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Memorial Day Is….

A culture which does not connect accurately, reverentially or beautifully with it’s past, is akin to a rudderless boat: doomed to be at the whim of waves and weather. So today is Memorial Day. So what? Why should you or I care? Only because to not do so, is to engage in our personal demise and that of our families, and in turn, our Nation. Wiki does a great job with relating the History of Memorial Day. In the course of my work, on a somewhat regular basis, I get the opportunity to serve the various Military Communities which heed

K38 Rescue: Precept and Example

I sent Shawn Alladio a note yesterday afternoon. Here it is. At least TRY to have a good time tonight, will ya? This is important. Here is her response. Shut up! LOL That pretty much sums up what many of us feel, who are on the back end of rendering service, when accolades come our way. Shawn was headed to an awards ceremony. I knew about it. Barely. It is not what we talk about. But a friend had reminded me, and I knew that Dr Andrea Neal, was down to see her in the midst of what

Five

This is the sixth installment in the series on many loves. It is on Heroes. The world seems to have a real thirst for heroes. Artist Hilda Kilpatrick yesterday, asked me what the word hope meant to me. I told her that hope was seeing the future as the way you would like it to be. Heroes inspire that in us. Though I have lead a life that has had me in the company of champions, and people that always seemed to be the best in the world at what they do, I must admit that none would consider themselves

Sliding into 2011: Year in Pictures

Golden Reflections This link is to a new piece by Zuri Star called Keep Holding on. It fits the New Year quite well. It seems that all around us this past year there was friction. In fact, I found myself enmeshed in three massive battles, all at the same time. I did not author those. I simply said “no” to three entities I saw as abusive of my fellow man, community and Ocean Environment. friction |ˈfrik sh ən| noun the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another : a lubrication system that reduces friction. • the

What Matters

Cost of Leadership. We matter. How we keep our heart, hold rein over our emotions, the manner in which one moves forward with the myriad number of little choices made in the course of a day, adds up to the direction a life takes. Who we have around ourselves, who would follow us into a burning building if we asked, says everything about us. Seth Godin writes about loyalty today, in his blog. A few years back, as a hurricane destroyed the Gulf Coast, Shawn Alladio shared with me in intimate detail over the course of her ordeal, a series

Canon 5D Mark 2: Trial by Fire

My 5D Mark 2 system has been getting quite the workout of late. The other night Tyler Swain came by. Tyler is the talented director, writer, camera operator who, when I am lucky, I get to work with. He had dropped by after a long day working on an episode of Top Gear, to be briefed on the workings of the Canon 5DM2 which he would need to be shooting a show on in the morning. In explaining the workings of the system to him I realized how truly complex it is if one really wants to utilize the tremendous

Non Artistic Interpretation

It was only a year or two ago, when I realized that I am an “artist”. At a very young age I painted. My Father and Uncle were both painters. So as any child would, I simply took for granted that painting and drawing were normal endeavors. At 12 I had learned Photography and studied Philosophy. It was what was going on around me, and being inquisitive, I learned. So does a bird realize it is a bird? Of course, flying would not be so special to him. But to someone without wings, oh to soar! I had a request

An Independent Nature

The United States Of America is founded on the tenets located in the US Constitution. All laws and the people who preside over the law, are based on this document. All Municipal and State laws are superceded and presided over by the Federal laws, based on this document. So no entity may pass a law that is not in accordance with this document. If you find that someone has. You not only have a right, but a civil responsibility to inform and if necessary, litigate that entity. That is what is meant by the legal tort of Rule of Law,

Hazardous Materials Basics

As everybody runs to pitch in at ground zero in the Gulf, I want you all to be aware that there are manifold issues related to working in and around high VOC environments. VOC is an acronym for Volatile Organic Compound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound Levels of VOC’s vary greatly depending on atmospheric conditions and combinations of additional toxins, both natural and man made, which can have potentially serious long term effects. One thing people may not be aware of, is that your skin and your eyes are actually also very effective systems whereby toxics can enter the blood stream. If you get

The Mavericks Challenge: Ready, Aim, Stand

Modus An Operator’s perspective I am just in the door from Maverick’s. We had quite an adventure up there. This trip I was a part of the K38 Mavericks Water Rescue Team. I joined K38 long ago, on the heels of shooting the 2000 Tow Surfing Championships at Jaws. I realized in the course of my process, that I had a debt of responsibility to both my subjects, the sport, and myself, (being a sentient human being) to be prepared and accountable as a responsible participant in documenting and filming surfing. My motivation in seeking out K38 training, was

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