I tease Nigel Lewis of Global Logistics Media from time to time.  

I think he believes he is going to be the Rupert Murdoch of online logistics reporting and media.   The truth is...he may be.    Based in New Zealand amongst Hobbits and other such folk,  GLM has developed (rapidly) into one of the best global sites for logistics and transportation information worldwide.  

GLM has developed a multi-threaded web site that covers global logistics in ways that interest not only industry executives, but also industry providers and their clients.   One of those ways is with provision of micro sites for corporations who would like to provide content deeper than an advertisement but still allied with the over all GLM portfolio message.  

Toyota Material Handling recently launched such a site.  Micro sites are interesting because while a companies global web site may reflect a corporate position, a micro site can be more regionally focused and possibly even targeted to a specific audience.   Toyota MHE clearly recognizes that opportunity within the overall GLM community.   Beyond just banner advertisement, a micro site drives increased online search engine optimization (SEO) and focuses customer response in targeted geographies.

Nigel Lewis recently said  "Microsites are about to become an important sales channel for Logistics and Supply Chain Organizations in the future. The concept is gaining fast traction with other leading companies in the logistics industry as well."   Other micro sites on GLM are pending.  

I normally don't promote other blogs and sites so actively, but GLM has been impressive in its growth and professional approach to global span.  

Just a quick wish to all American freightdawgs wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. This is a special day because it is a time to reflect on the welfare and happiness of family without the materialism of Christmas in its secular form most recognized today in media and markets.

I wish you a most happy and HOLY Thanksgiving. We Americans were once thankful for our survival and honored it with a feast meal with the Indians who helped those original settlers. That still has value.

Many folks today consider Thanksgiving a pit stop for fueling up prior to Black Friday and the Xmas season. Accent on the X. I am sorry for that.

I wish you and your family well during this happy time of year.

Eric

I will admit that I am very suspicious of many social media outlets.   I still dont really "get" twitter.  Seems like a tool designed to tell the world you just ate a tuna sandwich.  (who cares?).   Facebook frankly is a great way for my business associates to learn that my wifes cousins child just pooped its diaper.  (that happened.)  

The net result is that I dont do much social media besides email and this blog.   I do link my articles to twitter for those who want to read them.   Having said that,  I am learning to like and enjoy Google+.  I like it for one simple reason.  I can separate my worlds.   

I can have one feed that is for colleagues at work, another for internet freightdawgs, another for my family, etc.   FB has this capability but it appears to be more work.   I do not do Facebook.  However, I support Google+.    Add me to the circle of your choice!!

Meantime, I will be off to Disney World with the kids and grandkids this week for American Thanksgiving.  Our youngest grandson, Liam, was born a year and a half a go.  At that time, I said I would look forward to taking them to see Mickey the Rat.   Now the time has come because my bride decided my 50th birthday would be a good occasion to take our whole family to Disney in celebration.   A few thousand dollars later (and we are not there yet!), I realized I could have had a rolex for the same escarolle.  

Oh well...thats why some call me Grandpop.  But you won't see that in the same Google+ circle as Freightdawg!!

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends

Eric

 But I will say the following in remembrance of the the fallen and their families and this country.

9/11 was a date of victory for American Character. People were murdered by a foreign combatant using the weapons available. I will not call them cowards because they were not. They fought guerrilla war writ large. However, as a nation, down to individuals in every corner of this country, America fought back. Whether in support of our troops, emergency response people or as fellow citizens, any and all hate, prejudice, politics and non essential issues dropped away. The country rallied together. This has happened a few times. Pearl Harbor, The Kennedy assassination , Challenger crash, and 9/11.

When this country and its people get focused, it is a fearsome sight to our enemies and awesome to behold.

Thanks to Seal Team Six Osama Bin Laden is shark squeeze.

Eric

Yesterday, on July 8th, 2011, NASA launched the 135th and final space shuttle mission.   I had a lot of internal business stuff to take care of, so I worked from home.  I needed the alone time to get some stuff done, but selfishly, I also wanted to watch this lift off, which was scheduled for 11:26AM Eastern Time.    I have a small TV in my office, so I had it on in the background. I was listening to Anderson Cooper and the rest of the talking heads on CNN blather on about the Shuttle and NASA while the launch team worked through a weather delay, which stopped the countdown at about 9 minutes.

So, slogging through conference calls,  a couple of RFP's and some other business stuff, I kept peering over to see what was going on.   About the time my cell phone rang with a call from our Atlanta District Manager about some staffing issues,  NASA started the countdown again.   I had my back to the TV and was deep into the conversation, when I happened to turn around and saw the Shuttle had already launched and was screaming off into space!!!    My daughter was home at the time in another part of the house. 

Next thing she hears from me is "DAMN!, DAMN!, DAMN!!!!  I MISSED IT!!!"        

I know our local DM thought I had lost my mind. I started fussing "Dammit Rich, you made me miss the shuttle launch!!".    This guy is sitting in the office and and I am sure he thought I was sitting here in my Bunny Slippers.   The phone call ended quickly after that. 

I'm pretty attached to the Shuttles.  I grew up watching Gemini missions when folks like Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and Eric Sevareid would announce the launches back in the 60's.   Then the Apollo missions came.   Alas, Apollo ended in the 1970's when the moon mission had fulfilled Kennedy's promise and the political juice ran out after the 1973 oil embargo.   

We waited 6 long years for the next launch system to come along.  It was the Space Shuttle.  Arguably the most complex, and most Herculean transportation system ever developed by man.    I vividly recall sitting in my parents home in 1981 when John Young and Bob Crippen took the first shuttle up from Cape Canaveral.   What an emotional event that was.    America was leading again.  Reagan was in the White House.  America was in the ascendency again.  Literally.

Then Challenger happened.   Like the Kennedy assassination and later 9/11,  I think every American remembers where they were when Challenger blew up.   I was in my office when my wife called and told me.  I felt like I had been kicked in the groin.  It hurt.  America hurt.    Two years later, the Shuttle returned, this time safer and NASA was humbled into a stronger, safer space program.    On the backs of Astronauts like Story Musgrave,  Hoot Gibson, Bruce McCandless, Sally Ride and others,  the Shuttle accomplished the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope,  its subsequent repair and ultimately the missions to build the first permanent International Space Station.   Despite the sacrifices of 14 American patriots in the astronauts who died in the Challenger and Columbia accidents,  the Space Shuttle has been an unparalleled success.

STS-135 was essentially a housekeeping mission, taking supplies to the ISS.  It wasn't even supposed to take place.  However, NASA has Atlantis ready to go as a back up shuttle for the earlier missions this year, and decided to fly one last time.  I'm delighted they did.

At some point in the future, America will have the political will to venture into space on its own again.  Whether through NASA and the Orion program, or through brilliant commercial minds who are developing private launch capacity,  America will go back to space.  I can't wait.   The sooner we get a Republican back in the White House again, the sooner that will be.

Enjoy the video above.  That's how I got to see the last mission blast off into space.  

Eric

 
I guess I am becoming Internet jaded.   I surf the web like everyone else and even am known to spend mindless minutes hitting the "stumbleupon" button on my browser.  (My wife definitely thinks this is mindless...or at least I am.)

Invariably one hits the many top 10 lists, various "must read" lists, etc.   Usually this is a semi-cheesy attempt to drive traffic without creating much in the way of original content.  I'll admit I am also not above that.   In fact, I am doing it now.   However with at least a little purpose.

50 Things Successful People Have in Common.

Stumbling through the web tonight, I did find a nugget.   Dan Waldschmidt has a very good list that frankly I know from my own experience is true.   50 Things Successful People have in Common is interesting for those who are successful and are mature enough to be self aware.  I hit a good number of these square on, but there are also a few that I could work on. 

It highlights areas for improvement.  However, I also think it has application in hiring.   I know as a successful person, I am often at a loss as to "why exactly" I am good at what I do.    This list at least does a good job of defining attributes that I can identify with and identify in others.   That becomes a basis for evaluation.

Eric