paulm
male, 49 |
Welfare Rights Adviser
Bristol / England
member since 19.11.2004
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6/8/2005- updated way below¬
Written about 26th November 2004
Sorry, when I first logged on I just put some dots in here to fill up the spaces, don't have a photo of myself but will upload some of my favourite pictures (think that's permitted so long as I'm not pretending to look like Elvis or George W Bush. Off to bed now, will add more some other time,.
updated 3rd December:
have now attached a picture, by Frida Kahlo, one of my favourite painters. Anyone who doesn't know her art can find more at:
www.artcyclopedia.com/
artists/kahlo_frida.html
She was as stunningly beautiful as her pictures. Frida's personal history of struggle against physical and emotional pain and her close association as co-worker, comrade, muse and often lover with many of the greatest figures in art and the struggle for liberation of men and women from exploitation and oppression (Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky, Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, etc, etc) made her an icon of the 20th century who remains a source of inspiration in the next. Enjoy.
Well, now you can't enjoy... because Flork have removed the picture. This is in part understandable because as they point out “ uploading images you do not own is against the law and might cause you legal trouble.” But I very much doubt that Frida would have been very impressed by the fact that commercial companies were seeking to monopolise her creations, furthermore my picture has now been replaced by a series of advertisements ‘sponsored by google’ providing links to loads of commercial websites containing images by Frida and Diego, please use these to look at their beautiful and inspiring pictures, and whilst you are doing that take time to think whether we want the the www to be a free forum for people to meet and exchange ideas and experiences or a money making machine for a handful of global monopolies. (may 2005 - now i've posted a picture of myself -- [see below] the commercial links are covered up, but there is a very good new section on the pbs website linked to a new film abot frida http://www.pbs.org/weta/
fridakahlo/index.html -- do have a look)
19/03/05: A further thought has occurred to me, what if took a picture of myself holding an image painted by Frida? Would that be allowed?
Flork also tell me that “Members without photo are lonely members in general” well, I hope that people will want to talk to me even if I don't have a photo, I’ve no objection to people knowing what I look like, and may well download a photo in time. In the meantime, if you want to know, write to me and I’ll tell you, at least good friend I’ve met on here has.
Updated 27th January 2005:
Well almost 4 weeks into the new year and not too unhappy so far (for me and i hope for others) have had lots of friendly messages from other people who seem to feel the same way about ownership of images and the necessity of having pictures of yourself in your profile. Thanks folks, nice to know I'm not alone.
Paul
ps, is this profile getting too long? If 5 people flork me to say that they'd like shorter, i'll cut a bit off the start, otherwise I'll leave it as it is for the moment...
19/03/05 Well 6 people bothered to reply, five replies said leave it as it was, and were mostly complimetary. 1 said cut it, but the same person also told me to make it longer in another posting, so I've removed some bits, and added some more, making it about the same length.
Recent books I've read: Angela's Ashes and Tis by Frank McCourt, both brilliant, A's As was a birthday present and I enjoyed it so much I went straight ahead and read Tis. The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreedland, Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.
All worth a read...
10/5/05, ok I capitulated and posted a picture of myself, suspect I'm likely to be MORE lonely with this one.. recent reads: two novels by Kashuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans and Remains of the Day. RofTD i heard the first half of dramatised on the radio 2 years ago, then missed the second half, it was worth the wait to find out what happened! I'd also like to see the film of RofTD which was set in Dyrham Park, a stately home about 8 miles from my house, which I visit quite often (actually I have picture of myself at Dyrham somewhere...)
5 minutes later, the picture I tried to use is, apparently too large! So I remain imageless and lonely as opposed to pictured and lonely! Now where's that picture at dyrham?
5 more minutes, found it and successfully posted! that's bryony and lewis with me. if you want to konw more about dyrham check out
http://www.nationaltrust. org.uk/hbcache/ property289. htm
also forgot to say i've found a lovely website:
www.spamula.net - well worth a visit.
6/8/05 Brief update, after a very long interval...
1) The Painter by Will Davenport brilliant story about Rembrandt (if you've read this far you might has spotted a certain obsession in my reading tastes!)
2) Am re-reading a brilliant novel by Philippa Gregory 'Earthly Joys' about the gardener and plant collector John Tradescant .
9/8/05 Went to London yesterday, saw exhibition of pictures by Frida Kahlo at the Tate, lovely to see some old friends 'in the flesh' and to meet some new pictures, although the depth of the pain Frida experienced came across more strongly than I had ever expected in one room. Came out of the exhibition and walked along the south bank of the thames in the evening sunlight. Between the Tate and the Festival Hall there are many secondhand bookshops, where found a copy of a book which I left on train half read 3 months ago! serendipity or what? Also a travel book by Rebecca West 'Survivors in Mexico' which i had never heard of before -- I loved West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (about inter-war Jugoslavia) and this discusses Frida and Diego, Trotsky and the Aztecs and the conquest of Mexico. |
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