Friday, September 29, 2006
Below the Radar
The current stats related to this blog are revealing: by far, the most popular Google search leading to this page over the last few weeks has been "Johnny Gosch" In fact, I've never had a more popular search related to this site....
Thursday, September 28, 2006
The Missing Reports on the Missing Boy: Johnny Gosch, Continued
I continue to be fascinated with the media disinterest surrounding recent events in the Johnny Gosch case - from all possible perspectives, it seems to be a story worth telling. If the recently surfaced photographs prove to be authentic, the questions surrounding the how and why of the case are unending. If they aren't related the case, the story still begs to be told - who were these children - and who placed those pictures at Johnny Gosch's mother's door? For six days, now, there's been no news.
Granted, this is a 24 year old case. It occured to me, however, that this is only one of numerous examples of how the United States as a country is sorely lacking in the sense of moral outrage which has shaped our nation from the very beginning. Perhaps it's hard to be angered at injustice when engulfed in the ongoing state of fear we've lived under since September 11th, 2001.
Granted, this is a 24 year old case. It occured to me, however, that this is only one of numerous examples of how the United States as a country is sorely lacking in the sense of moral outrage which has shaped our nation from the very beginning. Perhaps it's hard to be angered at injustice when engulfed in the ongoing state of fear we've lived under since September 11th, 2001.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
My Tasty Little Bit of Pitcairn Island
I've had an interest for a while in the story of Pitcairn Island, the small mid-Atlantic (between New Zealand and South America) island that served as home to the mutineers from the HMS Bounty. After sending Captain Bligh and his loyalists off on a small rowboat in the late 1700's (and into their own extraordinary journey to civilization), the mutineers returned to Tahiti, from which they had recently departed, picked up a number of women (and men as slaves) and headed back out to sea. They happened up on the tiny, inhospitable island that would serve as their home. Shortly thereafter, the bounty burned, and any idea of leaving was gone. Thus began a settlement which still exists to this day, consisting primarily of descendents of the mutineers and their Tahitian brides (it's important to note that within a few years, most of the original Bounty mutineers had been murdered by some of those they has forcibly taken from Tahiti. Thus ended slavery on Pitcairn Island...Today's Pitcairn population is about 50, with many more scattered throughout the world.
After a scandal a couple of years ago which involved a brand of sexual abuse of minors that perhaps can be partically blamed on the island's isolation (visits each year are infrequent), the British government, which many years ago accepted Pitcairn under its jurisdiction, has begun to help the island achieve a more robust ability to develop a small economy and, perhaps, even a tiny tourism industry (by necessity - Pitcairn is just a few square miles).
Before I heard of the scandal, and the extended trial that resulted, I had tried to order one of Pitcairn's few exports - honey, bred by tropical bees (and thus particulary good). For obvious reasons (the entire workforce was on trial), it was never charged to my credit card, and it never arrived.
I tried again this August, and now, judging by a charge which just showed up on my credit card, I might soon be seeing my uniquely exotic souvenir.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
India Videos
I've now made available for download videos related to our recent India trip.
There are two files - one is the video the kids produced. The other combines that with a four and a half minute mini-documentary about the making of the video, and includes personal greetings to the kids they'll be working with here in America.
You can find the videos in a page off of my website. Just look for the "See India Video" link just under the group portrait of the kids and teachers at the center of the page.
There are two files - one is the video the kids produced. The other combines that with a four and a half minute mini-documentary about the making of the video, and includes personal greetings to the kids they'll be working with here in America.
You can find the videos in a page off of my website. Just look for the "See India Video" link just under the group portrait of the kids and teachers at the center of the page.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Notes Left
When I went out to my car this morning, I found a printout left on my windshield (and i assume those of my neighbors) from the Superior Court of California, indicating that a particular individual was a convicted child molester - his apartment number was notated by hand on the page.
Important information - especially in an apartment complex with plenty of children. Obviously this isn't the kind of person anyone would want to live down the hall from.
My only concern would be that this doesn't degenerate into any sort of vigilante (i.e. violent) activity. We'd save the kids from one kind of horror, and inflict another.
Important information - especially in an apartment complex with plenty of children. Obviously this isn't the kind of person anyone would want to live down the hall from.
My only concern would be that this doesn't degenerate into any sort of vigilante (i.e. violent) activity. We'd save the kids from one kind of horror, and inflict another.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Gosch Confusion
I continue to be fascinated with the Gosch case, and the low-profile drama surrounding the photos that surfaced a few weeks ago (see earlier posts). It seems now that the files that we purported to prove that the photographs were a hoax are missing - so verification of that claim can't be proved. Johnny Gosch's mother claims one particular photo is undeniably her son. She also claims on her website that she has also received death threats because she is close to the answer to the mystery of her son's fate.
It's becoming harder and harder to determine where wild speculation and true evidence begin and end. This story, a major headline story when Gosch disappeared in 1982, is virtually ignored today. There's been very little attention paid to this story by the media - it's old, it's disturbing, and, as I'm discovering, Americans are just too overwhlemed with fear to care about a 24 year-old crime- even if it involved horrendous crimes.
This is one story, however, where media attention could do some good, and force the truth, whatever it may be, out into the open.
It's becoming harder and harder to determine where wild speculation and true evidence begin and end. This story, a major headline story when Gosch disappeared in 1982, is virtually ignored today. There's been very little attention paid to this story by the media - it's old, it's disturbing, and, as I'm discovering, Americans are just too overwhlemed with fear to care about a 24 year-old crime- even if it involved horrendous crimes.
This is one story, however, where media attention could do some good, and force the truth, whatever it may be, out into the open.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
India Afterthoughts: The Streets
It's been almost a couple of weeks now since we returned from India. It's taken me this long to begin to absorb the experience.
India is a society that's both heading headlong into the 21st century, and retains a feel for its long and complicated past. I felt at times that the streets of Delhi, at least from my western point of view, seemed to be a chaotic mixture of several centuries of tradition and technology. Masses of people along with animals, bicycle pedicabs, motorized pedicabs, and modern vehicles (not to mention wild animals in the form of cows, yaks and assorted smaller creatures) form a constantly moving tapestry regardless of painted traffic lanes or any attempt at organizaiton. The roads are chaotic, but new flyover roads are being built to rise above the chaos. The wildly divergent architecture also ranged from the ancient to slick, futuristic office buildings. Malls are rising to serve the rapidly expanding middle class. I suspect that by mid-century the streets of Delhi could be largely unrecognizeable.
I think of the kids we worked with - next to indendence, this has to be the most exciting, promising time in their country's history - what a great time in which to grow up!
India is a society that's both heading headlong into the 21st century, and retains a feel for its long and complicated past. I felt at times that the streets of Delhi, at least from my western point of view, seemed to be a chaotic mixture of several centuries of tradition and technology. Masses of people along with animals, bicycle pedicabs, motorized pedicabs, and modern vehicles (not to mention wild animals in the form of cows, yaks and assorted smaller creatures) form a constantly moving tapestry regardless of painted traffic lanes or any attempt at organizaiton. The roads are chaotic, but new flyover roads are being built to rise above the chaos. The wildly divergent architecture also ranged from the ancient to slick, futuristic office buildings. Malls are rising to serve the rapidly expanding middle class. I suspect that by mid-century the streets of Delhi could be largely unrecognizeable.
I think of the kids we worked with - next to indendence, this has to be the most exciting, promising time in their country's history - what a great time in which to grow up!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Who We Are
In yesterday's New York Times, Bob Herbert wrote an editorial entitled, "The Stranger in the Mirror," in which he suggests that "the very character of the United States is changing, and not for the better." Our collective reaction to 9-11, beginning with the invasion of Iraq, has changed the nature of who we are as a people:
There was a time, I thought, when there was general agreement among Americans that torture was beyond the pale. But when people are frightened enough, nothing is beyond the pale. And we're in an ara in which the highest leaders in the land stoke - rather than attempt to allay - the fears of ordinary citizens. Islamic terrorists are quated with Nazi Germany. We're told that we're in a clash of civilizations.
If, as President Bush says, we're engaged in 'the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century,' why isn't the entire nation moblizing to meet that dire threat?"
Herbert goes on to conclude:
The character of the U.S. has changed. We're in danger of being completely ruled by fear. Most Americans have not shared the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Very few Americans
are aware, as the Center for Constitutional Rights tells us, that of the hundreds of men held by the U.S. in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, many "have never been charged and will never be charged because there is no evidence justifying their detention."
Even fewer care.
We could benefit from looking in a mirror, and absorbing the shock of not recognizing what we're become.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Gosch Again
The Gosch claims seem to be unraveling. Though the news media has yet to report this, a simple Google search brought me to a public message board discussing the case on the CourtTV (cable network) site. It links to the very photographs in question on a photo site where they were posted quite some time ago (check messages from September 14th).
http://boards.courttv.com/printthread.php?s=f2db3f14c42ff0281d2c0492a2e9ff7b&threadid=273924&perpage=40&pagenumber=6
The primary photograph in question, a black and white image which supposedly shows Johnny Gosch tied and gagged with some kind of a brand on his arm, appears on the linked site in color, and there is no such brand. It also seems to have been posted in April, a full four months before it was delivered to his mother's house. This was the photo that his mother swore was her son.
I have to wonder why law enforcement, particularly those involved in cases like this, didn't discover this link earlier. And, once again, where is the media on this?
http://boards.courttv.com/printthread.php?s=f2db3f14c42ff0281d2c0492a2e9ff7b&threadid=273924&perpage=40&pagenumber=6
The primary photograph in question, a black and white image which supposedly shows Johnny Gosch tied and gagged with some kind of a brand on his arm, appears on the linked site in color, and there is no such brand. It also seems to have been posted in April, a full four months before it was delivered to his mother's house. This was the photo that his mother swore was her son.
I have to wonder why law enforcement, particularly those involved in cases like this, didn't discover this link earlier. And, once again, where is the media on this?
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Johnny Gosch - Update
The latest news relating to the recent photos the surfaced in regards to the 1982 disappearance of 12 year-old newsboy Johnny Gosch suggest that at least one of the photos may relate to a Florida case in the late 1970's - several years before Gosch's disappearance. A former investigator believes that he recalls the photo, and authorities are searching through old microfilm to make certain that's the case. On her website, Johnny Gosch's mother insists in response that at least one of the photos is certainly her son.
If these photos are proven to be unconnected to the Gosch case, this would only be the latest turn in a case that has been surrounded by false rumors, wild accusations, unsubstantiated stories and little or no solid evidence of Johnny Gosch's fate. As with the other kids of his time that also remain missing, justice remains elusive.
If these photos are proven to be unconnected to the Gosch case, this would only be the latest turn in a case that has been surrounded by false rumors, wild accusations, unsubstantiated stories and little or no solid evidence of Johnny Gosch's fate. As with the other kids of his time that also remain missing, justice remains elusive.
New Pix
I've begun to post photos from our trip to India. They were taken by David Guerrero and Nancy Troxell, two of my fellow travelers.
You can find the photos at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/rich_samuels
More to come shortly!
You can find the photos at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/rich_samuels
More to come shortly!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
9/11
With tomorrow's 5th anniversary of 9/11, there's a great deal of political posturing on both side of the (political) aisle. Democrats and Republicans are using the anniversary for political gain. That's to be expected, given the impact of the event on our national psyche and very character as Americans.
The single greatest lesson of 9/11 is reinforcing the adege that "the price of liberty is eternal vigilence." The single most damaging impact is the varied ways in which that same adege has been interpreted and used for personal and political gain. True visionary leadership on the federal level is lacking everywhere in our polical system. The terrorist threats we now face will not be solved either by retreat or by arms alone. The United States, for all its power, doesn't seem to know what kind of world it wants, or what kind of standard it wants to set. We live, then, in overwhlelming fear and uncertainty about the future.
The great tragedy is the lack of outrage for social injustices within our own country. We're no longer trying to improve our country and move it forward - we're trying desperately to hold on to what we have.
For me, an accident of timing has aligned the Gosch story (see previous post) with the 9/11 anniversary. I don't doubt for a moment that while we struggle to understand the external threats we face, a collective exhaustion dooms the inheritors of Johnny Gosch's fate.
The single greatest lesson of 9/11 is reinforcing the adege that "the price of liberty is eternal vigilence." The single most damaging impact is the varied ways in which that same adege has been interpreted and used for personal and political gain. True visionary leadership on the federal level is lacking everywhere in our polical system. The terrorist threats we now face will not be solved either by retreat or by arms alone. The United States, for all its power, doesn't seem to know what kind of world it wants, or what kind of standard it wants to set. We live, then, in overwhlelming fear and uncertainty about the future.
The great tragedy is the lack of outrage for social injustices within our own country. We're no longer trying to improve our country and move it forward - we're trying desperately to hold on to what we have.
For me, an accident of timing has aligned the Gosch story (see previous post) with the 9/11 anniversary. I don't doubt for a moment that while we struggle to understand the external threats we face, a collective exhaustion dooms the inheritors of Johnny Gosch's fate.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Johnny Gosch
Upon my return from India, I learned that a recently breaking story invovled new evidence in the story of Johnny Gosch, a 12 year-old boy who disappeared in 1982, never to be seen again. His case was the first to draw attention to the phenomena of child disappearances - in fact, his was the first face to appear on milk cartons (for a time the most common method to publicize missing children. He story was spread throughout the media - to no avail.
Ten years ago, his mother claimed that her son came to visit her briefly, claiming that he had been kidnapped and brought into a huge pedophile network, and was now afraid for his life. He left after a couple of hours, and she never heard from him again. Her story was doubted by some, and no evidence existed to prove it had happened.
In late August a couple of weeks ago, Johnny Gosch's mother found a package at her front door. Inside, she found two old photographs showing her son bound and gagged, one by himself, and one with two other still-unidentified boys, also bound and gagged. Where these pictures came from, why they're being revealed now, and who they actually mean is still unknown.
It's curious to me that such a horrific story, in today's post-9/11 climate of constant crisis, is just another news story...immediately disappearing from the front page - if it was ever there at all. I hope that the relevant authorities can find the time in their domestic spying programs to find justice for Johnny Gosch and the boys who suffered with him.
Ten years ago, his mother claimed that her son came to visit her briefly, claiming that he had been kidnapped and brought into a huge pedophile network, and was now afraid for his life. He left after a couple of hours, and she never heard from him again. Her story was doubted by some, and no evidence existed to prove it had happened.
In late August a couple of weeks ago, Johnny Gosch's mother found a package at her front door. Inside, she found two old photographs showing her son bound and gagged, one by himself, and one with two other still-unidentified boys, also bound and gagged. Where these pictures came from, why they're being revealed now, and who they actually mean is still unknown.
It's curious to me that such a horrific story, in today's post-9/11 climate of constant crisis, is just another news story...immediately disappearing from the front page - if it was ever there at all. I hope that the relevant authorities can find the time in their domestic spying programs to find justice for Johnny Gosch and the boys who suffered with him.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
India Conclusion
Our finally day in India was fairly quiet, as we packed and prepared for the grueling journey home. Our host Reyka Mody, met us for dinner at the hotel. We were also treated to a visit from two of the boys in our workshop, one with his entire family, to thank us and wish us well on our trip home. It was a very special ending to a very special trip.
It looks like we'll be heading back to India well within the year. India, it seems, is one of those places that takes a lot out of you, but gives you so much more. I'll be looking forward to returning.
It looks like we'll be heading back to India well within the year. India, it seems, is one of those places that takes a lot out of you, but gives you so much more. I'll be looking forward to returning.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
India Day Six and Seven
Our stay in India is winding down - we've said a lot of goodbyes in the last couple of days - some of them to the same people several times.
Day Six began early , as we headed to the kids' school so that we could work with them to finish their film - we were scheduled to present the film at a special lunch mid-day, so the project had to get done. Final touches including naming the film ("Back to the Roots") and re-recording some audio that wasn't clear on the original video. We also had to create a DVD for presentation after the luncheon. Working together, the kids made the deadline, and we all headed across the street to celebrate with officials from the school and the Trust that has been hosting us here in India. Both kids and adults were treated to a first-class lunch (we've been having many, many traditional Indian foods). They've been aware of our every comment, so when one of our party commented a couple of days ago that she was taking a little break from Indian food, they were extra careful to ask us repeatedly if the food was okay - was it too spicy, do we want a sandwhich, etc.
After the lunch, we went to the principal's office to present to the same crowd the story of our program, and present the finished video. We then asked the kids to come in, so that we could present them with certificates celebrating the success of the workshop. By now, we've gotten to know most of the kids, so we were each able to add a bit of a personal comment about each kid. The audience there responded very well to the video, and to the concept of bringing young filmmaking to the poor of India. These kids, who are more priveliged, will now be teaching what they have learned with us to poor children.
Finally, it was time to leave the school, and our young friends. They shook our hands, took pictures and finally hugged us goodbye. It's quite possible that we might return in a few months, so the sadness in parting was tempered in part by the promise of the future.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off at a little cyber cafe in the Indian version of a strip mall, where we need to prepare for a press conference the next day. This is, unfortunately, also where I lost a cap I bought at the Twin Towers in Kuala Lubpur. Easy come, easy go....
Day Seven featured the press conference, where we explained what we had been doing with the kids, the concept of the program, and presented the video. A few of the kids were also there to demonstrate for the press how the camera and software worked and tell them of their experience with our workshop - and also, yet again, shake our hands and hug us goodbye.
We've been fortunate to be working with such a great group of kids, and to have hosts that have made our stay an exciting experience in every way. I told the kids as we presented them certificates that I will always see their faces whenever I think of India.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is our final day in India - late that night we take off for the long journey home....
Day Six began early , as we headed to the kids' school so that we could work with them to finish their film - we were scheduled to present the film at a special lunch mid-day, so the project had to get done. Final touches including naming the film ("Back to the Roots") and re-recording some audio that wasn't clear on the original video. We also had to create a DVD for presentation after the luncheon. Working together, the kids made the deadline, and we all headed across the street to celebrate with officials from the school and the Trust that has been hosting us here in India. Both kids and adults were treated to a first-class lunch (we've been having many, many traditional Indian foods). They've been aware of our every comment, so when one of our party commented a couple of days ago that she was taking a little break from Indian food, they were extra careful to ask us repeatedly if the food was okay - was it too spicy, do we want a sandwhich, etc.
After the lunch, we went to the principal's office to present to the same crowd the story of our program, and present the finished video. We then asked the kids to come in, so that we could present them with certificates celebrating the success of the workshop. By now, we've gotten to know most of the kids, so we were each able to add a bit of a personal comment about each kid. The audience there responded very well to the video, and to the concept of bringing young filmmaking to the poor of India. These kids, who are more priveliged, will now be teaching what they have learned with us to poor children.
Finally, it was time to leave the school, and our young friends. They shook our hands, took pictures and finally hugged us goodbye. It's quite possible that we might return in a few months, so the sadness in parting was tempered in part by the promise of the future.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off at a little cyber cafe in the Indian version of a strip mall, where we need to prepare for a press conference the next day. This is, unfortunately, also where I lost a cap I bought at the Twin Towers in Kuala Lubpur. Easy come, easy go....
Day Seven featured the press conference, where we explained what we had been doing with the kids, the concept of the program, and presented the video. A few of the kids were also there to demonstrate for the press how the camera and software worked and tell them of their experience with our workshop - and also, yet again, shake our hands and hug us goodbye.
We've been fortunate to be working with such a great group of kids, and to have hosts that have made our stay an exciting experience in every way. I told the kids as we presented them certificates that I will always see their faces whenever I think of India.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is our final day in India - late that night we take off for the long journey home....
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
India Days Four and Five
That last couple of days have been incredibly hectic, so I haven't had a chance to write until now, on the morning of our sixth day.
Day Four had us starting the day by visiting the school our young filmmakers attend - a private school with a student body of about 2,000 kids from pre-school to 12th grade. It's a huge, modern looking school, though with little air conditioning save for the computer labsand some offices. We were treated to a tour of the campus, where we were at times mobbed by crowds of excited kids. We felt like rock stars. The school, by the way, is not religious, so the kids represented a cross section of India's (more weathy) population.
From the school, we returned to the community center, where our kids joined us. We began shooting their film in the blazing hot India sun. Sun block, at least for us, is critical here - as it bug-spray. The kids are working on a short film about a girl who returns to India after having been gone for eight years, and finds that much has changed. The first scene had her walking along a road with her bag, having just gotten off a plane. At first, she's disgusted when a small group of beggar children (whom they recruited from a poor family living in a shack nearby) surround her, asking for money. She then finds another kid and aks for help finding a pedicab - He tells her that she doesn't need a cab - there's a metro (train) now. She's shocked. It took a couple of hours to shoot the scene, including extensive debates, usually in Hindi, among the young filmmakers. I often had to interrupt and ask for clarification on what precisely they were debating...bottom line - they got the job done. We're hoping they're finish shooting today. After a full day with the kids, we returned to the hotel (early, for a change) for a nice, leisurely dinner.
On Day Five, we met the kids again, and hopped on a bus for a three-hour ride to a rural school located just by a beautiful ancient temple, set on a great pool of water. We were treated like honored guests, and presented with traditional costumed dance and music performed by the children. The kids at this school were even more excited, and eager to shake our hands and wave excitedly at the camera. After about an hour at that location, we seperated from our film kids, hopped in a care, and took a three-four hour drive to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal. We've discovered that there are no highways in India, at least not in the way we understand them. Most are two-lane highways, some badly maintained, and none set apart from people and less advanced transportation. It's a rough, sometimes frightening journey.
When we reached the outer reaches of the Taj Mahal grounds (it's about a mile or so from the parking lot to the Taj Mahal itself), we were immediately accosted by an army of kids sellling postcards, t-shirts, and the like - they were constantly begging us to buy from them, no matter how many times we told them we weren't interested. Finally inside, we passed through a gateway building - and there it was - the famous gleaming monument to love, featuring incredible detail and handicraft at the closest inspection. The Taj is simple a tomb - it never was anything but a tribute to a lost love.
The trip back from Agra to our hotel in Delhi took 5-6 hours - including about 30-45 minutes wasted when our driver headed in the wrong direction. As frightening as the roads are, they are positively terrifying at night. We wondered whether we would make it back in one piece. As I've written before, we are constantly bombarded with images as we drive though Delhi and the surrounding area. I remain amazed.
Today, we work with the kids in the morning and travel to visit another (closer) school, and meet the mayor of Delhi in the afternoon. We'll then be treated to dinner at our host's home. All in all, it will be a less grueling experience then yesterday. It's good to be "home."
Day Four had us starting the day by visiting the school our young filmmakers attend - a private school with a student body of about 2,000 kids from pre-school to 12th grade. It's a huge, modern looking school, though with little air conditioning save for the computer labsand some offices. We were treated to a tour of the campus, where we were at times mobbed by crowds of excited kids. We felt like rock stars. The school, by the way, is not religious, so the kids represented a cross section of India's (more weathy) population.
From the school, we returned to the community center, where our kids joined us. We began shooting their film in the blazing hot India sun. Sun block, at least for us, is critical here - as it bug-spray. The kids are working on a short film about a girl who returns to India after having been gone for eight years, and finds that much has changed. The first scene had her walking along a road with her bag, having just gotten off a plane. At first, she's disgusted when a small group of beggar children (whom they recruited from a poor family living in a shack nearby) surround her, asking for money. She then finds another kid and aks for help finding a pedicab - He tells her that she doesn't need a cab - there's a metro (train) now. She's shocked. It took a couple of hours to shoot the scene, including extensive debates, usually in Hindi, among the young filmmakers. I often had to interrupt and ask for clarification on what precisely they were debating...bottom line - they got the job done. We're hoping they're finish shooting today. After a full day with the kids, we returned to the hotel (early, for a change) for a nice, leisurely dinner.
On Day Five, we met the kids again, and hopped on a bus for a three-hour ride to a rural school located just by a beautiful ancient temple, set on a great pool of water. We were treated like honored guests, and presented with traditional costumed dance and music performed by the children. The kids at this school were even more excited, and eager to shake our hands and wave excitedly at the camera. After about an hour at that location, we seperated from our film kids, hopped in a care, and took a three-four hour drive to Agra, to visit the Taj Mahal. We've discovered that there are no highways in India, at least not in the way we understand them. Most are two-lane highways, some badly maintained, and none set apart from people and less advanced transportation. It's a rough, sometimes frightening journey.
When we reached the outer reaches of the Taj Mahal grounds (it's about a mile or so from the parking lot to the Taj Mahal itself), we were immediately accosted by an army of kids sellling postcards, t-shirts, and the like - they were constantly begging us to buy from them, no matter how many times we told them we weren't interested. Finally inside, we passed through a gateway building - and there it was - the famous gleaming monument to love, featuring incredible detail and handicraft at the closest inspection. The Taj is simple a tomb - it never was anything but a tribute to a lost love.
The trip back from Agra to our hotel in Delhi took 5-6 hours - including about 30-45 minutes wasted when our driver headed in the wrong direction. As frightening as the roads are, they are positively terrifying at night. We wondered whether we would make it back in one piece. As I've written before, we are constantly bombarded with images as we drive though Delhi and the surrounding area. I remain amazed.
Today, we work with the kids in the morning and travel to visit another (closer) school, and meet the mayor of Delhi in the afternoon. We'll then be treated to dinner at our host's home. All in all, it will be a less grueling experience then yesterday. It's good to be "home."
Monday, August 28, 2006
India Day Three
Today was our first day working on moviemaking with the kids - 18 disciplined, bright and creative kids who believe in their country and its promise in the future. There has been so much change in India in just the last few years that even kids that are fourteen or sixteen years old can recognize the transformation: the construction of highways, the development and expansion of a new metro system, and goverment's continuing efforts to help India's desperate poor. That hasn't lessened the sheer desperation we see everyday in the poor - and in old sections of Delhi, buildings seemed almost draped in haphazardly hung power lines. Still, the kids believe that things can and will change.
We developed with them the plans for short video about an Indian who returns to the country after several years, and is shocked at some of the changes that have occurred - and wonders why she has stayed away for so long. On Tuesday, we begin shooting.
After we finished for the day, we were invited to visit with Mr. Singh, a trustee of the community center where we're working. He spends a good portion of his time living in Calabasas in the San Fernando Valley, near whilch most of his children live. He's a true American success story, having begun small distribution company seling just cigarettes to a diverse company with an enormous warehouse. He's retired now, and can afford to keep homes going in both countries. At the insistance of his children, he gave up wearing the turban that Sikhs are known for. After 9-11, it became dangerous for a while to wear turbans in public - though Sikhs were not involved in any way with the attacks. Most less-educated people assoicated the turban with Osama Ben Laden. Several Sikhs, in fact, were attacked or killed for just that reason.
I continue to marvel at the wild cows and yaks that wander aimlessly throughout the city, and glimpses of child labor that also seems fairly common in some areas. Last night, we saw a team of young children helping to pave a road at 11:30 at night.
It's been a long day - I write again tomorrow.
We developed with them the plans for short video about an Indian who returns to the country after several years, and is shocked at some of the changes that have occurred - and wonders why she has stayed away for so long. On Tuesday, we begin shooting.
After we finished for the day, we were invited to visit with Mr. Singh, a trustee of the community center where we're working. He spends a good portion of his time living in Calabasas in the San Fernando Valley, near whilch most of his children live. He's a true American success story, having begun small distribution company seling just cigarettes to a diverse company with an enormous warehouse. He's retired now, and can afford to keep homes going in both countries. At the insistance of his children, he gave up wearing the turban that Sikhs are known for. After 9-11, it became dangerous for a while to wear turbans in public - though Sikhs were not involved in any way with the attacks. Most less-educated people assoicated the turban with Osama Ben Laden. Several Sikhs, in fact, were attacked or killed for just that reason.
I continue to marvel at the wild cows and yaks that wander aimlessly throughout the city, and glimpses of child labor that also seems fairly common in some areas. Last night, we saw a team of young children helping to pave a road at 11:30 at night.
It's been a long day - I write again tomorrow.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
India Day Two
We're back from our second day in India - a day full of history, and more and more of the drama of everyday life here.
Our first stop was at the mansion, now a museum, which was the home of India's first prime minister, Nehru, followed by a visit to a museum about Gandhi - India's legendary hero of the fight for independence (and the proponent of fighting for change through non-violence. Gandhi's museum featured a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation - while Nehru's was somewhat ragged at the edges - like most of India's infrastructure.
We also spent a couple of hours at a religious festival featuring dozens of craft booths - we all came home with a load of goodies....the dollar goes incredibly far here. We had dinner tonight for five people for ten dollars - and it was a lot of food. We ended the day at a fairly primitve, but nonetheless interesting sound at light show at the Red Fort, a huge, ancient military fort that has been the center of several critical events in India's long history, including the announcement of India's indepence in the 1940's.
Some of India's infrastructure seems like it's crumbling, while there's numerous improvements road improvements underway.
Still, the streets are teeming with people, and we are constantly pursued by beggers.
Tomorrow, we begin what we came here for - teaching teens filmmaking, and taking the first steps in creating an international connection with young filmmakers in America.
More tomorrow!! I'm offf to sleep.
Our first stop was at the mansion, now a museum, which was the home of India's first prime minister, Nehru, followed by a visit to a museum about Gandhi - India's legendary hero of the fight for independence (and the proponent of fighting for change through non-violence. Gandhi's museum featured a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation - while Nehru's was somewhat ragged at the edges - like most of India's infrastructure.
We also spent a couple of hours at a religious festival featuring dozens of craft booths - we all came home with a load of goodies....the dollar goes incredibly far here. We had dinner tonight for five people for ten dollars - and it was a lot of food. We ended the day at a fairly primitve, but nonetheless interesting sound at light show at the Red Fort, a huge, ancient military fort that has been the center of several critical events in India's long history, including the announcement of India's indepence in the 1940's.
Some of India's infrastructure seems like it's crumbling, while there's numerous improvements road improvements underway.
Still, the streets are teeming with people, and we are constantly pursued by beggers.
Tomorrow, we begin what we came here for - teaching teens filmmaking, and taking the first steps in creating an international connection with young filmmakers in America.
More tomorrow!! I'm offf to sleep.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
India Day One
It's 1 am after our first full day in India. We had a fantastic breakfast buffet at the hotel, followed by a trip to a beautiful, modern government cultural center, lunch at one of the finest Indian restaurants in town. From there, we went sightseeing around town, driving through diverse areas, from the governemnt center (with the imposing colonial-era architecture), to the desperate poverty we've heard about - numerous people, seeing our caucasion faces, have come knocking on our car windows, or followed us arouind marketplaces - children, women with babies in their arms. A filthy little boy banged a drum and his sister did cartwheels outside our car as were stuck in traffic, then came knocking. It's very awkward, of course - we really don't know how to react other then to ignore them - the Indian people must practice a real mental disconnect from the world around them.
The sights we see as we drive around really enforce the description we've heard that India is a nation of contrast. We've seen gleaming new corporate skyscrapers contrasted with numerous bulls and goats and such roaming free on the steets, pedal and the occasion horse-drawn pedicabs sharing the road with all kinds of vehicles in a constantly mad, chaotic race.
Our final sightseeing stop was at an ancient Islamic shrine (I don't recall the name at the moment), which lies in ruins, except for a huge tower (I've seen pictures of this before). The ruins were spectacular - the mosque had to have been huge. The ruins have all the scale and majesty of Roman ruins - there's so much of the world that we, as Westerners, are ignorant.
From the ruins we went to visit "Spice World," an entertainment and shopping center that opened in the last few years (and may be opening a branch in Los Angeles soon). The multiplex there includes a 35 seat theatre that features fully operational reclining chairs, and food service direct to your chair. Finally, we had dinner at a brand new restaurant that's opening soon in that complex. We had a special preview, and all seven of us were attended to by the entire staff. The food never stopped coming. The English, incidentally, is a bit difficult to understand - most of us pick up only about 50-70% of what even our hosts are saying. We're doing a lot of nodding knowingly - though we're sometimes clueless!
Now, we're back "home." We're going to take it easy tomorrow morning, and then continue our adventure in the afternoon.
The sights we see as we drive around really enforce the description we've heard that India is a nation of contrast. We've seen gleaming new corporate skyscrapers contrasted with numerous bulls and goats and such roaming free on the steets, pedal and the occasion horse-drawn pedicabs sharing the road with all kinds of vehicles in a constantly mad, chaotic race.
Our final sightseeing stop was at an ancient Islamic shrine (I don't recall the name at the moment), which lies in ruins, except for a huge tower (I've seen pictures of this before). The ruins were spectacular - the mosque had to have been huge. The ruins have all the scale and majesty of Roman ruins - there's so much of the world that we, as Westerners, are ignorant.
From the ruins we went to visit "Spice World," an entertainment and shopping center that opened in the last few years (and may be opening a branch in Los Angeles soon). The multiplex there includes a 35 seat theatre that features fully operational reclining chairs, and food service direct to your chair. Finally, we had dinner at a brand new restaurant that's opening soon in that complex. We had a special preview, and all seven of us were attended to by the entire staff. The food never stopped coming. The English, incidentally, is a bit difficult to understand - most of us pick up only about 50-70% of what even our hosts are saying. We're doing a lot of nodding knowingly - though we're sometimes clueless!
Now, we're back "home." We're going to take it easy tomorrow morning, and then continue our adventure in the afternoon.
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