Camera Obscura: A Smalltown Photographer’s Guide to Covering International Politics

I am a photojournalist for a smallish daily newspaper in the Baltimore/DC area. NO, NOT that one.

To apply for credentials to cover the Annapolis Peace Conference, hereby known as the APC, because I’m so tired of typing the word ‘conference,’ required filling out an application with the standard personal info and numbers over a secure email program you had to download.

You also had to send in a photograph of yourself, sized at the odd 1- and-3/8th inches. After asking around the newsroom, I had to call my wife who figured out that meant 1.377 in computer talk.

All was diligently completed before the holiday and a confirmation email was received. Things were looking good. Let me add, I was really looking forward to this. The eyes of the world on my town; my coverage area. I don’t care what it is, if it happens in my town, I shoot it. So it’s especially great when something actually happens. Continue reading Camera Obscura: A Smalltown Photographer’s Guide to Covering International Politics

Long Term Gains: Helton Gets an Aberdeen Tax Break

Convening for its first full meeting since being sworn into office, newly elected Mayor Mike Bennett and the Aberdeen City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a 10-year tax break for a property owned by Art Helton - the Democratic former state senator who masterminded Bennett’s triumphant ascent.

While Enterprise Zone tax credits, 10-year phased reductions in taxes due on properties located in specially designated areas like Route 40, are certainly not unique, it is unusual the city council would act so swiftly after the Nov. 6 election to approve Helton’s tax break. Continue reading Long Term Gains: Helton Gets an Aberdeen Tax Break

An Army of One

Newly elected Aberdeen Mayor Mike Bennett has announced the membership of his 30-person transition team, which includes his own brother, Art Helton and wife, four failed city council candidates, a former city mayor, a former Havre de Grace police chief and a handful of annexation opponents.

The group, which convened Tuesday night in City Hall and will operate under the control of Helton, has until mid-January to report back to Bennett with information about the failures in city government operation and function.

In forming his team, Bennett was apparently looking for a broad cross section of folks that represented talent in various areas as well as a population diversity representing a cross section of Aberdeen’s citizenry, according to Helton.

Evidently, there are a few names yet to be added to the list once confirmed by Bennett. Any guesses? Continue reading An Army of One

Men of Many Hats

We heard along with the rest of the world Wednesday morning that Harford County Executive David Craig had joined Team Rudy, signing on as Maryland co-chair of the Giuliani presidential campaign (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/article/pr/1007).

Craig joins his old buddy, ex-governor Bob Ehrlich and Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold as supporters of the 9-11 hero.

What I’m wondering is whether anyone saw or remembers the spoof-quality Fred Thompson for President video shot on Main Street in Bel Air this July featuring, among others, Craig’s boy-wonder Director of Human Resources, Scott Gibson.
Continue reading Men of Many Hats

Dagger Radio - The Dagger’s entire WAMD interview from 11/20/2007

DaggerTV - The Dagger on WAMD

Breaking Bread and Shedding Blood: The Truth About Thanksgiving

Americans believe that Thanksgiving is about, well, giving thanks for things like food, shelter, liberty, and football, but few people are aware that there may be a dark side to the holiday.

When we think about Thanksgiving, images of children dressed in tall hats and buckles and paper-made feathered headbands come to mind. Most of us were those children in grade school. We remember what we learned from our teachers — Native Americans taught Pilgrims to sew corn, and they shared a big feast to give thanks for the bounty and friendship they had made.

We weren’t taught about the first-hand accounts of thieving puritans, or the evidence of failed crop, and the bloodshed of hundreds of people.

Continue reading Breaking Bread and Shedding Blood: The Truth About Thanksgiving

Welcome Back to the Future

Greetings, you’ve just stepped into DaggerPress v1.0 beta (The Dagger 2.0). Now if you’d kindly scrape it off the bottom of your shoe, we’d like you to come in and introduce yourself to the new face of journalism - original, unbiased, immediate, interactive and, best of all, free.

Though it may disappoint some to hear, to paraphrase Twain, reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. Sure, we may have started and certainly helped perpetuate rumors regarding the death of The Dagger , but that was only because we had to be certain we were killing off any lingering hint of traditional media stagnation.

We have chosen a domain (www.daggerpress.com) and a host that will free us from the shackles of working under someone else’s system. We have moved to a platform over which we have complete control. We have joined in valuable new partnerships with people and entities who share the same vision. We have put time, effort and love into this vision.

We have done all this because we firmly believe the future of journalism is on the Internet and that such a future involves a never-before-seen level of interaction and participation among writer, reporter and reader. We all see what is happening in the world around us - our planet, our country, our backyard. We are all citizen journalists and via The Dagger and its powerful new tools, we are all now empowered to report, relate and discuss those things most important to us.

And to members of the traditional media, you’ve misunderstood our positions. You think that we’re locked in your world, that it’s your game. We feel that is incorrect. We’re not locked in here with you. YOU are locked in here with US.

Long gone are such archaic terms and practices as the news cycle, the deadline day and the morning edition. We are here, we are now, we are The Dagger.

Smashing Pumpkins, Blowing Chunks

Early nineties. Late teens. The time in life where you’re just starting to figure out that you can go places and do things; that you have limitless options. The idea both terrified and exhilarated you. And, you’re a punk.

One of your bands was playing in DC. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. You got tickets for you and your 15-year-old girlfriend. Her parents wouldn’t let her drive to DC with you, so they drove her and her friends and you met there. You went with your friends. You’d never driven all the way into DC before.

First person. We got to the show and had to wait outside. This was before I realized that rock shows never start on time, so the only people in line were the other punk kids who had also not realized this. And my beautiful, dyed hair army jacket girlfriend.

And it was cold. REAL cold. Mid-winter cold. DC outside a club cold. An hour went by, and I’d do anything to stay warm. One of my friends was smoking, which I didn’t then. Maybe a cigarette would keep me warm.

Continue reading Smashing Pumpkins, Blowing Chunks

Revenge of the Nerds

For most of us, the perfect definition of a nerd consists of only two words: Dungeons & Dragons.

For those who have been sheltered from the world of the overly-intellectual and hyper-fantasized, Dungeons & Dragons is rightfully the nerdiest thing in the world. But within this magical realm of Wizards and Halflings exists a group of people who greatly surpass D&Ders in their nerdy thirst for questing and goblin killing: we’re talking about Live Action Role Playing (LARPing for short).

The hobby of sitting in a friend’s Mom’s basement, drinking energy drinks, eating Cheetos and navigating through fictitious worlds of yore, started a long time ago and blossomed into a community of highly imaginative dreamers, who found a way they could escape their less than satisfying lives as students, accountants, corporate guinea pigs, etc. with the roll of a multi-sided die. But the new phenomenon called LARPing has taken that imaginative whimsy to a level that will forever claim ultimate nerdom.

Continue reading Revenge of the Nerds

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