North Carolina bald eagles: a comeback success story

I recently went to the Haw River near Bynum, North Carolina to try out a new lens and unexpectedly encountered two bald eagles. Unexpected because not a single pair of bald eagles were nesting in North Carolina in 1983 when State biologists first released juveniles into the wild as part of a recovery effort. Now…

A dose of nature

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”…

Pre-existing condition: a palatable term for government sanctioned discrimination

We tend to think of health care as complicated.  Here’s a little secret:  it’s not.  It’s only evolved to be a complex system because we’ve made it that way.  When a physician sees a Medicare patient, an estimated 130,000 pages of rules and regulations influence that relationship. The Affordable Care Act and it’s supporting regulations…

How one bird improves public health

We love penguins.  We make blockbuster movies about them--Happy Feet, March of the Penguins, Madagascar Penguins, Mr Popper's Penguins.  And the penguin related merchandise...wow.   But vultures?    Not so much. When a vulture makes an appearance in a movie, they add a sense of foreboding...something bad's looming about. Grant it, vultures might not have the…

EXCLUSIVE: Historic cemeteries became Wall Street traded commodities, now financial trouble looms

How do you turn a profit off a cemetery? That is the question now facing a financially troubled international firm owning what were once community-run cemeteries across the country.  The answer has far reaching implications for grieving families seeking comfort in the new 'death care industry' where there are few regulations. StoneMor Partners L.P.,  a…

Monday Motivation: Going beyond life’s restricted zones

Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker? I've always been a color-inside-the-lines type person.  I've never had a speeding ticket nor even a parking ticket...which is kind of amazing since I've spent 30 years in a university town with tight parking and overzealous towing! I'm so rule obsessive that I was once dismissed…

Carolina Trashed

The modern marker of disenfranchisement has become...littering by nature lovers? I take wildlife photos, so I do quite a bit of hiking around local rivers and lakes.  I've always packed a trash bag in my photo bag to wrap gear in case of rain.  At some point, I found myself starting to use the bag…

NEW: Photo prints now available for purchase!

I've created an online gallery for my nature photography.  Prints are now available for purchase!   Take a peek & let me know what you think. https://bethwaldron.smugmug.com/ Enjoy!