date stamp: 7 p.m. gmt, june 17, 2009

The date stamp initiative is part of a year-long project to capture 2009 in words and images from all parts of the world. To catch up on past date stamps, click here.

She was born in 1936 on the east coast of the United States into the large family of an Episcopalian minister and his wife (a tiny but tough woman who could press her hands flat to the floor while bending at the waist and who lived by the belief that cold showers in the morning set the day to rights) on the heels of The Great Depression, with the shadow of the Second World War looming large.

In her day, she would send her sons into wars and political hot spots and teach her growing family how to conserve in a drought, would make a dollar stretch for nine children on an officer's salary, somehow managing to give each of these children a private school education. In a marriage that has lasted 48 years, she would follow her husband from base to base, criss-crossing the country and even leaving land for more exotic places (like Guam and Hawaii), only to then wait for his return from months-long tours of duty.

An artist, she fulfilled a life-long desire to learn how to dance by taking up ballet lessons at the age of 45, even as she carpooled several of her daughters to their own dance classes. Today, at the age of 73, she will get on a plane to watch two of her granddaughters dance on the stage, scheduled in and around other trips that again see her criss-crossing the country to be with her other sons and daughters, and their children.

There is more, of course, much more — too much to recollect here. But for all that is left out, there is one thing to be said for certain: that each of these 73 years was lived day by day, hour by hour, always with a prayer on her lips and the desire to do good.

What better way to celebrate that life in progress than by taking a snapshot of what the world looked like on June 17, 2009, at 7 p.m. GMT. One moment in time to celebrate a world of moments and a legacy of memories.

Happy Birthday, Sara Jean Kernan Lockwood. This date stamp's for you.

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London, England
GMT
(7 p.m., local time)


I'm in relaxation mode right now. This is my current needlepoint project - a carpet for a dolls' house. I fitted out my own twelve room mini-mansion some time ago, but there were still so many patterns I wanted to try out, so I've continued making rugs and carpets to sell at craft fairs.

No one else in the family can understand why I find such close work "fun", but there is something calming in seeing a carpet take shape stitch by stitch, inch by inch. Meditation in canvas and stranded cotton.

— Kathryn Radmall

Screenwriter

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Manchester, England
GMT
(7 p.m., local time)

Note: Peter Spencer took these photos while on holiday just north of London.



Somewhere near Milton Keynes on a summer's evening.

— Peter Spencer
Screenwriter

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Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
GMT - 5
(2 p.m. local time)

Mike Scherer was also on vacation for this date stamp, reporting in from Manistee, Michigan.


Do guy-birds ogle the females as they work on their tans? Do they fantasize about ‘making it’ with their favorite chick?

Do girl-birds scope out the guys on the sly -- score them on a scale from one to ten -- then giggle amongst themselves?

Did any of this posturing and preening and posing result in any long-term relationships?

Shrug.

All I know: this beach has gone to the birds.

Happy 73rd Sara Lockwood!

— Michael Scherer
Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Louisville, Kentucky
United States
GMT - 5
(2 p.m. local time)

It seems almost no one stayed put for this date stamp. Here's Jeanne Hammond's report from South Bend, Indiana.

Today I am on different turf: the campus of Notre Dame, with a dear friend, Sister Anthony Wargel. We toured the Administration building, viewed the oil paint portraits of university presidents past and wondered what it was like in this quad two weeks ago, when the convocation ceremony drew journalists and protesters to an otherwise peaceful campus. University President Jenkins and President Barack Obama in cordial company, as some students and alumni protested President Obama’s receiving an honorary degree. On what grounds do we etch our stands? How do we divine truth? What do we value in this life? Questions for Catholic university men and women of steady heart. Questions for all of us.

_____________________________________________

Westlake Village, California
United States
GMT - 8
(11 a.m. local time)

Julia snapped this picture for Grandma, selecting her subject as an honest admission of what life in Southern California looks like on pretty much any given day.

At least from this dog's perspective.

And as far as she's concerned (the dog, that is), there's no better way to spend a birthday than belly-up in the sunshine.

— Pamela Schott
Author, Screenwriter

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Tikrit, Iraq
GMT + 3
(10 p.m. local time)

We got socked with a heavy sandstorm last night. We literally had sand drifts inside the building last night, it was so bad. People got lost walking home. One van of our guys, coming back just from dinner, had to put two people out into the storm with their flash lights, just to make sure the van stayed on the road -- you couldn't tell where it was.

— Art La Flamme
Blogger/Army Serviceman

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Elsewhere in the world:

Australian Station
Antarctica
GMT + 4
(11 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Abbey Road
London, England
United Kingdom
GMT
(7 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Venice
Grand Canal
Italy

GMT +1
(7 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Paris, France
GMT + 1
(8 p.m. local time)

date stamp: 6 p.m. gmt, may 30, 2009

This date stamp was by special request, as today was the day that blogger and Army serviceman Art La Flamme celebrated his 40th birthday with his family at home in Hawai'i, where he is on leave from the war for some well-deserved R and R.

In other parts of the world, firsts of a similar kind were taking place, with some date stampers hailing the beginning of summer, as over in California (where summer never seems to take its leave) another marked the beginning of a young girl's career on pointe.

The day wasn't all about firsts and milestones, however, and that's what made this date stamp feel complete. In Manchester, England, one date stamper looked back at the centuries-old remains of a church that was nearly decimated in World War Two, as in Queens, another found not what she was looking for, but something equally as intriguing. And as the rest of us made our way through what seems to have been a sunny Saturday the world over, Singapore's date stamper woke just long enough to note the time in her dark corner of the world before saying good night.

Here, then, is a look at May 30, 2009, from the perspective of 6 p.m. GMT:

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London, England
GMT
(6 p.m., local time)


Well, it's getting to the end of another fine day - summer has (maybe) arrived. This is one of our twin cats, Pippin, crashed out in the shrubbery and savaging his favourite plant. As an old boy (fourteen on Monday), this is about as active as he gets. He and his brother just laze around all day and wander in at mealtimes as if they're long term residents of a hotel. And there had better be something decent on the menu or their disdain is palpable.

As the saying goes "Dogs have owners. Cats have staff."

— Kathryn Radmall

Screenwriter

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Toronto, Ontario
Canada
GMT -5
(11 a.m. local time)

'Shadetree mechanic' is a term that I have often wondered about. I mean, real mechanics have garages with lights, tools and important looking automotive bits, right?

So on a lovely Saturday afternoon I find myself at a good friend's house for a barbeque.

Next thing I know, we have his 76 MGB on stands (under a tree by the way) as we try to figure out why it is leaking gasoline.

We are serious mechanics... look hard and you will notice the beer in my hand.

All in all, a perfect summer day.

— Svet Rouskov
Screenwriter

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Manchester, England
GMT
(6 p.m., local time)

From the road it's just another church.

But then you notice the blue sky through the windows - looking in! The barbed wire that fences it off and the safety notice bolted to the locked gate.

It was hit during WW2. All that remains is the front. Complete. Intact. Perfect.

For years I've thought someone should film a zombie movie here. Y'know, the locked door that is really a portal to another time, the zombies trapped on the other side. They cross into our world one night when a bunch of partying kids break open the door.

Oh yeah, Stockport Zombie hunters. Okay, one day I'll get a good title!

— Peter Spencer
Screenwriter.

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New York, New York
United States
GMT - 5
(1 p.m. local time)

I don't know if it's a commentary on me, my life(style) or just life in general in these United States, but despite the fact that it's almost a year to the day since I moved into my digs in Queens, I really haven't had a lot of time to explore the neighborhood. My job is in Manhattan, most of my socializing and extracurricular activities are in Manhattan, and during my "down" time, I often visit my family in New Jersey.

So today, I decided to try and find the Sculpture Park, which is supposed to be lovely. I took a look on the internet, and set off, determined to find it, take some pictures, and still have time to meet up with a Manhattanite friend coming into Queens to eat at my favorite creperie. Of course, I don't find it. I didn't print out a map, and I have no sense of direction. But, in wandering around, I saw the Boys and Girls Club, which has this fantastic mural painted all along the wall. In the center are portraits of the five founders. All around them are the different activities you can partake of at the Club. I've included a close-up of a segment of the mural which I thought relevant to this blog: A girl on a computer, with an image of the world above her head. Macro and micro. Ah, the wonder and beauty of the internet.

— Mrinalini Kamath
Playwright, Filmmaker

_____________________________________________

Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
GMT - 5
(1 p.m. local time)

Bright, sunny – summer like. Mr. Squirrel cools himself in the shade of a neighbor’s tree. Wary of the world that surrounds him. Oblivious to the wonders above. His loss.

Happy Birthday, Art LaFlamme.

— Michael Scherer
Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Westlake Village, California
United States
GMT - 8
(10 a.m. local time)



First pair of pointe shoes: a dream finally realized.

She sewed them over the course of an hour with Broadway show tunes playing in the background, wearing the subsequent blisters like a badge of honor.

— Pamela Schott
Author, Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Royal Ville
Singapore
GMT + 8
(2 a.m. local time)

Hmmm...What's that smell? Oh, it's 2am! As my blurry brain processes this information, my eyes refuse to open so I let my ears do the work. I know that the outside air is extremely humid so I'm very thankful for our air-conditioner, the best invention ever created by man. Meanwhile, out on the not-too-distant road beyond our apartment block, traffic still resonates albeit not as loud and chaotic as during the daytime. Still, people are out there going places, perhaps home after a night out or on the prowl to the next drinking den or on the way to Johore, the nearest Malaysian state just across the causeway. As they get on with the rest of the night, I drift back into sleep looking forward to a full Sunday with my family. Ah, that's the life!

— Sonia Marzuki
Freelance Writer, PR Consultant

_____________________________________________

Tikrit, Iraq
GMT + 3
(9 p.m. local time)

Note: Art La Flamme is on leave from his duties in Tikrit, Iraq.

The photo is actually by my son. We snuck out of the house early, while the ladies slept, and headed up to Tantalus for some photos. That's Diamondhead in the background, and beyond it is the Pacific. I could not be further from Iraq, if I tried -- physically, emotionally, or mentally. If this is what turning 40 is suppose to feel like, I can say that it's a good thing.

— Art La Flamme
Blogger/Army Serviceman

_____________________________________________

Elsewhere in the world:

Australian Station
Antarctica
GMT + 4
(10 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Abbey Road
London, England
United Kingdom
GMT (6 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Venice
Grand Canal
Italy

GMT +1 (6 p.m. local time)

_____________________________________________

Paris, France
GMT + 1
(7 p.m. local time)

date stamp: 5 p.m. gmt, may 20, 2009

Helen Keller once observed that, "The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." There may be heroes among this collection of date stampers (sometimes just facing the day is an act of heroism in and of itself), but as the images captured here at 5 p.m. GMT illustrate, there is no question that we are honest workers.

This moment in time found one date stamper on a well-deserved break from the war in Iraq at home on Oahu, as two others in Shanghai and Singapore prepared for the next day's go 'round and tucked in for a toddler-induced sleep, respectively.

In the western world, work days were just beginning, or already underway, and in between the administrivia that naturally punctuates more creative endeavors, date stampers took a break to tend to gardens, knead dough, grab a bite to eat, or just take a contemplative breath.

We may, as Keller also noted, long to accomplish great and noble tasks. But as date stampers the world over demonstrated today, it seems that our chief duty is, in Keller's words, "to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble."

Say hello, then, to a great and noble world as it was observed on May 20, 2009:

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London, England
GMT
(5 p.m., local time)


Well, the sun is just touching the treetops at the bottom of the garden and I'm making my rounds of the fruit and vegetables. In previous years I've just allowed the fruit trees - apple, apricot, cherry and plum, to go their own way. But now that I seem to have taken on my late father's gardening mantle, I'm paying closer attention to everything: checking for fruit-set or signs of disease and wondering if there will be enough grapes to produce a few bottles of wine.

I'm amazed at the speed that the sweetcorn, peppers and runner beans are growing and try vainly to keep the tomato vines under control. They're heading for the greenhouse roof with all the vigour of the plants that Dad used to grow as a market gardener. I hope he's cheering on my efforts, surprised and pleased, as I am, by the emergence of these three potato plants - Vivaldi, Red Duke of York and Charlotte.

— Kathryn Radmall

Screenwriter

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Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom
GMT
(5 p.m. local time)

I made some dough and left it to rise in the late afternoon sunshine. The resultant rolls it made were sweet and fluffy - the perfect accompaniment to our tofu burgers!

— Laura Anderson
Freelance Writer and Filmmaker

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Toronto, Ontario
Canada
GMT -5
(10 a.m. local time)

An unremarkable moment for this date stamp...
In a regular hum-drum meeting...
Looking out a window and wondering...
'Is there more to life than this?'
'Are we alone in the Universe?'
'What is our purpose in this life?'
'I wonder what's for dinner?' ... and back to work I go.
________________________________________________

Manchester, England
GMT
(5 p.m., local time)

As captured by Peter Spencer, Screenwriter.

________________________________________________

New York, New York
United States
GMT - 5
(12 p.m. local time)

Today turned out to be an unwanted day off (i.e., unpaid), so I started off the day by doing my laundry. As I passed the Ukrainian Catholic Church on the way to the laundromat, I noticed the three mosaics on the front. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's much gold-er looking, and alas, the tall building across the street blocks the sun from really hitting it and making it truly sparkle, but it's still a beautiful work of art that I'm sure church-goers find inspirational. In fact, when I passed by on my way back from the laundromat (still before 12 noon) I saw that an ice cream truck driver had parked his truck by the church and was standing in front, praying (the gates were locked). An interesting Queens scene.

— Mrinalini Kamath
Playwright, Filmmaker

_____________________________________________

Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
GMT - 5
(12 a.m. local time)

A day of meetings. One runs into the next. The morning... becomes a blur. Time flies when you’re having fun? Run out, grab a bite, run back, continue to work. Another Power Lunch at the bottom of the Food Chain.

— Michael Scherer
Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Louisville, Kentucky
United States
GMT - 5
(12 a.m. local time)

Fullness of day met vulnerably, its loveliness revealed as an orange, peeled and sectioned, through threshold and window lattice. Mouths of words
sweetening home.

— Jeanne Hammond
Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Westlake Village, California
United States
GMT - 8
(9 a.m. local time)


Poolside, both girls at school, the day just warming up. An hour carved out to work on the manuscript, then time for yoga. Hollywood cliché? Hardly. Except for the pedicure, which you've only recently started splurging on, you started your "hot yoga" practice back in the hot and steamy mid-west, some eight years ago. The writing started there as well, and quickly blossomed into a suitcase-full of dreams so large, you had to sit on it to get it to zip closed, way back in 2003 when you decided to air those dreams out in the bright SoCal sunshine. Six years on, and the dreams have not lost their luster. In fact, they're even juicier than when you first conceived of them, if not yet quite ripe. You'd like them to be (ripe, that is), but what do you know? For all the dues paid and time you put into it, you're still an amateur.

— Pamela Schott
Author, Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Beijing, China
GMT + 8
(1 a.m. local time)

Eat and learn.... When we were getting ready to move to Shanghai from Louisville, Kentucky, we were advised by other expats to bring as much of our favorite U.S.-snacks as possible as they might not be available in China. Or, if they were, they'd be expensive — at least twice the U.S. price. It's hard to pay nearly $5 U.S. dollars for a bag of goldfish crackers, when I was paying $1.69 in the States. It doesn't matter how much my three kids beg me to buy them. I started exploring the local supermarket for alternatives. Through constant buying and trying, I've found some great snacks not just from China, but other countries as well. The mini ice cream cones in the photo are a very popular brand in the U.K. The muesli from Germany is excellent with the locally made peach yogurt. The chocolate-coated digestive cracker from Korea is not too sweet and has great chocolate flavor. The red bean mochi from Taiwan, while not as good as freshly-made, are still tasty. The foods themselves are not so different from what we ate in the U.S., yet the unfamiliar characters or different words on the packaging spark conversations among my children about where the food could be from. Snack time then turns in to a mini geography lesson, and all of a sudden we're learning about the rest of the world — one snack at a time.

— Ginley Regencia

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Royal Ville
Singapore
GMT + 8
(1 a.m. local time)

While people are wrapping up their days at GMT 5pm, our little corner of Singapore is asleep...well, almost! The whole world seems ensconced in darkness and the only things visible are the time on the clock radio and the lights on the baby monitor. It's nice basking in the silence of the night after a chaotic day of toddler activities, daily chores and American Idol. See you in the morning Singapore.

— Sonia Marzuki
Freelance Writer, PR Consultant

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Tikrit, Iraq
GMT + 3
(8 p.m. local time)

Note: Art La Flamme is on leave from his duties in Tikrit, Iraq. This photo was taken from his home on base at Oahu, Hawai'i.

— Art La Flamme
Blogger/Army Serviceman

_____________________________________________

Elsewhere in the world:

Panama Canal, Panama
United States
GMT - 8
(9 a.m. local time)

Australian Station
Antarctica
GMT + 4
(9 p.m. local time)

Abbey Road
London, England
United Kingdom
GMT
(5 p.m. local time)

Venice Grand Canal, Italy

GMT +1
(5 p.m. local time)

Paris, France
GMT + 1
(6 p.m. local time)

date stamp: 4 p.m., april 30, 2009

The last day of April 2009, and date stampers from around the world filed mundane (not to say boring) reports that indicated that, media hand-wringing to the contrary, life was carrying on, the sky (as true blue in Scotland as any ever witnessed) was not falling, and people from all over the world were placing one foot in front of the other and getting on with the day. Much like one American soldier in the middle of a troubled, ancient desert had done on his daily run.

There was work to be done, a child to be delivered to school, pastures to be grazed. And so it was, and she was, and they were. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing glamorous or Earth shattering. And yet. It is in the simplicity of each of these reports that the pulse of the world is detected, a quiet, constant, steady rhythm, proof if ever it was needed (which is more and more these days, it would seem) that all is well.


London, England
GMT
(4 p.m., local time)

Well, as befits the run up to a Bank Holiday, the weather is gearing down for the occasion - pretty overcast and a bit chilly, so I'm indoors tidying up my storyboard files. Fred, my very able artist's model was pressed into service for the fight scenes and is now offering his opinion on the resulting sketches.

— Kathryn Radmall

Screenwriter

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Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom
GMT
(4 p.m. local time)

I spent the day writing and doing admin tasks, taking breaks to stare out of the window and up at the clouds.

— Laura Anderson
Freelance Writer and Filmmaker

________________________________________________

Manchester, England
GMT
(4 p.m., local time)

As captured by Peter Spencer, Screenwriter.

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New York, New York
United States
GMT - 5
(11 a.m. local time)

Well, 11:00 is when the phones are turned on at my job, so here's the phone. To the right you'll see the wall of the cubicle - not quite sure why there's a bottle of white-out behind the phone (I don't think I've used white-out since college). This is the moment before the onslaught - the first two hours are always the busiest. Lucky for me that with the economy being the way it is, people are still interested in going to the theatre at all.

— Mrinalini Kamath
Playwright, Filmmaker

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Raleigh, North Carolina
United States
GMT - 5
(11 a.m. local time)

Another day — another 50¢ (and that’s before taxes).

— Michael Scherer
Screenwriter

_____________________________________________

Louisville, Kentucky
United States
GMT - 5
(11 a.m. local time)

Today is two days before the 135th Kentucky Derby. A former Derby horse, Perfect Drift, grazes by a parking lot at Churchill Downs. If memory serves, he came in third in the 2002 race. I thought, how wonderful to have already completed your best run!

— Jeanne Hammond
Screenwriter

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Westlake Village, California
United States
GMT - 8
(8 a.m. local time)

This image perfectly captures the last four years. Sunlight pouring out of the east, lighting the way to school (straight ahead for five blocks), or the ocean (turn right at the stop light).

Every day without fail, we've walked this way, back pack and brown bag lunch in hand, Lucy on leash. You feel privileged to be so close to school that you can avoid carpool lines and frantic SUVs altogether, glad of the time you have with her to talk about the dreams she had the night before, and the ones she has for the rest of her life.

With the all the uncertainty you're currently facing, you feel even more profoundly these moments together as you push forward into a new day, pushing away thoughts of scarcity, of ruin and disappointment. This is all there is. This moment, right now. Everything else is illusion. And for that you are so grateful.

— Pamela Schott
Author, Screenwriter

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Tikrit, Iraq
GMT + 3
(7 p.m. local time)

5 days, 4 runs, 30 miles. My soles are like alligator skin. I managed to get a blister on the arch of my foot. And I have a blister on a blister, on a blister that has now popped.

But these aren't complaints; this is my reality. I'm a runner, and these things won't stop me.

— Art La Flamme
Blogger/Army Serviceman

_____________________________________________

Elsewhere in the world:

Panama Canal, Panama
United States
GMT - 8
(8 a.m. local time)

Australian Station
Antarctica
GMT + 4
(8 p.m. local time)

Abbey Road
London, England
United Kingdom
GMT
(4 p.m. local time)

Paris, France
GMT + 1
(5 p.m. local time)