“We caution people not to write about bombs because if they're going on vacation, their travel plans will be disrupted,” she said.

A Japanese man was hand-cuffed and taken off of a United Airlines for writing the words “suicide bomb.” His crime – he wanted to have that word translated into Japanese. The misunderstanding caused by such paranoia is perhaps just something we will all have to get used to. Or, not.

Next time, I am packing a dictionary in my carry-on luggage.

Check these other blogs about Mamta Popat, the photojournalist who was asked to reveal her race by the Secret Service and Vice President Dick Cheney's office:

Wesley Clark
Proof Through The Night
Catch
Vidiot
DiatribeR
MetaFilter
Asylum
Just Orb

Thanks to Jackie Cerretani for this list.

“I never really thought of myself as a threat to national security before…”

Add “racist” to the list of ugly labels that the Bush/Cheney ticket exemplifies. Why you ask? Well, read this story about Mamta Popat, a staff photographer for the Arizona Daily Star (and a friend of mine) that ran last Saturday in that paper.

I understand and accept that the Secret Service has some basic security requirements when approving access to the two highest positions in the government. But when they demand to know a person's race, the Bush/Cheney administration took a huge leap back in history to the days when African Americans were hosed down, dogs set upon them, or worse, lynched. In this one instance I do hope history does not repeat itself.

The racial profiling of Mamta Popat has my blood boiling. I can see it now – the dress code at the Republican National Convention will be casual: white bed sheets and hooded hats. Burning crosses, optional. Harsh, you say? Fuck that. I am sick of the bullshit that's been thrown at us since 2000. The Bush administration has been a sham from the get-go. I say to all who can legally vote in the US – take back YOUR government! Make it your own again. Your vote is your voice. Speak up! Fight for our civil liberties. Register to vote. Find out who your elected representative is and demand to know where she or he stands on issues that are important to you and your family. Write to them if you wish.

Voter apathy and nonchalance towards US domestic and international policy is getting us ALL screwed in the end. So, here is TIFFINBOX's official endorsement of the Kerry/Edwards ticket in black and white (or really off-orange). We will expect great things of them and we do hope is on its way. The alternative is scary, very scary.

If you know an American, check this site out to help put the word out! If you are an American, on November 2nd get off your ass to vote! You have earned that right to express yourself.

Bush camp solicits race of Star staffer

By C.J. Karamargin

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

President Bush's re-election campaign insisted on knowing the race of an Arizona Daily Star journalist assigned to photograph Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Star refused to provide the information.

Cheney is scheduled to appear at a rally this afternoon at the Pima County Fairgrounds.

A rally organizer for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign asked Teri Hayt, the Star's managing editor, to disclose the journalist's race on Friday. After Hayt refused, the organizer called back and said the journalist
probably would be allowed to photograph the vice president.

“It was such an outrageous request, I was personally insulted,” Hayt said later.

Danny Diaz, a spokesman for the president's re-election campaign, said the information was needed for security purposes.

“All the information requested of staff, volunteers and participants for the event has been done so to ensure the safety of all those involved, including the vice president of the United States,” he said.

Diaz repeated that answer when asked if it is the practice of the White House to ask for racial information or if the photographer, Mamta Popat, was singled out because of her name. He referred those questions to the U.S. Secret Service, which did not respond to a call from the Star Friday afternoon.

Hayt declined to speculate on whether Popat was racially profiled, but said she is deeply concerned.

“One has to wonder what they were going to do with that information,” Hayt said. “Because she has Indian ancestry, were they going to deny her access? I don't know.”

Journalists covering the president or vice president must undergo a background check and are required to provide their name, date of birth and Social Security number. The Star provided that information Thursday for Popat and this reporter.

“That's all anybody has been asked to provide,” said Hayt, adding that this is the first time in her 26-year career that a journalist's race was made an issue.

Organizer Christine Walton asked for Popat's race in telephone conversations with two other Star editors before she spoke to Hayt. They also refused to provide the information. Walton told Hayt that Popat's race was necessary to allow the Secret Service to distinguish her from someone else who might have the same name.

“It was a very lame excuse,” Hayt said.

Popat, a photographer with six years' experience, was on assignment Friday and unaware of the controversy. But she said she was glad the Star refused. “My race shouldn't have anything to do with my job,” she said.

Tickets are required for the public to attend the rally, which begins at 12:50 p.m. All tickets were distributed by Friday.

Reporter C.J. Karamargin: 573-4243.

The Village (idiot). Ouch!

I can't think of one movie of his since Sixth Sense that hasn't been a major (box-office or critical) disappointment. I shall skip this as well. Ten bills saved.

Ok, UNITY convention is just around the corner. What is it? Find out here. I am heading to DC on Wednesday and will try and blog the convention as best as I can.

Meanwhile, for those of you who are photographers, check the extended post below for more information about the UNITY Photography Competition.

Theme: “Patriotic Diversity”

Are you interested in winning BIG prizes for only 24 hours of shooting?

What is the Unity Photography Competition? A 24-hour live photo competition for those attending the Unity Convention. Anyone registered at the convention can enter. The Design Competition rules will be list separately.

When is it? Shooting starts at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4 EDT and ends at 2 p..m. Thursday, Aug. 5. EDT.

Where can I shoot? Anywhere.

What am I suppose to shoot? The theme is “Patriotic Diversity”

What are Prizes? Thousands of dollars in prizes such as Nikon and Canon digital cameras, CF cards from Sandisk and Lexar, jackets from Coca Cola, Adobe products and more.

What do I need to enter? Each entrant will either need to bring own digital camera gear or get a digital camera loaner.

How do I get a camera loaner? Nikon and Canon digital cameras will be loaned out on a first come basis and will be handed out at the Unity Photography and Design Competition meeting. You will need to fill out a Loaner Form. Forms will only be available at the information meeting on Wednesday.

Where can I get more info? Come to the Unity Photography and Design Competition meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. at the VTF room (140A) in the Convention Center. Will go over all this information at meeting.

Do I need to attend meeting to enter? No.

Everyone entering needs to turn in one Registration Form with your entry. Forms will be available at the Wednesday meeting and in the VTF room at the Convention Center.

What is deadline? Deadline is 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5. Submit photos at the VTF room (140A) in the Convention Center.

How do I turn in photos? You can turn up to five photos maximum that best describes the theme “Patriotic Diversity”. A photo story can be up to 12 photos and counts as one image. We will have computers you can use to submit your photos into a shared folder. Place photo essay into a folder with you last name on it.

What are the technical dimensions of photos submitted? Make photos 72 dpi with a size of 10 inches saved in RGB, saved at maximum, and saved as .jpg. Write captions in the “File Info”. Put your last name and the numbered photo when you save your single photo. (Example: lastname1.jpg lastname2.jpg lastname3.jpg) For Photo Stories: put your last name, the numbered photo in alphabetical order of your photo story and place into a folder with your last name on folder.

(Example: lastname1A.jpg last name 1B.jpg last name1C.jpg) You can enter a single photo in both singles and as part of photo story. Photo story counts as one of your five entries.

Can I use my laptop to work on my photos? Yes, you can work on your photo in PhotoShop. Toning, cropping and captions suggested. Captions should be clear and concise. The better the captions, the more chances of winning.

When will photos be judged? There will be a live open judging on Thursday night at the VTF suite at the Grand Hyatt. (Congressional Suite)

When will the winners be announced? Come to the VTF Awards reception and ceremony between 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6. at the Convention Center in Room 202B.

Cost? None

RSVP? none

Good Luck.

For more information please contact Paul Sakuma
VTF AAJA or Boyzel Hosey VTF NABJ

You Decide activities invite you to become part of the debate through a critical exploration of the issues. In the end, perhaps you will ask different — and better — questions than those presented here.

Via Lavina Melwani

Keyboard magazine is looking for an exceptionally talented photographer– a la David La Chapelle — to shoot Alicia Keys for the cover of their next issue. They're looking for someone who can get a glamorous shot of her and who's good with interior lighting as she'll be sitting at a piano in a restaurant, I believe.

The shoot is next week! The pay is good!

Serious inquiries pls contact Janell.

A plethora of web magazines out there. Does Divanee distinguish itself in any way? Anyone read it on a regular basis? Which magazine or web site best caters to desi women? In what way? When you mention the name of the publication(s), please include a URL, if possible. Time to chime.

The South Asian Monologues is a play by Tina Chaudhary.

“A play about love, artistic passions and following one's dreams. A story about the compromises we make or reject as the children of immigrants.”

Ok, I am sold.

Show times are:

SATURDAY – July 31, 2004
1:30-3:30pm (SHOW A)

The Cami Hall
165 West 57th St.

SUNDAY – August 1, 2004
1:30 – 3:00pm (SHOW B)
4:00-5:30pm (SHOW C)

Center Stage NY
48 West 21st St., 4th Floor

Tickets:
$12 with advance reservations
$15 at the door

To reserve advance tix email with:

1. Your Name:
2. The SHOW you are reserving tix for (specify A, B, or C)
3. Your Phone number
4. How many people you are reserving tix for

You can pick up your tix at the door.

Contemporary artist and photographer Ram Rahman will present the Herwitz 100 lecture in NYC on July 28 from 6.30 to 8 p.m. at Gallery ArtsIndia. The topic will be “Photography and New Media in the Indian Art Scene – The 90's.” Admission is free.

Ram Rahman, photographer and curator, will talk about his friendship with the Herwitzes and their love for Indian art. He will also discuss the Herwitzes contribution to bringing Contemporary Indian art to a larger Western audience and how photography and new media – video, performance, installation – have become a major part of the contemporary art scene in India, particularly amongst the younger generation artists. While putting his own photography in context, Ram will talk about his contemporaries and their work.

There has been a sea-change in the kind of work which is now being shown in galleries and alternative spaces across India in the last decade as artists gain access to technologies not easily available until very recently. Ram will also talk about collecting art and shifting trends that reflect the emerging trends.

Ram Rahman studied Physics, Photography and Design in MIT and Yale in the 70's. For the past 25 years, he has divided his time between his loft in the Fulton Fish Market and his family flat in Civil Lines, Delhi. He has shown his photographs in individual and group shows in India and around the world. He is also a founding member of SAHMAT, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust in New Delhi, which has been a leader in the resistance to communal and sectarian forces in India through its public cultural action and represents a very wide spectrum of the creative community.

Here is the address for the venue:

Gallery ArtsIndia,
206 Fifth Avenue
(between 25th and 26th Streets)
5th Floor, New York, NY 10010.
Phone 212-725-6092