Guns Piranha Lions No Visa No Problem!

A jet fight over Syria. A Cold War listening post in Turkey. An overland trek from Denmark to Thailand. A thriving weapons marketplace in remote Pakistan. An exotic Maasai Star Wars-style saloon in Kenya. Ultra-luxury casinos in Macau. Only in Miami idiosyncrasies. University polemics. The 1980 Moscow Olympics. Memorable World Series, Super Bowls, NBA and college gridiron contests. Civil rights activism. Challenging the Klan. Confronting FBI activities in 1960s Memphis. Encounters with the Clintons. A hurricane at sea. Giant turtles in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. A Miami-bound plane commandeered by a heavily armed Haitian general.

Erroneously suspected of being a spy, Ken Lipner promises all this and more in his intriguing, serendipitous, eclectic life as a sports-loving, peace-promoting, justice-seeking, pet-rescuing public policy advisor and economics professor with a wanderlust that took him to 120 countries.

Vicariously accompany Ken as he makes his way on rust buckets, old buses, slow trains, and small planes, befriending people of widely diverse backgrounds, cultures, vocations, and interests.

Detained at the Bulgaria-Danube border crossing. Nearly arrested in Chile and Suriname. Just missing a terrorist attack in Tunisia and the Six-Day War in Israel.

For Kenny’s 6th birthday, his first Phillies game. A sports insider for a nanosecond, though as an aspiring athlete, he could never hit a high fastball.

Holy Moley!

Kenneth Lipner was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Vietnam-era veteran, Ken has a strong social conscience dedicated to peace, equality, justice, and rescuing animals. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida State University, an MBA from the University of Memphis, a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning (MCRP), and a PhD from Rutgers University. He has visited 120 countries and all fifty states.

Dr Lipner’s research is quoted nationally and internationally. He was a member of the Miami Herald’s board of economists and, since 2001, has served as an original appointee on Miami-Dade County’s Dr Antonio Jorge Social and Economic Development Council, charged with promoting equitable development.

Ken held policymaking positions with New York City and Miami-Dade County. He was a tenured professor in Florida International University’s economics department for 25 years. Ken also held several visiting academic positions, including an HBCU in Memphis, and internationally in Thailand. A passionate sports fan, he briefly played on FSU’s college baseball team and has attended MLB games in all 30 current stadiums and 30 others no longer standing.

A semi-native Floridian, Ken and his wife Else have continuously resided in Miami since 1972.