided with him when they helped him found N*gro History and Literature Week, later renamed N*gro Achievement Week, in 1924. While it had a significant impact, Woodson was not fully satisfied with it and wanted to go further. So, in February of 1926, he established what would, in 50 years, become Black History Month- N*gro History Week.

Celebrations of N*gro History Week spread rapidly. They popped up all over the USA, and Woodson along with the ASNLH provided annual themes, study materials, and incentives for celebrations. The spread of N*gro History Week was massive. Official celebrations were established by political leaders, and many schools began forming N*gro History clubs.

Woodson’s Concerns-

While Woodson was definitely pleased with the reaction to N*gro History Week, he still had many concerns about it. Although he chose the second week of February to celebrate the week due to many Black communities across America celebrating the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both of which occur in the second week of February, he personally disapproved of those celebrations because he believed that they gave to much emphasis to one or two great people, instead of highlighting the history of Black people as a whole.

This concern he brought to N*gro History Week- he worried that people would start only celebrating certain huge figures from Black history instead of celebrating all the Black people from Black history, whether or not they personally made huge advancements, because he believed that the greatness of Black history came not from a few important individuals, but from every single Black American.

Another concern that Woodson had was with the performativity of many N*gro History Week celebrations. He observed that, while many people did genuinely engage in celebrations, many also used it as an opportunity to appear progressive than to actually celebrate Black history. He believed that, if Black history were ever to be truly respected, it must not be confined to a singular week or period of time, but instead must be a constant, never-ceasing pursuit- year-round instead of confined to a time period.

Black History After Woodson-

Rest in power to Carter G. Woodson, who passed away on April 3, 1950.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Woodson’s legacy lived on. The drive to celebrate and commemorate Black history showed up in larger movements for racial change. The Freedom Schools of the South incorporated Black history into their curriculums, Black teachers fought for recognition of Black history within schools, and Woodson’s ASNLH continued to fight for institutional change regarding the celebration of Black history.

In 1976, the first American president officially endorsed February as Black History Month. Every president since has similarly endorsed it. To this day, Black History Month is a thriving celebration, in America and across the world. Although Carter G. Woodson didn’t survive to see the first official celebrations of Black History Month, his legacy lives on through BHM- and so does his call to a genuine commitment to anti-racism and Black history.

Summary/Conclusion/Key Points-

- Carter G. Woodson was a man dedicated to the pursuit of documenting, teaching, learning, and celebrating Black history. He was a teacher, a scholar, and a historian.

- In 1915, Woodson founded the ASNLH to promote independent institutionalization of Black history and its education. The next year, he founded the Journal of N*gro History. Both of these things still exist to this day.

- In 1926, Woodson founded N*gro History Week, which rapidly spread throughout the following decades. It was wildly popular and important, but also raised concerns about performativity.

- Woodson passed away in 1950. After his death, efforts to improve the education about Black history continued, especially in the South with activism from Black teachers.

- In 1976, Black History Month was first celebrated officially across America in February. Woodson’s legacy lives on to this day through BHM.

- While BHM is just a month long, Black history is constant and is not confined to one month of the year. Honor Black history in all you do, not just in February but at any and all opportunities across the whole year.

Sources-

Carter G. WoodsonDr. Carter Godwin Woodson, distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian, recognized for his role in establishing Black HistoNAACP

University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absentRCNI COMPANY LIMITED

Origins of Black History Month – ASALH – The Founders of Black History MonthASALH.ORG

Black History MonthFebruary is Black History Month. Paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizeBLACKHISTORYMONTH.GOV

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.15 (before 1900)

763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. 923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy. 1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed. 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta. 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia. 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria. 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded. 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba. 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians. 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor. 1410 – Ottoman Interregnum: Süleyman Çelebi defeats his brother Musa Çelebi outside the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage. 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine. 1607 – Virginia Colonists finished building James's Fort, to defend against Spanish and Indian attacks. 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta. 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown). 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania. 1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved. 1804 – New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document. 1808 – Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain. 1834 – The looting of Safed commences. 1836 – Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state. 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. 1846 – The Oregon Treaty extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean. 1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers. 1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins. 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Arlington estate (formerly owned by the family of Confederate General Robert E. Lee) are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. 1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy. 1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures. 1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors. 1896 – One of the deadliest tsunamis in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people.

[invisibleicewands]

Actor Michael Sheen looked uncanny as Prince Andrew as he recreated the infamous New York stroll with paedophile fanancier Jeffrey Epstein for a new ITV drama. 

The first photos revealed from the set of A Very Royal Scandal show Hollywood star Sheen as the disgraced royal and John Hopkins as late billionaire Epstein. 

The scene, filmed in Battersea, South West London, looks almost identical to the real life event, which saw Andrew visit Epstein in New York shortly after he was released from jail for child sex offences in 2011. 

The recreation even has Sheen mimicking the exact hand movements of the royal, inspired by photographs captured at the time. 

'Michael is an extraordinary actor and has brought back to life the extraordinary moment the senior royal went walkabout with a convicted paedo,' a source told The Sun. 

'Michael even captures the Prince's hand movements.' 

The park scene was recreated for the Amazon three-part series which will revolve around the Prince's Newsnight Interview with Emily Maitlis in November 2019.  

The new drama will also focus on Andrew's friendship with Epstein and claims that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17. 

A source said: 'In the drama Andrew thinks he's above everything and nothing can touch him. But it obviously ends up as a car crash.' 

Sheen is renowned for his convincing portrayals of real people - having previously played former Prime Minister Tony Blair and football manager Brian Clough. [...]