Author: darkpassport
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#28: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The crack of a gunshot, followed by the footsteps of 50,000 people running. The noise could be heard for several blocks in each direction. It was even louder 26.2 miles away in Central Park where the New York City Marathon finish line was located on Sunday, November 5th, 2023. Fortunately, the gunshot was a starter…
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#27: UNGA 78
Note: The events described below took place prior to the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel and the ensuing actions of representatives at the United Nations Security Council meetings which have been the subject of much criticism. Nearly 200 flags stood waving in the cool September breeze coming off the East River which separates…
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#26: Receive Your Life: Pack-In
“Anytime you reach out to someone for assistance in this organization, it’s going to seem like the first time it’s ever been asked.” – Common federal government credo Two seasons had passed since I watched my belongings being hauled away in an 18-wheeler through a process known as “Pack Out”. Similar to the way the…
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#25: Black Gun
This is a follow-up to Blog #23: Red Gun, Blue Gun In the back half of the first millennium of the Common Era, Chinese alchemists seeking immortality created a dark powdery substance which they named huǒyào. Literally translated by character interpretation as “fire medicine”, huǒyào is the modern Chinese word for gunpowder. In the first…
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#24: Tunnel to Towers
September 11th, 2001. FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller’s shift on the elite Squad 1 in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood had ended earlier that morning. He was looking forward to a day off, so much so that he was already on the way to the links to play golf with his brothers. That outing was interrupted by…
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#23: Red Gun, Blue Gun
“To protect the sheep, you gotta catch the wolf. And it takes a wolf to catch a wolf.” -Alonzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington in the 2001 film Training Day. “We don’t need any accidents here” is a familiar sentiment woven into virtually all professional weapons training programs. It’s easy to avert hazards when shooters…
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#22: Academy Life Part VI
“The more I love humanity in general, the less I love man in particular. In my dreams, I often make plans for the service of humanity…yet I am incapable of living in the same room with anyone for two days together…I become hostile to people the moment they come close to me.” -Dostoyevsky “How do…
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#21: Switzerland…of America (Part II)
Continued from Blog #20: Switzerland…of America (Part I) “The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.” -Conrad Anker, former The North Face climbing team leader and three-time Everest summiteer. “Nothing like this.” I nervously replied. The question, asked by my guide, was whether I had climbing experience or not. In…
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#20: Switzerland…of America (Part I)
As our training progresses through the heat and humidity of summer, this Throwback Thursday post revives a snow and ice filled adventure from a few years ago. Part I sets the scene, while Part II will be my personal experience. Nestled deep within the Rocky Mountains of Colorado is the mountain town of Ouray. Pronounced…
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#19: Academy Life Part V
“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson “How does it work for nights and weekends?” The amount of free time we have – and what we choose…
The Dark Passport 