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).

You Stay Classy, Obama

From the Herald:

President Barack Obama will visit Texas on Tuesday, with stops in El Paso and a fundraiser in Austin, but he won't feel the love -- at least not from unhappy Republican lawmakers who see the administration's refusal to designate the wildfire-battered state a disaster area as the latest slap in the face to the very Republican Lone Star State.

The refusal by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Texas disaster status, and the federal aid that goes with it, is the latest of the state's fights with the administration. The state and the Environmental Protection Agency have been battling over permitting under the Clean Air Act -- the federal agency even took over some state functions -- and NASA's decision not to give Houston, home to the Johnson Space Center, a retired space shuttle, sending them instead to California, Florida, New York and Washington, D.C.

"You can almost make the case the administration has a vendetta against Texas," said Republican Rep. Michael Burgess.

...

Asked if there was a Democratic vendetta against Texas, former Democratic Rep. Martin Frost laughed and said, "They love Texas. They want to raise money in Texas.

"Texas has not been a political priority for Democratic candidates," he said. "Texas has been an outlier among major states as far as Democratic politics and presidents are concerned. It shouldn't come as any surprise that a Democratic president doesn't pay much attention to Texas."

Obama Twiddles While Texas Burns

From WOAI:

As dry conditions and gusty winds whip up new wildfires in parched Texas, Gov. Rick Perry Thursday blasted the Obama Administration for failing to issue a disaster declaration for the state, widening the growing rift between the White House and the states rights advocate governor, 1200 WOAI news reports.

  "There is a point in time where you say, hey, what's going on here," Perry said.  "You have to ask why are you taking care of Alabama and other states?  I know our letter didn't get lost in the mail."

  The White House says President Obama will visit Alabama, hard hit by tornadoes Wednesday, later today.

  Perry requested a federal declaration of emergency for Texas on April 16, as wildfires began to rage across the entire state.  So far, the request has not been answered, although several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, are supplying firefighters to the state's effort.

  "They watch TV, they know what's going on here, they can recognize that there is going to be a request for assistance, a request for help," Perry said.

You stay classy, Obama.

Happy San Jacinto Day

175 Years ago today, in a marshy grassland near Lynchburg the course of world history was changed forever when the ragtag remnants of the Texas army took the seasoned Mexican army by surprise. 17 minutes later, Texas was free, the Alamo and Goliad were avenged and Santa Anna was defeated. The Republic of Texas was born.

God Bless Texas.

Happy Texas Independence Day

On this day 175 years ago, Texas declared independence from Mexico in a small town called Washington on the banks of the Brazos river. It was on this day that the Texas spirit was born - one which exists to this day and lives in the hearts of all true Texans everywhere.

We don't mind being governed, but we refuse to be ruled.

God bless Texas, and Happy Independence Day!

The Battleship Texas

From the Houston Chronicle:

Retirement hasn't been kind to the Battleship Texas, the only remaining U.S. battleship to survive World Wars I and II.

Once touted as the most powerful weapon on the planet, the nearly century-old battlewagon has endured some 60 years as an historic relic moored in the brackish Houston Ship Channel, corrosion from water outside and inside munching at its steel and patchwork repairs.

"Our boat's been sitting in the water and rusting away, so we get it out of the water," says Andy Smith, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's manager of the battleship site east of Houston.

That's the goal as work finally is beginning to permanently remove the Texas from water by constructing a unique dry berth for the 573-foot-long, 34,000-ton vessel. It's the most complex project ever for the parks agency and isn't likely to be complete until late this decade.

"You're dealing with a metal artifact sitting in a brackish environment in high humidity," Smith said. "How do you treat an artifact? Traditionally we put it in a climate controlled space where you control for temperature, humidity and light. You can't do that with an almost 600-foot-long ship."

Wrong. I think we just figured out what to do with the Astrodome, folks. Put the Texas inside, turn on the air, and turn it into one huge climate-controlled museum.

Happy San Jacinto Day!

On this day 174 years ago in a field near Lynchburg, Sam Houston's Texan army whooped the living crap out of the Mexican army under Santa Anna and Texas was born.

It's a great day to be a Texan, folks.

March 2: A Big Day in Texas

Happy Texas Independence Day. Today, on this date in 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico.

Also today in 1793, Sam Houston was born.

Today ought to be a state holiday. It's a crime that it isn't.

What the Hell is Wrong With Texas?

From the New York Times:

On Thursday morning, Amazon.com took another step in its effort to bring instant gratification to its customers, introducing a new “Local Express Delivery Option.” If an eligible item is ordered before 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. (depending on the city) Amazon will have it delivered on the same day. To start out, the e-commerce giant is rolling out the service in seven cities - New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Seattle. (With Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix to come soon).

Last time I checked, the fourth largest city in the U.S. was still in Texas, as is the seventh, ninth, 16th, 19th and 21st largest cities.

I get pretty damn tired of places like Baltimore (18th), Las Vegas (29th) and Indianapolis (12th) getting stuff, such as Pepsi Throwback, before cities in Texas. Companies act as if cities in Texas don't exist -or worse - that we don't matter.

What Makes a Texan?

I have a friend who lives in Georgia. She recently purchased a house there and, when sending out her new address, said that she was going to miss being a Texan, but they were Georgians now.

Kristi's aunt and uncle grew up and lived in Kansas all their lives. Last year, they purchased a house in Texas (just barely - it's on Lake Texoma, just about 200 yards from the Oklahoma state line). The house is a part-time residence. They come down on weekends and for a week or two here and there, but I would say that their main residence is still in Kansas.

And then I have a friend from college who was born in Texas and loved most of his life here, but hated it. In fact, within just a couple of years of graduating, he moved out of Texas.

So my question is - which of these is a Texan? The one who would love to be in Texas but has to live somewhere else because of her husband's job? Or the family who wasn't from Texas, but chose to set up a house here. They didn't get here as fast as they could, as the saying goes, but does it count that they came? Does it matter that part of their decision was for tax reasons? Or the guy who was actually born here - the natural born Texan - but wanted to be someplace - anyplace - else?

So who's the real Texan? Discuss.

The Texas Cockroach

I might have a new favorite site: The Texas Cockroach.

It's like the Onion, with a Texas flavor. Brilliant!