Nursing Shortage

As regular readers will know, I often lampoon how idiotic the NYS legislature can be. So the following should come as no surprise.

According to the NYS Nursing Association, the state already has a nursing shortage & is expected to continue for years to come.

What is our legislature's response?

They're proposing to make the entry barrier higher for new RN's. Specifically it proposes that they be required to be a 4-year degree within 10 years, otherwise they'll no longer be able to work within NY state.

http://news.yahoo.com/ny-bill-require-bachelors-degrees-rns-073218574.html

I'm all in favor of educating a work force when its necessary & MAKES SENSE. But to me, this is reads as another way for the state to generate the much needed higher education revenue. If we want them educated, that's fine. But there's got to be a smarter way to go about doing this than removing them from a critical job field for months & often years at a time.


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Below is of Emily taken awhile ago. I've always like the depth of field play in that shot.

Last I heard she was putting together a homespun screen-printed clothing line, the Hidden Fox, or something like that.



Feel free to comment on any part of this if you so desire.

Speech Recognition

I have an antitechnology rant inspired by both the Terminator series & Arthur C Clarke's HAL from "2001". Basically, we should just give them the nuclear codes because "those damn machines" are going to kill us off anyways. The rant usually is brought on by technology arbitrarily telling us what to do. For example if I don't buckle my seat belt within the first 10 seconds I turn on the ignition, it CONTINUES to remind me every other 15 seconds until its buckled. Sometimes I just want to warm up the dang car on a cold day.

Knowing this, fellow blogger MOFYC sent me a link to NPR's On Point broadcast tackling/promoting/discussing Apple's new speech recognition program, Siri.

After listening to program, I am not as concerned with this technological development as one would think.

Why?

The computer program is not bossing me around because it THINKS I'm doing something wrong. Its user iniated. Its like when a person asks for my opinion (usually in regards to their photo portfolio). I won't go out of my way & give my opinion (unless its in a public venue...which entirely changes this equation). But if someone ASKS for my opinion, I have no quams in actually giving it. If they don't like what I have to say, its their dang problem.

I see this as more along the lines of Star Trek technology. We've already seen it in a lot of ways: the flip communicators, those were our cell phones from 5-10 years ago. Whenever the characters were reading a book (yes, they still did that in the 23th & 24th Centuries), they were looking at what we currently call an eReader. However I'm still waiting for the development of the transporter system (the machine disassemblies your molecules on the molecular level "beams" you some great distance away & then reassembles those disassembled molecules on the spot) because it'd save me a fortune in travel & car expenses.

Which is not to say the television writers wouldn't creates stories of technology running amok or being humans misunderstanding its application. For the most part the technology was one of benevolence. It'd help, it'd assist, it'd offer suggestion. That sorta thing.

However, I'm not saying that I have ZERO concerns about this kind of technology or our relationship to it.

Our codependency on technology is one example.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times my friends bitch when they drop & break their smart phone & god forbid, the person can't function w/ it out for a few days until they can get the new one. Or they leave the phone in another jacket & actually have to chill & do nothing for a few minutes. Or *gasp* they or the person on the other end goes into a reception dead zone (read my letter to those particular people here).

These devices have become extensions of our own bodies. People, especially the young, are excel at playing-games/texting/whatever on their smart phones & not breaking eye contact. This is classroom challenge that I do not envy.

Corruption is another concern.

Knowing how the capitalist world runs. Once they've got you codependent on a product, they've psychologically convinced you that you cannot live without out. I repeat, they've convinced you that YOU CANNOT LEAVE WITH OUT IT.

Its like being a junkie in a lot of ways.

Give you a little preview of how (for example) the application works. But to get more, you have to pay X-amount of dollars. Soon they've persuaded you in getting a whole bunch of crap that you never would have gotten in a million years on your own. Its cleverly insidious in a lot of ways.

The philosphical question becomes do you ACTUALLY need it or do you THINK you need it?

So far I've been able to reject the smart phone lifestyle. But I cannot say it remain that way indefinitely.


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This is Zoe.

You'd never know it by the shot below but it was one of those "scattered showers" shoots. We couldn't really depend on consistent weather so we just mutually agreed to both cross our fingers & hope for the best.



Feel free to comment on any part of this entry if you so desire.

Hydrofrack Warning

Saw a very disturbing article whose headline states "EPA sounds alarm on fracking in Wyoming."

Other than being a good citizen of the world (or at least TRYING to), why am I, a resident of NY, concerned about this?

Before I get into that, hydrofracking is short for hydraulic fracturing. It uses a pressurized fluid aiming at the veins of the rock bed with the intent of releasing from the soil & then capturing untapped oil, natural gas, & coal steam.

One of the problems is that the hydrofracking companies haven't exactly been forthcoming in letting the public & regulators know what is exactly in their pressure streams. We know its a chemicalized-water mix but no one is really sure what the percentages are. How can we when the companies are protecting "trade secrets"?

This leads to a bigger question. Is & will our ground water be safe?

Officially, the journey is still out. Unofficially when I witness tap water literally be set on fire by the seeped in gas, I'd say no.

Why am I concerned?

The fracking industry has blitzed all levels of my state government to open new drilling permits in the Marcellus Shale which located in along the entire New York-Pennsylvania border. They tout that it'll bring employment to an economically depressed region. If I lived along the NY-PA border, I'd be extremely concerned about allowing fracking. Yes, you may get (altogether now) "jobs, jobs, jobs" but what good are "jobs, jobs, jobs" if one cannot rely on the drinking water even if its for everyday use (like toilet flushing, cooking, laundry). This effects not only the people but also the businesses & industries who have nothing to do with fracking.

If corporations are people & are thus deserving of constitutional rights (thank you Citizens United), how are these actions one of a responsible citizen?

If my State Government is smart & concerned about anything besides votes, they'll defeat new hydrofracking permits. Considering I know very well how functional they actually are (some would say crooked), I'm trying not to get my hopes up.


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This is Hannah at the bottom with her friend's child (the mother simply wasn't in the frame) & her little own little one.

Little ones I find are tough to direct, so I simply just kinda let them do their own thing & follow along. I approached the entire shoot with a "Day at the Playground" documentary shooting perspective. It was a refreshing change of pace.

Comment away on any part of this if you so desire.

Giving Thanks

I am VERY thankful for each & every person that I've been blessed in working with.

Without y'alls support, I would not be remotely the photographer that I've become.

Tasers and Police Brutality

I live in a small community of 15,000 at most.

Seeing the questionable tactics used by law enforcement to disperse the Occupy Wall Street, one of the better examples is the Channel 4 news video of UC Davis' response to their Occupy protests as seen below:



 ...combined w/ a NYCLU report naming my own localities high use of tasers (aka "stun guns"), its made me question some things.

During the mid-late 90's while serving with the Marines, the use of "deadly force" was ingrained into each & everyone of us. It was seperated into two parts. Defining "deadly force" & explaining when it can be applied (while on post as a sentry). From my US Marine Guidebook (1999 edition)...

"Deadly force is defined as that force which a person uses with the purpose of causing-or which he knows or should reasonably know, would create substantial risk of causing-death or serious bodily harm. Deadly force is justified under conditions of extreme necessity and ONLY as a last resort when all lesser means have failed or cannot reasonably be employed." (emphasis mine)

Yes specific situations & environments will vary on the when, how, & why. But basically, one has to use all possible options BEFORE they pull that trigger.

So what explains the Glens Falls Police Department's high taser usage? Back in May 2010 why did they taser a guy who reportedly had no other weapon on him besides his fists? Could they not have TRIED calming him down before they shot him? If this is how they treat one of their "Brother Officers", I'd hate to see what they do their enemies (so to speak).

Why is it that reportedly 99 out of 150 tasering incidents involved people with no weapons on them?

Granted this incident happened with a sister police department, can they & in what manner do they justify using a taser on an animal?

I'm not remotely saying tasering people is always unjustified.

What I AM promoting is that the Glens Falls Police Department step forward & explain themselves to the public. Specifically their policies on A. when their officers can draw their weapon, B. when they can pull the trigger, C. why doing so is acceptable.

I WANT to sympathize with the tough jobs the Boys in Blue have (Lord knows there are A LOT of whackos) but without having any clue as to what they're thinking, it simply reads as the leadership is promoting a culture of trigger happy cops getting their jollies off on hurting people.

Edit: Another taser fatality this time by a NC Police Department under questionable circumstances.


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This is Vanessa. "She makes Zombie Killing Look Good!"

You are welcome to comment about any part of this blog if you so choose.

Book Sizes

I was down in Albany, NY recently where I visited the independent book store, the Book House.

As a lover of books, I saw a juxtaposition w/n the shelves that was very telling. Below are two pictures of the same book (taken from my phone).





I don't understand why the bigger book is priced at $16.99 while the smaller book is priced at $7.99. Nor are they simply different editions. Nor the interior font any bigger. Nor is there any difference in the interior art. Nor is it like there are more words in the bigger one than the smaller one.

Sh** like this is frustrating.

Its similar to what I saw in the early 2000s w/ music downloading & the lack of purchasing alternatives. If the record companies are going to discontinue music singles (a form of which that has been around in some way shape or form since the 1950s) and produce crap albums and press out barely 12 songs then expect us to be grateful we're shelling out (what was then) $15 for an album and then claim poverty while your artists are luck it they make $.50 on every album they sell, why shouldn't they be allowed to download stuff if for nothing else than to get some glimpse as to what our money is buying. Its bullsh**.

Its the same deal here.

I WANT to support traditional paper books. I prefer the tactile experience & the joy I get by passing on a good read to someone else. But if the publishing companies see nothing wrong w/ gouging us, why shouldn't the consumer look at alternative reading mediums?

This is why I support e-readers whether its the Kindle, the Nook, or any of the tablet downloadable apps.

The ones who are hurt by this greed are the local businesses (since they are essentially the middlemen) as well as the artists themselves. But whatever. Such is life & that's a shame.


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This is Candace participating in my Abandonment series. I was surprisingly please how well this out-take was.



Feel free & comment on any part of this if you so desire.

Ode to Red Fox Books

I'm greatly saddened in hearing Red Fox Books, a small independent bookstore in downtown Glens Falls, will soon be shutting its doors.

I've gotten a number of books there. My favorite has been Joseph Heller's "Catch-22". Its sorta become my ritual to mail that to anyone I know who's deployed w/ the military.

Though I like & respect Mr Funiciello, owner of the Rock Hill Bake House, I fundamentally disagree with his public position that "the community didn't support the store." My reasoning is that that reason is to simplistic. One could say that about ANY business folding.

Sometimes there are just outside factors w/ whom the business owner have no direct control over. The dreadful state of the economy is a place to start. Choosing a bad location is another factor. Sometimes the profit margin leave little room for error. Sometimes the hired crew (or the owner) isn't up to the task. Sometimes people bungle the marketing. I'm not saying any these apply to Red Fox's closing, just trying to make a point.

Sometimes a new technology comes along that turns everything upside down. The rise of MP3's killed CD sales. The prevalence of cell phones dug hard into the profits of landline phone companies. In the case of Red Fox, the rise of the tablets & e-readers chipped away at their already small profit margins.

My point being sometimes people can do everything right & still lose.

The implications of the store's closing WILL indeed suck for this book loving fiend. I will now have to drive 20-25 minutes to my nearest Barnes & Nobles to enter any bookstore whatsoever. Nor have I been impressed w/ its selection, it "feels" very one-dimensional. Like if I went into a Barnes & Nobles in Albany, it'd be the same basic selection as the one in Saratoga.

People will adapt, life will go on, hopefully something just as good if not better will fill the void. Such is life.

I'm simply grateful for having met Sue Fox & Naftali Rottenstreich, sympathize their business endeavor didn't pan out, yet curious in seeing what the next stage in their life will be.


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I never get tired of working w/ Lauren.

*sigh*



Feel free & comment on any part of this if you so desire.