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Auntie Anne’s Pretzels: Life Is As Twisted As A Pretzel
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Jim Murphy: Flying High in the Corporate Cockpit
Trained to connect strategy with execution, this F-15 fighter pilot develop Read More+
Mitra Shahri: Fearless, Focused & Funny
Standing Up for Justice in more ways than One Mons Read More+https://i2.wp.com/throomers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/3f8832a24f765b88699689776ea513dc.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1
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Michael Vetter: Extraterrestrial Carmaker
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Matt Jung: Comfort Research & The Ultimate Beanbag
A beanbag chair, two college friends, and an out o Read More+
Tony Blauer: Hacking the Science of Self-Defense
He’s developed the only behaviorally based self-pr Read More+https://i1.wp.com/throomers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/steve-raichlen1.png?resize=974%2C600&ssl=1
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Steven Raichlen: Ultimate Pit Boss
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Chef John Moeller: A Recipe for History
After three first families enjoyed his culinary ex Read More+
The Wonderful Green World of TerraCycle
Creating a More Sustainable Planet by Eliminating the Idea of Waste The Pro Read More+
Traveling to Croatia checks off so many of our European must-haves: sparkling coastlines, historic walled cities, and delicious food. But in case you need more reasons to travel to this Eastern European getaway, we present our top ten must-dos in Croatia (including more food). Walk Through Dubrovnik Rise and shine to a view of the old town’s red tiled roofs, baroque buildings, and narrow, steep limestone streets. It’s a vision that will be familiar if you watch Game of Thrones. Like us, author George Bernard Shaw was enchanted by Dubrovnik, describing it as “the pearl of the Adriatic.” Once a powerful seafaring republic, Dubrovnik has survived the tides of time and remained one of the most beautiful cities on earth. UNESCO thinks so too: the Old City is listed as a World Heritage Site. Sample Local Culinary Creations Global connoisseurs probably already have Croatia on their menu. The entire region is known for its fantastic food and wine, and the best way to sample it is in a charming family-owned restaurant. When you’re planning a custom trip to Croatia, the Ker
Adventurous foodies unite, and allow me to introduce you to the best dining destination in the world: Bangkok. If you first read my overview of the capital, you’ll know that the city doesn’t sleep. In fact, I’m pretty convinced it also never stops eating. The food options are endless, and we only had two full days to taste the city. This is torturous to foodies, but we accepted the challenge with rigor. Here are our eating recommendations, beginning with the most worthwhile contributor to the scene, quintessential to your Bangkok experience: street food. STREET FOOD If you’ve caught wind of the “street food is being banned” buzz this past spring, fear not: The Tourism Authority of Thailand quickly released a clarifying statement, assuring us that street food will prevail. With that, street food is just about everywhere in Bangkok, at every hour. The one exception is Monday, during the day, as official street cleaning takes place and street stalls resultantly take a quick hiatus. Plan accordingly to avoid disappointment. And hanger. The (unofficial) street food mecca of Bangkok is the
When I received my Ph.D. in a year I shall not name, a friend of mine gave me a book written by Joy Williams entitled The Florida Keys: A History and Guide. I was about to move to Florida to start a job as a professor, and I had little concept of the Keys. The only thing I knew about the place was that there was a store in Key West named Fast Buck Freddie’s because my family then had a refrigerator magnet manufacturing business, and Fast Buck Freddie’s carried the products. Fast Buck Freddie’s: I love writing that. It seems to me that if South Florida should ever become a nation of its own it could be called Fast Buck Freddie’s. But back to Williams’s book, as I looked at the cover, with its blue sky and palm fronds with a beach peeking through, I had no idea how deeply my life would take root in Florida. I remember moving down, my father driving a U-Haul while I drove my red Nissan pickup truck (that as I now write has over
We all have a story. And we are currently living it out. Gradually twisting and turning with sweet victories and sometimes bitter defeats. A mixture of honey and salt, like lemons and lemonade. Large or small, we encounter challenges as we live out our stories. Maybe you know “salt” as trials, tribulations, tests, traumas, hurdles, bumps in the road, setbacks, or heartbreaks. But regardless of the name, these more difficult aspects of life are part of the human experience. Where we differ is in whether we let the hard things we encounter define us. Does this salt enhance the flavor of our life or is it overpowering and making it something we can’t quite stomach? My story shifted significantly when I was 13. Faced with a trauma that altered my body, I had to answer: how will this affect my story? Fortunately, back then I had a steadfast mindset that presented only one option: move forward in faith and trust that out of bad can come good. Without knowing it I maintained a perspective that was focused on achieving the
This sister act helped pioneer a tap dancing renaissance, tapping their way to success and stardom. Fierce Footwork As children, Chloe and Maud Arnold were usually heard before they were seen. In unison they count “Five. Six. Seven. Eight.” followed by the pitter patter of their fancy footwork — it became their calling card. They danced virtually everywhere they went. Their passion and aptitude for dance was plain to see, especially in tap. Their parents supported the “fierce footwork” of their daughters, and encouraged each hip sway, jazz kick, and paradiddle. Those tap dancing girls became tap dancing divas, grabbing the attention of mega-stars like Beyonce, Ellen Degeneres, and world-renowned dancer, Debbie Allen. The attention isn’t unwarranted, these dancing sisters are raising the bar on what it means to dance out loud. Mentored by a Legend Eventually, the sisters tapped their way into the graces of dance legend, Debbie Allen, who mentored the girls and their talents, ensuring that they were ready for success early on. At the age of 16, Chloe was cast in Allen’s play, the Brothers of
“Change Your Thoughts and You will Change Your World…” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale How does this work you may be asking? Change your thoughts and you change your world? I believe it’s true, but before I explore how it works, I want you to take a minute or two to think about how you experience the world around you. And to help with that, I’ll describe two extreme worlds knowing that you are probably somewhere in-between. Two Extreme Worlds One extreme world tends to be chaotic, urgent, full of busyness, and has an overall sense of feeling overwhelming. This world tends to be unpredictable and uncertain which leads to feelings of worry, fear, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The other extreme world is the complete opposite. It’s calm, less busy, pleasant, and full of deep, meaningful relationships. This world leads to feelings of optimism, fulfillment, hope, excitement, and a sense of community. Okay, so how does the process of changing your thoughts to change your world work? What Dr. Peale is referring to is more than just your thoughts. He’s referring to
She became the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica and into the Guinness World Records. She felt like a speck in the frozen vastness. Every direction she turned, she could see ice stretching to the horizon: white ice and blue ice, glacial-ice tongues and ice wedges. There were no living creatures in sight. Nothing but her. It’s exactly where British explorer, Felicity Aston, wanted to be. The pure whiteness surrounded her as the sound of the plane faded into the distance, disappearing into the emptiness of the colorless landscape. That last churning of the propeller signaled the end of her connection to human civilization. There were no tears to cry, only frozen droplets that fell from her eyelids and sprinkled on the snow like diamonds. “The first time it really struck me was when the plane dropped me off (at) the beginning of my journey, and I watched it disappearing into a dark blob (in) the sky,” she recalls of her adventure. A Solo Endeavor It was hard to breathe, and each time she exhaled the moisture froze on
By establishing trust and perceived value, he turned a dying business into a thriving family of businesses. About 60 years ago, a young man named Warren Buffett bought a small, troubled New England textile company called Berkshire Hathaway. He turned it into a property and casualty insurance company, then a holding company, and then he became the richest man in the world using Berkshire as his investment vehicle. We recently had the pleasure of working with another young man, Sean Bandawat, who may be on the same path! Fostering a Business Mindset From a young age, Bandawat witnessed his father, who was a successful entrepreneur, in action. More importantly, his dad was his hero, role model, and primary business advisor. While in college at the University of Southern California, Bandawat creates several internet-based businesses —most notably RateMyFraternity.com and RateMySorority.com, allowing students to learn and read reviews about fraternities and sororities across the nation, and College Zoom, a counseling service that helps students apply to America’s best universities. Bandawat attended USC Marshall’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, perhaps the best
Like father, like daughter. They’re setting the pace for equality on and off the track. Bobby Norfleet is in a race without a finish line. As a retired NASCAR driver, he is no stranger to competition, overcoming obstacles, and achieving one’s goals, but his drive wouldn’t let him stop after his laps were done. Norfleet is now retired, but as one of the pioneer African American NASCAR racers, he says he’s obligated to introduce more African Americans to the joys of NASCAR racing. He vowed to not let injustice, ignorance, or bigotry stand in his or other African Americans way as they pursue the sport. Instead, he’s gone full-throttle to help NASCAR become more inclusive by mentoring other African American drivers. And, his most prized protege — his daughter Tia Norfleet — is on her way to her victory lap. Getting off the Back Roads Born in 1960 in Savannah, Georgia, during the Civil Rights era, Norfleet heard about protests and sit-ins to overcome ideologies associated with white supremacy, black inferiority, and segregation. Norfleet remembers watching his brothers street race
Navigating through the twists and turns of life created one of the world’s most successful franchises. The origins of Auntie Anne’s pretzels are anything but ordinary. The real Auntie behind the popular pretzels navigated a series of unfortunate events and tragic personal loss to come out the other side with one of the most successful franchises in the world. The aroma of freshly baked goods and homegrown happiness permeate the air when you enter an Auntie Anne’s pretzel store. No matter what location around the globe, the fresh smell of soft pretzels never changes. Like being home, you are greeted by a familiar smile and served familiar delights. Many people ask if there is a real Auntie Anne behind this universal feeling of cheer brought on by the delicious twists of dough. Who is Auntie Anne? Over half a century ago, a girl sat at her doorstep awaiting her parents. With a horse and buggy, they made their way down to the 100-acre farm with the buggy bumping and grunting behind the tired horse. She saw them in the distance
Trained to connect strategy with execution, this F-15 fighter pilot developed a powerful concept for growing businesses. The Start of Greatness He exuded an aura of confidence, standing center stage to deliver his inspirational and illuminating message, in a dark green military pilot flight suit. It was adorned with the badges of an experienced airman. The audience expected to hear about war, jets, and harrowing combat tales. They sit and listen as his commanding, yet approachable voice filled the room. “It’s a great time to execute and take market share!” Murphy says. Wait, what? Market share? To their surprise, this airman is not only a master of advanced aviation, he’s also of a brilliant business mind. Corporations stand in line to gain an understanding of Murphy and Afterburner’s winning methodology, Flawless Execution℠. Upping the Execution Game When everything is life or death, there’s no room for mistakes. Jim Murphy sat in the cockpit of an F-15, as he had done thousands of times before, but this time, he made a connection that would change his life forever. Murphy reflected on
Standing Up for Justice in more ways than One Monsters Revealed On October 5, 2017, despicable sexual misconduct charges exploded across the headlines when the New York Times outed entertainment mogul, Harvey Weinstein, as the sexual predator he’d long been alleged to be. A New Yorker article soon followed with enough new accusations and salacious details to fill several seasons of content in an X-rated horror series, with the monster Weinstein in the starring role. At the same time, the trial of another powerful entertainment celebrity was making headlines. ‘America’s father,’ former superstar actor and comedian, Bill Cosby, had been suspected for decades of sexually preying on young aspiring actresses who had come to him expecting paternal mentoring. Cosby’s denials and legal maneuvering had finally been overwhelmed by the mounting accusations and evidence. As national outrage intensified, fueled by the #metoo movement’s ‘Never Again’ mantra, emboldened women emerged from hiding to tell their own horror stories. Other big-name dominos soon fell across the media gameboard including formerly revered names Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw. It is important to note that
ET would have loved to go home in one of these. For the past 20 years, Michael Vetter, owner of The Car Factory, has been building custom futuristic concept cars from scratch. You may have seen his cars in movies and TV, or around town for companies and those individuals who want something no one else has. Today, his team consists of expert craftsman dedicated to producing extreme high-end cars and who appreciate each other’s fine workmanship. A Passion for Sports Cars Vetter entered the car world by accident while attending college earning a business degree in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was undecided about his future, but knew he wanted to be in charge of his own day. He happened across a fiberglass body shell of a Lamborghini Countach at the largest car show on the East Coast called the Daytona Turkey Rod Run. He was in love with its design. When he was 12-years old in 1984, he had seen this car at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany and never forgot about it. He remembered finding a small black and white picture of
A beanbag chair, two college friends, and an out of this world experience — literally. Some say getting out of your comfort zone makes for a better life but ask Matt Jung and Chip George, owners of Comfort Research, and they’ll tell you keeping things comfortable is how they became successful. When the dynamic duo were undergraduates at Hope College in Michigan in 1996, they were looking for a better way to lounge. Tired of bruised elbows and sore tailbones from their woefully uncomfortable beanbag chairs, Jung and George were determined to change dorm life from roughing it to comfort zone. Their creation was the Ahhsome Fuf — part beanbag, part mattress, part couch, and 100% comfortable. Initially, the sales of the Ahhsome Fuf were just as remarkable as its name. The two began selling the product out of the trunk of their cars during college welcome weeks. They managed to get a few into a local furniture store, which were sold out within days. As they expanded, distributors ordered larger quantities. The rest is history. Fast forward 22 years,
He’s developed the only behaviorally based self-protection method in the world. Know Fear Imagine taking an afternoon walk around your neighborhood and an unfamiliar face suddenly attacks you. You can’t run away, and your adrenaline is rushing, there’s a ringing in your ears, and your heart is beating through your chest. What would you do? Would you replay a scene from a Bruce Lee movie in your head or would you know what to do to make it out alive? We can hypothesize, but the truth is that many of us don’t know how we would react in the face of fear. We’ve heard of fight or flight, but would we know what to do in that crucial moment? When running is not an option, we may freeze, go into shock, or make critical mistakes that give our attacker an advantage. Putting our personal safety and that of our loved ones first is our duty in situations like this. That’s why combat extraordinaire, Tony Blauer, is helping millions of people achieve confidence in self-defense through training offered by his company,
Back to School “I spent a lot of time attending school in my younger days. After graduating high school, I went to college for four years, graduating from Hofstra University on Long Island. As if that wasn’t enough, I attended Brooklyn Law School for another three years after that! Honestly, after those experiences, I never wanted to see another school again and was ready to start my career. But now, around 40 years later, I’m ready to go back to school! Yes, I’ve re-acquired “the bug” to go back to school. “Barbecue University, here I come!” Barbecue University? Seriously? Yes, as a matter of fact, Steven Raichlen, the world’s foremost authority on live-fire cooking, is the professor at this esteemed university. Mastering His Fiery Craft A passion for primal flavor in food cooked over a live fire ignites a backyard grill mania. Known as the man who reinvented modern barbecue, Steven Raichlen is an accomplished author, journalist, cooking instructor, and TV host. As inspiration for his books, he has traveled the world in search of all things barbecue and considers cooking
After three first families enjoyed his culinary expertise, he has the perfect recipe for life beyond the White House. The ability to transform one’s passions and interests into a prominent business is an achievement that most people work towards their entire life. However, for John Moeller, that passion was identified early and blossomed into a thriving and prestigious career. He served as a chef for three first families and their many guests, the presidencies of Bush 41 and 43, bracketing 42, the presidency of Bill Clinton. After initially joining the White House as a sous chef in 1992, he later transitioned into the role of acting White House Chef in 2005. While serving the first families, he also prepared meals for world-renowned leaders including Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela, as well as celebrities such as Julia Child and Sophia Loren, to name just a few. There’s no pressure cooking for the likes of Mandela and Child, I’m sure. So what if the souffle collapses? Cultivating a Culinary Art Raised in the heart of Amish County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Moeller realized
Creating a More Sustainable Planet by Eliminating the Idea of Waste The Problem Since the end of World War II, economic growth and prosperity in most corners of the world has been nearly miraculous, raising the quality of life for billions of inhabitants to historic heights. But it has come at an extremely high cost to our environment. One of the most disgraceful consequences of such affluence has been the unintended effects of ‘disposable consumerism,’ as starkly evidenced by the massive field of floating plastic waste and chemical sludge dubbed the “Great Pacific garbage patch.” Also called the “Pacific trash vortex,” it is a gyre of discarded marine waste located about halfway between California and Hawaii. First described in a 1988 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) paper, its scope is now estimated to range between the sizes of Texas and Russia, and it contains 1.8 trillion pieces of debris in the consistency of a toxin-thickened soup. A July 2017 study conducted by the University of Georgia, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and others, concluded that more than 8.5
I love flowers. Who doesn’t? I especially love receiving them, but again, who doesn’t? Sending them is a whole other topic. That takes effort, at least more effort than answering the front door. So, let’s leave that aside for the moment. Even when we’re blessed to be receiving flowers, a big problem is they die. Once removed from their natural life source, all living organisms begin their death march, of course, including flowers. But in most cases, flowers die much too quickly. We barely have time to enjoy quality time with them, share some memories, say our goodbyes, make burial arrangements, etc. Too often, I’ve received flowers that have gone from fresh, vibrant and fragrant when I first open the box, to fading, to dead, in a matter of hours – a day or two at the most. Disappointment and frustration are not the emotions the gift-giver had intended to trigger, I’m certain. There’s another problem with flowers, this time on the purchasing side of the ledger – the good ones are expensive, especially given their relatively short lives. Who
Technology has always intimidated me, I’ll humbly admit. But with the help of a few competent friends, reluctant millennial daughters, and the geniuses at Amazon, Google and Apple, I’ve managed to appear relatively competent while enjoying myself immensely. So now comes the dawning of even more revolutionary changes, including something called 3D printing. While I’m still wrestling with my HP, begging it to print on both sides of a page, there are now printers capable of stamping out automobile and airplane parts, residential buildings, consumer products, and most disconcerting of all, human body parts. In the old days (yesterday?), we simply inserted paper into the appropriate tray and hit the print button, followed by a silent prayer. If all went well, the machine reproducedthe contents of the paper we’d placed on the glass thingy above. When the inevitable paper jam ensued, we’d slink out of the copy room leaving the mess for an office colleague to grumble about. 3D printing operates similarly except that rather than paper, it reproduces three-dimensional items. More than a printer, it’s a high-tech manufacturing machine
What Happens in Vegas … If you’ve never been, Las Vegas is an incredible place. I’ve heard it called ‘a Disney World for adults,’ and I have no real argument with the reference. Contrary to the oft-advised, ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,’ I must admit to the world what I experienced there recently. I took my first bath with a Lush. There, I said it. That’ll take a little ‘splaining,’ especially if my wife happens by this article. So, let’s move on and tell the story before I get in any deeper. I was visiting Vegas with one of my daughters for a few days of great food and music. One of the highlights was the Carlos Santana concert at The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, a very cool venue to see a show. Especially Carlos and his band, who are still fabulous musicians and an electrifying live act. In our excitement, we’d arrived at Mandalay Bay much too early and needed to kill some time. Around the corner from The House of Blues, we noticed an
This determined self-starter rocked the small business world with money-saving DIY marketing strategies. “The number one mistake small business owners make is that they think they have to sell everything to everybody. You’ve got to know who the right people are and you’ve got to stop talking about your product, selling is out, contribution is in.” Just when you thought Gary Vaynerchuck was the only online digital marketing sensation ever to set foot on the face of this earth, meet Ivana Taylor. Who is Ivana Taylor? According to Fast Company’s 2010 Influencers Project, Taylor ranked number twenty-one out of over thirty thousand internet professionals. But what is it that makes Taylor such an accomplished online persona in the digital marketing industry? Among her long list of accomplishments, Taylor is an author, publisher, content contributor, book editor, marketing consultant, and overall digital marketing. Taylor also instructs marketing classes at Cleveland State University and Akron University in her home state of Ohio. Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com, an online digital marketing publication that specializes in helping small business owners with the
Throughout my thirty-year professional career in financial services, I’ve earned a closetful of degrees and continuing education credits. The more notable include – JD, CPA, CLU, ChFC and CFP. They each reflect a specific area of expertise in the law, taxes, estate planning, insurance and financial planning. To my many business partners and clients, I was considered a reliable source of state-of-the-art knowledge on these critical life issues. My degrees afforded me a level of credibility and opened more than a few doors. Results over Accreditations Upon reflection, I think the degrees were just the beginning of my value proposition. My career success had more to do with the day-to-day actions I took – my ability to perform and produce results. Once the door had been opened by a business partner and I was face-to-face with a mutual client, and in the aftermath, my job was to perform – to solve problems and substantially improve the lives of my clients – and thereby my business partners as well. Since my earliest days in Long Island, N.Y., I’m told I was
Engaging and growing an audience is key to brand building and business success. Joe Pulizzi swears by his approach of building an audience and once that audience knows, likes, and trusts a brand, then they can be monetized. Known in the digital marketing industry as the Godfather of Content Marketing, he founded the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), an industry leader in the education and practical training of content marketing. He has since sold the company which hosts the world’s largest in-person marketing event, Content Marketing World, every year in Cleveland, Ohio. The event draws people across all industries to network and learn new methods and tactics for growing and monetizing an engaged audience in the digital world. Big Dream Goes Big Time Before Pulizzi became a major marketing heavyweight, he was just a simple person with a big dream. He had a vision of what internet marketing would be like before it became the world’s biggest platform for marketing and selling products and services. He is known for popularizing the term “content marketing” as far back as 2001, which means growing
The fitness industry is a notorious fickle thing. From Instagram influencers to nationally syndicated doctors, we, as consumers, are treated to a vast array of conflicting information about what to do with our bodies. Some weeks, its low carb, others its all vegetables. This week I was told by two friends, one a dietician and the other a trained doctor that eggs were problematic. Earlier in the year they told me to eat them with impunity. Thankfully I have an ace in the hole, an antidote to the madness which is our modern information ecosystem. Studying the history of health and fitness trends over the past several years has taught me two valuable lessons. First that my fiancé has indulged my vocation for far too long and second that what works tends to stick around. So with that in mind, today’s short article looks at tried and tested means of losing weight. These ‘old school’ methods were promoted by the bodybuilders of the early twentieth century. These men and women exercised at a time when steroids had not yet infiltrated
You struggle with fear, anxiety, depression, or addiction. Eventually your relatives and closest friends find out about your problems. The problem is that some of them get on your case and do not understand what you are going through. Here are six ways on how to deal with your friends regarding your mental health issues. 1. Listen to the professionals and not your friends. Your friends may mean well, but when it comes down to it, the professionals know your situation more than anyone. They know what you are going through and are trained to deal with your situation. Your friends do not have the answers to your medical condition. When you have questions about your mental health recovery, consult with your counselor or other mental health professional. Listen to them and follow their advice and not your friends. 2. Your goal is to get better. Concentrate on how you can overcome your fears and anxieties. Don’t waste your time arguing with your friends or relatives who are giving you a difficult time. This isn’t a public relations event where you need to get approval from your friends. This is
While today’s “to do” list might have completion of a corporate project, planning a family vacation, picking up the dry cleaning, and making an evening Pilates class, I suggest you add one more item: taking steps to live long and well. Indeed, the possibility of living longer than our parents without the chronic diseases, medications, and surgeries that many of them endured is within our grasp and the key is to keep your body as young as possible while medical advances are progressing year after year. There are 4 things you can do starting today to maximize your odds of living long and well. None of them take much time or expenses. 1) Know Your “Arterial Age” Over 400 years ago the leading English physician, Thomas Sydenham, wrote that “we are as old as our arteries” and he has proven to be on target all these centuries later. The #1 killer worldwide, atherosclerosis, is not typically tested for at annual physicals but it can be screened for in a highly accurate, safe, and available manner that reveals whether your arteries are
Just a brief observation and entire cityscapes are drawn as finely detailed masterpieces — from memory. An Exceptional Talent Imagine flying over the world’s most memorable metropolitan cities, glimpsing the panorama below, imprinting the vision in your memory, and coming back to the studio to recreate in painstaking nuance, every detail, completely from memory. This is the innate talent of British artist, Stephen Wiltshire, now 45. Like the character Dustin Hoffman played in Barry Levinson’s 1988 film, Rainman, British artist Stephen Wiltshire possesses some extraordinary and inexplicable abilities. His remarkable artistic talent is linked to an equally remarkable and photographic memory. Researchers postulate that unique wiring between the two hemispheres of the brain allow certain people to access reserves of creativity, unavailable to most of us. Wiltshire is one of those people. His motto is: “Do the best you can and never stop.” The Early Years As a child, Wiltshire exhibited exceptional artistic abilities, even though he didn’t speak until the age of five, when he uttered his first word, “paper.” In school, he was fascinated with sketching images of wildlife,
RV…motorcoach… luxury travel. What?! These words don’t go together in the same sentence… do they? That’s what I said to myself, and to my family, when we talked about taking a weekend trip to the mountains. Wow, were we surprised. My wife and I have traveled to beautiful places across the world. From islands to ski slopes, and from wine country to the glamorous Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo. We truly enjoy travel, and we love to explore new places. Regardless of the location, we’ll often rent a vehicle and start a separate journey on our vacation. So how does this travel story drift into a story about motorcoach travel? Well, a friend told us about a motorcoach travel vacation from GossRV Luxury Travel. Being adventurous travelers, we said “why not. It’s something new. Let’s see what this luxury motorcoach travel is all about.” We did a little research before we started our weekend trip and felt we had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Holy smokes, were we wrong! Our family wasn’t traveling in in bus, an rv,
A former Marine in Afghanistan came home and transformed a nature hike into a path of recovery for fellow veterans. Making their way up the steep trail, ten combat veterans breath heavily under the weight of their gear which is an all too familiar feeling. Except this time is no one shooting at them. Instead they focus their thoughts on healing from their wartime experiences. As they reach the peak of this particular mountain, the forest opens up to a breathtaking view of the valley below. Much like how bootcamp will prepare you for war, hiking all 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail will prepare you to return home. The War Within Warriors all, they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition affecting those who have experienced or witnessed extreme traumatic events during wartime or in combat and are unable to get past it. In World War I, it was labeled “shell shock” and after World War II, “combat fatigue” among other monikers spouted by the medical community for a condition they knew little of. Sufferers are plagued by flashbacks
As you know, Mother’s Day arrives May 12! Are you prepared? Can I offer some help? I have multiple mothers to shop for (my mother, my mother-in-law, my sister, my best friend, a couple of expectant mom friends…and myself). Each of these women are completely different in their styles and preferences, not to mention the difference in their ages, so I have perused a multitude (so it seems) of websites and recommended best buy lists, in search of items that fit each mother’s unique personality and expresses my appreciation, love and admiration of them. Here are my top picks for Mother’s Day 2019: The gift of understanding, acknowledgment and a judgment free zone I think the absolute perfect gift is the one that costs nothing. It’s when you let the mother or mothers in your life know that you are aware of and appreciate the exceptional and sometimes superhuman effort they put into trying to be everything to everyone. A homemaker, a business woman, a teacher, a lover, a nurse, a therapist, a ball juggler, a ringmaster (because the circus is always
I’m a lucky guy, a really lucky guy. I’ve got three awesome daughters, all different in their own ways, but each has made, and continues to make, my wife and I awfully proud. I just learned that my middle daughter is pregnant, and a grandson is on the way! There’s gonna be a boy in the family . . . wow. And I need to come to grips with the fact that my baby will soon be a mother. So, while my wife goes shopping with her for baby stuff, I’m focused on my daughter’s health, both physically and mentally. And, I’m going shopping for her – here’s what I’m looking at: I bought the first gift for the gender reveal party last week – it’s a journal that allows my daughter to record every moment of my grandson’s first years. According to Blossom & Pear, the Hello Little Love journal is designed with modern mama’s in mind, with plenty of space for images alongside each handwritten detail following her pregnancy through to your babes first 5 years. It’s a 98 page hard
I like beer, I like beer a lot. I can’t tell you why I prefer one beer over another, it’s just my taste buds. So, I will not be able to say that one is hoppy or tastes like grapefruit or whatever. What I do know, however, is that I enjoy traditional beers, like IPAs and lagers, and get no pleasure from sours or saisons or… In the coming months, you will hear from a Master Cicerone. A Cicerone, you might ask? Wines have Sommeliers, beers have Cicerones. As defined by Merriam-Webster, a Cicerone is “a guide who explains the history and chief features of a place to sightseers.” In the world of beer, a Cicerone is a relatively new designation for those who have demonstrated their knowledge and experience to “ensure that consumers receive the best possible beer and enjoy its flavors to the greatest extent possible.” There are over 7,000 breweries in the United States, and thousands more around the world. And it seems that a new craft beer joint is opening in your neighborhood every few months. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact! RateBeer.com is a community of beer enthusiasts dedicated to the pursuit
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This is not a story about a motorcycle company. This is the story of the man who revived an iconic American brand on the brink of being lost to history. In 1973, Harley-Davidson was turning out 37,000 motorcycles a year and pulling in $122 million in sales. AMF, the company who bought them in 1969, forced the company into producing far more than it should, causing compromised quality. The company, already having a reputation for leaky engines and such, was increasingly underperforming. A young boy was watching and falling in love with the Harleys during this time period. Born in 1959, Ken Schmidt sat his 14-year-old self in front of the TV, admiring the motorcycles that he would one day save. It’s About Reputation By the mid-70s, AMF replaced the Harley name with its own in a move that was widely disliked, they went too far. They didn’t notice the scale of that business decision error until sales plummeted. AMF then began looking to offload the company they were now burdened with. In 1981, Harley’s chief executive joined with a
There is one common ‘language’ that has the power to emotionally connect every human being on the planet, regardless of their race, culture or living conditions. It is the language of music – especially instrumental ‘feel-good’ music. The universal melodies can speak intimately to people of widely diverse backgrounds in a similar manner, causing spontaneous reminiscences, moving a person to tears, be they of despair or joy, and they can compel a person to leap up and gyrate their body excitedly in jubilant, celebratory dance. The inventor and reigning king of an instrumental ‘feel-good’ musical genre known as ‘Mediterranean’ is recognized across the globe only as Pavlo. The Early Years In the aftermath of World War II, over half-a-million Europeans left their war-torn countries and emigrated to Canada, specifically to the Greater Toronto area. By 1960, a third of Toronto’s population were newcomers, including an estimated 12,500 Greek immigrants. By the 70s, the Greek population had grown to 30,000, and a section of town called ‘the Danforth’ was dubbed, ‘Little Athens.’ Among the early influx of immigrants were George and
For many of us, the psyche of the ultra-high achiever, the elevated standard of discipline which frames their lives, is nearly impossible to fathom. We may be impressively credentialed ourselves with successful careers, we stay relatively fit and take care of our health, and at times we rise above difficult challenges. But that’s not what we’re discussing here. This is a whole other level of commitment, something so rare that we more common folk are traversing foreign territory. Why is a person this driven, this willing to push her body and mind well beyond what common willpower and human endurance typically allows? Why would any person voluntarily experience what the majority of us consider severe punishment akin to hell on earth? What motivates such a person’s actions and behaviors?We recently had the opportunity to meet one of these most extraordinary people, to dig in below the surface and find her core. Following is our briefing: The Engineer & The Soldier Some people are competitive, others are hyper-competitive, and then there’s Lisa Jaster. She is an engineer and a soldier. That’s
How physics, mechanical engineering, nuclear power, and medical devices changed the world of wine. I am not a wine aficionado, to say the least, but I enjoy an occasional glass or two. I must admit, however, that I find it very frustrating that if I don’t finish the bottle in one sitting, or certainly, within 24 hours, I find myself pouring it down the drain! That becomes pretty painful when considering price and quality. A Fine Gadget for Fine Wine When discussing my frustrations with a friend recently, he looked at me like I was a moron and asked “Haven’t you heard about Coravin?” Well, no, I’d never heard of Coravin at that time, but I’ve certainly learned a lot since then. So, what is Coravin? It’s a device that inserts a needle into a bottle of wine, allowing you to enjoy its contents without removing the cork and, more importantly, without spoiling the rest of the bottle. Can you imagine? Every sip will taste as good as the first, you can enjoy multiple bottles at the same time, and
Add this to your bucket list — an unforgettable photography adventure. You’ve probably seen his stunning photographs in publications and books from prestigious publishers such as National Geographic, National Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, The New York Times, or in the photo collection of World Wildlife Fund. Steve Morello has spent his entire career dedicated to photographing nature and travel destinations all over the world. Morello is also an accomplished author having written The Traveling Nature Photographer, considered by many as an absolute must-have for novice and aspiring photographers. The guide prepares the reader for photographic adventures in the wild and includes tips for taking professional-quality photos. It also features beautiful examples of his work as a source of inspiration. He’s also authored a plethora of articles on travel and nature photography that have been widely published in many magazines. Whether as a guide or photographer, his experiences have taken him throughout most of the world. His subjects have spanned the globe from the Arctic to Antarctica, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Hiking through forest jungle, pontooning along a river, or
