Photography with Joe

Rachel Gilmore: Career, Controversies, and Public Perception Rachel Gilmore is a Canadian journalist whose career trajectory illustrates the complex interplay between traditional journalism, emerging digital platforms, and the volatile public discourse of the modern media ecosystem. While she is widely recognized today for her presence on social media platforms such as TikTok, her roots lie firmly in written journalism, blending analytical rigor with political reporting. Early Career in Journalism Gilmore began her professional life working in print-style and digital journalism , producing articles that analyzed political developments, disinformation campaigns, and national events in Canada. Her early work at Global News involved investigative reporting and fact-checking, particularly in areas where misinformation could influence public opinion or affect electoral processes. In these roles, she developed a reputation for thorough research and precise reporting, characteristics that ar...

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Edmundo Farolan . He is a well-known  "photography poet"  based in Toronto whose work spans literature, street photography, and community activism. 🗳️ Political Candidacy in Toronto Edmundo Farolan  has run for office in multiple Toronto municipal elections, including the most recent cycles: 2022 Election:  He ran for  School Trustee  for the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) in Ward 9. 2010 Election:  He was a candidate for  School Trustee  for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Ward 11 (Toronto-Danforth). 📸 Street Photography and "Cosplay" Connection Farolan is often called a "photography poet" because he frequently pairs his original verse with visual art. Street Photography:  His photography often documents Toronto's street life, cultural diversity, and public events. Cosplay & Cultural Events:  His work as a street photographer often captures vibrant cultural festivals and community events, which inc...

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My Kindle Books, Amazon, and the Ghosts of Locke So, Amazon wants to give me a free book every month. One. And a tiny bonus. Free. Kindle. Prime. They call it First Reads. I call it the digital equivalent of finding a single candy in a dumpster and thinking you’ve won a lottery. I download it. I open it. I start reading. But somewhere deep in my brain, the synapses twitch. These books—I don’t own them. Not really. They’re mine until Amazon decides I’m not. Until they disappear. Until the DRM ghost chains them back to a server that could blow up tomorrow and take all my “ownership” with it. And suddenly I feel like Locke, wandering through London in a powdered wig, scribbling notes about monopolies and print charters, except instead of the Stationers’ Company, it’s Jeff Bezos, wielding invisible, global digital power. Locke was mad about the Stationers’ monopoly. He called it absurd, ridiculous, tyrannical in ways most people wouldn’t think to call tyrannical because it was a private co...

 There’s a peculiar kind of dishonesty that doesn’t announce itself as a lie. A glacier looks permanent—that’s its trick—and when it disappears, we notice, briefly. Consider the polar bear not as a symbol, but as a system dependent on time and ice; remove that time slowly and collapse becomes quiet, statistical, deniable. In places like Cancún, the story flips—growth masks decay—but calling it failure would be dishonest, because it’s working exactly as designed. Then there’s water: essential, invisible, ignored until it’s gone, and by then the answer is already all of the above. The issue isn’t that systems are under strain—it’s that we pretend they aren’t. There’s a grim comedy in orbiting satellites to document our own consequences, because observation is not intervention. So the feedback loop runs—predictable, uninterrupted—and language softens it into something manageable. Are humans screwed? Not in the dramatic sense. This isn’t the end of the world. The problem is simpler: pe...

   Japanese Lesson – Part 2️⃣ (Same Style, Next Layer) Designed by Ed Scholz 1️⃣ Greeting (Evening / Casual Shift) Japanese:  こんばんは！ Romaji:  Konbanwa! English:  Good evening! Note: Used in the evening. Cleaner and more time-specific than こんにちは. 2️⃣ Saying you’re happy to see someone Japanese:  あえて うれしい！ Romaji:  Aete ureshii! English:  I’m happy to see you! Grammar: あえて (aete) = to meet (casual, simplified from 会えて) うれしい (ureshii) = happy / glad Tip: More correct form: 会えてうれしい You’ll hear both in casual speech—clarity over perfection at this stage. 3️⃣ Asking what someone is doing (now) Japanese:  いま なにしてる？ Romaji:  Ima nani shiteru? English:  What are you doing now? Grammar / Vocabulary: いま (ima) = now なに (nani) = what してる (shiteru) = doing (casual form of している) Tip: This is one of the most used real-life sentences. Learn it cold. 4️⃣ Saying you’re busy (present tense) Japanese:  いま いそがしい。 Romaji:  Ima isogashii. English...

  Wasserkrieg: When Water Wears the Rock Guest writer Ed Scholz The U.S. military doctrine that dominated the last century was shock and awe — rapid dominance, overwhelming power projected across vast distances. Bombers, precision missiles, carriers, strike groups — a lightning‑to‑thunder crescendo that could decimate an opponent’s capacity and morale in days. In Iraq and elsewhere, that approach demonstrated psychological and physical dominance in stark terms. But in 2026, America confronts something radically different: a “Wasserkrieg” — a war where the adversary uses small, slow, persistent pressure to disrupt, attrit, and shape geopolitical outcomes. This isn’t an academic metaphor; it’s the lived reality of the Iran war as it unfolds. Iran hasn’t marched armored divisions across Turkey. It has used drones, missiles, mine threats, naval denial, shipping harassment, and chokepoint control to impose cost and uncertainty on the U.S., its allies, and the global economy. This is...

   Premise: Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches is being sold as a civic and economic boon.Core Claim: Even the “best-case scenario” entails guaranteed net economic loss because of unavoidable displacement, congestion, and commerce disruption. Evidence: Original city cost projections: $50M CAD Current cost estimate: $380–$390M CAD \Gross projected economic activity: $392M CAD Conservative estimate of unavoidable loss from minimal distribution effects: $50M CAD Historical context: Montreal 1976, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 — all saw cost overruns far beyond initial budgets. High-end scenario math: $1B CAD final cost → $608M CAD net loss $2B CAD final cost → $1.6B+ CAD net loss Social/civic impact: Congested streets, overstrained transit, disruption to daily life — tangible losses beyond economics. Conclusion: Toronto faces a “football-shaped curse” — fleeting prestige cannot offset real costs.

  Sunday, 15 March 2026 — Notes on Small Moments / Natural Smiles Older woman complimenting Hawaiian shirt – Harley notices, slight jealousy. Cue: subtle tension + playful attention = natural sparkle in eyes. Memory triggers: warmth + humor. Could repeat: small compliments or unexpected gestures work. Flirtatious hitchhiker – brief, mischievous, not forced. Reaction: alert, playful energy. Photographer cue: fleeting, gentle flirtation → soft smile + relaxed posture. Girls sending drink / brownie – small act of generosity, unexpected. Reaction: gratitude, soft amusement. Photographer cue: surprise + small kindness → slight laugh, eyes light up. Pattern observed : all involve unexpected, gentle human connection . Real smiles emerge when subject is engaged in moment, not performing. Even subtle gestures produce more authentic expressions than overt “funny prompts.” Future applications : Seek out brief, kind, playful interactions. Observe micro-expressions: twin...

 Friday the 13th BAD LUCK DAY Friday the 13th  Scholz and Zeno and Wallace Friday the 13th, that date whose superstitious reputation is both absurd and compulsively compelling (or so I tell myself as I watch a snowstorm, small and unheroic but sufficient to make every pedestrian regret having emerged), began, as is typical, with the residue of a fractured sleep—the kind where the mind doesn’t quite leave the dream, doesn’t quite register the morning, and yet somehow is simultaneously alert to every minor failing of the world outside. The air was colder than yesterday, which was mild, reminding me that temperature can itself be a petty adversary, and the snow—enough to inconvenience but not enough to glorify—settled over the city like a layer of passive-aggressive criticism. I left the house around ten, intending to attend a medical appointment, which, like minor wars or particularly tedious court cases, is best approached with low expectations, and I was not disappointed: the ...