Coach Pete

  This year my eldest daughter agreed to play lacrosse if I would be her coach.Wow... what could I do?  Learning how to teach scooping and cradling, finding ways to coach field positioning on the practice field or from the sidelines, working with all the personalities... yes, a joy.

Although I was skeptical that work would tolerate early evening practices (yes, I had to miss our championship game due to a major capture), I attended almost every one.  My girls all progressed along the skills spectrum and most came to understand many key field realities.

Contributing to the fastest sport on two feet could be the beginning of a new passion.  Certainly understanding a bit more about what my little girls are thinking... priceless!!

Vacation

Hard to believe the Outer Banks kept me for a full week. Yes, beach and pool every day, golf with in-laws and daughters, compelling eats... delightful. But who does the uninterrupted vacation? Pressing commercial concerns always seem to intrude.

This year, the canceled talk and careful planning made it possible. A little luck too... one RFP hit four days after return, not at the beginning of vacation.

Admittedly, I'm happy to be back working the day to day issues, but quite grateful for last week's change in scenery.

Memorial Day

This morning was humid enough as I slid the staff with American flag into the fitting on our front porch. I reflected on those we lost in Afghanistan and Iraq. The song I heard recently, "Let him win or bring him home," which reminded me of the Vietnam War. So many lost in WWII, WWI, our Civil War and the other "minor" squirmishes. Of course, there is no "minor" squirmish, if someone lost a sweetheart, a parent, a sibling or a limb.

I am thankful for those sacrifices... those who gave themselves, and those who gave loved ones. Often, we didn't intend to give... we thought we'd just visit, lend a hand, then come back to happy lives. But something happened. Today, we are helping people acheive Sharia law... something we don't fully endorse, but in the context of tribal justice, sure looks like rule of law and "fair" even without some sort of mandate from Allah.

Yes, something happened... for you and so many. Be thankful for our freedom of expression, of religion, a right to the pursuit of happiness. Something happened, not so nice, to so many... so that you may have something better. God bless them, and God bless you.

Informed

Name your favorite blogs. Who do you follow on Twitter? What newspapers do you read? Weekly periodicals? Do you read them in electronic form, or (still) get them delivered to your doorstep or mailbox?

Admittedly, I'm electronic. Narrowly targeted, internet delivered, spot on my professional and personal interests... but how many major headlines do I miss? Certainly, I've become bored with network news, the "fashion" nature of what gets reported and the typically shallow fashion we hear about the world.

I can't afford to spend all day staying informed. The barrage of information can be exhausting. Guess I'll continue to read what I think makes sense. Suggestions, please!

Cyberspace

Eighteen months ago I wrote a blog post about President Obama's "Cyber Czar" selection. Rumours I was tracking were wrong: Howard Schmidt accepted the role (not Frank Cramer). Earlier this week Howard Schmidt stood on stage with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Commerce (and presumed soon-to-be Ambassador to China) Gary Locke, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Homeland Defense Janet Napolitano, DepSecDef Bill Lynn and Asst to the Pres John Brennan to announce the US "International Strategy for Cyberspace."

I haven't read the document yet (though I downloaded it from www.whitehouse.gov), but it looks like Howard Schmidt is getting some work done. Bravo, Howard! Congrats on getting all those people on stage and heralding US goals for promoting trust on the internet, around the world. A worthy cause, to be sure!

Good morning!

How are dynamics in start-up America? Reports are there hasn't been a better time to start something new for quite some time... those reports seem off-base to me. Various laws apparently designed to protect investors provide limited protection on that front, while administrative requirements for the small business have become increasingly complicated and expensive. As if the challenges of finding and building a fresh, compelling offering weren't enough! A generation of college graduates face a terrible job market... even worse than the many troughs we've observed during the last twenty years. Let's move beyond it, America!

We can get beyond the spiderweb of protective laws with a drive to deliver exceptional value-- damn the risk, full speed ahead! Perhaps Congress can help us out along the way....

It's the economy...

Budget cuts are impending. Without a compromise soon, the bond rating for the US government will fall. The markets are taking a dim view of these dynamics... and justifiably so! The real question: what happens to stocks, the housing markets and consumer spending moving forward? Defense firms that have been riding high for a decade ... will be impacted the most. Stay tuned... but it doesn't look bullish.