[May 12, 2021] A story from Buzzfeed last week from leaked Facebook documents tells us that Facebook is trying to appease Starbucks’ dismay over “hate speech” on the social media platform.1 “Facebook is scrambling to prevent Starbucks from leaving its platform after the world’s largest coffee company said it was dismayed by hateful comments left on its posts… Read More »
[November 22, 2020] Today’s article is not about dogs and ponies. Some readers might be disappointed because they interpret the title of my articles quite seriously. I’m using the phrase as a colloquium to mean “some elaborate or overblown affair or event.” I retired from the U.S. Army, and, unsurprisingly, I have witnessed many dog and pony shows,… Read More »
[November 2, 2020] Can dogs be heroes? Some people think so, and I agree with them. A year ago, a daring raid was conducted by U.S. Special Forces targeting ISIS terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The hero dog Conan chased al-Baghdadi into a tunnel, resulting in the terrorist leader blowing himself up.1 This highly-classified, dramatic operation took place… Read More »
[September 21, 2020] I admit it, I love dogs. My life began with my trusty Cocker Spaniel “Rusty,” and we were inseparable. Dogs have a special connection with humans, a meta-story that tells of great companionships. But today, I’m talking about another story. This is about how leaders are chosen. I’m calling it the pick of the litter… Read More »
[May 3, 2020] For hundreds of thousands of years, flightless Dodo birds lived on the volcanic island of Mauritius. Without the threat of predators, the main competition for food was other Dodo birds. They thrived in that environment until Dutch sailors arrived in 1598. Within 80 years, these birds were extinct. The Dodo’s problem was isolation from the… Read More »
[March 25, 2020] This past week was a turning point in the United States and most of the West. Finally came the realization that the Coronavirus pandemic is a problem more massive than anyone, except for a few conspiracy theorists, could imagine. Like last week, I’ll be writing about a few of my observations from the great self-isolation.… Read More »
[February 28, 2020] There is an old U.S. Army Engineer motto Essayons, a French word that means “Let us try.” It refers back centuries into the haze of French and English history, meaning that when things get tough, send in the Engineers. Another, more modern military one-liner meaning roughly the same thing is – put me in the… Read More »
[February 27, 2020] My family was glued to the television as we watched the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeat the Soviet Union team in the semifinals at the 1980 Winter Games. My brother and I were cheering for “our” hockey team. We didn’t know anything about ice hockey (being from the Deep South) but that didn’t matter. We… Read More »
[November 27, 2019] Leaders fill many roles. We often hear, for example, that an employer gets the employees he deserves. That bit of sage counsel is no small point. It is the duty of leaders to be a watchdog for their organization (or group); for it is those who guard the way they make for the best leaders.… Read More »
[October 9, 2019] My boyhood friend Wilson (who lived next to me until we were 12 years old) and I were dragged out of bed early before daylight. It was the first day of the quail-hunting season and a dozen of my dad’s friends to teach us the finer points of successful bird hunting. I’d been dove hunting… Read More »