Susi and I have worked fairly extensively with Habitat for Humanity in in at least a dozen places such as Columbus, Ohio; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi; Tucson, Arizona; Molepolole, Botswana; Tarija, Boliva; Phang Na, Thailand; etc. It is always comforting and encouraging to us that no matter where we go, we find the same formula: Along with other volunteers, work side-by-side with families to build simple, decent houses that they purchase with the help of an affordable mortgage, providing secure shelter and myriad other benefits that come from enabling people to dream and grow.

Nonetheless, some differences are very notable. For instance, try as you might, you simply cannot make this picture with the mountain as a backdrop in Columbus, Ohio! This is one of many in the 01-19 RCW Habitat Build album that show the gorgeous settings in which we get to work.

Susi and I tend to invite and encourage just about everyone we meet to get involved with Habitat for Humanity. But, right now, we especially wish you could join us to work here in this beautiful place!

Those of you in the software world won’t be surprised to know that it was a “dreaded upgrade” of the WordPress blog software that caused a break in the Flickr Photo Album plug-in we use to tie photos from our Flickr site to our blog. As usual, although a bit of rooting around on the Internet found a workaround, there is no word about an upgrade to the plug-in to handle ongoing WordPress upgrades. So far, so good, but always a bit uncertain when working with open source and free software.

Pastor John Fife

Reverend John Fife is Pastor Emeritus of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, having retired in 2005 after leading a dynamic, activist community for 35 years. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2012, he preached a wonderfully stirring tapestry of memories and challenges that I have transcribed here with his permission. May we all read it, and feel stronger individual resolve to do our part to make the world a better place for every single one of God’s people.

Sermon on Martin Luther King, Jr Day, 2012

by Reverend John Fife, Pastor Emeritus

Southside Presbyterian Church, Tucson, Arizona

One of my favorite Liberation Theologians is a Catholic priest – Leonardo Boff. He was silenced by the Vatican for a year – not permitted to preach or teach for a year. When that silent year ended, Leonardo Boff began his first sermon with these words, “As I was saying…” So, after 6 years, that seems like a good way to begin – As I was saying!

Do any of you remember what I said that July Sunday in 2005? (Anyone?) Well, I remember! I told you it would be a long, and arduous, and trying, and bureaucratic process ahead: two interim Pastors; interminable meetings; search to call a permanent Pastor.

I told you it would be long and frustrating. And I told you: don’t forget who you are! You are a faithful and courageous people. You are a tough and loving people. And, the last thing I said to you was: DON’T SCREW THIS UP!

Now, I’m back to say THANK YOU. You not only didn’t screw it up – You all did better than I could have hoped for. You have a vibrant congregation with many new young families; a vital worship experience; a better children and youth program than we ever had; strengthened the Cross Streets Ministry; become a sanctuary for day laborers and their families. You have done Good! Gracias – Thank you!

(Now, will someone help the preacher and cover Sister Alison’s ears?)

All of you who served on the Session and all of you who went to those interminable meetings, and especially those of you who served on the Pastor Nominating Committee: God Bless You – You called an extraordinarily faithful, tough, learned, gifted woman/sister/prophet to be the Pastor of Southside Church. You done GREAT when you called Sister Alison.

I only wish I had been asked to preach on last Sunday’s text from the gospel of Mark – Chapter 1, verse 7, where it says, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.” I could have spent the whole sermon preaching on that text.

(Now uncover Sister Alison’s ears.)

The texts I have been given this week to preach on relate the stories of God’s Call: God’s call to Samuel to be a Prophet to Israel, and God’s call to Nathanael to be a disciple and follow Jesus.

I love the way Hebrew scripture begins the story of the call of Samuel. “The word of the Lord was rare in those days – visions were not widespread.” Sounds like a commentary on the American Congress – or the Presidential campaign debates. But in the midst of the deafening silence, God calls Samuel – and promises, “See, I am about to do a great thing in Israel – that will make both ears of anyone who hears it tingle.” (Both ears.)

And then Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael to be disciples – and at the end of this story Jesus says to Nathanael, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” Jesus uses a Hebrew word that goes way back to the earliest traditions of that tribal people. This phrase GREAT THINGS is a special word that refers to the most momentous transformations in the history of the people of Israel. The Exodus from slavery in Egypt was a GREAT THING and is described by that Hebrew word. The gift of manna in the desert: GREAT THING. The gift of the Promised Land: GREAT THING. The return from exile in Babylon: GREAT THING. Same Hebrew word.

And Jesus calls disciples and says, “You will see GREAT THINGS.” Things that will make both ears tingle when you hear them.

That’s always been the drumbeat of the call of God – to prophets and disciples. No – more than a drumbeat. God means to do GREAT THINGS; to move the mountains; to shake the foundations; to light the sky with fire; with the prophets and disciples God calls.

And so we gather this Sunday to remember another prophet and disciple – called by God to move the mountain of racism and hatred in this nation; called by God to shake the foundations of slavery and Jim Crow; called by God to light the sky with the fire of his prophetic words. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the past few months I have been invited to join a group of old folks – a group called The Council of Elders – organizers of the significant movements for social change in the 20th Century – to support and mentor the young leaders of movements of social change in the 21st Century.

And so I have met with – and learned from – and listened to stories late into the night of Dr. King’s brothers and sisters in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Vincent Harding – the speechwriter for Dr. King and an eminent ethicist and historian. Dr. Jim Lawson – the teacher of non-violence for Dr. King. Dr. Zohara Williams – Snick [Ed. note: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, pronounced "snick"] organizer in Albany, Georgia. Bernice Reagan Johnson – Snick organizer and lead singer, “Sweet Honey in the Rock”.

The rest of this sermon is what I have heard and learned from these great leaders of the Civil Rights Movement about Martin King.

Let us begin with the words of the poet/prophet Carl Wendell Hines, Jr.:

Now that he is safely dead, let us praise him; build monuments to his glory; sing hosannas to his name.

Dead men make such convenient heroes: They cannot rise to challenge the images we would fashion from their lives.

And besides, it is easier to build monuments than to make a better world…

Isn’t that exactly what America has done with this prophet/disciple Dr. Martin King? When our children ask us why they have Monday off school, we tell them Dr. King believed in equality and equal rights. That’s all. When we think about the King holiday, we can’t miss the sales at the mall urging us to be better consumers. We say he was a dreamer – and a powerful Preacher – and only remember he said something about “I have a dream”. We’ll walk together in our Nike sneakers in comfortable parades – and sign petitions for the latest political candidates. And forget the prophet/disciple Martin King.

These are the words of Vincent Harding. He is the most faithful interpreter in our time, of Dr. King’s life and ministry.

“In 1968, just a few months after our friend Martin King was assassinated, my wife, Rosemarie, was visiting the home of two poor, older black women in Atlanta. In their two-room apartment, on the wall in the place of honor next to the picture of Jesus, was a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the women told Rosemarie that King had come to her a number of times since his death. That seemed right, and totally at one with the meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr. in our lives.”

“As I reflected on that, what is also clear, especially in light of the establishment of the King holiday, is that there is a tremendous danger of our doing with Martin King precisely what we have so often done to Jesus. That is, put him up on the wall and leave him there, or use his birthday as a holiday and an excuse for going wild over buying things, or domesticate him – taking him according to what we want, rather than what he is demanding of us. The temptation is to smooth him off at the edges and forget what the assistant director of the FBI said about him in 1963: ‘We must mark King now, if we have not done so before, as the most dangerous Negro to the future of this nation.’” A dangerous Negro, then, a national holiday now. What shall we do with that?

“What we have tried to do and are being tempted to do is forget that King was a dangerous man, a dangerous black man. He was dangerous in the midst of a society that had chosen to live in a way that was filled with inhumanity to itself and to the rest of humankind. He was dangerous to all of the keepers of the status quo and to all the lovers of a pleasant Christianity. He was indeed, I think, the most dangerous Negro to the future of this nation, partly because, unlike Malcolm X, lots of people didn’t realize how dangerous he was, and still don’t.”

“Toward the end of his life, King said this: ‘The dispossessed of this nation – the poor, both white and Negro – live in a cruelly unjust society’; therefore, ‘they must organize a revolution against that injustice, not against the lives of their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which the society is refusing… to lift the load of poverty’.”

“Martin King was saying many things that challenge us. He was saying for one thing that there are adequate resources, human and natural, for the load of poverty to be lifted. He said this society refuses to lift that load; it insists on structures that will keep the load of poverty. Then society tells us that this is consistent with Christianity and all Christians ought to be free market capitalists. And we believe it.”

King said, “For years I labored with the idea of reforming the existing institutions of this society, a little change here, a little change there. Now I feel quite differently. I think you’ve got to have a reconstruction of the entire society. A Revolution…

(Feel both ears tingle… See GREAT THINGS)

King (in a speech at Riverside Church) pleaded with America to come to its senses – accusing the government of being “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today” – calling America to stand with, not against, the revolutions of the poor.

He said the United States needs to struggle to free ourselves from the triple evils of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism. He said, “that the evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and the evils of racism.”

And he called for a “Poor People’s March on Washington”. “We’ve got to camp in – put our tents in front of the White House. We’ve got to make it known that until the problem is solved – America may have many, many days, but they will be full of trouble.”

(Feel both ears tingle…)

There will be no rest, there will be no tranquility in this country, until the nation comes to terms with (the problem of poverty and war).

I guess that on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, we need to remember what really got Dr. King in trouble. It wasn’t because of his dream we quote – although he got in trouble for that. It wasn’t because he believed in voting rights, although he was in trouble for that, too. What finally got everyone, even his own people and tribe in fervent opposition, was that he finally said, “You can’t separate race and war in this nation; that they are the same thing, and they’re built on the same foundation. He said, as a pastor and as a believer, “I cannot separate the two”. And when he declared that those who would walk with him and who would follow his movement had to be as fervently opposed to war in any form as they were opposed to racism, he really got in trouble. He said, “You must combine the fervor of the Civil Rights movement with the peace movement. We must demonstrate and teach and preach until the very foundations of our nation are shaken.”

That’s the Martin King we need to remember in the faith communities this Sunday. Martin the prophet. Martin the disciple – whose call was the same as Samuel’s, Philip’s, Nathanael’s, Jesus’. God’s call to the vision of the Kingdom of God.

Same vision seen in Tunisia and Egypt and Syria and Iran. Same vision seen as people pitched their tents on Wall Street. Same vision as our young people go out to the desert to welcome the poor of Mexico with food and water. Same vision that will never die.

Come to think of it, Arizona today and Alabama in 1963 have a lot in common.

Then in Alabama: White Citizens Councils, Ku Klux Klan (don’t forget the Klan had two agendas – segregation and anti-immigration.) Now in Arizona: Minutemen; Militias; United for Sovereign America; Riders, U.S.A.; Patriots Border Alliance.

Then in Alabama: Collaboration by law enforcement agencies – police; sheriffs; FBI; Bull Conner; Jim Clark. Now in Arizona: Collaboration by the law enforcement agencies – police; sheriff; Joe Arpaio; Homeland Security and Border Patrol 287(g).

Then: Hate speech that used ”nigger” and “boy”. Now: Hate speech that uses “illegals”, “criminals”, “aliens”, and “terrorists”.

Then: Politicians that tried to “out-seg” their opponents [Ed. note: Back then, politicians had to “out-seg” (as in, segregation) their opponents in order to get elected]. Now: Elect politicians that are toughest on border security and illegals.

Then: Nightriders and the disappearance of family members off the streets and from their homes. Now: ICE raids, traffic stops, disappearance of family members.

Then in Alabama: You had lynching – cruel suffering and death as a DETERRENCE. Now in Arizona: We have lynching in the desert: The strategy of using death and suffering of the poor in the desert as a deliberate strategy of deterrence. Border Patrol Strategy: over 5000 documented deaths. Arizona is the epicenter. It is death as deterrence.

Some others see clearly the parallels between the experience of segregation in Alabama and our experience here in Arizona of border militarization and immigration enforcement strategies, and bigotry and hate speech. Both systems – Segregationist Alabama and Anti-immigrant Arizona – were (and are) designed to keep a cheap, easily exploited work force in its underclass place by oppression, fear, racism – and law and order.

You see, that’s the good news of the Gospel – you can’t kill the prophets and disciples. Oh, you can nail ‘em to a cross – or gun ‘em down on a balcony – but they keep coming back to give life and hope.

Edith Lovejoy Pierce wrote a poem titled, Drumbeat for a Dream

Above the shouts and shots, the roaring flames and the sirens’ blare,
listen for the still voice of the man who is no longer there.
Above the tramping of the endless line of marchers along the street,
listen to the silent step of the dead man’s feet.
Lock the doors.
Put troops at the gate.
Guard the legislative halls.
But then tremble when a dead man comes,
whose spirit walks through walls.

A Wisdom Keeper once said, “The prophet will come – when the people are ready.”

Do both ears tingle? Do you see GREAT THINGS?

God is calling us to become disciples – and prophets – together – today. Because Martin still walks through walls and calls us to walk with him.

This week we’ve:

• We’ve joined 2 choirs – one at Southside Presbyterian church (gospel) and one in Rincon (a medley of 100 years of Broadway show tunes to be performed in March)
• Had dinner with Rincon friends
• Attended one of the many potlucks
• Completed a 3 hour ranger hike at Saguaro National Park
• Worked a day of HfH construction
• Met with HfH staff to learn about development projects in 3 new communities and toured the villages with Terry & Sue Sunday afternoon
• Attended a thoughtful reflection of Martin Luther King’s work at Southside Presbyterian Church on Sunday
• Taken & processed photos (Dave)
• Painted 3 paintings in Saguargo National Park (of which 2 were flingers and Susi scraped for another day of painting)
• Explored the downtown district at Tucson’s 2nd Saturday event to enjoy 4 bands and people watch.
• Susi’s continued with her early morning walks and occasional swims
• Dave has also been processing photos he took of Susi’s summer paintings to put on Susi’s website
• Susi’s also been working on plans for a fall painting competition in Ohio via Skype and starting a new art webinar
• And we both checked out a few other special interest groups at Rincon

On our journey to Tucson, Dave and I were thrilled to re-connect with Holly and Dan Griffin – friends we haven’t seen for over 10 – 15 years. Holly was not only a good friend of mine from college, but also maid of honor in our wedding. It was delightful sharing life stories and discovering how much we still have in common!

Terry & Sue Baughman, our 2009 HfH Mississippi traveling companions, had also committed to work at the HfH Tucson office and although we left Columbus at different times, we connected before and after our visit with the Griffins. How cool is it to be rolling down the road, using GPS, Ipads and smart phones to communicate with each other and plan our stops? Dave even wrote a blog entry while I was driving!

Gerry & Carolyn Keener, our Rincon and HfH Tucson friends, welcomed all four of us our first night at Rincon with a wonderful dinner. In just one week, we’ve not only renewed friendships we previously made at Rincon and the Habitat office, but many new ones, too. Thanks be to all that have (or will) touched us on this journey.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
- Anais Nin

the road totally iced up between Cincinnati and Louisville, slowing traffic to 20 mph. Fortunately, the threat was far worse than reality, and a few miles later we were in the clear again. Though we hit a few more squalls of flurries and slick roads, it was the relentless wind that kept our attention glued to the road. The nastiness did push us to extend our first day’s drive for thirteen hours to ensure better conditions thereafter.

About 520 miles out, we sought a Walmart store, our familiar overnight refuge from the road when when we are simply trying to cover a lot of miles. As Susi turned left into the parking lot in Jackson, Tennessee, she exclaimed, “Oh, damn”, and we heard a sickening crunching sound. Fearing the worst, I jumped out to check the Forrester we tow, thinking it had been dinged by another car. Relieved to find not a scratch, I came back to the RV looking puzzled, until Susi explained that we had hit an overhead bar. It turns out that this Walmart is posted “No trucks”—which they enforced with a barrier hanging 12’ 4” above the driveway—3” lower that our required clearance.

We took a few moments to get our adrenaline levels under control, then pulled close to the gas island where there is plenty of light. I climbed up on top for an inspection and found myself crawling to keep stable against the wind. Fortunately, it appears that the crash was more noise than damage. The tallest appendages are two air conditioning units, which showed minor scrapes but no cracks. With temperatures around freezing, we have not yet tested the A/C, but I’m guessing that it will work just fine. All that we lost is an insignificant “toy” of a solar panel that isn’t really large enough to help charge the batteries anyway.

Susi and I were happy to get out and walk about a 1/2 mile to stretch our legs and get some dinner at Chili’s, which proved to be full on this holiday Monday, so we jumped up on stools at the bar. With a friendly, attentive bartender we settled in for a relaxing dinner. We really didn’t expect any different when a sprightly senior citizen sat down next to Dave. Of course, the Rose Bowl game between Wisconsin and Oregon was on TV right over our heads, and Susi soon responded to one of his quiet mumbles, asking, “Do you know a bit about football?”. Well, did he ever! Buddy Patey, a regular according to the barkeep, proceeded to regale us for the next hour with story after story of his joys as an official at both the college and pro levels. He proudly identified three of “his boys” who were officiating the Fiesta Bowl as it came on TV, since he’d finished up his career supervising all the officials in his beloved SEC conference. Among his favorite memories were six bowls and even a couple national championship games he had worked. Some of the titles on his calling card included SEC Technical Advisor, Retired; OVC Supervisor Emeritus; TSSAA Supervisor, Retired; College Football Hall of Fame; TSSAA Hall of Fame; Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame; and CCA Commissioners Officiating Hall of Fame.  Buddy worked in human resources, was Vice Mayor of Jackson for a time, and knows everyone in football, as he punctuated his stories with names of one famous player and coach after another, including many glowing remarks about Jim Tressel. This vital, dynamic, 86 year-old has obviously enjoyed his “blessed life”, and we are thankful for the chance to enjoy a delightful dinner with him.

Susi and I are thankful, too, for our own blessed life, that allows me to write this as we roll across Arkansas toward Hot Springs National Park with Susi chiming “33, 34, 35…44, 45”, counting out the hawks roosting along the road.

If you’d like a visual of our progress, take a look at our Tucson 2012 Google Map.

We all know that life will not really be substantially different because of a new football coach. Conversely, another global recession could saddle us with several more years of the kind of anemic economic growth and high unemployment that has so many families struggling today. One wonders if our citizens would better comprehend the gravity of the decisions made by our own elected officials if we reversed the coverage ratio. A case can be made that a better understanding of Europe’s tribulations might spur public demand for better performance from our own Congress instead of the political bickering that has paralyzed their ability to deal with a similar debt crisis here.

Our newspaper may claim that they are simply catering to the desires of readers and feeding their appetites for Buckeye news. But are they really adhering to the basic Utilitarian ethics principle of “the Greatest Good for the greatest number of people” that justifies so many of their other daily decisions about things like which pictures to print or demands for open access to public records? I, for one, would prefer to see a much greater emphasis on the critical issues that can truly affect our daily lives in a very real and substantial manner.

Gas is delivered to Central Ohio consumers by Columbia Gas of Ohio, which provides an explanation of the pricing program on its Customer CHOICE® page. The industry is overseen by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, which provides residential consumers with a supplier comparison on its Apples to Apples chart. This saves a lot of time and effort that would otherwise be required to research each offering individually.

The impact can be fairly significant. In November 2011, the Apples to Apples prices ranged from about 50 to 76 cents per hundred cubic feet (ccf, a measure of the actual volume of gas delivered to your house). Columbia Gas estimates the average residence uses 57 ccf per month, so the difference amounts to nearly $15, or about $180 a year.

Although the PUCO chart is fairly clear, there is little to help consumers with the most fundamental question: Should I choose a variable rate or a fixed rate plan. Whereas the lowest prices are generally found in variable plans—which carry the risk of runaway bills—fixed plans charge a premium and may incur early cancellation fees in return for their increased certainty. Choosing is really a bet on the likely direction of future gas prices. The PUCO Historical Pricing chart graphically shows a zigzag pattern since 2008 between $.40 and $1.19, making it seem even more difficult to predict what might happen in the coming year.

A valuable answer lies in the same mechanism by which big industry players manage their business: the commodities futures market. These firms purchase gas many months in advance through a bidding process that is open and observable, so a quick glance gives us a sense of their collective view. To determine whether the cost of natural gas is likely to go up or down, and by how much, we look at the prices that buyers are currently paying for gas they will receive during the coming months. The Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures quotes show the market for gas that will be physically delivered in each of the subsequent 36 months and beyond.

You can ignore most of the confusing array of data on the page. Simply focus on the Month column, which tells when the gas will be delivered, and read the quotes in the Prior Settle column for the coming year. Those 12 numbers arm you with the information you need to make an intelligent gas supplier choice.

Although the quotes are in dollars per dekaTherm (a measure of energy content equal to 10 therms or one million British Thermal Units), all you want to know is the trend: rising, falling or remaining fairly constant. If the trend is constant or falling, you probably want to choose a simple monthly variable rate plan. Conversely a rising trend may make a fixed rate plan attractive despite its early cancellation fees.

The final step is to convert the futures quotes into something that you can compare with the prices on the Apples to Apples chart. An explanation on the Columbia Gas SSO Price page is helpful. We simply add the Retail Price Adjustment of $1.88 to the quote and divide by 10 to get Columbia’s Standard Service Offer (SSO). Add to that the Transportation Cost that is listed on the Apples to Apples page, and the result is comparable to the Supplier Total Rate. (Note that the values of the Retail Price Adjustment and the Transportation Cost will vary, so we have to look them up each time we repeat the analysis.)

As of November 2011, we can put it all together like this. A look at the futures quotes reveals a fairly stable pattern over the next 12 months, with a slowly rising trend to a maximum of $3.868. Add a retail price adjustment of $1.88 and divide by 10 to forecast a maximum SSO of $.575. Add transportation costs of $.023 to get a total of $.598—a number we can compare to the other suppliers.

As of this writing, the lowest Fixed Rate Plan on the Apples to Apples chart has a Supplier Total Rate of $.622. Since this is somewhat higher than the maximum SSO rate of $.598 that we forecast above, we see little or no reason to choose a fixed rate plan.

Among the Apples to Apples variable rate plans, all except three are over $.631—significantly higher than the comparable Columbia Gas SSO rate of $.563. Quick calls to the firms offering lower rates proved instructive. One gets rejected because a meager savings of $.006 does not merit the risk of going with a firm that is brand new to the Ohio market. Another would save even less, $.003, and includes a vague “target” provision by which it can convert to a 12-month Fixed Rate plan at the suppliers discretion. The last is just a 2-month teaser, after which it reverts to a relatively high $.699.

With this analysis in hand, it is an easy decision to stay with the Columbia Gas of Ohio standard service offering. Although going with a variable plan necessitates repeating this analysis every couple of months to see if anything has changed, it will definitely give the lowest natural gas costs for our household over the coming months.

On October 14, 2011, The New York Times front page highlighted a Michele Sibiloni image captioned Economic Woes in a Ugandan Market. Included was a reference to a Josh Kron story by on page A5 titled Discontent Simmers in a Market as Uganda’s Economy Staggers that was accompanied by another of Michele’s pictures. The associated web slide show, Economic Malaise in Uganda, includes both of these photographs along with seven additional related ones. This strong package impels one to ask, “How did he capture all of these stunning images?” Fortunately, Michele graciously responded by my inquiry with many details that provide both illumination and inspiration.

Michele gives Josh credit for initiating this story about the effect of Uganda’s economic malaise on the shopkeepers in downtown Kampala’s Kiseka market. He goes on to say that it is something every journalist—whether working in “photo-video-text or whatever”—must know, just because they live there and talk to people all the time. So, while we might wonder about the development of these stunning images, he compares them to the everyday job of a journalist in the USA covering any running economic issue such as Occupy Wall Street.

Although Michele has known Josh for “some time” because they have been based in the same location, this was their first project together. He must have found it enjoyable and/or fruitful, because he says, “I hope it will happened soon again”. Michele believes that it is important for photographers to work closely with writers because “you can share point of view and learn things”. He maintains contact with a wide network of people in the region with whom to talk and develop story ideas, including local and international journalists, activists, and NGO workers. He notes that throughout East Africa it is especially important to know helpful people in various humanitarian organizations.

Michele’s focus as he developed this package was the difficulty that ordinary people go through every day to make a living, with an emphasis on those who actually do hard work rather than just asking for money in the streets. He wanted to show people working proudly to support themselves and their families, and some urban landscapes to give an idea about the place. To do so, he decided to go downtown around markets and business areas in poor neighborhoods where most of the Ugandans live. As is his preference when working in the streets, he was alone when he took these pictures.

With little additional planning, Michele spent several days walking and shooting around town. As he says, “you just have to go”. Rather than trying to “do the work quickly”, he spent time in downtown Kampala, talking with people and finding good spots with just the right light at the right time. He believes that it is not just how you do the assignment, but also how you “put yourself into the situation, … stay loose, feeling good, feeling comfortable”.

Michele believes that the final package we see in the slide show reflects his vision, despite the fact that the editors chose to include only nine of the many pictures he submitted. He is philosophical about the fact that sometimes an image he loves is not published, noting that the editors “also have their rules”. He says that if he could go back, he would love to capture some more action shots that give additional power and evidence to his vision.

Post-processing is minimal for Michele, consisting of some color and contrast correction, and “put some grain with imagenomix”. He notes that while heavier post-processing might make an image look sexy, it is not needed when the goal in reportage and documentary work is evidence. After that, transmission is simply a matter of uploading the results to an ftp site.

Michele is an Italian who is currently based in Kampala, Uganda, and from there he covers neighboring parts of East Africa. He is careful to follow all of the specific visa rules as he travels to work in these areas. In order to obtain permission to shoot, he often finds it useful to identify himself as a journalist rather than photographer, and he notes the importance of developing a network of local journalists who can put him in touch with the right people.

Some of Michele’s images, such as this one from the Washington Post and this one from MSNBC’s PHOTOblog reveal the danger to which journalists can be subjected in their work. Indeed, he had difficulty in Masaka, where a soldier pointed an AK at his leg and tried to take away his camera. Of course he resisted, noting that, “I can’t work without a camera.” He says that is it critical to to calculate the risk in the situation and avoid simply taking chances for no reason, as he sees some other journalists do. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that broken cameras are things that “you will go through”. Once again, he states the importance of connecting with other journalists, so that he can feel good in the situation—or know when to leave if he does not feel comfortable.

Michele photographs news and features as a freelance stringer for Agence France Press. Although he wishes he always had a specific assignment ahead of time, that unfortunately is not the case. An artist at heart, Michele’s closing remark reminds us that “the most important thing is to follow your obsession”.  He encourages us to find the kind of stories we like, and to shoot things that are not assigned and no one will publish. I am particularly inspired by his proclamation, “Personal images are the best”.

Thank you very much, Michele, for your prompt and candid responses to my inquiry.

This paper was written by Dave Bezaire for an assignment in Columbus State Community College course Photojournalism 265 taught by Doral Chenoweth III.

Below is a copy of the email communications that underlie this assignment.

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 1:57 PM
To: ‘michele sibiloni’
Cc: ‘Doral Chenoweth’
Subject: RE: Critical analysis paper

Hello Michele,

I wanted to “close the loop” and thank you once again for your help with my class paper, Michele Sibiloni on Photojournalism. I’m happy to report that you helped me earn an “A” on the project.

I’d also like to show off a bit by sharing the New Life Breakfast Ministry slideshow that I submitted as the final project for the course. I enjoyed doing the project very much, and want to thank you once again for your inspiration along the way.

Blessings and best in all,

Dave

From: Doral Chenoweth 
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 9:34 AM
To: Dave Bezaire
Cc: michele sibiloni
Subject: Re: Critical analysis paper

Dave,

I have received your critical analysis paper. I’m plowing through a bunch of emails right now, but I look forward to reading it carefully soon.

Thanks for finding that photographer and writing about that particular picture. When I first saw that image on the cover of the NYT, I was struck by both the beauty of the image and the grittiness of the subjects’ conditions.

Sincerely,

Doral

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 2:47 PM
To: ‘Doral Chenoweth’
Cc: ‘michele sibiloni’
Subject: Critical analysis paper

To: Professor Doral Chenoweth III

cc: Michele Sibiloni

Hello Doral,

I completed my critical analysis paper and uploaded it to my blog with the title Michele Sibiloni on Photojournalism. This seems like a useful presentation since it contains hyperlinks to a dozen images and a newspaper story. Could you please tell me if this fulfills the requirements for the class, or if you would prefer that I submit a paper copy?

I’m copying Michele to once again say “Thank you”. Your generous response to my inquiry made this paper possible, and is very much appreciated.

Thanks,

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 10:23 PM
To: ‘michele sibiloni’
Subject: RE: About your work

Wow!!!

Thank you so much, Michele!!!

This is in perfect time for me to finish my paper, and your responses are very illuminating. I must also say, that I find it very inspiring to hear you talk about your work. Thank you for the encouragement you give!

My only other question is if you have an RSS feed or an email list that can alert interested people to your work as it is published? If so, I would appreciate the chance to receive ongoing notifications and links to your new images and portfolios.

Thank you, again, for taking time from your busy schedule to talk with me!

Dave

From: michele sibiloni 
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 9:01 PM
To: Dave Bezaire
Subject: Re: About your work

MY english is not top so if something is not clear, don t be shy !

Best

Michele.

From: michele sibiloni 
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 9:00 PM
To: Dave Bezaire
Subject: Re: About your work

Hi Dave,

Sorry if i m late .

This is a story that Josh found but is something that every journalist (photo-video- text or whatever ) knows, because we live there and we talked to the people all the time.

So as a photographer is a kind of daily life story that everyone need to do or to have, like the economical crisis in the US is something that if you are a photographer and you live in America u have to do, even if is not assigned.

I decided to work downtown around markets and other business areas in poor neighborhoods, were most of the Ugandans live.

I was alone when i was working , i prefer especially if i have to work in the streets.

was the first time that me and Josh we worked together and i hope it will happened soon again, anyway we know each other since some time because we are based in the same place.

I often work with writers and i think is important, you can share point of view and learn things.

The focus was on the difficulty that ordinary people go through everyday for make their leaving, hard work, so not on someone just ask money in the street but someone that that does hard work proudly to support himself and his family, and of course some urban landscapes to give an idea about the place.

Even if i could go and do the work quickly, i spent quite  a bit of time in the streets of downtown Kampala walking around, talking with people, find good spots with the right light at the right time, is not just about the assignment is about how do u put yourself in situation, you have to stay loose, feeling good, feel comfortable.

Maybe the final images were a bit different because i sent much more images and the final edit was an edit of 9-10 images, so it can happened that you love a an image that won t be published because editors have also their rules.

I was walking and shooting around town for few days, you don t have to plan much to go to the market, you just have to go.

I don t postprocess very much i just adjust colors and contrast very simply and put some grain with imagenomix.

I hate when pictures have heavy postproduction because it can look sexy to your eye but is not what image need (especially in reportage and documentary), an image need EVIDENCE.

Trasmission ? what u mean ? You just have to upload on an ftp that s all.

If i could go back i would love to get some more action images, to give some more power and some more evidence.

I don t have always assignment ahead of time, but i wish !

I’m based in Uganda, so most of the time i’m there or in East Africa, and if i m not there i m in Italy where i m from.

In Uganda and in the region i’m stringing for Agence France Press and i do news and features for them as freelance.

I know many people in the region like local and international journalist, activist, ngo’s workers and often happened that talking with each other you hear some story that can be interesting to develop.

In Africa in particular is important to know different humanitarian organization they can be very helpful.

About the risk, is important to if you planned a story to calculate the risk, many photographer take risk for no reason.

In Masaka i knew that there was the opposition leader for a kind of protest and i knew that the police would not like that.

I had some trouble there, the guy that u saw in the pic  (with beige camo uniform which are from the special forces), he tried to take my camera, and he pointed the AK on my leg … i didn t give the camera, because i can t work without a camera .. but sometimes happened that they break cameras and stuff, but as a journalist are things that you will go through.

You have to feel good in the situation, if you don t like is better to leave  but it all about your personality and your experience, is important to be with other journalist more experienced than you if u are new.

Visas there are specific requirements that u have to follow  , for access and permission is important to get in touch with local journalist, and maybe sometimes say that you are a journalist not a photographer.

Is important to build a kind of network of journalist so if u want to somewhere that u never been  some of your friend will put u in touch with someone that can help u.

The most important think is to follow your obsession and find out the kind of stories that you like, and shoot something even if is not assigned and if no one will publish it, personal images are the best.

Hope to answered to your question, if i forgot something .. just tell me !

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 1:58 PM
To: ‘Dave Bezaire’; ‘michele sibiloni’
Subject: RE: About your work

Hi Michele,

I hate to bother, knowing you are busy, but it would be very helpful to my class project if you can send me a few answers to my questions. I’m still hoping to hear from you in the next day or so.

Thank you!!

Dave

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 11:26 AM
To: ‘michele sibiloni’
Subject: RE: About your work

Thanks so much for confirming receipt of my message. I wish you the best on the project that has you so busy now. I’ll eagerly await your response when you have time.

Thanks again,

Dave

From: michele sibiloni 
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 11:24 AM
To: Dave Bezaire
Subject: Re: About your work

Hey Dave,

thanks for your email, i m bit busy now i ll answer you soon.

Ciao

M

From: Dave Bezaire 
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:44 PM
To: ‘michele sibiloni’
Subject: About your work

Hello Michele Sibiloni,

As a photojournalism student at Columbus State, I have been assigned a “critical analysis” project. I have been very impressed by your wonderful images, and I would like to ask a few quick questions about your work for my paper.

Your image—“Economic Woes Fuel Discontent in a Ugandan Market”—on the front page of the New York Times on October 14 caught my attention. I also found a slide show of your related photos and Josh Kron’s article on web page http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/10/14/world/africa/14uganda.html.

1. Who came up with the idea for the story? Did you and Josh work the market together, or did you shoot on you own? Have you worked with him before? How frequently? Do you actively seek out writers with whom to work? Or are you typically given a writer when you receive an assignment?
2. What would you say was your focus when you went to shoot the market? How were the final images the same as or different than what you had visualized ahead of time?
3. How long did you work on this series of images? How much of the time was spent in planning? How much in the market shooting? How much on post processing and transmission?
4. When you look back at slide show now, do you see anything that you missed? Anything that you would do differently?

I also enjoyed your personal website at http://michelesibiloni.com/, and saw some of your other photos by searching for your name on Google. Your international travel makes me very envious!

1. Do you travel in search of images upon which a story may be built, or do you always have an assignment ahead of time? How do you select your locations and topics? What are some of the criteria you use to decide which assignments to accept or turn down?
2. Some of your images have been taken in dangerous areas like the Ugandan police action in Masaka. How do you manage the personal risk to yourself?
3. How much time do you spend traveling? How much at home? Do you tend to establish a base and make many short trips from/to there, or do you forge a path and rarely return the same way?
4. How do you deal with logistical requirements like visas and permissions? 

Thank you in advance for your help! I need to complete my project by November 4, so I would greatly appreciate receiving your response by Wednesday, November 2.

Thanks, too, for your wonderful images!!

Dave Bezaire

For instance, NPR’s All Things Considered ran 11 related segments totaling over 67 minutes on the six days before the official day of 9/11 commemoration. Conversely, although the War on Terror has already taken the lives of 8,351 US soldiers and contractors (Costs of War) – nearly 3 times as many as the direct victims of the attacks – program archives show only 4 remembrance segments (10½ minutes) in the 6 days leading up to Memorial Day.

Similarly, on September 11, 2011, the Columbus Dispatch published a special 16-page September II section in addition to 7 articles about 9/11 in Section A. Even our local Habitat for Humanity affiliate asked volunteers to dedicate their efforts on the 10 days surrounding the anniversary in memory of the 9/11 victims.

After initially feeling overwhelmed, I’m now asking myself, “Is this is a sacred remembrance? Or is it a crass exploitation?”

While I agree that we should honor the victims, support the survivors, and reflect on the meaning of a catastrophic event in our nation’s history, the extreme level of attention showered on this one event feels unhealthy. After ten years, our resilient country is moving forward and trying to deal with myriad big issues of today. Rather than reflecting an outpouring of our citizens’ deep feelings, the disproportionate anniversary coverage seems to result from politicians trying to divert us away from the unpleasant economic outlook and their unproductive partisan bickering, amplified by a media machine eager to exploit a tragic event to further its own need to be seen and heard.

In 2001, terrorist attacks by 19 suicide hijackers claimed the lives of at least 2,981 victims (9/11 Commission Report). In that same year, homicide in America ended the lives of 20,308 people, including 11,348 attributable to firearms (CDC – National Center for Injury Prevention and Control).

Ten years later, publications and airwaves abound with 10^th anniversary remembrances for the tragic 9/11 losses. However, we hear no memorials for six times as many other homicide victims, despite the fact that such losses continue to mount year after year, totaling over 125,000 between 2002 and 2008.

Do we believe that the 2,981 victims of 9/11 are somehow more tragic than the other 125,000 homicide victims who have died since then? Hopefully we do not, despite the relentless anniversary coverage that brings the pain of that tragedy into the forefront of our consciousness day after day. We all hear the interviews, “Where were you on 9/11?” or even “Where were you the day before 9/11?” Do we hear anyone asking the mother of the 18-year old whose innocent life was snuffed out by a drive-by shooting in 2002 about her pain? Or about the changes it has caused in the lives of their family?

There are natural reasons for our preoccupation with the singular 9/11 event. We suffered an unprecedented violation of our national sovereignty, our physical borders were penetrated by a foreign terror organization, and we were horrified by the terrible loss of life in mere hours. But are these enough to explain the disproportionate outpouring of national attention for the 2,981 victims of homicide on 9/11 compared to the dearth of attention for the 125,611 other homicide victims who have died since then?

Clearly those other homicides had less national impact because they were spread out across the country and over nearly a decade, making them easy to miss – or easy to dismiss. But isn’t it precisely the power of the politicians and the media to help us choose what to notice, what to forget, and where to focus?

Looking backward, we remember and gain perspective. Looking forward, we set our course and make plans. Our politicians and media have led the nation into an entire week of replaying a 10-year old tragedy, taking our collective eye off of the important balls being pitched at us in these turbulent times such as harsh economic realities, our nation’s failure to graduate nearly 30% of youth from High School (Data360), a rapidly changing world order that finds our nation’s influence decreasing relative to the burgeoning Chinese economy, the tragic ongoing losses of over 20,000 Americans to homicide and 10,000 to alcohol-impaired driving fatalities every year, and so many more.

Our wars to avenge the 9/11 attack have already cost over 225,000 lives and nearly 4 trillion dollars (Costs of War). But, as Thomas Friedman said in a September 6, 2011 interview on NPR, “We thought the Cold War was a victory and we could put our feet up. In fact, we had just unleashed a world of two billion people just like us – people with our same aspirations, same capabilities. And just when we needed to be lacing up our shoes and running faster, we put our feet up. We compounded it then, I would add, with a decade, unfortunately tragically after 9/11, where we ended up chasing the losers from globalization for 10 years, al-Qaida, rather than the winners.” Host Robert Siegel responded, “We were preoccupied, you would say, with the wrong rivals.”

Yes, we do need to remember, mourn, honor and learn from the tragedy of 9/11, but we also are a people who move on. It’s time for the politicians and media to help us reflect on the issues of today and tomorrow, rather than deluging us with overblown remembrances of the past.