Are We Safer – Part 9: General Aviation Security
Shortly after 9/11 a 16-year-old boy took a Cessna 172 and flew it into the side of the Bank of America building in Tampa, Florida. Since it was only six months since the terrorist attacks, the hue and cry went up from the largely uneducated (on aviation) public,...Astronaut’s Guide to Success
Like many kids when I was growing up I wanted to be an astronaut. I probably took it a few steps further – I really got into astronomy, dragging my dad out of bed at 2am to with the telescope so I could see Venus rising next to the moon in the night sky or...The Christmas Card Dilemma
One of the things that many children fear is their parents getting a divorce. Very young children really don’t understand quite yet, they will be raised into a blended family environment that they think is normal. But it is the kids after they turn about 4 or 5,...Lockerbie: 25 years later
I missed an important anniversary yesterday – the 25th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The bombing was eventually linked back to the country of Libya, who used operatives working for Libyan Airlines, based in...Godfather Wisdom
One of the most surprising revelations I’ve had this year in reading all of the books is not just the importance of family, but the importance of a family history. It seems that people, kids in particular, develop more resiliency and are better able to handle...This is the highlight of my day
In the 1999 it movie American Beauty, actor Kevin Spacey playing Lester Burn ham quotes this line while masturbating in the shower one morning. It’s a disturbing scene that captures everything wrong with his life. The movie was rather depressing and seemed to...The Gratitude Time of Year
My wife is one of the most thoughtful and grateful people I know. It tends to come out most during the holidays. I am absolutely astonished every year with the amount of gift-giving, card-writing and thank you-saying that goes on, in many cases to people I...What does the Talent say?
Have you ever noticed that once someone or something becomes’ successful, “management,” (i.e. The Suits) tend to jump in and screw it all up? The U.S. Navy SEALs have a term for this – they call it the “bright idea fairy.” Alan...Why I Love Martha Quinn (and all the VJ’s)
In reading VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, one thing that particularly stood out was that when she started, Martha Quinn didn’t know what she was doing. But, that didn’t stop her. Martha Quinn – The Future’s So Bright I often...
