Televisions are a predictor of wealth. The job of newspaper columnist Steve Blow takes him into a lot of different homes – from shacks to mansions. “One thing I noticed from the very start – the poorer the home, the more prevalent the television. In well-to-do homes, TV’s are hardly in evidence.” (1) In poor homes the...

As Ray Miller cradled the phone on his shoulder and typed a few keys on the computer, a spreadsheet appeared on the monitor. Glancing at the picture of Gloria and the kids on his desk, he said, “Honey, I’m really sorry. I know, but I’m still working on this report for tomorrow. Just go ahead...

Americans are captivated with makeovers. Millions watch weekly episodes of ABC television’s Extreme Makeover andExtreme Makeover: Home Edition where people receive remodeled bodies and families with remodeled houses. While liposuction, plastic surgery, teeth whitening and new clothes can make an ugly duckling look like a swan, the person remains the same on the inside. Lack of discipline, ignorance...

“We’re all going to Krispy Kreme,” said Barry Cameron, co-author of The Principles. None of his staff had been on a field trip since elementary school. As a result, the Crossroads Christian Church employees were surprised when senior pastor Barry Cameron announced in February 2004 that everyone was going on a one hour, onsite visit to...

by Catherine Simpson, Exec. Director – Fort Worth Women’s Business Center and Tom Pryor, CEO – ICMS A few months ago, Congresswoman Kay Granger held two Power Breakfasts with some of the members of the Fort Worth Women’s Business Center’s Advisory Council. She asked these business owners what some of the issues were that they...

“What do you make of the recent so-called recession?” asked the Fortune magazine reporter. “What we have been going through these past three years is most definitely not a recession. It’s a transition — a transition with a lot of incongruities,” (1) responded ninety-four year old guru Peter Drucker in a January 2004 interview. Most...

Dad died December 9th, sixty-two short days after Mom. Noel Pryor left like he lived… quietly, graciously, without demands. The death certificate says emphysema, but family and friends know full well that Dad died of a broken heart. Fifty-seven years ago Dad said and kept a wedding vow, “till death do us part”. By his...

According to the October 31st Wall Street Journal a new, interdisciplinary field is developing called “spiritual capital”. (1) Economists and religious scholars are jointly investigating the public effects of religion “on larger society and the economy.” In our post-Enron world, people and corporations are searching for a reliable source of ethical, successful truths. An increasing number of...

The voice on the phone said, “As of June 13, 2005, the balance due on your mortgage is zero dollars and zero cents. If you would like to repeat this message, press 4 on your telephone keypad.” I responded by pressing “4” several more times! Why? Because it was music to my ears.   July 4th is...

While sunrise is my favorite time of the day, one of my favorite places to watch sunset was destroyed June 1, 2005. The Oasis restaurant burned after a lightning strike. Popular for many decades with Austinites and Texas tourists, people ate Tex-Mex and nachos while they watch the sun go down from one of the...