Once again I am trying to launch Sean Gavin Photography. I haven't had much success in the past although I did book a couple of photo shoots. I am trying something new. In addition to portraits, I am also doing real estate photography and fine art photography.
Head over to seangavinphotography.weebly.com and check it out.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
More Gun Laws Are Not The Answer
In a time when it seems more and more people are 'going off the deep end' and turning to gun violence, most people's reaction is 'we need more and/or tougher gun control'. In my opinion, that is NOT the answer. In short, the only effect tougher gun control laws will do is make is harder for law abiding, safe and properly trained people to obtain firearms. In fact, if firearms were made illegal, it STILL would not eliminate the problem. Murder, drugs, auto theft etc are already illegal yet these laws are broken on a daily basis.
I have many friends who are anti guns and demand that something be done. Yet they offer no suggestions or ideas to help with their concerns. I have also proposed a few ideas that I feel will help yet they turn them all down for one reason or another.
My first idea is in certain cases the 'doctor-patient confidentiality' privilege be suspended. I don't mean if a
patient is afraid of people or angry he should be reported. But if a Dr has a patient he sees and for 4 weeks he complains of people, how he hates his boss and co-workers, wishes his ex-wife dead and shows potential for violence, then tells his doctor he has firearms or recently bought firearms, the Dr should be allowed to report him.
But that would be, according to a few of the anti-gun people I know, an invasion of his privacy. Meanwhile, the shooter at VA Tech in 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, showed signs before his shooting spree. Lucinda Roy, a former Virginia Tech professor, tried to get Cho help but it was refused. "I was told that - that would never happen," Roy said. "Because I was essentially requiring a student to seek counseling."
And that's against Virginia Tech policy as it is at several schools across the country, unless it's an emergency, and administrators claim Roy did not indicate it was an emergency situation.
There were other situations similar to this that the suspect at one time or another showed signs but nothing could be done, so innocent people died as a result. I think that if we can save an untold number of lives by reporting a person showing signs of doing something even remotely like this, and 'invading his privacy', it's worth doing.
Another idea I had that was also rejected was placing armed guards in schools. Also arming teachers, custodians and other school personnel. Now I do not mean handing a gun to a teacher and telling her 'shoot anybody you don't know'. Only people who are properly trained and licensed should be armed. And not just trained how to fire a firearm but trained in the complete use of the weapon. Similar to police training. In fact, in-active and retired police and military personnel can be used.
I have an 8 year old daughter in the second grade and if I knew there was at least one armed and trained person there for protection, I would feel safer. The average anti-gun person sees this as a person with a gun that has an itchy trigger finger. This is not the case at all. In fact, people who are properly trained know that firing the weapon is a LAST resort, not the first. The only people who fire first without thought are the 'bad guys'.
There are times when a mass shooting has been stopped by civilians who were themselves armed and put their life in danger to save others. Of course you don't always see these stories on the news or read about them in the paper.
One such incident happened in Texas when a gunman shot 2 and tried to shoot more people when he was shot by an off-duty police officer. I know it was not an ordinary citizen but it was a person with a firearm none the less. And had the off-duty officer not been there, who knows how many could have been shot and killed. Had there been an armed and trained person at VA Tech or Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, maybe, just maybe more lives could have been saved.
These are my opinions and while some 'anti-gun' people may disagree, I respect that but I feel these are things that should be, at the very least, looked at and considered.
I have many friends who are anti guns and demand that something be done. Yet they offer no suggestions or ideas to help with their concerns. I have also proposed a few ideas that I feel will help yet they turn them all down for one reason or another.
My first idea is in certain cases the 'doctor-patient confidentiality' privilege be suspended. I don't mean if a
patient is afraid of people or angry he should be reported. But if a Dr has a patient he sees and for 4 weeks he complains of people, how he hates his boss and co-workers, wishes his ex-wife dead and shows potential for violence, then tells his doctor he has firearms or recently bought firearms, the Dr should be allowed to report him.
But that would be, according to a few of the anti-gun people I know, an invasion of his privacy. Meanwhile, the shooter at VA Tech in 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, showed signs before his shooting spree. Lucinda Roy, a former Virginia Tech professor, tried to get Cho help but it was refused. "I was told that - that would never happen," Roy said. "Because I was essentially requiring a student to seek counseling."
And that's against Virginia Tech policy as it is at several schools across the country, unless it's an emergency, and administrators claim Roy did not indicate it was an emergency situation.
There were other situations similar to this that the suspect at one time or another showed signs but nothing could be done, so innocent people died as a result. I think that if we can save an untold number of lives by reporting a person showing signs of doing something even remotely like this, and 'invading his privacy', it's worth doing.
Another idea I had that was also rejected was placing armed guards in schools. Also arming teachers, custodians and other school personnel. Now I do not mean handing a gun to a teacher and telling her 'shoot anybody you don't know'. Only people who are properly trained and licensed should be armed. And not just trained how to fire a firearm but trained in the complete use of the weapon. Similar to police training. In fact, in-active and retired police and military personnel can be used.
I have an 8 year old daughter in the second grade and if I knew there was at least one armed and trained person there for protection, I would feel safer. The average anti-gun person sees this as a person with a gun that has an itchy trigger finger. This is not the case at all. In fact, people who are properly trained know that firing the weapon is a LAST resort, not the first. The only people who fire first without thought are the 'bad guys'.
There are times when a mass shooting has been stopped by civilians who were themselves armed and put their life in danger to save others. Of course you don't always see these stories on the news or read about them in the paper.
One such incident happened in Texas when a gunman shot 2 and tried to shoot more people when he was shot by an off-duty police officer. I know it was not an ordinary citizen but it was a person with a firearm none the less. And had the off-duty officer not been there, who knows how many could have been shot and killed. Had there been an armed and trained person at VA Tech or Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, maybe, just maybe more lives could have been saved.
These are my opinions and while some 'anti-gun' people may disagree, I respect that but I feel these are things that should be, at the very least, looked at and considered.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Life After Sandy
For the past 2 years my wife, daughter and I volunteered with the RAINE (Reaching All In Need Everyday) Foundation. Food was donated to be delivered to families in need to help them celebrate Thanksgiving. We all meet at Beers Street School in Hazlet because the food needs to be sorted then packed in care packages for each family. The package includes cans of vegetables, potatoes (mashed and sweet), deserts and other items. It even includes a turkey!
After the care packages are all packed we take some and deliver them to the families. This year one of our deliveries was to a gentlemen (I will leave out his name) in Keansburg. His house was affected by Hurricane Sandy. When we arrived in his area the 2 things I noticed right away were the mounds of items at the curb in front of all the homes and the amount of sand in the streets and on the side walks. On some of the streets you couldn't see any black top, just sand.
When we got to his house to deliver his food we brought it inside for him. I was curious so I asked him how he made out from the storm. He told me he had water in his house. He had to rip up most of the floor and all the insulation under the floor. He has 3 older kids that can't live there until it is cleaned up. Including his son who is asthmatic.
He then told us he lost his job due to no work and wasn't sure how he was going to make his mortgage. He also told us that during his ordeal he has been volunteering to help people who are worse off than him. The whole time we were talking he was upbeat, optimistic and very friendly. While I feel bad for all who were or are still affected, it is different when you meet and talk to someone in person. It reminds you that while you're life may be back to normal, life for some will never be the same.
Here is a guy who is facing some difficulties life threw him yet he takes time out to help others who are in a worse situation. It makes me wish there were more people like him around.
God Bless all the people who are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
After the care packages are all packed we take some and deliver them to the families. This year one of our deliveries was to a gentlemen (I will leave out his name) in Keansburg. His house was affected by Hurricane Sandy. When we arrived in his area the 2 things I noticed right away were the mounds of items at the curb in front of all the homes and the amount of sand in the streets and on the side walks. On some of the streets you couldn't see any black top, just sand.
When we got to his house to deliver his food we brought it inside for him. I was curious so I asked him how he made out from the storm. He told me he had water in his house. He had to rip up most of the floor and all the insulation under the floor. He has 3 older kids that can't live there until it is cleaned up. Including his son who is asthmatic.
He then told us he lost his job due to no work and wasn't sure how he was going to make his mortgage. He also told us that during his ordeal he has been volunteering to help people who are worse off than him. The whole time we were talking he was upbeat, optimistic and very friendly. While I feel bad for all who were or are still affected, it is different when you meet and talk to someone in person. It reminds you that while you're life may be back to normal, life for some will never be the same.
Here is a guy who is facing some difficulties life threw him yet he takes time out to help others who are in a worse situation. It makes me wish there were more people like him around.
God Bless all the people who are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Hurricane Sandy 2012
Whether you call it a hurricane, super-storm or another name, Hurricane Sandy blasted New Jersey. Everybody from Cape May to Highpoint felt her effects and everybody has their story. There are stories of survival, heroism, sadness, happy endings and unfortunately stories of scams, thievery and people taking advantage of the storm victims.
My wife, daughter and I drove through Union Beach, NJ, one of the hardest hit communities, on Tuesday to check on the house of a friend's parents. A few streets were blocked by emergency and rescue personnel. Other streets were blocked by debris. At the risk of using a cliche, the town looked like a war zone. House after house were destroyed, severely damaged, flooded, reduced to ruble or simply gone. It was very hard to look but at the same time I was fascinated at the level of destruction from wind and water.
Some people were clearing out their house of items ruined, others were cleaning up the debris in their yard, others were assessing the damage and others were just walking around in disbelief. I felt as if everybody thought I was driving through just to gawk at them, and believe me, I know the feeling; I went through a flood several years ago and the level of damage was nothing compared to this storm but people drove around to gawk and I did not like it. But we were not there to gawk but to check on a house.
We finally got to the house. I parked and opened the door and the first thing I noticed was the stench of home heating oil. As I stepped out of my truck I realized the street was covered in mud, wet sand and oil. It had to be about an inch thick and still slowly flowing back toward the bay.
At first glance the house seemed to be sound so I walked around the corner (the house is on a corner lot) then saw the side yard was still flooded. I also noticed the above ground pool was collapsed. What I didn't notice right then was that the pool had moved about 10 feet and slammed into the fence from the force of the storm surge. I walked back around and that's when I noticed the oil tank lying on it's side on the ground.
My wife called her friend and told her what we saw. The following Saturday her friend, her husband and her parents were going to be at the house trying to salvage what they could so we all decided to go and help. This time driving through the town, every house we passed had a mountain of the owners possessions piled at the curb. There were beds, dressers, tables, bags of clothing and other items piled high.
When we got to the house there were structural engineers surveying the houses in the area and we noticed 3 of them had red stickers on them; 'Deemed Uninhabitable'.It was a very sad sight.
We helped them salvage as much as we could fit in the trucks. Then turned our attention to the half full oil tank. It took a couple of times but we got it upright. We then had to brace it due to one of the legs breaking.
As we were walking around the first floor of the house, I got a sense of how high the water was. On top of the counter and range were puddles of water and sand and debris. They estimated about 7 feet of water on the first floor of the house.
After we were done I couldn't help but think how good it will feel to go home, take a shower and sit in my chair and relax with a beer. Then I thought about all the people who lost everything and won't be able to relax for quite some time. I wish I could do more for them and other people. If we all do just a little to help somebody, it will go a long way.
My wife, daughter and I drove through Union Beach, NJ, one of the hardest hit communities, on Tuesday to check on the house of a friend's parents. A few streets were blocked by emergency and rescue personnel. Other streets were blocked by debris. At the risk of using a cliche, the town looked like a war zone. House after house were destroyed, severely damaged, flooded, reduced to ruble or simply gone. It was very hard to look but at the same time I was fascinated at the level of destruction from wind and water.
Some people were clearing out their house of items ruined, others were cleaning up the debris in their yard, others were assessing the damage and others were just walking around in disbelief. I felt as if everybody thought I was driving through just to gawk at them, and believe me, I know the feeling; I went through a flood several years ago and the level of damage was nothing compared to this storm but people drove around to gawk and I did not like it. But we were not there to gawk but to check on a house.
We finally got to the house. I parked and opened the door and the first thing I noticed was the stench of home heating oil. As I stepped out of my truck I realized the street was covered in mud, wet sand and oil. It had to be about an inch thick and still slowly flowing back toward the bay.
At first glance the house seemed to be sound so I walked around the corner (the house is on a corner lot) then saw the side yard was still flooded. I also noticed the above ground pool was collapsed. What I didn't notice right then was that the pool had moved about 10 feet and slammed into the fence from the force of the storm surge. I walked back around and that's when I noticed the oil tank lying on it's side on the ground.
My wife called her friend and told her what we saw. The following Saturday her friend, her husband and her parents were going to be at the house trying to salvage what they could so we all decided to go and help. This time driving through the town, every house we passed had a mountain of the owners possessions piled at the curb. There were beds, dressers, tables, bags of clothing and other items piled high.
When we got to the house there were structural engineers surveying the houses in the area and we noticed 3 of them had red stickers on them; 'Deemed Uninhabitable'.It was a very sad sight.
We helped them salvage as much as we could fit in the trucks. Then turned our attention to the half full oil tank. It took a couple of times but we got it upright. We then had to brace it due to one of the legs breaking.
As we were walking around the first floor of the house, I got a sense of how high the water was. On top of the counter and range were puddles of water and sand and debris. They estimated about 7 feet of water on the first floor of the house.
After we were done I couldn't help but think how good it will feel to go home, take a shower and sit in my chair and relax with a beer. Then I thought about all the people who lost everything and won't be able to relax for quite some time. I wish I could do more for them and other people. If we all do just a little to help somebody, it will go a long way.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Fall Ball Palyoffs
Today were the play off games for the Clinic Division. Since there were only four teams(1 from Hazlet, 1 from Marlboro and 2 from Aberdeen/Matawan) all the teams made it. We wound up being the 3rd seed so we played at 11 AM. We played the Belles team from Aberdeen/Matawan.
We started off strong and had 8 runs in the first 2 innings. The Belles came back strong in the third and scored 4 runs. That would turn out to be the only runs they scored. We won in the 5th inning under the mercy rule.
All our girls played great. They all had at least one hit and scored a run. We even had our 2nd double play of the year!! At the risk of bragging, I would like to say the Baileigh, my daughter, had the game wining RBI single!!
Our next game, the Championship game, is this Sunday. Wish us luck!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Thompson Park Day
Yesterday, My wife, daughter and I went to Thompson Park day. Thompson Park is the Monmouth County park in Lincroft, NJ where I do most of my kayak fishing.We have also been to the off leash dog area and rode our bikes on the paved trails. Although I have been to the park numerous times, there is so much of the park I never knew existed.
I was expecting a small exhibit with a few things for kids. I was blown away by what they offered. There were 2 inflatable slides, one for bigger kids and one for little kids. There were a couple of rides, a video game trailer, face painting, pumpkin painting, scarecrow building contest (although i thought the $15 fee was a little high) and a small mini golf set up.
If you got hungry walking around with the kids, there were many food vendors selling the usual carnival fare; cotton candy, pretzels, sausage sandwiches, cheese fries etc. And the prices weren't too bad.
Marlu lake, the park lake, was a little too far to walk to so they provided a shuttle bus for anyone wanting to go canoeing. We jumped aboard and took the ride. I fully expected to pay, as they rent canoes for an hourly rate. When we got to the lake I found out it was free. My nephew was with us and I knew that he wanted to go and wasn't sure about my daughter, but at the last second she said yes. They handed us each a life vest and paddle, loaded us into the canoe and off we went. As I have been out on the water many time in my kayak, it was a different experience in a canoe. Although we had a blast canoeing the lake, I do prefer a kayak. But, my daughter really enjoyed it so purchasing a canoe down the road will always be an option.
After we took the shuttle back to the main area, we did the corn maze. I must admit, this wasn't one of the better corn mazes I have done. It was geared more toward younger kids, not 71/2 year olds. once finished with the corn maze we had to pick up the pumpkins my daughter and nephew painted. Then it was time to call it a day.
We all had a great time and were glad we went. I forgot my camera and I was looking forward to taking lot of pictures while walking around. It looks like I will have another chance next year as we decided to make it a tradition and go every year. My only regret, that we didn't start this new tradition a few years ago.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Softball
Our 2012 HYAL Fall Ball season is winding down. We only have a few games left. I must say, as much as I enjoyed coaching a team, I also like being an assistant coach. It gives me more time to focus on Baileigh as well as coach the other girls.
I have noticed improvements with every girl. They are getting hits and making great plays in the field. In fact, in our game Friday night we had a double play! The bases were loaded a pop up was hit to our pitcher and she caught it! Meanwhile, the girl on third crossed the plate and the girl on second was on third. I was coaching from the third base side so I started yelling to Anna, the pitcher, to 'throw the ball to third'. She did and Jenna, third base girl, caught the ball but didn't do anything. I had to yell to her to 'step on the base', which she did.
After the inning, Jenna asks me 'Did I get that girl out?' I replied, 'Yes! It was a double play!' She said, 'oh'. Then headed to the dugout. LOL
We still need to work on a few things but all in all they are doing great! I am proud of all the girls, especially Baileigh! She is getting better every game and she always tells me how much she loves softball. I hope she keeps playing.
I have noticed improvements with every girl. They are getting hits and making great plays in the field. In fact, in our game Friday night we had a double play! The bases were loaded a pop up was hit to our pitcher and she caught it! Meanwhile, the girl on third crossed the plate and the girl on second was on third. I was coaching from the third base side so I started yelling to Anna, the pitcher, to 'throw the ball to third'. She did and Jenna, third base girl, caught the ball but didn't do anything. I had to yell to her to 'step on the base', which she did.
After the inning, Jenna asks me 'Did I get that girl out?' I replied, 'Yes! It was a double play!' She said, 'oh'. Then headed to the dugout. LOL
We still need to work on a few things but all in all they are doing great! I am proud of all the girls, especially Baileigh! She is getting better every game and she always tells me how much she loves softball. I hope she keeps playing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)