TonyWardStudio.com

Silf-Portrait 2011

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Tony Ward

.

……….I would like to thank all of the contributors, friends and colleagues who have supported TWS over the course of an extraordinary year of growth. You have made this a very special year for the audience that follows TWS. Your contributions have been most inspiring. I look forward to the coming year with great enthusiasm, anticipation, and the expectation that our audience will continue to grow and expand – well in to the new year and years to come.

.

I would like to especially thank my colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania for providing an exceptional venue to share information, and most importantly, the students who have taught me the joy and importance of teaching. Happy New Year!

Bob Shell: Heidi

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Bob Shell

.

……….I’m enclosing a recent photo of me. Not for its artistic value, which is nil, but because I had to explain to the man who takes the pictures here how to set the camera. It was a little Kodak point and shoot digital with minimal features, but with the ability to make some basic settings. As I was holding the camera and showing him how to set it so the flash would fire and he would not get ghastly green, heavily shadowed photos under the fluorescent lights here, it suddenly hit me: This is the first camera of any sort that I have had in my hands in four and a half years! That thought brought tears to my eyes, and does again as I write this. Photography was my life, and it is an obscene form of mental torture to deprive me of it. I think that bothers me more than anything else about what was done to me by the system.

.

Bob Shell: Pocahontas State Correctional Center, 11-11-2011

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.
.
Editor’s Note: Bob Shell was recently visited in prison by TWS associates to assist with his appeal process. To learn more about the case log on to www.BobShellTruth.com.

Gina Cotter

About The Photographer: Gina Cotter is enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on December 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

.

Well, as I thought about “Believe”, I pondered reasons to believe in President Obama. The problems that this country faces aren’t something that can be solved in a sprint. This is going to take someone with the fortitude of a marathon runner. And, that man is President Barack Obama. His leadership of our country is a steady and peaceful calm, compared to those who wish to defeat him and his ideas.

.

It would be so easy for the President to get angry and flail around like a chicken with his head cut off, every time the opposition blocks him. Yet, he strides with pride And, for that, I think the level of hatred towards him rises many levels across the political spectrum.

.

BELIEVE

.

Believe that we are on the right path
Believe in the vision of the Obama plan
Believe that it might not be perfect
But, believe that he is on the side of the American people
Believe that he is a man of strength of character
Believe he has the integrity to get the job done
Believe that this is the man for the our times
Change isn’t easy
No one but a fool would believe that
Change isn’t a sprint
Believing in change is a marathon
Believe in strides this country is taking
Believe that faith is the path to future success for us all
We didn’t get into all the problems we have today overnight
And, we won’t fix these problems with just a snap of the fingers
We all know that the economic downturn lingers
Yet, the race is before us and not behind us
Believe that we ALL have a stake in our country’s future
Believe we all MUST work together to make it better
If only we BELIEVE in something beyond just ourselves
The FUTURE will put us all on the path to recovery
Believe in PRESIDENT Barack Obama
Because OBAMA is doing the job as best as he can
Believe FOUR more years is deserved by this man
Believe in Obama/Biden 2012
Believe in them and the next four years will make a CHANGE that lasts
This is HOPE of placing on our running shoes to win
This race is long but our WILL is strong
This is FAITH in America’s greatness
This is why we BELIEVE IN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!
BELIEVE!!

Editor’s Note: This is the third collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

A.H. Scott

Posted on November 17, 2011 by A.H. Scott

.

………..I couldn’t resist sending in this poem. It’s not sexy, but it’s definitely political. I was inspired to write it after the ouster of the Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park in New York City. Something that isn’t broadly mentioned in the media, is the fact that Diana Taylor, who is on the board of directors for the company that owns Zuccotti Park (Brookfield Properties), is the girlfriend of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It got me to thinking about the power of connections and associations. Brookfield Properties were the ones who sent a letter to the Mayor’s office to get the protesters evicted in a post-Midnight raid. Now, coincidence is something I believe in. Yet, this action by the NYPD didn’t just come about out of thin air.

.

So, this poem is titled, “PILLOW TALK SCREWS THE 99%”. I think the title explains it all. The games the rich and influential play are like puppet-masters to the marionettes of the masses.

.

Lolly was a lobbyist who did her job well
Her bank account always filled to a swell
Loopholes written by others she slid through with ease
To all of her clients, she did what she had to do to please
Paul was a politician with a Pepsodent smile
He relished his position of snorting at the public well
No one would say he was a pig
Yet, his coffers of donations continued to get big
Bart was a banker who knew all the right palms to grease
This even brought lovely Lolly to her knees
Bedfellows and bed-gals do the Potomac Mambo between the sheets and lines of morality
Those who have access to the three sides of this twisted triangle, bare a leg and a wad of green
Lolly, Paul and Bart lived for an ultimate turn of the trick
For the ones who they adored screwing the most were
Jane Q. Citizen & John Q. Public
Pillow talk screws the 99%, again and again…..

About The Author: Draped in freedom’s spirit, A.H. Scott is a sizzling scribe of unveiling sensuality. Residing in New York City, this writer is armed with pouting pen of passion and pulsating digits pounding against keyboard. Between this lady’s manicured fingers, a snaggy stylus lacerates parchment and masticates digits against a misting keyboard towards a just climax literary longing. She’s a new voice and vision of fiction. who has been writing short stories and poetry ever since childhood.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on October 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

.

……….Thinking about the Occupy Wall Street movement and the mass arrests across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, October 1, 2011; I couldn’t let my pen stay silent. This poem is titled, “UNITY”.

.

“Unity is what the ruling class fears most. When the 99 percent unite against the 1 percent, then things in this country will make a shift towards equality for all. Roaring river of righteousness will wash over those heightened fences of hubris which those of closed ears & minds inhabit. Unity is the brass key to unlock a brighter future for us all. Our raised voices are the defiance that will rock the foundations of white gloved arrogance. UNIFY & DEFY..!!”

Editor’s Note: This is the second collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Artwork by Mikel Elam

Posted on September 9, 2011 by A.H. Scott

.

I am honored that TWS would consider me to do this poem. I am excited for the upcoming re-election of the President. And, I hope I can do him justice with a poem about TRUST.

.

As someone who voted for President Obama, I was moved by his message of HOPE. It is true as TW said, that the next step in the movement is about TRUST. Because, I will be honest with you, TW, there are many people that I talk to that are feeling a bit uneasy with the President’s constant compromising with the GOP Congress. Hopefully, when he IS re-elected, his power base will force the GOP to have to let some of his initiatives get passed through the House.
.

As I put my poem together, I envisioned President Obama as Commander of our ship of state. At the helm of this ship, he’s leading us towards a hopeful horizon. Even with his critics trying to turn the ship backwards in time, we must trust that this man is capable to lead this country into the future.

.

I even thought of Ted Kennedy and his family’s reverence for the sea when I began to write this poem. Life is like the ocean and we all are drawn upon the waves and tides that transform our hearts and souls to strive for change. Trusting President Barack Obama is easy. Because, what’s on the other side of the political ledger is hideous and will move this country backwards, in so many ways. Thanks again for the offer TWS.

TRUST

.

The ship of state faces choppy seas of ideological divisions
Commander at it’s helm holds the spyglass towards the horizon
We are all passengers upon this ship
And, to keep on course, all hands must be on deck quickly
Some view the horizon as the setting sun upon their sphere of influence
Some see the sun rising across the horizon with an optimistic purpose
Snappy slogans won’t get us out of this mess,
As gnats of negativity brew in their own distress
Fear is simple
Trust is complicated
Promises never materialize overnight
Yet, a cautious vision can bring clarity in sight
Trust is knowing that the Navigator in Chief is working hard to make things right
Our hearts have embraced hope
Now, is the moment to chart a course with trust
At the helm of this ship of state is a capable man
Yes we can
Keep the faith, baby
Yes we can
Believe beyond the hype
Yes we can
Trust Hope

Editor’s Note: This is the first collaboration of TWS contributors for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Congressman Pat Meehan

Posted on August 30, 2011 by MoveOn.org

.

The Tea Party is gearing up to put thousands of activists in town hall meetings this month. But with Congress at home, those of us in the American Dream movement have a chance to stop them in their tracks.

.

State representative Patrick Meehan is holding a public event at 50 Powell Road, Springfield, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 7:00 PM. We need a strong showing to turn the tide and change the focus to jobs, not cuts.

.

The tea party’s radical demands just got America’s credit downgraded for the first time in history. This tea party downgrade will hurt every American family, so Rep. Meehan needs to know his constituents want him to focus on restoring the economy by creating jobs, not making more cuts to vital programs. By keeping the focus on “Jobs Not Cuts” we can change the discussion and get Congress working on getting America back to work.

.

Rep. Pat Meehan

.

Town hall meetings are a great opportunity to find out where our elected officials stand, and push for progressive change. With a loud visible presence, we can make sure that Rep. Meehan knows the tea party doesn’t represent his constituents. And by getting him on the record, we can make sure voters know who will really work to create jobs and rebuild the American Dream.

Editor’s Note: To learn more about the event, log on to www.MoveOn.org