Will Knott

Today is National Daffodil Day.

Daffodils are a sign of hope, after all they usually mean that spring is here, but they can be nasty. As a cut flower they release a chemical which causes other flowers to die off really quickly.

Daffodil Day is organised and run by the Irish Cancer Society. It is the most popular charity event in Ireland and is a chance for everyone in Ireland to make the biggest difference to the lives of everyone affected by cancer.

This year you can also plant a daffodil in their virtual “Spring Garden of Hope. Visit www.PlantaDaff.ie and write a message to accompany your daffodil in the Garden.

Or buy a pin, a daffodil or a bunch of daffodils from the sellers around the country. Just don’t mix the cut flowers with others.

Take care,
Will Knott

A last rose in winter. A last chance?

Well it appears that I’m a photoblogger, and I’m responding to Geraldine Moorkens Byrne’s call for photographers to give up a Sunday for a shoot to support St. James’ Cancer Unit. The Cancer Service helped my father with his treatment. And his final days.

So I’m committing my time and feeble skills. There are people there I can’t help enough, so I’ll be there. Anyone else willing to help out?

take care,

Will Knott

Dear Grannymar,

I don’t want you getting lonely, so would you like a toyboy to keep you company. One you can actually play with?

Meet Tommy. He’s a bit flash and a little slow… oh sorry that should be “he’s a bit of Flash“, and he’ll take more poking than a facebook account. He also seems to be allergic to shirts. Tommy is the “breast awareness guy“; the focus of a special website and starring in a tongue-in-cheek video which is also on YouTube (and embedded below).

The point of the video and the site is to teach you how to examine yourself for breast cancer (which also effects men, so its not quite as silly as it seem), and if you donate via his site he (OK, a server in Cancer Research UK) will send you an exclusive digital desktop calender featuring photos of Tommy. Shirtless naturally.

I wonder if the Irish Cancer Society would do something similar?

OK, its a little less pink than usual, but it almost fits the bill for Pink for October in Ireland.

take care,
and don’t play too hard,
Will Knott

I know that the October Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigns like the Pink for October sites are helping. However, is Filofax creating a range for “Breast Cancer Campaign”. “Beautifully crafted from pink lizard-print leather, the collection includes a pocket organiser, with matching passport cover, purse and accessory case. Filofax will make a donation of between £2.00 and £2.50 from the sale of every product direct to the charity” So for a £40 filofax, the charity gets £2.

The name is also a bit odd sounding. No ‘the’, the charity is called “Breast Cancer Campaign”. The charity registered in England (Charity No. 299758) and a company limited by guarantee (Company No. 05074725)

Why not more?
Will Knott

Rebecca Lipkin tells her story about breast cancer.

Simply and boldly told. Slightly surprising given the source.

take care,
Will Knott

As this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a lot of products are jumping on the Pink for October bandwagon.

Image by on2wheelz via Flickr

So a pink coloured (and packaged) energy drink seems to be a “cheap” tie in. That’s what I first thought when I started looking at the Fuze energy drink brought out a flavour for October.  However looking at their “Heroes for Hope” sub-site it becomes apparent that this isn’t a tie in.

It s a commitment.

The site in in support for the “Susan G. Komen For The Cure” foundation (similar to our own Marie Keating Foundation), and it features video interviews and profiles of breast cancer survivors who are taking part in the “Heroes for Hope” tour.

A large pink tour bus travels around the country. Local heroes and committed activists are invited to participate in a formal photo session at the on-site photo studio (in and around the bus). A FUZE reporter documents participant’s story and selects ‘Heroes’ from each community that the Heroes for Hope Tour visits.

We’ve got to do something like that here. There are enough stories in the press, and enough bloggers in the country so that each site have have its own local hero.

What do you think?
Will Knott

This lovely lady (after some discussion on pix.ie) appears to be Brody Dalle, the singer of The Distillers, now Spinnerette here is a better stencil of her (created by Paulie Slim), and while it’s still graffiti / street art based, is something I sat on when I posted the other Cork graffiti shots.

Right now I wish the artist used pink paint, as I have nothing much for the Pink for October project (other than the slightly unheeded Pink For October Ireland), but these shots stayed in my mind when it came to cancer research. Other than the possible “magic bullet”, I don’t know why.

I think I’ll need to work on a Wordpress theme. When I get the time. Does the pink in the header count?
take care,
Will Knott

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I wanted to do more. I wanted to use the Pink For October meme to generate funds for Cancer Research.

Image via Wikipedia

Maybe next year.

And I set up the Pink for October Ireland with the intention of using it as a hub, to allow the photos to be registered with the models and to display some of the finest shots.

Maybe next year.

But as I said, I registered the site, and I want to use it. Join me.

This year.

The Pink for October Ireland site is now an aggregator site. Register with the site and when you post about Pink For October  using the category p4oi (that’s a letter, a number and two letters) the software will pick it up. I know its working for Wordpress blogs, and I just know I’m going to have fun with Blogger, Typepad, pix.ie, flickr etc. but I’m going to give this a shot. The registration is moderated (by humans too), but the posts are not.

Come on over and register.

Pass it on. If you know someone in Ireland (or from Ireland) who is going to do something for Pink for October on their blog, let them know.

Join in,
Will Knott

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I had been looking forward to placing a call for photographers on the blog now and directing people to the PinkForOctoberIreland.org site to register as models and photographers.

But that is not to be. Instead, I’m afraid to say that there will not be a Pink portraits day on September 20th in Daunt Square, Cork.

If I was to do go back in time to prepare the Pink idea again, I’d have to go back to June. Then I would…

• Start the call for photographers.
• Get then to register.
• Explain that they need to register full contact details so that Gardai and City Council required
  • health and safety
  • traffic management plans
  • pedestrian management plans
  • first aid appointees
  • public liability insurance etc are in place.

  Also the Garda contact mentioned that mobile numbers (or at least contact numbers) of all the “staff” are required

• Also the HSA have legal requirements for event with more than 3 staff

So that seems to be that.
I would like to have a photo-walk in its place. A meeting of photographers and photo-bloggers to wander around Cork City with their lenses out on a busy Saturday. How does 11am in Daunt Square sound as a meeting point? If you want to contact me, my details are in the about page.

Sorry to disappoint those who registerd on the (admittedly half built) PinkForOctoberIreland.org site, but if you’re interested in doing something; I’m planning on turning the pinkforoctoberireland site in to a blog aggregater for this year (should be up soon), and make plans for the photography next year.

If you want to blog, comment etc as part of Pink For October, register with the international PinkForOctober.org site. And when I have the aggregater up, register and tag your posts with “p4oi”.

If you want to do more, bring pink objects to donate to the ICS shop just off Daunt Square when you are coming on the photowalk. Should make us easy to spot.

And as for next year. I’ll take all the help I can get

Care to join me?
Will Knott

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Yesterday I blogged about the obstacles with doing the pink portraits event as a way to raise funds as an Irish twist on the internet’s Pink for October.

Image via Wikipedia

However the words of the worlds most unlikely guru, Pat Phelan of MaxRoam came to me.

When asked about doing a business idea he said “Just [effin] do it”. (I’m censoring)

The application has been dropped in. I’m waiting for PinkForOctoberIreland.org to resolve. I might end up meeting the four horseman of the internet, but I’m going to do it.

It may end up being a small quite pairing off of photographers and models rather than an officially sanctioned flash mob of people getting wonderful portraits taken, then those prints get donated to the Irish Cancer Society shop for display and sale. But something is going to happen.

Want to help?

Want to join in?

If this is unofficial, I want photographers and willing models. If you want to be part of this, then comment below, and I’ll contact you when the site is ready to accept people. While I’m looking at making this a sanctioned and not illegal event on September 20 2008 (I’m trying to get the use of Daunt Square as it is almost beside the Irish Cancer Society shop on Castle Street, the collection would make a great photosynth), there is nothing to stop a blind date between a photographer and a model. The web site will allow that.

You don’t have to be in Cork. If you are willing to create an event (and ask your town/city/conty council for permission. Do it. This is a charity event (where no money changes hands at the event) so it possible that the authorities will permit it. If you are willing to briefly pair up, (I can see more photographers agreeing than models) then something a little less official is always possible (blind date style). However a local organiser or administrator or coordinator is needed.

Even if approval is not given, its an excuse for a photowalk.

Don’t get mad: Volunteer.

If you’re willing to help out with a Joomla based site: Comment below and volunteer.

If you’re willing to pose for a photoblogger and then buy a print of that session from an Irish Cancer Society shop: Comment below and volunteer.

If you’re willing to take portraits of the above volunteers, modify the shots, create prints and donate them to an Irish Cancer Society shop: Comment below and volunteer.

If you’re willing to organise a meeting of photographers and models: Comment below and volunteer.

If you’ve been touched by cancer and are willing to be interviewed by a blogger : Comment below and volunteer (or blog about it yourself).

If you want to see a difference, you need to make  difference.

Let’s see if we can change the world,
Will Knott

update September 3 2008. The 2008 Pink for October Ireland portraits won’t be happening. Details in this post.

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