I just had to post this....

DENVER – A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket.
Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night.
Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He was in serious but stable condition Wednesday.
The Colorado State Patrol issued the citation. Trooper Ryan Sullivan said that despite Moffett's intentions, jaywalking contributed to the accident.
Moffett had been driving his bus when the two women got off. In the interest of safety, he got out and, together with another passenger, helped the ladies cross.
Moffett's stepson, Ken McDonald, said the driver of the pickup plowed into his stepfather, but not before Moffett pushed the two women out of the way.
When he awoke in intensive care, he learned of the ticket. "His reaction was dazed and confused. I was a little angry," said McDonald.
The other man also was cited for jaywalking, while the pickup driver was cited with careless driving that led to injury. Sullivan said the two elderly women haven't been cited but the investigation is ongoing.


*Now don't you want to punch that trooper JERK in the face??*

Strangers & Cooper

Food Art - Jelly Beans and Chocolate

"I seem to be coming across a lot of food art lately. Wacky stuff, like portraits made with jelly beans (thanks to Helly). Another link I recently found was of the artist Vic Muniz. He uses chocolate to create paintings.

It's 1am here where I am, and I'm really hungry, so I probably should stop writing about food before I end up in the kitchen for a late night snack. Other food stuffs that I have mentioned before have been the chocolate christ artist, the much healthier pile of bananas, and a giant dish of cows milk. And after all that food art, one would end up with byproduct art..

Update: MadSilence has a bunch of weird food art projects posted here.

Getting off the food art topic for a moment, but sticking with art that is a little different, check out these amazing pictures taken from Google Earth. Big companies have found that satellite images are great for viral marketing campaigns, but artists are also going LARGE and creating art for the martians."

-http://www.artnewsblog.com/2008/01/food-art-jelly-beans-and-chocolate.htm

A bit too much

President Obama has talked tough about the need to shed wasteful spending. But will he practice what he preaches? His one-time rival, Sen. John McCain, brought up a pricey presidential project that seems a bit unnecessary — a fleet of 28 new Marine One helicopters that will cost taxpayers around $11.2 billion.

At a recent summit to cut the federal deficit, Sen. McCain suggested that if President Obama wants to help the economy, perhaps he should consider canceling the order. Obama replied that he's already looking into it. Obama then joked that perhaps he's been unknowingly deprived all his life, but his current Marine One chopper seems just fine to him. CNN is reporting that the new helicopters, which were originally ordered by President George W. Bush not long after 9/11, are now on hold (though not officially cancelled...yet).

Naturally, all this talk of gazillion-dollar equipment has people searching. Folks are desperate to know more about the fancy helicopters, what they can do, and why they cost such an exorbitant sum of cash. Queries immediately surged on "marine one photos" and "why is it called marine one." Regarding the second inquiry: It's called Marine One only when the president is aboard.

As for why the president needs 28 of them — apparently, it's a safety precaution. When flying in Marine One, identical choppers travel next to the president's ride. Trickery throws off the bad guys.

But why in the world do these contraptions cost $400 million each? After all, isn't a helicopter just a helicopter? Apparently not. The Washington Post explains that the proposed fleet would be outfitted with "cutting-edge communications equipment, antimissile defenses and hardened hulls." Oh, and a kitchen. You can't forget that.

Noah Kalina

This is a pretty cool video. Noah Kalina took a self portrait of himself everyday for 6 years....

:: Call and Response ::

I had always heard about "human trafficking," but never really cared much, which is almost disgusting considering that helping people and caring for the helpless is what Jesus Christ was all about. Last November, my bible study and I decided to go to Houston to see a movie about JUSTICE. (We have been reading Micah, and felt it necessary to put our faith into action.)

The movie we went and saw was called "CALL AND RESPONSE." It has since then changed my life and I want to share the trailor with you all.

--------The reason for the Whistle-------

Around the world, the sound of a whistle demands STOP. PAY ATTENTION.
It is the Symbol of Justice.
Ask the same of your friends. Be a whistleblower.

Read this very powerful story and I encourage you to share it with everyone you know.


Falling Whistles

::Portrait Photograph[er]s and Artists::

::David La Chapelle::










What I love about LaChapelle:

1. He's colorful.
2. He's Creative.
3. The Fantasy.
4. He is different.

What I hate:

1. Sometimes way too sexual.
2. Sometimes disgusting.


::Rembrandt::

I cannot even begin to describe how much I admire this artists work.







Rembrandt was the subject of many of his paintings. He specialized in human expression. All three of these paintings are self- portraits.

Portrait #1- This is a self portrait from when Rembrandt was young (which I am sure you have figured out yourself). Pay special attention to the expression on his face. Unsureness. Youthfulness.

Portrait #2- Rembrandt has had success in his life and you can now see it in his eyes. Confidence. Happiness.

Portrait #3-This portrait is painted near the end of his life. Rembrandt had terrible things happen to him in his life. Death of loved ones. He was left alone. Notice this expression. Tired. Sorrowful.

I only wish to portray human emotion as well or HALF as well as Rembrandt.

::Joey Lawrence::


Joey L. is probably my favorite photographer on the planet right now. Anyone who knows me, knows my passion is poor, run down, helpless people. Not only does Joey L. blow us all away, He is only 18 years old. Shut up. YES. Love his work.









-Lighting is phenomenal .
-Editing is superb.
- He nails human expression in every photo.

I couldn't find his best stuff on google images, so I ENCOURAGE you to check out his website.Joeyl.com


::Esther Havens::

She goes right along with Joey Lawrence. I have had the pleasure of meeting her and she is quite lovely.







Check out her work at EstherHavens.com

::Leonardo Da Vinci::

You are probably thinking "of course, who on this planet doesn't love Leonardo",
Da Vinci." But seriously, he is great.







One of the reasons I love Da Vinci is because he invented "chiaroscuro" which is the diffusing of light. His work was revolutionary and many many artist have emulated his work, in fact, Portrait #3 of Rembrandt was inspired by Leonardo's Baldassare Castiglione (Portrait #1).

::Greek Sculpture::









Ancient Greek Sculptures have always inspired me. I love the many sculptures of David, the "modest venus", etc. I wish to bring the fullness (the way they occupy the space) to my photographs that these figures portray.


:: Regina Spektor::

Now this is a artist that inspires me to no limits. The reason I LOVE her music is because she is so different. She isn't what most people consider amazing. She isn't Bach. Mozart. Linkin Park. Britney Spears (love her). She is one in her own. This relates to me because for a very very long time I would compare my art [photography] to other photographers and I would think to myself "what am I doing holding a camera??? i will never ever be that good." But through listening to Regina I realized that all art/ music/ individuality had a place in this world. including mine.