Is There a Magazine for Bodyguards?

The short answer is yes.

The Circuit Magazine is THE official magazine for Bodyguards & Security Professionals (*and I’m not just saying that because i’m the US Managing Editor).

*Well maybe I am staying that because i’m the US Managing Editor, but also because it’s true!

Every quarter we (meaning the fine folks at the North American & British Bodyguard Associations) produce a full-color magazine that covers the A-Z of the industry, everything from tips on finding corporate clients to firearm reviews to lessons learned from high risk operators — The Circuit has it all.

We’ve also made it a bit easier to order current and past issues by teaming up with BodyguardMagazines.com, so If you’ve missed any, stop by the site today and complete your collection.

Charity Watch: Spec Ops Warrior Fund

A while back I decided to research some causes to give back to, and the Spec Ops Warrior Foundation came up a few times from some very reputable sources.

I think their Mission Statement says it all.

“The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.”

These guys run a class act and provide a vital service for those in the SF community who need it.

For more information click:  Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Safar Interviews Hans Van Beuge

Safar Protection Consultants does a great interview with Hans Van Beuge.  For those of you that don’t know Hans, he’s the owner of S.A.V.I.O.R  Services out of Australia, and in my mind a proven authority on the subject of identifying and dealing with stalkers and paparazzi.

In short, Hans is one of the good guys.

Read the interview HERE.

See Related: Industry Spotlight: EP Agent Hans van Beuge

Bodyguard Training Calendar

Minneapolis, MN September 8-12th 2010 – Icon Services Corporation present a five-day course of practical theory and hands-on training in the world of Celebrity & VIP Protection. If you are new to the bodyguard industry or a current operator looking to refresh and polish your skills, this course will offer excellent instruction into the professional side of Close Protection work. Taught by industry veteran Elijah Shaw, who in addition to his corporate clients, has traveled the world as the personal bodyguard of international public figures such as musical giant Usher, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and rap megastar 50 Cent, the course will offer real world problems, scenarios, and solutions from instructors that are currently active in the industry.

“Your training is an invaluable tool to your industry. I was very impressed how realistic the training was that you provide. Having been taught by the best, I can honestly state that I learned quite a bit in your class. There is always room for improving ones skill set, and your training definitely added to mine”.

Special Agent Robert E. Jones / US Secret Service

For more information click HERE

Fresh Coat of Paint

Summer’s almost here, and so I felt like since I was spring cleaning, I needed a fresh coat of paint.   You’re now looking at Version 3.0 of  the Bodyguard Blog.  Hope you like the new layout as much as the people around the office do.  Lots of interactivity and multimedia modules, plus easy to access links to the most popular articles and post.   

p.s., Don’t forget to leave a comment, as I’ve always considered a Blog to be a 2-way exchange of information.

~ Elijah

Connecting Me to You

Met a great guy several weeks back named Andy Santamaria that owns an interesting business called CMTY which stands for Connecting Me To You.  Andy interviews individuals from different professions and let’s the world know about them through Cyberspace.  He didn’t reinvent the wheel, but he did make the interview process fresh and engaging.  To catch my interview with Andy, click HERE.

Celebrity Bodyguard Training Update

ICON Celebrity & VIP Protection Training

Just wanted to put up a quick posting and let all interested parties know that the last ICON Celebrity & VIP Protection Training Course of the season is at 80 percent capacity.  If your interested in attending the training held in Minneapolis, MN from August 26-30, 2009 , please reach out soon to RSVP your slot. 

For more information click HERE.

Real Life James Bond outed on Facebook

The wife of Sir John Sawers, diplomat, spy, and the current British ambassador to the United Nations and soon to be the chief of MI6, — the British Secret Intelligence Service,  posted photos to her Facebook account that could possibly reveal sensitive information regarding the real life 007. The photo section in question has since been marked PRIVATE after news agencies started reporting the potential security leaks.  For the full story, click HERE.

Ok folks, social networking isn’t for everyone.

Security Dangers of Social Networking

An interesting article on the problem the Middle East is having with the sharing of information on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter:

“This week, Israel’s General Security Service took the unusual step of issuing a warning urging Israelis to be alert to terrorist activity on the Internet. Specifically, people were warned against unsolicited approaches on social networks by strangers offering meetings abroad or easy money and seeking information. Seemingly innocent contacts might be terrorist efforts to recruit or kidnap.

Recently, an Israeli citizen was approached by a person claiming to be a Lebanese merchant offering money in return for classified information…”

Thanks Mike B. for the source reference. For the full article, click the above text.

ICON Photo Gallery Now Live

ICON is happy to announce that our Corporate Website’s Photo Page is now live. We invite everyone to stop over and check it out. To kick things off, we put up exclusive photos of the recent Celebrity & VIP Protection Course. So follow the link HERE, then come back and leave a comment and let us know what you think.

p.s., the next Training course is May 6-10, 2009 so if your interested in attending, you only have a few days left to register.