Peace on Earth, good will to all in 2011

Thank you for visiting my blog. I wish you all well, and a Happy New Year in 2011.

Omar Khadr verdict- trial is over

The verdict finally came in on Sunday late afternoon. The jury deliberated for quite some time, and had some testimony replayed.
Finally, the word came out; the jury was ready, and the sentence had been reached. Jury gave Omar 40 years, much more than anyone had anticipated, sending out a strong message. But a plea deal was set in place, so the actual time served is a maximum of 8 years- 1 in Guantanamo, and then he will serve the rest of the time in Canada.
Read Michelle Shephard's account from Toronto Star HERE

Days 5 and 6, Khadr trial

Closing arguments were put forward to the jury, and we now await the verdict. On hold until 12:30 tomorrow, Oct. 31.

Khadr day 4 afternoon-Khadr apologizes

What an emotional-filled day in court. Omar Khadr took the stand for the first time, and apologized to widow Tabitha Speer.
Prior to that, a Canadian christian college professer spoke about her communication and opinions with and of Omar Khadr.

Day 4 Khadr trial

The widow of soldier mortally wounded during battle reads a letter her children wrote to Omar Khadr, who pled guilty charges of manslaughter. Emotions ran high. Earlier testimony via video conferencing from Afghanistan by a soldier testified he believed Omar can be 'rehabilitated'.

Day 3 Khadr

Today's sketches.. 6 in total.

Day 2 Khadr trial

Day two, Omar Khadr trial in Guantanamo Bay. We saw )and heard) what an exploding russian grenade does to a truck, landmine elements, and a few witnesses. Off to court in a few minutes, so closing for now.

Khadr pleads guilty- Oct 25, 2010

This morning Omar Khadr pled guilty to charges that included mortally wounding a U.S. soldier during combat over eight years ago. Here we see him pleading guilty under oath. Trial will continue with military jury and witnesses present tomorrow.
Here is a more detailed outline in a statement released by military spokesperson Maj. Tanya Bradsher:
"The Department of Defense announced that Omar Khadr pled guilty today in a
military commission. In accordance with a pre-trial agreement, Mr. Khadr
admitted, in open court, to committing murder in violation of the law of
war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, providing material
support to terrorism, conspiracy, and spying. His sentence will be
determined at a hearing that begins Tuesday."

Sketching on the fly; camp tour in gitmo

We did a 'camp tour' yesterday. I brought my sketchpad and sketched while we were moving through. It's a good challenge, and practice for me. It was one of the quicker tours, moving through at a pretty good clip, maybe 10 minutes in each area at most. We toured camps 5 and 6, and the hospital. My sketches were OPSEC'ed- approved by military- before posting.

A new Martin Luther King, Jr. poster

I had the honor of doing another MLK poster; this time I used Wordle to break down Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech into
a word cloud, to me a graphically beautiful background that has meaning as well.

World War Two veteran Pete Cavallo, servicing the 28th/ 39th Division

I have had the good fortune of crossing paths with a friend's father, former World War Two vet Sgt. Pete Cavallo.

Pete had a suitcase with a lot of his documents which I've posted here:

-Photo of the troop
-Sailing orders
-Signatures of some of troop (Elmer E. Walk, Robert K. Southerland 'Good luck from the Rebals' , Robert E. Shull, Joseph E. -Lee, Greg Cottonhill, Turibio LaBelle, Mario Mazzella, Vincent C. Lora, Charles Martin, Earl T. Bettner)

They served from 1950-1952 helping the 28th and 39th Divisions, in Germany Army of Occupation. Initially trained defensively, they used generators to burn oil called 'fog oil' to create smoke camoflauge with the Chemical Corps. The Korean War started the same week they were sent.
If anyone has an affiliation or history with this troop, send me a message and I'll gladly connect you.

Figure drawing workshop at Hopper House 9/30/10

In between trials, teaching and freelance I also run figure drawing sessions.
Next thursday Sept. 30th we are having a very special event, posing two scenes based on Hopper paintings and doing our own viewpoint and studies of them at Hopper House, 82 North Broadway, Nyack, NY. The paintings we are going to emulate are on this flier. Bring your camera to shoot your viewpoint so you can continue your work after the pose is over. Also, dress warmly as one pose will be out on the porch, weather permitting. See you next Thursday!

Khadr trial on hold,

We were told this morning following the collapse of Khadr's lone attorney Lt col Jon Jackson, that he is being airlifted to States hospital for care. Trial is on hold for 30 days or perhaps more.
We will be shipped out either today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, I want to share a link that Muna Shikaki of Al Aribiya, has produced using my sketches:

Al Aribiya video

Guantanamo Bay, Khadr day 4: trial begins

Omar Khadr's trial began today, with military jury present. However, for the first time since covering these commissions I was not allowed to draw the jury in any way- not even an outline. So you see large numbers representing them. At the end of the day one of the attorneys collapsed. We await word on his condition, though he was responsive. Thoughts to the positive.

Qosi sentenced and Khadr jury selection complete

A very interesting day in the Guantanamo courtrooms; the Qosi trial has concluded- first under Obama administration- and Khadr jury selection is complete. Khadr trial begins in earnest tomorrow morning.

The kicker is that I was told that drawing the panel(aka jury) is no longer allowed. Not even an outline, odd when you look at previous commissions I've sketched in, and you see the various services, ranks and genders of the military jury. It is a powerful image.

Here's hoping this can be overturned.

Omar Khadr suits up- Canadian press video

A nice use of my drawings by Colin Perkel of Canadian Press:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/video/omar-khadr-suits-up/article1668623/
Another video by Colin's was also featured in The New Yorker blog by Amy Davidson:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2010/08/guantanamos-child-soldier-trial.html

Day two, Guantanamo court sketches

I did 'split shift' in the Guantanamo courts today, juggling Khadr/Qosi dashing from one to the other when there was a hold (twice in the qosi court). Managed to get three of Khadr done, though not as filled out as I'd liked. I did the Qosi courtroom in detailwhile waiting for things to begin- that drawing will post tomorrow once it's complete.

Guantanamo, day 1 of Khadr/Qosi sketches

Today I sketched at one court, then another while two cases were going at once; al Qosi and Omar Khadr. After 8 years in detention, Canadian Khadr is going to trial, slated to take between 2-6 weeks. Al Qosi is expected to be tried and sentenced much sooner, which will make it the first case going to completion under the Obama administration. Stay tuned for more sketches tomorrow.