"YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AS DAZZLING AS YOUR SUBJECTS"

Friday, October 26, 2012

Sunday, October 21, 2012

1968: RICHARD NIXON, "I HAVE A PLAN"; 2012: MITT ROMNEY, "I HAVE A FIVE-POINT PLAN"

NIXON & ROMNEY 
PLANS, SECRET PLANS, 
& UNARTICULATED PLANS 
AND THEN THE BILL COMES DUE 


MITT (2012 "5-POINT PLAN" but you have 
to look it up on my website) ROMNEY  
Second presidential debate, 2012 






RICHARD (1968 PLAN TO END THE WAR 
IN VIETNAM) NIXON 
1960 presidential debate 

And the war went on, and on 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

CANDY CROWLEY TAKES A FIRM HAND

CANDY CROWLEY 
CALLS 'EM 


"HERE THE PEOPLE WANT IT." 

-- from the second 2012 presidential debate --  
as broadcast by C-SPAN 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

HILLARY CLINTON AND SERGEI LAVROV AND RE-SETTING THE U.S.-RUSSIAN RE-SET

THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN RE-SET 
"CANNOT LAST FOREVER" 
"MOST LIKELY 
YOU GO YOUR WAY 
AND I GO MINE" 


HILLARY CLINTON 
U.S. Secretary of State 
SERGEI LAVROV 
Russian Foreign Minister 
APEC Summit 
Russky Island, Vladivostok 
Russia, September 8, 2012 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

SEVEN WOMEN: THE CIVILIAN SIDE OF THE DMZ

MEMORIAL 



ON THE SOUTH KOREAN 
SIDE OF THE DMZ 

More on the Dorasan (Mt. Dora) station here 

More on the DMZ here and here and here and here and here 

Monday, October 8, 2012

DEFECTION AT THE DMZ

AFTERMATH OF 
A BLOODY DEFECTION? 


A CHECKPOINT ON THE SOUTH KOREAN 
SIDE OF THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE (DMZ) 

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, a North Korean soldier "on guard duty at the border dividing the two Koreas" was reported to have shot his way to freedom, or at least to the southern side of the border, by killing both his platoon and squad leaders. 

Today, October 8, the soldier-defector, said to be a sergeant, was reported to be being questioned by "a joint interrogation team from the South's military and the National Intelligence Service." 

With a million soldiers, a "million or so land mines and miles of barbed wire" on a two-and-a-half mile-wide "demilitarized zone" stretching 160 miles east-west across the Korean Peninsula, defections across the DMZ are said to be "rare." 

And so far, apparently being handled in a low-key fashion -- on both sides. 

More DMZ here and here and here 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

VLADIMIR PUTIN IS SIXTY

VLADIMIR V. PUTIN 
b. October  7, 1952 


PRESIDENT PUTIN 
CELEBRATES SIXTY 
"The Kremlin has sought to distance itself from the pro-Putin birthday fest. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said the president would have 'a very modest home celebration with his best friends and relatives. He's not fond of big celebrations.'" (Full text here) 
More on Putin at Sixty here and here 

Vladimir Putin in 2002 here 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

A QUIET CORNER OF THE "SECRET GARDEN"

IN THE 
"SECRET GARDEN" 
II 


THE REAR GARDEN (HUWON) 
CHANGDUK (CHANGDEOK) PALACE 
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

In the capital, a mega-city, and what you hear 
is the rustling of the wind, and birds; and insects? 

Another view of the Garden here  

Friday, October 5, 2012

TRAIN TO NOWHERE? OR TO THE FUTURE? MT. DORA IN THE DMZ

TRAIN STATION 
READY TO ROLL 


FROM PYONGYANG 
TO SEOUL? 

Dorasan (Mt. Dora) Station 
DMZ, South Korea 


from: The sign above the men's heads 


"To visit this station, you can take a train from Imjingang station. 

"Because Dorasan station is located in the Civilian Control Area, you must apply for the admission at the ticket office in the Imjingang station square. 

"You can also there apply for tour package linking to the DMZ.  You must bring your ID." 


Stars and Stripes ran an interesting piece about the Mt. Dora Station by Matthew M. Burke (January 11, 2012); a few quotes
Under the watchful eye of a handful of workers and stern South Korean soldiers, travelers wandered about the train station admiring the artwork and advertisements that adorned the walls of the $40 million facility. 
...
But there were no trains scheduled to pass through this day, or any other day for that matter. 
Dorasan Station sits just over the South Korean side of the border in one of the most dangerous and militarized regions on the planet — the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. 

More KOREA here 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

SAILING BLUE ON THE RIVER HAN

NIGHTLIGHTS 
NIGHT LIFE 
ON THE 
HAN RIVER 



SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

Another river view here 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

NIGHTFALL AT SEOUL STATION II

SEOUL STATION 
AT DUSK 


SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

Nightfall at Seoul Station I is here 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

NIGHTFALL AT SEOUL STATION I

CONCOS 
THE GALLERIA 


SEOUL STATION 
Seoul, South Korea 

Nightfall at Seoul Station II is here