Get over it people.  You have not had privacy during most of your lifetime.  Tracking back to the beginning of credit – as early as the mid-1800s – we began sacrificing our privacy for purchasing power.  By the mid-20th century, the plastic credit card entered our universe and we gave up ever more information.  Credit cards have always tracked your purchases and targeted marketing accordingly.  You’ve had a credit report since the moment you were issued a Social Security card which is currently when you are born.

The government has tracked your income, your every job and home location since the inception of taxes.

As we moved into the social media era, we take pride in “sharing” our information with the world.  Some of you go to extremes with privacy settings but most people can be located in seconds on a search engine and much can be learned about you – of your own doing.

And then, we scream because the government might be reading your emails or listening to your phone calls.  I find the irony of this whole outcry extremely humorous.  While the government shouldn’t be “spying” on you, the bulk of most emails, texts and phone calls are so inane that I pity those who have to track them.  Additionally, the  data they are tracking is so voluminous that they have tracking software to help ferret out the most important trails of conversation.

Don’t get me wrong.  I can only imagine my own “file” in the NSA or other government entities.  As a Professor, I research everything from global topics to pornography.  I assess the role of women in many countries to how they are treated in the entertainment industry.  That should certainly garner someone’s attention.

In my professional life, I work with clients from all over the world.  Our firm’s clients are located in multiple countries and even our North American based clients have offices and operations in numerous locations around the globe.

To top off all of that, my son has had some interesting countries for research projects the last couple of years – the currently volatile Mali and Yemen.  That should have raised some eyebrows, particularly when he and I became obsessed with the sport of camel jumping…..

Surely, through all of this, the government has taken some interest in my patterns of behavior.  But really, I don’t mind.  I’m not doing anything wrong.  If they want to watch what I’m doing, I hope it provides some form of entertainment to someone who thinks this person is “weird”.

The bottom line is that we have gradually and willingly given up our privacy over the years.  People have been decrying “big brother” for decades.  Unless you are doing something wrong, you really have nothing to worry about!

Thatcher was a political powerhouse within Parliament and was elected Prime Minister in 1979 when she moved into Down House.  Never one to shy of controversy, Thatcher was strong as English tea.

Thatcher was a strong conservative and imposed her values on the British public.  She took over during a time of economic stress and tried to pull the country ahead via capitalistic governance.  She was closely aligned with then U.S. President Ronald Reagan and they shared similar views.

Thatcher was key in the fall of the Cold War and had a strong relationship with then Russian President Gorbachev.  We always hear the American version and that Reagan ended the Cold War but Thatcher was a significant leader during this process.

Tough, strong, and unbending were often among the nicer words used to describe her.  She was typical of females in the time period – working hard to prove that she could do the job well.   She was so tough that she was often accused of having no feelings, especially toward the economically challenged in the U.K.  Thatcher was not known for her “soft side”.

Still, she served as Prime Minister of Britain for 11 1/2 years.  She was strong, tough and unwavering in her beliefs about what was best for her country.  And though she was not known for pulling up other women, her mere presence informed a generation that they could be anything they believed if they worked hard enough.

Like her, dislike her or otherwise, she is worthy of noting as one of the most powerful women of the 20th Century.

RIP Margaret Thatcher.

The Port has always been known as a bastion of of the “good ole’ boy” network in the region.  In fairness, the businesses that dominate the Port are predominately male.

But the Port is now competing in an ever diverse world.  Several Latin American countries have already elected female leaders, Argentina and Chile, for example.  The Port is a global entity and competing in an ever more diverse world.

The Port is also one of Houston’s greatest assets and plays a critical role in our economy.  As they compete for more business that will be generated by the Panama Canal expansion, diverse Port Commissioners will only provide more advantage.

Janiece Longoria has been a Port Commissioner for ten years.  More importantly, she is a smart, savvy, successful lawyer while maintaining ties to her roots and Houston’s diverse communities.

Congrats to Janiece Longoria and to the County and the City leaders for appointing her Chair.  She is the first woman ever to Chair the Port and the first Latina.

Side note:  We tweeted with Council Member Gonzalez yesterday to suggest that while the Commissioners Court and the City Council were meeting together, maybe they could agree on more issues like a joint crime lab, shared health care, jails, flooding and more.  Alas, we recognize that just agreeing on a Chair for the Port Commission was a major accomplishment.

Ambassador Stevens was representing our country in an unstable environment. Libya struggled to release themselves from a long-term dictator and the country is now engaged in nation-building, developing a new governance system. He was there to help and was lost due to circumstances far beyond anyone’s control.

Now, due to our belief in free speech, a You Tube video has created an international incident. All of our diplomats, working with many emerging governments in newly empowered countries, are unstable.

Is this a time for “he said, he said”? No, it is not. This is a time we look to our leaders to protect those in service to our country across the globe and to show unity and strength to those watching us closely.

I’m sure I’ll step on some toes here but I’ll say it anyway. After 9/11, we came together as a country, a people, like we have not done since television became a player in politics. No one stood up after the tragic event and claimed “President Bush asked for it”. We mourned, in unity, as a nation and much of the world mourned with us.

In spite of our tendencies to be either red or blue, we are all Americans and we must remember that, now more than ever. And whether or not we like our current leadership, we must stand behind their decisions as they strive to protect our country men and women across the globe.

There is plenty of time for debate and discussion. In fact, the candidates can hash it on OCTOBER 3 when they meet face to face to discuss issues in their first face-to-face debate.

Over the years, space policy has fascinated me. Until a couple of years ago, I taught a course at UH entitled “Science and Technology Public Policy”. NASA and the public policy of taking risks was one of the main tenets of the course. This allowed me to legitimize my fascination and share my love for the space program with students for many years. Unfortunately, much like the space program, the class became a victim of budget cuts.

NASA and space exploration are truly one of the best examinations of how government must sometimes take risks in order to advance research and improve lives.

As vividly as I remember the moon landing, I also remember a couple of shuttle explosions. These events terrified the public and would always put the space program at risk. Truth be known, no astronaut would want their death to cause America to end space exploration. We would plough through Congressional hearings and public outrage and then get the program back on track.

Space funding and research have contributed so much to our society that we don’t even value. From cordless tools to freeze-dried foods to advances in medicine, the actions of our space program have made all lives better. Click here to read more about NASA’s contributions.

This week has actually been tough on me. It’s not that I’m married to the shuttle program, per se. In fact, I thought it had outlived its purpose. It is that there is nothing on the horizon. When will we go back into space? How will scientific advances continue? Will we fall behind other countries? We have absolutely dominated space research and advances. Without some change, we will default our leadership to other parts of the world.

Not to worry though, there are only a few thousand rocket scientists out of work. I hope they are up for adventure because I’m sure they will be learning about global opportunities soon enough.

Alas, dear shuttle, you have brought great joy to our lives and gut-wrenching sadness. Most of all, you have contributed to a functioning space station and helped advance science beyond our imaginations. Thank you.

And thank you to all the dedicated NASA employees. May you find a way to continue to apply your brilliance.

Happy 235th Birthday America! I still believe in you and honor the original formation of our country.

America, since it’s founding, has been called the “Great Experiment” and we continue to play that role in the world today.

We created a democracy and have dedicated ourselves to creating other democracies across the world. “If you could just learn to govern yourselves like we do, your country would be perfect.”

New democracies often perform better than our own as they begin to celebrate the privilege of self-governance. Larger percentages of their population cast ballots, people are truly involved in the selection of their leaders and everyone values the opportunity to participate in the process since they have memory of oppression.

It is clear that America’s memory of oppression has faded. Few American born residents today recall the lessons of our history and even fewer value what we went through to become free.

Yet, millions are drawn to our country every year so that they can celebrate this freedom of oppression and hopefully achieve success in our capitalistic system. We do not always welcome them with open arms but they keep coming anyway – drawn to the bright light of hopes and dreams we offer.

Let us pause for a moment today and appreciate our privilege. We are truly blessed to live in the “Great Experiment” country. While our media mostly tell us what is wrong with our land and elected leaders flail around difficult issues, it is sometimes hard to remember how blessed we truly are to live here.

So, raise a glass of lemonade, iced tea, cold beer or whatever you choose and say, “Happy Birthday America. I’m glad I live here!”

This caused him to ask one of those questions that make parents truly uncomfortable: “How could God let something like this happen?”

In fact, many adults are asking the same thing. Thousands of lives lost and even more destroyed by the outcomes of the earth’s core vibrations is confusing for us all.

We handled our responses with care and discussed that nature causes things to happen and that faith helps us to cope with it all.

For me, the waves washing over the shores of Japan and the Pacific Rim reminded me of hurricanes we have dealt with on the Gulf Coast, though the devastation of this quake is much greater than even Hurricane Katrina wrought on our shores. Yet, the tragedy and the shock of it all washed over me again as I watched the news…… recalling that the aftermath of a tragedy is sometimes as bad as the event itself.

The people of Japan have years of healing and rebuilding in front of them and they are not yet certain of the extent of their devastation as an anxious world watches what may happen next.
Americans are always generous of spirit and with our support. We will reach our hands across the globe to help our neighbors cope with this event as we have with all others. There are a number of ways to the support the cause, including the Red Cross. Visit Redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.

A last thought is that this event helped me to put in perspective all the petty bickering over events in our federal, state and local governments. Tragedy always serves to remind us of what is truly important.

As I said to my sweet son, “doesn’t this make arguing over cleaning your room feel kind of silly?” Yes. It does. Instead, let this event serve as a reminder to treasure the people you love most and tell them so!

In the meantime, let us keep our fellow humans in our thoughts and prayers.

For this is what democracy is truly about – government for the people and by the people. Many pundits and analysts are using the term “power to the people” and it is truly appropriate. The people have fought hard to gain their release from what many describe as a dictatorship.

Now, however, the true work begins. Nation-building and new democracies are fragile at best. Our own democracy is 235 years old and still struggles with a delicate balance between people and power.

As new leadership emerges in Egypt, the people cannot quit. They must diligently continue to demand that their new leaders are responsive to the people. Personally, when I saw the footage of the military tanks turning their guns away from the crowds, I knew that victory had been achieved. Even the military soldiers were joining in the celebration.

Too many Americans have forgotten the struggle for democracy and how their own country fought for freedom from oppressive English rule. They no longer care enough to vote or bother to keep up with their elected leadership. Less than 50% of Americans participate in national elections and the numbers drop dramatically as it moves to state and local elections.

Maybe the American people can look to Egypt for inspiration. Realize how dedicated these citizens were to standing for their freedom. They made significant personal sacrifices as they shut down their number one industry – tourism. Their businesses lost money and many didn’t work during the period of protest.

Yet, their commitment and belief ran so deep that they stood their ground – for freedom from oppression.

So allow me to join the chorus and say “power to the people!” Congratulations to Egypt!