We See Oscar Pistorius

After a year of controversy, legal battles with morons who allows drug infused athletes to get gold medals , and frantic effort, Oscar Pistorius will not be at the Olympic Games next month. Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa who runs on a pair of carbon-fiber blades, failed to meet the qualifying time for the 400 meters in his final attempt earlier this week and, Friday morning, was not selected to join the South African 4x400 meter relay squad.
But he will be competing in Paralympics in Bejing. He is known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs". He took part in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and came third overall in the T44 (one leg amputated below the knee) 100-metre event. Despite falling in the preliminary round for the 200 metres, he qualified for the final. He went on to win the final with a world record time of 21.97 seconds, beating single amputee American runners Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure.

New York Times

Famous Army Medic, Joseph Patrick Dwyer, Passes Away

Warren Zinn / Army Times

The soldier in the photograph above, Joseph Patrick Dwyer has passed away due to an apparent overdose according to various news sources. The photo shows him running cradling an Iraqi boy who got injured during the first week of the war. This photo graph appeared in newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts worldwide. It also showed that human love and caring for small ones, could come out even under enemy fire. I salute you Dwyer, for being human. Dwyer in turn attributed the same quality to the whole unit, who also did similar deeds but did not get caught in camera's eye.
I hate the human cost of the war, any war!

Dwyer died late last month at a hospital in Pinehurst, according to the Boles Funeral Home. He was 31. Dwyer served with the 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of Fort Stewart, Ga. He earned the Combat Medical Badge and other military awards.

I am sure the boy will remember him, if he manage to live through bombs and snipers.

Tags: War, People We See, Joseph Patrick Dwyer, People We See in war, 7th Cavalry Regiment

Kevin Konnolly, A Rolling View From Ground Up.

Today I saw some photographs that were very unique. I (we) always see the world from 6 feet high or there about and some time crouch down to look at a creepy crawler or a dropped coin. But we never think of living that level, for the rest of your life.
Kevin Connolly did, he had to because he was born without legs. But that minor detail did not stop him from being active in sports like skiing and getting medals for it like at 2007 X-Games. But he also has to answer to questions from various people regarding his legs. Like a small boy asking if his legs were eaten by a shark! I think Kevin answers those questions with a smile filled face.
He also went to school to learn about photography and film. And in 2005 he started to photograph people from ground level, basically from his skateboard that he uses to get around. He takes his photos without looking through the view finder, he shoots from his hip. Kevin has gained wide acclaim for his first professional photo project, "The Rolling Exhibition." For more information on this project, navigate to www.therollingexhibition.com. Kevin currently lives in Bozeman, Montana as a photographer and professional skier. For more information on Kevin's other endeavors, please navigate to www.kevinmichael connolly.com.
Thanks Kevin, for inspiring us!

Tags: People We See, best people, Kevin Konnolly, The Rolling Exhibition

Powerless Feeling May Lead To Expensive Purchases Of High Status Emenating Goods

The high cost of low status: Feeling powerless leads to expensive purchases

Feeling powerless can trigger strong desires to purchase products that convey high status, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research.
In a study that may explain why so many Americans who are deeply in debt still spend beyond their means, authors Derek D. Rucker and Adam D. Galinsky (both Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University) found that research subjects who were asked to recall times when someone else had power over them were willing to pay higher prices for status-symbol items.
"This increased willingness to pay for status-related objects stems from the belief that obtaining such objects will indeed restore a lost sense of power," write the authors.
In three experiments, the authors asked participants to either describe a situation where they had power over another person or one in which someone had power over them. Then the researchers showed them items and asked how much they would be willing to pay.
After recalling situations where they were powerless, participants were willing to pay more for items that signal status, like silk ties and fur coats, but not products like minivans and dryers. They also agreed to pay more for a framed picture of their university if it was portrayed as rare and exclusive.
"As an analogy, consider two individuals, one a successful millionaire and the other a recently demoted banker," write the authors, "Both might view a Rolex watch as a clear status symbol. However for the millionaire, wearing the watch might not make the millionaire feel any more powerful than he/she normally feels. In contrast, for our demoted banker, wearing the same watch might make the banker feel significantly more powerful."
In a society with a plummeting savings rate and skyrocketing debt levels, this research has broad implications. "It suggests that in contemporary America, people use consumer purchases to compensate for psychological states of insecurity," write the authors.
"Spending beyond one's means in obtaining status-related items is a costly coping strategy for dealing with psychological threats such as feeling powerless."

Derek D. Rucker and Adam D. Galinsky. "Desire to Acquire: Powerlessness and Compensatory Consumption" Journal of Consumer Research: August 2008.

Contact: Rudy Faust
rfaust@press.uchicago.edu
773-834-0386
University of Chicago Press Journals