Saturday, February 9, 2008

Enter the Land of Milk and Honey

The Intrepid Journey has begun.  
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Thanks for stopping by.  Everyday I will report to you from the front lines - Israel.  There is likely no other place on earth that takes their nations security more serious than here.  In this blog you find out exactly what is being done to keep this country safe and secure despite the very real fact that there are some living among and around them that would like that feeling to diminish.  If you don't believe me, pick up a newspaper.  The rest of the world including the USA is now being confronted with the same realities that Israel has been living with for 50 + years.  The time to act is now...ARE YOU READY?.
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Day 1, Feb. 9, 2008
Like many trips overseas before this one, it has started quit smoothly.  Aside from the hard goodbyes to my wife, children and family who are understandably nervous.   With so much press out there regarding all the problems over here and Israel's proximity to the world hotspots for conflict, I can see why they are nervous.  To them I promise to keep my eyes open, stay away from trouble and return home safely.  
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Back to the trip.  First leg from Houston to Newark and then the overnight trip to Israel, seated next to my new friend Sam Pfeifle, Editor of Security System News.  14 hours later, here I am in the Land of Milk and Honey.  If you need further explanation of that go here 
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www.gracecathedral.org?enrichment/brush_excerpts/brush_20040107.shtml  
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Getting into Israel is a breeze.  No landing cards, no baggage check, no hassles. Man, they must be really confident in their security.  Well they are, with good reason they take it very seriously (expect more on that later).  There are people from all over the world attending this event, China, Canada, Maine and yes Texas.  After a brief currency exchange (3.6 Skekels to the dollar) to buy a diet coke we boarded the bus for a 45 minute ride to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.  After a little time to clean up I prepared for dinner at 8:00pm, sharp.  After each person gave a brief introduction we sat down to an excellent full course dinner and some rather spirited and enlightening conversation.
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Following dinner we retired to our rooms to get much needed rest and for an early start to tomorrow.  Breakfast is rumored to be a feast.
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So, the question on your mind is, what will I report to you each day?  Good question....  Some will be my opinion but each day I will cover the following; What did we see (pictures when appropriate), What did we learn (technology, protocols, challenges, etc...), What is being done NOW and where is the future of security headed.  I will also try to get to know someone new each day and report to you their reason for attending this event.  I don't reserve myself to these topics only, but this will be the basic format.
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So check back in tomorrow, this promises to be a great adventure and learning experience for us all.

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