GQ has a profile on Manny Pacquiao.
What’s more, Pacquiao is an unimaginably wealthy self-made man who could easily make himself even wealthier by moving to the United States to decrease his tax liabilities and multiply his endorsement opportunities. This is, in fact, the Philippine way, and has been for more than a hundred years; Filipinos who dream of building better lives for themselves and their families go to America and send money home. But this is not Manny Pacquiao’s way. Because…he is Manny Pacquiao. And Manny Pacquiao has chosen to find his bliss at home. “Not just in the Philippines,” says Abac Cordero, who covers boxing for The Philippine Star. “In his hometown. The place he started. You cannot understand how this has stunned us Filipinos. That Manny Pacquiao chose us.”
I’ve always found the narrative arc of heroes and villains in professional sports more interesting than the fights themselves; something about the evolution of a character’s mythos makes a sport worth watching.
(Here’s a highlight reel for Manny. For shits and giggles, here’s a reel for Roy Jones Jr. (which I find to be a showcase of unbelievable speed and agility).)
I’ve been busy with a new semi-regular job, releasing my first self-published book, figuring out how to buy a suit jacket that fits me (and acquiring it before the third of April), and preparing for a week-long trip to Chicago. I have, however, been using any downtime to re-watch the first season of Battlestar Galactica. Grace Park is 35 years old; can you believe that? Frak.
I’ve been saying that the one thing that would get me to move back to the East Coast would be my former local favorite: Pies ‘n’ Thighs. They closed down a few years back but they’re finally reopened as of today. I guess that means I better start packing my bags.
Someone’s been doing research through the message boards. What’s up 3sixteen?
The decline of professional photography
The NY Times takes a small shot at what’s been going on with the evolution of digital photography technology and its impact on the industry. Sites like Flickr have been a massive source for Getty since they opened up their users’ images for licensing; photographers, assistants, and digital technicians alike are finding it more difficult to maintain the same day rates; costs are still soaring (and the pay rates still haven’t increased for shit in decades — unless you count the paltry online royalties that get tacked on to the day rate nowadays); and there’s a bunch of artists out there (me) hungry for some work but don’t have (m)any opportunities.
When you have such affordable digital technology, why would anyone pay a working photographer their day rate when you can just bust out your 15-megapixel dSLR camera and do it yourself? I’ve been trying to figure that out since I finished school and it remains to be seen if any of my attempts at an alternative business model will prove any success.