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Art and the Peaceful Warrior

This week I wound up shooting a motion picture project for my son’s martial arts company gym Puu Muay Thai here in Ventura. My wife Donna and I, also had a visit from our close friend, internationally acclaimed fine artist Edem Elesh and his 15 year old son Griffen, who I had not seen in over a decade when he was a teensy little guy playing with Donna’s hair as we visited Edem in his Hollywood digs. Simultaneously, my colleague and friend Robb Havassy, let the world know that Surf Story Vol 2 was headed to print after nearly 6

Imaging Accountability and Authenticity

In the pretense of living in the now, it is not that uncommon for both people and business to overlook the manner in which they are able to affect things on the global stage. The connection culture of today, brings with it, an ever greater demand for accountability. Accountability is one of “those things”. It is a tenet which is (hopefully) acquired at some stage in a person’s life, and (again,hopefully) as they grow, and the scope of the world in which they live enlarges, it scales. If it does not, you really could see some larger scale problems arise.

Waging Peace: A Memorial Day March

In the course of time, mankind has gotten more efficient in the act of waging war. As technology has blossomed, the business of the Military Industrial Complex has embraced the tactical advantages of tech, and implemented it to great effect in terms of kill yield. Think about that. Tech makes for a better, more efficient visit of the Grim Reaper upon our adversaries. But that comes at great expense, monetarily, and in other ways. Never think that anyone escapes reaping what has been sowed. No one does. Not individuals, not Nations. We all can lose sight of our goals. It

The Big Nevermind

The City of Ventura is my home. I have owned a house and various other properties and leases here for 30 years. Communities are pretty simple really. Generally they are composed of diverse components, all assembled in a willingness to live and work in a place that they find desirable. The willingness to contribute, is directly proportional to establishing a  sense of forward motion. Effect must equal cause. Benefit is weighed against cost. So onward the ship sails with all of us aboard, planning, building, laughing, crying, fighting, healing, birthing, living, dying: together. For any of this to occur, the

Ventura Groans

The following was written to me by Dr Ed Brenegar, who heads up the Community of Leaders It was written in reference to a close look I am taking at the Ventura City Council’s decision to implement pay parking in my town. What at first glance, was described to be a rather benign plan to regulate business traffic in downtown, quickly became rather apparent, to instead be a near Draconian attempt, based on poor business decisions and supposition, to change my town forever. I have people I am accountable to, and advised by. Ed is one of those advisors. This

Surfing Is

The motivation for this piece began with the publication of the following story in the WSJ, to which I contributed an image of my girlfriend Donna Von Hoesslin. Read the comment section, post story, and you will see a diversity of opinions (including mine) that are quite revelatory about each person’s point of view regarding surfing. Those statements reveal everything about those people’s depth of involvement with the ocean. The commentary engaged me. I have always been a surfer. At four years of age I knew that goal was what my life would be about. To know the ocean, (and

A Linchpin Sonnet

As my little ocean flavored world, rocked with continued news that only seemed to worsen, I watched and listened, as response from Government and Environmental groups created what amounted to an untenable clamor. Finger pointing, conflict, polarization, but no success, occurred in fixing the massive calamity of the Horizon well head blowout. Enviro groups squared off and did what they do: point fingers. Oil Execs circled wagons. Everyone calling for Justice. There was a hole in the Gulf seabed. The Ocean was dying. Then Seth’s note popped up, about creating a meeting of our peers. A Linchpin meeting. It was

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Art and the Peaceful Warrior

This week I wound up shooting a motion picture project for my son’s martial arts company gym Puu Muay Thai here in Ventura. My wife Donna and I, also had a visit from our close friend, internationally acclaimed fine artist

Imaging Accountability and Authenticity

In the pretense of living in the now, it is not that uncommon for both people and business to overlook the manner in which they are able to affect things on the global stage. The connection culture of today, brings

Waging Peace: A Memorial Day March

In the course of time, mankind has gotten more efficient in the act of waging war. As technology has blossomed, the business of the Military Industrial Complex has embraced the tactical advantages of tech, and implemented it to great effect

The Big Nevermind

The City of Ventura is my home. I have owned a house and various other properties and leases here for 30 years. Communities are pretty simple really. Generally they are composed of diverse components, all assembled in a willingness to

Ventura Groans

The following was written to me by Dr Ed Brenegar, who heads up the Community of Leaders It was written in reference to a close look I am taking at the Ventura City Council’s decision to implement pay parking in

Surfing Is

The motivation for this piece began with the publication of the following story in the WSJ, to which I contributed an image of my girlfriend Donna Von Hoesslin. Read the comment section, post story, and you will see a diversity

A Linchpin Sonnet

As my little ocean flavored world, rocked with continued news that only seemed to worsen, I watched and listened, as response from Government and Environmental groups created what amounted to an untenable clamor. Finger pointing, conflict, polarization, but no success,