Would You Like Art with that?

Tonight I had the good fortune of being able to peruse a small art gallery in Taylorsville, UT that I didn't even know existed.

The number of pieces were few and they weren't signed. That didn't matter, however, I recognized the photographs immediately as being the work of Michael Kenna, one of my favorite black and white photographers. My wonder and bemusement only grew as I realized that any one of these prints would cost $3000 and up. How in the world did seven of his prints make it here to this little Gallery? I wasn't complaining. Any chance to see Kenna's work is a chance worth taking.

Then the lady behind the counter looked at me in my daze, and said "Sir, your nuggets are ready" and in an instant I was snapped back out of that mystical land that Kenna had Created on that black and white paper. It was then that I remembered that I was standing in the McDonald's inside Wal-Mart on Redwood Road and 5400 south and those great prints were only cheap knockoffs that they probably got at "Posters Are Us" somewhere in Middle America.

As I became aware of my surroundings, and picked up my nuggets, I was thinking to myself how absolutely American it was of McDonald's to try and disguise the fact that it is a fast food Restaurant. I must admit, for a McDonald's in a Wal-Mart, it is one of the nicer ones, but it is still a Wal-Mart McDonald's. No matter how nice the décor, you are still going to get cheap hamburgers and greasy french-fries. But just like anyone else McDonald's has its obligation to keep up appearances to keep people coming back. Honestly can you fault them for that?

The thing I felt was sad is that countless people will sit and eat beneath these masterpieces from one of the greatest fine artists this side if the millennium and they will have no idea who he is. Nor will they even care. Sadder still, if and when they do find out who he is, if they bothered to look at the prints at all, they will think, somewhere in the recesses of their mind "isn't he the McDonald's picture guy?"

Since I can't change the fact that many people will not appreciate fine art, and photography, and since I still like cheap hamburgers and greasy fries, I will see you around my new favorite art gallery in Taylorsville.

Educational McCarthyism

People love having it their way; just ask the fast food industry. Burger King will tell you that their business is based on fast service, and having it your way. In fact that is their slogan. And is there anything wrong with that? Well, when you are talking about Whoppers and Diet Coke, no there is absolutely nothing wrong.

However, in our wonderful world, the truth remains that there are certain things that if we get it our way, we could end up hurt, emotionally unstable, or just plain stupefied. In example, speeding is something we all do. That is just a fact. If we are not careful, and choose to drive like we own the world then we could have the Super Dells of the world follow us and flash a gun in our faces to get us to slow down, we could get pulled over and have to face hefty fines, or worse, we could end up dead or in a coma.

The danger of having our own way is real, and yet in one of the most important parts of our life, our education, we feel that we should be able to have it quick easy and our own way.

Recently the Globe (slccglobelink.com )printed an article about Ratemyprofessors.com, a website that lets students tell all about the best and worst of their campus Professors. Which on the surface sounds absolutely wonderful, I mean think about it, now you can let everyone know that your Psych. teacher is the worst teacher at SLCC because of they way he/she grades, or that so-and-so's lectures are like listening to your cousin Billy's flatulation after chilly night at the family reunion. Whatever it is people will now know about it, and even better, you can find out what teachers are softies, and who grades easier than others. And the big one, the one that in this state is probably number one on the list of things to look at- are they conservative, or liberal? Do they have my viewpoint on things?

In theory all this sounds like it is a win-win situation for all involved, the students get a teacher they like, and the teachers get students that want to be there.

How ridiculous can you get? First on my list of why I hate this idea of rating your teachers is this. You all came here, and are paying good money to earn a liberal (oh no not that liberal word) education. That means to me that you are going to be presented with challenges of all sorts, including but not limited to dealing with teachers that are not easy graders, dealing with long, boring classes that you are not interested in, being presented with new ideas (God forbid) that may conflict with previously held assumptions and religious ideas, actually having to do homework and read the book, and the list could go on.

My point is, we are here to be presented with challenges, and new ideas (especially new ideas), and we should learn how to deal with those things, not how to avoid them. I can guarantee that when you are out in the work place there is going to be a boss that you are going to disagree with, but you won't have a website to Rate your bosses. The idea would be absolutely ridiculous in any professional industry, so why should it be okay here in a place were we should be learning how to make it in a professional industry.

The next reason on my list is the idea of students rating their teachers is honestly an abomination. Both on this online website to rate teachers and the student review that happen on a regular basis here at SLCC. We are not teachers, we have no idea the real work that goes into it, and who are we to decide what is best for us in regard to an educational stand point, this is something that should be done by peers, not by subordinates.

In a recent conversation with an adjunct professor, he told me his feelings about the student review. He said that he would ask his students to put down on the review that he requires bribes for good grades. He doesn't really, but he wanted to see if the department head even bothered to read the reports from the students. He never has had a response back from any of his direct superiors. Why aren't these reviews done by peers who can give valid professional advice is beyond me, but hey I am just the student.

One last thing that I want to bring up is, what I feel the real danger of rating teachers.I recently read a newspaper report, but in the article it discussed a watchdog in Berkley California that will pay students $100 to "expose" their teachers that are teaching liberal ideas in the classroom, to "warn" students about what is being taught, and blacklist teachers who have differing viewpoints from that of the watchdog group. This I think is the grossest of all crimes against the minds of America's college age students. I am saddened and disgusted at the idea that anyone would buy into this sort of corrupt and immoral affront to the pursuit of knowledge.

As I have stated before we are here to be exposed to new ideas and be able to decide for ourselves which are right and which are wrong. We can't be afraid to be wrong. We can't be afraid that if we hear another's point of view that this will somehow destroy your belief system or that we will somehow be irreparably changed. This is simply not the case. In fact we, as people, should make it our single duty to learn all that we can, to be informed and to Most of all know how we stand on an issue.

By allowing ourselves to believe that we will somehow get a better education by avoiding difficult tasks, going for the easy A and running from professors who may have a different opinion than yourselves you have put yourself in a precarious situation in deed.

(this was a rescent submission for my colomn at Salt Lake Community College newpaper the Globe)

Perspective! Everything!

I love new place, the magic of finding, and seeing something new, something I have never seen before. I especially love seeing something I have never seen before in something that I have seen a million times before.

Humans have a fabulous way of letting ourselves miss out on really seeing what we see. I think that is why I love Photography. I can show the world what they cant or wont take the time to see.

the other day I had the opportunity to get lost in an area of the city I thought I knew well, and I ended up Underneath and in the middle of what is called the Spaghetti Bowl section of I15 in Salt Lake. I had driven past this little spot a billion time. It appeared to be a standard industrial area that would hold little interest for me, but as I drive my car into the little alcove under the freeway, it was like a new universe opened up.

If you have never felt that feeling, start looking- maybe stare at a wall that you have looked at a million times. Notice the details, how the paint texture stands out, how it bubbles here and there, how its really is an Eggshell color, instead of white.

Look at the buildings you pass as you are driving to work, you will see things jump out at you, maybe it would even be worth it to take the buss so you CAN look as you ride.

For me, as I spent my time exploring my new found world of Mudd and steel, I was at first a little nervous, I didn't know if this was private property- it wasn't fenced, and it wasn't posted, though, you never know if they may have a sign up somewhere that is just hidden in the back so that they can say there was one up. As I explored though, I was caught up by the pattern the deep, rich colors of Steel Blue, and the Bastard Amber colored rust that covered the stacked and bound edifices to industry and creation.

As I saw the beautifully colors, and the grand sunset over the freeway, I felt a peace that you don't think of coming in the middle of the noise freeway, and Dirty industrial park. And all of that came from a new way of seeing and a change in Perspective.

However long and hard the road may be!

(this was originally posted last week on an different blog, but I thought it would fit here making blogger my main blog)

I wanted to post a Quote on My personal information section, but it would not fit within the character limits that are placed there, so I will post it here.

"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival." Winston Churchill

This quote has been one that has had a Great impact on me. I think of the Obstacle that Winston Churchill faced, how unsurmountable they must have seemed, and then I think of the crap that I have to face in my life, and they are not comparable, but the power of those words are enough to make the difference.

"For without victory, there is no survival" I feel the weight of that Every day, as I am sure we all do. and yet failure is never the end, Churchill also said that "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. "success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." some days I wish I could remember that, when nothing seems to be going right. these past two weeks for Example, it feels like the fates have conspired against me. I was in a car accident, I had stomach flu that lasted for about a week, I had an horrible case of depression(which is really odd because I NEVER get depressed), I broke the screen on my $300 cell phone, I am way behind on bills that I don't know were I am going to find the money for, and the girl that I was dating decided she needed to quit me cold turkey(yeah she just plain ignored me, no word why or what for, she was just gone).

All that doesn't matter though, because I am here, I am alive, and I can still create, and build and be an influence in someone life. or at least I hope that someone has been impacted by something I have done or created.

Even when things are piling up, and I feel like I really am the "Precarious Obviologist" that I have created here in cyber space, I think of the promise of the savior that he made to Paul, and to Ether in the book of Mormon, "Ether 12: 27: And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."now the trick is to come to the lord, that is what I am still learning, I am happy to be doing what I am doing Even through all the crap, because one day I will not be going from "one failure to another" but will be going from a failure to a success, and all the "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" will have been worth it.

Saltair, America's Salt Palace

Ever since I was young, I have had a fascination with the Great Salt Lake. Not only with the Great Salt Lake, but with Saltair.

In an earlier time Saltair was a Great palace on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. A train would run from downtown Salt Lake City to Saltair daily, bringing masses of people, old and young to swim, unsinkable, in the salty water, dance on one of the largest dance floors in the nation, or ride a wonderful roller coaster out over the lake. Families would come, they could share a day or an evening enjoying each others company. Time didn't move to fast, and parent and children still talked about what was important to them, and what mattered.

Tragedy struck in 1920, some 27 years after it was built, turning this western rival to New York's Coney Island to nothing but cinder and ash. A few years later the depression hit, and for a time recreation and leisure were forgotten, and with it Saltair was left to be washed away with the tide.

It was later rebuilt, burnt down and rebuilt again, each time losing more and more if the splendor of Saltairs glory days.
Now when you go and visit, a considerably more humble stucco building with Russian Onion domes on each of the corners, stands near the edge of what was the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake (The waters have receded almost a quarter of a mile from banks). When you think about the proud edifice that once stood there, you can feel a sadness, mild at best, resting over the place.

That's not to say that the place is completely abandoned. On any given day, I can visit the place, and find Photographers preparing for Bridal shots in the evening(the place has some of the most Beautiful sunsets you will ever see), Locals who had heard about the place and wanted to see what it was, or wind boarders enjoying the flat sands that the receded shore lines have produces. on one of my visits, which are frequent, I was met by a young Frenchman who had come to the USA to travel with his girlfriend. Smiling he said, "Its amazing, a Russian style building in the middle of Utah."

I just smiled and thought to myself about a lost era when Saltair was a place for family and friend to gather, time didn't move too fast and were for the most part you could feel safe, like you were among friends.

Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to miss something that you have never really experienced. When I think of what society once was, what Saltair epitomized, and then I look at the challenges our society faces, when family is expendable, commitments are broken before people even finish shaking hands, and for many people fear is a daily thing, I miss those lost days. Though cannot bring back what Saltair represents, I will continue to be fascinated by this place, and I will continue to dream of a time when family mattered, and brotherhood and friends came before fame and a quick buck. I will hope for the best in men, and live as if men hope for the same thing.