Louie

People are trying to trick you, sir! See, there are those that believe the 1a-7a slots on the clock are somehow associated with morning. It's a fallacy: 1a-7a is actually very late night, not very early morning. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

Oh yeah there is. That's the time I leave for work every morning. I had hit the sack early after waiting for you to open that keyboard last night and clicked your page just before leaving this morning and there you were, silly hat and all. - Mattb4rd

6:00am is when i get off work. @_@ - Louie

OMG WTF - Mona N.

Ok, can't resist: In Soviet Russia, herring eats YOU! - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

aye aye aye no es bueno... - ♫ Rahsheen™

LOL, Mauntauk Monster in a can! WANT! - sean percival

SB FTW!! - Mark Wilson

:((((( - Mahdi Ebrahimi

lo que @Rahsheen dijo - Josh Haley

*BARF* - Haggis (Sean)

no mas no! no! - Yolanda ♥s Nuttycakes

pass - johnpiercy

I, for one, welcome our new herring overlords. - Chris Baskind

I agree with Mark, with about 5 exclamation points. - Lindsay Donaghe

no thanks - Tad, Fool

I might have nightmares. - Brian Bufalo

1st thing I've seen on FF that made me want to puke a little. - Todd Jordan

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit - Morgan

ZOMG - Duncan Riley

I would freak out! - Stefan Hayden

I wonder if the guy ate any of the rest of what was in there. - Nathan Rein

I wonder if this is a hoax, btw. That's doesn't look like a herring jaw. - Chris Baskind

I honestly was going to grab something to eat before work right now, but I have TRULY lost my appetite after seeing that pic. Oh gawd.... *run/barf/cry* - Louie

Hey - he found my dentures! - Dan Parsons

this is so revolting I HAVE TO hide it! YUCK! I'm going to be so scared the next time I open a can of tuna!!! - Jasmin Smith

Next time you go into the water think of this guy! He has friends! LMAO - Igor The Troll

What we're seeing here is the birth of a new cooking niche: some kind of horror/zombie cuisine. - Donna Mugavero

That's is effing disgusting. I'm never eating Atlantic Herring ever again. - Carrie

Awwww - he just wants to be your friend! - Tad, Fool

eeww. that doesn't even look appetizing without the jaw bone. - Imabug

You can try to hide this, but this comment just made it show up again. UP TO THE TOP! - Hao Chen

Comment jacking this post to the top. - Pete Delucchi

This post (and my dinner) are bubbling back up to the top. - Jason Huebel

Unreal, can't be real.. or is it? - Nicholas Kreidberg

Chernobyl Herring, obviously. - Jason Huebel

talking about Catch of the Day - imabonehead

not so friendly a feed - Donna Mugavero

@Nicholas I doubt this is real but it's an intriguing photo. - Mark Wilson

eeek! - BeeLing

Boak! - Chris Nixon

WTH is that??? - Shey

WhattheEFF David Blaine, WHATTHEEFF?! - Jason Toney

bummer - Dobromir Hadzhiev

I talked to two different people since I don't trust people's words. Especially PR folks. I would've talked to all of them, but two didn't pick up their phones. - Mona N.

I wonder what's taking them so long to respond - Bjorn Stromberg

They have weekends off? Who knows. The point is, they're working on it :) - Mona N.

Mona, I agree w/ the weekends off bit. We're all plugged in so much, we don't realize that there are in fact people who don't touch a bit of tech 2 days out of the week. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I'm just happy they are now aware of the issue and plan to address it. I hope there's a direct statement from the Director of Client Services..... - Mona N.

Glad they are aware! I look forward to the response. Photographers must stand united! - Michael

go Mona go ,, remind me never to get on Mona's bad side ,, - johnpiercy

Oh, I just got tired of waiting so I did something... Has nothing to do with my good / bad side! :) - Mona N.

I doubt the person in question will make a statement and if he does it was most likely pre-written for him. I'll bet it's going to be along the lines of "We're really sorry this happened and it won't happen again. We're going to make up for this by <insert something here>" - Candace Holly

I fear Candace may be optimistic. My bet is on a "we're reviewing our policies" statement. - Ontario Emperor

@Candice: As much as I would love the statement to be that... I think it will be more along the lines of 'We are right, TH was wrong, All Photography is banned'... I HOPE I am wrong - Johnny Worthington

@John - They could revoke the photography policy or alter it to "point and shoot" rather than "hand held", but if there is no way they will say "we are right..." -- unless there is another side to the story we don't know about. But I'm really doubting that is the case. - Justin Korn

It would depend on three things. #1. How bad the press is surrounding what happened. #2. How the public is reacting and, #3. How widespread it is. Unfortunately, if it's just the internet and internet communities being upset over it then they may not have much to say at all. - Candace Holly

Wow thanks for the update Mona. I was wondering this myself. - Mrsth

I just decided to call and ask since FriendFeed was filled with Gmail talk.. Had to keep myself occupied somehow ;) ...but it's 5:30pm and still nothing. I called again, but no one's picking up lol - Mona N.

My money is on an outright apology. "With your arms around your enemy, he can not draw his sword."-Dali Llma - Mrsth

The Dali Llma is a VERY wise man :) - Mona N.

I could picture MoMA saying "We are right." Think about it. Perhaps the social media community is very small, but the MoMA community is much smaller. I could picture Blint, his boss, and a few others in a room discussing the issue, and concluding that the negative reaction is just a case of mob mentality, and that Blint was right in defending MoMA employees from whatever Blint was defending them from. The small group could then agree among themselves that Hawk is just a troublemaker (and perhaps even grab stuff off of FriendFeed to "prove" their point), unrestrained photography could ruin the museum experience for the vast majority of visitors, and that it is therefore best to stick to their original decision from Friday. This could very well happen. It depends upon who's making the decision. Remember that Nixon stayed in the White House bunker until he lost nearly everyone, including Goldwater and Ford. - Ontario Emperor

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering. The two individuals I spoke with were extremely nice, polite, helpful, willing to answer questions, and not snooty at all.. but then again, they DO work in PR - Mona N.

Justin, I had a pretty long discussion yesterday here with some people (very anti-TH) and they made me realise that while Thomas is in the right, that sexual harassment thing is pretty powerful. Blint may press his claims that TH was shooting down the shirt of a female employee. If that female employee, however mistaken, thought she was being violated then some organisations have a policy of ejection without consulation or right of reply. they may push that rather than addressing the photography issue. - Johnny Worthington

Organizations whether Non-profit or corporations take longer to reply than a loose cannon like Thomas Hawk. They need to keep a tight communication message for a "crisis". I look forward to hearing the other side of this story. Knowing how Thomas Hawk has taken action counter to their policies in the past I have a feeling there is more to the story than what has been revealed to date. - Jim Goldstein

So my sister works at a museum, and I've done hourly work there- and I have to admit, when you're working with the public, there are pervs out there. I think this was a smart precautionary move. Is he guilty? I don't know. But if someone was feeling uncomfortable, is it a huge loss that Thomas Hawk only got a few pictures? Is that the fact that he's Thomas Hawk, a reason to treat him differently from joe-blow-pervy-tourist? - anna awesomesauce

Anna, the problem is that the treatment TH recieved happens to alot of photographers, myself included. This type of treatment, the automatic assumption that you are a perv cause you are a photographer, is soul crushing. When does 'playing it safe' trump innocent until proven guilty. - Johnny Worthington

Who gives a rat's ass if he's Thomas Hawk. He has a photo taken of the incident. I saw no boobies. Not even a hint of boobs. Now he's a "loose cannon"? LOL. This whole thing just gets more amusing by the hour. - ♫ Rahsheen™

Rasheen, I agree. I saw no boobies as well, and trust me I would have seen them. But that sexual harassement stuff is powerful... I reckon they would take TH sueing them over a female employee sueing them any day (doesn't make it right though). - Johnny Worthington

@Rahsheen Porter I wouldn't say TH is a saint by any means. He's gone to MoMA in the past asking for trouble. On Renegade Photography http://thomashawk.com/2007/11/... "Rather than simply miss Jeff Wall's work due to my dogmatic protest against the SF Moma's anti-photography policy, I decided that I would go, but that I'd shoot anyways... I'm sure this rubs some people the wrong way, that I'd purposely disrespect an institution's right to restrict photography in a private place. But I believe that art should be more open." - Jim Goldstein

Nice follow up, Mona. - Michael W. May via twhirl

Yeah man...WOW. He's a freakin animal. I see why we need to keep his kind in check. How dare he take that camera in places and take photos. Who the hell does he think he is? Sorry for sarcasm, but I just don't see the danger. - ♫ Rahsheen™

Uhhhh may I interrupt for a second to say, the individuals I spoke with in the SF MOMA's PR Department were ALL kind, helpful, and willing to answer my inquiries in the utmost respectful way. I am extremely eager to hear their side of the story and what / how they plan to rectify this situation. This story interests me, NOT because of the Thomas Hawk 'brand name', per se, but because it could have happened to anyone. Thank you. - Mona N.

Jim, while TH's past is intresting, how does it relate to this situation. If it was me, an amature photographer with no histroy, does it make SFMOMA actions any more or less vaild? - Johnny Worthington

As a woman who sits through Thomas Hawks hours of processing & photo viewing on literally, a daily basis, & while he is definitely a self admitted admirer of the female form, shooting down shirts is just not the shot he aims for. - Mrsth

Mona, agreed, SFMOMA rocks. I hope to visit (and hopefully shoot it) next year. - Johnny Worthington

Mrsth, and certainly not with a 14mm lens :) - Johnny Worthington

We are all missing the point...this is not about Thomas Hawk vs Simon Blint or even SFMOMA. This about the way Simon Blint/SFMOMA reacted to the situation. - Justin Korn

@John Worthington I think his past should play a factor. If he has a track record of looking for conflict (which he does) then you should temper your outrage until the other side of the story can be shared. Thomas has the ability to blast away at will, while Simon Blint is restrained by the communication policy of his employer. I don't condone a museum for needlessly throwing out or harassing a photographer, but their side of the story has yet to be told. MoMA isn't on "Internet Time" people forget that. - Jim Goldstein

So, Jim. You consider a photographer breaking rules about where photos are allowed to be taken a man looking for "conflict"? Did he say "I hope they say something cuz I haven't cracked a skull in a while" or did he say "I believe art should be more open"? - ♫ Rahsheen™

Jim, my outrage is fuelled by being accused of being a pedofille while taking photos of my own 2 year old daughter. My outrage is fuelled by the bruises on my chest from an angry father at my nephews soccer game... My outrage is fuelled by almost being handcuffed for shooting in a public space (Queen Street Mall in Brisbane). I'll keep my outrage at the current level thank you... - Johnny Worthington

And while Blint is restrained by the communication policy, he doesn't seem to be by his own employer's photography one. - Johnny Worthington

Mona - New hat. Ace reporter! - Charlie Anzman

HA! Reporter? I am FAR from one, nor do I care to be. I forget people on here don't know me. If I believe strongly enough in something, I 'do' and aim to resolve. Whether it be for me, a friend, or a complete stranger :) - Mona N.

John: I love how you state the 14mm lense as if it's an obvious tip that he wasn't a perv. I bet a lot of the people that comment in these threads don't even know what a 14mm wide angle lense looks like. http://www.cameralabs.com/revi... Forget TH and the names. If that female employee looked up and saw that pointed towards her from above, it's understandable for her to feel uncomfortable & complain. - Louie

Dig the way you emphasized 'polite'. So many people call companies, etc., and start screaming and don't realize they're immediately alienating the person on the other end. I've been on both sides. The screamers got ZIP. - Charlie Anzman

Louie: The point is not arguing their cases... It's not in mine or anyone else's position, for that matter, to put words in their mouths, IMHO. @Charlie: Well I *AM* Japanese, it is in our nature to be bery bery porite <--said EngRish.. HA.. NOT. Anyway, thank you for noticing :) - Mona N.

Mona: The point is what? I've seen people ejected from businesses because of harassment. You get a short explanation and the door/security. This situation seems like the same, even if TH wasn't doing what he was accused of. Is it wrong to try and think of different sides of the situation? From TH's own blog post, it is very apparent why he was asked to leave. Employers have and obligation to provide a safe work environment and many have a ZERO tollerance policy for harassment of their employees. - Louie

Louie: It's a little too early to throw heavy weighted words as 'harassment' around until we hear the other side of the story. Like I stated on my blog, my issue with this situation is: 1. SF MOMA allows photography. 2. Despite its policies, SF MOMA’s Director of Visitor Relations, Simon Blint, personally threw out Thomas Hawk (a patron). 3. Thomas Hawk wants an explanation as to why this occurred, as do I. - Mona N.

To quote TH: "Blint told me that "he did not care" and that he needed to "protect" his employees -- employees that might appear in my photographs... He accused me of using a "telephoto" lens to spy on his staff from the public staircase on the second floor." - Louie

Even if the woman was mistaken about TH's intentions, the employer is obligated to take her complaint very seriously. Sure, he could have taken his time to sit and conversate with TH about it all. It would be the most polite thing to do. But many people want to just nip the situation in the bud as soon as possible, to alleviate the situation. This is especially true after California's mandated sexual harassment training for all Management positions. His job/finances/reputation are at stake. - Louie

Louie: You are entitled to your opinion, as I am mine. As I stated before, it is not in my position to assume anything until I hear both sides of the story. - Mona N.

Hmm...maybe we need to hear a third side of the story. She can comment anonymously if she wishes, but if Hawk is being accused of something, perhaps she can clarify what she (reportedly) accused him of doing. - Ontario Emperor via fftogo

So here's another question- b/c TH thinks art should be free, he can take photos of it and distribute at will- the artist has no say. What about subjects? Do they have any say? - anna awesomesauce

It's a bacon MACHINE. omg omg omg - Tad, Fool

Heh, posted this a while ago. Didn't get a response from Mona though! One question...erm...is it wise to leave un-refridgerated meat near your pillow?! - Mo Kargas

omgbaconlol - Josh Haley

Why does this remind me of The Office and Michael when he burned his foot on the George Forman grill? LOL - Louie

Ok, Mona is around so I'm bumping this so she'll see it this time. CALLING MONA!!! - Lindsay Donaghe

HA! Hi Lindsay, I already have this on order ;) - Mona N.

hehe. I had bacon at breakfast this morning and thought of you! :) - Lindsay Donaghe

That's better looking than the bacon alarm clock I posted last night - Outsanity

Creepy - Brian Sullivan

I'm officially scared of humans - Bwana

Very, very creepy. - Akiva Moskovitz

Was reading this one earlier today. The copy on the sales site is hilarious "wanna get big watery shiny eyes", " always crave to get big eyes like Korean actresses", "the color with not run on your eyes" HAaaaaaahahhahaha!!! - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

creepy but in a hot sorta way. i think i like it. - Anthony Citrano

I'm tempted to get some and wear them to work and see if anyone notices! - Lindsay Donaghe

I'm not sure if I'd like you wearing those or not! Kinda hot, kinda creepy. - Tad, Fool

I think it's kinda sorta hot in that i'm not sure sort of way. - Geoff Schultz

interesting.kinda intriguing... actually at second glance she looks like she has that ET look... - Jasmin Smith

These aren't really a new thing. They've been popular in Korea and other parts of Asia for a while now. MRirian (Magibon) on YouTube has worn them in just about all of her videos. You know, where she just stares into the camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... - Louie

Thomas, you're in the right on this one, so no probs at all. Hopefully what has happened sparks some deeper discussion about how copyright and privacy have gone to far as well. How have we moved to this state of fear today? - Duncan Riley

Steven Hodson rightly points out that Thomas Hawk is not the only one who has run afoul of authorities. One common thread in all of these incidents is an accusation that the photographic device is being used for some scary purpose - as a laser pointer, to take upskirt photos etc. This is then followed by silence from the accuser. - Ontario Emperor via fftogo

Saying Thomas is wrong simply for using the word asshole is dangerously myopic in the context of the battle for our personal liberty. - Morgan

There's 2 issues here: being in the right in the museum and being in the right in how to deal with being in the right in the museum. "Thomas" was probably right in the museum, but 100% wrong in the reaction and in calling out someone by name to then be harassed. Also, if you're going to call someone an asshole by name in public, man up and do it with your real name. - Jason Carreira

@jason - in reading the original post nowhere does "Thomas" remotely suggest any type of boycott, protest, or harassment against Blint/ MOMA. He doesn't ask anyone to support his cause, he simply tells his side of the story. In a world where "ass" "bitch" and other explicatives are routinely carried across drive-time airwaves, choosing "asshole" as a descriptor comes down more to a question of taste than a question of right vs. wrong. And it's hardly on the same level as the erosion of personal freedoms - Morgan

@Morgan, I have a longer history reading "Thomas"'s rants and diatribes. This is not an isolated incident, but rather a pattern, and one that has included calls for public mob action in the past, so "Thomas" has a feeling for how these things will play out. If I wanted to watch soap operas, I would. - Jason Carreira

@Jason - Thomas legally (by nature of his job) can not blog or participate online with his real name, however, if he could, I'm sure he would. - Justin Korn

Jason, please oh please tell us how you would have dealt with the situation. I am intrested in your stragery for dealing with this individual and how you would achieve effective change at SFMOMA, or indeed other places where photography is a crime, without using publicity. I want to know how you would defend everyone's constitutional rights by only making a whisper and how effective that would be. Throwing stones is fine but balls out yourself son. - Johnny Worthington

@John you're right, it's all a coincidence and "Thomas" is just a magical lightning rod for injustice. - Jason Carreira

No, it's that Thomas is just one of the tallest lighting rods that everyone can see from the ground... still haven't given me your solution yet... - Johnny Worthington

Thomas' words might have carried more credibility had he not used the expletive, but that does not in any way diminish the treatment he recieved. The bottom line is that the museum had a stated public policy on photography and Mr. Blint was in the wrong. - Jack Wilson

Jack, indeed. And since he acted as an individual, outside of the SFMOMA policy, he is right for a calling out. - Johnny Worthington

I think that what Thomas did was great. However, I think he should have been a little more careful about what he posted and his seemingly knee-jerk response. The Museum deserves everything they get though for the simple fact that they allow photography specifically where Thomas was taking photos and that he went out of his way to verify this and even became a member for this single fact. I would like to hear the Museum's side of the story and the PR people should respond as soon as possible. - Brandon Titus

Kudos, Duncan. Dugg it. - Dave Martin

Well done Duncan - Charlie Anzman

Best blog post I've read in a while...Your's and Thomas'...And who cares if Thomas called this guy out in public? If you're going to act like a douchbag, you should bend over and take it like the douchebag you are. - Sean McGee

SF MOMA is not a public facility. It is a private facility. And at the end of all this, what does anyone really think is going to happen? Are they going to prostrate themselves at everyone's feet begging for forgiveness? Or are they going to back to banning all photography in the facility simply because it's easier than dealing with this PR nightmare? Sometimes, all tht's necessary for the triumph of evil is for zealots to push too far. - Cyndy

@Cyndy. Just saying, museums are considered public places without regard to any proper legal standing. This should end with the institution affirming their posted permissions and taking whatever internal action they feel appropriate to prevent their policy being violated by their own hired help. In the least the employee might be placed on double-secret probation and become interested in seeking his fortune in a venture more attuned to his special gifts. May I suggest something in the penal system. - Dave Martin

We have a similar situation in DC with Union Station, a public building operated by a private company. IMHO, Employee (E) was out of line. Written communication between Thomas (T) and Museum (M) confirm photos OK. T takes photos. For any number of reasons, E throws him out, despite institution (M) having granted permission. Private property or no, a policy is a policy. That T is member might mean M in breach of contract, not to mention unlawful arrest (even for guards) and if they touched him, assault. - Andrew Feinberg

Cyndy: Good points. But how much injustice should an individual put up with? I'm sure you've read Thomas' posts in the past about run-ins with security and business owners. If it were me, I'd have done the same thing...maybe I'd have said "douchebag" instead of a-hole...but, injustices, no matter how minor they might seem, need to be called on the carpet. The more we ignore the injustices around us, the more injustice will flourish in our society. - Sean McGee

Cyndy, if it was a private company I'd have still made the same call, but the fact that there was at least some public funding to me should make it more accountable. As much as there is a broader debate on photography/ copyright privacy, take that aside and his treatment alone was appalling. No body likes goons throwing their weight around in a civil society, full stop. - Duncan Riley

Sean, that's just it. As Jason points out, this isn't the first time. And yet I've known professional photographers as well as amateur photographers who've never had the same situations happen. There is a polite and professional way to handle things that wasn't this. And if it results in no photography allowed at all there, who wins? - Cyndy

Cyndy, so what you are saying is that I shouldn't vigourusly stand up for my rights because there is a chance that others could fight back and possible take away more of my rights? - Johnny Worthington

Well, if this results in "no photography" nobody wins on the photography front. But on the anti-douchebag front, Simon's name is etched in stone. It's a weird situation, because I can't stand people that abuse their authority. But at the same time, you're right in that sometimes, one person can ruin a good thing for the rest of us. - Sean McGee

So the Internet has etched his name in stone for a bad day? John, what I'm saying is that there is a way to go about it without being a jerk in return. After the ludicrous amount of attention this has gotten, does anyone really think that SF MOMA will respond in a nice way? A pound of flesh has been demanded, and that's going to put them on the defensive