Articles by William Sutherland

Note: This composite was created from images purchased from Shutterstock When the flames threatened Notre Dame Cathedral, all decent people were filled with horror and sadness. Evildoers such as members of ISIS, though rejoiced especially when word first came out that it was likely to be a total loss. Yet a miracle occurred – yes miracles are still possible in the 21st century despite an unbelieving, skeptical world – and much of the cathedral’s iconic exterior including its famous tower…

This year after a wet, tropical-like hot summer followed by Indian Summer in much of September, the spring before Halloween was present for all who sought it in the New York City metro area despite brilliant reds, oranges and yellows that drew attention and thick canopies of leaves that concealed the off-season blooms. It is as if the Jack O’ Lanterns played a seasonal trick with spring flora and gave us an April-like treat this October. In the late 19th century, poet Mary Clemmer wrote, “Th…

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem [Psalm 122:6] Many have voiced their opinions about the recent 14 May 2018 violence along the Gaza border with Israel and the formal opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Consequently I write this article to express my opinion too especially since based on the well recited quote, “ All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. ” Although I am a strong supporter for the creation of a viab…

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. [Isaiah 7:14] Although it appears highly improbable that a human virgin could bear a child, it is not scientifically impossible. Per Rich Deem, Is the Virgin Birth Scientifically Impossible? (15 December 2005), “it could be possible in humans for a [virgin] woman to give birth to a male… if the woman had both an X and Y chromosome, which occurs in 1 in 5 million women.” Such a male would likel…

Garbage Hanukkah was created from discarded hand-crafted items I found in a large plastic bag on 18 June 2017 and saved, a tiny plastic menorah found among other personal effects in the drawer of a discarded piece of furniture and broken tiles and plaster, all found on 12 November 2017. It is intended to celebrate Hanukkah, honor the resilient Jewish spirit and take a strong stand against rising anti-Semitism in the world. Accordingly the selected colors and imagery are meant to provide po…

Sparked by significant warming in mid September highlighted by a record 91° F reading on September 24th that smashed the previous mark of 89° F set in 1959, the New York City metro region experienced a two-month mini-Spring that lasted until the morning of November 10th when the mercury plunged from a balmy 50° F at the start of the day to a record low of 24° F on the morning of November 11th (breaking the 1933 mark of 29° F). During this two-month period, “fueled by surges of warm air from t…

Never has good weather felt so bad. Never have flowers inspired so much fear. Never has the warm caress of a sunbeam seemed so ominous. The weather is sublime, it’s glorious, it’s the end of the world. Run for your lives! [1] With temperatures consistently breaking 50º F and 60º F and a peak high of 70º F on the 24th, February 2017 with a mean temperature of 41.6º F set a new record for the warmest February in history in the New York metro area. The previous mark of 40.9º F had bee…

Many times the decision to exhibit or permit a public exhibit of photographs featuring the nude (aesthetic or erotic) art is not an easy decision since the delineation between legitimate art and pornography may appear to be blurred. Examples of this paradox exist when one considers the sculptures at the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajurâho, India, 19th century Japanese Shunga art, and the jury finding that a collection of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) featured in The Perfec…

Based on an increasing pool of scientific evidence, it is likely Mars was once “covered by oceans and lakes and was layered by a thick atmosphere, very much similar to Earth.” [1] In addition, per scientific studies, Mars had all the ingredients necessary for life: an abundance of water, an energy source, sufficient presence of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorous, all with the proper “atomic charge” and a stable environment capable of supporting life for at least a billion years…

When my brother, Don called me to let me know the temperature in NYC had dropped to –1º F, I had just left church with plans to take a few local photographs. Prior to mass, I had documented a pair of blooming dandelions and several crocuses in the –3º F cold in my neighborhood. Knowing that the temperature had fallen below zero F only a handful of times in NYC during my life (this was only the 7th time to be exact) and it hadn’t done so for a record drought of 22+ years, I decided to race to…

Back in the late 5th century BCE, Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BCE) said, “When wealth is distributed, the people are brought together.” His words could not be more appropriate in 2015 with the widespread use of social media and smart phones – all of which have bound people together regardless of distance, borders, and time. Today we communicate with each other all across the world and operate on a 24-hour cycle, checking messages and updates thousands of times a day. The “unconnec…

In 1890 the garbage looked different (as illustrated in Garbage 1890 ), but it was still litter. In fact, in the late 19th century the litter problem was as bad as it could since today’s municipal sanitation services had not yet been established. Streets were at times filled knee-deep in garbage and the air reeked of putrid odors from a menagerie of rotting food and decaying animal corpses. For instance, when a horse died, its corpse remained untouched for months. As a result, children often sw…

Doll (2013) Prior to the early 20th century, garbage was not considered photographic art. In fact it was not considered to be art at all. Consequently, if it appeared in photographs, it was accidental or unavoidable such in pictures documenting poverty and social issues (e.g. sanitation strikes, health hazards). A prominent 19th century photographer that included garbage in his photos while advocating for the poor was Jacob Riis (1849-1914) when he documented the lives of New York City’s…

The French High Court’s March 5, 2015 ruling re: Facebook’s shutting down of Frédéric Durand-Baissas’ account after he posted a photograph of L’Origine du Monde , an 1866 master painting by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) that is displayed in Musée d’Orsay , Paris, France marks a significant victory in the battle against censorship. Facebook’s arguments that Mr. Durand-Baissas was not protected by French consumer rights since their service is free and his account was opened “on his own initia…

Reckless calls for the death of those who engage in free expression must STOP! If one doesn't like a cartoon or some other statement, they can avoid it. For instance, I do not like pornography. Therefore I avoid it. However, at the same time, I do NOT call for the death of those who support this industry or participate in it nor reject their God-given right to do so. As for the cover of Charlie Hebdo No. 1178 -- it is anything but blasphemous or insulting. It humanizes Mohammed (after all in…

…[F]or unto us this day a Savior is born [Luke 2:11] With that momentous event, the yoke of oppression that had suffocated human aspirations was lifted. The “Law,” which had been distorted to suppress human spirit and individuality in lieu of honoring God’s commandments, was restored. ©2013 – William Sutherland God is love. [1 John 4:8 and 4:16] Consequently He intended that we have an “easy yoke and light burden” [Matthew 11:30] , which is encapsulated in the “Ten Comma…