(photos shot on Geno DiMaria’s iPhone)

The Chief of Staff of the Army asked his Sergeant Major, who was both Ranger and Special Forces qualified, which organization he would recommend to form a new anti-terrorist unit. The Sergeant Major responded to the General’s question with this parable: If there were a hijacked Boeing 747 being held by terrorists along with its passengers and crew and an anti-terrorist unit formed either by the Rangers or the Special Forces was given a Rescue/Recovery Mission; what would you expect to happen?

Ranger Option

Forces/Equipment Committed: If the Rangers went in, they would send a Ranger company of 120 men with standard army issue equipment.

Mission Preparation: The Ranger Company First Sergeant would conduct a Hair Cut and Boots Inspection.

Infiltration Technique: They would insist on double timing, in company formation, wearing their combat equipment, and singing Jody cadence all the way to the site of the hijacked aircraft.

Actions in the Objective Area: Once they arrived, the Ranger company would establish their ORP, put out security elements, conduct a leaders recon, reapply their face cammo, and conduct final preparations for Actions on the OBJ.

Results of Operation: The Rescue/Recovery Operation would be completed within one hour; all of the terrorists and most of the passengers would have been killed, the Rangers would have sustained light casualties and the 747 would be worthless to anyone except a scrap dealer.

Special Forces Option

Forces/Equipment Committed: If Special Forces went in, they would send only a 12 man team (all SF units are divisible by 12 for some arcane historical reason) however, due to the exotic nature of their equipment the SF Team would cost the same amount to deploy as the Ranger Company.

Mission Preparation: The SF Team Sergeant would request relaxed grooming standards for the team.

Infiltration Technique: The team would insist on separate travel orders with Max Per Diem, and each would get to the site of the hijacking by his own means. At least one third of the team would insist on jumping in.

Actions in the Objective Area: Once they arrived , the SF Team would cache their military uniforms, establish a Team Room, use their illegal Team Fund to stock the unauthorized Team Room Bar, check out the situation by talking to the locals, and have a Team Meeting to discuss the merits of the terrorists’ cause.

Results of Operation: The Rescue/Recovery Operation would take two weeks to complete and by that time all of the terrorists would have been killed, (and would have left signed confessions); the passengers would be ruined psychologically for the remainder of their lives. The 747 would be essentially unharmed, the team would have taken no casualties but would have used up, lost, or stolen all the “high speed” equipment issued to them.

Taken from specialoperations.com.

I am a pro photographer,
because I have a camera.

Everytime I see good equipement reviews,
I buy it so that it will make me even better.

When I’m taking pictures for clients,
they see I’m a pro since I have a large lens,
and the battery grip makes me even more pro.

I never take snapshots,
because I use a 70-200mm f/2.8,
and I use a full-frame body.

If a client doesn’t like her portraits,
it’s her fault.
She didn’t use proper make-up.

I edit my photos on a Mac,
and use selective coloring.
That’s why all my photos are art.

I set my camera to full auto,
since as a busy pro photographer,
I haven’t time to care about details.

I can’t learn from my errors,
because there aren’t any.

I don’t have to read about techniques.
My camera takes care of that.

So, why, WHY is my business going so bad?

This morning I decided to go through some of the New Testament to see what Jesus said about folks in my state. I didn’t make it past Matthew 5-7 – Jesus’ sermon on the mount. The passage is rich with texts stating what will happen to those who don’t trust in the Lord. That passage encouraged me to be a Christian in more than name. I am now a true follower of Christ.

Since today is National Parkour Day I thought I’d share, according to American Parkour, what Parkour is.

Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.

Parkour requires… consistent, disciplined training with an emphasis on functional strength, physical conditioning, balance, creativity, fluidity, control, precision, spatial awareness, and looking beyond the traditional use of objects.

Parkour movements typically include… running, jumping, vaulting, climbing, balancing, and quadrupedal movement. Movements from other physical disciplines are often incorporated, but acrobatics or tricking alone do not constitute parkour.

Parkour training focuses on… safety, longevity, personal responsibility, and self-improvement. It discourages reckless behavior, showing off, and dangerous stunts.

Parkour practitioners value… community, humility, positive collaboration, sharing of knowledge, and the importance of play in human life, while demonstrating respect for all people, places, and spaces.

I’ve finally made the switch from having blue as my favorite color, to having red as my favorite color. Viva red!

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Itzhak Perlman was onstage doing a last minute tuning of his violin when one of his strings broke. He quietly pulled the string off as everyone, the orchestra, the conductor and the audience waited for him to get a new one. Instead, and to their utter amazement, he nodded to the conductor to proceed. No one could believe that he was going to attempt to play a difficult violin concerto with just three strings, but he did. When he was finished the audience sat in stunned silence for a moment, then erupted in applause for what they had just witnessed. He held up his bow to silence the crowd and said, “You know, sometimes it’s the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you still have left.”

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Aerial video with a Canon 5D , 7D helivideo.com from Eric AUSTIN on Vimeo.

I made sure to have my camera with me, knowing that there would probably be lots of opportunity for photos. But, alas, I forgot to charge the battery, so I wasn’t able to take any photos… not even one!

2 – CHILDREN: Human children require much nurturing in order to develop a healthy self-ego. Never offer your right-lead canter to an adult rider. However, permit the child the honor of the right lead. Older children may be denied the first one or two canter cues, to prepare them for adulthood. Very young children MUST be given the right lead on the very first try.

3 – DEATH. When one of your best turn-out buddies has gone to the Great Pasture in the Sky, your human attendant will require much comforting, as they fear they will go next. Humans are instinctively afraid of death. Offer your comfort by making deep hacking and wheezing coughs, producing voluminous amounts of phlegm. Your human will be greatly comforted, knowing that he’s not the next to go.

4 – DINING ETIQUETTE. Always pull all of your hay out of the hay rack, especially right after your stall has been cleaned, so you can mix the hay with your fresh bedding. This challenges your human the next time they clean your stall – and we all know how humans love a challenge. (That’s what they said when they bought you as a two-year-old, right?)

5 – DOORS. Any door, even partially open, is always an invitation for you and your human to exercise. Bolt out of the door and trot around, just out of reach of your human, who will frantically run after you. The longer it goes on, the more fun it is for all involved.

6 – FARRIER. The farrier is an object on which you can take out your frustration without danger of limiting your food supply.

7 – FRESH BEDDING. It is perfectly permissible to use the bathroom in the middle of your freshly bedded stall, letting your humans know how much you appreciate their hard work.

8 – GOING FOR TRAIL RIDES. Rules of the road – When out on a trail ride with your owner, never relieve yourself on your own lawn.

9 – GROUND MANNERS. Ground manners are very important to humans. Therefore, break as much of the ground in and around the barn as possible. This lets the ground know who’s boss and impresses your human.

10 – HOLES. Rather than pawing and digging a BIG hole in the middle of the paddock or stall and upsetting your human, dig a bunch of smaller holes all over so they won’t notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, they might think it’s gophers. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to correct this problem.

11 – IMPROPER SHOES. Your human attendant will often risk his safety by wearing shoes that might not provide full protection from hazardous ranch situations. You can correct (not punish) this behavior by applying pressure to the unprotected foot. Humans are known to move away from pressure, but only after making loud noises. Keep the pressure applied until your human responds correctly to this cue.

12 – MARRIAGE. Your personal human attendant may also have a spouse, who professes nonequinity. Whenever your attendant brings the non-equus spouse to visit, you are to lavish unimaginable amounts of charm on the non-equus spouse, and more importantly, you must act fearful of your personal human attendant. This process must continue until such time as the non-equus spouse converts to full equinity.

13 – NEIGHING. Because you are a horse, you are expected to neigh. So neigh – a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting the barn and communicating with other horses. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night and hearing you, “Neigh, neigh, neigh …”

14 – NUZZLING. Always take a BIG drink from your water trough immediately before nuzzling your human. Humans prefer clean muzzles. Be ready to rub your head on the area of your human you just nuzzled to dry it off, as well.

15 – PLAYING. If you lose your footing while frolicking in the paddock, use one of the other horses to absorb your fall, so you don’t injure yourself. Then the other horse will get a visit from the mean ole’ vet, not you!

16 – RAIN. Humans are generally little busy bodies, like beavers, who need to constantly build and modify. During the rain, stick either your head or your hindquarters beyond the reach of your roof. Your human will instinctively (being the stimulus / response creatures that they are) move you to a new stall, and make a new roof for you later.

17 – SHOEING. Humans are creatures driven by instant gratification. After a good foot trimming or shoeing, trot smartly around to show your human how nicely the shoes fit. The next day, drag one foot when you walk, to provide your little busy body with yet another project to work on.

18 – SHOTS. Humans are characteristically nervous when providing veterinary care for you. In order to soothe your human, raise your head, immediately after the injection, turning the lead rope into a handy tool with which you can swing your human. Genetically predisposed, humans are comforted by swinging back and forth on the lead rope, while screaming primeval noises.

19 – STOMPING CATS. When standing on cross-ties, make sure you never – quite – stomp on the barn cat’s tail. It spoils all the fun.

20 – SNORTING. Humans like to be snorted on. Everywhere. It is your duty, as the family horse, to accommodate them.

21 – VISITORS. Quickly determine which guest is afraid of horses. Rock back and forth on the cross-ties, neighing loudly and pawing playfully at this person. If the human back away and starts crying, swish your tail, stamp your feet, and nicker gently to show your concern.

2. Leap out of a moving vehicle and proactice “Relaxing into the fall”. Roll lightly into a ball and spring to your feet.

3. Learn to grab your checkbook out of your purse/pocket and write out a $200 check without even looking down.

4. Jog long distances carrying a halter and holding out a carrot. Go ahead and tell the neighbors what you’re doing. They might as well know now.

5. Affix a pair of reins to a moving freight train and practice pulling it to a halt, and smile as if you are really having fun.

6. Hone your fibbing skills. “See hon, moving hay bales is fun!” and “I’m glad your lucky performance and multi-million dollar horse won you first place. Im just thankful that my hard work and actual ability won me second place.”

7. Practice dialing your chiropractors number with both arms paralyzed to the shoulder, and one foot anchoring the lead rope of a frisky horse.

8. Borrow the US army sloga; “Be all that you can be”. Add, “bitten, thrown, kicked, slimed, trampled.”

9. Lie face down in the mud in your most expensive riding clothes and repeat to yourself : “This is a learning experience, this is a learning experience…”

10. Marry money.

Don’t squat with your spurs on.

Don’t judge people by their relatives.

Behind every successful rancher is a wife who works in town.

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Talk slowly, think quickly.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don’t interfere with something that ain’t botherin’ you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

It’s better to be a has-been that a never-was.

The easiest way to eat crow is while it’s still warm; The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

If it don’t seem like it’s worth the effort, it probably ain’t.

It don’t take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

Sometimes you get and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.

Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

Don’t worry about bitin’ off more’n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger’n you think.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Generally, you ain’t learnin’ nothing when your mouth’s a-jawin’.

Tellin’ a man to git lost and makin’ him do it are two entirely different propositions.

If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there with ya.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

When you give a personal lesson in meanness to a critter or to a person, don’t be surprised if they learn their lesson.

When you’re throwin’ your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back.

Always take a good look at what you’re about to eat. It’s not so important to know what it is, but it’s sure crucial to know what it was.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back into your pocket.

You can’t tell how good a man or a watermelon is ’til they get thumped.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked, shouldn’t it follow that cowboys would be deranged?

There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode; Never was a cowboy who couldn’t be throwed.

Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise every day. That is, be systematically ascetic or heroic in little unnecessary points. Do every day or two something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test.

-William James