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Friday, December 25, 2015

Traveling in CHINA Since 1985 by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Traveling in CHINA Since 1985 by Robert Glenn Ketchum

During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980’s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. Earthwatch was one organization that allowed foreigners to visit China without going through too much red-tape. These photographs are a first glimpse into China in the mid-1980’s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum. 


Friday, December 25, 2015

Traveling in China Since 1985, #163
CHINA #163:   Where once there were rural farming communes, there were now destination resorts. This is the lobby of the hotel in which we had lunch. You are looking at some corporate scale art here:  the carved marble on the wall clearly represents waves. That other "stuff" - the "little brown things" - those are individually carved fish on fine strings hanging from the ceiling in front of the wall. When doors open in various parts of the vast lobby, breezes cause the fish to change direction and "swim in schools." The meal was equally over-the-top. You can see many modern and exotic hotels and other architecture in two of my other blogs:  Shanghai - Oz of the Orient and Suzhou - 1985 to Present, so I will go no further here. In fact, I am ending this particular blog which I hope you have enjoyed, AND I am launching a new blog to replace this - not about China, but about the beginnings of my career. LIMEKILN CREEK:  Where It All Began will drop Tuesday afternoons beginning in 2016. The story starts with a drive home from the #MontereyPopFestival (@MontereyPopFest) in 1968 that includes a camping trip in the redwoods, and a life changing realization about myself and my work. It is a story about nature, photography, AND self-discovery. I hope you will follow the story.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #China #Suzhou

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Monday, October 19, 2015

What Would Defense Secretary Cohen Have Done With His "Independent" Pebble Mine Report? by Joel Reynolds


What Would Defense Secretary Cohen Have Done With His "Independent" Pebble Mine Report?

In the latest installment in the saga of the embattled Pebble Mine, there is inescapable irony in last week's release of The Pebble Partnership-funded "independent" report by former Defense Secretary William Cohen and his firm The Cohen Group. Based on a brief, undefined investigation, Secretary Cohen concluded to no one's surprise that his client has been unfairly treated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its federal Clean Water Act review of the mining project - just as his client has argued for years.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Pebble Mine's William Cohen PR Stunt: Follow the Money by Joel Reynolds


Pebble Mine's William Cohen PR Stunt: Follow the Money
by Joel Reynolds
Western Director and Senior attorney, NRDC, Los Angeles
Posted: 10/07/2015 5:55 pm EDT Updated: 10/07/2015 7:59 pm EDT

It's easy to understand why the cash-starved Pebble Partnership, now just a single small Canadian exploration company called Northern Dynasty Minerals, would hire former Defense Secretary William Cohen to review EPA's proposed restriction of Pebble's planned massive copper and gold mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region -- and then try to pass that review off as "independent." Pebble wants to prolong the life of its all but dead mining scheme in the hope that it can turn its shareholders' virtually worthless shares into something valuable enough to sell -- and salvage some kind of return on their investment.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Interview with BILL NICHOLS by Tomás Crowder-Tarraborreli

Bill Nichols is one of the most influential historians and theorists of documentary film...



Interview with BILL NICHOLS by Tomás Crowder-Tarraborreli

He is widely cited in articles across the world. Some of his most important works are: Ideology and the image: social representation in the cinema and other media (Bloomington Indiana University Press, 1981), Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary (Indiana University Press, 1991), Blurred Boundaries (Indiana University Press, 1994) and Introduction to Documentary (Indiana University Press, 2001). He teaches film at San Francisco State University. His enthusiasm for documentary film comes through even in casual conversations and especially during this interview in Tijuana, in the first week of BorDocs, the documentary film forum. http://bordocs.com/?lang=en. A few minutes before the interview, Mr. Nichols had given a two-hour master class on the ethical challenges of documentary filmmakers.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Mandalac Gardens by Robert Glenn Ketchum



From August 11 - September 27, I will be exhibiting new work, MANDALAC GARDENS, at The G2 Gallery in Venice, California. This Constant Contact is background information about my color print-making history in general. and how it has lead me to this new series of "prints." I have also included all 9 of the images that will be in the exhibit, so please give this a read and enjoy the "show."

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Cont., Tatshenshini by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued,
TATSHENSHINI:  Saving a River Wild by Robert Glenn Ketchum

In 1990, I was invited on a 10-day float down the Tatshenshini, a huge river system flowing from Western Canada to the Pacific Ocean that literally divides two of North America's largest national parks, Canada's Kluane National Park and Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. A gold mine was being proposed mid-river. I broke the story in LIFE magazine. There were many other articles and a book. The mine was never developed and the river is now a wilderness corridor. This is a conservation SUCCESS story!




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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy!

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015


TATSHENSHINI:  Saving a River Wild, #51
TATSHENSHINI:  Saving a River Wild, #51:  There is only so much you can do to control a big, heavy, rubber float boat in a strong current; it tends to go where it wants. This caused us to get up-close-and-personal with some pretty dramatic ice involuntarily! Fortunately no harm was done. Some of us continued to help paddle, while others used their paddles to push off threatening pieces of ice. Thankfully, as we floated ever further into the lake, the current subsided and we began to drift amongst some colossal icebergs. In the warmth of the sun, I closed my eyes and listened to the myriad sounds of tinkling ice, and dripping water. The boats grew quiet, and everyone zoned out in this spectacle of big ice, and even bigger mountains.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #Tatshenshini @glacierbaynps @Life @Wilderness #WeAreTheWild @nature_AK

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Editor Ronald H. Chilcote on expanding the digital presence of an academic journal

Editor Ronald H. Chilcote on expanding the digital presence of an academic journal

Posted on August 12, 2015

With a revamped website and increased social media engagement, Latin American Perspectives marked 47 years of circulating discussion and debate on the political economy of capitalism, imperialism and socialism in the Americas. Intrigued by these digital innovations, we reached out to Managing Editor Ronald H. Chilcote to learn more about the journal’s evolving online presence.

Cont., No Pebble Mine by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued,
NO PEBBLE MINE Pictures from Ground Zero 
by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Thank you to the EPA for recognizing the value of the Bristol Bay fishery. 
NOW, what can we do to protect this habitat further? 
Mission: To protect the national parks and national refuges of southwest Alaska, 
and the Bristol Bay fishery from the development of the Pebble mine, and other commercial risks.



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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy!

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Wednesday, August 5, 2015 

NO PEBBLE MINE #151, Pictures from Ground Zero:
NO PEBBLE MINE #151, Pictures from Ground Zero:   The further upriver we got, the more difficult forward progress became. It was raining hard enough to make everything VERY wet, and the scree and boulders had become dangerously slippery (and sharp!). The walls kept getting steeper and the pools kept getting deeper. Then we arrived at this juncture: fast water, deep pools, and really slippery, steep rocks to traverse. SO I scrambled up the big boulder to “scout.” Getting around this complex of pools and falls would involve numerous risks, and the canyon beyond just got more vertical. It did NOT look like it was taking us to a summit, and was now in fact, winding away from the one we had targeted. More amazingly, just above this sizable section of pools and flowing water, the river disappeared again and went back underground. In a momentary larger cosmic view of it all, I realized these volcanic scree mountains were catching considerable volumes of rain and filtering it down through their rocky cores, where it might occasionally appear, like this, then disappear again. Take that reverse osmosis!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd @NRDC @OrvisFlyFishing #NoPebbleMine #LittleBearProd

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Cont., Tracy Arm by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued,
TRACY ARM WILDERNESS - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time by Robert Glenn Ketchum

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act (#Wilderness), this new blog focuses on a wilderness area in the #Tongass rainforest of southeast Alaska. This is the tale of a 10-day kayak trip - a testament to WHY wilderness is important, by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.





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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy!

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

TRACY ARM Wilderness - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time, #50
TRACY ARM Wilderness - An Alaskan Kayak "Trip" Through Time, #50:  The only remaining part of camp you have not seen is the tent-site for myself and Carey. Russell’s tent was situated above the tideline between large rocks and the hillside (see post #48), which caused him to be angled slightly upslope, BUT out of the reach of the water. There was little else useable around that part of camp because the boulders were so large, SO Carey and I went, literally, OUT INTO THE RIVER! The powerful waterfall coming out of the valley and down to the tideline had built a sandbar/boulder “dome” in the middle of the river at peak flood. It was safely above the tideline, and at it’s highest point was quite sandy with just a few smaller rocks. Carey and I cleared enough of them to create a comfortable, tent-sized platform. The one drawback to our location was that the river split and went around both sides of our dome of boulders, so we had to navigate several stream crossings to get to the kitchen and our gear.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd @Wilderness #Wilderness #Tongass

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Monday, August 10, 2015

Cont. The Hudson River by Robert Glenn Ketchum

by Robert Glenn Ketchum


This is the story of my first major commission and book, THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE HIGHLANDS (Aperture, 1985). In 1984, #StephenShore, #WilliamClift, and I received a 2-year commission from the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund to photograph the #HudsonRiverValley. This blog tells the tale of the book, with many photos not seen before. Enjoy!


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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy!

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Monday, August 3, 2015

THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE HIGHLANDS #148:
HUDSON RIVER #148:  Here is one for #Ansel: “Moonrise Over Snow Removal Equipment near #IndianPoint.” It all depends on your point of view, I guess. In my last post I mentioned a small bay off of the river that ran to #Annsville, and on this eve I am exploring that bay. This is much the same POV as my last two posts, but I have added a few foreground elements. As “scenic” as the #HudsonRiverValley can be, it always amazed me to find pockets in the woods and right next to the river that were just “discarded” and often being used for industrial “storage” or just outright dumping of stuff.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd @Wallacefdn @Aperturefnd @PentaxOnline
SOCIAL MEDIA by #LittleBearProd: http://www.LittleBearProd.com
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Friday, August 7, 2015

Cont., China by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued, 
Traveling in CHINA Since 1985 by Robert Glenn Ketchum

During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980’s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. Earthwatch was one organization that allowed foreigners to visit China without going through too much red-tape. These photographs are a first glimpse of China in the mid-1980’s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum. 


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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy! *******

Friday, May 29, 2015

Traveling in China Since 1985, #133
CHINA #133:   I've used the term “compound” to describe the #ZhuangyanMansion because it WAS a complex house of interconnected rooms, staircases, terraces surrounded by gardens, and a considerable outer wall. Because it was designed to protect the wealth, and family, of the owner -- besides the hidden room for valued objects and the escape passage to the lake -- the house itself was like a maze, and intentionally confusing to navigate. This #architecture was NOT random. Every twist-and-turn had some purpose, and best of all, every terrace had a view, and a breeze. One could watch for approaching enemies, while cooling off, and having tea!

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Cont., Shanghai by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued, 
SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient by Robert Glenn Ketchum


During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980’s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. These photographs are a continuation of other ongoing blog threads of the first glimpses into China in the mid-1980’s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.



Friday, May 29, 2015


SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient, #66
SHANGHAI, OZ of the Orient #66 - 1985 to the Present:  In post #19, I photographed school children in bright uniforms walking down a city street in #Shanghai, circa 1986. As I have said before, as much as things change, some things remain the same. Here in 2002, under the shadow of the #PearlTower, are hordes of school children in bright uniforms.  They are enjoying the sun and river views from the new #Pudong shoreline esplanade, while eating their lunch in this pleasant river park. In case you are curious, different colors in the same school define classes/ages. Different -- more colorful -- combinations in the uniform indicate completely different schools. Apparently it's helpful when there are as many as one hundred VERY energetic children you are trying to organize!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #China #Shanghai

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Thursday, August 6, 2015

Cont., Suzhou by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Welcome to Suzhou, 1985 - to the present by Robert Glenn Ketchum

During the reign of Mao (1949-1976), China was a closed country. China in the 1980’s was 80% rural, with no outside visitors, particularly from the West. When China opened to travelers, the Chinese government placed severe limitations on who was allowed to enter the country. These photographs are a continuation of other ongoing blog threads of the first glimpses into China in the mid-1980’s by world-renowned Conservation Photographer 
Robert Glenn Ketchum.




Thursday, May 28, 2015

Welcome to Suzhou, 1985 - to the present, #67
Suzhou #67:   In the emergence of the New #China, the government was very careful to “manage” the national image; BOTH as seen from outside, AND as seen by the #Chinese themselves. Given the exhibit's expansive view of recent Chinese history, pictures that were politically objectionable to the new Chinese government were inevitable. There were numerous “historical” photos of #Mao, some of them very casual, such as him swimming with a group of friends, that drew no attention at all. However, other images, like this one from Robert Capa in 1938 were seen as moments and relationships the government preferred NOT to acknowledge in such a public exhibition.
ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #China #Suzhou

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Cont., Silk Road by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Continued,
Silk Road - Embroideries of Robert Glenn Ketchum

The city of Suzhou, China, produced China's most beautiful silk and silk embroidery practiced by generational families for 3,000 years. My purpose in going to China starting in the mid-1980's was to turn my photographs into textiles, and this is my story. ~Robert Glenn Ketchum

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Due to the size and quality of the photos included in this blog, and as too many photos tend to slow a blog down, we have opted to host these previous entries on a separate post in order to best optimize your reading experience. Enjoy! 
*******

Thursday, May 28, 2015


Silk Road - Embroideries #123
SILK ROAD #123:   So, here are 2-of-the-4 panels of “Emperor Kangxi’s Inspection Tour of Southern China.” What you are looking at is about 10-1/2-feet long, and 2-feet tall; all stitched with human hair! What you saw in previous posts were details from these two panels. Post #120 (of the bridge) can be located in the middle, right of the right-hand panel. Post #122 is in the lower-right of the left-hand panel. As you can see, the detail sections I presented are barely 20% of their overall panel. Now extrapolate those minutiae of stitches across this entire piece: OMG!!! EVEN MORE AMAZINGLY, this “aerial” view is architecturally accurate. In 1986, I could still recognize bridges, historic gates, and walls, and the layout of certain neighborhoods! More than likely, the artist commissioned by the court to create this work in 1689 was in a pagoda tower, or on a hill above the city in order to correctly represent this POV.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2015, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd #Embroidery @WesCFA @RSSDesigns
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Friday, July 3, 2015

TELL THE PEBBLE PARTNERSHIP TO CALL IT QUITS

The fight to stop the Pebble Mine goes on -- but the battlefront has moved from the U.S. EPA to the courtroom and beyond as we escalate massive nationwide pressure on Northern Dynasty Minerals, the last company standing behind the disastrous venture, to call it quits.

Over the last two weeks, NRDC ran a series of hard-hitting, full-page print ads in Washington urging the Pebble Partnership -- Northern Dynasty's legal entity -- to walk away from Pebble Mine. The EPA has confirmed that this gargantuan open-pit, gold and copper operation -- along with its estimated 10 billion tons of toxic mining waste -- carries catastrophic risk for Bristol Bay, its world-class salmon fishery, its pristine environment and its people.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Saying Goodbye to Bobby Andrew, Defender of Bristol Bay by Joel Reynolds

Saying Goodbye to Bobby Andrew, Defender of Bristol Bay
by Joel Reynolds, Western Director and Senior attorney, NRDC, Los Angeles

I didn't expect the Pebble Mine would outlast Bobby Andrew. He was a fighter who never seemed to get tired. Over 70 years old, and he was always willing to make the trip - whatever the trip, wherever it took him -- to talk, to testify, to tell the terrible story of the uniquely reckless scheme by international mining giants to poison the communities and wild salmon fisheries of Alaska's Bristol Bay with a gigantic copper and gold mine.

photograph © copyright, Natural Resources Defense Council 2015@NRDC @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Research Journal about Latin America Expands Digital Presence: Latin American Perspectives based at UC Riverside, has international reach

Research Journal about Latin America Expands Digital Presence 
Latin American Perspectives based at the University of California Riverside, has international reach

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Latin American Perspectives, a bimonthly journal now in its 43rd year, is reaching out with a new website, latinamericanperspectives.com, and expansion of social media.

With its editorial offices on the University of California, Riverside, campus, LAP distributes to some 8,000 subscribers, including 2,300 institutions scattered around the world, especially in the United States and Latin America. It is considered one of the leading journals on Latin American studies.

Among its 110 editors are UCR scholars Ronald Chilcote; Edward A. Dickson, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Political Science; Jennifer Hughes, associate professor of history; Jonathan Ritter, associate professor of music; and Latin American librarian, Rhonda Neugebauer.

Our emphasis on a powerful website and active social media is unique for an academic journal, but it is also important in drawing a large readership of researchers, students, and the general public into a deeper understanding of the rapidly changing events in Latin America,” said Chilcote, the journal’s managing editor.

The journal publishes primarily in English, but blog entries on the website appear in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

The new website and social media effort are being launched in conjunction with the XXXIII International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association May 27 to 30 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The website was designed by Charles Murray, CMM Studio of Laguna Beach, and the comprehensive social media by RR Bernet, Little Bear Productions in San Francisco.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

CONSERVATION: Greenhouse Project 101

Follow #LittleBearProd (r.r. bernet)'s board CONSERVATION: Greenhouse Recycling Old Windows & Growing Plants on Pinterest.
Our step-by-step foray into constructing an #upcycled #Greenhouse out of #recycled windows that were destined for the dump...

Note:  This blog post is an ongoing chronicle of the construction of our #Greenhouse project, so it starts with the most recent entries at the top... To read this story from the beginning, scroll down to the first entry.

~ Entry 15 ~


The finished project!  



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