In 1859 Charles Darwin put forth his theory of natural selection—the non-random process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. In other words, nature ensures the...

My wife and I recently returned from southern Africa were we experienced one of the most incredible spectacles imaginable.  On our first morning in the bush our guide was driving us and another couple from the Matashu Camp through the center of the dried out Mujale...

You can flip a toaster on its side and grill cheese on a slice of bread. If you want to know how fresh the bread is in your grocery store, look at the tie that holds the wrapper closed. Bread is usually delivered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,...

Visitors to the Vail Valley should be aware that even if you’re in great physical shape, it’s no guarantee against developing altitude sickness.  Even if you’ve been here without symptoms in the past, it’s no guarantee against getting sick now.  The reality is that...

During their first United States tour in 1964, a reporter asked Ringo Starr, “How do you find America,” The Beatles drummer didn’t miss a beat and replied, “Turn left at Greenland!” Well, perhaps it was that simple for Mr. Starr and his friends, but sometimes...

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I believe the New Year is a good time to take stock of our lives and where we are headed. I grew up during the 50’s in a middle-class neighborhood of row houses on the west side of Chicago, replete with “gangways” between each...

Working in a family business has its plusses and minuses.  For me, the minuses occurred when my buddies were out playing baseball during summer vacation and I was putting in a 60-hour workweek with my father.  But on the plus side, working in a family grocery store...

It was the 70s and a pall hung over America.  The nation was still reeling from its Vietnam experience; the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island incident sparked doubts about the safety and future of nuclear energy and people cued up for gas, sometimes waiting hours...

During a recent dinner conversation with friends, the topics of skiing and golf came up and soon the entire table was putting in their “two-cents worth” regarding which sport was more fun, more challenging, easier to learn, etc. etc. Our conversation was energetic and...

Earl Nightingale was an American author and motivational speaker who came to be known as the Dean of Personal Development.  He believed the world in which we live and work is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. The maxim that runs through all of Mr....