MY 4TH YEAR BLOG ANNIVERSARY TODAY! (PART 1 OF 2)

My friend Joseph Pentangelo
of cable television's "Animal Precinct"

Today is the 4th Anniversary of my Blog Page. It was my good friend Violinist/Singer/Songwriter Deni Bonet ("Last Girl On Earth") who nudged me to open a Blog Page, and I am forever grateful to her. Among the features I've created, "THE INTERVIEW" has been quite unique. So let's go back and visit the people who have been my Guests!

Annemarie Lucas,
Supervisory Special Investigator for Humane Law Enforcement
ASPCA, New York City

Annemarie Lucas is so cool! She loyally stayed in touch with me for almost 1 year trying to find the time for a visit as she balanced her travel internationally for the cable television program "Animal Precinct". I found her to be a beautiful soul with a big heart. When she felt as if she was keeping me waiting too long, she asked her colleague Joseph Pentangelo to pass along her answers and share some of his own experience too. Annemarie grew up in Connecticut where she has always had a love for animals and always wished that there were "animal police" to protect them from being harmed and to ensure that all of their rights were being protected. She began her career as a volunteer in a local animal shelter. While reading an article in ASPCA Animal Watch magazine, she learned that careers in humane law enforcement existed and realized that she had finally found her calling.

"The most gratifying part of my job is rescuing animals from a bad situation and eventually seeing them placed into loving homes. People have to be held accountable for being cruel to animals. That is where I step in—to make them accountable". she said.

Annemarie has received training by both the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is a state certified instructor in the field of law enforcement. She lives with her four rescued cats named Shaney, Benny, Mako and Cody, and her four dogs named Phoebe, Sasha, Tess and Ace. Heres' her colleague Joe...

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Joseph Pentangelo (see photo above): "I was a detective in the New York City Police Department for many years, and one of my assignments in the NYPD for 12 of those years was as a mounted police officer, so my experience with animals is varied both in types of animals and how I interacted with them. I had always been interested in a career as a person who helps animals, so when I retired from the police department, I applied for the position and was lucky enough to get the job", he said. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Joe.

After a 20-year career with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in the Mounted Unit and as a NYPD spokesperson, Joe joined the ASPCA in May 2001.

In his spare time, he uses his law enforcement expertise as an actor playing similar roles. He has been acting for 15 years and has appeared in such television shows as Law & Order.

Currently, Agent Pentangelo lives in Staten Island, New York, with his wife, two sons and three dogs. The rescue and adoption of Cain, one of Joe's dogs, was featured on an episode of Animal Precinct. Onto my next Guest, Glen Langdon...

Mohave Airport, California

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In the Winter of 2002, I was still a news anchor with CBS Radio in the Southwest. The November 2006 issue of Airways Magazine (that I shamelessly promote here on my Blogsite) contains my article, "The Estate of Eastern Airlines". The piece draws heavily from my 4-year investigation into the aftermath of the airline's complicated dismantling. I had interviewed Individual Trustee of The Eastern Secured Liquidation Trust, Glen Langdon. Because Glen was amused that ANYONE would find his work interesting and the fact that he is not a Hollywood celebrity or a Rock Star, it took me 4 years to convince him that he had a story to share. Indeed, he has an unusual job. Glen handled the task of resolving claims and lawsuits and eventually selling off the remnants of Eastern Airlines (a fixture in American commercial aviation from 1928-1991) aka The ESLT--or "Eastern Secured Liquidation Trust" for the benefit of the airline's bond holders. Glen revealed a dangerous story that could have been turned into a script for a Bruce Willis "Die Hard" movie sequel! He had scheduled a meeting with the president of Servivensa, a Caracas, Venezuela carrier that was leasing some former Eastern Airlines aircraft. Glen's plane landed and old fashioned air stairs were rolled up to the plane with two burley men dressed in identical mob-type suits sporting identical sunglasses with a limousine with the rear door open. They virtually threw Glen in the back door and sped off burning rubber and traveling at 120 miles per hour down a boulevard that was notorious for American businessmen to become assassinated. The meeting with the President of Servivensa (now defunct) went well. But afterwards Glen was led to an isolated cell block and locked inside for almost 90 minutes. He thought death was near when a woman who resembled a model from Maxim magazine opened the door and in perfect fluent English told Glen he better run to his plane before he missed it! Dry? Hardly.

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Glenn Bishop in performance on the stage of the "Not For Kids Only" show at "A Taste of Chicago".Glenn is performing an opening trick called "The Hydrostatic Glass".

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You could search the world over and not find a Magician who is kinder and more down to earth than Glenn Bishop. His blogsite is an undiscovered gem that is refreshing, but a of bloggers out there sadly miss the boat by not stopping by. Glenn "makes time" in a world that is so busy and convoluted with phonies seeking their "15 minutes of fame". Well, I've got some news for you. Glen is in show business for the long run! And his kindness for people comes before any profit. I have never seen anyone who is Glenn's equal. He is really one of the good guys in this universe and I was privileged both to interview Glenn and to call him a cherished friend.

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