PixiPort.com Poverty and Pollution, Palm Beach County Florida Welcome to Belle Glade (Pop. 14,000) The Voice Behind the Lens-Michael Dubiner
(ContentDesk) March 4, 2004 -- As a lawyer, I spent about 20 years traveling to Palm Beach County's western most reaches to the courthouse in Belle Glade once or twice a month. The town is located about 45 miles or so west of Palm Beach and is a very short distance from the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee. It is an old farming community struggling with modern times. It has many problems but also engenders a fair amount of civic pride. Recently, my daughter drove me out to the Glades to do some photography.
For me, photographing the Glades has been a project in the making for almost 25 years. This afternoon Jeannie drove me out to Belle Glade to help in the quest to photograph the essence of Belle Glade, as least from the photographic prospective. On this trip there was no attempt at a fair or balanced depiction of the area. I could have shot at many different locations. The two I chose were photographed solely for their ability to tell a short story in images.
There was little research or planning for this trip. I knew some things that would be photogenic out there and I was anxious to capture them and to enlighten my daughter as to what life was like only a one half hour drive from home. The drive out to the Glades is full of varying views of sugarcane, a unique pallette that changes by the hour and by the season. Some might quibble with the word "pollution" in my title. I don't know if the sugar mills are actually causing pollution (although I was taught if it looks like it and smells like it-it probably is).
If they are causing pollution, I do not know if the fumes being emitted by the mills are harmful to man, beast or vegetable. I am hyper-sensitive to odors and the smell, while palpably sweet, gets sickening very quickly, like a too rich piece of cake or coffee that is too sweet. The smell is somewhere between that of coffee and manure. As you can see, this sugar mill, at the edge of town was belching out smoke. These are the remnants of the processing of sugar cane, the residue of the creation of sugar.
Much to their credit or ignorance, some of the office employees of the mill I photographed work in a compact multi-storied building just downwind of the smoke. The last time I photographed this view, which was many years ago testing out a new film camera, I was accompanied by my wife. At that time I was threatened with arrest for trespassing by a private security guard that was parroting every word that was being broadcast out of his walkie-talkie by his commander. It seemed to bother the guard and his superior little that I was photographing from a public road. This trip, I was either unnoticed or the policy of the mill toward photographers had changed.
The other, quite different area of Belle Glade that I wanted to photograph, and felt my daughter should see, was the downtown ghetto. Among its distinctions, this area has the combination of high poverty, high crime and significant drug abuse. Additionally, it's title as the AIDS capital of the United States many years ago and its overall rundown condition leaves the average person passing through somewhat depressed. As in many areas in the North and South, the worst neighborhoods are highly segregated. In most of this area my daughter and I were the only whites.
As I was approaching the group below, little girl, who I was afraid was going to become a Pied Piper began chanting; "he's gonna get his ass kicked". If I could have turned back at that moment, I would have. Most surprising in this area is the number of people milling around. During the summer, the congestion on the streets is understandable as some of the apartments in this area lack air conditioning. However, during this pleasant weekday, apparently healthy adults of all ages were obviously not working, or at least not working very much when I saw them.
I have lived though many lofty government crusades, Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, Bill Clinton's assurances regarding Welfare to Work and now our stylish compassionate conservatism. No major program has changed the despair in parts of the Glades. They are finally getting the promise of clean water to replace the discolored and carcinogenic liquid that spews from their taps and some limited new housing and perhaps a host of programs that I am not aware of. What I do know is that the depressing air of poverty still runs through this area. Either we have spent poorly, or not enough, or something.
These people, and their children, are worth more to our society as hardworking individuals, paying taxes and contributing to the national good. As a nation, as a people that sometimes take very moral and self righteous stands, we owe it to them and to ourselves to get it done, right, once and for all and now. (The author, Michael Dubiner is a professional image maker and lawyer who lives in Wellington, Florida. His articles will appear twice monthly on PixiPort. http://www.pixiport.comhttp://www.pixiport.com/gallery-w06.htm.
Costume Contact Lenses - Be Noticed In The Crowd!
Costume contacts have always been a favorite tool of movie costume designers. What makes a werewolf appear like a real monster and not just an actor in a costume? The eyes, of course! The eyes make the entire image seem real and very believable.But the days when theatrical lenses were available only to movie stars are long gone. Now everybody can get a pair of costume contacts that makes their eyes appear bright and inhuman. The only limit is your imagination.Many people think of theatrical contact lenses only at Halloween time. But there is no reason why you can't wear them just for going out to the club.
If your eyes look like you just came back from Dune, you can be sure that your appearance won't go unnoticed.What are my choices?There are many costume lenses on the market; the most popular brands are Crazy Lenses, by Cooper Vision, and Wild Eyes, by CibaVision. Both Crazy Lenses and WildEyes offer bright, exciting designs. Their lenses are also comfortable and affordable.If...
Costume Contact Lenses - Be Noticed In The Crowd!
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Improve Your Game with Sport Performance Sunglasses
Sunglasses are fundamental in protecting the eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and eye damage. With the popularity of almost every imaginable outdoor sport such as snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking and golfing to name a few, the need for sports performance sunglasses is on the rise.
Much research and technology has gone into the making of sports sunglasses. The importance of having lightweight, durable, flexible and safe glasses is of special importance for the avid sports enthusiast.
First off you will want lenses that offer the ultimate in UVA and UVB protection. As UV light damages the cornea and retina causing future problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, cancer of the eye or photokeratitis (sunburn of the retina), you will want lenses that have one hundred percent UV protection. The UV protection should be stated on the label, if it is not you probably don't want to buy the lenses.
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PixiPort.com Poverty and Pollution, Palm Beach County Florida Welcome to Belle Glade (Pop. 14,000) The Voice Behind the Lens-Michael Dubiner
(ContentDesk) March 4, 2004 -- As a lawyer, I spent about 20 years traveling to Palm Beach County's western most reaches to the courthouse in Belle Glade once or twice a month. The town is located about 45 miles or so west of Palm Beach and is a very short distance from the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee. It is an old farming community struggling with modern times. It has many problems but also engenders a fair amount of civic pride. Recently, my daughter drove me out to the Glades to do some photography.
For me, photographing the Glades has been a project in the making for almost 25 years. This afternoon Jeannie drove me out to Belle Glade to help in the quest to photograph the essence of Belle Glade, as least from the photographic prospective. On this trip there was no attempt at a fair or balanced depiction of the area. I could have shot at many different locations. The two I chose were photographed solely for their ability to tell a short story in images.
There was...
PixiPort.com Poverty and Pollution, Palm Beach County Florida Welcome to Belle Glade (Pop. 14,000) The Voice Behind the Lens-Michael Dubiner
Contact lens > PixiPort.com Poverty and Pollution, Palm Beach County Florida Welcome to Belle Glade (Pop. 14,000) The Voice Behind the Lens-Michael Dubiner
Vision Correction Surgery
There are different forms of vision problems, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Vision correction methods continue to grow. Refractive surgery for vision correction has made important advances since its beginning .
The first form of vision correction surgery is the radial keratotomy, or RK, used for the first time in the 1960s in Japan. This form of vision correction surgery was performed for the first time in the USA in 1978.
Nowadays there are certain different methods of vision correction that can help the most of the people who need to improve their vision.
Vision correction surgery are efficient for the patients with myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. There are diverse ways of vision correction that can be used today, such as: radial keratotomy, laser vision correction, intacs and clear lens extraction.
About 90% of Americans who have vision correction surgery choose the use of
LASIK.
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Ten Things To Know About Contact Lenses
1. How hard is it to get used to wearing contact lenses?Everybody adjusts to wearing contact lenses differently. How long it takes for a person's eyes adjust to wearing contact lenses varies and depends on the sensitivity of the eyes and also on the type of contact lenses being worn. Typically it will take from one day up to about two weeks.2. How do you take care of contact lenses?Proper care of contact lenses varies depending on the type prescribed.
Disposable and extended wear brands are simply thrown away after they are used. Soft contact lenses and gas permeable lenses require more care to ensure longevity and to protect against infecting the eyes.3. Do you have to be a certain age to wear contact lenses?Age does not matter as long as the person wearing contact lenses can responsibly care for them. If not cared for properly, contact lenses can become damaged or lost, and they can become infected and cause serious injury to the eyes. Parents should be part of the decision...
Ten Things To Know About Contact Lenses
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Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under the Sea
The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been with us for quite a while now but it is constantly changing. Cameras are changing and improving. Methods of developing are changing and improving as well. We have digital cameras that allow people to take a view of their pictures immediately without traditional developing.
Another change in the world of photography is underwater photography. What do you think brings us those great shots of saltwater fish and movies that film in the ocean and under the sea? What about shots taken in swimming pools? You see those in the movies a lot but may not have thought about how they take those pictures and videos. You probably never thought about it because for a long time underwater photography was not really an option for everyday people. But now it is not just an option, it's really easy to achieve. - What is Underwater Photography? Underwater photography is as the name implies photos that are taken under water.
This is pretty...
Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under the Sea
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HI-POD Teams with SONY
HI-POD has unveiled its plan for the new line of products. The new and improved HI-POD will include not only the base, and hard travel case, but also a Sony mini-dv camera. All of this for the same $2995 price.The Sony mini-dv camera has a 20 times optical lens, video out, firewire out, and LANC Control. The new units will extend to 15, 20, and 25 feet respectively.In addition to the standard features of the HI-POD (Anti-glare monitor, battery, battery charger, LANC controller) the new HI-PODs will be lighter to move, faster to setup, and safer to operate.Many of the gound-breaking benefits of the original HI-POD will be available on the new units. For instance, the HI-POD will still be extremely mobile.
Easily detaching from the base, an operator will be able to remove the HI-POD from the base and walk the line of scrimmage to follow the game, or move from hashmark to hashmark in the endzone, to capture the best footage possible.The new handle mechanism will greatly increase...
HI-POD Teams with SONY
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