Category: Photography

Splashing Through The Mud And The Muck

lifenov5-51-006

Inside my 11/5/51 LIFE magazine is this mostly beige page that reads

FATHER, DAUGHTER AND WATER BUFFALOES SOAK IN INDIA’S MUD-FILLED, BUT HOLY HOOGHLY RIVER

It’s an odd image, no? I’ve never found myself in similar circumstances. I wonder if there are more petite water buffaloes drowning just below the surface?

Interestingly, a 2009 Times of India article confirms the river’s sad state:

For a good part of the remaining section, the river is either made out of bounds by hideous rusting warehouses that are housed on its edge, or inexplicably hidden behind a high wall. The purpose, it appears, is to shield the city from a shame but what actually ought to have been its greatest asset and pride.

Americans are not immune to dirty rivers, either; soapboxie.com calls the Mississippi River “the Colon of America.” That’s a new one on me. The same site doesn’t even list the Hooghly River in the top 10 most polluted rivers. Their winner of the filthiest river on earth (as of May 2016) went to The Ganges River, the most sacred river in Hinduism and the third largest river (by discharge) in the world. In their words,

Many Hindus think the river’s water is so healthful they actually drink it as if it were an elixir. Be that as it may, the importance of the river cannot be overestimated, as it affects the lives of 400 million people who live near it. Unfortunately, people dump their waste into the Ganges as they use it for drinking, bathing and cooking, giving rise to many water-borne illnesses. In fact, people who can’t afford cremation throw corpses into the river. It’s hard to imagine a filthier river than the beloved Ganges.

Yikes! Makes me thankful for cleaned city water that we then push through a whole-house filter and then through another refrigerator filter to give us sparkling water. I’ll drink to that.

When The Can-Can Just Can’t-Can’t

LIFE celebrates 1945
LIFE celebrates 1945

After the victory in WWII, there weren’t enough planes, trains, and ships to carry all the men home as quickly as they would have preferred. Families back home chanted, “Bring the boys home, bring the boys home!” Dozens of USO shows were dispatched to distract the servicemen with bare legs and pretty smiles. It didn’t work. The new chant became, “No boats, no votes!” And with that, Congress brought three million servicemen back home by November. One million were promised to soon be on their way. Sometimes you want eye candy: sometimes you just want to be back in your own warm bed again.

Another Brick In The Wall

"Women of the West" by Luchetti & Olwell
“Women of the West” by Luchetti & Olwell

These cutie patooties in Mrs. Staples’ class sat in an overcrowded classroom in Nome, Alaska in 1904.

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womenofthewest-nebraska

A small gathering of folks posed in front of this sod schoolhouse in Custer County, Nebraska in 1886.

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Movember: Early 1900s Style

Houston 175
Houston 175

These bearded fellows here are listed as veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto, circa early 1900s. That would make them all at least 80 years old by that point. If you’re not clear on that battle, here’s some quick history.

Remember the Alamo: At 5am on March 6, 1836, Mexican troops under Santa Anna launched their final assault on the Alamo. By 6:30am, the Alamo had fallen. As news of the Alamo’s fall spread, angered volunteer ranks grew. On April 21, under Sam Houston, the Texian (yes, Texian at that point) cannon fired, beginning the battle of San Jacinto. Per Wikipedia,

After a single volley, Texians broke ranks and swarmed over the Mexican breastworks to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Mexican soldiers were taken by surprise…Within 18 minutes, Mexican soldiers abandoned their campsite and fled for their lives…Texians continued to chant “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” while frightened Mexican infantry yelled “Me no Alamo!” and begged for mercy to no avail.  In what historian Davis called “one of the most one-sided victories in history,” 650 Mexican soldiers were killed and 300 captured. Eleven Texians died, with 30 others, including Houston, wounded.

Anyway, y’all, that’s why we remember the Alamo. Afterward, the Treaties of Velasco required that all Mexican troops withdraw south of the Rio Grande, which became recognized as the border between the two countries, and that’s right about where Trump plans to put that wall.

Perhaps it will look like this border fence in Eagle Pass, Texas, right next to a golf course in Shelby Park and half a mile from the Rio Grande.

http://fusion.net/
http://fusion.net/

Mend No More

"Going Going Gone" by Jonas & Nissenson
“Going Going Gone” by Jonas & Nissenson

When’s the last time you mended a garment? I don’t mean a simple button replacement; I mean adding a knee patch, darning a sock. For me, the answer is never. Mending is a lost art. It’s much easier to drive a mile down the road and grab a dozen socks for $10 than repair the one with the hole in the heel. That sock was weak and deserves the trash.

I wonder if some readers have never seen a plastic wicker sewing backet.

http://picclick.co.uk/
http://picclick.co.uk/

I own my great-grandmother’s sewing basket, similar to this one, but I confess I’ve never used anything inside. Sentiment over function. At this point, it’s more art than utility. Do you remember one from your childhood?