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"THIS AND THAT"
"THIS AND THAT"
OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE LAW
SUPREME COURT DECISION
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SUPREME COURT DECISION
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It is a shame that everyone is fighting about Health Care. No matter what anyone says, Americans need a good Health Care system that includes everyone. It may not be perfect, but Barack Obama has done the right thing and improvements will be made.
The Supreme Court I hope does the right thing. Everyone is fighting that it is not legal to make people buy insurance. Well no matter what anyone says, one fact that no media outlet has picked up on is we already have been required for many, many years to buy insurance.
It's called automobile insurance. Aren't we forced to buy this? If you are pulled over by a cop and you do not have, you will get a ticket and fined. Isn't this the same premise for this health care law? If you do not have, you will get fined. I see no difference here.
THE REPUBLICANS ARE ONE SICK BUNCH


Now they have the balls to blame all this on Barack Obama and to go state to state slinging their bulls**t. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are sick. They are so out of touch with America. Newt Gingrich is right along with them, and I like Newt personally, I had drinks with him at Broadway Langans, next door to Fox News. But these Republicans think they have the right to judge us.
I also like Ron Paul personally. Many years ago, he was at my house in Glen Cove Long Island when he first started to run for President. He really is a nice guy, he is also very funny. Out of all the Republicans, he is the only one that makes some kind of sense on many issues. But the Republicans will never nominate him, so I hope he runs as a Independent to take away votes from the real Republican losers. These guys are smoking better marijuana than me, if they think they have any chance to win the Presidency.
Needless to say, I am waiting for the New York Primary, I will vote for Ron Paul and then I am switching my party affiliation to the Democrats. Barack Obama is a good President, if only these Republicans would let him do his job. I always have voted for the right person, it never mattered what party they were. Barack Obama wants to do the right thing, but the Republicans will risk destroying the country to win a election and to help their rich friends. They are really sick!
LAUGH OF THE WEEK FROM LANDLORDS OFFICE
I have to say, Seth Lamar from my landlords office called yesterday to discuss some problems in the building. I did not care for him when he was director of this building, but since they moved him to the main office, I get a kick out of him. I think we could have been friends in another life.
Today he told me I was their favorite tenant, they loved me. This really cracked me up, considering I am under the weather this week. I send endless e-mails on a regular basis to them telling them about problems here and the things that need to be dealt with. The other day, I was not a happy camper when I was once again woken up by this bathroom they built for employees over 4 years ago. Yes, I have been fighting over this for 4 years or more now. Anyway, when I was rudely woken up once again, I marched downstairs to yell at everyone in management. I noticed Seth was in the building and when he saw me, he made a dart to the front door.
I am not a pretty sight when I am woken up so early. My hair is up in the air, I always throw on something that makes me look like a hobo, and I look a mess. But this never stops me when I am so pissed off at being awakened from my beauty sleep. Not missing a beat, I made my way outside after Seth to yell about this bathroom. I followed him all the way down the block to the deli. I know I looked like a nut, but the aggravation caused by this employee bathroom is enough now. It's been over 4 years of hearing this bathroom door slamming. It's not fair. There are employee bathrooms all over this building and my life has been hell because of it. It has to go.
But at least I got a laugh this week, I am the favorite tenant here!
PUBLICISTS STEALING PHOTOS
It really amazes me how many e-mails I get from publicists, with photos enclosed. They are promoting their fashion clients, their Vodka or their car company account. Some of the photos have watermarks on them, showing the owner of the photo and I always e-mail these people back and ask them if they own rights to the photo. If I do not know the publicist, I double and triple check to see if they own rights. Most of the time I get a stupid e-mail back saying they don't and they tell me where I can purchase them.
Are they nuts? First of all, I am not going to buy a photo to promote their client. Second of all, I can imagine how many websites and media outlets assume they do own the rights and use them. These publicists are stealing and creating possible lawsuits to many media outlets.
If you want to promote your client, you need to buy the photo. You need to do your job right, and not steal from hard working photographers to save a buck.
Being a photographer myself, I know how hard it is to make a buck in this business these days. The days of the 50 thousand dollar photos are gone, your lucky if you can get a hundred bucks for a shot these days, and by these publicists stealing, photographers make even less.
I get very tired of bad shots too. I have so many publicists who have high paying clients and they send out the worst shots, because they do not want to spend the money on a good photographer. I can't tell you how many stories I refuse because of bad shots. It amazes me that these publicists and even their own clients would want some of these bad shots even seen. When I explain to them that a bad photo makes my site look bad and worse, it makes their paying client look bad, they still do not understand. They will argue with me, like their story is world breaking news and I need to publish it.
I really find myself getting nasty these days towards these people. It kills me even more, when the local PR people send me some famous photographers work and it is garbage. They yell at me telling me "do you know who took this photo?" Like I care. I have had every cover across the world and I have been on every TV show talking about the art of being a celebrity photographer, or commenting as a celebrity expert. I know great shots. It kills me even more, knowing they paid big bucks for this well known photographer and they could have hired me and gotten what they paid for. Even worse, I am expected to photoshop their high paid photographers work. The untalented photographer gets paid and they expect me to mop up the mess and get nothing.
I tell you, the photography business has just gotten worse and worse. Every moron with a digital camera, thinks hes a photographer. It's not just pushing a bottom and taking a picture. You have to control your subject so you get the shot you need. You tell them how great their outfit looks, how much you loved their last movie, or tell them a funny story on the last time you photographed them. This will make the celebrity stand there and talk to you while you are snapping shot after shot and almost always you will end up with that one great photo to use worldwide. This is a talent very few of the new breed of photographers have. Great photography takes more than pushing a camera button!
Photos By: Scott Harrison/RD/Kabik/Retna