I once visited Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy, France, the beach where during World War II, the Allies landed on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day.

As a longtime loyalist to The New York Times (NYT), I read a title with a start and a smile at its cleverness, namely, “All The Views Fit To Cause Fits,” referring to a new NYT column by Bret Stephens. The title is really ingenious and attention grabbing, and a play on the treasured words, “All the News That’s Fit To Print.”

It is generally understood that innovation is the fuel that drives success. I say it is also takes courage, the ability to imagine the impossible, anticipate new needs in the marketplace and have visionaries in place within the company that can move ideas forward internally.

By now, there surely is no one left who watches or reads anything at all -- who has not seen the outrageous videoed scene of a passenger forcibly removed from his paid United Airlines flight.

This year, at many Thanksgiving dinner celebrations, you might hear, “Hurry up with that second helping of turkey. We need to get to the stores!” Sadly, I can hear it happening now… That turkey will get gulped down in favor of shopping for Black Friday, which now isn’t about Friday, but also Thursday. Just consider: on Thanksgiving day, Sears promises to open its doors at 6 p.m. and remain open until 2 a.m., then close for three hours, before reopening at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

Oh dear! Aetna should know better… Staying silent to the storm that is whirling around Aetna regarding its sudden threat to quit most of its Affordable Care Act insurance markets, is a definite no-no in anybody’s PR notebook.

The recently released Edelman Brand Relationship Index developed by surveying 13,000 consumers in 13 countries, pointedly showed that the average global relationship brand strength, (by their measure), is 38 out of a possible 100 points.

Phillip Roth’s famous book, The Human Stain, speaks about an irreconcilable mistake in judgment that left an irrevocable “human stain.”

Generally, the end of each year brings out feelings of wistfulness for what was, or a sense of hope for a fresh start or new opportunities. But no matter how you look at it, this time of year certainly does not pass by without reflection.

By now it’s all over the news… REI, the privately held niche retailer that primarily sells outdoor recreation gear, sporting goods and apparel, is planning to buck the tide and close on Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year.