Healthcare in America...

Another weekend, another off topic blog entry.

But my fear is I am about to commit blogging suicide by touching the "third rail" of politics, but the importance is bigger, much bigger than me.

If I could ask one thing of my readers, it would be to take the five minutes and watch this video.

Should you be moved by it, share it with your friends, if not email me and tell me I suck.

Thank you.

The entire show "Profits Before Patients" is about 45 minutes long and can be viewed by following this link, because bottom line, whatever comes out of Washington under the guise of "reform" will impact every single one of us.

Stand by me… part II...

I had no intention of posting this weekend, holiday weekend, scheduled shoots, blah, blah, blah...

Made my coffee, sat down at 5:30am to check email, but just one came through (which kinda surprised me, I usually get more, not because I'm popular but the spammers do love me).

I won't betray their confidence with the details, but it was a thank you note, explaining that a post I had made six months ago had helped them through a extremely difficult time.

Driving home the point that we never know when something we do, even something quite simple, impacts the life of another.

The follow is the (short) original post:

“no matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you’re gonna need somebody to stand by you…”

(if the video does not come through on the feed, you'll want to stop by the blog to watch it)

HAPPY HALLOWEDDING!

Photo Credits: Better Homes and Gardens

FALL FAVOURS FOR YOUR GUESTS

If you're having a Fall wedding, why not have your guest favours reflect your Fall theme? Here are a few ideas.

Fill burlap sacks with fresh picked apples and your favorite apple pie recipe. For a personal touch, include labels with your name and wedding date.

Candied apples can be served as a late night snack or wraped in cellophane for your guests to take with them.

Tuck Mason jars filled with preserves in a basket for your guests to grab on their way out.

Fill bags with berry and almond trail mix for your guests to enjoy.

Photo Credits: Brides.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Photo Credits: Pottery Barn, Bliss tree

Doing business AND doing good...

It's one thing to wear something pink in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer (much like the NFL players did this past weekend wearing pink cleats, gloves, and wrist bands), but it's a "whole 'nother thing" to reach into your pocket and pull out hard earned cash in support of a cure.

CoffeCup software is doing that and more, they are raising awareness of the fight against breast cancer, they are donating money to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, AND they are putting a little bit of money in your pocket too!

CoffeeCup Software creates software that anyone who has an online presence can use to make their website better.

Here's the deal, buy any (or all) of the 30 pieces of software on this page and CoffeCup will give you 10% off the purchase price AND donate 20% of the sale to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

It's nice to see a company that does business with people at the bottom line, not profits.

Finding & photographing fall foliage...

If you are interested in photographing (or just taking a nice ride to view) fall foliage, we have put together a bunch of links that will help you in that endeavor.

First, the links on shooting fall foliage:

1. Here are tips and answers to questions about shooring foliage from About.com

2. Quick Tips on photographing fall foliage from Canon

3. The state of Vermont has put together a page on fall foliage shooting tips

4. You can learn what Filters will enhance your Nature Photography here

Now, onto where (and when) to find the optimal time to shoot in your area:

1. The weather channel has put together a national and regional maps tracking peak foliage

2. VividLight.com has put together a great number of links tracking (and shooting) the changing of fall colors

3. Yankee Magazine has anything and everything to do with fall foliage on their site, daily reports, scenic drives, tours, and even a kids section

4. VisitingNewEngland.com also has a great deal of useful information on fall foliage

Below are state by state fall foliage links, tips, and videos, all specific to your state

AL - AR - CA - CO - CT - DE - GA - ID - IL - IN - IA - ME - MD - MA - MI - MN - MO - NH - NJ - NY - NC -OH - OK - OR - PA - RI - SC - TN - VT - VA - WA - WV - WI

And we'll end this post with a video tutorial, lesson 1 of shooting fall foliage (here is lesson 2, lesson 3, and lesson 4):