For over 25 years I’ve been working 25/8/366. It’s the nature of the beast for an agent in the maritime industry where ships move constantly and you’re continuously communicating with clients globally. I’ve burnt the candle at all three ends for longer than I can remember and yet, I am simultaneously a big advocate of wellness and work ethics. The job is to get them ALL done and it’s not easy threading the eye of that needle!
​

Add to that life itself. I’m married to a beautiful functional nutritionist (who also happens to be a pastor’s wife), am the father of three amazing teenage divas, sit on five boards and since I was bored during the pandemic shutdown, decided to co-found a greentech startup. I feel the time crunch with the best of them.


A few months ago I was really feeling that pressure and dove into a book written by my friend, Dr. Eugene Wilson, titled “Rhythm” on the subject of finding life balance with time management. Huge help to me and I’ve recommended it to dozens of people along with giving out copies to several friends personally. I clearly believe in being a good steward of our most precious commodity and encourage it strongly.


So hear me when I say this: YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO HAVE MORE TIME! You’ve got to be more efficient in how you handle the little you’ve got left (we’re all running out of it.) As employees and volunteers, we’ve got to push aside the distractions during work hours so we can focus on fulfilling our duties. As employers and leaders, we must ensure our staff have the resources they need to be most effective with the time they’re giving to us. We owe it to us to ensure they can best serve us and to them to ensure they’re satisfied in that exchange. It’s either about all of us or none of us because it doesn’t work if everyone can’t work well!


So let’s not get too lost in the HOW MANY hours someone worked WHERE and WHEN. That’s semantics at some point. The job must get done. I hear people whining because they worked 60 hours one week and laugh thinking about my first part-time job. When you hit 120 hours a week for a few months straight, come upstairs to talk. 


And that doesn’t mean we can’t all appreciate why that’s not healthy, wise, etc. We get it. We don’t encourage it. But we understand that sometimes it has to be done. The job must get done if we want to keep our jobs so we can fuss about them.


Here’s the key: finding that sweet spot where everyone is able to find that work/life balance, enjoy a healthy income in a job they like with a culture that supports them and in places where they best check all those boxes. Not easy. Especially not on the heels of a global lockdown that forced innovation most people weren’t prepared for. But we came through it, scarred but smarter and now able to apply the lessons learned.


And if one of those is we let people work from home some so they can get more done better, BOOM, done! Make it happen and move on. 2020 proved it can work in many, if not most, cases. It’s going to work best with good management and measurables, something everyone has to accept and support if they want to see it happen. The job must get done.


But employees demanding more money, benefits and remote options is a stick that can only bend so far in an increasingly automated work world. Don’t over flex that thing or swing it too wildly. We all want more but that means we all have to give more and there’s only so much give left. We can innovate more give through tech advances but that’s exhaustible too. Pun intended. Rant over. Get back to work. :)

​2019 was a pivotal year for me.  Pretty big changes.  More than I certainly expected, partially because I just couldn’t clearly see some that were obviously coming straight for me.
 
The first, which has been a more gradual change, is that my wife launched a business.  Always incredibly talented, she’s focused the last 16 years on being a stay-at-home mother and home-school educator to our daughters.  When she left her great job at ExxonMobil in the early-2000’s, we didn’t have plans on the “if or when” she’d return to corporate America.  All we knew was that for then, we wanted our children to enjoy the most possible benefit from having their mother nearby during their childhood, as much as possible.  It’s something many parents wish for and it’s a costly decision in our modern world, to be sure.  But we made it.  No regrets in that regard.  However, as the children have aged (all three will be in college this fall) they don’t need her tutelage quite as much or quite the same.  This opened up the new door of “what next” for her and some 18 months ago she began formal training to become a Functional Nutritionist which I simply explain as a blend of dietitian and life coach.  You can read more about what she does on her FB page (and you should because she’s amazing at helping people achieve key health goals!) but the point is that she completed that process and launched her practice this year.  While that’s been an obviously big thing for her, I was along for the ride, perhaps moreso than I expected.  In good ways of course but somewhat unexpected because I wasn’t paying attention to the full gamut of “us” starting “her” business.  From the legal to the financial, the marketing to the mundane, we’ve started what will no doubt be a great venture for many years to come and will change the lives of many people along the way!
 
All of her nutritional knowledge has been quite helpful to me personally this year as I’ve had some pretty major changes myself.  I began 2019 weighing around 300 lbs and I’ll end it some 70 lbs lighter.  No fad diet, no pills, no gastric bypass.  No, nothing that simple.  Not for me!  Instead of heeding her long offered encouragement to change my eating habits, which largely consisted of soda, chips and candy (the three major food groups!), I chose to persist in what was quite satisfying for my indulgences.  That came to an abrupt halt Memorial Day weekend when I irritated my colon to the point of no return, resulting in a good case of diverticulitis that led to a lengthy hospital stay and was followed by some major nutritional changes.  Obviously, my historical delicacies were off the menu and swiftly replaced by healthier alternatives, some not so much to my immediate liking.  I traded in Coca-Cola and Mr. Pibb for Topo Chico and Perrier.  Nutty-Buddies were no longer my friends.  Kit-Kat bars were no-no’s for me.  Chips got replaced for celery sticks, at least for a while, so I could continue to consume salsa and guacamole (but not as much queso!)  I started walking, usually 3 miles per day, 4-5 days per week.  The weight started coming off.  And as is common in many cases of diverticulitis, I had an abdominal resection where they surgically remove the inflamed portion of the colon to minimize any further risks of that recurring.  I’m happy to say that this change has been delightful, for the most part, but if you’d have told me 12 months ago that I’d have done all this, I’d have laughed at you!
 
Sometime late-2018 I began taking a very focused interest in this emerging technology called blockchain.  I knew little about it, but what I did know led me to believe it was going to become a force to be reckoned with.  In particular, I began to understand how smart contracts, business processes made possible by blockchain, were going to disrupt multiple industries including the maritime field that I’ve been engaged in for 24 years.  So I started digging into it more by reading, attending conferences and asking lots of questions.  I’ve long been a self-taught learner, choosing to deep dive in subjects of interest and that was the only way to really gain competency in this subject because there was, and still is, so little out there to really help one grasp what is so rapidly happening with it.  Anyways, this trip down the rabbit hole led to me becoming a leader, of sorts, in understanding it for maritime related applications.  I’m hesitant to recognize myself that way but really smart people keep telling me it’s true so I guess I’ll embrace it nonetheless.  So much so that I started at speaking at conferences on the subject, quite a few of them in fact, during 2019 and with plans for more hereafter.  I’ve become engaged in building solutions for industry which is exciting at multiple levels, not the least of which is the chance to help create standard-setting systems that will revolutionize certain business processes.  Yeah, I get a little geeked out about it and am enjoying the new relationships it’s opening.  Cool stuff!
 
Along those lines, I’m now celebrating 24 years in the maritime trade which is, in and of itself, something quite surprising for me.  I proudly come from a small town in deep east Texas where there are no ships.  Big bass boats but no ships.  My only knowledge of ships growing up was the occasional glances I would get as we passed over the Sidney Sherman bridge that covered the Port of Houston’s turning basin, from which I could see ships unloading cars.  That’s it.  Didn’t know much more about them than that.  But as fate would have it, I became an agent and worked my way up through the business over time.  Managed multiple offices for multiple agencies.  Weaved my way through the world of international freight from the sunny seashores of the ship channel.  Now, all these years later, I’m on the cutting edge of the one of the oldest industries in the history of mankind.  Never woulda thunk it!  Wasn’t real sure what I wanted to do as a kid but this most certainly wasn’t something I was considering.  And yet, here I am.  That’s how life works boys and girls!
 
Speaking of girls, without a doubt the biggest change for me in 2019 is that my first baby became an adult.  This time 18 years ago I was holding a tiny tot and trying to figure out why they cried so much.  Still trying to figure out why they cry so much.  I’ve watched her grow into the beautiful woman she is today – smart as a whip and headed to nursing school real soon.  As much as I had no clue about how to raise a child then, I have even less knowledge about how to raise an adult now.  I still want to hold and protect her while I know I must release and observe instead.  Not exactly sure how to go about all that but going to try my best.
 
Lots of other stuff happened too.  Traveled to China.  Traveled lots of places in fact.  Ate lots of great food, even with all the changes I made to my diet.  Took some fabulous trips with my family, most notably to Hilton Head, SC and Savanah, GA.  Had the privilege of being a college commencement speaker (twice!) and was awarded an honorary degree for it – that’s quite the first!  Honored to sit on some new boards for community and industry organizations that are making positive differences.  Tons of new connections in the business world.  Shook hands with billionaires, generals, geniuses and peasant preachers – all equally humbling.  Just really fantastic opportunities all around.
 
So suffice it to say, 2019 has been a big year for me.  I’m grateful for it.  I haven’t scored well in every column but, for the most part, it’s worked out pretty well for me.  I’m better for it.  I believe it’s set me in a good place of this next year which has, no doubt, even more exciting changes in store!

The below is a commencement address shared at Alvin Community College on May 18, 2019.

What an exciting day! Today is a breathtaking destination that you’ve been driving for a long time to see.  It is a thrilling moment in time you’ve waited (and worked!) patiently to experience. Congratulations on this pinnacle achievement; you’ve earned it!
 
It’s natural on such an occasion to have your mind racing forward into the future. In fact, it can be overwhelming at times It can be dizzying if you let it – trying to consider all the choices you have to make in coming days.
 
Some of you are exploring job offers, others are getting ready to transition geographically and many are no doubt preparing to continue their educational journey.  Lots of stuff to think about!
 
And it’s completely normal that you’re trying to figure out how to get ahead.
 
I hate to be the guy who brake checks you but please allow me to slow your roll for just a sec. If you’ve traveled much on Houston freeways, you’ve seen that guy before, right? The one who is not going to let anyone else get ahead of him?  I’ve been that guy.
 
But if you’ve driven much around here, you’ve probably also seen the guy who always waits to the last second to jump in line for the exit ramp.  He passes up a long string of cars and cuts in front of someone who wasn’t paying attention.  Yeah, I’ve been that guy too!
 
But don’t beat up on me too much.  Because you’ve probably been that guy as well. You’ve been the one who wanted to jump ahead.  You’ve been the one who wanted to take a shortcut.  You’ve been the one who impatiently tried to pass up others.
 
And that’s ok. It’s normal. It’s human. Trying to skip to the front…
 
In fact, it is so common that amusement parks sell passes to let you do just that.  Give them an extra hundred bucks and they’ll let you breeze through every line.  You can smile and wave as you walk past all those people, sweating in the hot sun, straight to the front.  Everyone glaring at you with disdain because you didn’t have to wait like they did.  You were able to skip to the front.
 
But I want to encourage you to do something different today.  I’d like you to consider skipping to the end.
 
By that I mean this: in your zealous planning for life, focus less on what happens next and more on what happens last.  Spend less time thinking about the immediate future and more time on those distant eventualities.  Don’t worry about what you’ll be doing in the next 5-10 years (that will take care of itself) but consider instead the end of your days.
 
The wise man said, “the end of a matter is better than its beginning.”  It’s an odd statement in many ways.  Somewhat counter intuitive.  We’re usually anxious for that first bite of ice cream and hate the bottom of the bowl!  Why would I prefer the end over the beginning?
 
The short answer I’ll give you here today is simply this: the end of the best things is always better than the beginning.  And that’s hard for many people to appreciate but it remains timelessly true nonetheless
 
For most people, life is full of adversity.  Its work to get the nice things they seek.  They’ve got to get busy and grind it out.  Nobody is going to hand them the keys to success.
 
“Work hard and you’ll get to the corner office!” has been the motivational mindset and mantra for many.  It sounds glorious to climb the corporate ladder, to overcome the competitive peers angling for the same promotions and finally secure that corner office.
 
Ah, that prized piece of real estate that so many have grinded out so much to secure.  Allow me to share a little revelation about those corner offices.  I’ve seen a few.  I’ve walked past a couple belonging to the CEO’s of big, billion-dollar companies and perhaps the most important single common denominator I’ve observed is that they’re all on the corner.  With a view.  Of another office building.
 
But the most important thing I’ve observed about them is this: someone sat there before the current occupant and someone else will sit there after.  That seat, at the top, glorious as it may seem,  is just a temporary residence for your ego and one day you’ll hand over the keys to another ambitious tenant. Rest assured, just like a good seat at a busy restaurant, someone is anxiously awaiting your departure!
 
And when you’re out there trying to crush the competition, trying to get that next raise, ring that next bell, buy that next car, it’s easy to get lost in the chaos of life and it’s easy to lose sight of the finish line you headed for.
 
And that’s what I want you to focus on today.  Skipping to the end.  Never losing focus on what really matters most because one day soon, faster than you can imagine, you’ll be sitting in the back of this room looking at the caps and gowns of other excited young graduates.  You’ll be a lot closer to the end than the beginning.  You’ll be thinking a lot differently then than you do now.
 
So ask yourself this, today, right now: “What will I be thinking then that I’m not thinking now?”  Next time you drive past a nursing home, ask yourself, “What matters most to those senior citizens at that stage in life?”
 
I like to call it the “rocking chair perspective” which is simply that view you have (and way you think) when you’re at the stage in life when you’re sitting on the front porch of the nursing home, watching all the cars race by while meditating on the things in life that matter most.
 
Maybe when this graduation is over, sometime soon, you can ask your grandparents to talk about what’s most important in life.
 
See the wise man said, “the end of a matter is better than its beginning.”  People always say, “Well, if I could go back and do things over again…”  I know I’ve said it and maybe you have to.
 
But how about, instead of wanting a “do over” to start again from the beginning, we make up in our minds, I’m going to live with the END at the forefront of my mind. Don’t worry about “missing out in life” because you’ll get to do all the cool stuff.  So go ahead and SKIP TO THE END.
 
I know you have to focus on tomorrow.  I know you’ve got decisions to make.  But don’t worry too much about tomorrow because, like the wise man also said, “tomorrow will take care of itself”
 
If you focus on THE END, I promise you’ll crush all the tomorrows.  You’ll be surprised at how amazing your life is when you change your life goals.  When it’s less about the things that matter least, and more about the things that matter most, you’ll find yourself enjoying levels of success that others only dream about.  They’ll be watching your storybook life wondering how someone can make it look so easy!
 
And you’ll know the secret: I’m just skipping to the end!  You’ll look like those playground kids at recess – happy little 6 year olds out there without a care in this world.  They’re just having fun, playing and skipping their little selves toward the end.
 
John F. Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”  So true.  Your worlds are about to radically transform. Don’t worry at all about the past – that’s done and you’ll never change it.  Don’t worry too much about the present – it’ll work itself out for the most part. Focus on the future; keep your eye on the prize!  SKIP TO THE END!
 
My prayer for you is that you enjoy the best of life sooner than later, that you achieve all your goals swiftly in pursuit of something much higher than success, that you accomplish what so many others have failed to due in this life and that you’re able to SKIP TO THE END and experience the finest fastest!
 
May God bless you today!

It occurs to me that, apparently, I’m old.  Please, let me have my moment for a personal pity party.  When I became an agent some 22 years ago, the Masters of vessels (or the Owners) would communicate their need for bunkers to us via Telex and we, the Agent, would order the fuels with a local vendor.  It wasn’t complicated at all, in fact rather quite straightforward.  We’d read the Telex, flip through our Rolodex to find a number, pick up a desk phone to dial said number and tell someone who answered, “I need 100MT of IFO380 and 25MT of MGO!”  Then we’d discuss the where, when and how of said delivery, thereafter making chitty-chat about life in general.  Of course they’d tell us how much the fuel would cost which we would then communicate back to the Master/Owner and basis their confirmation of said purchase, we’d finalize the arrangements.  That was the way it got done.  No talk about specs, sulfur content or regulatory environmental concerns.  The old way.
 
Times have changed.  Bunkers are now fixed through brokers who work with traders who then give us orders so we can handle the logistics of facilitating the delivery.  Fancy stuff.  Agents make sure the bunkers get delivered, collect the samples, dispatch them to the labs where analysis gets done and once approved, the vessel can consume the bunkers that’ve been sitting in their tanks for days (or weeks) awaiting the green light of spec validation.
 
But wait, there’s more!  Times are a’ changing as we speak (or write and read!) 
 
I’ve probably been involved, in some way or another, with the bunkering of more than five-thousand different ships in my career.  That’s a very conservative guesstimate considering my time in the industry, where I’ve worked and the volume of traffic we’ve handled.  Suffice it to say I’m familiar with the evolution of bunker dynamics, how things are progressing, why there’s concern over fuel options and the multi-faceted issues facing shipowners in the days ahead.  Big things they have to be worried about. 
 
So I’ve been following the IMO2020 cap discussions, listening to our principals voice their thoughts on the matter, seeing technical mangers cringe over how to best transition the fleet for compliance and generally watching the pulse of industry as it sought to satisfy the regulation transformation.  I’ve stood in the back of packed rooms and watched highly-educated mariners debate on the pros and cons of one solution after another while ticking off why various things could and couldn’t work best in given scenarios.  It’s been enlightening at the very least and at times quite entertaining, perhaps because of the passionate views some have in certain regards.
 
That said, I recently participated in yet another convocation that addressed the subject and feel like I have, for perhaps the first time, came to some articulable conclusions worth sharing.  Let me forewarn that you’d be unwise to make commercial decisions based off my rudimentary ponderings on the matter.  I’m not a petroleum engineer, a chief engineer or anything with “engineer” or “expert” in the title but I am a decent fly-on-the-wall with a penchant for paraphrase combined with an elemental understanding of the questions at hand.
 
So, with that disclaimer in mind, here are a few things I’ve learned about vessel fuel issues facing the maritime industry:
 
CHANGE IS NEEDED.  As much was we bemoan the reality, truth is we should be mindful of this green globe God gave us and make better choices when we can.  Cleaner fuels are a good thing.  We need to embrace the change, be the change and make the change.  Studies have clearly shown that communities along inner-coastal waterways are adversely impacted by emissions produced by vessel traffic and thus the justification of the ECA requirements in recent years.  They’re tracking this stuff with AIS, GIS and a few more acronyms that all prove it’s a legit concern.  There are even heat maps showing where vessels idling at anchor are generating pollutants – technicolor displays that even I could understand – and now they’ve got LNG powered shoreside generators to mitigate even that problem!  So the time for bellyaching is past, something I believe we’re done with anyways since the IMO has been discussing this for over 10 years.
 
CLEAN FUELS ARE GOOD.  I said that already but kindly allow me to expound briefly.  LNG is the clear frontrunner in this category or, at the very least, the most popularly discussed as new builds with LNG locomotion are on the rise.  Possibilities for other fuel categories abound, such as ULSFO which is being tested, tweaked and talked about as a viable option for some applications.  Methanol has moved on ships from cargo tanks to fuel tanks (deliberately so!)  There’ll be other choices to explore from, no doubt, as more studies are done on residual fuels, paraffinic combustion characteristics, pour points, solidification temperatures, sedimentary sludge filtration issues, viscosity, flashpoints, etc. are all considered.  Then you have to scrutinize supply side concerns about who can get what where when from whom and at what price because, for a long time, everything won’t be available everywhere.  Regulatory conformity choices won’t be based just on what one thinks is best financially but must also recognize what one can replenish in given trade patterns.  It’s distressing to contemplate thus the collective industry angst unless you can afford to produce your own fuels like some owners are planning to do.
 
TO SCRUB OR NOT TO SCRUB.  Flip a coin but flip fast because orders for scrubbers are rapidly increasing with sizable fleets being retrofitted en masse.  But don’t decide too hastily because picking the wrong scrubber solution could be detrimental in short order.  Not all ships are the same nor do they travel in the same seas and this matters because scrubbers need to be uniquely matched to vessels based on a multitude of variables.  Metallurgy, salinity and density of seawater must all be considered (amongst other things) for each application which means you can’t just grab some low-cost scrubber off the shelf, slap it the engine room and think all is well.  It ain’t that easy!  You honestly need a bonafide guru consultant to guide you through the variant choices in order to arrive at the best solution.  Or you can consider nanotechnology, a potential scrubber alternative, but think fast; while delaying these decisions will be expensively imprudent, ignorance and arrogance will be equally costly for the hasty.
 
DIRTY FUEL EPIDEMIC.  In what is clearly the worst contamination issue of the past 25 years, some 150+ vessels supplied with fuels from over a dozen suppliers have been impacted with some being grounded or even left powerless at sea.  It was first observed this past February when ships began reporting problems with fuel pumps sticking, purifiers being overloaded and filters being blocked.  Then power plants in the Caribbean, that import US fuel, started having trouble too.  By July, occurrences were reported in Singapore. 
 
Why?  Initial testing didn’t raise questions but more detailed analysis indicated high phenol content, specifically 4-cumylphenol which is a chemical known for its adhesive strength.  How that got in bunker fuel products is the million (or possibly billion) dollar question that lots of lawyers, along with their fleet of investigatory experts, are trying to figure out.   Did it originate at a refinery level or elsewhere as an additive in a blending process?  Where it began geographically is even in question because the seedstock could have come afar to the US Gulf before being distributed to buyers globally.  And what to do is equally debatable as shipowners seek to safeguard their fleet from contamination.  Some vessels with adulterated product have debunkered but what happens to that bad stuff to ensure it isn’t reblended and sold again?  Vigilant buyers of new bunkers should consider sample analysis prepurchase from the intended supplier’s tankage and insist on protection from the clauses in para 5 of ISO8217 as applicable.  Rotterdam has implemented a model that makes it a criminal offense to supply corrupted fuels which has not only served as a strong deterrent but also yielded some $14M in fines thus proving its conceptual value for replication elsewhere.  Until the investigations determine whether this problem was caused by an accidental twist of a valve or a greedy intentional conspiracy, principals would be wise to remember that most suppliers are honest (and innocent) but the “trust and verify” policy well serves industry until this contaminated crud has run its course.
 
ENFORCEMENT.  As much as fuel grades can vary, even within spec, so can the policies and practices of agencies tasked with ensuring compliance to the standards.  Within American waters, local USCG teams will engage regionally under the guidance of district command.  Sector folks tasked with examining vessels may occasionally detect criminal violations that get referred up the food chain but they, locally, only adjudicate civil matters.  These teams of inspectors board vessels to review bunker delivery notes (BDN), discuss ECA changeover procedures, check logbooks and walkthrough engine rooms (make sure fuel sample lockers are kept tidy!) to confirm all is in order.  Utilizing a multilayered approach that combines outreach, prevention, compliance and enforcement, their ultimate goal is to assure compliance in a helpful way that encourages industry excellence.  Working closely with the EPA (who really only get involved if major violations occur), the USCG has observed exemplary compliance overall and the rare deficiencies they’ve encountered have commonly been over failure to switchover fuel sources timely, consumption of noncompliant products and incomplete BDN’s which is their primary, if not nearly sole, source of determining fuel qualities. 
 
Principals should be aware, by now, that there is no such thing as a “waiver” from ECA standards.  There are 3E’s in the way of Exceptions, Exemptions and Equivalencies that might apply pursuant to MARPOL Annex VI Reg 3-4 and Masters should be reminded that while they’re free to claim an exception at their discretion, USCG will examine the facts to validate same.  In general, if the Master/Owner is doing their documentable best to comply, diligently planning voyages to ensure suitable fuel availability and transparently notifying authorities as early as possible when issues arise, they should have few enforcement challenges.  The landscape for administering IMO2020 legislation is uncertain at present and while some agencies may apply their own interpretation of “permitted variances”, the USCG supports consistent implementation and enforcement nationally which best serves everyone globally.
 
To sum it all up, please remember the above is nothing more than my thoughts on things (plus a few links to reputable articles) that I’ve learned while being fortunate to listen to really smart folks like Jack Grogan, Dr. Ram Vis and Mark Bottiglieri (all of whom spoke recently at the WGMA/NAMEPA event in Houston) along with my two decades of experience in fooling with smelly bunker samples.  But if the good people of this great industry continue to take the high road of the high seas, we’ll come through this storm of bunker fuel related drama clouding the sky today to soon find glassy waters just over the horizon.  I’ve got extreme confidence in us!
 
Lastly, I welcome your thoughts on these issues; let’s help each other become more knowledgeable on this stuff.  And if you’ve got questions, ask away; I’m happy to thoroughly confuse you if one my smarter friends doesn’t come to the rescue!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last year, no doubt you’ve heard about blockchain. You might not have any idea what it means (most do not) or you may have thought it was the latest tech fad (it is) and I thought both of those things. When I saw an article where it was mentioned, I skimmed over it not having a clue what they were talking about. When I heard it in a conversation, I nodded my head as if I understood. You may identify with either or both of these actions.

No more, at least not for me. It has my full attention. I’m no expert on it but I now probably know more than the average guy on the street. And to be fair, I’m kinda excited about it. Not like giddy-giggling excited (that’d be weird!) but more eyes-wide-open eager to see what happens next.

Why? Because I’m expecting it to revolutionize our world. It’s broad scope impact is impossible to measure at this stage but it’s safe to say it’ll likely integrate with, or replace altogether, a substantial number of existing tech workflows currently in the market. Way bigger than Bitcoin (the intro application that made it a buzzword), blockchain has huge potential in areas like purchasing, standardized contractual processes, digital identities, autonomous cars and more. 

It’s definitely more efficient than many current systems that have human validations, theoretically more reliable than most databases with complex hierarchical server infrastructures, arguably more secure than typical systems with a single point of failure and certainly more trustworthy than all others due to it’s immutable design which allows for transparent consensus validation across the network.

To make it plain: it’s more reliable and you can trust it better than what we have now. 

For me, I’m quite curious because I see enormous opportunity for it in many ways, not the least of which are the energy and maritime sectors in which there are numerous workflows wherein people are the final referee of the validity of a transaction, often unnecessarily. There are an untold number of scenarios where some substantial financial settlement is held up while sitting on someone’s desk who, eventually, will rubber stamp it when they get a chance. It could have been paid days, if not weeks ago! Imagine a system that enables funds to be released when proof of work is confirmed, triggered by an automatic verification in the workflow. Money could move instantly when the product is delivered, not 60-90 days later after the invoice has been dusted off – I surely ought to be getting an “Amen!” from somebody in accounts receivable!

I recently read an article about blockchain in the shipping industry which could reduce cargo theft, damaged goods losses and fraud throughout the supply-chain. I see all of those as being huge wins. Heck, after 22+ years in this industry, any single one of them would be a huge win! 
​
I think blockchain is here to stay thus I, for one, am watching it very closely. Are you and if so, how? What impact do you potentially see in your daily ops and, for that matter, what skepticism do you have about it?

​Regan was President when I was a kid and his leadership garnered my interest in politics and social studies.  My parents were consistent voters and I can remember going to the polling places with them.  I always looked forward to the day I could cast my vote in an election and registered as soon as I turned 18.  As far as I was concerned, it was a civic duty to participate in the electoral process, a privilege paid for by the blood of men who died to see our rights established and maintained.
 
Now I know that I’m not truly obligated to vote.  It’s not a violation of some sort if I fail to do  so.  No constable will come looking for me as if I skipped out on jury duty (again.)  I’m truly not “duty bound” to go vote.
 
But it is my right to do so.  And as much as I like my neighbors, I don’t expect them to bear the burden alone for choosing our elected officials.  I feel responsible for ensuring my voice is heard in the election, irrespective of how little difference my single vote might be.
 
People who elect to stay home instead are by default choosing to let others cast determining votes for the future of our community, state and nation.  These non-participants are as much American as those waiting in lines at the polls however their lack of involvement lessens their voice in our form of government for it is the people that they failed to vote for whom will decide the future for our way of life.
 
Thomas Jefferson said, “We do not have a government by a majority of the people, we have a government by a majority of the people who participate.”  By design, “we the people” are to be the pinnacle of power in our democratic process yet many of our schools no longer teach civics courses and students have little, if any, idea on how our government works.  To that end many of our eligible voters are horribly uninformed and thus easily manipulated by an oftentimes corrupt political process.
 
In the 2012 elections, some 93 million Americans who could have voted failed to do so.  93 million - that’s more than either of the presidential candidates received.  I hope none of those non-voters, who failed to express their opinion via ballot, uttered any complaints thereafter because if one is unwilling to go vote, they should be equally unmoved to fuss about the election results.
 
Patriots shed blood to secure our right to vote for our nation’s leadership.  Women marched in the streets during the suffrage movement of the early-1900s and people of color had to fight for the right during the Civil Rights movement.  While not a “duty” per se, this right is far too precious to remain unused by so many.   Go vote!

Dress codes.  The bane of existence for kids in schools all across the world.  I used to get in trouble for having my shirt untucked - horror of horrors!  My violations only warranted verbal reprimands and never got me kicked out of school but to be sure I didn't like that particular rule.  To be clear, I was NOT a fan of the dress code rules!

This young lady apparently didn't take notes in her orientation at her job and missed the part about not being able to wear shorts to work.  She said she didn't hear that part.  I'd imagine it was probably in writing too so she must've not read it either.

So she quit.  They didn't fire her.  This article didn't even mention her getting written up over it; it just appears she quit when her supervisor asked her to go home and change clothes.  Her position is that dress codes for women are too harsh.  She doesn't seem to mind the overall concept of dress codes in general but takes umbrage with the "gender specific" parts of certain dress codes that regulate what is worn by females.

The harsh reality is that if you don't like jobs with dress codes then don't accept the position.  You aren't required to work there however if you do accept the employment opportunity then you need to understand there are certain expectations the employer has for those in their employ.  She decided to quit instead of comply, which was certainly her right to do so.  Apparently that's not enough so now she wants to start a revolution via social media which seems to be the norm nowadays.  Undoubtedly that will encourage future employers to hire her since loyalty to company values has now been demonstrated.

As a father to young ladies, I most certainly don't want to see rules of any sort that  are unfair to the female gender.  That said, I do want my children to appreciate the reality of workplace requirements.  Most jobs have some standards covering what can be worn to work.  Many of these rules are in place for safety such as fire-retardent clothing in a chemical plant.  Others are about uniformity in a place like McDonalds, Walmart or the U.S. Army.  Still others have varying rules about what can be worn by whom on the basis of their position, like a hospital where scrubs of certain colors are worn by different departments.

The point, obviously, is that most jobs have guidelines about what you can wear while being paid.  You can't show up in a bikini to the federal courthouse as a law clerk!  And that's not gender specific either because a guy couldn't wear his basketball shorts there either!  Unless he was a judge and it was under his robes - maybe he could get away with it then but the point is the same: jobs have rules!

As far as the gender specific part, I'm guessing that J.C. Penney also has a rule against MEN wearing tank tops and shorts to work.  I haven't personally seen their manual but I feel pretty safe in that assumption.  If indeed it has separate guidelines basis for males and females, then maybe they need to update the language so it is more gender neutral, especially so since some employees may no longer be sure which gender they are on any given day (am I even allowed to say that ?!?)  I'm sure the JCP attorneys will safeguard their future interests with fresh legalese that allows less room for discretionary latitude in personal attire.

I do give this young lady points for one thing though - when she decided she didn't like the rules, she quit.  She didn't (or hasn't so far to my knowledge) filed a lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against over this dress code violation.  She simply resigned her employment at her discretion.  That seems increasingly odd in this society where entitlement seems to insist tort is the settlement of any grievance.

The good news is now she can go find another place to work and I suspect she'll be paying special attention to the dress code part of the new hire orientation.  Join me in wishing her best of luck in her future endeavors!