Love those Courtyards

Tonight I am at a Courtyard in NW Detroit area. I have a whole round of meetings tomorrow and then the drive to Indiana. Man, I have become so acustomed to lower end hotels that it is unheard of luxury for me to be in this Courtyard. High speed internet, not wireless though, and it is really fast. Even a VPN mode if I need it. The room is big and perfect……..Where have I been the past ten years? Working for the wrong companies and myself I say. Well, I am in the luxury tonight and will be on the net until late trying to make up for lost time.

A Happy Camper has to go eat dinner so see you later.

Westsail and other subjects

I recently sold my Comanche aircraft to a local physician who I hope will use it more than I have done for the past 3 years. I think I have less than 100 hours in three years and this means the $/hr price is unbelievible. I think she was worth more than I sold her for but who know – $100 higher and it might not sell for years. Ah well, after ten years of ownership it was time for a change but I will miss her just the same.

I joined the Westsail sailboat organization a couple of weeks ago. Like all owner/interest driven organizations I am sure it will have been an excellent thing to do. Can you imagine all the little (and big) tips to be gleaned. While working in Bradenton, FL last winter for Macom I took sailing lessons and the hook was set. Now I had to find a vessel that had the characteristics of stability, strength, singlehanded bluewater sailing capabilities, live aboard room for two and reasonable facilities. While in the search mode I came across Westsail 32′s and investigated a lot and decided it was a design I thought I could live with and still have reasonable resale value when the sailing days were finished. Enter the Westsail organization. Now I have to find one on the Great Lakes?

Fitting the Military to Reality

By Rajan Menon, Rajan Menon, a New America Foundation fellow, is a professor of international relations at Lehigh University.

At a congressional hearing July 7, the Army’s new vice chief of staff, Gen. Richard A. Cody, answered the rhetorical question of whether U.S. military forces were stretched too thin with a resounding “absolutely.”

It doesn’t take the genius of Clausewitz to figure out what’s obvious: With 135,000 troops assigned to the war in Iraq, 17,000 in Afghanistan, 37,500 in South Korea, 47,000 in Japan and 100,000 in Europe, saying that we are overstretched is putting it mildly. In all, there are 368,900 U.S. troops in 120 countries.

Some drastic steps have been taken or……more

Escalate the War on Cholesterol

A Call to Escalate the War on Cholesterol

By Rosie Mestel, Times Staff Writer

People at high or moderate risk for a heart attack or stroke should receive even more aggressive treatment than currently recommended to lower blood-cholesterol levels, according to new guidelines released today.

The changes, which could affect millions of Americans, include lowering the threshold at which patients at high risk of heart attack begin treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins.

Instead of receiving treatment only if their “bad,” or LDL, cholesterol levels are 130 milligrams per deciliter or higher, they should be given the drugs at 100 or above, a panel of experts recommends.

In addition, the committee suggested a new treatment option for patients at especially high risk of having a heart attack within the next 10 years

Juvenile Prision System..

As California struggles to reshape a juvenile prison system so troubled and violent that some legislators want it closed down, Missouri