The Run

                                                                       THE RUN!!!

Speeding across the desert at 350kts and 70ft over the desert. The pilot and his 4 ship element were answering a call for assistance. The pilot and flight of 4 ships Thunderbolt III's were on the way back to the barn. The Thunderbolt III was a direct descendant of the P47 Thunderbolt fighter of WWII at least in its mission specifications. it received an update that changed the ground attack aircraft, to a machine capable of suborbital flight with the advanced weapon, sensor, and engine advances that made this version of the venerable aircraft state of the art, and the Mach 3 speed made it a formidable weapon.  When the emergency call was acknowledged and received it immediately took precedence.   A Spec Ops element was in the process of withdrawal when they were attacked by a hidden enemy directly to their rear, while they prepared for dust-off.  As one of the rescue elements approached they diverted to the west, as the four plane element made its run.  Having a successful mission before the call for assistance there remained plenty of weapons available for this rescue mission.  The adversary was visibly approaching from the east in strange looking tracked vehicles and some exo-suited personnel in the lead holding large cannon-like weapons firing on the run. 

                Cleared hot on target, the choice was to hit the personnel in the suits 1^st. They were dark metallic robotic shapes standing approximately 10ft. Tall.  What was known was that they were standard human size operators.  3 of them approached followed by 3 tracked vehicles.  The spec -ops troops lazed the large running machines so that the missiles could find their way.   Three missiles released discharged smoke which made them highly visible to the attackers. Armored attackers threw up smoke chaff and other electronic noise to evade the attack.  Too for them bad the missiles were command guided and struck with a blinding flash 3 times, one for each target. One robot was stopped cold by the hit. It paused, began releasing streams of smoke then exploded.  This happened 3 times with creating 3 smoldering wrecks in the sand.

Switching to bombs the flight released the 4 remaining 1000 pound bombs in the midst of the 3 pursuing tracks. As the smoke cleared one heavily damaged track moving in the direction from which they came.  It was not moving very fast. It was indeed out of the fight.  The rescue elements returned to pick up the team and were heading south in the direction of the base.  The Carrier in the distance waited for the returning ships the flight circled until the troop carriers landed and unloaded their passengers then were moved off the flight deck making space for the returning flight.  The landing was pretty much uneventful except for one thing. The carrier was hovering about 2000 ft above the land mass that they were fighting over. After stowing the gear, securing the planes large, powerful doors closed and the landing deck was sealed. After unloading from the transport, the troops left the crew area, were strapped into acceleration chairs for transport to another destination.  The lights dimmed to amber, and the sensation of motion began the trip took about another 30 mins rising to a point approximately 200,000 feet above that planet that these men and women were departing from. They were being pulled into another ship in low orbit.  After securing the carrier within the gigantic transport, they were heading out. Going back home it was over, for now, their rotation was over.  It was 39 months to home at light speed to Proxima Centauri guess it was a good thing they were going 6 times that fast. Home in about 6.5 months.  Messages home were sent on an unmanned ship traveling at 15 times light speed which would be only 2.6 months travel time.  These messages included the after-action report in an encrypted portion of the ship's memory with personal messages taking up all available message space. 

The crew never thought that within 5 years of 1^st contact they would be involved in an operation to secure this part of the galaxy.  What they secretly thought was how much would the pay would be for being gone 24 months travel and mission time.  This would blow the mind of someone born in the 2020s   

Password Security for Seniors I mean (Everyone)

Password Security for Seniors I mean (Everyone)

I am sure all of us at one time or another have agonized over the various passwords and codes that one has to remember on a daily basis.   I know I do. 1st of all I am a system administrator for a military hospital, which will remain nameless.  I have numerous passwords that I have to have on hand for the multiple systems that I administer. I have a password system that is compatible with all military security protocols that are extremely easy to form and to store securely.   I the military uses a two x4 password policy.  Two uppercase, two lowercase, two numbers and. 2 special characters.   This password policy can seem daunting, but it is not as difficult as it looks.  I don't mean passwords in the traditional sense.  What I mean are passphrases.  Something simple to remember but complicated to decipher and duplicate.  That combined with an encrypted location (also password protected) to store them if one has upward of 7 to 10 passwords to remember.  More on that later. Passphrases the key is something easy to remember on a personal basis. Let us try one [!TH@Magn@Charta1215]  and the complexity that is perfect for the security protocols I see every day.

The password listed above either within or including the brackets refers to a historical event and not a word (Yes Captain Obvious I can see that)   The Magna Carta was a document that was signed in 1215 AD.    Notice what it is not.  It is not your daughter’s birthday or her name spelled backward. It is not an event that cannot be directly associated with any individual or is searchable in a database with anyone as a subject of that search. The beauty of this is that it is unique to the writer and the possibilities are endless.  It not tied to real life. The events can be fictional such as (for Star Trek fans) [!TH@K0b@ya$h1M@ru], or Something similar, and less complex like G1l1ppioli1915.

Having many passphrases on hand can be daunting, but there are very secure locations on one's desktop where they can be stored.  In windows, an encrypted password protected folder can be created on the desktop to save the password list if cannot be remembered.  In the Microsoft Office suite, there is an application that makes securing an encrypted file easier. In the OneNote app, there is a provision for a secured file that can contain the list of passwords. Be sure a backup of the data is available in case the record is forgotten, as it is difficult or impossible to recover if that event. Not remembering one's password and the subsequent complications can be tricky, but any security is better than no security at all. Remember numerous applications require passwords and the numbers of applications that require complex passwords are expanding rapidly.   As stated previously I work on a military network we have Common Access Cards that allow us entry into the secured system. 

So many of my colleagues have password lists under their desks that contain the passwords they use on a daily basis. This policy of keeping hard copy lists is a bad security posture and one that can lead to a disaster if not contained.  I spread this message to my colleagues and customers, and some of them have taken that advice to heart.    

Why wasn’t I told???

                                                                Why wasn't I told

      
    I spent an exciting evening on our weekly Friday date night a couple of weeks ago.  My wife and I went to see “Hidden Figures.”  I remember that time in history very well I was 8 years old I was fascinated by the space program I had model aircraft and books about space travel. I remember a lot of things from that time except for one thing. I wasn’t told of the contributions of my people in their participation in the space program. I was an impressionable child only heard how I could not do a thing because it was “not for me” at that time I had a love for mathematics that died on the vine as it was not nurtured and watered.  Playing ball was encouraged, music was encouraged, but academic study was not. At least not by anyone to whom I could relate.  My parents were not highly educated, they were strong in common sense, but not “book learning” as my father was taken out of school in the 3^rd grade to help the family work to survive. My brothers and I were the 1^st to go to eventually go to college, and I was one of the few that finished.

I left the theater with a sense of anger and outrage. Why was it essential to withhold that particular piece of information from me? Why did I have to wait for another 54 years to learn of the accomplishments of the black women of NASA?  I know the Langley NASA research center area well. My 1^st military duty station was at Langley AFB VA. I drove near that area every week doing dailies on my generators near the perimeter of that facility. I would routinely look at the buildings and some of the test equipment from a distance and wondered what they would develop next.

As stated earlier I had a keen interest in things related to flight and space travel.  As an impressionable child of 8, I could see the direction of my life taking another branch on the road not traveled. Another lost opportunity; the kicker is that I did not know it was lost until late 2016 or early 2017.  I ask why, but I understand why. It’s because the heroes of that period were black, yes it was racism, not the watered down diluted “this offends me” racism of the 21^st century it was the real honest to God unadulterated, undiluted racism that my mother and father warned me about back then and the racism I learned to deal with in my youth and still do to a lesser extent today. It however still exists. I still remember the Democratic Governor of Alabama “standing in the schoolhouse door” I also remember Lester Maddox wielding a baseball bat running a man out of his restaurant on national television.

I actually know why I wasn’t told; it was because any semblance of hope for a positive future given to a younger generation would be turned to power; educational power and achievement, political power and the ability not to be fooled by silly unfounded lies and half-truths, and economic power. The only thing that racists fear more than the gun.  The achievements of these women not only were above their peers but exceeded the ability of their “so-called betters”  These women played the game by the existing rules until those rules stood in the way of the mission getting a man into space.  This level of courage is nonexistent these days.  Today’s courage is the courage of the anonymous. Today’s courage hides behind the false bravado of the internet with its mask of secrecy reminiscent of the KKK.  It is actually cowardice of the highest level hiding behind the home router firewall to spew that vitriolic poison on normal people.  It is the same courage that started a fire in Berkeley University to silence someone in which they disagreed.  I did not agree with the speaker as well, but I prefer to use the quote from the Rameses in the movie the 10 Commandments “Let him rave on so all may know him mad.” 

A special acknowledgment goes to the person or persons in the shadows that finance that type of suppression.  How many scholarships could be funded as opposed to funding mayhem?  I felt myself falling into the abyss of bitterness, but then I remembered the words of Psalms 73: 2-17[i]

I also remember the kindness that I have been shown in those years. I fully recall the encouragement that I have received and still receive from my family both natural and extended; these are My Bro’s, and Sister’s the surrogate mothers and fathers that I have been blessed with knowing all these years. I remember great meals, the warm rooms in the back when I had no place to go. I am also grateful for the few times I received stern guidance that has proven to be invaluable over the years.

It is my mission today to be that mentor as I was mentored.  Passing down the knowledge and wisdom  I have received through hard experience.  It is a good thing that the truth was finally told. It is my greatest hope some 8 year old grabs that truth and holds on to it for dear life and uses it as fuel for their future.  Oh there will be one that will and I guarantee you will hear from them

---

·         [i] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+73&version=KJV

Hey Manny how that I have your attention let’s talk.

And there I was, minding my own business in a hospital room at 2 AM in the morning on Christmas Eve.  I was alone in my thoughts. Please note that I at no point heard voices from beyond, but I was allowing myself to be led in my thought process.  I did begin to think and reflect on how I got here. In a room hooked up to several monitors and breathing pure oxygen. My bride has gone home for the evening for about 5 hrs. Earlier. The incessant peeping was keeping me awake.  My arm hurt from the presence of the 18 gauge the umbilical cord that was providing me a steady stream of antibiotics steroids, and various other medications.

 In these Thoughts, I reflected on my Grandchildren, all of them near and far.   I felt sad because I have not completed my task of helping to prepare them for a world that is more complex than anything I experienced in my youth.  The Pity party was trying to start.  Then I considered how I got here.  At some point, after Memorial Day weekend I contracted something that slowly ate away at my lung capacity and culminated in my being in this hospital bed. I had a couple of warnings. I had an episode at work that got me on an operating room table with a probe and dye exploring the inner reaches of my heart.  Not only did they fins mt heart, but it was 100% functional with zero blockages.   I just thought I was just out of shape.  I would get to that in time. I was the president of a very small nation, the procrastination.  I was feeling sorry for myself.   At that point, I thought of my mistakes my missteps and my many failings in my past.  At that time I finally admitted to myself that I still was holding on to a couple of them.   I have not felt worthy of redemption.  My task in life is to assist others to get to their potential, but I was too far gone because of the things that I have done. I have been a hypocrite and not following my own advice “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure ensure you have put on your oxygen mask before helping others.”

I have come to an impasse in my life. I did not believe that I deserved anything good, but at the same time, I wanted to be an example to my grandkids, and an inspiration to my family. Those goals I now know are mutually exclusive (you can’t do both).  I have to allow myself to be blessed to bless others.  So I believe that the fact I was allowed to work this thing out for myself.  I do have a relationship with the Almighty, Higher power, Creator, Supreme Being, or Jesus Christ if you will. I, however, have been running from it due to my personal guilt. Yea I know it’s on the dumb side. My intent, however, is not to proselytize, but just to tell a story. I was too hard-headed to do what is necessary because it’s hard.  My Parents use d to say “A hard head makes for a soft behind.   The hard thing is actually not fighting for what I want in life. I have wishes, but before my journey of self-awakening, they were not that important to me. In the cosmos of ideas, dreams are useless unless there is a plan. After beating myself up for two days, I made some promises to myself.  

1. Barring injury to myself by circumstances I cannot control I will do everything within my power to extend the duration of my existence on this planet to be there for my family.
2. I will make every effort to become more spiritual in my life and develop a deeper relationship with GOD. Spirituality=Good, Religious = not as good.
   I will set goals for the aspects of my life that need attention (all of them)
3. I will relieve myself of the things that are holding me back and links to the past that I wish to be rid of.  Caveat. I have genuine friends that understand where I am coming from and they will not be abandoned ever.
4. I have dreams that I need to pursue and will pursue them.  
5. Take every opportunity to attack my personal debt position.

So this was the outcome of my come to Jesus meeting. It was not that bad. The Task now is to execute that plan. 

Since the original writing of this blog, the following things have happened.  I on Jan 15, 2019, underwent gastric bypass. At the time of the initial drafting of the original blog post, I weighed 345 Lbs. As of today 5 May 2019 I weigh 258lbs. I sold my 2013 Camaro and used the returns to start attacking my debt this in concert with my tax return this year, the goal of debt freedom appears closer than ever.  To date, I have returned to the gym intending to reach my goal weight of 218lbs. 

You will eat from the fruit of the trees you plant in your life

This is not what I was going to write about this week, but I had to search myself to come to grips with something that has been on my mind and I found it to be a totally “Life Truth", a natural law, or natural order of things.  Random events do happen. I am not talking about the bolt out of the blue. That brand new water heater exploding, the semi truck that crossed the center divider or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, like a train in Paris or other random happenstance.  

In large part the stuff that happens to us is something we bring about for ourselves. This is the premise of this post.  Please note I among all are most guilty as I have brought fruit both good and bad into this existence.  So this is for me as much as it is for anyone else that might read this.   The New Living translation says it like this “Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” 

What do I mean exactly when I state the above?  In the movie “Megaforce” the statement made was that “it’s all in the wheel”. A more familiar phrase is what goes around comes around.   What are the practical applications? The most basic would be if one does not squander their funds then when an emergency happens there will be funds available for that emergency.  I have been at times totally guilty on this charge. If one dedicates oneself to a task be it writing or exercise or just good manners those will have benefits that will be tangible to the person.  Then again the inverse is also true.  I knew of a person that took their annual and sick leave when it was accrued the result of that was when the person had an emergency there was no leave time for them to use for that emergency the person went into an excess leave situation. They basically put themselves into a hole.  Personally I experienced this in a less severe instance. While moving to the home I now live in I got a hernia in my groin region that required surgery, not only was I out for 10 days, I could not laugh for two weeks without significant pain.  At the end of this time I had a significant number of very strong painkillers that I was getting to like too much.  I had to make a conscious decision to endure the pain, which was not as bad as it was 8 days earlier so I weaned myself off them.

I have to speak for myself as I know myself best.   I have been in situations where my judgement was not the best in fact it was dang stupid.  I walked away from a job to go on tour with a Drum and Bugle corps back in 77 or 78.   I allowed someone to check out a customer with my employee code and got fired when the good buddy took $20 bucks out of the till yes I got fired.  I entered relationships because I was either, depressed, lonely, drunk, or just a feeling at the moment (you can guess that feeling that was) that came back to bite me in the butt (literally) not telling that story.  I even got into a situation decades ago because I felt sorry for someone I knew it wasn’t love, but that was 100 percent on me.  Every time I got myself in a trick bag I put myself in there.   Let’s look at the other side of the coin I need to balance this with some positivity.   There are those that the world says are lucky I can think of a few athletes, businessmen entrepreneurs, actors, writers and such that are called lucky. No one knows about the hours in the gym, track, pool or court. No one considers the failures that followed a person for their lives until they got that break.  In the movie “Jason Bourne” Tommy Lee jones is the villain. What most people don’t know is that Tommy Lee Jones helped Ben and Matt at their lowest point with some food and cash and that cash enabled them to write Good Will Hunting.  Remembering his friend Tommy Lee Jones Matt offered the part of the CIA director to him. He didn’t have to Tommy lee Jones probably did not need the dough, but it was not really to repay him, I believe it was to recognize his contribution to his becoming a movie star that commands large sums of money, fame or influence.  Good works will be rewarded in kind one just have to have the patience to see it to the end.   Loneliness is a tough one.  Being by oneself allows the self-talk to get so bad that it screams to you I have to do something. That something is sometimes the wrong person and the entirely wrong time. What I have learned over time is that I can be alone I actually like myself to the point that I can be by myself for long periods and enjoy the process.  Learning how to love oneself is one of the best things that a person can do to avoid a lot of mess.

 There are instances of Stuff happens and sometimes it’s real bad.  I had a friend a best friend she was a coworker and lived in the next apt complex.  When she was ill I took her to the hospital when she needed to talk I was there, I even got a call when I was teaching a server class with the question “Have you eaten yet? Come by after class and ill have dinner for you.  Truly a best friend. I was going through something at the time and in fact it was 10 years ago when we were neighbors.  I told her good bye one Friday evening as I was leaving town for the weekend stating I will see her Monday at work and we can do lunch.   Monday came and her supervisor called me to his office and asked if I saw her this morning.  I got totally scared and went to her apartment and found her. She had passed sometime that weekend.  That is something I will remember to this day losing a really good friend but there was nothing I could have done it was one of those things. I will tell you that it hurt really badly. The bottom line was it was unavoidable it was going to happen whether or not I was around or not.  That could not be helped it was her time.  The best thing one can do is think of what will happen if I do this or that. One can choose if they lose their temper or not, one can choose words that uplift instead of hurt, or one can choose not to respond at all.  Remember actions and also inactions have consequences. Let’s hope all yours are good ones

My Man Epictetus

A philosopher has helped me immensely as of late he was a 1st century slave in Rome by the name of Epictetus. I have been dabbling in Stoic Philosophy. I have read Plato, Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, but the one that I relate most with is Epictetus.

He was a slave unable to control anything but himself. I know how that feels.  This world goes on, and I know the level of importance that I hold in it ZERO!!!  I accept that and live with it. I find it liberating for me to know I'm free of that junk. .  I recognize that there are people that propagate fears into others. When it is done to a child I have a problem with it. Childhood should be a time of joy and learning, and not fear.  To infect an innocent with the poison from the media is unfortunate, and irresponsible.  There are enough legitimate fears out there. There are legitimate troubles and concerns out there, but to feed fear into a child I find highly disappointing.  The thing I value most is courage, and feeding that poison to a child is not helping. A child needs to know that you are there with them you I will defend them until your last breath.  That would inspire confidence instead of fear.

How does this relate. Make a list of what you control. Better than that what do you not control.  Let’s see I can’t control the other people on I-10 on the way to and from work. I can’t control if my server goes down in the middle of the night. The short answer is that I cannot control anything outside my attitude and actions. Outside of that nothing is in your control. Based on ones finances what get paid (or not paid) is under our control.   Shiznet happens every day it isn't personal, as none of us among the 7Billion out there are that important (except to our loved ones). If we get hit by lightning. The world would not stop turning. To paraphrase the bible if it’s raining on you it’s raining on a group of people in that particular area be it a block city state or region both the “good and the bad”. I inferred this before there is one thing that you as a person have 100% control of. How you act, respond with anger or outbursts of uncontrolled rage, or not to react to a given set of circumstances. There are people and institutions that traffic in that nonsense getting people to respond in emotion one way or another sometimes this is for profit, sometimes for and agenda and sometimes just because they can.  The ultimate freedom is the freedom to choose how one expresses themselves in times of pain, or joy (or not to express one’s self)    No one can make you angry that is a choice. There is a group of people that believe that the world was created for them and when things go sideways they are looking to blame someone.   The choices you make at 18 can affect you until you pass from this earth.  To have a relationship or not have one. To study or not to. To take a job or not take a job have long lasting consequences.  Let me state this for the record.  LIFE IS NOT FAIR!  You can no more make someone love you, respect you, or have a positive opinion of who and what you are any more than I can command the weather.

Admiral James Stockdale said this as he was shot down and descending in his parachute over North Viet Nam in 1965 on his way to the Hanoi Hilton.

 “I’m leaving the world of technology and entering the world of Epictetus”

Finally

I will end with a couple of Quotes from my favorite stoic philosopher Epictetus

"There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will"

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

..."

My Man Epictetus

A philosopher has helped me immensely as of late he was a 1st century slave in Rome by the name of Epictetus. I have been Dabbling in Stoic Philosophy. I have read Plato, Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, but the one that I relate most with is Epictetus.

He was a slave unable to control anything but himself. I know how that feels.  This world goes on, and I know the level of importance that I hold in it ZERO!!!  I accept that and live with it. I find it liberating for me to know I'm free of that junk. .  I recognize that there are people that propagate fears into others. When it is done to a child I have a problem with it. Childhood should be a time of joy and learning, and not fear.  To infect an innocent with the poison from the media is unfortunate, and irresponsible.  There are enough legitimate fears out there. There are legitimate troubles and concerns out there, but to feed fear into a child I find highly disappointing.  The thing I value most is courage, and feeding that poison to a child is not helping. A child needs to know that you are there with them you I will defend them until your last breath.  That would inspire confidence instead of fear.

How does this relate. Make a list of what you control. Better than that what do you not control.  Let’s see I can’t control the other people on I-10 on the way to and from work. I can’t control if my server goes down in the middle of the night. The short answer is that I cannot control anything outside my attitude and actions. Outside of that nothing is in your control. Based on ones finances what get paid (or not paid) is under our control.   Shiznet happens every day it isn't personal, as none of us among the 7Billion out there are that important (except to our loved ones). If we get hit by lightning. The world would not stop turning. To paraphrase the bible if it’s raining on you it’s raining on a group of people in that particular area be it a block city state or region both the “good and the bad”. I inferred this before there is one thing that you as a person have 100% control of. How you act, respond with anger or outbursts of uncontrolled rage, or not to react to a given set of circumstances. There are people and institutions that traffic in that nonsense getting people to respond in emotion one way or another sometimes this is for profit, sometimes for and agenda and sometimes just because they can.  The ultimate freedom is the freedom to choose how one expresses themselves in times of pain, or joy (or not to express one’s self)    No one can make you angry that is a choice. There is a group of people that believe that the world was created for them and when things go sideways they are looking to blame someone.   The choices you make at 18 can affect you until you pass from this earth.  To have a relationship or not have one. To study or not to. To take a job or not take a job have long lasting consequences.  Let me state this for the record.  LIFE IS NOT FAIR!  You can no more make someone love you, respect you, or have a positive opinion of who and what you are any more than I can command the weather.

Admiral James Stockdale said this as he was shot down and descending in his parachute over North Viet Nam in 1965 on his way to the Hanoi Hilton.

 “I’m leaving the world of technology and entering the world of Epictetus”

Finally

I will end with a couple of Quotes from my favorite stoic philosopher Epictetus

"There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will"

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

..."