Every day God leaves an invitation
for you on your pillow.
Its contents are for you alone.
Each day God invites you to share
your life with Him and the World
Each day God provides the Guidance
you need to move in the right direction.
And when the day is over—
and you have made your choices—
He prepares another invitation for you.
And He leaves it upon your pillow
For the next day.
Until He calls you
Home.
After years of working towards becoming a research scientist and a medical doctor, in 1971 I left the hallowed halls of science at a major university medical school in Chicago to start a talent agency specializing in the music business.
Described by Billboard Magazine on June 23, 1973, as an Entrepreneur, a rare term at the time, I had expanded the talent agency to briefly include a rock club down the street from the famous The Second City comedy club. Eventually I became a rock promoter. Living in a penthouse on the Gold Coast of Chicago, I was leading the hedonistically inspired Playboy dream of single men in the early 1970s. All the perks of sex, drugs, and rock n roll surrounded me. As I gazed out the windows on the 52nd floor, I felt I had made it. I was a success.
On June 21, 1974, I was greeted with tornado warnings and ominous storm clouds as we prepared what would be my last concert . . . and yes, at the time, I knew nothing about Summer Solstice. Thankfully, the kids ignored the dire warnings from the television weathermen and were lined up waiting to get in. The groups performing were Styx and Kansas. I was at the top of my game in the music business.
And yet that night, just as the last encore started, a small voice inside me said that tonight would be my last concert.
It was just a strange thought in my head because everything had turned out so perfect. I could not fathom never experiencing again the joy of giving such a wonderful night of entertainment to people. My Mom and Dad were there helping. My business associates and partners were congratulating me on a wonderful night. The audience loved it.
Deciding to skip the after-parties, I rode the elevator alone to my penthouse. Somewhere inside me, I knew this chapter of my life was ending. While I had dreamed of returning to the joy of promoting concerts that I had experienced years before as chairman of the Dance Committee at the University of Illinois Chicago, I really did not have a vision beyond my return to what I loved. At that moment on the night of the concert, I had accomplished my goal. I had achieved my dream.
Little did I know at the time that my Soul had a dream. A Vision. And that I was about to embark on a forty-year journey of discovering my innermost Being.
On December 12, 1978, I was living in a small house in the desert in Joshua Tree, California, after a turbulent, life-changing seven years. From the hallowed halls of science to the music business to founding a national manufacturing business, I had experienced the reality of making my dreams come true as an Entrepreneur.
After a few months of isolation in the desert, I wanted to share my thoughts, beliefs, and knowledge with others on how to become an Entrepreneur who could turn their dreams into reality. I had only previously written a brief published note on the challenges of college from a high school senior’s perspective. Educated in college to be a scientist, writing was never a priority, let alone a class I took.
And yet, on that night, I sat staring at a blank yellow legal pad with a deep desire to express my thoughts in a logical manner. However, I was soon surprised to find that I was not in control of the words as they flowed onto the paper.
What I had imagined was writing a manual on how to manifest your dreams, then give it to people who would ask me for advice, in the hope they would leave me alone. I envisioned it as similar to a plan for a science experiment. Follow these steps. Observe the results. Try several different approaches. Notarize the results. Done.
That is not what happened with me and that yellow legal pad that night. Nor from that point onward.
Instead I found myself in a different state and words just flowed onto the paper. It was like I was detached from the experience because I was surprised by the thoughts I would write.
Where did this come from? Where’s my manual? Where is the do-it-yourself approach to manifesting your dreams as an Entrepreneur?
I was not prepared for the approach that I wrote. I fully agreed with it after writing the thoughts down. I just did not have the conscious capacity to write those thoughts down on my own. While I had intended to write a manual, for lack of a better word, I was in the process of writing a life map where you were the center of the universe and your life. Where you were the vehicle that dreams flowed through. Where you were also the roadblock to manifesting the life you wanted to lead.
The Revelation was in your Being. Your Spirit.
I began to understand why I had been led to the desert. I had come to understand myself. To Know Thyself.
In my pursuit of these varied ventures in business, I had learned how to turn my dreams into reality. That was easy.
What I had not investigated was who was doing the manifesting.
Who was I?
What lurked in the shadows that I had failed to acknowledge?
What was the nature of my true self?
Was there more to the world than what I had perceived?
And how did this all relate to being an Entrepreneur?
And so, I was welcomed into a place I never dreamed of . . . at least consciously. And some would say that was because I was unconscious. And they are probably right. I had been using the real world as my test tube, my laboratory. I never thought I would end up discovering who I really was with the knowledge and steps necessary to match the everyday world with the inner world that I was just about to discover.
In this first section called Conception, I have included the original forty-three pages I wrote during the first writing sessions, although I have added some fomatting for emphasis. I have placed the dates of the writing to show when they were written originally.
After the first writing on 12/12/1978, I was taken aback. Those words haunted me. Especially, the part that said:
If every person desiring to make a statement.
Any statement.
Would.
Who is to judge the value of a Dream?
Who is to say yours is no good?
Who has the right to say you should not try?
From these first pages, my life began to change. While I was surprised by the nature of the writing, I soon realized that it was exactly what I needed to write to explore and explain my initial years of being an Entrepreneur.
And to prepare me for the new life adventure I was embarking on.
Welcome to Dreamland in Reality.
Las Vegas, NV — Jan 05, 2023CES® 2023 opened today with innovative product launches that will help to solve global challenges. Companies are demonstrating how technology can conserve energy and increase power generation, address food shortages, create more sustainable agricultural systems, power smart cities, support access to clean water and more. CES 2023 is more than 70% larger than last year’s show, with over 3200 exhibiting companies, including 1000 startups, featuring the latest technologies. That includes innovations in transportation and mobility, accessibility technologies, electric vehicles, digital health, sustainability, Web3, metaverse and beyond.
“CES is back! The halls are buzzing with energy and excitement – attendees, exhibitors and media from around the world are passionate about gathering together and advancing our industry,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. During CTA’s State of the Industry Address Thursday morning, Shapiro noted, “At CES 2023, new innovations promise to change our world for the better. Companies big and small are showcasing innovations in mobility, digital health, artificial intelligence, robotics, food tech, smart home, digital assets and more.”
Joining Shapiro on stage were John T. Kelley, vice president and acting show director, CES, and Kinsey Fabrizio, SVP, membership, sales and marketing at CTA to provide updates on expected trends and sessions at the show.
Dr. Carmichael Roberts, chairman of CTA’s Executive Board and founder of SOURCE, joined Shapiro on stage to discuss how SOURCE is providing access to clean water through Hydropanel technology and renewable resources, powered by the sun.
Shapiro also announced the second edition of CTA’s International Innovation Scorecard, an assessment of policies and practices around the world that fuel tech innovation or stand in the way of progress. A record 24 countries earned the highest ranking of “Innovation Champion”: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the European Union (EU).
While the CES exhibit show floor opened today, the full week of innovation kicked off on Tuesday and Wednesday with Media Days press conferences, CTA’s 2023 Tech Trends to Watch presentation, CES Unveiled Las Vegas and keynotes from AMD, BMW and John Deere.
CES®, the world’s most influential tech event, is back in Las Vegas on Jan. 5-8. With more to see than ever, the show footprint will be over 70 percent larger than CES 2022.
For the first time, CES has a theme: how technology is addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The Consumer Technology Association® (CTA), in partnership with the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, will support the global campaign Human Security for All (HS4A).
“CES is the world’s most exciting technology event, from startups in Eureka Park to global brands on the main stages. We are thrilled to spotlight thousands of innovative companies at this year’s show,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “Tech advances are helping to solve the world’s greatest challenges, and CES 2023 will set the agenda for the year ahead.”
That unforgettable day is approaching. No, it isn’t a milestone birthday or a wedding anniversary. It isn’t the birthday of a first-born child. It’s that other day. The day Jack Jeter arrived in Vietnam fifty-four years ago in late September 1968. He’s leaving on a jet plane, flying from Dallas to Chicago to spend a few days with guys he served with in his squad, his platoon. They were in a rifle company. They were grunts. He’s going to spend a few days with guys who were and still are family albeit a different type of family. He, like the others at this mini-reunion, was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (B2-7).
Circumstances dictated that they become family. These warriors were together 24/7. They spent their days together walking in the heat and humidity of the jungles, they ate combat rations, they dug holes together at night, and they bathed together if the opportunity presented itself after days or weeks without doing so. And, when necessary, they fought together to keep each other alive. They bandaged each other’s wounds. They carried each other to medivac helicopters.
When their tours of duty were done, whether because of wounds that required an early exit from the war zone or the end of the year-long tour of duty, they scattered around the United States. The years immediately after discharge were about work and new, young families. Most wanted to forget the war and the public’s reaction to the war, and its warriors were not conducive to talking about their part in the war.
Jack and several others began reuniting occasionally forty years ago. As the years passed, these reunions became annual events. Those that started the mini-reunions began hunting down their brothers in arms. Eventually, computers and the internet made the search easier.
The annual summer get-togethers were rudely interrupted by the Covid pandemic. Since the suspension of reunions, the company-size reunion and the annual summer mini-reunions have been suspended.
Getting together in 2022 is special. There’s an understated urgency to meeting face-to-face. The list of surviving men of B2-7 who fought together during the latter half of 1968 and into 1969 has decreased. The combination of age and ill-health are beginning to take their toll. All who have passed away are special to these B2-7 troopers. Those who have passed away include Jack “Squirt” Miller, in December 2019. Squirt was blinded by his wounds in March 1969, and for the rest of his life, his body expelled hundreds of pieces of shrapnel. April 2020 saw the passing of the company’s First Sergeant who, despite being the oldest member of the company, was often along side his young troops in the jungle.
The hats worn represent pride of service and sacrifice. This is a special family with special bonds and with the passage of time. Each year’s reunion becomes ever more precious. And, as the years pass, it becomes even more important to see more of the surviving B2-7 troopers attend.
Though I did not serve in Vietnam with these warriors, it is a privilege to be able to spend time with these B2-7 soldiers. They contributed mightily to my father’s survival and return home from his second combat tour of duty in Vietnam. Every opportunity to be here with them and other B2-7 troopers is a gift.
More Pictures from the Reunion
Timothy Trainer did not serve in Vietnam with those pictured. He served in the Army from July 1972-July 1975. He authored The Fortunate Son: Top, Through the Eyes of Others, published in 2017 (Joshua Tree Publishing). His father fought in Korea and was wounded in January 1951 and continued his Army career, serving two combat tours in Vietnam.
The New York Times published a guest essay on September 14, 2022, entitled “China is Running Covert Operations That Could Seriously Overwhelm Us.” The essay addresses the challenges presented by China’s covert intelligence collection efforts to obtain military and national security related information. This should not surprise anyone who has been involved with China in recent years.
Whether militarily or economically, China’s industrial capacity, combined with its advantageous numbers in population, are enough to raise concerns for any country. It is best to look at and consider China’s covert activities through a wide lens. Aside from the size and capabilities of its military, China has become the second largest economy in the world in a relatively short period of time.
One aspect of U.S.-China competition is commercial trade. Within the commercial trade context, U.S. industry has been confronted by the eagerness of creative Chinese entrepreneurs to steal U.S. intellectual property (copyrights, trademarks, patents, designs, and trade secrets). Once U.S. companies moved production to China, imaginative Chinese entrepreneurs began churning out inexpensive fake and substandard versions of the real thing. It became much easier to access authentic products to replicate and copy when the original product is made either down the road or in a neighboring town instead of traveling long distances.
In the 1990s, U.S. companies complained to the U.S. Government about counterfeit auto parts, batteries, electrical products as well as the usual fake items found on big-city streets. The tension arising from China’s production of counterfeit goods resulted in U.S. threats of trade sanctions in the mid-1990s until China committed to taking steps to reduce production of counterfeit items and protect U.S. owned intellectual property that was protectible in China.
The years of official statements, written agreements, and increased enforcement have not translated into a major decrease in production of counterfeit (fake) goods that are exported to the United States and the rest of the world. One might observe that China’s efforts to access U.S. intellectual property simply moved up the food chain to obtain more advanced technologies.
While the Times essay focuses on China’s military and national security espionage activity, we should not ignore the challenges posed by economic espionage. There have been numerous documented efforts describing economic espionage activities in the U.S. Specifically, there have been FBI investigations and other government investigations that have resulted in successful U.S. criminal prosecutions and imprisonment of Chinese nationals. Those caught and prosecuted for engaging in trade secrets theft, i.e., economic espionage, have attempted to steal secrets across a wide spectrum of industries such as circuit board designs for autonomous vehicles, agricultural seeds, aviation technology, and cancer fighting pharmaceutical products.
In addition to criminal prosecution under U.S. law, the U.S. Government has worked to impose obligations on trading partners to enact stronger legal protections to protect trade secrets. The 2020 U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement included commitments for raising the level of protection for trade secrets in China. The “new” NAFTA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement) that went into force in 2020 included requirements for the protection of trade secrets, which was not covered in the original NAFTA. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that the U.S. helped negotiate but did not become a party to, also includes trade secrets protections.
Imposing trade secret protection and enforcement in trade agreements are a step forward. The existence of these obligations in a trade agreement is separate and apart from actual steps being taken to enforce and protect trade secrets. Once enacted into law in foreign countries, the relevant police, prosecutors, and courts must be committed to implementing the law.
Ultimately, preventing trade secrets theft requires government agencies, business enterprises, research, and other institutions to adopt strict protocols for protecting trade secrets. Strict protocols, however, are meaningless without a commitment to enforce government, business, institutional protocols to protect valuable trade secret assets.
In the end, it will be up to the entities that develop and own the trade secrets to be vigilant in protecting these economic assets. The owners of these secrets are the first line of defense by adopting and implementing strict access procedures, working with law enforcement, and ensuring that our trading partners are living up to their obligations to provide trade secret protection to deter and prevent theft.
U.S. businesses that develop new technologies must be committed to protecting their advantages regardless of where they operate in the world. Economic espionage has always existed. Efforts to protect trade secrets have trailed the pace of increased protection and enforcement of trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Given the economic potential of trade secrets and the impetus for growth they can have, greater attention to preventing their theft is critical to success.
Timothy Trainer has participated in U.S.-China bilateral intellectual property consultations as a federal government attorney. As a private sector attorney, he has conducted training for Chinese customs officials and represented clients in intellectual property disputes.
Author Victoria Kamar Olivett will be participating in a Local Author’s Book Fair September 17, 2022, at North Chicago Library located at 2100 Argonne Drive North Chicago, Illinois. 60064. It is from 10:30 until 3 p.m. For more information, go to:
To all those that are struggling or have struggled through alcoholism. We were you, and we know God has you covered with his own plan. Our family is so thankful to our community of family and friends who have walked our journey with us. Those who were there without judgment or expectations, who loved us unconditionally and gave us grace.
I am very proud to announce that on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, I will present my historical novel, The Adventures of Francie Fitzgerald, at the beautiful Waukegan Public Library (128 N County St, Waukegan, IL 60885) from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. You can register on the library’s website for this free event.
I look forward to seeing all of those who will be able to attend.
There will be a question and answer period for the audience as well. I will be talking about the writing process and the scientific advances in 1885. You will enjoy hearing about the Fitzgerald family and all their exciting adventures.
I look forward to seeing all of those who will be able to attend. Follow this link to register for my talk: https://calendar.waukeganpl.org/event/9102093
Are you willing to stand up to power and personal threats to save our country, the United States of America? To tell the Truth no matter the personal consequences? To have you and your family’s life threatened in an attempt to persuade you not to tell the Truth?
I remember thirty years ago a member of an elite fraternal order told me about how his economic development department’s boss was taking bribes from developers, including a new house, to approve a development in a suburban community. He had evidence. A paper trail. Legal proof.
When I asked him if he was going to turn his boss in to the authorities, he simply replied, “No.” I looked at him dumbfounded, and then he gave me a litany of reasons. He could not afford to lose his job. He could not risk his teenage daughter’s education hopes. He simply needed to go along. Look the other way.
That answer always stuck with me. Would I have the courage to tell the Truth, report on the facts if I was the person in the room who witnessed illegal activity.
These past weeks we have witnessed several men and women answer that challenge in the affirmative. They have been willing to tell the world what they saw and heard during an attempt to overthrow our Democracy.
The reason why they were compelled to tell the Truth? They were in the room. Unlike you and I, and the news media, they were present. They knew the Truth—and were not intimidated by the ones who were trying to subvert our Democracy.
This courage is what makes our experiment in Democracy sacred. No one is above the law. We are a Nation of Laws.
As you fret over the cost of your hot dog buns and the cost of gas, consider how life would be if we did not remain vigilant to protect our country from within.
This Fourth of July remember this is an experiment. There is no reason to believe it will continue unless men and women, including you and I, are willing to stand up for Truth.
