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Welcome once again to the ever-popular Friday’s Food for Thought post. There was a time when August was actually a slow work month — but not anymore. Everyone seems to be working much harder these days, usually with less resources and time. But, what is the one thing that helps balance out our work lives? That’s right family. And if you think about it, the GEOINT community is like one big family and the annual family reunion always takes place the the GEOINT symposium. So, this week’s theme is all about the concept of family and how it applies to us. We hope you enjoy as you coast into the weekend.

Definition of Family
In this day-and-age, the concept of a traditional family has pretty much gone out the window. And, family does not have to apply to only blood relatives. In many ways, during freshman year of college, our dorm-room friends served as a surrogate family. If you live in a tight-knit community, your beloved neighbors could be considered extended family. So, what is the true definition of family? According to Wikipedia, a family denotes a group of people or animals (many species form the equivalent of a human family wherein the adults care for the young) affiliated by a consanguinity, affinity or co-residence. So, there you go.

The GEOINT Community; One Big Family
It often feels like the GEOINT community is one big family. We are a tight-knit group who definitely looks out for each other. We get together once a year for a huge reunion, where we listen to the family elders (intelligence leaders), re-connect with siblings (networking with peers), learn about new family developments (tech demonstrations and booth time) and then we get together and eat and drink (Geo-Walk). Sounds like a real family reunion, right? Well, have you registered to attend this year’s reunion?? Click here to register for GEOINT 2009.

How to Defend Your Family
Protecting our loved ones is very important. Bottom-line is that we don’t want anyone to hurt our families. Well, fortunately, there is a company called “Family Defense Products.” That’s right. Whether you need pepper spray, machetes or surveillance cameras, this web site has it all. So, break out that credit card, stock up on some supplies and then bunker down because surely the bad people are coming.

Mafia Families
Mafia families are a prime example of how families look out for each other (and sometimes they don’t). But, we often only think of New York and New Jersey (i.e. The Sopranos) as being the only hot-beds for mafia activity. The truth is that there we 26 different mafia families spread throughout the U.S. and Canada at one time. To learn more check out Americanmafia.com.

Family Man
You have to appreciate the puffy mullet and mustache combination that John Oats sports in this classic, yet epically cheesy Hall & Oats video, Family Man. Man, when is that look going to come back in style? We hope you enjoy.

Happy Friday!