[January 20, 2021] I’ve been a huge baseball fan, since before I can even remember. My dad would sit me in front of the radio, as a toddler, to listen to our favorite team play; the New York Yankees. Growing up, I collected baseball cards and watched every game I could. And today, I’m still in possession of… Read More »
[January 15, 2021] Leaders around the world are starting to speak out in condemnation of Twitter’s censorship of U.S. President Trump and others they don’t agree with politically.1 This backlash is about Twitter trampling on fundamental democratic freedoms. The leadership of Twitter has repeatedly stated that their censorship goals are only about safety and are not biased in… Read More »
[January 14, 2021] Looking back into the haze of thousands of years ago, we can sometimes see meaning in the works of those who lived. And, those meanings can be a lesson for us living today. That is the case with Fort Buhen, Egypt. Early Egypt: Before the New Kingdom (16th to 11th Century BC), Egypt had a… Read More »
[January 10, 2021] Sociologists tell us that culture affects perception, and perceptions drive behavior. Some parts of our culture influence us in different ways, and some are more powerful than others. Growing up, like so many kids, I watched television and saw something exciting and educational. One show that I favored was The Rat Patrol (1966-1968). Starring Christopher… Read More »
[January 8, 2021] Of the many American battles to study, the Battle of New Orleans ranks right up there with the best. Lessons from the battle are many. The battle was one of the last and the most bloody of the War of 1812. This war was what many Americans saw as the “Second War of Independence.”1 By… Read More »
[December 30, 2020] In late 1981, I received a call from a good friend, Stanley, who lives in Pennsylvania. He said, “You gotta watch this lady talking on the television.” Later, I discovered it was a Catholic nun that went by ‘Mother Angelica.’ She was tough. If you didn’t measure up, she would call you out quick. By… Read More »
[December 22, 2020] Like many who grow up regularly competing in sports, we often experience the thrill of victory and “the agony of defeat.” Competition in the world of sports habitually means competing with our fellow teammates, not just the other team. Fortunately, we quickly learn about sportsmanship and are rarely threatened by the success of others. But,… Read More »
[December 19, 2020] One of my early attempts at earning money also involved, unintentionally, filling the role of team leader. Two of my friends and I decided to “make some quarters” by raking up our neighbors’ leaves. I look back to that time, see my ignorance, and chuckle. But there were lessons to learn, and I did indeed… Read More »
[December 17, 2020] Old war stories never seem to stop. Any time there is one Veteran in the room, you are likely to hear a war story about some event or person. A crusty Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) told a small group of civilians about the time he was a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, S.C.1 His… Read More »
[December 13, 2020] Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in actions. Sometimes, you learn this the hard way as an adult, better to learn it through play as a child. I’m reminded of the summer of 1963 when a group of us boys played King of the Hill on a gravel pile left on a… Read More »