Gregory Gore – Photographer criticized by a model (and others) for nudity?

I have met many people on the Internet.  I have not met any of them in person.  One recently reached out to his “friends” for support.  In true Internet fashion, people who don’t know each other except through Internet communications, support each other.  This is one of the truly great accomplishments of the Internet.

This friend, Gregory, is a photographer who specializes in all kinds of photography including fashion, family, portrait, still life, and landscape.  Some of his portrait photography includes nudity.  I did not say pornography; I said nudity.  He recently received some negative feedback regarding his participation in nude photography.  He was very upset and was wondering if he should even continue with his dream.  Keep in mind that this is just part of his business, or I should say his art.  It is not all that he represents.

I was informed that he received this negative feedback from some family members as well as from some models on a modeling site.  This modeling site tries to match up the models with the photographers.  Gregory is a member of this site to try and find new talent.

First, if your family wants to criticize you, I guess they have that right.  If you come from a very conservative background they may never understand your art.  All you can do is try to explain your point of view and either they get it or they don’t.

1. Second, anyone modeling today, and who uses an Internet site to advertise themselves, cannot be so ignorant as to think that nudity is not part of modern photography.  In fact, this specific site, of which this naysayer was a member, contains all kinds of nudity at varying levels.  Pornographic images are not allowed but nudity, meaning breasts and buttocks are allowed.  But someone who is a member of this site is criticizing Gregory for participating in nude photography.
2. Are religion and its politics at play here?  No religion teaches you to criticize, they teach acceptance.  So why does the religious right criticize in the name of their religion.  The reason I mention this is because Gregory indicated that the criticism references a “born again” approach to life.

This is plain hypocrisy. And where does the hypocrisy come into play?  First, we are all born naked.  Clothing, when speaking in terms of the history of humans, is a relatively new concept.  It was brought about by either our need to stay warm, or by pressure from society.  PLEASE READ MORE HERE

What is your role in the family – with a large family comes a larger puzzle

I am the youngest of 6.  From 1957 to 1964 (7 years) my mother had 6 children.  To this day I can’t make the math work in my head because there is a year and a half between me and my next oldest brother, and three years between him and the next.  So that’s 6 children in seven years but a difference of 3 years in between????  And most of our birthday’s are in August and September.   So my mother got pregnant mostly around Thanksgiving.  I am thinking that my parents did not eat the turkey; the children fell asleep, but they didn’t

Anyway, keep in mind that this is a french-canadian catholic family (big surprise, huh, did you think I was going to say we were Irish?  Pretty close!) so offically, birth control was a sin.  But, my mother tells a funny story about how she had one child on the pill, one on the IUD, one with a condom, one with the Rythym Method, and one with abstinence.   I said to her “That’s only five” and she said “I was so fertile that I got pregnant twice with one of them,” but she can’t remember which one. 

We get encouragment from unexpected places – so keep on blogging

It’s been pretty discouraging lately since I have not found a job yet and I had started to feel badly about myself, questioning my skills and abilities, questioning my resume, feeling that I did not have the talents needed to earn the kind of salary I feel I deserve.

Things have a funny way of unfolding before your very eyes.  In the past two days, I had two unusual things happen to me.  I talked to the recruiter (headhunter) that I have been working with since April.  He is a great guy and when I explained to him the lack of response I was getting, he told me this (I am paraphrasing):

The story of an American and a Saudi – it might suprise you.

In the course writing of my blogs, I do a lot of research.  I research anything available to me on the Internet so that I can try and peel away the layers and find the truth; somewhere.  In my travels on the web I ended up making contact with a 22 year old guy in Saudi Arabia.  Some would say we met under unusual circumstances.  I am gay and he happens to be gay and one night a week ago or so, we found ourselves chatting using instant messaging.  We became somewhat enamored of each other; there was something about the way we talked and shared, the way we flirted and cared, that made me realize that when you peel away all the layers of politics, religion, sex, and lifestyle, we are essentially all the same.  We all want to be loved, we all want attention, we all bleed when we are stabbed; we are all lonely when left alone too long.  We all believe in a power greater than ourselves, we all are sometimes so empty that we want to reach out to anyone who will listen. 

I have so many unanswered questions:  What is it like to live where you are?  What are your freedoms?  What is your lack of freedom?  What is your schedule like half way around the world? When do you work, when do you sleep? What to you think of Americans or any other nationality out there?  I hear the pain in your voice and want to fly half way around the world; this evil world’ and take whatever chances I need to take, to get to you and hug you and let you fall apart from the unbearable pain and let you cry on my shoulder.  I don’t care if we become friends or lovers or neither of these. 

It is time for this war to end

Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Cindy Sheehan, Barak Obama, George Bush, Ron Paul – there is so much going on and so much rhetoric.  When is this all going to end.  It is time for the war to be OVER, NOW.  If we all pack up and leave, will we really be any worse off than we are now.  How many more thousands of soldiers and civilians must die, for nothing, before we end this.  Not that soldiers die in vain, I don’t mean that, but what did they really die for.  I love them and support them and I want each and every one of them home with the people that love them.  Being around those who love you is the most important thing in anybody’s life.

Fighting for freedom is the most honorable thing that anybody can do.  I am not a soldier but I still fight for freedom; in my words, in my blogs, in my conversations with friends and family.  Anyting I can do to try to stop this insanity because I can no longer make sense of any of it.  I will never be a soldier and our soldiers are the most beloved people to me in my whole life.  I wish I was as brave as they are.  I am too old now and I guess I hide behing my paper and pencil like so many others do.

I WANT THIS WAR TO END.  THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH PAIN TO LAST A MILLION LIFETIMES.

Rosie got us to watch the View and we’re still watching

Like many, I did not really pay attention to The View until Rosie showed up.  She made it exciting and dramatic and opened the eyes of a lot of people and gave a voice to many.  Also, like others I did not think I would watch it after she left.  At first, it felt empty with Rosie gone.  It felt to me like the show had lost its air like a helium balloon that has been around for too long.

But low and behold, I believe that the remaining members of the team have learned a lot from Rosie’s tenure there, and the drama that happened during and after her departure.  The View has become more gentile and while I think at first that Joy, Barbara, Elisabeth and the guest hosts had some trepidations, they seem to have found their groove again, but with some corrections.  They have learned that they should still talk about the difficult issues, they should still disagree, but in the middle of it all, differences of opinion are not the end of the world.  That’s what The View is supposed to be about.  And Barbara has become more upfront and in charge like a journalistic icon of her magnitude should be.

I must say that in some ways I do miss the bickering and disagreements that elevated into something almost unwatchable.  But when I really realize that “in your face” television doesn’t add as much to the national dialog as I thought, and I believe that Rosie left for exactly that reason, I am getting used to just some honest dialog.

Good luck to The View – Barbara, Joy, and Elisabeth and whoever else Barbara might add to the mix

Are changes on the horizon for republicans and democrats

In the last few days I saw on one of the talking-head “news” programs that George Bush is “considering looking at the possibility of considering a plan for a troop withdrawal time frame” whatever that means.

At the same time Cindy Sheehan is threatening to run against Nancy Pelosi if she doesn’t start impeachment proceedings against George Bush.  I’m surprised she didn’t include Dick Cheney considering that if you want to look at reasons for impeachment, like war crimes, and treason, really both of them should be included.

 I’ve been pretty busy lately so I haven’t had time to figure out what’s really going on.  Can anybody give some insight?

Follow Up to Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

In my original post, I “suggested” that it probably wouldn’t take long for Scooter to come up with the $250,000 fine.  Well, low and behold, Scooter showed up with a cashiers check for $250,000 plus $400 for court costs.  The same day that Scooter was supposed to start serving his sentence. he shows up with a cashiers check which, of course, isn’t directly traceable to any particular person, party, or organization.  We’re assuming it’s coming from the Scooter Defense Fund.   Can you imagine walking into the 7-11 and handing the guy $250,000 in small unmarked bills to get a money order.  I mean it’s cheaper.  It’s only about $.79 and the bank charges at least $10.00

Oy,  what a bunch of jerks.  Is anyone really surprised here?  I mean really?  Really?

Murderer, Michael Woodbury, gets what he wants from WGME News

WGME News Channel 13 in Portland, Maine was so proud of their “exclusive” scoop when a self-admitted murderer, Michael Woodbury, was being walked outside from a holding tank to the courthouse. 

Journalist Kate Barker asked Woodbury on that short walk if he committed the murders at a store in Conway, New Hampshire, and he said “Unfortunately, I Did”

WGME also reported that the reason Woodbury talked to WGME was that he watches WGME news and LIKES TO SEE HIMSELF ON TV. 

Are you friggin kidding me?   WGME could have told the whole story without ever showing a picture of him to prove to him, and everyone else, that murder is not a way to get your face on TV.  But did they take the high road?  Did they teach a valuable lesson?  No.  aThey showed him over and over again.  Ergo, they are nominated for today’s episode of “Jerks, Dummies, and Fools” on Worldwide Idiots.

Bush converts Libby sentence

In keeping with the theme of this blog, Mr. Bush converted Scooter Libby’s sentence today.  Mr. Bush considered a 30 month sentence for a serious crime of obstruction of justice and lying in a treason investigation overly harsh.  He didn’t pardon him which means he is still on parole and has to pay the $250,000 fine.  And where do you think that money is going to come from?  Since we’re not allowed to check emails from the RNC I guess we’ll never know for sure.

Let’s see; is bush a Jerk, Dummy, Fool, or Idiot.   Well, since I think he knows what he’s doing, I’m going with Jerk, and maybe Idiot if he thinks we don’t see right through this and didn’t see it coming.

I’m am so sick to my stomach knowing how much unchecked power this mans has, and some he just thinks he has.