What seemed like moments later the sirens got extremely loud and Dave and Jenny heard tires screeching as a police cruiser came to a stop in Dave’s driveway.

Thomas James Broadway stepped out of the cruiser – sunglasses and wide brim Stetson hat firmly affixed to his head – gun unholstered – surveying the “situation”. TJ as he liked to call himself, worked with Dave at Bloomfield’s Sheriff’s department 11 years ago when TJ broke into the force. TJ was always looking in a mirror at himself and his uniform was always immaculately maintained; from his highly polished shoes to the tip of his hat. He earned the nickname “Broadway Joe” or just “Broadway” which TJ hated – but it stuck.

TJ looked through the iron gate down toward the back of the property. As he gazed his eye stopped at the bright red color of the swimming pool. He thought for a moment and then said to himself “Nah, can’t be”. His thoughts were interrupted by the shouting and hand waving of Jenny who was trying to get TJ’s attention.

“Miss”, TJ returned, waving his arm, “I’ll be right there”. Although TJ didn’t see Dave, dispatch had told him that Dave called in the 11-8 and requested an ambulance. TJ firmly gripped the Glock 9mm in both hands and held it with the barrel pointed to the ground as he kicked open the iron gate.

Read what you’ve missed here:

Part 1: In a Blur
Part 2: Tomato Soup
Part 3: Missing in Action

iPhone photos & Photo Apps Cheating?

by Aaron Schwartz

Is iPhone photography & post-processing with apps cheating?

It’s odd to me how some people think making images with an iPhone is somehow cheating, too easy or not real photography.

All photographs are manipulated.

A camera is a camera, a machine that fixes the effects of light on a medium. A post-processing app is a darkroom.

Just not so smelly.

So while I have some admiration for purists, curmudgeons and luddites for their staunch stubbornness and pinhole vision, I will embrace any invention that makes life more fun and allows me to do what I want to do and doesn’t spoil the planet.

Maybe iPhones + apps put creative possibilities in too many grubby hands;

Maybe camera gadgetry and darkroom alchemy sent us down a sinful and impure path from the beginning; and maybe any art that isn’t scratched into a cave wall with a rock is too damned easy.

But I don’t think so.

Click to view aamora’s iPhoneography collection
if you see something you enjoy, feel free to leave a message below for the artist;
remember, click on a photo to view separately or leave a comment directly for that photo

*****

A hundred years ago, George M. Cohan was the man who owned Broadway.  Producer, director, writer, actor, singer, dancer, composer and lyricist, he was the son of two vaudeville performers from Rhode Island. Little George could sing and dance as soon as he could walk and talk. He quickly became an entertainment phenomenon, and changed the face of American show business.

A brash Irish-American kid loaded with talent and ambition, there was nothing he couldn’t talk himself into or out of.   Check out Mr. Cohan’s member tripod page or his musicals 101 page for additional details.

George M. Cohan was the Yankee Doodle Boy whose statue stands in the middle of Times Square, now a Times Square he never knew. This new impossible environment is an ever-changing neverland of lights, sounds, people and pure energy. Not unlike Mr. Cohan.

I lived in New York when I was studying to be an actor and in the first few years of struggling to establish myself as a professional actor. I pounded the pavements looking for an agent, did showcase productions for free, bought the trade papers every week and went to every audition, waited tables and answered phones and sold rug shampoo on the sidewalks to support myself, and with all my youthful drive and excitement, I figured I owned that town just like George M. Cohan.

Now, more than 35 years after I lived there, I go back to NYC as a tourist, with a blazer and comfortable shoes and a camera around my neck and look at Broadway through a different lens. But George M. Cohan has been there all the time.

*****

Remember one of the last scenes in “The Graduate” when Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) drives desperately to Santa Barbara to interrupt his loved one’s wedding to another man? * Click here *

The iconic Alfa Romeo Spider was his means of transport, and this year the company, or what’s left of it, will be one hundred years old!

I live in the town of Arese, just outside Milan, and in the early 60s, Alfa opened its largest factory here.

Up until the 80s there was a work force of about 19,000 . Since then it’s been downhill all the way for poor Alfa, bought up by Fiat, with the gradual fading out of this legendary make of car.

The area of nearly 2.000.000 square metres that was once a thriving complex is now up for grabs and battle now ensues between concerned citizens and political and financial interests.

Who knows what we will find on our doorstep tomorrow! Meanwhile the area is a sad and dilapidated reminder of former glories.

*****

The Secret by Ronnie Ginnever

Dressed to kill……

Each Christmas Eve for the past 20 years, my next door neighbor dresses in the same 1930′s vintage outfit. She is perfectly attired from head to toe. Where she goes she never tells. I never asked her why or where, but my rich imagination is filled with endless possibilities….  On Christmas Eve, this year, I took a candid photograph of her as she was about to descend the stairs to begin her secret journey. And I will never tell.

*****
Ronnie Ginnever is a born and bred New Yorker, and much of her work is inspired by the spirit and people of that City. Her photography has been shown in museums and galleries and published in magazines in the U.S., Canada and Europe. To find out more about Ronnie, check out her website, then enjoy more of her work at JPG Magazine.

Aamora Project Secret
Click to View The Series

Lock #10 by Jim Robertson

STAY AWAY!

Ease the pain,

The sorrow,

The memory,

The guilt.

*****
Jim Robertson is a founding Aamora member and follows the photographic path in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. You can view more of Jim’s work at his website or his contributions to aamora.

Aamora Secret Project
Click to View The Series

Excorcism

by Carla Boulton, Paola Alessandri-Gray

& The Angry Dwarf

Triptych Artist Trio Collaboration in Wildcard 

Carla Boulton, Paola Alessandri-Gray, and The Angry Dwarf 

with Exorcism

Note: Triptych example = 550 pixels width x 597 pixels tall

Please help us welcome back Artist Carla Boulton with her collaborateurs Paola Alessandri-Gray, and The Angry Dwarf with a triptych in the wildcard category. Paola created the beautiful colours seen above with her camera work, while Carla drew the illustrations and the crew then worked simultaneously to pull together the text copy.

*****
Artist Carla Boulton descended from Flemish horse dealers and English farmers. Carla likens herself to a warm wind, enveloping those around her in a firm and guiding way. A multi-skilled graphic designer and artist for 20+ years working in marketing and branding, Carla also works with children in schools instilling a love of creativity and freedom. A successful illustrator, painter, and photographer with a keen sense of darkness and humour. Find more of Carla’s work on her website.

Italian artist Paola Alessandri-Gray has a degree in architecture with a string of other interest ranging from nutritional therapy and horticulture to health promotion, teaching, and motivational interviewing. Paola inherited a passion for photography from her father and grandfather and has a second artistic love in printmaking. While leading a double life as a serious public servant and a committed artist Paola has also been cycling for over 40 years, singing choral music for over 30, living in England for 20 and practicing yoga for 10. Find more of Paola’s work on posterous.

The Angry Dwarf is an artist whose ever-changing identity and style is leeched from those around. Angry Dwarf works solely for their own satisfaction, never divulging their real identity, only ever appearing when gratification and adulation is on offer then Angry Dwarf quietly slide away when aims have been reached.

Project Triptych
View the series

Jerusalem Scarf Fashion

by Peter Voigt

A scarf can be many things . . .

A means of oppression; upholding of gender roles.

A natural part of daily life.

A way of avoiding unwanted attention.

A way of creating mystery & intrigue.

A way of preserving & defending cultural identity in foreign, sometimes unfriendly, surroundings.

*****
Aamora member Peter Voigt, an amateur photographer from Copenhagen, Denmark, is our first & official Doodle-King. View his website, work at JPG Magazine, circle him on Google + or visit his other aamora contributions.

Welcome to our fourth installment of

The Aamora Carnival Project

Greetings All!

Llama & Monkey here, & just as promised earlier this week, here’s Friday’s report on Aamora Carnival Buzz around the globe! . . .

FRIDAY.FRIDAY.FRIDAY!

Hong Kong tram travelers gear up for The Aamora Carnival.

{Hong Kong Tram by John Linton}

Japan reports in with dancing & the singing of an Aamora Carnival or Bust limerick our office has yet to hear.

{Fast Track by Jim Robertson}

The Big Apple reports a cab shortage.  We’re unsure if that’s Carnival related or due to hurricanes, but we’re told, Aamora Carnival or Bust was heard to hail this cabbie.

{Hailing A Ride by Danielle Kelly}

Upstate New York is a buzz. One carnie explains the “W” seen thru this window stands for “Wowee.”

{W through the Window by Jim Ford}

The e-mail ended with “Wowee…Carnival or Bust,…Wowee…Carnival or Bust,…Wowee…flowing for at least 5 screens on our 32″ monitor before we scrolled to the attachment finally understanding what they were writing.

{Spanish Harlem on Foot by Ronnie Ginnever}

The three above on foot in Spanish Harlem, New York, we believe, are possibly limerick professionals. Our guess is the Aamora Carnival or Bust, That’s Right limerick originates with these three.

Their combination of joviality & trickery are apparent in all their correspondence. They also put Aamora Carnival or Bust on the outside of all their envelopes. Perhaps if and when they see this, they’ll clue us in with a video clip of how this global limerick is sung.

Have you seen the tv news about the man from Boston sculling the globe to the tune of the Aamora Carnival or Bust limerick? Neither have we, but a by-stander sent this photo as he sculled near Harvard University and told us there’s a tv spot out there somewhere.

Please send video of the limerick. Llama & monkey are intrigued.

{Sculling Solo by Jolie Buchanan}

Chesterman Beach on Vancouver Island is a buzz as surfers brave their boards for carnival fun. Their e-mail subject line was Aamora Carnival or Bust, so we know they’re in on it too!

{Chesterman Beach by Aaron Schwartz}

Last & certainly not least, a man whose updates fill a wall in our office. During the night, he embarks from Iceland to the Aamora Carnival.

{On Foot by Konrad Ragnarsson}

At first, we brush his e-mails off as odd joke; his correspondence continues to pour into our office. At closer look, a tremendous Aamora Carnival buzz with enthusiastic people getting involved with each of his steps can be followed.

Just days after the first photo you can see above, this man converts a fleet of busses; recruits a crew to letter each “Aamora Carnival or Bust” paints them day-glo, all while he personally drafts routes to pick up passengers for The Aamora Carnival.

{Carnival or Bust by Konrad Ragnarsson}

Well, it didn’t stop there. The man now has arranged helicopters to air-lift limerick gurgling swimmers & drop them to dry land to catch “Aamora Carnival or Bust” busses he has arranged.

{Dropped in by Helicopter by Konrad Ragnarsson}

Remember:

• Llama & monkey didn’t create this; we tallied & reported;
• We’ve not heard the Aamora Carnival or Bust limerick, please send it to us;
• If we hadn’t gone through all your documentation & compiled this report we’d probably be saying, “Completely Unbelievable.”

But no, instead, we’re celebrating & joining you in saying….

Aamora Carnival or Bust, That’s Right!

Aamora welcomes guest submissions for the ongoing Carnival Project in the form of photographs, videos, artworks and/or writings. All submissions will be taken into consideration for publishing.

For submissions: E-mail an inquiry to aamora.com@gmail.com

*****

Please join us in welcoming guest Photographer Konrad Ragnarsson for Carnival installment #4. Konrad’s passion for photography is evident, bringing forth both his humour and unique perspective on life.  He calls Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik home. View more of his work at his photo stream.

Other Aamora contributors to Carnival installment #4: Diane Peterson, Jolie Buchanan, John Linton, Jim Robertson, Danielle Kelly, Jim Ford, Ronnie Ginnever, Aaron Schwartz

Aamora Project Carnival 

View the ongoing series

Welcome to our third installment: Aamora Carnival Project

Hey there carnival go-er!

Have you made plans & connected with other carnies yet?

Monkey and I have been gearing up for the international carnival of all carnivals, words and artwork are floating in from people all over the world coming together to get in on the carnival chaos.

We’re continuing to answer phones, check e-mail, and make plans for the event. We just wanted to let you know we’re planning a report come next Friday to you all about some of the far flung places and people involved with the aamora carnival.

Ooooo, this is going to be good!

Stay tuned for next Friday’s installment…

Aamora welcomes guest submissions for the ongoing Carnival Project in the form of photographs, videos, artworks and/or writings. All submissions will be taken into consideration for publishing.

For submissions: Forward inquiries to us at aamora.com@gmail.com

*****
American photographer Diane Peterson is an aamora.com member living on the northern prairies of Idaho using a collection of analog & digital cameras. View Diane’s work on her website, her blog, at holgaville or aamora.com.

Aamora member Jolie Buchanan is a painter, potter & photographer based in Columbus, Indiana; Enjoy more of Jolie’s work on her website or on aamora.com.

Aamora Project Carnival
View the ongoing series