FWIW take a look at this months NG for an interesting article on the "Afghan Girl". At first blush it seems awfully selfserving but you may think different. More interesting to this forum may be the On Assignment section. Check out the photo of Tom Brokaw and photog Vince Musi. Good illustration for new guys like myself of how to hold your M. Any guesses as to the M set up?

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@comcast.net), March 20, 2002

Answers

I saw this picture too and was totally astounded. The old picture and the new one both seem (at least to me) to show how absolutely confounded/dismayed (etc etc) many of those citizens seem to be (at least within the last 20 years). I see no selfserving here.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), March 20, 2002.

Afgan women are trapped,whether by war or partners,they are trapped.This woman will always have that "why the hell am I here?"look.

-- Andy (andrewguest@hotmail.com), March 20, 2002.

"Afgan women are trapped,whether by war or partners,they are trapped.This woman will always have that "why the hell am I here?"look"

No. This is an oversimplification. With all due respect, this kind of broad patronizing missionary think only makes objects of pity out of real people living real lives in real societies.

But why am I talking politics when all I can really think of is the M7 I handled in the store? Resistance is crumbling...

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 20, 2002.

>No. This is an oversimplification. With all due respect, this kind of broad patronizing missionary think only makes objects of pity out of real people living real lives in real societies.

Agree. One can with all his First World logic take pity on Amish women for example. Away from politics, I stroked a battery-less M7 last week at the local dealer and immediately noticed the 1/60 and 1/125 speeds were the quietest in any Leica. One more year until prices come down.........

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), March 21, 2002.

It is hardly "patronizing missionary think" to call into question those elements of repressive societies which constrain the spirit and repress self-determination. I do believe one can estimate the degree of "enlightenment" (or the lack thereof) in a society by the freedom its women are afforded.

-- Art Waldschmidt (afwaldschmidt@yahoo.com), March 21, 2002.