These two pictures were in the same slide show released by AP and picked up all over the mass media. After instant outrage from various quarters, they were taken down… but some of us got copies before they were able to erase history. Here are the pictures with their original captions, note that the white couple “find[s]” and the black individual “loot[s].”

Caption: Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery.

Caption: A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans.

I took these pictures of a store front in Orange County. They illustrate the co-optation of our democracy by capitalism and the way in which “freedom” has been reduced to being able to “choose” how to spend your money.

Don’t miss the “Denim Now” button with the peace dove.

Click here for a fascinating 7 minute video in which a man interviews pro-life activists and asks: “If abortion was illegal, should women who have abortions go to jail?”

…promoting coal that illustrates how manipulative commercials are (also funny).[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71kckb8hhOQ[/youtube]  

The Great Happiness Space is an amazing full-length documentary (available in full online) about “host” clubs in Japan. These clubs service women, mostly sex workers, who buy time with men (hosts, who also get a cut of all the money the women spend on alcohol) who pretend like they love them. The women establish long-term relationships with their hosts, spend sometimes 10s of thousands of dollars in a night, all to have the feeling that someone cares for them. So they earn tons of money giving sex to men and then they turn around and give that money back to men who give them affection (and sometimes sex). The hosts make between 10,000 and 50,000 a month. Also a great study in cross-cultural gender differences.

I shot these pictures in Laguna Beach. They are mannequins purposefully made so as too look like they’ve had breast implants.

And here’s a close up:

Bonus: A good ol’ fashioned sexist one (notice where his cigarette is pointing).

(Found here.)

Who knew that Santa endorsed cigarettes?

Christmas cigarettes endorsed by Ronald Reagan:

NEW (Dec. ’09)!

Found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.