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Photo: Bob Shell

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Bob Shell

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……….Nothing new to report on my case. But I really don’t expect to get a ruling from the court until around the middle of the year. Courts move at their own speed, and the general rule seems to be the longer the better, because that means they are actually considering everything. My case generated a massive amount of paperwork, and the court must go through all of it to consider my claims.

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I got a letter the other day from one of the models who worked with me on the bondage book back in 2003-04. She said she got to wondering about what had happened to me and did a Google search and found out where I am. Like every model I ever worked with, she knows that I am not guilty. I told her about TWS and suggested that she post here about what it was like to work with me, so maybe she will.

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One lawyer I know made the point that the cops and prosecution had from June 2003 until my trial in August of 2007 to search for any model I worked with who would say anything negative about me. They couldn’t find anyone. If I really had been the serial molestor they portrayed me as being, they ought to have been able to find at least one of my earlier victims, but they found no one. That should have meant something to the jury. I don’t think they really thought things through and simply voted with a knee-jerk reaction.

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I also don’t think the jury understood how sentencing works. Not one of the sentences they gave me was very long, and I believe they assumed that all of them would run concurrently. Indeed, running sentences concurrently is the norm. But in Virginia the judge makes that decision, not the jury, and the jury can’t even be told that they have the option to recommend concurrent sentences. My judge ignored the VA sentencing guidelines and ran my sentences consecutively. The guidelines called for 1 1/2 to 3 years. But the Virginia guidelines are merely recommendations, they carry no force, and judges routinely ignore them. I don’t know why they even bother to have guidelines.

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If the jury in a state of Virginia case asks the judge if sentences will be run concurrently or consecutively, the judge will tell them that it is none of their concern! The jury is not allowed to know!! But the law requires that jurors be fully informed prior to their deliberations. None of this makes any sense, since a jury can intend a light sentence and a judge can arbitrarily convert it into a very long sentence. The more research I do on this, the less sense it makes.

About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author and former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence at Pocahontas State Correctional Center, Pocahontas, Virginia for involuntary manslaughter for the death of one of his models, Marion Franklin. He is currently working on his appeal.
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Editor’s Note: To read more letters from prison by Bob Shell, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon. To learn more about the case log on to www.BobShellTruth.com.

Love

Posted on May 10, 2012 BY A.H. Scott

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……….It’s ironic that some of those who are most vocal against same sex marriage are those who have dinosaur bones in their own closets. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, here in NYC, said that ‘it’s a sad day for the children’. WTF?!!!! Now, I know I’m probably going to feel a little pitchfork in my butt for saying that. But, c’mon, Catholic Church. You above all other institutions want to talk about sin. Look inward instead of outward for what sin truly is. And, then there’s Mitt Romney who says “I believe marriage is between one man and one woman”. And, when I heard him say that, I was waiting for him to add ..”I believe marriage is between one man and one woman….and one woman….and another woman. WTF? That’s the history of Romney’s own ancestors of multiple wives. And, of course, Newt (Mr. Married Again and Again) Gingrich. And, all the other hypocrites down the line speak morality for themselves only. So, those who have all these rights already (and never have to enter a court to validate them) are always bitchin and moanin about the destruction of the institution of marriage, if gay men and lesbian woman get married would live by the words they love to always spout; show some Christian compassion and brotherhood and – LET LOVE RULE..!!”

Copyright 2012

About The Author: Editor’s Note: To read more of A.H. Scott, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Photo: Ryan Feit

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Ryan Feit

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……….Entrepreneurship used to be setting up a large factory. It used to be knocking on doors for months to convince a bank or wealthy investors to provide you millions of dollars before you could operate. But everything we know about entrepreneurship is changing. This is what Entrepreneurship looks like today.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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Today, all you need to build is a laptop. The computer has replaced the hammer and the Internet has replaced the assembly line. The cost to create has declined exponentially.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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Only one thing remains constant. It’s all about the team. The right team can operate like a heat-seeking missile, varying its path in a rapidly changing landscape in order to succeed. Nowadays teams are more agile and can work together from across the globe.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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SeedInvest will change the game. For the first time in history, entrepreneurs don’t need to knock on doors to find and convince the 1% to invest in them. They will be able to pitch millions at once and raise small amounts from lots of people.

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SeedInvest empowers entrepreneurs to raise capital in a way that has never been done before. Convince “The Crowd” and fund your business. Fail and you’ll know your idea wasn’t worthy.

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Photo: Ryan Feit

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For the first time in 80 years, anyone will be able to invest in the new restaurant down the street or the next hot startup. SeedInvest is about the 99%. You don’t need to be rich, you just need a computer. Join us at seedinvest.com.

About The Author: Ryan Feit is enrolled in the MBA program: Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

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Editor’s Note: To read more articles by Ryan Feit, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Vietnamese Poster

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Toan Nguyen

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In this series, I explored the contrast between the country where I’m originally from, Vietnam and America. There exist two different regimes in each country. Vietnam is a communist regime while America is a capitalist country. Although very different in its governmental and social structure, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party state. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society. Only political organizations affiliated with or endorsed by the Communist Party are permitted to contest elections. These include the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, worker and trade unionist parties.

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Vietnam

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The authoritative government maintains its power using various methods including propaganda. Propaganda posters can be seen everywhere on the streets of Vietnam. Posters provided one of the few effective means for the Government to communicate directly with the predominantly rural population of the country. The overall theme that many of these posters accentuate, is that Communism is the best form of government and ideology to ever exist. For example, the text in the first image translates “The Party is hope, the Party is intellect”. The symbol of hammer and sickle appear on almost every propaganda poster in Vietnam, representing Communist ideology.

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Vietnamese Soldier

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The solder in the photo stands to guard an army base. The Vietnamese army is occasionally deployed to disperse a gathering crowd. Thus this soldier represents force in the Vietnamese government way of maintaining power.

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Times Square NYC

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The next series of photos were shot in America. The first shot was taken at Times Square in New York. This location is widely known for massive billboards and banners. Times Square thus epitomizes the heart of capitalism, in which the audience is bombarded with advertisements, a form of propaganda. This therefore raises interesting questions of whether or not there is a stark difference between Vietnam and America because one uses propaganda to maintain power, and the other uses it to sell products – yet the method and effect on the populous are pretty much the same.

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Occupy

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The fifth photo was captured during the Occupy Wall Street movement. The OWS protests are against social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector. Their slogan “We are the 99%”, addresses the growing income inequality and wealth distribution in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. This movement which this photo captures, questions the effectiveness of capitalism.

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Protestors

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The final photograph in the series depicts two women with their lips sealed. The sign in front of them reads “No Money, No Voice”. This message conveys a lack of freedom of speech and also raises questions of whether there is a difference between communism and capitalism as freedom of speech is absent in both regimes.

About The Author: Toan Nguyen is a freshman enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2015.

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Editor’s Note: To read more articles by Toan Nguyen, go to the search bar at the of the page: enter name and click green icon.

A Life Left Behind

Posted on April 20, 2012

Adachi: March for Trayvon Martin

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Ryun Hobbs

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……….On March 26, The 1,000,000 Hoodie March was held in honor of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year old boy shot and killed a month prior on February 26, 2012. There is still much confusion and accusation surrounding his case – such as whether the shooter, George Zimmerman, was chasing after Trayvon, or if there was an altercation. However, some facts are undeniable. There is a 17-year old who is dead and a big reason is because his hoodie made him look “suspicious. Communities of all racial and social groups throughout the nation became enraged at this unjustified murder, demanding that justice be served. This is a series of photos taken before the arrest of George Zimmerman, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Trayvon march.

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I first saw this woman pushing a baby stroller while holding the march poster in the early stages of the procession. Adachi (Adachi.photography@gmail.com) is no stranger to protests, having photographed many of them herself. Her passion for capturing the essence of justice, however, does not stop her from being a caring mother. Both of her children accompanied her as they made a stand together.

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Skittes and Juice

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Some people never are content with sitting back and staying silent. This woman is such a person – she is “armed” with the Skittles and iced tea that Trayvon also possessed at his death, but she is also armed with her voice. Her numerous badges, like military ribbons, flash ceremoniously in the sunlight, making statements about the different inequalities in the world.

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March for Trayvon

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Despite his tough exterior, this man is a peaceful giant. Holding up his sign with extreme ease, he calls for the end of violence and the beginning of peace. “Children are our future,” the sign says, and the image of the shaking hands between cannot help but evoke memories of the late Doctor M. L. King, who had dreamed long ago of a community that rose above racial tension.

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March for Trayvon

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Protesting is almost never a solitary thing. Here, a family expresses their dissatisfaction together, bound to each other not only by their blood but by their mission. It is often easy to forget about murder victims’ families when first learning of the case, but seeing this family and their signs made me wonder how the Martin family Is faring. Condolences go out to them for their loss.

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Love

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As seen in the pictures above, advocates for justice and equality come in all shapes and sizes – spanning multiple ethnic and age differences. After all, we are all a community that must stick together when it is necessary. What keeps everyone together is a bit of anger, a bit of dissatisfaction, and a lot of love – for each other, for the victims, and for what is right.

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R.I.P. Trayvon Martin

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Not everyone’s voice is always heard, but many want to try whatever they can to make their stand as strong as possible. Here, two people sign large canvases of the late Trayvon Martin, which were delivered to his family after the march. Although it may not be a protest sign, it is still a testament to the expectation of receiving equal rights, instead of stereotyped caricatures.

About The Author: Ryun H. Hobbs is a senior enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012

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Editor’s Note: To read more articles by Ryun Hobbs, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

R.I.P.

Posted on March 24, 2012

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Editor’s Note: To learn more about Mikel Elam’s work, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Mike: Rain 1

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Ryun H. Hobbs

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……….. Which is the more powerful emotion – happiness or despair?

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My boyfriend Mike and I have been together for a year. We have made each other very happy on many occasions, and those are very precious moments in our relationship. There have also been struggles and mistakes made, many of them on my part, which have caused us both a lot of anguish. When assigned this task, I had only one image invade my thoughts, which I tried to capture with this picture series.

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Mike: Rain - 2

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He’s the kind of person that will let worries take over – if he wakes up in a bad mood, he will have a storm cloud hanging over him all day long. Things have been fine until earlier this semester – I decided that instead of the career route I was originally considering, I wanted to try my hands at musical theater in New York. This meant that he, already having accepted an offer at Microsoft in Mountain View, CA, would be on the other side of the country. This decision has led us to discuss things that we still are not ready to tackle: long-distance relationships, breaking up, our future…

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Many recent nights have been spent trying to console each other and discuss our situation to no relief. Even though I was scared that making him pose in a sad way would upset him for that night, the image of his worried expressions have completely taken over my mind. I thought to capture his feelings of sadness and paralyzing confusion through the lens.

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Mike: Rain - 3

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One night in particular was the hardest. We both knew that we could not avoid the topic that time, even if we wanted to. He asked if we wanted to stay together, and I did – but a long-distance relationship? Many people believe they just don’t work out. I was unable to tell him how I felt, if I even knew how I felt. He just seemed to collapse from the silence. Looking for the right words to say, I remained wordless – as did he.

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What could we say? We essentially agreed on things – we did not want to break up, but could we hold up a working relationship after graduation? It seemed as if I had more doubt than he did. Yes, I was happy with him, but we are both young and it has only been a year. We both needed to work on our careers and developing ourselves. I began to speak those words…

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Mike: Rain - 4

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To get the response that I expected, but did not want to get. It was the most pain that I have seen on his face in the entire year that we have been together. This image has been branded into my mind since. Even though we have been able to work it out a bit since that night, as graduation day looms, the relationship seems to lose the vibrance that it had not too long ago.

About The Author: Ryun H. Hobbs is a senior enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012

Myra-1

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Meghan Hussey

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……….Myra is one of the most dynamic people I know. I was interested in using photography to capture different aspects of her personality and identity. This year she cut her hair short, inspired by the classic beauty Audrey Hepburn. I asked her to dress however she liked, and she came in a simple outfit that I thought well suited her: a t-shirt and jeans, with a leather jacket that captures her spunk and edge, as well as a beautiful scarf from Pakistan and feather earrings that were both bright pink – a color that captures her vibrant personality perfectly.

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Myra - 2

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Myra is Pakistani-American. She was born in the US and can project the cool confidence of her native Texas. Her love of this country shows through her love of politics and public service. She is also brilliant: she speaks 5 languages and in May will leave to take a gap year in Asia improving her Chinese and Korean before going to law school.

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Myra - 3

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Myra is the youngest in her family and is not afraid to be silly. She has an amazing ability to lose her inhibitions and act like a kid again. Since we have become friends we have accumulated hilarious stories that could go on for days.

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Myra - 4

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Recently, it was revealed that the NYPD has been monitoring a number of Muslim Student Association groups, including the one at Penn to which Myra belongs, without their knowledge and with no cause for suspicion other than their religion. This experience with profiling, along with the lack of strong support from the University, has ignited a sense of anger in both Myra and myself as her friend. They don’t see all of the pieces that make her a unique individual. All they care about is that she is Muslim, since that is enough to make her a threat in their eyes.

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Myra - 5

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Myra is also a ball of energy and fun to be around. Her global interests come through when she enjoys herself. She loves to dance to Bollywood music and sing Karaoke to Taiwanese pop songs. She has a large and multi-cultural circle of friends because of her caring nature and her ability to light up the room.

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Myra - 6

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Yet, Myra embraces Islam as an integral part of her identity. During our shoot she took a break to pray, like many faithful Muslims do at certain times of the day, covering her hair with her scarf. She does not hide her heritage or feel ashamed of it, even though she has faced ignorance and racism. I hope that one day people will be able to accept her Muslim faith as a beautiful part of what makes her whole, and also realize that identity is multi-dimensional and it is in that complexity that our real humanity lies.

About The Author: Meghan Hussey is a Candidate for BA in International Relations and Political Science Minor in International Development, Certificate in Mandarin at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2012

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Copyright 2012