The Axe Has Fallen

The electorial axe has fallen, the majority shifts and new strategies must begin implementation to keep proper posture toward the opposing party. That sounds like typical polictical bullshit. The removal of Donald Rumsfeld whether voluntary or by demand, is the first step towards the White House leadership regainning the respect of the military commanders. The Don, lost that and failed to listen to his commanders, Powell would have been a better choice in my opinion, and the situation continued to decay in Iraq. Our troops are doing great work in Iraq, however the same propoganda employed by the North Vietnamese is being used against us, which we are falling for. We spend too much time dwelling on the bad and the mismanagement, but if you boil it down to the guys and gals on the ground you'll see more positive than negative. Sometimes our military and civil leadership need to be managed from the bottom up. Listen to the doers and support them in what they do. The mission will succeed on a better timetable than some old fart could ever hope for.

Which is scarier Halloween or Elections?

I hit my limit with election commercials and Halloween! I don't know which is worse the horror flicks or the election commercials, I leaning towards the election ads. As the election nears the intensity grows, ad after ad after ad. They fill my mailbox daily with their junk, and it goes straight into the paper recycles, what a waste of money. I'd vote for the guy who could raise the campaign money and donate it to some cause that would benefit someone rather than fill up the mail carriers vehicle and my mailbox or clutter our television programming with commercials. It causes everyone to go numb, and I don't really believe it affects anyone when it comes time to pull the lever. The campaigns just confuse us with negativism and make us unwilling to make a choice because they all seem bad. Maybe I'll just write in my own name this election, at least I know what I stand for and believe. Who knows maybe this could turn out to be a trick for politicians and a treat for the voters! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Have It My Way...

You'll have it my way or else! What a wonderful way to conduct business. Would you do business with a service vendor with this attitude? Not me, I want a company who is current with market trends and technology, not one still stuck in the 19th century. Some traditions in business still apply but you must adapt with the market to remain viable. Businesses who show this attitude of, you'll like it my way or have nothing, attitude will one day wake up to find their customers and employees doing business elsewhere. We have come to expect things our way, and for the most part that should be expected unless we are wrong. You order a hamburger with just the fixings you want on it. The vendor delivers it just the way you like it so you return as a customer again and again. If they didn't you'd eat elsewhere. So is true with other service businesses. Some companies do business with 'this my way' because they are stuck in a rut conducting business they way they did on the day they opened. Unwilling to learn new techniques, philosophies or the social skills needed to be innovative in todays market place. So my advice is to look towards new businesses who have the passion to be what they want to be by building your business along with theirs.

It's Snowing!

Wisconsin is know for it's mixture of weather and seasons. So it is not unexpected that we are getting our first honest to goodness snow showers. Though this snow won't be sticking to the ground, we know the days of having to shovel our way down the walks is coming. The problem is the lawns are green and lush finally after a hot humid summer with little if any rain. Seems a shame to cover such a nice green carpet so soon before it can be enjoyed, then again it is too cold already to be outside without a warm jacket on. Oh well, I guess I had better take a picture of the yard while the sunshine is still peeking and the snow hasn't fallen in measurable quantities so people will believe I had a nice lawn this year.

School Safety

I can remember way back when the High School I went to didn't even issue student ID cards. It wasn't until a school in our conference began to have problems that we were given student IDs to attend functions hosted at that school such as track and basketball games. It was a strange experience for us students who only traveled about fifteen miles, to enter a school with security guards. In the next couple of years, the guards were armed to keep up with the kids and doors were secured. Passing through metal detectors as we exited the buses and entered the building created an uneasy feeling for all of us on the team. As a student I joked at how going to school was like being in a prison, were we so wrong? Has it evolved to that extent just so kids can stay safe? During my senior year at a different school, there was the presence of drugs and alcohol, but school administrators were powerless to search student lockers without their consent. We impowered the criminials not the school administrators to provide a safe environment. Only recently are schools getting the support of the law they need to watch and investigate students who are operation outside of school policies. School facilty and students know who the bullies are, yet our society turns a blind eye at the bully and his or her behavior. No consequences for their action reenforces the behavior until it builds into what we are experiencing today. School shootings on the evening news. It is up to citizens to get involved, it is your money being used to operate those schools, time to step up and voice how it is used. A new weight machine for a few football jocks or a new liaison officer actively involved with the kids each day at school. Just my opinion.

October

October arrive somewhat tame but as the day wore on the darker side of the month appeared early. Nasty wind driven rain showers and thunderstorms rattled the windows making sleeping nearly impossible. However, as the dawn arrived the breeze remained and the sunlight lite another beautiful day. The grass seemed a richer green and the bushes freshly watered and washed, sway gently in the wind. This month is a month of transition, one that if not utilized to it fullest potential will leave people scrambling to prepare for November and the events it brings. This is a time to enjoy the last of natures artwork, comfortable days and bountiful harvests. October may she remain unchanged.

Basic Flight Safety

Floatplane crashes into lake with fatal results. Yet another fatal accident which could have been prevented has occurred. Having been a pilot for more than twenty-five years, to this day I remember what my flight instructors instilled in me...follow the checklist regardless! The investigation in this recent crash will reveil one of two things, mechanical failure or pilot error. Even if the gear extended during the flight, the pilot was at fault for not recognizing the change in the aircrafts handling or checking to see if the gear was down prior to landing on the lakes surface. Landing gear cause drag, this drag causes an aircraft to handle differently from gear in a retracted configuration. Something a pilot should have recognize and sensed. Visual indication that the landing gear was down, whether it be from an indicator on the dash, looking out into the float for a mechanical indicator or an inspection window used to reveal the landing gear position should have been checked as listed on a proper checklist for 'Water Landings'. If the subject aircraft had none of these, which it should, there are other ways to know if the gear are extended. A visual confirmation from a ground based observer could look at the aircraft as it passed and reported to the pilot by radio or other signal it was safe to attempt the water landing. Light and shadows could also be used. Checking the shadow of the aircraft on the ground during a low pass could provide visual indication to the pilot that the wheels were down. It still returns to following a checklist, which helps avoid simple mistakes which can cause fatal results. Situation awareness, avoiding compliancy, and operational proficiency are most critical in the operation of aircraft of any type,size or application. Amphibian pilots, reevaluate yourself, your equipment and most of all your checklists and operational proceedures, the life you save might be your own.

The number of mishaps and accidents involving a student pilot with an instructor alarms me. Have instructors become diluted in basic airmanship. The golden rules my instructors taught me was...don't turn around if your engine fails and always fly the damn plane from take-off to landing. I'm still here because of what they taught me, it applies to more than just flying!

Fund Raising Scams

A certain polictical party just nominated me to receive an award I have to pay for to receive. How about being honest and ask for a donation up front then add my name to a list of people who contributed, don't dress it up as something is isn't. Your making me rethink my alliances.

Are we?

Are we who, what and where we want to be in life? I think we would all like to change something about ourselves...a physical attribute, our position in life and where we live. In my life, I have had similar desires, yet now I have come to the realization that I am who I am. Yes, I'd like more out of life and it will happen. I put my trust in the all mighty and follow the course he set forth. Each day I am rewarded with blessing, though most of you would never even perceive them as that, but I do. Sometimes you really got to look deep inside yourself and ask yourself, am I?

Tale of the Trees

The trees are advertising that changes are coming. The autumn colors are beginning to show a presence as temperatures begin to shift slowly towards the envitable freezing of winter. Colors this year seem subdued, probably due to a lack of moisture through the summer months. As the temperature continues to slid downward, farmers and gardeners fret over plants not yet harvested for their bounty, hoping the weather will cooperate long enough to reap their rewards. Pesky insects succome to frosts, making birds and bats work harder for a staple of their existance. We on the other hand appreciate the abscents of those pests, which annoy or bite us. I love fall, the time nature provides to prepare for a long nap to renew life not end it. It is not about new fall televisions programming, kids returning to school or football. A time to look back and remember all the activity of the spring and summer, and to plan for the coming winter. We are blessed to have such a time.