Vienna

So every day this week I’ve been taking the train to the Ute Bock Center. It is a place where people seeking asylum can come for counseling, legal advice and even housing. The small staff there does wonders with the few resources they have available and they have opened their doors and allowed me to photograph at the center.


Everyone is a foreigner somewhere...

The first day I have to say I was pretty overwhelmed. Many of the asylum seekers come to the center because they are having a problem which can range from an upcoming legal procedure to being threatened with arrest or deportation. They often have to wait for hours before they can see someone and the sense of frustration with the asylum system is palpable.


Waiting...

I haven’t made too many photographs yet, much of the past few days has been about observing and getting comfortable but the more time I spend there the more I see and begin to understand. For the next two weeks I will probably work on this project exclusively, I hope I can do justice to the stories I encounter.


Karin, a staff member. © Damaso Reyes


Frau Bock herself. © Damaso Reyes


Looking for answers... © Damaso Reyes


Waiting for mail. © Damaso Reyes


Thinking. © Damaso Reyes

Zürich

Yep, I’m in Zurich for the weekend for a meeting and a little downtime with my friend Philippe. I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been in the darkroom every day this week processing film. 48 rolls down, less than 20 to go! Of course I still have to scan and edit all that. Plus next week I think I will finally get to start working on the immigration theme of my project, something that may very well take up the rest of my time in Vienna.

While I was in NYC back in December I got to shoot some of the new Tmax 400 film from Kodak. Here’s a snap of my hometown to go with your HCB Quote of the Week!

In photojournalistic reporting, inevitably, you’re an outsider. - Henri Cartier-Bresson
"American Photo", September/October 1997, page: 76


23rd street looking north. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

Another week, another ball! I know, it’s tough going from one formal ball to another but hey, I made a commitment to document the changing face of Europe! On Thursday I went to the TU Ball, which was conveniently located about five minutes from my door. It was a little more traditional than the Regenbogen Ball (I even had to buy a bow tie) but it was still fun. The Fulbright Commission got a table and we all went to a fun evening of dancing and music. The ball was held at the Hofburg, and it was lavish to say the least.


The name is Reyes, Damaso Reyes

Often while working on this project I feel like an anthropologist but instead of hacking through the jungles of New Guinea I get to don a jacket and tie and hunt the elusive Wiener. It is fun getting a chance to visit these other worlds. I suppose that is what I like most about the camera: it acts as a passport allowing me to enter places and see things that I would otherwise not be able to. With that, here is you HCB Quote of the Week and some photos. Enjoy!

One has to tiptoe lightly and steal up to one's quarry; you don't swish the water when you are fishing. - Henri Cartier-Bresson


Everybody dance now. © Damaso Reyes


One step forward... © Damaso Reyes


On the sunny side of the street. © Damaso Reyes


Folk music. © Damaso Reyes


Dancing cheek to cheek. © Damaso Reyes


Eye contact. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

Well I have indeed been a busy little bee! In addition to shooting again at the Vienna City Council it is ball season here in Austria. So I have been doing my waltzing lessons and trying to find some dress clothes. Today I attended my very first ball which was the Regenbogen Ball (Rainbow Ball) which is the largest gay and lesbian ball here in Vienna.


Absolutely Fabulous! © Damaso Reyes

Well my goal was to show how diverse this city is and I feel like I have made a good start. The evening was full of elegant men and women of all orientations dancing and celebrating life. While I am not overwhelmed by the results of my digital photographs I have much higher hopes for the black and white. In all honesty I haven’t been shooting much digitally (just for you and I hope you appreciate it!) because well I don’t have to. Sometimes I just take my two Leicas out when I shoot but I thought you might enjoy a quick snapshot of the night. So after your HCB Quote of the Week enjoy some more photographs of Viennese politics and my first ball!

The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box. - Henri Cartier-Bresson , Photography Year 1980, LIFE Library of Photography , Page: 22


Private Discussions. © Damaso Reyes


Dancing Cheek to Cheek


Working in the Shadows. © Damaso Reyes


Swirls. © Damaso Reyes


Stand and Deliver.


Grand Entrance. © Damaso Reyes


As I was Saying... © Damaso Reyes


Whispers. © Damaso Reyes


A Little Light Reading. © Damaso Reyes


Applause. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna


Politics Time! © Damaso Reyes


In the Halls... © Damaso Reyes

I spent the morning taking photographs at the Vienna City Council (special thanks to Green Party member Marco Schreuder for arranging the visit). Housed in a beautiful 19th century gothic building the City Hall is the nicest municipal building I have been in. The city council, which also serves as the state parliament since Vienna is a city and state, is also remarkably open. Unlike other parliaments or city halls, including New York’s, I didn’t have to be searched nor put my bag through an x-ray machine. It was only when I was actually photographing in the chamber itself did the occasional inquisitive public servant ask to see my credentials.


Overwatch. © Damaso Reyes


In the Shadows. © Damaso Reyes

As usual people were surprised to hear that I was from New York and found it strange that anyone from there would be interested in the Vienna City Council. It’s funny but almost no matter where I go in Europe, or for that matter the world, people are surprised that I would leave New York to come and photograph wherever I happen to be. I guess it must be the effect of all those movies and television shows that are shot in New York (Vienna has The Third Man but can you think of any other famous movies shot here?) which have made the city seem like the place to be. Granted I love New York but there is a big world out there and all of it is interesting it its own way.


Waiting His Turn. © Damaso Reyes


The Conversation. © Damaso Reyes

The only problem I had this morning was that since the council president was a bit of a stickler for protocol I was only allowed to shoot for a half hour during the question hour. As you know I hate working under pressure but all of those years of shooting press conferences and on deadline have at least come in handy. I wandered around the room, photographing the representatives as well as their aides and those supplicants who vie for a moment of their time.


Behind the Scenes. © Damaso Reyes

The more time I spend photographing in the halls of government the more that I realize that the real governing doesn’t happen during the question time or the vigorous back and forth debates that are shown on television or quoted in the newspapers. They happen off to the side, out of the view of the cameras (except for mine!) and the reporters. This is a little bit of what I want to show. Some would say that this is the problem with much of modern government. The U.K.’s parliament is expected to ratify the Lisbon treaty and the fact that the public will likely not get a chance to vote on what will more or less become the E.U. Constitution has sparked a great deal of outrage in that country.

Tomorrow I will return and I hope to spend most of the day photographing various members as they go about their day and give you a little bit of an impression of what political life here is like. Stay tuned…

Vienna

Once again I am celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day abroad. I suppose that the day takes on an added significance for me here in Europe because were it not for King’s dream and the hard work he and millions of other put into realizing it I would not have accomplished what I have modestly been able to do. Here in Europe millions of immigrants are also struggling every day to gain recognition, equality and acceptance and I hope that my project can play a role in that struggle.

If you haven’t heard the famous I Have a Dream speech I suggest you watch it in its entirety. It is the best speech ever given in the English language. Take some time out to read it as well. Note the metaphors he uses and the powerful imagery his words convey. They are every bit as powerful today as the day they were spoken and just as meaningful.




But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

Vienna

So how is everyone doing this weekend? Here in Vienna it looks to be warming up so you know that means lots of street shooting for me! In other news I may have even found a darkroom so keep your fingers crossed. I am setting up some shoots for next week which will hopefully include the Vienna City Council. As usual things tend to come together after a few weeks on the ground which is why it is so important to take your time (and have the time to take) when you are in a new environment. Well enough about me, tell me about your adventures and while you do here is your HCB Quote of the Week!


Everybody loves the sunshine. © Damaso Reyes

You are asking me what makes a good picture. For me, it is the harmony between subject and form that leads each one of those elements to its maximum of expression and vigor. - Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Best of Popular Photography by Harvey V. Fondiller Page: 272

Vienna

Some of you may remember my good friend Albert Somma. While I was back in New York last month I took the train out to visit him in New Jersey at the rehabilitation center he has been living at. Two and a half years ago he was riding his bike through Riverside Park after work and had an accident in which he suffered a severe neck injury. To say the least it has changed his life. He has regained a lot of his movement and mobility over the past two years but it has been a long road full of struggle for him.

I have to admit it was tough seeing him in a wheelchair at first. He was among the most fit and active people I knew, biking or rollerblading nearly every day. And of course he was an incredible singer. That’s actually how we met; he was performing at a club I used to frequent downtown called Torch (which ironically burnt down). He sang the very jazz standards that I loved so much and I ended up shooting the cover photograph for his CD.

In addition to being a great singer Al is also quite a poet. We have been talking for years about doing a poetry/photography collaboration and recently he sent me several haikus. I present them below, matched with some images from the Schomberg Kinder Klinik I shot last year. Let me know what you think….

Nursing Home Haiku
By Al Somma

A caretaker washes my hair
I assent, head
cradled in her hands


© Damaso Reyes

I resent the intrusion
Of the nurses, yet call
When I need them


© Damaso Reyes

Help and helplessness
Living side by side,
Bedfellows in the
Yin, yang


© Damaso Reyes

Vienna

So I did some more walking around the city today. One of the things that I love about Vienna is the contrast between its new and old architecture. The entryways of buildings are especially interesting because many of the older ones have stone carvings above them and are protected by beautifully crafted wrought iron. At some point I will take the digital camera around and show you some of what I am talking about.



But yesterday I went to the Haus des Meers, the local aquarium. The building itself has a lot of history, used during WWII as an anti-aircraft tower. In the stairwells of the building they detail the building’s past including posters from the era and photographs. I didn’t go there for a history lesson however, I came for the fishes, and that they had! While not as big or fancy as the New York aquarium, the displays were still impressive and I got to see some lovely animals.

Well without further ago here are your Photography Jobs & Opportunities!

***

Visiting Artist Residency at New Jersey City University during the month of April.
DEADLINE: January 31st
TO APPLY: email the following to artresidency@njcu.edu 1) 15-20 images of recent works with complete captions (72 dpi jpeg, less than 8×8 in). For video use .mov or .wmv format 2) 2-page resume 3) A proposal of a four-week residency (Please include possible subjects of workshops with students) 4) Artist Statement (less than 150 words) 5) Contact information Awarded artist will have access to their new state-of-the-art facilities, and is required to conduct a workshop in their area of expertise, a lecture, and a student critique session. The honoraria is $1,500 For further information, email bgustafson@njcu.edu

***

The Morning Journal wants you!

If you’re a talented still photographer with the training and desire to craft online slideshow and video presentations, The Morning Journal, an award-winning daily newspaper in Lorain, Ohio, wants you.

The ideal candidate would be a detail-oriented team player with excellent news judgment, strong technical skills and the ability to work well under deadline pressure.
The Morning Journal places a strong focus on local news and sports in a highly competitive five-paper market. Action sports from prep to pro is a big part of the job. We are looking for a shooter who thinks visually and has the talent to deliver time and time again. The ability to ask questions, take notes and compose information with accuracy and decent grammar will be expected. Skills in graphics are a plus.

The paper provides Nikon D2Hs and D1H bodies, flash and a variety of lenses. Other pool equipment is available. Candidates should be familiar with Photoshop. QuarkXPress or Alpha experience is a plus. Night and weekend shifts are expected. Candidates must have their own reliable transportation.

Lorain rests on the shore of Lake Erie, 30 miles west of Cleveland, offering candidates a uniquely diverse opportunity in coverage. Regional candidates are encouraged. A bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field is desired.
To apply, please send resume, cover letter and CD portfolio to April L. Elliott, Managing Editor, The Morning Journal, 1657 Broadway, Lorain, OH 44052. Portfolios will NOT be returned.

***

Internationale Journalisten-Programme--German-Vietnamese Fellowship 2008

The IJP offers a unique opportunity for 5 talented journalists from Vietnam to come to Germany in September/October 2008. Five German journalists will work as fellows in Vietnam (October/November). The IJP is a German NGO that is sponsoring fellowships for journalists from 11 regions of the world. Funding for the ‘German-Vietnamese Porgramme’ will come exclusively from the “Mercator Foundation” in Essen/Germany. The successful candidates will get the chance to work for a couple of months at a media branch of his/her choice in Vietnam. The fellowship will offer a lump sum of Euro 3.300, You should be between 28 to 38 years of age, have a minimum of 5 years experience in print and/or on-line journalism or TV/Radio. You should be fluent in English and have good basic knowledge of the German language.

How to enter: Please write a 1000 word essay addressing your motivation to work as a journalist in Germany. Please also include a one-page resume, your standard of German and English (copies of certificates), plus 3 copies of articles written by you (and if possible published in English), a journalistic reference from your editor and a passport photograph Deadline for application is January 31st, 2008. Write to: IJP/ Mr. Ulrich Bruemmer/ bruemmer@ijp.org Wilder-Mann-Str. 51 01129 Dresden, Germany For further details about IJP please visit: www.ijp.org

***

Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize

The year 2008 marks the eighteenth anniversary of the Dorothea
Lange–Paul Taylor documentary prize, a $20,000 award given annually by the Center for Documentary Studies. First announced a year after the Center's founding at Duke University, the prize was created to encourage collaboration between documentary writers and photographers in the tradition of the acclaimed photographer Dorothea Lange and writer and social scientist Paul Taylor. In 1941 Lange and Taylor published An American Exodus, a book that renders human experience eloquently in text and images and remains a seminal work in documentary studies. The Lange-Taylor Prize honors their important collaborative work.

The Lange-Taylor Prize is offered to a writer and a photographer in the early stages of a documentary project. By encouraging such collaborative efforts, the Center for Documentary Studies supports the documentary process in which writers and photographers work together to record the human story.

Applications

Images can originate in any format, but must be submitted digitally on cd. (No e-mail submission of images is accepted.) All written materials should be compiled in the order requested below on white 8 1/2 x 11 paper with the writer's and photographer's last names at the top of each page. The writing sample should be double-spaced, while all other written materials should be single-spaced.

CDS has a small staff, so it is very important that you adhere to these guidelines. Do not staple your materials; use paperclips only. And please, no folders, plastic covers, or other binding for written materials. Books, prints, newspaper clippings, or any other additional materials will not be seen by the panel. Any additional material will be donated to the CDS library.

As part of our policy, we do not review or comment on applications, and we do not release prizewinning applications from past years.

Submissions should include:

• Application form

• Self-addressed, stamped postcard for notification of receipt of materials by CDS

• Application fee of $35

• One-page proposal letter describing the project and outlining work planned

• One-page statement about the collaboration of the writer and the photographer. This statement should consider how the writer and photographer plan to work together on a joint project. Consider also in the statement the relationship of the project's photographs and words. John Szarkowski observed that in Lange and Taylor's work, "the words and images . . . supplement[ed], [did] not repeat . . . each maintained its own integrity."

• Writer's ten-page sample (double-spaced) on the proposed topic and in the style intended for project. If no work at all has been done on proposed topic, the writer should provide a sample demonstrating how the subject will be developed and written in the form and style of the final project (i.e., edited oral history, descriptive narrative, poetry, etc.).

• A brief curriculum vitae or résumé, no longer than five pages, from each applicant

• Budget, no longer than one page, outlining how the prize money would be spent. This may include stipends for project personnel, supplies and support materials, travel costs, and other expenses related to fieldwork.

• Twenty images from photographer demonstrating the ability to build a body of work. Images should be in jpeg format, saved at the highest jpeg setting, and sized at 72 dpi with the longest side of the image set at 21 inches. Each jpeg should be titled with the photographer's last name, photographer's first name (abbreviated as needed), and image number, for example: doe_john_01.jpg. Color images should be in RGB Color mode. Compact disc and case must be clearly labeled with the photographer's full name.

• Caption list for photographs

• Self-addressed, stamped 9 x 12 envelope for return of materials (please indicate on envelope which materials you would like returned, and be sure to include adequate postage). Without an SASE the Center for Documentary Studies will assume the right to retain or dispose of all materials as it chooses.

Enclose all materials in a 9 x 12 envelope and send to:

Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize Committee
Center for Documentary Studies
Duke University
1317 W. Pettigrew Street
Durham, NC 27705

Deadline
All required materials must be submitted under one cover during the month of January and postmarked no later than January 31, 2008.

Vienna

You’ll be happy to know that I have been getting the itch to go out and shoot more and more. I have a few destinations in mind here in Vienna and I will let you know how things develop. I do have to say that I have been enjoying shooting the Leicas quite a bit though I am still trying to adjust shooting two of them and the digital SLR. It is my firmest wish to stop shooting with my SLR by the end of the year, hopefully by then I will be able to afford a digital rangefinder, we shall see.


Longing for Kosovo. © Damaso Reyes

In other news Jimmie and I are sending out our Kosovo proposal once again in the hopes that we can get an American newspaper or magazine to sign on. If you know a foreign editor or happen to own your own publication, feel free to drop me a line. We are aiming to head out around March or April, which would work well with my schedule. Well, with further ado, here is your HCB Quote of the Week!

We often hear of “camera angles” (that is, those made by a guy who throws himself flat on his stomach to obtain a cetain effect or style), but the only legitimate angles that exist are those of the geometry of the composition. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Vienna

So I have spent the last three days or so finally checking out a bit of the city. I haven’t gotten that far but I have liked what I have seen. It has finally warmed up a bit here, the bitter wind which filled the streets last week has died down and even our friend Mr. Sun has made a few appearances through the clouds.


I bet it's warm inside... © Damaso Reyes

Now some of you may wonder why I am so sensitive to the cold, after all, didn’t I grow up in New York, not exactly known for its balmy winters (although it did get up to something like 15 degrees Celsius yesterday)? I usually reply that I didn’t like the winters there either! The two winters I spent living in Indonesia were wonderful and I didn’t miss the changing seasons at all. But there is a deeper reason for my dislike of the cold, one that has its roots in my childhood.

I grew up poor. Not lower middle class or working class but honestly poor. There were times when I couldn’t get new clothes for school, times when there wasn’t enough to eat, we ate government cheese and living in subsidized housing with thin, single paned windows and heating that we couldn’t control. All that meant that in winter the apartment was cold. We piled up blankets when we slept, which was fine at night but during the day there wasn’t much we could do.

I remember actually sitting on the radiator cover when I was a child whenever the heat would come on in an attempt to let it soak in to help keep me warm for the hours when the temperature would drop while the heat was off. I remember sitting with my grandmother in front of an open stove, our hands up against a huge pot of water that we used to try to keep things a little more bearable. I remember taking long, hot showers and baths and dreading the minute that I had to go back into the cold of my own home. I suppose this is where my love of saunas comes from.

So for me being cold isn’t simply about being uncomfortable, it is a reminder of hunger, of poverty and not being in control of the most basic parts of your life. So when the wind howls and the temperature drops I prefer to stay indoors, thank you very much.


Sketches of Wien... © Damaso Reyes

But as of late I have gone outside and today I took some photos. More like sketches really, which is how I think of the digital camera. I also took along my Leica and a new 75mm lens I brought just before I left (thanks Fulbright money, thanks!) you will see those photos as soon as I can find a darkroom to work in. So here are the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series of impressions of the city…


Store cows. © Damaso Reyes


Lights and Wires. © Damaso Reyes


The Museums Quartier, where I live. © Damaso Reyes


Around the Bend. © Damaso Reyes


Crazy like a Fox. © Damaso Reyes


Down the steps and into the MQ. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

So the internet is all about interactivity, right? Well part of the reason I started this blog was to interact a little more with people. As a photojournalist the usual model of interaction is one way from me to you when you see my photos in a newspaper or magazine. Of course you can post comments (which you haven’t been doing by the way) or send emails (ditto). Now it’s time to take it to the next level!


"Beer is God's way of telling us that He loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin © Damaso Reyes

So I would like to start having a virtual happy hour. The idea came to me a week or so ago but since I have Skype, I figure it would be a lot of fun to use it not just to chat or talk but to have a drink. This is the concept: we get online at the same time and you drink a beer, or wine or scotch or whatever… The key is that you have to have a webcam that way we can drink, talk and see each other! What do you think? I am currently taking reservations… in the meantime here are your Photography Jobs & Opps of the Week!

***
Knight International Journalism Fellowship- New Media in Latin America

Knight International seeks an experienced multimedia journalist or journalism professor to develop a digital media center at a Latin American university. The Fellow will develop a curriculum, recruit participants and faculty, teach some courses, and oversee the center, which will work with professional journalists and media organizations to increase digital-media capacity across the region.The Knight International Journalism Fellowships program sends international media professionals to key countries where there are opportunities for meaningful and measurable change. Working with partner organizations on high-impact projects, they build skills and enhance the standards of independent news organizations.Qualifications and Skills:- Minimum of 10 years professional journalism or academic journalism experience required - Experience in digital media required - Fluency in Spanish required - Management skills preferred - Experience in Latin America preferred - Fellowship open to any nationality - Fellowship duration is a minimum of 18 months Application: To apply, please send a letter of interest and your resume to knight@icfj.org. For more information, please visit our website at http://knight.icfj.org/GetInvolved/Fell ... ault.aspx.

***
CALL FOR WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS

On March 1, 2008, in honor of Women’s History Month, Humble Arts Foundation, in collaboration with Ladies Lotto , will present “31 Under 31: Young Women in Art Photography,” a month-long exhibition celebrating 31 of the most innovative young women in emerging art photography under the age of 31. No entry fee.
Contact:
Humble Arts Foundation
http://www.3rdwardbrooklyn.org 31@hafny.org

***
The HOME NEWS is looking for a chief photographer

The HOME NEWS, an award-winning group of eight community papers covering the suburbs of Las Vegas, is looking for a chief photographer to shoot and oversee a staff of full-time photographers and stringers.

This position is about half shooting and about half management, coordinating photo assignments, editing and working with photographers and editors. Our photographers do it all, news, sports, features, portraits, sometimes all in the same day. We pride ourselves on strong community journalism and high-quality photography.

For the last two years, Suburban Newspapers of America has recognized HOME NEWS papers as among the best weeklies in the United States. And our photographers are routinely recognized for their work in state and national competitions.
Applicants must possess strong technical and editing skills and be able to contribute to a story with descriptive photos and cut lines. Must be organized and detail-oriented. We prefer a candidate with some management experience, but will consider a strong shooter looking to advance in their career.

A degree in photojournalism or a related field is preferred. Greenspun Media Group offers excellent benefits: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K, tuition reimbursement and more.
Interested candidates, please submit your resume, cover letter and salary requirements via email to Jobs@gmgvegas.com

Greenspun Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Vienna



So before I left the States I did an interview with Inside Digital Photo Radio. I know, I mostly shoot film but I got a chance to talk about how digital and analogue systems can complement each other. Click on this link to go to the page with my interview (you can hear me in the second half) and click the play icon to hear yours truly!

Vienna

In case you were wondering it is still ridiculously cold here in Vienna but I managed to wake up early to go to the flea market, which as it turned out was walking distance from the MuseumsQuartier. There actually weren’t that many vendors, not surprising given the weather but there was a very nice market where I brought some nice fresh pasta as well as tea. Sorry, no photos but you can use your imagination. Afterwards I met up with a local photographer Daniel K. Gebhart who actually has a studio here at the MQ. Well I plan on spending the rest of the day inside my warm studio but here is you HCB Quote of the Week!


Italian Hands in Switzerland. © Damaso Reyes

The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Vienna

It is COLD here in Wien but it was very hot yesterday in Iowa! I still haven’t ventured very far, just out shopping and wandering a bit but this weekend I will head out to the flea market and snap some pictures and hopefully have more impressions to give you but at first blush I can say that the Austrians are much more laid back and relaxed than the Germans, which is a nice change of pace, I guess it must be because they are Southerners!


The future is now.

So as you all know by now Senator Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses last night by a wide margin. Of course there is still a long way to go but it was a victory that a lot of people did not count on. People questioned his experience, they wondered if he was ready. They felt that it would be better to go with the safe choice but it seems that more people were inspired by his message of hope and change than Hillary Clinton’s message of experience and stability. Many of the Germans I talked to in the past few months felt that America would never vote for a black man. But Iowa, a state which is mostly rural and 95% white voted for Obama. As I said to a German many years ago “America is not a place, it is an idea.”

I guess that is why I connect with Obama. My whole life people in power said I was too young, that I wasn’t ready, that there were more qualified people out there and then were amazed when I accomplished what I set out to do. And their criticisms where often right: I am too young, there are more qualified people out there but what I have, and what I think Obama has, is vision and passion. And those too qualities are sorely lacking in the world we live in right now. I have a vision of the world which can be better than it is. I believe that we have more in common than we do things that divide us. Finally I hear someone in public service saying the same thing.

And the man can speak.

If you don’t believe me then listen to his victory speech from last night and tell me if it doesn’t move you. Here is one passage that I particularly enjoyed:

“For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope. But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path.

It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.”

The future is here and his name is Obama.