What was the last line of ANIMAL FARM?

Am on my way to the train pretty pleased with myself after buying some inkjet paper from Calumet – and drooling irrationally over the used Leica M6 in the case. I still fill that to be a real photographer one has to have one. Irrational as I had just walked from the school and chickening out on my own manner of working for the term, I brought along Joaõzaõ, instead of the leiquina. Walking from the greatest art school in the history of humankind to the shop I kick myself for not following my own rules as I see many potential snaps – if I could get through all the stuff in my bag and slow down to make them as I am afraid that I’ll miss the train.

Again I had misjudged the time, things went more smoothly than I had expected and now I could dig in the now even fuller bag and make snaps along the way.

I see a giant patio brolly stuck through a wall with the back half bent so that a worker can have a place get out of the sun.

I see the worker – a flagger directing traffic for a construction site – we exchange weather greetings I make the snap – actually two – and am on my way.

-who are you with?
-huh? As I turn to see two men coming toward me
-who are you with.
-what do you mean?
-you have a camera.
-what’s your hobby
-my hobby isn’t photographing electric substations, we can call the police and have for this.
this may be what they call maturity but I didn’t get snide, took a deep breath and …
-you see that brolly there I wanted… I walked over to where I stood, held up my camera and beckoned them over. Holding up Joãoão so they could look through it,
I made this snap. when I did this I thought is boring so I came around to her – ordered them to where I was – and made this snap.
One man – the silent one - was smirking.
-by the way although “things have changed” the street is still public and I am allowed to do what I wish.
-yes but with terrorism.
-ok I am terrorist. I want an image of this do I take a camera out as big as this? I walk by and make a snap with my mobile camera phone. I realise that you cannot determine what and who is a terrorist why anyone of us three can be one so some sort of …. – I couldn’t think of the word profile – assessment is made. But your fear and suspicion effects everything. I spoke to that woman – pointing to the flagger – when I am up north in Canada I would have made her snap as I make a snap of everyone I speak to up there. here I don’t as everyone is wary…you can see everyone as a terrorist and not function as you walk the world in doubt or you can realise that most people aren’t have some trust and continue to have a pretty normal life. I choose the second as it is too exhausting to suspect everyone.

- i cannot get my students to venture outdoors to see the surreal in the real world because of incidents like this. They anticipate this and prefer to stay in the studio.

They leave but I yell across so if you fish I can ask where you sell them?
-no I fix cars
-so what garage do you work at?
-I don’t I don’t want money to ruin it.
-me too.

Leaving I felt that the terrorist tipping point has been crossed. the country really is on a downward spiral. People approach others not out of curiosity – but suspicion. Logic is no longer in the equation. The two forgot that the newly built substation was built by a yachting club, and a commuter train runs behind it.

Realising the last time that I was stopped when photographing in the streets was in the Soviet Union – well no we were told not to photograph bridges and airports. The last time was in Rio de Janeiro, during the dictatorship when I leaned a military installation to photograph Santos Dumont Airport for a paper on modern Brasilian architecture.

To paraphrase Pogo "I have seen the enemy and they is us."