Post-Katrina photos taken in the past 9 months

[kiska]

but It's really frustrating to see trillions of dollars being poured into Iraq and to then see these pictures.

YOU GO, BOYFRIEND!

[cmpentecost]

You read my thoughts exactly John!

I am been in communication with the photographer of these photos, and she's quite an amazing woman.  She's traveled the entire world doing photography, and graduated from Tulane University.  I told her about OPR which she thought was a fabulous project.  She also said that when she gets closer to her show at Tulane with these images, she'll contact us at OPR about incorporating her project in with ours.  Her show isn't until sometime in 2008, but that would be a wonderful bit of publicity for OPR.

Christine

[Hannie]

I totally agree with John and won't even go into what I think about how the people of New Orleans have been treated.  All I'm hoping for is that all those who are still suffering will soon get the help they need...
Sounds like the lady photographer has some great ideas, I hope it'll all work out! 

Hannie

[phischer]

Perhaps I'm ignorant or perhaps it is a reflection of the media in this country, but I had no idea that it was still such a mess down there.  I honestly can't believe that we would allow an area of our country to be so neglected. I am ashamed.  :'(

[glennab]

John, I couldn't agree with you more.  Our aid should go to our own people and when all of them are taken care of, then we might consider what's happening elsewhere.  I don't think I'll ever understand the way the Katrina victims were treated.  The citizens of that region brought us such a rich part of our culture -- the wonderful music, the incredible food, the joie de vivre.  We're all the poorer because of the blight that's been allowed there.  It makes me proud of what OPR is doing and makes me wish I could do even more.

Chris, an OPR project in tangent with the photographer who so poignently created her portraiture of New Orleans would be awesome.  The photos she showed of what was left behind in those houses broke my heart.  It so brought home the tragedy of the place.

I could go on forever, but I don't want to get depressed about it.  I'm all the more happy that we're going to Biloxi to salvage what we can of a cherished part of their lives.

Bless

Glenna

[schen]

Glenna, I have to disagree with you on this one.  The money needed to rebuild the Hurricane Katrina damaged areas is a drop in the bucket compared to our foreign spending, humanitarian or military.  We don't need to wait until all our people are taken cared before we worry about people elsewhere.  At this day and age, we are all global citizens and we need to care about each other regardless of which side of border we are at.  Although I can't honestly say that the monies we spent overseas are helping people in all cases.

But we DO need to take care of the Katrina victims.

To me, this is not an issue of money, rather it is the attention and priority of our government.  And if our government is a democratic one as we believe it should be, it is our responsibility to change its actions.

I will get off my soap box and go back to do more restorations.

[cmpentecost]

Back to the issue of the photos, when I communicated via email with the photographer, I asked her if she had a guide or someone to allow her into the buildings she photographed.  She said "no".  She just freely walked in, and photographed what she found interesting.  Perhaps I'm naive, but I really thought most of this damage had been cleaned up.  Obviously, it has not.  We can only pray that Hurricane Dean goes back out to sea and goes far, far away.

Christine

[glennab]

Chen, your point is well taken, but I have to tell you that I lived overseas all my early life, and while you and I believe we're all in this global community together, the feeling isn't shared everywhere.  Something that profoundly affected me in my early life was when we lived in Germany not long after WWII, and a young German walked up to me and pounded the crap out of me because I'm American.  And I couldn't blame him.  He probably lost family in the bombings.  But that hatred astounded and hurt me deeply.  I, personally, had done nothing to this young person.  I wasn't even born until after the war.

And I still contend that we have to take care of our citizens first.  OPR brings home that we can love and care for people all over the world, and believe me, it's eased a lot of the pain of my early years to have such camaraderie with wonderful people everywhere, and to have them come to OUR rescue in the face of this disaster.  But I'm not going to feed my neighbor's kids and let mine starve.  I find a lot of our government's politics comparable to that scenario.  I love our country and I love our people.  I think our core is loving and generous.  We're not represented that way by those in charge.  That's what New Orleans and the Katrina debacle bring home to me.

We no longer have a democratic government, as I would define it.  And the people at the bottom of the heap, as were many of the worst hit in the storm, are throw-aways to the upper crust who control our policies.

The things that keep me going are the everyday kindnesses of average Americans, the people who rush to rescue in the face of horrors like 9/11 and Katrina (I pass a fire station every day on my way to work, and every day I send them my love and appreciation as I drive by), and the global membership of OPR that proves to me that we are, truly, one family, no matter what our governments do.

OPR gives me hope!

Glenna

[cmpentecost]

Hey,

I think I need to step in here, and remind everyone that we are here to restore damaged photographs from natural disasters.  The wonderful thing about OPR is that we have volunteers from the ENTIRE world, helping those who have faced a loss.  We are of all colors, races, religions, and political beliefs.  Please, let's not make OPR a political forum.  There are other places for that.  When I posted the link to these images, it was more to share what the Katrina hit region still looks like.  Yeah...I'd love to have more U.S. money going to the southern states of America that were hit by Katrina, but I really don't want this forum to become a political divider.

Julie Dermansky, who is the photographer of these images in the link I provided, did a tremendous job of telling a story just by the images she captured.  Capture those images in your mind, and remind yourself of the great amount of good you are doing for our world.

Christine

[glennab]

Chris, you're right.

I think Julie's photos engendered very strong feelings for many people.  I know they did for me.  The images give much food for thought, and those thoughts have been expressed herein, I think to help us vent.

I promise, I'm off my soapbox.  We need to get back to our restorations!

Bless you for your wisdom!  And thanks again for sharing the photos.  They're masterpieces.  Julie is a true artist with her camera.

Glenna

[schen]

Sorry, we got carried away.

My daughter went on her second alternative spring break to help at Biloxi last May and send me some pictures.  I posted a few before and I will post a few more later.

http://www.oprworkshop.org/forum/index.php?topic=644.msg5663#msg5663

[John]

I'm going to move this thread over to the Tool Bar section.  I'd like to keep the Feedback section reserved for feedback related to the forum... looks like I've let a couple of things slide.

I didn't mean to get anyone fired up, I think it goes without saying that we are here for many reasons not all of which are rooted in Photoshop.

While I am all for freedom of speech in the forum, I would hate to see things spiral into political bickering, so therefore, we'll keep an eye on things and if it gets too heated, we'll pull in the reigns as needed.

:-)

[schen]

Here is an album with photos taken at Biloxi and somewhere between Biloxi and New Orleans in April 2007.

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z298/schen_album/Biloxi%202007/

[Hannie]

Julie Dermansky's photographs are so good.  While viewing them it is hard do dissociate oneself from political thoughts.
But it is true.  Political discussion never works very well in a forum.  Even though we all have the same (good!) intentions.
Chen, great pictures!

Hannie

[Ausimax]

Schen, your album is just so graphic, it is hard to comprehend that there can still be such devastation so long after the event, in a country that claims to be the worlds richest economy.

The only thing I can relate it to in effect is a film I saw of Stanleyville in the Congo, made about 20 years after the European's left, all the houses and businesses sitting empty and abandon, slowly deteriorating, the Congolese had never made use of them, and these photos create that same poignant feeling of desolation.

Thank you for sharing them.

Max