pinhole photo, Santa Clara, California
I love photography, I study photography, and I make a lot of photos. I share a new photo on Flickr almost every day, and I also have a portfolio and a (rarely-used) Instagram. Or, if you prefer, I will mail you prints.
Here are some interesting web pages I have found:
It’s said that the very name comes from the view of the site from The Quarter -- the hundreds of Black figures seen from across the river reminded the Europeans of Algeria in Africa. Hence, the name Algiers. By 1731, 99% of Algiers’ population was enslaved, making it “the largest concentration of people of African ancestry in the entire region.”Yikes.
Secondly, in the late 1820s, France ... sent troops to colonize Algiers. To New Orleans’ French-speaking population, who were pointedly proud of their mother country, the name of Algiers ... took on positive symbolic meaning—just the sort of thing marketers like to tap into. It’s unclear who first applied the names “Algiers” ... to [this] particular West Bank subdivision, but, then as now, catchy names help sell real estate, all the more if they instill a sense of pride. “Algiers” as a neighborhood name started appeared in newspapers in the 1830s... In this same era, a number of uptown streets were named to commemorate Napoleon’s conquests, with a principle avenue named for the emperor himself. That same intersection of ethnic pride with real estate marketing probably explains Algiers.I am more convinced by this second etymology.
The Cenepa War was the most recent military clash between Ecuador and Peru over a long-standing territorial dispute that dated back to the first decades of the 19th century, when both countries came into being after the Wars of Independence of the Spanish colonies in South America.
I don't know why I bother searching for deeper meaning, as if I live in Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, yet I keep doing so. Los Angeles video game designer Laura Michet had a similar curiosity October a year ago:
I'm sure that this is a two-person project, since you can google up each of these graffiti writers individually and find traces of them online. I've wondered whether more than two people are putting them up, though - they're incredibly dense, all over the city. Most of the time when I'm riding on a major stroad or artery in the city, I'll see one of these at least once a minute - often more frequently! Apparently, you can find them in Toronto and SF too.
If you have ever been to a port during a national holiday or a major celebration, you have likely seen a vessel looking like it is decorated for a massive party. This stunning display, where a ship is covered from bow to stern in colorful flags, is known as Full Dressing (or Dressing Overall).
The Reform Movement unequivocally condemns the preliminary vote in the Israeli Knesset to advance legislation that would criminalize egalitarian Jewish worship at the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest and most-enduring symbols. If enacted, the proposed bill by MK Avi Maoz of the far-right Noam party would render forms of Jewish prayer not sanctioned by the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate punishable by up to seven years in prison.Israel has since its inception enjoyed (and, debatably, required) support of diaspora Jews such as myself. Yet the Israeli government's actions of late – actions inconsistent with Jewish teachings and practice – have made it troubling to continue that support, even before the abuse of Gaza. And now Israeli parliament takes another step in distancing itself from Reform Judaism, pushing Haredi practice into laws such as this. For a country asking us Jews to stand together in unity, they sure are working hard to dismantle that cohesion.
This alarming proposal represents an unprecedented attempt to criminalize mainstream Jewish worship in the Jewish state. It is a direct affront to Jews in Israel, North America, and across the globe who pray in egalitarian settings.
The ball gets thrown from the offices above Mark Webster estate agents at 3pm by a local respected member of the community and from 3pm to 4.30pm, it's for the women/kids to have a try, and it's very tame. When the claxon sounds at 4.30pm, that's when it gets feral. Whoever is holding the ball when the claxon sounds again at 5pm is declared the winner. The prize: being able to say you won it and a free pint at The Stag & Pheasant. All the shops down Long Street are boarded up in preparation. If the game falls during term time, schools close early for it! In the weeks running up to the game, the ball is taken to various places (shops, schools, businesses) for people to sign it.
...it has never made much sense as to why [m00t] would ban /new/ for being a racist hell hole and then, barely a year later, launch /pol/, a board specifically designed to be a racist hell hole. But buried inside the newest batch of files related to the Epstein investigation is a possible hint as to what made Poole change his mind. He met with Epstein the day before /pol/ was created./pol/ started by giving us GamerGate, then Qanon, before shitposting Trump into the presidency. It doesn't seem like Epstein and m00t were buddies or anything, but still, what the hell is this? Was Jeffrey Epstein behind Q?
In a revelation that shouldn't surprise me, early Americans fascinated with Ancient Egypt were everywhere – naming the city of Memphis, designing the US dollar bill note, reinterpreting our culture as being a direct descendant – but also identifying not with the Hebrews seeking from slavery, but with the Egyptian aristocracy who owned those slaves. This The Conversation article from October 2025 explains it all, also recalling recent entries here linking New Orleans to North Africa.