Just an average guy, screaming into the void, hoping for an echo in return.

 I can hear the world's smallest violin being played for me as I write this. Look, it sucks not to be the 20-year powerhouse New England Patriot dynasty of old. We've had a few crappy years and it sucks. I know having terrible seasons is part and parcel for many fans of respective teams across the country. But all dynasties fall, and it was great while it lasted. So for now move over on the bench, Washington, Arizona, Las Vegas, Seattle, Carolina, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, New York, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Minnesota, Houston, and Tampa Bay. We want to sit down. This year I have a little more hope than the last three. Are we a Super Bowl contender? Hell-to-the-no. Will we have a .500 season? Maybe. And I'd call that a win. Anything more and it'll be icing on the cake. And don't @ me Cowboys fans. Go get a couple of folding chairs. You'll be sitting here with the rest of us watching the Super Bowl on February 9th, 2025.

Dangit, so no sh*t there I was... trying to get to the Facebook page I advertise on for business purposes. I usually go through a third party app but yesterday, I felt it was more convenient to just go through my personal account. Facebook requires you keep a personal account to be an admin on a group, business, or professional account. Not sure I'd still have a personal account if that weren't required.  In most cases, I use an app that takes me directly to the page I manage without seeing my personal account. Yesterday I made a rookie move. I went in through the front door, so-to-speak. And there it was, the dreaded "feed." And there they were, the dreaded thought-vomiters; imparting their elitist "wisdom" on us peasants, and their carefully curated edicts and party approved talking points, masquerading as opinions. Not gonna lie, I was sucked in for about five minutes. The whole can't stop looking at the car wreck thing. It didn't take more than t

  It's gotta be weird to be an incumbent president, whose party celebrates for having done a great job during his first presidency, has to pass the torch to his vice president. Such was the case at the Democratic National Convention's first night in Chicago. "My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, nearly four years ago in winter, on the steps of the Capitol on a cold January day, I raised my right hand and I swore an oath to you and to God to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, and to faithfully execute the office of the United States," the president said at the start of his 48-minute speech. "In front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me, a Capitol that two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob." He continued: "With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now democracy must be preserved." Whatever you think of B

 I'm on a "now" kick. Not really sure if I'm rejecting the convenience of modernity for the simplicity of traditionalism. I never considered myself a traditionalist. Truth-be-told, I've always been an early adopter of technology. I bought my first Vic-20 (predecessor to the Commodore 64) in 1982; the same year I bought my first vinyl album out of my own piggy bank. I started making mix-tapes in the mid-80s, got the Atari in 1986, and sent my first email by 1992. I got my first personal computer and plugged into the internet in 1995. "You've got mail!" I'm got my first beeper in the 80s and my first cellphone in the mid-90s. I got a Friendster account, then Myspace, then Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Over the last few years though, I've been pushing away technology; especially with regard to social media. The noise and silence are just too deafening. On one hand, you've got the noise. The ever present noise. Endless a

  This was me during a speech to senior people at my alma mater, the Defense Information School, minimizing my success. This post is inspired by today's Leader Transition Institute post called The Growth Zone+. It's a weekly post helping us better understand ourselves. The topic was not allowing what others think of you to stifle your success. I read it and remembered all the times I apologized for my success. My profession was dog-eat-dog. A “what have you done for me lately” type environment. That was my summation as I reflected at the sunset of my military career, four years ago. PAOs moved faster than the average Soldier. Our Privates interviewed Generals. We worked in radio and television and social media and reached masses. And we worked to support media access to our troops. There is no "off" button when you're a PAO. This is a personal observation on my individual experience. I moved through the ranks fast. I raised my hand for the hard jobs, did well,

  Here's the bottom line. It doesn't matter how many medals the U.S. gets. What the Chinese people will hear is China won the most medals in the Summer Olympics in Paris. How? Here's the count as of August 5th, 2024. The U.S. is tied for most gold medals, most silver and bronze medals. But... who cares? China is still winning. Here's how. What the Chinese people hear is China is winning. How? To the people of China it's transparent. They just see the numbers on their carefully crafted medal count graphics during their newscasts.  How does China counts its numbers? It includes any medals from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and 16 other nations it disputes it has territorial claims over all across the Pacific. You'd be surprised to know China claims among those 16, it owns the two Koreas, the Philippines, Japan, and India; none of which recognize Chinese rule. Does that matter to the Chinese government? Nope. It's all about the numbers. Throughout and at the end of the Ol

I cannot believe an announcer, who saw exactly what we saw, and came to the same visual conclusion almost all of us initially did, and got excited announcing what he saw, has to apologize for saying what most of us thought. We were all as surprised and excited when the photo finish was revealed and Kishane Thompson was announced the winner. He immediately corrected himself and celebrated in the moment like we all did. End of story. NBC , always tucking its tail under its legs, groveling at the feet of sensitive society. Wouldn't want to offend anyone. I would never have apologized. Link to story. Copied and pasted as-is. Any photos not pasted over just didn't make it  over. I wasn't going to work to edit this crap story. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nbcs-leigh-diffey-admits-fault-after-erroneously-calling-kishane-thompson-as-100-meter-winner-over-noah-lyles-125921385.html NBC's Leigh Diffey admits fault after erroneously calling Kishane Thompson as 100-meter winner over

If you're a news junkie like me, you've probably heard. CBS flagship news anchor Norah O’Donnell is stepping down from her duties. She will will cede the reins of the “ CBS Evening News ” after the 2024 presidential election.  Instead she will work as a senior correspondent, reporting on major events and interviews. Norah has been an incomparable reporter for decades, therefore the anchor chair's loss is a welcomed return for the depth of the CBS News bench.  It's the latest major change at CBS News after its business merged; a strange arrangement with the local-TV operations of parent company Paramount Global. She recently celebrated her fifth year as CBS News anchor, and here are my personal thoughts. Norah is an amazing anchor. I can't say a single negative thing about her. She looked wise, calm and collected, and exactly what you'd expect in a flagship news anchor. She demonstrated resolve combined with empathy and sympathy for the tough and emotional storie