Friday, December 26, 2014

The Ocean: Form and Light


 As light travels down through the ocean medium, color is quickly absorbed and dissipates, revealing the oceans natural state of form and movement. In black and white these elements come more sharply into focus. The many nuances so often camouflaged by artificial light meant to produce brilliant color now catch the eye's attention. The swaying of soft corals, the suspension of a jelly, and the glittering of scales among a school of fish expose the invisible movement of water and light. Predators hunt against an infinite liquid background, while their prey draws scatterred patterns on a dense gray canvas. In many ways black and white more perfectly captures the ocean environment, and emphasizes details otherwise lost when presented in full color.















Sunday, October 26, 2014

AN OPEN LETTER TO CANADA


Dear Canada,
            Regretfully, I haven’t given you much thought lately. For the longest time now I guess I just thought of you as our big quiet neighbor to the north. Arrogantly even, a sort of extension of the United States, a really big fifty first state. When per chance you have materialized into my consciousness, visions of hockey, beer, Mountie’s on horseback, and forests filled with pelt bearing animals appeared. However, the events of the past week have changed all of that.
            The unfortunate attacks that took the lives of two of your most selfless and brave citizens, whether an act of terrorism or simply the results of deranged minds with a warped view of their religion, have taught the world and hopefully my own country in particular, a lesson in dignity, grace, and a deep commitment to freedom and democracy. As I watched the news reporting of these incidents I was struck by the absence of something. At first I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But, as I watched the interviews with members of your parliament, your Prime Ministers address, and the words of your ordinary citizens on the street, I realized what it was. Nobody was calling for the building of walls, closing of borders, or the dropping of bombs. Absent too were the blaming, name calling, and the questioning of patriotism for political gain. No one was calling for the curtailing of civil liberties, but instead pointed to liberty as a critical foundation that would not be tampered with or allowed to be weakened by acts of madness. I saw no politician’s grand standing for political gain or pointing fingers at them or those people. Hopefully this will stay the course and not descend into the polarizing atmosphere of paranoia present in my own United States of America.
            You have taught the world a lesson Canada, and you have reminded us all of the greatness and freedom so valued on this continent. I will think of you more often now. I will think of the similar roads we have travelled through the centuries, and the great allies we have been. I will think of the example you have set, and of how a free and democratic nation should respond to those who would seek to destroy it. Thank you Canada.

Warmest Regards,
Joe Quinn

Citizen of the United States of America

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Wetlands Considered


There is a place, a boundary really. It's a transitional environment between the land and the ocean, freshwater and salt. Like a thin ribbon running along an abrupt coastline, it provides protection for both. It is a nursery for fish before heading out to a life at sea, as well as a nesting area and respite for migratory and endangered shore and sea birds. 

For some, it is the singular environment in which they can thrive. Still for others, it is their last stand against extinction.

Coastal Wetlands provide protection to the land from ocean storms, while protecting the sea and filtering the run off from the activities of man, at its own peril. The encroachment into, and the draining of these sensitive habitats further endangers the already strained balance between land and sea.
 




While drawn to its solitude and beauty, we must remind ourselves of its sensitivity and importance to the wider health of the world around us, and indeed ourselves.



Sunday, August 10, 2014

EMPTY

We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, these are our territorial waters
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, it is our tradition
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, it is our heritage
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, our government say's we can
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, the science is wrong
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, the ocean is too big to damage
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, other countries do too
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, we are rich
We have the right to fish in an unsustainable manner because, we are poor

Who want's the right to catch the last fish?...

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

In Search of Heritage

When I first moved to the Lowcountry of South Carolina, the burning controversy over the confederate flag atop the state house, was in hot debate. As a Northerner, having grown up and lived in New York City for my entire life, the whole issue was just bizarre. The word heritage was being thrown around too easily by those who defended the old battle flag, with no real attempt to describe what that heritage really was. This set me off on a journey to see what I could find. I concentrated on the ninety miles or so between the vacation mecca of Myrtle Beach, and the historic city of Charleston, where the first shots of the Civil War rang out. Across this coastal landscape, I discovered a rich heritage of natural, human, and American history.



The very word Lowcountry, seems to perfectly describe the land. Water and its influence is visible everywhere. The endless miles of ocean, marshes, and swamplands have left their mark on the land and people. Fragile saltwater estuaries serve as protective nurseries and nesting areas for fish, crustaceans and migratory shore and seabirds.Brackish and freshwater swamps and marshes are the domain of American Alligators and other reptiles.



 

 The offshore waters are home to a rich plethora of sea life, including sea turtles, sharks, jellies, and giant shoals of smaller fish. 



Generations of seamen, pirates, and naval engagements, have created a rich nautical history.Many still make their living from the ocean and surrounding waterways. Shrimp trawlers ply the ocean bottom, and fishermen in tiny john boats collect oysters, and set crab traps along the creeks and inlets. 





The skeletons of the past, and evidence of nature's fury, can be found along the roadsides. In the small town of McClellanville, an old abandoned home is slowly reclaimed by nature, as well as the shell of a shrimp trawler that was left high and dry by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Old but well maintained pick up trucks, cross causways out to barrier islands such as the "arrogantly shabby" Pawleys Island, and old trails meander behind sand dunes and along river banks.





Along narrow back roads, the remnants of rice plantations remind one of the former agricultural glory of the region, but also of  the shame of slavery and human bondage. The latter, still uncomfortably and sometimes clumsily, being reckoned with. Descendants of these African slaves still weave traditional baskets, works of art really, from sweet grass. Though highly prized by collectors, the art form is becoming a dwindling tradition, as the younger people aren't interested in learning the craft, or go to college and find employment in other regions of the country. 




Religion and myth comfortably coincide. On Sunday mornings, the pews are full of worshippers of all denominations finding comfort for the soul. Steamy, dark nights however, can be filled with thoughts of the ghost of Alice Flagg, a young Murrells Inlet girl who some say died of a broken heart when her family objected to her engagement to a man of a lower class. Locals still bring offerings to her grave at the All Saints Church in Pawleys Island, and reports still persist of sightings of Alice roaming the countryside, searching for her missing engagement ring.   



French Huegenot's, fleeing religious persecution in France during the 17th and 18th century, settled in Charleston and became successful merchants. Their descendants still attend Charleston's Huguenot Church, and walk their children there on wedding days. Here and there Jewish mezuzah' are affixed to door frames, speaking to the Holy City's tradition of religious tolerance. In 1800, Charleston had the largest Jewish population in North America.


Sometimes words have little meaning when spoken.One has to venture out into the world, and on their own, find meaning. You have to engage and explore, abandon the beaten path, and peer into the darker corners. Only in this way, at times, do things come into focus.

Through this journey, I've found that heritage can not be defined by a flag. To believe so, is to ignore the grander scheme of things. Nature, geography and culture have over time woven a rich tapestry, much like the complicated patterns of a sweet grass basket. Taken together, a stronger picture of what heritage really is comes into view.

Finally, heritage can be described by great accomplishment, but only if accepting and embracing the mistakes made along the way.