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September 2nd, 2010 by larae
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A ranch in Wyoming can be a rough place to grow up. I played on a rockslide that had stabilized over the years, discovered abandoned whiskey stills from the 1930’s in rough mountain terrain, and wore lace-up boots to prevent rattlesnakes from biting my feet and ankles. Of course, if it bit anywhere higher on my leg, I was on my own so I learned to be alert. And fast. A coiled rattlesnake can only strike the length of its body so if I saw it first, those lace-up boots could also burn rubber in the opposite direction.
I grew up skinny. And not just from running away from rattlesnakes. Every day after school I played for a few hours before I did my chores, or until it got dark. I walked down the river and constructed my own version of Fort Courage—remember the 60’s comedy show F Troop—from a small grove of willow trees, bits of driftwood, and a good dose of imagination. I found small tree limbs that could be carved into rifles, set up a general store substituting rocks for canned goods, and climbed up to an overhang of rocks that made a perfect lookout for marauding Indians. It was a busy life.
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Tags: crisis management, FBI, personal achievement, self development, self-awareness
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August 31st, 2010 by larae
On July 30, 2010 a homeless man armed with a loaded gun burst into the emergency room of Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA. He grabbed a female employee and shoved the .38 caliber revolver into her stomach as he shouted for everyone to back away. After several minutes, police officers showed up with rifles and the man put down the gun. The employee who was taken hostage was not hurt, but several other hospital employees were so distraught that they were sent home for the rest of the day. By contrast, several of the other employees volunteered to extend their shift to get hospital services back to normal.
I know first hand how difficult it is to predict your response in a crisis situation. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: FBI, guns, hostage, inner strength, resilience, self-awareness, tough-minded
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August 26th, 2010 by larae
Robert Pattinson is best known for his role as smoldering and kind-hearted vampire in the “Twilight” movie series. He is smoldering in a different way in his new movie “Remember Me,” a PG-13 romance in which his character smokes. This has stoked renewed criticism over the role movies play in contributing to the popularity of smoking among teens and young people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last week showing that scenes of smoking in movies had declined over the past five years. However, a recent New York Times article indicated that more than half of all PG-13 rated movies still showed smoking. And it’s the PG-13 rated movies that are of particular concern because they are the ones that teens view the most. The more on-screen smoking they see, they more likely they are to pick up the habit themselves.
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Tags: Centers for Disease Control, collaboration, collective wisdom, crowds, FBI, smoking teens
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August 24th, 2010 by larae
Bristol Palin and Mama have done it again, just when we thought they had both turned a new chapter in life it turns out it was all just a rehearsal for more of the same. The Bristol-Levi show has always been a minor sideshow in the drama that is the Palin family, but it threatens to overshadow the main event as Mama prepares to refine her political campaign from looks and attitude to—well, more of the same. It feels as though we’re sitting here, two years later, watching a rerun of a pilot series that didn’t quite make it through the fall season.
Two years later and Bristol was back with Levi, if only for a short time, this time insisting that he get his high school diploma and not rely on a career posing for Playgirl. Sarah was also back, collecting political chits through endorsements and fundraising, this time without the powder-puff hairdo—and this we can only hope—without the winks.
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Tags: BristolPalin, FBI, FBI Behavioral Science Unit, mistakes, psychological baggage, Sarah Palin
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August 18th, 2010 by larae
Michelle Obama rarely makes a false move, but the response to her recent vacation in Spain proved that critics are willing to treat her like other political figures who “step in it” when they veer off the beaten path. It can get smelly and even toxic if left to linger for too long. Some of the criticism has been harsh and Michelle has even been compared to Marie Antoinette who, when told of high unemployment and rising healthcare costs, suggested the little people eat cake.
Or something like that.
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Tags: Alan Greenspan, communication, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marie Antoinette, Maureen Dowd, Michelle Obama, New Orleans, New York Times, persuasive, Spain
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August 16th, 2010 by larae
When a Jet Blue flight attendant grabbed a couple of beers, took a step, and slid out from under the humdrum routine of his job last week, it sparked fantasies among more than a few of us—in the back recesses of our dark little minds—of doing the same thing. We experienced guilty pleasure, but only from a safe distance, because you and I are the lucky ones to have a job, even if that means an idiot for a boss or a lousy commute.
The story about Steven Slater and his response to a passenger on a Jet Blue flight that swore at him and hit his forehead with the door of an overhead compartment has hit a nerve with many of us. We’ve all felt the exasperation that comes from not being heard, not being appreciated, and not being respected.
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Tags: choices, FBI, FBI firearms training, flight attendant, Jet Blue Airways, predicting behavior, Steven Slater
Posted in decision making, personal achievement, persuasion, self development | 1 Comment »
August 11th, 2010 by larae
All of a sudden, spies are popular. They’ve infiltrated Facebook and are pushing lawn mowers across America as they steal the secrets that make us a great and powerful country. Even Hollywood jumped into the mix with an Angelina Jolie spy thriller called “Salt,” about a CIA operative accused of being a Russian double agent.
The Russian spy ring has grabbed our attention for a number of reasons. One of them is that Americans have always loved stories about little people who outwit big government. They remind us that anyone can push through adversity and overcome obstacles if they’re resilient and strong.
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Tags: adversity, FBI, FBI academy, Russian spy ring
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August 9th, 2010 by larae
Spy movies come in two forms: Ian Fleming 007 violence or John le Carre melancholy realism. In both genre’s, however, it is the look and feel of the movie that offer so much texture to the experience, not the words. The way that James Bond looks at a woman; the way George Smiley nods his head. The meaning of their messages doesn’t need to be explained. We can observe—and more importantly, interpret—the meaning of each non-verbal communication.
Alas, real life spies aren’t always as clever at recognizing the dangers around them as those in the movies. The Russian spy ring lived in America among the neighbors who didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary. And yet, the FBI had surrounded them with undercover agents and human informants for over ten years.
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Tags: communication, FBI, non-verbal, Russian spy ring, secret agents, spies
Posted in Russian spy ring, communication, personal achievement, persuasion, secret agents, self development, spies | 3 Comments »
August 3rd, 2010 by larae
The talent of eavesdropping is greatly underappreciated. There are so many important, and really interesting, things we can learn if we pay attention to the conversations around us—particularly those we’re involved in. Listening is hard work and few of us know how to listen really well.
FBI agents used covert techniques such as wiretaps, bugging devices, and surveillance to collect information about the dirty dozen—the 12 Russians identified as spies in June 2010. Covert techniques are effective because the information gathered is unfiltered—that is, it’s candid and unrehearsed. It allows the FBI to catch a spy unaware; in other words, in honest communication. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: body language, FBI, persuasion, Russian spy ring, speech, verbal response
Posted in Lifestyle, Russian spy ring, personal achievement, persuasion, secret agents, self development, spies | No Comments »
July 30th, 2010 by larae
An image of the FBI making an arrest gets our attention. We sit up a little straighter as we look to see whether the criminal is someone we know—or, for some of us, maybe a relative. We cheer for the good guys and feel good about our tax dollars being put to good use.
Most people go into a mild shock when they’re arrested. It’s a traumatic experience even for a hardened criminal. When the mild-mannered Russian spies were arrested in June 2010, it was unexpected, and therefore, sent shockwaves through the jail cells of the would-be secret agents like a tsunami washes over a beach. It didn’t take long for all of them to plead guilty and settle for deportation.
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Tags: communication, FBI, personal achievement, persuasion, Russia, self development
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