deviantART: by:claytes

if you've been wondering where some people have been lately,
try these places!

*zort - [link]
*londn - [link]
*coxi - [link]
+cweeks - [link]
*seanfl - [link]
`angelcurls - [link]
*Gonzale - [link]
~http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9965423/ Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:48:32 PDT
Dr. Al Aswany's recent novel has made him a literary superstar, often thronged by admirers as he walks the streets of his native Cairo.

Just who is the Arab world listening to? Not only radical sheikhs and militant politicians. The man whose voice has captivated the Arab public is a Cairo dentist by day and a novelist by dawn. Alaa Al Aswany's novel The Yacoubian Building is a phenomenonthe best-selling novel in the Middle East for two years and the inspiration for the biggest budget movie ever produced in Egypt. The novel paints a poignant and uncompromising picture of life in modern Cairo, as seen through the eyes of a carnival of charactersfrom the richest and most powerful to the poorest. An outspoken critic of the Mubarak regime and a friendly, self-effacing man, Dr. Al Aswany studied dentistry, and the American way of life, in the U.S. He has a humanist's love of pondering what makes people do what they do.

Interview by Karen Kostyal

There is much talk now of a "clash" of civilizations between the Muslim world and the West. How do you see this clash?
I don't think it's a question of civilizations. Civilizations are the best part of human creation. They don't cause any kind of clashthey are a means to communicate. The clash comes from the aggressive interpretation of some religions. Religions have been used throughout history as a cause to wage war and kill people, but it's my opinion that religions are the same everywhere. They are a way to find God, a way to have positive values, to prove oneself as a good human being. I was born Muslim, so I am Muslim. If I had been born Christian, I would have been Christian.

Where do you think the current fanaticism is coming from?
Poor areas, because the poor are desperate. The current regime here is dealing with them in an inhuman way, arresting and torturing them. Religion is being used as a cover for social unrest, a way to empower these people who are not empowered. In Egypt, there is an Islam for the rich and an Islam for the poor. And these two Islams have their own mosques, their own sheikhs. The rich use religion to ensure the status quo. They don't want any change. But poor people do want change, because they are now deprived of so much.

So God is not the true impetus behind extremist behavior?
You feel God in your heart, you feel God when you love others. Killing is not done because of God, but because people are marginalized and oppressed, without any future and any kind of human dignity. I tried to explain that in my novel. It is very easy to get such people to turn to fanaticism. The Western notion that Muslims are killing themselves so they will go to paradise and sleep with a woman is wrongI myself think sleeping with a woman is much more enjoyable than killing oneself. This life is closed to these marginalized people, but they believe that they will have justice in the afterlife.

Do you think the Muslim Brotherhood can moderate itself?
They claim they are now better educated and more moderate, but they have bad records about the roles of women and other issues. They have a chance now to prove themselves by what they do in parliament. They must pass the test. They must act in moderate ways. I am for the right of everybody to form a religious political party, but they must do so according to secular means.

Some people believe there can never be a true democracy in Egypt. Do you agree?
I disagree. We must begin with democracy. But the Arab regimes play games with this word. They say there has to be an interpretation of democracy that fits the Arab world. I don't believe that. We need Western-style democracy, with a free press and the rule of law, where all people can choose their elected officials. People do not need to be educated to vote. You may be poor, but making the choice for democracy is not complicated. A person makes choices every day.

There is a lot of discussion about the role of women in society. What do you think it should be?
I don't see women as women, I see them as human beings. So I don't believe that you must encourage women particularly. Introducing the issue is like dealing with women as handicapped members of society.

How do you think the Arab world sees 9/11?
The question is rather, how has 9/11 been introduced to the Arab world? I saw 9/11 as a crime, and I have written against it. But I believe that events are always manipulated by regimes for their own purposes. Just as the American government has used Osama bin Laden to deflect attention away from its own problems, many of the Arab governments used 9/11 to play on anti-American emotions. They were hoping to convert the negative emotions people harbored against their reg... ]]> ~claytes special day ! / nudes of me ! / girls ! http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9913623/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9913623/ Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:08:20 PDT
no offense to the girls

oh, and those nudes are coming, of course... stay tuned!

-- old news --

i have a working polaroid cam now with some stolen film. anybody want nudes of me? i need pageviews badly! been too scared to let the lab people see me in the nude. you guys are friends, though...

today is not my birthday. does this mean you are not happy for me? yay!

if you've been wondering where some people have been lately,
try these places!

*zort - [link]
*londn - [link]
*coxi - [link]
+cweeks - [link]
*seanfl - [link]
`angelcurls - [link]
~Gonzale - [link]
~flumpie - [link]
~foig - [link]
~carvinganish - [link]
*claytes - [link]
~FigoTheCat - [link]

there are others. if i missed anybody let me know and i can add them to the list!

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]]> ~claytes dumb guy http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9647224/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9647224/ Tue, 08 Aug 2006 12:03:45 PDT [link]

if you've been wondering where some people have been lately,
try these places!

~zort - [link]
*londn - [link]
!coxi - [link]
+cweeks - [link]
*seanfl - [link]
`angelcurls - [link]
~Gonzale - [link]
~flumpie - [link]
~foig - [link]
*carvinganish - [link]
*claytes - [link]
~FigoTheCat - [link]

there are others. if i missed anybody let me know and i can add them to the list!

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]]> ~claytes something.48 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9543202/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9543202/ Sun, 30 Jul 2006 12:58:36 PDT featured photographer series #48

kenneth cappello

please note that all these images are copyright of the photographer and i am not associated with them, nor is deviantart, in anyway.

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the featured photography series is a small way in which i hope to expose people, albiet a very small number of them, to some amazing photography from around the world. i am very inexperienced in photography and its history compared to many people, so it is also an ongoing process for myself as well. hope you enjoy!

previous featured photographers:

rui palha [link] - bruce davidson [link] - mary ellen mark [link] - guy bourdin [link] -phillip toledano [link] - fan ho [link] - jaques-henri lartigue [link] -norman jean roy [link] - david burnett [link] - clay enos [link] - tomas dezso [link] - andrzej dragan [link] - steve mccurry [link] - dan atteo [link] - todd heisler [link] - tokihiro sato [link] - gary stochl [link] - arnaud thomas [link] - danyel massacrier [link] - helen levitt [link] - august sander [link] - michael wolf [link] - christopher gilbert [link] - nicholas nixon [link] - bernice abbott [link] - john guttmann [link] - carol guzy [link] - richard avedon [link] - wayne miller [link] - boogie [link] - edward burtynsky [link] - robert weingarten [link] - gilles peress [link] - mark hunter [link] - clayton hauck [link] - robert yager [link] - melanie einzig [link] - erwin olaf [link] - w eugene smith [link] - wedding photographers #1 [link] - matt stuart [link] - richard bram [link] - born into brothels [link] - david jay [link] - martin kollar [link] - martin parr http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9498697/ Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:32:38 PDT
yes it seems that after endless stupid bannings, people have started to get fed up with the administration of this site. i think this site has many great advantages to it. on the other hand, i think it is more of a dead end than anything else... or maybe just a fun waste of time.

if you are serious about bettering your photographic career, as myself and others here are, then dA isn't really the place for you.

i'll still be around, posting and watching my friends here, but i don't think i will be as active myself either. since many of my favorite contributors have left, it has kind of taken the steam out of it for me to.

i'll still use dA for picking up girls, but not as much for photography... aaahhaha. kidding.

if you've been wondering where some people have been lately,
try these places!

~zort - [link]
*londn - [link]
!coxi - [link]
+cweeks - [link]
*seanfl - [link]
`angelcurls - [link]
~Gonzale - [link]
~flumpie - [link]
~foig - [link]

there are others. if i missed anybody let me know and i can add them to the list!

take care everyone.

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]]> ~claytes something.46 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9436271/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9436271/ Thu, 20 Jul 2006 10:41:49 PDT featured photographer series #46

martin parr

this one goes out to =erainey

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http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9415168/ Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:39:38 PDT featured photographer series #44

david jay

loved this lighting and the amazing color tones. very sexxxay!

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see also ~claytes something.43 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9341219/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9341219/ Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:03:10 PDT featured photographer series #43

kids from India (from the film Born Into Brothels)

watch this documentary 'born into brothels'. these are some of the photos that the kids in the film made.

that's quite a lot of favs! i thought i would see how it ranked in the "domesticated animals" category. out of alllll the cute animal photos on dA, it is the 39th most faved.. but more importantly than that, all of the top 38 photos are of cats or bunnies or other animals. SO, this photo is dA's MOST POPULARIST DOGGIE PHOTO EVER!!!11

wow, i am honoured. really

okay. back to reality now. just thought you'd like to know this. but not really though.

PS- if any of you want to be photographers. go watch Born Into Brothels. Fucking interesting documentary!!!

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]]> ~claytes something.42 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9289723/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9289723/ Thu, 06 Jul 2006 08:08:43 PDT featured photographer series #42

richard bram

more great street junxta

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~claytes tag i'm it. http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9279556/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9279556/ Wed, 05 Jul 2006 09:20:10 PDT demony and have a minute so here we go. perhaps this will motivate me to get another sometiong series up here instead of boring crap about me!

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1. Name one thing that you hate the most about the opposite sex:
they are weird

2. Name one thing that you love the most about the opposite sex:
they are purdy

3. Name one little detail that you hate the most about the opposite sex:
periods

4. Name one little detail that you love the most about the opposite sex:
body

5. And another one?:
quite the redundant survey here.. um, softness?

6. Name a thing that you love the most about life:
trying to take it all in and understanding that it's impossible to understand it all.

7. Name a thing that you hate the most about life:
lack of flexibility (professionally and financially)

8. Name a thing that you love the most about your city:
good people and much to do

9. Name a thing that you hate the most about your city:
no ocean or hills

10. love or hate?:
i love to hate, err, hate to love? i forget.

i tag nobody. good day all

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]]> ~claytes know your world (3) http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9209401/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9209401/ Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:01:54 PDT
got some film to pick up from the lab. perhaps some will be submitted here if the quality is any good

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7/27- Exxon Mobil.. there is something seriously wrong when a company can make US$10billion in PROFITS in just 3 month's time. where the fuck does all this money go? this is the second biggest profit ever recorded by a corporation, just missing the record set by the same damn company last year. [link]

6/29- a really interesting interactive map of worldwide human populations can be found here : [link]

6/28- communism works! north korea is an interesting country. i bet most of you have never seen what life in north korea is like. well, here you go. check out the photos.. [link]

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]]> ~claytes da sans sev is... http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9169732/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9169732/ Sat, 24 Jun 2006 14:10:40 PDT
seriously. i go out of town, out of state, out of communications for TWO DAYS and when i return, no more coxi. no more kinder. no more sev. hmmm...

i really loved it when i saw he had posted new photos. so much good work. such young talent. really, one of the main reasons i see dA as a valuable website. but now, no more.

and i have no idea what the reason was. did he make fun of somebody or something? blah blah who cares the reason.. surely it was stupid anyway.

so i caught no fish at the lake and i also lost a favorite deviant.

oh well. the world continues. still plenty of talent around here but i will miss seeing work from one of the best

SO... I have been super busy these days. really no time for dA. ive been checking new deviations and responding so some comments but not nearly all. thanks much for all the favs and whatnot. i really do appreciate it even if you dont hear from me.

and now.. intonation music festival!

take care all

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]]> ~claytes dangers of photography! http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9088477/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9088477/ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:08:19 PDT
Yesterday on my way home from work, same situation. Camera around neck, not shooting. From across the street a group of kids is shouting at me "Don't take our pictures!!" I ran into the same kids later that night and one of them asked why I took their picture (which i did not even think or attempt to do) and then told me to delete it. I told him I didn't take any photos of them and I can't delete film. He then asked if I was a cop. "No, I live right there!" I guess the kids are just afraid of getting busted for something.

A little backstory. These two instances, while they do suck because I don't feel comfortable shooting around here anymore, are understandable. My neighborhood is probably around 40% black, 50% puerto rican/hispanic and 10% white/other (wiki page on my hood - [link] ) The area is also on the ups these days and this is causing problems with the puerto ricans worrying that they will lose their hold on the neighborhood to the yuppies and white people thru gentrification. They don't really want to see white dudes walking around with cameras taking pictures of them. Obviously I am not here to exploit them. I just fucking live here and like shooting!

Ugh.. anyway..

If any of you are familiar with lastnightsparty.com or thecobrasnake.com, i am thinking of doing something similar. We'll call it Chicago's answer to the Hipster/Scenester photography trend. Part of me feels like I shouldn't do it because I will just be copying an idea, but the other part of me thinks it will be a good project and maybe get my name out there more.

I need a good name though. Something people will remember so they will go home and log on. Thought maybe chicagonights.com but that sounds so boring/generic.

If anyone comes up with a winning name, there may be something in it for them! I'll think of some reward...

And also if you're bored and haven't yet been to my website. feel free to check it out and give me any feedback on the site. specifically layout and whatnot. i'm working on some new things like the photo of the day (another thing i ripped off... from boogie's website), again to try and get people to come back often. Self promotion is something I've never been good at, so I am trying to learn, as it's important in this field...

Thanks everyone! Now to sort thru the photos from last night

take care!

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]]> ~claytes something.41 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9045185/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9045185/ Mon, 12 Jun 2006 09:29:35 PDT Shace and ^garrit). it's true that a dog photo is now my most popular photo and this makes me smile because photographing dogs is not really the style i wish to create in my photography! nonetheless, the exposure is appreciated. at first i wanted to make a more meaningful journal for today since i will be getting so many views, but i will settle for another entry in my series of spotlighting other great photographers. so here you go, enjoy!

featured photographer series #41

matt stuart

love this stuff here. thanks again to =iamkatia for the link!

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http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/9013287/ Thu, 08 Jun 2006 21:34:42 PDT
i much appreciate all the recent favs.. mostly for one photo which i dont even like much, but hey!

lots going on in the old head lately. mostly life-related.

been trying not to post a whole lot of photos lately. it's hard to keep up with what i do post, and i feel bad that i fall behind so fast. i guess i want to keep the quality up, too. not that there's really a reason to do that.

i think things for me are going to change a lot in the coming months. and i'm not quite sure if it will be for the better or things will end up much worse, but it's a risk i think i need to take. so that's my thought for the night.

keep in touch, everyone!
goodnight for now

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]]> ~claytes something.39 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8987824/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8987824/ Tue, 06 Jun 2006 11:17:34 PDT featured photographer series #39

w eugene smith

a featured deviant

~claytes something.38 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8928695/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8928695/ Wed, 31 May 2006 09:14:15 PDT featured photographer series #38

erwin olaf

a featured deviant

http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8884926/ Fri, 26 May 2006 15:30:35 PDT featured photographer series #37

melanie einzig

back to some solid street shots!

some good works from around deviantArt

http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8839514/ Sun, 21 May 2006 21:50:23 PDT
talk to you later

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]]> ~claytes #28... tag team, back again http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8815802/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8815802/ Fri, 19 May 2006 11:03:46 PDT

so i will take a moment! she deserves it

four jobs i have had:

wow.. there have been many. perhaps the most interesting:
photographer
editor
"porno video store" clerk
production assistant for films

four movies i would watch over and over:

magnolia
barton fink
requiem for a dream
le fabuleux destin d'amélie poulain

four places i have lived:

wheeling (childhood home)
chicago (lakeview neighborhood)
chicago (lincoln park neighborhood)
chicago (humboldt park neighborhood)

four TV shows i love to watch:

Frontline
Nova
Family Guy
BBC News

four places i have been on vacation:

Canada
LA
Florida
Europe

four websites i visit daily:

dA
myspace.. regretably
mail (gmail, hotmail)
craigslist

four of my favorite foods:

yes i am picky as fuck..
pizza
pasta
steak
good cheesburgers.. with onions and pepper jack cheese

four places i would rather be right now:

dubai
china
los angeles
my bed

four people i am tagging (feel free to answer, if you like):

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]]> ~claytes something.36 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8805551/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8805551/ Thu, 18 May 2006 08:04:36 PDT featured photographer series #36

robert yager

link provided by ~munchkinmaayan

some more powerful gang photography.

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http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8787336/ Tue, 16 May 2006 10:37:43 PDT featured photographer series #35

clayton hauck

yes yes, this is me. no, i'm not featuring myself because i think in am teh shits... it's cause i KNOW i'm teh shits!! haha.. kidding..

the reason i wanted to put up my shots is because i am in the process of redoing my website. i want it to appeal more towards possible clients and also keep a professional look. as of now, the "street" section is basically the way i want it. the other sections are still in need of redesign and addition of new photos / subtraction of bad photos.

i'd love ANY feedback you are willing to give. and be totally honest. i need the truth! too many photos? not enough? bad design? specific images which you hate? love? hard to navigate?

you will find some shots on the site that are not up here on dA, so that should give you a little motivation! here are a few samples... and thanks for your time!

(click link in my name above to go to website!)

previous featured photographers:

rui palha [link] - bruce davidson [link] - mary ellen mark [link] - guy bourdin [link] -phillip toledano [link] - fan ho [link] - jaques-henri lartigue [link] -norman jean roy [link] - david burnett [link] - clay enos [link] - tomas dezso [link] - andrzej dragan [link] - steve mccurry [link] - dan atteo [link] - todd heisler [link] - tokihiro sato [link] - gary stochl [link] - arnaud thomas [link] - danyel massacrier [link] - helen levitt [link] - august sander [link] - michael wolf [link] - christopher gilbert [link] - nicholas nixon [link] - bernice abbott [link] - john guttmann [link] - carol guzy [link] - richard avedon [link] ~claytes something.34 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8776888/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8776888/ Mon, 15 May 2006 09:54:55 PDT featured photographer series #34

mark hunter

okay, probably not for everybody.. but this stuff definately has an audience these days. the sort of amateur-professional look. mark has apparently become a small force at the age of 20 after simply "crashing parties" and photographing hipsters and celebrities. not a bad gig, i must admit.

within these 11 shots you will find 2 very great photographers and 2 celebrities. can you name all 4?

and.. if you have a spare 6 hours, check out his website. there must be a million photos on there.

-------------------------------... ]]> ~claytes something.33 http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8729221/ http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8729221/ Wed, 10 May 2006 10:45:12 PDT featured photographer series #33

gilles peress

the middle east, magnum-style

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http://claytes.deviantart.com/journal/8709187/ Mon, 08 May 2006 10:32:37 PDT featured photographer series #32

robert weingarten

another =iamkatia referral