Postcards: Brace for Impact

Another day on Tamiami Trail reminds us that you always need a plan when danger lurks before you. Plus, we talk about the biggest risks for these markets right now.

Dear Fellow Expat:

My wife makes fun of me for driving five miles under the speed limit on Tamiami Trail (Intrastate 41) connecting Tampa to Miami.

Today was a good reminder of why I’m a defensive driver, just trying to get Amelia to the roller skating rink on a Saturday.

About three miles north of Florida Republic HQ, I was driving with no one in front of me when suddenly, a Nissan Ultima slammed on its brakes in the far right lane and careened over into the center lane. I was about three seconds behind that car.

It turns out that this driver missed his left turn at the strip mall with the FedEx Kinkos and the ABC Liquor Store.

Maybe he had to mail a package before having another drink.

In graduate school, government contractors recruited a handful of my cohort members for high-paying jobs in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq. (One friend - a former Baltimore police officer said he felt safer in Kabul than in East Baltimore.)

But Kabul wasn’t a picnic.

One colleague who accepted …