“BEAUTY IN THE BARREN - Morning Sun” plus 1 more |
| BEAUTY IN THE BARREN - Morning Sun Posted: 30 Aug 2010 09:00 PM PDT Most reporters and photographers stressed the dismal, desolate aspects of the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma, around Picher and Carden. Vaughn Wascovich, however, has literally focused on finding beauty in the landscape in a photo series he call "The Tar Creek Project." These photos are on exhibit now through Sept. 30 in the Harry Krug Gallery, Porter Hall, Pittsburg State University. Wascovich is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University/Commerce, and is also currently a Visiting Scholar with the Harvard School of Public Health. He started taking photographs when he was 13, and worked 20 years as a commercial photographer before becoming a teacher at the university level. He spoke Monday about Tar Creek, an area heavily polluted by more than 80 years of mining activity. "Tar Creek is 40 square miles contaminated by lead, arsenic and heavy metals," Wascovich said. "About 95 percent of the lead used in World Wars I and II came from there." While the mines were working, they had to be constantly pumped to keep them dry. After the mines were abandoned, they filled with water. "The water is filled with lead, which is really bad for you," Wascovich said. "There are cave-ins and holes that are 200 to 300 feet deep. When you look into a hole and can't see the bottom, it's scary. When I'd go there to photograph, I'd have nightmares about falling in one of those holes." He hasn't, but had at least one scare. "I was walking around one time with a video crew and the land dropped three feet," Wascovich said. "Have you ever said a prayer in a millisecond?" Even the ground around the homes was dangerously contaminated, posing a special threat to children. "The guys at Harvard were wondering why the kids had such high levels of lead in them," he said. "It's because kids were out there playing in the dirt. They tried yard remediation, stripping off the contaminated dirt and replacing it with clean topsoil. That worked until it rained or the wind blew, then the dirt was dirty again." He said he heard about the area from a student, and started the project in 2002. He already had an interest in mining because his grandfathers were coal miners in Pennsylvania. On his first visit there he went into a bar and began talking to people. "The woman bartender said, 'Don't make our town look ugly'," he said. "She told me that, in the winter with the snow covering the chat piles, Picher is one of the most beautiful places on earth." The woman bartender went on to tell Wascovich that she walked home at 2 a.m. without worry, that nobody living in Picher bothered to lock their doors. "There weren't architectural treasures there," he said. "What we're losing there is a community that is disappearing before our eyes." The photographer came to cherish the time he spent with the Tar Creek area residents. "There was one man, Hoppy Ray, who ran a pool hall and he'd put photos up on his wall," Wascovich said. "I've been in a lot of exhibits, but I was more proud to have my photos on Hoppy's wall than anywhere else." Picher residents eventually received federal checks enabling them to relocate. There were still those who wanted to stay, but the town was struck by a deadly tornado in May 2008. Wascovich believes that devastation will probaby mean the end of Picher. It will live on in the memories of those who called it home, and in the photos where he captured the beauty of the Tar Creek area. "If I could get you to see how beautiful the world is, you would be tingling all day long," Wascovich said. "That's my job, to show you how beatiful the world is." "The Tar Creek Project" will be open free to the public from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. Anyone needing additional information about the exhibit may contact S. Portico Bowman, gallery director, at 235-4305, or visit www.pittstate.edu/art. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:26 AM PDT 08.20.10, 10:53 AM EDT BusinessWire - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/af9a9e/drug_stores_and_he) has announced the addition of the "Drug Stores and Health and Beauty Stores (including Pharmacies) in the Czech Republic" report to their offering. The retail databooks are based on key market value data for eight major product sectors, 16 core retail distribution channels and 62 countries. This profile focuses on drug stores & health & beauty stores (including pharmacies) in the Czech Republic & provides data on channel size. It also offers information on main markets sold through the channel, & includes growth forecasts up to 2013. Scope An overview of total retail value in this country segmented by retail channel The value of sales through this key retail channel from 2003 to 2008 and forecasts to 2013 Channel value segmented by the major markets sold through it Highlights of this title Drug Stores and Health and Beauty Stores (including Pharmacies) in the Czech Republic increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% between 2003 and 2008. Food and Grocery market sales accounted for an 26.9% share of the drug stores and health and beauty stores (including pharmacies) format in 2008. Key reasons to purchase this title Discover which retail channels have been growing and declining in popularity within this country Understand the value of major markets sold through this channel Uncover the future direction of the retail channel with reliable historical data and full five year forecasting Key Topics Covered: OUR VIEW DRUG STORES AND HEALTH AND BEAUTY STORES (INCLUDING PHARMACIES) IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC APPENDIX LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/af9a9e/drug_stores_and_he Source: Datamonitor SOURCE: Research and Markets Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment