The Observation Deck

Alex Belisle wrote:8/26/15

As a former NYC and now Lakewood news photographer, I am so saddened to hear about this morning's murder of a news reporter and photographer in VA. Just doing your job nowadays can get one killed.

Unlike this shot I took of a guy who just murdered someone at McDonald's and now was threatening to kill
himself and those around him with the 45 in his hand. That news crew never saw it coming.

It's not all games and parades.

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FRIDAY NIGHTS UNDER THE LIGHTS

I heard about it, saw stuff on TV about it, watched a movie about it but the spectacle I saw in Medina for their home opener against Lakewood blew me away. Back in NYC, basketball rules but that's only in the city. Here in Ohio, football rules all over the whole state. It seemed like the whole city of Medina showed up and another 300 were in their marching band. The excitement was on even before the game started with the respective coaches egging on their teams.

We played relatively well for a while considering that we had key players injured and our bench was weak. Then we steadily got worn down and blown out. I thought I caught the tone in the last quarter with this photo of Coach Ribar on the sidelines.

Tonight is my 1st Lakewood Friday Night Under the Lights football game and their homecoming game - looking forward to shooting this event with Mike Deneen , my intrepid sports reporter associate as my team member!

Friday Night Under the Lights (9/4/15)

Lakewood HS Rangers 1st football game at home vs. Berea-Midpark. Football in Ohio has the fervor of a revivalist tent meeting with strong religious overtones. Football rules! Why bother to try to describe those ineffable feelings - just post a photo. Here is Coach Kenneth Tahsin after Lakewood's 1st touchdown on a kickoff return by senior Mike Goolsby.

I caught the Air Show from the pier at Wendy Park

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... -show-2015

This has to be one of Lakewood's most joyous events - the Foster Pool Dog Swim - both for the dogs and their owners.


http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... l-dog-swim

9/11

I'll never forget seeing the smoke rising from the Twin Towers for days afterward. That morning I was driving to work (school) when I heard about the 1st attack on the radio and soon after witnessed the 2nd attack from the top floor of my school which had a straight line of sight from the S. Bronx to lower Manhattan.

Parents flooded the school to get their children who were surprisingly quite calm, just curious about what was rumor and what was truth. For the students who remained and came to class, I tried to reassure them that no terrorist would be foolish enough to attack us in the S. Bronx. We have guns and we shoot back.

That morning, my cousin who worked in one of the large investment firms near the top floors forgot his lunch, turned to go back home and get it and arrived late to work to see the smoke rising from his building. Even then the building managers were telling the employees not to worry but he smartly didn't listen and quickly made his way back home to Brooklyn.

As for me, I had the worst head/chest cold ever for a few weeks afterwards even as the EPA denied that there were toxic agents in the atmosphere. I knew a few 1st responders who aren't with us today because of these "non-existent" toxins.

9/12/15

My 1st Block Party

A rainy day became a stormy day and some of the more intrepid and resilient neighbors stretched a tarp across the street to provide an impromptu tent. As I walked to the site up the street from my house, who do I see but Mayor Summers. "Hi Mayor, I didn't know you live on my street?" "Oh, do you live here Alex?" "I sure do." "I love these block parties here in Lakewood." We had a pleasant conversation and I introduced my family and explained my reasons for moving from NYC to Lakewood.

As the rain and wind picked up (and now I know we had what looked like a short-lived tornado) the tent blew down and we moved our party into a nearby home. So, my 1st block party was an adventure. But I know one thing - I have wonderful neighbors.

Fri., 9/18/15, 3:15 p.m.

My 1st (red) Ferrari sighting on Detroit going west in front of the Library. My son saw a Porsche Carrera but I never thought I'd see a Ferrari. Alas, no camera.

Alex, Grace Ave. is a great place to live, with many wonderful people. Unfortunately, Mr. Summers, Mr. Siley, and Ms. Madigan chose to lie to your neighbors, chose to manipulate your neighbors, were even willing to go so far as to suppress a legal memo that your neighbors put forward, all to secure whatever Drug Mart wanted at the expense of the people you shared that tent with. As one neighbor relayed to me the next day, "I was disgusted by Summers presence, he's not our neighbor and he's not our friend".

An important concern has come to my attention. This little girl is dying and needs our help. My mother is good friends with her grandma from back in the day.
http://fox8.com/2015/09/23/family-looki ... -disorder/

I've started to "catch the light" in B&W due to 1) my lack of experience shooting film and 2) my good friend Gary Rice gifting me a film camera(s).
Here's a photo of a press conference outside Lakewood Hospital with former congressman Dennis Kucinich. I like the old school look that I would see in the newspapers back in the day, a sort of nostalgic sensationalist journalism.

Nice technique Mr. Zapgruder er, ah Alex!

10/2/15


What's on my mind this dark, dreary, rainy Sat. morning in Lakewood is the admiration and respect I have for the members of the football team and their marching band, cheerleaders and Rangerettes.

These are a fine group of young people who do due diligence to their craft(s) and are a fine example of civic responsibility, good sportsmanship and professionalism. I've been at all their games in all kinds of weather and left each venue with much respect for the way they handle themselves and do their jobs.

Lakewood has much to be proud of.

See this face? Lakewood is lucky to have a man of his character setting the example for Lakewood's young men. This is Coach Ribar and he teaches a class called "Life"