Oh Cameraman, though art way too close!

I spent last week as a cameraman for webby broadcast of the AIA Conference up here in the ol' Beanpot, which is all about architecture and sheeeet. In my new life as Mr Videographer, I am once again get within a hair's of the semi-famous. But usually those sem-favs that have something significant to say, as opposed to covering celebs who have not much.
This picture has nothing to do with it, I just stuck it in for yucks. Oh, wait, I have it 'cause my late father-in-law's first serious girl friend was in the picture ... Helen Walker! Wanna here something weirder still? Helen Walker was pals with my second cousin, who's husband owned the Brown Derby. She was a Ziegfeld's Follies girl before they got married. Oh, and her husband was a wife beating dick. Glad he died.

Meanwhile, back in the Beanpot ...

One thing about this particular speech circuit is you get to see not only who may be coming up in the world of political and financial power, but those who have been on the world stage for a long time, and are getting ready to leave it. The comments of this latter group is often glossed over in the press, and set to the middle section of the major news coverage (i.e., the details of which only the most wonky of policy freaks pay much attention to).

But what I now see is that the 'hind sight' commentary can be one of the most valuable messages to any group of people who want to create and maintain significant social change!

Of those guys moving on this score, the first and last speakers of the AIA conference win hands down. The first was the guy who REALLY created Habitat for Humanity --- I know Jimmy Crack Carter gets top billing, but he picked up the ball from the O.G. --- Millard Fuller. Interesting guy, a Son of the South who decided that making bundles of bucks just wasn't enough, and ended up on a milk farm to learn humility. His speech is Session One (two parts), a LONG sermon but kinda worth it.

The closer was really kinda fantastic; Andrew Young, former Mayor of Atlanta, US Ambassador to the UN and personal aide to MLK, Jr. His message was really simple: Poor is the new Black. The division between the haves and the have-nots threatens the fabric of our society. Better get on it.

Oh, and if you watch you get to see some of my camera work. The down low shots were my favs.

OTHER THAN THAT<>

Monster Boy, Bwana Jr be home from Chilladelphia, and he has even worked on a few of my crews! I get to whip him when they reel in the 500' camera cables and say stuff like, "C'moan boah! Poot yo' back in to it!"

(Stolen from the old United Negro College Fund ads, remember?)