Radio Interview: RGK & FOTOfusion® 2011

Click here to listen to Caroline Breder-Watts, WXEL 90.7FM Communications Producer, interview Fatima NeJame and Robert Glenn Ketchum regarding FOTOfusion® 2011. This interview is broadcast thru NPR, PBS, and beyond.

#rgk #lbp

Think before you vote.

"John Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay", From the book: "The Tongass: Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest". Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum. For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

Before you vote, you might consider what my Chinese friends think of this election. As most of you know, I have been creating textiles in China since the early 1980's. This long working relationship with these Suzhou guild artists has also become an unusual friendship that is remarkably frank and honest considering the difference in our cultures. It may be worth noting what they perceive about this forthcoming election.

Basically there are two points: the lesser point is that the Chinese are amazed that so many people that know nothing about how the government is run have succeeded in getting on the ballot. This amazes them, but in its own weird way, it is proof to them of how democracy works. As they see it, our democracy has succeeded and failed simultaneously. Because it has succeeded, our country is now perfectly divided down the middle (a perfect democracy/the promise of the dao) and now nothing will ever be accomplished because of that division.

Point two is that the rise of the Tea Party is seen as a GREAT boon to the Chinese who predict that once the Tea Party candidates and similarly sympathetic Republicans are elected, they will throw our government systems into complete chaos, choking off any hope we may have for an economic recovery and retarding our industrial output, ALL TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. As one of my friends pointed out, after the election the "new" politicians will try to stifle global warming investments, so this leaves China with NO manufacturing competition in this market and lets them take TOTAL control of much of the future market technology directed at climate change. As our political body continues to deny climate change, events related to climate change will continue to get worse. When we finally wake up, it will be to late to invent anything, so we will just buy it from the Chinese.

It was pointed out to me that this will be a HUGE change in the world market. My friends feel the US has always led the world with its inventions. China may have manufactured for us, but the US invented most of the necessary products. Now they see themselves as inventing AND manufacturing the products, cutting us entirely out of the production market and reducing us to being dependent on technology they bring to us.

Think before you vote. The outcome may change life as we know it in the US.

~Robert Glenn Ketchum

* * * * * * *

I find it curious sometimes how some things dove-tail. A new ad was just brought to my attention that depicts a less-than-subtle approach to America's growing debt obligation to China.

The ad is produced by the conservative group, 'Citizens Against Government Waste', and it has attracted much attention already. In fact, Wang Baodong, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that it's "unreasonable" to blame America's economic woes on China and "despicable" to incite anti-China sentiment.

Watch the video here:

And just in case the video is pulled from online, for whatever reasons, here is the synopsis:

The ad called "Chinese Professor," is set in "Beijing, China 2030 AD." It shows a lecture hall with a professor speaking in Chinese. The students carry futuristic tablets that make the iPad look clunky. The ad contains subtitles and starts with the professor asking, in Chinese, "Why do great nations fail? The Ancient Greeks...the Roman Empire...the British Empire...and the United States of America." Students gaze up at a holographic screen that shows images of the four superpowers. "They all make the same mistakes, turning their back on the principles that made them great," continues the professor. He goes on to say that America tried to "tax and spend" its way out of a recession, including a health-care overhaul -- all of which led to massive debt. "Of course, we owned most of their debt," he says with a laugh, "so now they work for us." Cue audience laughter.

THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE!

#rgk

AMERICAN PHOTO Magazine, Mar/Apr 2010 : MASTER SERIES NO. 5: ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM "A Voice in the Wilderness", by Russell Hart

Just updated part of my blog with the actual .pdfs of my American Photo magazine Master Series No. 5 article. Thanks again Russell!

http://rbtglennketchum.blogspot.com/p/american-photo-magazine-marapr-2010.html

AMERICAN PHOTO Magazine MASTER SERIES NO. 5: ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM 'A Voice in the Wilderness,' by Russell Hart Publication Date: Mar / Apr 2010 Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum 

 

#rgk 

#art #lbp

 

Sustainable Seafood

Thanks to Ashley Koff Approved (AKA) for the nod on Good Morning America & HuffPost!
http://ht.ly/2kyS5 #rgk #no-pebble:

* * * * * * *

AKA Talks Sustainable Seafood on Good Morning America (VIDEO)
by Ashley Koff, Dietitian, AshleyKoffApproved, AOL Wellness Expert, GMA Health, Best LA nutritionists 3 years (Posted: August 3, 2010 04:44pm)

This spring, a confluence of events has exponentially increased my passion for saving our oceans, and those that inhabit them. I was invited to Monterrey Bay Aquarium (if you've never been, run there ASAP!) for their annual media conference on Sustainable Seafood (Cooking Solutions). 

I learned so much about the innovative and intensive efforts that chefs, food companies and farmers are doing to save and improve our waters. In April, I held a panel for the media on Fish Oil/Omega 3 supplementation as a means to explore what's good (purity), what's different (wild Alaskan salmon oil versus Peruvian anchovy and sardines) and how should we define "sustainable."

Did you know that 30 percent of fish caught today goes to making fish meal/fish oil -- which largely goes to feeding farmed fish and livestock. In May, I attended an evening at the NRDC where I met and listened to greats such as lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr., photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum, and a native Alaskan gentlemen speak on the threats to Alaskan waters, all the salmon, and even American liberties presented by the impending Pebble (gold/copper) Mine seeking to open at the top of Bristol Bay. Last month, I had the trip of a lifetime to Bristol Bay, Alaska (the Royal Coachman Lodge specifically) to see the wild salmon run. I've become an avid fly fisherwoman (this bespeaks nothing of my talent, but that's why I like fly fishing, it's not something one does to "get good"). Catching, holding and releasing these fish, watching the bears, moose, eagles and flies all vie for Mother Nature's attention -- well it's impactful on the psyche and in my case, the profession.

Which leads me to Seafood Watch and my generous teachers at Monterrey Bay Aquarium (remember, I said run there soon!). They've worked so hard to give us a great gift -- not only to help raise awareness of what sustainable seafood is, but give us tools to "walk the walk" or better said "buy the right catch." Today, in my segment on GMA Health, I attempted to synthesize their information and tools to show you how, like me, if you choose to eat seafood, you can make the sustainable choice.

Buying and eating the right seafood does make a difference, as does telling chefs and local markets about the Seafood Watch program (Trout Unlimited calls this "voting with your fork.") Another great way to support sustainable seafood is to join me in signing on to a letter to our government imploring them to intervene and stop Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska -- unlike the Gulf "spill" -- letting this happen would be no accident and the resulting dumping of waste/toxins, habitat destruction, and long-term job losses for Alaskans will be epic. Learn more at:  www.whywild.org and www.savebristolbay.org

Thanks to AKA for the nod on Good Morning America & HuffPost! http://ht.ly/2kyS5 #rgk #no-pebble

Congrats to the Black Eyed Peas!

I would like to congratulate the Black Eyed Peas and their fans for making their song, "I Gotta Feeling", the first song to reach 6-MILLION digital downloads!

The Peas are songwriters that represent a hope for the future that I share and few other bands address, "One World", and they rock-the-house with good vibes preaching their words.

For me, it is about time someone parties-on with positive energy instead of self-preening, misogyny, eminent doom, or bondage/lingerie videos. I honor the fans also because they not only respond to the band and the message, they BOUGHT the download and honored the artists with their purchase. One World, indeed, I hope that includes our planet.

Go Black Eyed Peas!

#rgk

AUDOBON MAGAZINE: Alaska. Fooling With Paradise

 

Double jeopardy: Spectacular Bristol Bay is threatened by both oil and gas drilling and a proposed mine.

Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum

Read the article on Audubonmagazine.org here

Alaska. Fooling With Paradise

Over the years Robert Glenn Ketchum’s arresting photos and dogged environmental advocacy have helped preserve endangered lands from Arizona to the Adirondacks. In 1998 Audubon ranked him among the 20th century’s most influential environmental advocates. In recent years the California-based photographer has focused his efforts on saving southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay, home to the state’s greatest wild salmon runs. The threats are twofold, coming from both the Bush administration’s interest in opening up the region to gas and oil exploration and from a proposed gold and copper mine that threatens to despoil Bristol Bay’s spectacular watershed, which Ketchum has visited many times and photographed for exhibits now touring the country. “It’s a place as big as the state of Washington,” he says, “and the longer I spend there, the more I see that this a unique, intact ecosystem, one of the last ones on the planet.”

The massive open-pit, hard-rock mine known as the Pebble Project calls for the creation of 10 square miles of “lakes” to contain an estimated 2 billion to 3 billion tons of contaminated mine waste at the head of salmon spawning streams. Opponents warn that a single earthquake in this seismically active region could release a poisonous stew that would take generations to clean up. “It’s a region with huge, off-the-charts biological value,” says Tim Bristol, Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program director, noting that nearby Katmai National Park has the world’s highest concentration of brown bears. Audubon Alaska has identified four large Important Bird Areas at the head of the bay that are major migratory waterfowl flyways for the Steller’s eider and other federally threatened species. Plus, the watershed accounts for a third of all salmon caught in Alaska; its sport and commercial fisheries together earn about $350 million a year. (For more information about Bristol Bay and how you can help, go to the Audubon Alaska website.)

On its website, Northern Dynasty Mines, the Pebble Project’s primary stakeholder, says more than $30 million has been spent studying “natural systems” to “achieve environmentally responsible mining.” Still, critics remain suspicious of such claims, pointing to the impact of hard-rock mines in Nevada and Montana, where heavy metals and carcinogens such as arsenic, along with the deadly cyanide used to extract metals out of raw ore, have wreaked environmental havoc.

As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will probably oversee the permitting process. State officials are keeping a close eye on the situation, too. In the meantime, Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and others in Congress have introduced a bill that would protect Bristol Bay from energy development. Says Hinchey, “Drilling for oil and gas in Bristol Bay would have devastating consequences not only for the north Pacific right whale and the diverse array of fish, birds, and other wildlife to which the bay is home but also to the area’s economy.”—Dan Oko

Congressional briefing & short film premier: "Salmon Stronghold conservation across the North Pacific"

Just left Congressional briefing & short film premier here at the Capital Building in Washington, D.C.

A good evening!

Short film premiere and Congressional briefing:
"Salmon Stronghold conservation across the North Pacific"
With special remarks from Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1st), Valdis Mezainis (Director of U.S. Forest Service International Programs), Robert Glenn Ketchum (iLCP fellow), and Guido Rahr (President of Wild Salmon Center).
Capital Building, Washington D.C.

London Financial Times, Earth Day 2010

RGK featured in LA TIMES

Thanks LA Times for the gracious nod. I am humbled, as always: http://tinyurl.com/y5ncvad

TV: Trout Unlimited's 'On the Rise' (Sportsman Channel)

TV: Watch Bristol Bay & the Pebble Mine on Trout Unlimited's 'On the Rise' (Sportsman Channel) this weekend: http://tinyurl.com/yyzr9nx

NYT Ad for Earth Day 2010