What Immigration Problem?

Who's Paying For All This Luxury?

From Slate:

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, allegedly sexually assaulted a maid in a $3,000-a-night Midtown Manhattan hotel suite this weekend. Then, police arrested him in the first-class cabin of a Paris-bound flight. How can a socialist public servant afford such a luxurious life?

DSK's compensation and expenses are in line with his peers, the small handful of central bankers and finance ministers at the helm of the global economy. The president of the World Bank, for instance, makes almost exactly same amount. As per the bank's most recent annual report, Director Robert Zoellick earns $441,980 in salary, plus $79,120 for living expenses.

Nevertheless, DSK's finances became a major issue in his home country of France even before his arrest. This spring, he faced accusations of being a "champagne socialist" after a photograph of him climbing into a $100,000 Porsche* got play in the papers. (The car was not his.) And France Soir published a viral hit-job-slash-investigation, reporting he wears suits made by Barack Obama's tailor that cost up to $35,000. (DSK denies the allegation.)

Wait. Did I just read that Barack Obama's tailor charges $35,000 for a suit?!?!? Who do you think is paying for that? And just why do Socialists need such expensive clothes?

Images from the Depression

From MailOnline:

It was an era that defined a generation. The Great Depression marked the bitter and abrupt end to the post-World War 1 bubble that left America giddy with promise in the 1920s. Near the end of the 1930s the country was beginning to recover from the crash, but many in small towns and rural areas were still poverty-stricken. These rare photographs are some of the few documenting those iconic years in colour. The photographs and captions are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color. The images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, shed a bleak new light on a world now gone with the wind.

Absolutely breathtaking - some of the best, most moving photos I've ever seen.

Shooting the Shuttle

 

An Impromptu Prom Shoot

Last weekend, Kristi's cousin Marsha from Kansas was on her way down to Houston for a conference, so she stopped by Brenham to spend the night. She's a photographer who loves to take flower shots, so we decided to take her and Kristi's mom out to the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence. We all had a great time and I got some great shots of Kristi and Kayci - and Noble.

I had just finished taking some shots of honey bees on some flowers when I heard, "James!" I looked up and saw my friend Sydney. Sydney is a college student that worked in the Marketing Department at Germania for a couple of years while she was attending Blinn. She's moved on to UTSA, but she's still a Facebook friend, and a really nice person.

As I went over to say hi I noticed that she was trying to use a tiny little point-and-shoot camera to take pictures of two people who were obviously dressed for prom. She introduced me to her sister, Lauren, and Lauren's date, Justin. She seemed to be frustrated because she didn't seem to be getting the shot that she wanted, so I asked her if I could jump in and take a few shots of the couple. She agreed, and these are some of the shots that I got:























I only had a single flash with me, so I tried to light the couple as best I could. Where they were sitting was in a heavy mid-day shadow. I also wish I had opened up my aperture a little more so that the background had become blurry, but all in all, I thought that for a quick set of unplanned shots it wasn't too bad.

Thanks to Lauren for letting me share her photos, and thanks to Sydney for letting me jump in.

Opa's Beef Sausage FAIL

All beef sausage... In pork casing.

The Deficit Explained, Simply

This is why I enjoy Dave Ramsey:

The federal government will take in $2.173 trillion in 2011. That’s their income, and it sounds pretty good. Until, that is, you factor in that the federal government will spend $3.818 trillion during the year. So, just like many families, the government’s outgo exceeds their income—to the tune of $1.645 trillion in overspending. That’s called the deficit. Altogether, the government has $14.2 trillion in debt.

What would happen if John Q. Public and his wife called my show with these kinds of numbers? Here’s how their financial situation would stack up:

If their household income was $55,000 per year, they’d actually be spending $96,500—$41,500 more than they made! That means they’re spending 175% of their annual income! So, in 2011 they’d add $41,500 of debt to their current credit card debt of $366,000!

Somebody at iStockphoto Has Some Sense

I got an acceptance notice this morning for the one shot that I really wanted to put on iStock - the shot that I went to the Alamo to get in the first place: sunrise over the Alamo. It uses the same keywords as the ones that were rejected yesterday, which means that it was obviously reviewed by someone at iStockphoto that had some sense and maybe a little bit of knowledge of history.

So if you're looking for a shot of the Alamo, buy it here and make me rich. Well, help me buy a cheap cup of coffee, anyway.

iStock Editors Need to Learn Their History

I just got the following rejection notice from iStockphoto for a shot I took of the Alamo a couple of weeks ago:

The following keywords used for this file do not appear to be fully relevant to the subject.

{[ Freedom, Liberty (Single Word), Freedom, Travel, Courage, Travel, Pride, Honor, Death, Conflict, Fighting (Physical Activity), Independence, Hope, Destruction]}

Now, Texans, you tell me which of those keywords don't apply to the Alamo.



[Edit:] My response:

Regarding the keyword notice on images 16549717, 16549749, 16549765, 165497920 and 16549780, you obviously have no idea the historical significance of this building. I suggest you read the Wikipedia article on the battle of the Alamo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo) and tell me which of the keywords don't apply. This is one of the most famous buildings - and famous battles - in history! The Alamo holds a very special significance in the hearts of Texans, and I assure you that any of the keywords (with the exception of "travel" accidentally added twice) does, in deed apply to this very special place. In image 16549920, the notes very clearly state that the darkness and lens flare are for dramatic effect. And in images 16549780 and 16549765, please keep in mind that it's night time, so the colors of the building would naturally be somewhat duller than in full daylight. No flash was used. Of course there are heavy shadows - it's night time. There are no lens flares, and the white balance is correct. There is a yellow light shining on the front of the building, but the stones have a natural yellowish hue to them anyway. Any shot you see of the Alamo where the building looks white has been processed incorrectly (see similar image 3474434 as a reference).

All the Journalistic Greats in One Place

The Right Place at the Right Time

Stefanie Gordon slept for most of her flight from New York City to Palm Beach, Florida this morning. Luckily she woke up in time to snap these pictures through her window of the space shuttle Endeavour lifting off from Kennedy Space Center on its final mission to the International Space Station.

Amazingly beautiful.

One Distraction Down

From ABC News:

After a roller-coaster flirtation with a presidential bid, Donald Trump bowed out of the 2012 contest in true Trump fashion, saying that while he would not be a candidate this year, if he had run, he would have been able to win the primary and the general election.

Now let's work on getting Newt out of the race so we can get some quality, conservative candidates in there who can actually win and won't be bullied by his name.