I don't think these people fully understand the economic repercussions this "law" will have, especially since we are already in a recession.

Oh well, I am going to start looking into other industries. Mine is about to be fucked.

It sucks sitting here and seeing news story after news story about how a convention got cancelled or how San Francisco is boycotting all Arizona businesses and tom what...to get Juan out of the kitchen and back to Mexico? They keep trying to feed us that this is about keeping us safe because I am sure that the people smugglers and kidnappers are really concerned about their immigration status, like they don't know they are already breaking much bigger laws.

I agree that we do need to do something about the number of illegal immigrants coming in, and yes, this probably is a deterrent, but what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to now ask my landscapers who are Hispanic to see their papers? What about my white pool guy? Is he exempt or should I ask him too? After all , I understand that if you employee an illegal, you get busted too,and well, I'm employing them right?

The sky isn't falling...yet. To date only one group has cancelled at the Camelback Inn and they were immigration lawyers (no real surprise there). Most groups will make their decision based off of what's best for their business and won't partake in politics. If they can get a great group rate in AZ vs. CA guess where they're going to book. I don't think we're going to lose too many groups to Denver during Jan-April period.

I dunno. I am asked on a daily basis by east coast tourists if everyone in arizona has a gun.

I sure wish Bloomberg would shut his pie hole. He's commenting about boycotting AZ, yet he should be more concerned about his own city's reputation and how its residents take care of their own - (slain homeless man left to die on NY street) - http://www.timesnewsline.com/news/Th...et-1272379646/

Oh no, they just paid for their "past use" of the photo. I still retain all rights to it and can continue to sell it for the foreseeable future. Here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...sunsetcopy.jpg

:D

--don

damn... if only it were exposed a bit more. Already a great shot but could be phenomenal.

I know you like to underexpose a bit though.

Don you'll have to redo one similar to that once the Court tower is finished, it would be an interesting contrast to see.

Wow, gorgeous shot. I haven't seen that one before.

^ Thanks, all. :)

I think slight underexposure adds more "character" to the image. I also took it in August 2004 with a 6.3 megapixel entry-level dSLR when I didn't know as much as I do now about taking photos. That was a once or twice a year sunset, though.

The image was stolen by Skyy Vodka ad agency in the summer of 2009 and used to advertise a "Skyy Infusions Launch Party" at the Devil's Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. I busted them when I was "invited" to be friends with Skyy Vodka on Myspace (of all places) and found my image there with Skyy's verbiage all over it (I can share what they did when I get home; it's not uploaded to my site yet). Needless to say, I was pissed, primarily because I could have really used the licensing fees for the image while I was looking for legal work after finishing law school in May.

So, I wrote them a nice little cease and desist letter, and then followed that up with a demand letter. It took me nine months but it was sweet nonetheless.

Do note something I learned in this process:

Unless you specifically copyright your photos, you can only claim actual damages in a suit over infringement. That will be tough to prove, especially if your income stream from said photos is not steady. Copyrighting your photos with the federal government entitles you to statutory (treble) damages, amongst other things. I will be doing so forthwith...and once I learn the process, I can share it with you.

--don

That's crazy, I remember stumbling upon that picture on a Google Images search years and years ago.

^ And I had Google take it down.

Someone had uploaded one of my aerial shots to Wikipedia last year. They declined my offer to simply give me credit for the photo and leave it up, so I had them take it down as well.

I get to decide when my photos are given to the world...not someone else on my behalf.

I don't really mind if someone takes a photo for a screenshot or just to look at on their hard drive - you know, personal use. But corporate entities get no pass from me.

--don

That makes sense.

It's still on my old hard drive in the garage. Either way, it's an amazing photo :)

Does anybody on here sell their high resolution pics of Phx as a way to make a little extra cash?

You know, you could have edited the photo posted on Wikipedia to give you credit.

I do. It depends on what you want to use the photo for, in terms of prices. Desktop background? No charge...but you won't be getting the full res version of the image. In fact, I don't ever release my original full res images to any client. I edit the image in photoshop and sell them the edited image.

As for editing photos on Wikipedia, I don't know how to do that and wasn't inclined to learn. In addition, I believe, to leave the photo there, that you have to release it to the public domain, and this I am not willing to do as a general rule.

--don

Was just on the 23rd floor of the Great American Tower meeting an attorney when we had to evacuate due to a fire alarm. Upon leaving the building, I saw no signs of smoke or fire, so I left.

--don

OMG, really?!

^ Hey, at least I didn't start my own thread about it. :D

There was a part of me hoping that there would be something worth photographing when I made it outside, as my camera was in the trunk of my car parked across the street, but I'm glad there was nothing to see. I did enjoy schlepping down 23 flights of stairs, although there was this one hot blond chick in five inch heels I was feeling sorry for. :)

--don

I'm fairly certain, I'm one of the few citizens who live down town who is actually armed. Nearly all of my neighbors are misguided liberals.

I carry

Has anyone seen the Spike TV show "Players"? Its got former UCB people in it, and I guess it just got picked up for a few more episodes. I only mention it because it takes place in Phoenix. You can see whole episodes online, they show a stock skyline of Phoenix and the sports bar where it takes place has little Southwestern touches like saguaro neon lights. The shots are pretty recent that they use of Downtown, they have the Sheraton in them. You can see an episode here:
http://www.spike.com/full-episode/kristas-mom/36432

Though the episode I just started watching had a character say "Hey I just got a new condo downtown, by the water"...odd...maybe he means Tempe :P

Anyway, they don't shoot it here, its all shot in a studio in LA somewhere but its cool to see a show set here.

AZ economy
 

http://www.azcentral.com/business/ar...ecast0430.html

"The leisure and hospitality sector, which includes hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and movie theaters, is expected to add jobs....Also, as the worldwide economy improves, international tourism may pick up."

This is a huge assumption. If anything, the EU is worse off this year than last.

maybe down by the water meant he is a los angeles resident who forgot he was taping a show?

^ It also ignores the fallout from SB1070's passage in Arizona. I can pretty much assure you we will see fewer visitors to Arizona as a result.

You know, this is what happens when you build an economy around sprawl largely predicated on the construction of single family homes. Low taxes means generally a poor education system and the government here lacks the tools to compete with other wealthier states. I am starting to think that sprawl and high automobile usage results in a dehumanizing effect on some people, where they become more selfish and care less about their city as a result. Then they become more reactionary and vote to give up civil rights...

--don

apparently there is another new show that takes place in the valley. "Sunset Daze"... a real housewives type of show except the cast is made up of seniors. Kinda cool to have a show based out of here, but not cool that all it is going to showcase is Surprise, endless subdivisions of senior citizen communities, the same stereotype that everyone already has of phoenix.

Don, please move. I really don't understand why people like you don't move. Just move to San Francisco where your life will so obviously be better.

Are you one of those people that incessantly complains about something, yet does nothing about it? Do people in real life even like you or is it just the veil of the computer/internet forum that allows you to be a person that seems fairly insufferable?

Absolutely. It changes the behavior of the populace. This is why people are somewhat reluctant to go DT in Phx, because, god forbid, they may have to interact with others in an unfamiliar urban setting.

^ Not good.

Don is a repeat criminal who wants to be a lawyer. Who better to complain about enforcement of LAWS.

I would typically agree. Don does seem to just have a loathing for Phoenix, and I don't understand why people like that stay and bitch about everything instead of finding a new city that will actually make them happy.

This is an odd post to call him out on though since he's pretty much right...

Yep, I agree with Don this time and I usually roll my eye when I read one of his whaa posts. But he has a point here, this city and the suburb cities banked for decades on the construction industry, simply expecting more single family homes to sustain the economy. It was great while it lasted but eventually we were going to hit a wall and we did. I don’t think there are going to be very many proponents on this forum that favor sprawl, even though most of us probably live in these types of communities. There’s nothing wrong with pointing out that we live in a city full of neighborhoods where no one seems to know each other, where people prefer their blocked in back yards than spending time in an urban core. Trust me I grew up here, it’s the “get off of my land” mentality, and to change that into a culture that embraces urbanization is going to take a long, long, long time.

Speak for yourself. I know and socialize with everybody in my neighborhood. We get together for neighborhood get togethers or just to let the kids play. Guess that's what its like living in Phoenix' original urban sprawl circa the late 1920s.

Yeah, and your probably speaking for yourself as well as I bet you that you are in the minority. I too grew up in an older neighborhood where everyone new each other but as soon I purchased my first home that all changed. The reality is that those types of neighborhoods are rare. You have to agree that for the most part the metro area is dominated by new track housing which doesn't equate to established neighborhoods.

I dunno, my good friend lives, of all places, in Maricopa... the epitome of the horrid track sprawl neighborhood. But he and his neighbors are completely best of friends, they hang out, all the families watch each others' kids, etc. That area isn't for me, which is why I live in central phoenix. But, different strokes for different folks.

But as for Don, the grass is always greener on the other side. Rest assured, even the "urban utopian" cities have their own major problems. Hopefully when you get there those problems don't bother you as much.

A "repeat criminal?" Do tell...

By the way, your comment is the very definition of an "ad hominem attack." I won't bother educating you, though, since you think it is perfectly fine to give police more powers that surely will be abused...

--don

Actually, I have many real life friends and the photos to prove it, not that I need to prove anything to you. Do you always go about speculating on things that you know nothing about? Or are you so sensitive about Phoenix that any comment, no matter how accurate it may or may not be, will get your panties into a wad?

As for moving? No, I'm talking to Jon Talton to try and get him to move back here...LOL. His latest article is almost comical, in that if you think I'm overly critical, he makes me look like one of the infamous San Antonio boosters on this forum from some years ago:

http://www.roguecolumnist.typepad.com/rogue_columnist/

--don

How much time have you spent in correctional facilities? How many times have you been in the back of a police cruiser in cuffs? I judge you by your actions, not your words.
The law is the law. You obviously don't want to follow laws. As far as abuse, that can be addressed if and when it happens. Mere fear of abuses does not a bad piece of legislation make. Illegal immigration is just that... ILLEGAL.

So was throwing tea in Boston Harbor.

So you are saying that a good things can come from a bunch of rich, white, slave owning males not wanting to pay taxes? ;)

So... we'd all be better off paying more attention to Talton? A deranged former ambulance driver with zero business experience with a special knack for snarky writing, a clear grudge against Christianity, and the ability to quickly and unjustifiably pull the race card? That bozo?

The guy is a bitter blowhard, a one-trick-pony (Phoenix bashing). He needs to remove the enormous chip from his shoulder and quit being a failure at life. The sooner he and others stop relying on government to solve their problems and instead figure it out for themselves, the better off we'll all be. Just because Talton couldn't hack it here, doesn't mean we all can't.

As much as it pains me to say this, his contribution to Phoenix Noir was the only good part of such a disappointment of a book. Now, if only he had finished that short story.

Whose law? The Brits? You'd be hard-pressed to find a reasonable individual to support taxation without representation, which is precisely what sparked the "Tea Party" among the colonists.

How the Tea Party compares to illegal immigration, I have no idea. There are legal channels to obtain citizenship and all of the benefits (including representation) that come with it in this nation. We are not a land of lawlessness and chaos, which I would presume is one of the many reasons our country proves so attractive to outsiders.

When someone wishes to move to another country, do you expect the person to adapt to the country or the country to adapt to the person?

As much as Democrats would like to court illegals, shower them with entitlements, and hand them citizenship to instantly provide them 12 million more voters, I don't believe this sort of manipulation to be healthy for our future.

Well the Americans were British citizens at that time, so yes the were subject to the British crowns laws.

That may be true now, but wasn't then. Which is why taxing colonist without representing them was so widespread throughout all Imperial Nations.

Because both our current immigration laws and the laws the British crown placed on the Colonist at the time were immoral and deserve to be over thrown or ignored and subverted in any way possible.

Do you have any clue how hard it is to become a US Citizen these days? Its not like the 1920's when we let a flood of people in through Ellis Island, there are huge restrictions on becoming a US Citizen, even for well educated, hard working folks. When you're living in squalor in a 3rd world country and a land of opportunity is just a short jaunt a way, do you really expect people to stay in the squalor because of some idiotic law?

I've had many friends desperately try to become US citizens and they've had to return to their home countries because getting citizenship here is so difficult.

I really don't care either way. Statements like this are generally just thinly veiled racism or xenophobia. Whats it matter if someone moves here and doesn't become Americanized? Isn't what makes America great how different we all are?

I drove by the Sikh Temple in Coronado the other day, I saw about 10 guys in Turbans playing Cricket. Should I have shouted "put on ball caps and play baseball like an American you brownies!"? They were having fun and I got to watch a few minutes of cricket, it was pretty cool if you ask me.

Most immigrants by the 2nd and 3rd generation become pretty homogenized with the rest of society and anyone who knew anything about history would already be aware of that.

I don't know what this has to do with anything. I'm not a Democrat, I'm an American, part of being an American is welcoming in as many immigrants as possible.

Our National immigration policy ought to be: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

If you can't get on board with that, I'm not sure how you can call yourself an American. Lets streamline the immigration process and let in more of everyone, not just Hispanics. More Indians, South Americans, Europeans, whoever. If they're willing to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, often times leave their families, just for a thin shot at improving their lives, they sound like the sort of people I want in my country.

We've got plenty of room and plenty of opportunity for everyone, we ought to re open the golden door.

I do not normally get involved when people start "bashing" each other on the forums, but I have to chime in here. Just because you do not agree or like one's comments, does not mean you have to start attacking them and calling them out personally. That is low blows.

It is one thing to disagree, but come on, let's play nice.:D

why would we play nice?:frog:

Incorrect.

Yes. Maybe they should improve their own countries. We have enough trouble without them bringing their problems here.

Have you looked at the unemployment numbers. We don't need any more bodies in this country.


OK, that's just BS. I can now see why you feel the way you do.

No, you obviously don't understand the own melting pot reference you alluded to. People coming here should ENRICH the US, not be their own little clicks and pockets. This country isn't Canada, Mexico, India, the UK, Korea, or whatever hole you are fleeing, its the USA, so don't try to make it what you left.

Only when we needed BODIES. We haven't needed unskilled labor in many decades.

See above.

I'm sure how I can call myself American. Not sure about how you sleep at night though.

Lets set up an exchange. For each hardworking, honest, law abiding, educated citizen we let in, the country of origination has to take a liberal in return.

On this we greatly disagree.

Hoover,

We live in a complicated world, much different than the one when an idealistic inscription was placed on the Statue of Liberty. I agree that the process to become a citizen is absurdly lengthy, can be burdensome, and certainly needs to be improved. Until that happens, current laws should be respected.

Pulling the racism/xenophobia card is ridiculously unfair and inaccurate. You are aware that many illegals have blue eyes and blonde hair, correct? I don't give a rat's behind if they are green with purple polk-a-dots.

I've been blessed to travel around the world quite a bit and I've seen the way others live first-hand. I'm the first to admit that it's only by the grace of God that I was so fortunate to be born in the United States and yes, if I was born into a 3rd world country, I too would be looking for a better quality of life elsewhere. Life is not always fair, unfortunately. Becoming an American is a privilege, not a right.

Yes, I expect newcomers to learn American history, learn our language, and respect our culture and I see nothing outlandish about that expectation. THIS DOES NOT MEAN ABANDONING THEIR OWN CULTURE.

Calling our illegal immigration laws immoral is interesting to say the least. Obviously, not everyone in our society sees morality the same way. Some goofball on these boards the other day said he didn't feel obligated to continue to pay his mortgage because "we don't live in that moral world any more." I now know that some think morals can suddenly change based on circumstance. Pathetic.

Never called you a Democrat. Merely pointed out why the Dems take the stance they take. If you think it's not political, I don't know what to tell you.

I lambasted Sean for that irresponsible outlook. Should be criminal in my opinion. Nobody has personal responsibility any more.

"Because both our current immigration laws and the laws the British crown placed on the Colonist at the time were immoral and deserve to be over thrown or ignored and subverted in any way possible."

Those that believe it justifiable to blow up abortion clinics would give a healthy round of applause to the quote above.