Apr

Guns and Boston Bombs: Is There Safety in Numbers?

by Sheron Long on April 18, 2013

Spectators and runners, like those at the Boston Marathon, seek ways of staying safe from terror attacks

Can we find the “safety pin” that keeps crowds and marathon runners together on our streets?
© Thinkstock (pins, runners); © Ingram Publishing (crowd)

This Week’s “Oh, I See” News Moment

The no vote on gun violence legislation collided with the terror attack at the Boston Marathon. Their coincidence tore at my sense of staying safe and left a rip waiting to be mended by something more than safety pins.

Playing the Odds on Terror Attacks

It used to be that we could step out in the world and expect to stay safe. But now there are questions:

Can my friends and I take in a movie?
Can kids go to school?
Can citizens stand in a peaceful parking lot to hear their elected representative speak?
Can spectators cheer runners at the next Boston Marathon?

Events of our day in Aurora, Newtown, Tucson, and now Boston make me think, “Sure, but you’re playing the odds.”

Terror attacks can and have occurred all over the US. The Guardian reports attacks from 1970–2011 in the US. Click “Play” to see their locations on this interactive map, where circle size shows the relative number of deaths:

[ShaktiIFramehttp://vizzuality.github.io/us_attacks 560px 400px]

Based on the START Global Terrorism Database, which monitors terror attacks around the world

Despite the total on the counter, there is some safety in the numbers. Terror attacks have declined from about 1,400 between 1970–1980 to about 200 between 2001–2011.

While fatalities are higher in the later period, particularly because of 911, the security precautions taken in recent years seem to be reducing the incidents, counteracting the odds, and therefore easing my fears.

Numbers and Gun Sense

On the other hand, it’s hard to find safety in the numbers surrounding gun violence.

Safety-pin home symbolizing ways of staying safe from gun violence

About 42% of US homes have guns.
© Dieter Spannknebel / Photodisc

It is true that crime rates have been on a steady decline since 1993, but according to a comprehensive gun violence article in The Atlantic:

America’s 2011 homicide rate at 4.7 murders per 100,000 people is “one of the highest of all developed countries.”
About two-thirds of homicides and half of suicides involve a gun.

Among the countries of the world, the US has the highest rate of gun ownership.

Based on data from the 2007 Small Arms Survey reported in The Altlantic, the US represents “less than 5% of the world population, [but] is home to roughly 35–50 per cent of the world’s civilian-owned guns.”

When you add it all up, we now have more guns in circulation than we have citizens.

Gun graph showing the need for staying safe from gun violence

The number of guns in circulation in the US now exceeds the number of its citizens.
© iStockphoto (safety pin)

The numbers are disputed less than the impact that millions of guns have on the number of homicides. To follow the studies and arguments, see “Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts” at FactCheck.org.

My common sense—my common gun sense—though, tells me that America would be a much safer place without so many guns. After yesterday’s Senate vote on background checks and Monday’s terror attack at the Boston Marathon, I want to know two things:

Where do we go from here?

How do we confront our fears?

Moms Demand Action is one group that offers answers: Take action at the state level to get the change we need; raise voices to quiet the fears.

Oh, I see the sense that makes: Moms know how to pin diapers and pin down politicians, and they won’t stop until there is true safety for our citizens, something much stronger than the quick fix of a safety pin.

Where will you go from here?

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Sheron Long Comments

Making a Difference

Apr

Sunny with a Chance of Cherry Blossom Petals

by Janine Boylan on April 15, 2013

Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival, showing Japanese cultural traditions

cherry blossoms in San Francisco’s Japantown
© Janine Boylan

The Beauty in Japanese Traditions

This time of year, many families in Japan are not checking weather sites for weather but for sakura, which are cherry blossom forecasts. This is the season for hanami, or picnics under the pale pink blossoms.

The Cherry Blossom Custom

Centuries ago, emperors and elite began the practice of cherry blossom viewing. Over the years, more and more people adopted the custom, and, in the 1700s, Shogun ruler Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry trees specifically to encourage the tradition. Now viewing cherry blossoms is a deeply-rooted part of the Japanese culture.

Like many of the Japanese customs, viewing cherry blossoms is meant to be an appreciation for beauty and detail. It’s the same attention to detail that is required for other Japanese arts, such as complex origami, precise flower-arranging, and flawless zen gardens.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival, showing Japanese cultural traditions

cherry blossoms
© Janine Boylan

A Local Celebration

I was not ready to notice any good details when I arrived at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown. It had taken some serious strategy to wrestle a parking spot, and the sidewalks were packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder. On top of all that, my camera wasn’t working, and I had to rely on my loyal, but less high definition, phone to document the day.

I rushed past a blur of trees, top-heavy with pink blossoms, to view the performance arena.

On stage were the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. The performers were magically pounding the front, back, and sides of giant drums. The rhythm quickly beat out the frustration I had felt on the journey to this spot.

taiko drums at Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival, showing Japanese cultural traditions

Taiko drummers display energy, rhythm, and grace.
© Janine Boylan

And then I noticed the petals. The delicate pink cherry blossom petals were gently wafting through the taiko performance, as if they were sprinkling their approval.

Falling petals are sprinkled in a fountain.
© Janine Boylan

It was a classic Oh, I See moment. This is what the festival was about: noticing the details and beauty around us. I needed to keep my eyes open for that.

Taking Time for Tea

A tea ceremony after the drumming reinforced this lesson.

Japanese Tea Ceremony during Cherry Blossom Festival, showing Japanese cultural traditions

Accepting the bowl of tea
© Janine Boylan

Like the tradition of appreciating cherry blossoms, the tea ceremony has been part of the Japanese culture for hundreds of years.

It is a meticulously planned event which includes carefully chosen utensils and perfectly arranged flowers.

During the ceremony, a trained host prepares tea for guests by following a procedure that has been studied and practiced for years. The beauty in the ceremony is in how gracefully the host moves, the inlaid decorations in the tea scoop, the selection and arrangement of the flowers, and hundreds of other thoughtful details.

The hostess prepares tea during the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
© Janine Boylan

Reconsidering the Day

It forced me to think back to my morning and appreciate all of the details I had missed in my hurry.

Sure, getting parking had been a hassle for a few minutes. But the spot I found was very close to the festival and just perfect.

Yes, I didn’t have my bigger camera, but I at least I did have a phone camera, so not all was lost.

And I was reminded to stop and ~~smell~~ view the flowers.

Turns out that participating in the Japanese cherry blossom cultural tradition had yielded a perfect day, down to the last detail.

If you would like to attend the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco, the event continues April 20-21, with the Grand Parade on Sunday afternoon.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/On the World Stage/USA

Apr

Creative Inspiration Springs from “Seeing” Differently

by Meredith Mullins on April 11, 2013

child running after bird provides a way of seeing differently for a blind photographer with creative inspiration

Blind photographer Flo Fox heard birds and footsteps and “clicked.” A perfect fleeting moment.
Jury Award of Merit © Flo Fox

Seeing Is About Much More Than Sight

When OIC Moments asked the question—”Can you see without sight?”—we were vividly reminded that creative inspiration is fed by exploration within and without.

You can feel the warmth of the sun and know which way the shadows will fall.

You can touch a wall and follow its patterns and textures.

You can listen for voices or footsteps or crashing waves and know where something interesting might be happening.

You can just close your eyes and let your imagination lead the way.

The Challenge of Seeing without Sight

Using imagination (and all the senses!), an artist can produce some powerful results.

The highly original work of photographers Bruce Hall and Pete Eckert shown in The Creative Process of Blind Photographers uncovered a different way of seeing, a way of experiencing the world without sight.

To further pursue this creative challenge and the idea of seeing without sight, OIC Moments created the Blind Sight Photography Contest. We invited photographers from around the world to use their senses other than sight to create photographs.

The images we received for the contest proved—inspiringly—that there are many ways to “see.”

shadows on a street show a way of seeing differently for a blind photographer with creative inspiration

Blind photographer William Hiu used the tactile street panels to position himself for the shot.
The perfectly composed shadows were an added bonus.
Jury Award of Merit © William Hiu

The Keys to Artistic Success: Originality, Talent . . . and Luck!

Images came from all over the world, from the United States to Uzbekistan to India.

Some of the entrants were blind or limited in vision, using photography as a way to respond to the world visually or as a way to enhance their partial vision. Some were sighted photographers, who had to discover creative ways to photograph without sight.

All of the artists—and the work—confirm that a good image is the result of really connecting with the subject, whether by instinct, touch, listening, taste, or smell.

And, as any honest photographer will admit, it’s not just talent that drives a good image. There’s always a little bit of luck involved.

The inside of a well provides creative inspiration for seeing differently

When sight is removed from a visual medium, chance plays a larger role. As does intuition, and the ability to use other senses to anticipate or imagine what will happen.

The best revelation of all: A chance moment is more likely to be captured when your senses are heightened, when you can feel the rhythm of the movement, or when you can anticipate a story unfolding.

hands on stone show a way of seeing differently with "blind" creative inspiration

With the camera in her mouth,
Eleanor captured her uphill struggle in this raw and textured photograph.
Jury Award of Merit © Eleanor Bennett

So Many Ways To See

The artistic approaches in the Blind Sight Contest were as varied as the resulting images.

Some people spun around with eyes closed and decided when to click the shutter. Some placed the camera away from them, so the camera was doing the “seeing,” not them (using self timers or positioning the camera on the ground or holding it overhead so there would be no way to see through the viewfinder).

Some listened . . . for footsteps or animals barking or mewing or rustling in trees in the dark of night.

Some were inspired by the explosion of fireworks or the joy that music can bring.

Some touched the rough bark of a tree and then traced its patterns and form from branches to roots.

Some felt the warmth of the sun through a chandelier so they knew the light would be beautiful on the dangling crystals.

Just as we had hoped, senses were heightened, and imagination and creativity took hold in new ways.

old car at night is creative inspiration for seeing differently

Blind photographer Vitaliy Kim took this photo as part of “One Day,” a project
where a blind photographer and sighted photographer worked together to record their “space.”
Blind Sight Grand Prize Winner
© Vitaliy Kim

Meet the Blind Sight Winners

We’re please to introduce our three winners, selected by the jury from among the top-ten Facebook vote getters.

Congratulations to:

Vitaliy Kim, Grand Prize Winner from Uzbekistan

Serene Ang, Second Prize Winner from Singapore

Betsy van Die, Third Prize Winner from Chicago, Illinois, USA

photographers taking pictures of statues show a way of seeing differently for creative inspiration

Blind Photographer Serene Ang caught statues (and humans!) in this interesting
arrangement of characters interweaving past and present.
Blind Sight Second Prize Winner
© Serene Ang

deserted grill in the woods provides creative inspiration to a photographer seeing differently

Betsy was guided by her husband to a deserted area of the woods and captured this
ominous discarded remnant of civilization.
Blind Sight Third Prize Winner
© Betsy van Die

The Story Continues

OIC Moments is pleased to share a collection of amazing images from the contest in the free Blind Sight eBook. Click the cover to download your free copy:

And, most of all, keep exploring the world (and finding creative inspiration) with all your senses . . . because seeing is about much more than sight.

We thank all the organizations and associations that announced this contest, as well as F-Stop Magazine.