Holiday
Greetings from the Middle East
The
following is a journal entry sent by my cousin, and photographic mentor
Lt. Lawrence E. Minor, Jr. Lt. Minor (aka Binx) is serving with a National Guard Unit in Kuwait. These are his words:
"Hopefully
things go we as planned and the next Christmas we can all spend
a joyous time together...
To one and all, share this time that brings family near.
Exchange
presents and sing a song of cheer. Ring out the old with the new.
Have
a drink and toast to the wonderful things that soldiers do.
God
bless you all and the freedom that we claim. May this war end soon
so
we don't have to this again."
Posted
by T. Baker for Binx on December 25, 2004 | comment
Life
is more than a game
Over
the weekend The Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer team raised over $3,000 for teammate Shaun Tsakiris, who was was diagnosed with testicular cancer on October 19th.
Tsakiris
was a member of the Syracuse Salty Dogs during their inaugural campaign
of 2003 and a fan favorite. His spirited play and enthusiasm are on full
display in many of the photographs I took during my coverage of home
games.
Tsakiris
underwent surgery on October 25th to remove the cancer and cancerous lymph node cells that had spread to his stomach.
According
to the Rhinos, Tsakiris is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The Rhinos collected the funds through a soccer clinic and exhibition game to help Tsakiris offset some of his medical costs.
For more information contact the Rhinos
front office.
Posted
by T. Baker on December 14, 2004 | comment
A
New Gee-Funk
Era
Last
night SU recorded another win against a weaker opponent and are now
ranked in the top 5. I watched the game on ESPN and paid more
attention when I heard the commentators shower accolades on of the
opposing assistant coaches: Jayson
Gee.
They
praised his work ethic and knowledge of the game and his ability to
relate to the players on his team.
Gee
has been a head coach in Division II and after a stay at Ohio University
during the Gary Trent era, he's now associate head coach for St.
Bonaventure. The announcers were right on the money. Gee is one of the
best young coaches around, and I'm sure he'll be a head man soon.
The
SU community was happy for the 91-67 win. I was glad the announcers
recognized an up and coming coach who just happened to be my college
room-mate. Keep up the good work Gee.
Posted
by T. Baker on December 2, 2004 | comment
Testify
Former
SU football player turned businessman, turned educator Roland
"Bubba" Grimes recently published a book called
"America's Legacy: The Economic Subordination of African
Descendents, Hispanics & Women." he did a book signing and
discussion tonight at the Southside Newsstand.
Roland
self-published the book and is working on getting a distributor. He said
he's sold over 30 books since the release earlier this month. I've yet
to read the book, but have been told it's littered with references from
Parliment Funkadelic, scriptures from the Holy Bible and a lot of other
stuff in between.
Roland
is from Washington, DC, where I went to school, and he's always reminded
me of a cross between Jim Brown and Ralph Wiley. He's a critical
thinker and I'm sure his writing will reflect not only his intellectual
capacity, but also his satiric wit.
Posted
by T. Baker on November 30, 2004 | comment
Got
creativity?
The
much anticipated 40
Below Summit was held last week at the OnCenter, and it gathered
hundreds of young professionals and artists from around the region.
Unbridled enthusiasm and networking opportunity filled the hallways,
seminars and discussions.
A
keynote address was given by Dr. Richard
Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class."
Florida has spoken before in Syracuse and this time appeared via
satellite. He spoke again or recognizing and nurturing creative types.
"Rise
of the Creative Class," was a good read and was very relevant when
first published. It's probably still relevant too, in some places, and
for some people, but as it was pointed out at the Summit, we know
creativity exists here in Syracuse. What this region could use is needs
is new leadership and a fresh direction.
A
few weeks ago, I saw marketing guru Seth
Godin speak in NYC about his new book "Free Prize Inside!"
Godin is a fan of soft innovations and something called edgecraft.
On page 50 of "Free Prize..." he wrote: "Without a
champion, nothing happens."
I
think that's where the creative class, the city and our region stands
right now...waiting for someone to become our champion.
Posted
by T. Baker on November 19, 2004 | comment
Giving
Props to the Old School
The
Web is amazing because you can go virtually anywhere and never leave
your desk. Also you often forget how connected we have become.
Today
I received an e-mail from Gregory Bufford. I had no idea who he was
until I saw the subject line of his mail. The subject had four words and
three commas: Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll. If you are over the age of 30
you have probably heard a song with that title played at a roller
rink.
"Bounce,
Rock, Skate, Roll" was released in 1981 by Vaughn Mason & Crew
and was featured on the Old
School Vol. 2 Thump Series. Mr. Bufford, a musician, was one of the
writers of the song. The song has since been sampled by groups such as
De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.
About
four years ago I
photographed a skating party for
a local organization named PUMY. I used the words Rock Skate Roll Bounce
as the title of the series because although they played songs from the 90s
during this particular party, this is the song that played in my head as
I photographed.
Now
when I hear that song, or when I look at those photos again, I'll think of
Gregory Bufford.
Posted
by T. Baker on November 12, 2004 | comment
Our
Ambassador to the Universe
Yesterday
I met with probably the most recognizable astrophysicist in this
country, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Dr.
Tyson is director of the Hayden
Planetarium in NYC and host of the NOVA series “Origins” on PBS.
I read his memoir “The Sky is not the Limit” a few months ago. He
gave a great lecture on the campus of SU for their 2004-05 University
Lecture Series.
He
is to astronomy today what Carl Sagan was when
I was growing up.
During a brief interview I had with
Dr. Tyson, we
discussed the need for more children to study math and science as well
as the probability of asteroids slamming into earth and the eventual
death of the Universe.
Posted
by T. Baker on November 10, 2004 | comment
The
Light
Tonight
I photographed a concert at Cornell
University featuring Mos Def and special guest Common. Common
recommended that the audience support true hip hop music from artists
such as Jay Z, the Roots, De La Soul, Nas and others.
Posted
by T. Baker on November 7, 2004 | comment
Dance
Machine
A
member of my advisory board, Odetta Norton, published a book review for
Invisible Culture. Odetta is a multi-disciplined artist who has dance
training and is also an author. Her review shows off her skills as a
poet and can be read here.
Posted
by T. Baker on October 31, 2004 | comment