Police to Manage Film Location Security
There is an article in today's Los Angeles Times about security on film set locations. It mentions how most of... (more)
Mt. Rainier Climb Near
So tomorrow is gear check and we head out to the mountain, meeting up with the rest of the crew... (more)
TechCrunch50 Judged by Someone Who Committed Securities Fraud
So the TechCrunch50 is about to happen in early September. One of the judges that will be rating/reviewing the companies... (more)
Climbing Mt. Rainier in Two Weeks
So I'm getting a bit nervous about my climb in a couple of weeks.... OK, maybe very nervous :-)! I... (more)
New Car... Another Mini Cooper S!
So it finally arrived... my new Mini Cooper S! I got up yesterday morning and checked the website, as I... (more)
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff luncheon
Posted by goodman on September 22, 2008 2:30 PM |Digg |Del.icio.us |Reddit |SphereIt |StumbleUpon
While I get to go to a lot of cool events due to my "past life" in the concert business and my mother's really cool job as President of Town Hall Los Angeles, of which this was one of her events, I must say that this was one of the cooler!
Admiral Mullen was very well spoken, had a knowledgeable command of the topic, whatever it was as many questions were asked from the audience, and was in general (no pun intended) just a really nice guy! He spoke/responded about the Middle East, the Sub-Asian Continent (Afghanistan, Pakistan and India), Veterans Affairs. When a former Colonel who had been discharged due to medical reasons recently from active duty asked about what can be done re: veterans, etc. Admiral Mullen was open and straightforward and even told the gentleman that he should contact him directly via email and he'd look into it, as he reads and answers all his own email. I thought that was pretty impressive for such a high ranking official to be that approachable.
At the end of the event, for those high schoolers that were there (Town Hall Los Angeles always invites students) he handed out a number of "coins". they carry the seal of the Joint Chiefs and say "presented by Adm. mike Mullen" and are really, really cool... I didn't get one :-(. Was actually told now, they were for "special folks". My mother got one though, so I guess that's coming later in life with her hockey puck that Gordy Howe gave her :-)... He did offer something else that is even more cool than the coin, but you'll have to wait to find out about that one....
Yes, that's the Chairman as my mother was introducing him... See how close I was (and yes, I got to talk to him (and joke) quite a bit when the event was over... a really nice man!)
People Really do Read This Thing!
Posted by goodman on September 22, 2008 8:44 AM |Digg |Del.icio.us |Reddit |SphereIt |StumbleUpon
Who would have ever thought that people actually read this blog/site/thing...? I went to pick up a friend for dinner and there it was, in all it's glory, this site on the computer screen. I got the response, "well, I googled you and now I'm reading up on you." Isn't that just embarrassing :-)....
What can I say other than, I'm surprised. I am also glad that I write carefully, not mentioning any of those bits that could prevent me from getting a job, get me fired from a job, or worse yet, prevent me from getting a date :-)! I have always tried to write in a manner that only deals with me, and doesn't "tell" abut others... kind of like the way at the end of a film it says, "names have been changed to protect the innocent." Well, since I try to be careful about who I wrote about, I don't have to change any names. That's a good thing 'cause I probably couldn't remember them anyway, yet alone after I change them!
As for other things going on right now... I'm watching the markets implode like the rest of you. I am involved in a couple of new start-ups, but again, so is everybody else it seems. I'll keep you posted how it goes.... Oh, and I start the second of 5 wine classes tonight, hopefully on my way to a certificate in wine.
