Commentary Search

  • British Billy celebrates St. Andrew’s Day, Nov. 30

    (Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a four-part series Billy will write about the patron saints of Great Britain.)As we near the end of another year, it is Scotland's patron saint, St. Andrew, who cheers us with his feast day on Nov. 30. The Scots are renowned around the world for their proud

  • Total Force Fitness: a challenge for leaders

    You'd have to be living under a rock these days to not notice how important the term "fitness" has become in our Air Force. Just driving onto the base in the morning, one sees scores of Airmen in physical training gear. Listening to conversations at lunch tables, between meetings and out in the work

  • British Billy meets Pudsey Bear

    We all have role models whose values and lifestyle we admire. Pudsey Bear is mine. Cats don't naturally revere others; we tend to regard ourselves as the pinnacle of creation. Pudsey, however, is a remarkable bear. With his trademark polka-dot handkerchief bandaging his right eye, he serves as the

  • British Billy introduces His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales

    My American chums are constantly asking me questions about the British royal family, past and present. As a loyal feline, I try my best to provide answers where I can. As Nov. 14 marks the 62nd birthday of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, more commonly known as Prince Charles, I thought I

  • Remembrance Sunday and the British Legion Poppy

    At the eleventh hour on Nov. 11, we will mark 92 years since the end of The Great War. In the U.S., it is called Veterans Day; in the U.K., it is known as Remembrance Day or Poppy Day. Beginning in 1939, at the start of World War II, the two-minute silence was moved to the Sunday nearest to Nov. 11

  • British Billy explains Bonfire Night, Nov. 5

    Although I am quite the party animal, I'm not a huge fan of fireworks. Those of us in the animal kingdom blessed with acute auditory gifts will not thank you if we have to endure startling explosions and high pitched squeals. As Bonfire Night approaches here in the UK, I plan to spend the next few

  • British Billy turns the clocks back

    There's going to be an extra hour for you all to enjoy on Sunday Oct. 31, and I am already trying to decide whether it would be best spent sleeping, eating or hunting. Truth be told, it makes little difference to me. I live in the moment and refuse to be a slave to the ticking hands of time. British

  • Disabling Prejudice

    October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and this year's theme is "Talent has no boundaries: Workforce Diversity INCLUDES Workers with Disabilities," which serves to inform us that employees with disabilities represent a diverse and talented pool of individuals, making valuable and

  • British Billy tucks into a Cornish pasty

    I am often told that variety is the spice of life and, as a bit of spicy individual, I am more than happy to sample different delicacies that come my way. I get a bit weary of some of my American chums telling me that British food is bland and boring. There is plenty to tempt the discerning palate

  • Professional Enlightenment

    Professional enlightenment occurs when our education and experiences allow us to distill wisdom from what often appear as disparate bodies of knowledge. Yet, even at this most crucial nexus our own perceptions and misperceptions, even our human nature, can fail us.John Nance, in Why Hospitals Should