Do you give a hoot?

If you are used to Yahoo! or Hotmail's puny email services, using Gmail on a regular basis is like taking a double-shot of espresso on an empty stomach. Having 1 gigabyte of space really rocks. The interface is also easy on the eyes and given that the service is tied to the Google search engine, finding your old emails is a cinch.

I have – “count-em” – 12 Gmail invites to give away for those aspiring and perspiring to upgrade your email storage space. Interested parties may email me Gmail-inspired poetry (a desi twist is welcome) or, send me large bribes.

On a serious note, though, this is how I want this to work – I manage another blog – OMLOG – for a non-profit based in India that does incredible clinical and medical research work in the field of ophthalmology. It's an eye institution run primarily on the good graces of donors and well-wishers. Almost 40% of the patients (some 125,000 people) each year receive totally free care. No nickel and diming people here. No catches. No BS. The hospital is called Sankara Nethralaya and it's mission is vision for ALL irrespective of a person's financial status.

I would be happy to give away these 1 gigabyte email accounts if I can have 12 people step up and make a $100 donation via OMLOG. You'll see the orange donation “DONATE NOW” button on the right hand side. Make the donation. We'll receive a confirmation of your name, email address and donation amount (that's right, you aren't restricted from making more than a $100 donation). Then email me saying that you have made a donation (email me at: tiffinboxATpipalproductionsDOTcom). I'll send you an invitation once I have everything confirmed.

I have been using three Gmail accounts and it's been great fun to receive large attachments (images, movies) without any hassles. Trust me, you want one of these accounts for yourself.

Also know this: Blindness, for the most part can be preventable. For just $50 one less person in India needs to go blind. Think what $100 can do! Your donation is also tax-deductible as the donation is made to a 501(c)3 organization. Trust that your donation will be used responsibly. I guarantee it.

Diwali is right around the corner. Do the right thing. Make your donation count.

Silver prices are dipping thanks to a rise in digital alternatives in photography.

I have high regard for editorial cartoonists – regardless of their political leaning – because it's a tough business to be in. Being a fellow visual journalist may have something to do with it too. But their lot is facing some tough times.

John Balzar's article in the Los Angeles Times (online) suggests that editorial cartoonists are a tough bunch, ready to evolve not dissolve. It's a good read.

Since Henri Cartier-Bresson's death, there have been a number of obituaries published in US and European papers. But it is this one by Claude Cookman, a professor of mine at Indiana University, that is quite special.

He says of Cartier-Bresson:

“What is likely to be forgotten is that Cartier-Bresson's use of the Leica showed modern photojournalism a new ethic. Because large-format cameras used holders with only two sheets of film, earlier photojournalists commonly staged their pictures. In contrast, Cartier-Bresson practiced unobtrusiveness as the route to capturing unposed photographs. This allowed him to respect his subjects while also obtaining natural, revealing images. His unobtrusive approach allowed him to take and keep photographs of the assassinated Mohandas Gandhi, lying in state in January 1948. (The Life photographer Margaret Bourke-White, who photographed Gandhi with a large camera and flash, had her film confiscated by the Mahatma's devotees who considered her actions disrespectful.)”