Sully – Role Model and Hero

On Sunday afternoon, I took my 4 girls to see the movie, Sully. Despite the fact that I wrote a chapter on Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, my girls had never heard of him nor the “Miracle on the Hudson.” How could they? My oldest girl was 5 when Sully successfully landed the plane on the Hudson River, saving all 155 …

2016 Message to Students from Author, Dr. Hoedel

I waited to write this blog until everyone was back in school. If you are reading this in Arizona, you have been back in school for 5 weeks, but if you are reading this in New York, you returned to school this week. I hope the beginning of the class is going well for you.  Below you can tell me …

Colin Kaepernick: Hypocrite or Activist?

Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers and his actions this week put him squarely in the crossfire of controversy. Before every pre-season game this season, he decided to sit for the national anthem. This time, however, a reporter spotted it and “broke the story.” Following this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick’s locker was …

Ryan Lochte – What is reputation worth?

Ryan Lochte is the second most decorated American swimmer of all time, winning 12 Olympic medals (six gold, three silver, three bronze). If not for Michael Phelps, we would probably be heralding Ryan as the best Olympic swimmer ever. However, after all that, he will most likely be remembered best for his lies and exaggerations after he finished his races at the …

Diving for Gold: Pure Desire

In the 400 meter finals at the 2016 Olympic games, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas found herself losing the lead to defending Olympic champion, Allyson Felix of the United States of America. There was just a few meters remaining. Using an unconventional approach, Miller dove for the finish line. No one could tell who won. It was a photo finish. …

What We Take For Granted

Each year, my wife and I take our children to a Memorial Day service. These ceremonies take place in little towns and major cities all over this country. And, to be honest, the ceremonies are predictable – this year’s service looked a lot like last year’s service and the service in Traverse City looked a lot like the one in …

Giving the Shirt off his Back

Earlier this winter, Joey Pesto, was riding the New York City Subway. He looked behind him and saw what appeared to be a cold, shivering homeless person. No one was helping this man. He later said of others riding in the car, “They were playing it safe.” So, Joey took off his shirt and offered it to the man. The …

Another Ethical Dilemma: Flying Another Countries Flag over the U.S. Flag

Earlier this week in Reno, Nevada, a restaurant owner flew a Mexican flag over an American flag on his flag pole, which is against the law.  Pictures were posted on Facebook and a local television station sent a film crew to the restaurant to verify the story. When they were filming, Army Veteran, Jim Broussard entered the scene with his …

The Problem with Millennials??

A friend of mine posted this video to his Facebook page. It shows a young woman from Texas by the name of Lexus Bloomer providing her perspective on why the older generations look down on her generation, otherwise known as millennials. I hope you are able to view the video below. If not, she says things like, 1) We have …

“Stay Humble and Kind” – Does this Still Resonate?

I was listening to the radio the other day and I heard a new song by Tim McGraw. The name of the song is “Always Stay Humble and Kind.” My wife said, “I wonder if kids today think these line are corny or if they have real meaning. Is this old fashioned or does it connect?” So, below, I will …