THE thing that I am most grateful for in this life is technology. I consider this a gift from God. God chose for me to be born at that time to these parents in that place. And it is not possible for me to express how happy I am about that decision and all its specifics.

My exposure to film and photography and cameras goes back to the very beginning. I was I think 5 or 6 years old and present when this commercial was filmed. It was filmed at my house. I hung out with Gil Gerard all day in between shots. He burnt a 4th hole in my recorder with his cigarette to allow it to play more notes. I have never been successful with musical instruments nor have I tried. But the image of that day in burned into my head. I was absolutely fascinated by the tracks they set up for the camera platform to roll on.

All my work with photos and footage today is basically just using the cameras and lenses to see what they can give me. I’m not interested in making a dime off of my shooting, my services and any help or encouragement I can give. It has never been the case and it is important to me that that remain the case. I am only passing on what was given to me in teaching and time spent with me on. I cannot keep it unless I insist on giving it away.

This is one of the best cameras ever made. You can spend $5000 the newest models from any of the major manufacturers and unless you have a specific need professionally for the features those have that this doesn’t you should stick with a camera like this.

The death toll from yesterday’s vehicle-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, rises to eleven with at least 20 others injured, making the attack tied for the deadliest vehicle-ramming attack in Canadian history. (CTV News) 

Sunday, April 27th, 2025 

Archaeologists from the University of Barcelona confirm that the remains discovered in Valls, Catalonia, Spain, correspond to the ancient Iberian city of Cissa, the scene of the Battle of Cissa during the Second Punic War. (RTVE) 

Polish investigators start excavating a World War II mass grave in Puźniki [pl]. It contains victims of the Volhynia massacres, when Ukrainian nationalists murdered around 100,000 civilians who were predominantly Polish. (NOS) 

Three people are killed and two are injured in a mass shooting after a quarrel outside a pizzeria in Monreale, Province of Palermo, Italy. (PalermoToday) 

The Pakistani Armed Forces kill 54 Pakistani Taliban militants attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan near North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, allegedly to carry out high-profile terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. (CTV News) 

The death toll from yesterday’s explosion at the Port of Shahid Rajaee in Bandar Abbas, Iran, rises to 40 while the injury count increases to 1,205. (Iran International) 

The tomb of Pope Francis at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome, Italy, is opened for public viewing and photos are released by Vatican City. More than 13,000 people enter the basilica to view the tomb and pay their respects, while several thousand others remain outside. (ABC News) 

I don’t know if I can 100% buy these videos but it is at least outstanding propaganda and I kinda like them.

Saturday, April 26th, 2025 

China seizes the disputed Sandy Cay Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. (Financial Times) 

Wisconsin circuit court judge Hannah Dugan is arrested by United States federal law enforcement on obstruction charges after allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest. (CNBC) 

Indian and Pakistani military troops exchange gunfire across the Line of Control during an ongoing diplomatic crisis caused by a terrorist attack in India-administered Kashmir. (Al Jazeera) 

Severe flooding is reported along the Jhelum River in Azad Kashmir after Indian authorities release a large amount of water without prior warning. The incident follows the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by the Indian government. (24 News HD) 

Two women are seriously injured in an attack on a road when a 38-year-old man attacks them with a crossbow and a firearm before shooting and injuring himself in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Counter Terrorism Policing is currently investigating the incident. (BBC News) 

Nine people are killed and several others injured, after a car is driven through a crowd at a Philippine-Canadian festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Al Jazeera) 

At least twenty-five people are killed and over 800 others are injured in an explosion at the Port of Shahid Rajaee in Bandar Abbas, Iran. (AP) 

Three people are killed when a Mooney M20 crashes a mile south of Upper Cumberland Regional Airport in Tennessee, United States. (WKRN-TV) 

A man is killed and two women are wounded as an 80-year-old driver loses control over his car and plunges into a group of people celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Italy in Lanciano, Province of Chieti. (Chicago Tribune) 

Four people are killed and four others are injured, including one critically, when a dump truck crashes into six pedestrians working on powerlines in Eden, North Carolina, United States. (WFMY-TV) 

The Israel Defense Forces say they have intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by Houthi forces. (Reuters) 

Twelve Nigerien troops are killed in clashes with militants near the village of Sakoira, Niger. (Reuters) 

At least fourteen people are killed and over 700 others are injured in an explosion at the Port of Shahid Rajaee in Bandar Abbas, Iran. (AP) 

The funeral of Pope Francis is held in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. 400,000 people are in attendance, including more than 130 world leaders. (ABC News) (CNN) (The Guardian) 

Friday,  April 25th, 2025 

Lieutenant general Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, is assassinated in a car bombing in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, Russia. (CNN) 

The German government cuts its economic growth forecast to zero, with the Deutsche Bundesbank estimating a future recession. Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck accuses U.S. President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs of being the primary reason for Germany’s continued economic crisis. (DW) 

The World Food Programme (WFP) claims that their entire food stock inside the Gaza Strip is empty due to the Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid. WFP aid kitchens are expected to run out of food in a few days, and thousands of Palestinians are expected to die from starvation. The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs calls the situation “probably the worst” since the beginning of the war in October 2023. (DW) 

Cardinals seal the coffin of Pope Francis in a private liturgical rite led by Camerlengo Kevin Farrell at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (CNN) 

A man is killed and two women are wounded as an 80-year-old driver loses control over his car and plunges into a group of people celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Italy in Lanciano, Province of Chieti.  (Chicago Tribune) 

A Royal Thai Police Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft crashes while conducting a test flight for parachuting training near Hua Hin Airport in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand, killing all six people on board. (The Nation) 

A M_w 6.3 earthquake strikes Esmeraldas, Ecuador, shutting down power, damaging 800 buildings and injuring 32 people. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

Former Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello is arrested following a corruption conviction by Supreme Federal Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. (AP) 

The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft launches successfully from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, carrying three astronauts on a six-month mission to install space debris protection in the Tiangong space station and carry out scientific experiments on solar and cosmic ray radiation on planarians. (Reuters) (DW) 

The End