Life: strange eventful history

Sixteenth-century English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare called life a “strange eventful history” that played itself out in several distinct stages. If you are sympathetic to this viewpoint, then you likely also believe that the American public figures that lost their lives this past week and a half died before their time. Whatever your perspective, those deaths—sudden or not—probably have you thinking about your own mortality; perhaps, you… Continue

Spotlight on Michael Jackson falls short on manners ...



This week, bad news has certainly come in threes -- Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson are dead. The flurry of news surrounding Michael's sudden passing somehow seemed to eclipse that of the other two deceased, though. I am not particularly surprised at that because I know enough about the media and how they operate to expect the kind of frenetic movement towards the "next big thing" that has been evident… Continue

Last night I caught a program on CNBC, called "The Oprah Effect". It showcased three or four entrepreneurs who achieved incredible success within a few months of having their business featured on the Oprah Show. The narrator referred to Oprah Winfrey's ability to transform businesses with her talk show as a Midas Touch. Of course, this was not to suggest that there was anything magical about how Oprah built her communications empire; on the contrary, the commentary was intended to… Continue