I spent a few days in Anchorage, Alaska last week. It was for business, as I had meetings with the state emergency management, but did get out for a couple good runs and a moose sighting. If the skies are clear then the flight to and from Anchorage is probably the best part. I get […]
It was my 38th birthday last Friday and we kicked it off with donuts. Donuts and special events go hand in hand in this family. Actually, donuts seem to go well with anything in our family. I even brought in a dozen to work Friday morning to celebrate my birthday. Our Branch has a practice […]
Alaska in August is what I’m talking about. Fire season has died down a bit. The sun is shining. Wildlife is roaming. Next week, I’m in Kodiak for two days for an earthquake training and meetings with the City. This will be followed up with meetings with the State of Alaska Emergency Management and the […]
I’m spending the week at the Emergency Management Institute in Maryland. EMI is the national emergency training center for FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration. It’s a beautiful campus located in Emitsburg, just a few miles from Gettysburg, PA. This is my first visit to Maryland since my old punk band played in Baltimore in […]
I just completed Issac Walter Isaacson’s book “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” while commuting to and from work for the last few weeks. I’m very pleased that I took the time to learn more about Benjamin Franklin and his contributions to not only American society, but the world as a whole. He lived 84 years […]
Lately, I’ve been reading articles and policy briefs arguing the need to increase the number of American volunteers abroad. The argument is basically that volunteers serve a more important role in establishing peace and stability, as well as promoting a positive image of Americans, than the military does with weapons. Additional benefits to volunteering include […]
I received on a listserve I am part of at the university. There are great tips listed here that I am glad to see Laura and I have been practicing for years. Not only do you help contribute to reducing the effects of global warming, but you save money. Taking care of the environment makes […]
A couple weeks ago, I received the following unsolicited email. Usually I delete this emails because, well, they are junk mail. The subject heading was “who is saying the holocast did not happen?” It was forwarded to me which means this must have been really important to the sender. I opened it and read the […]
For many Americans, it unpatriotic to speak out against the actions of America. It does a disservice to Americans when you criticize the actions of the President. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this logic. America sets itself apart from many countries because we have an opportunity for free speech. All Americans should support free […]