Many men of my generation pause each memorial day to remember our Viet Nam-era friends and colleagues who lost their lives in war. My memory today is of my friend Jim Masters, an intelligence officer in the Navy who died when his plane was shot down near De Nang. Jim and I reported for duty at the Atsugi Naval Air Station in Japan on the same day in December of 1967. He was married but his wife Becky wouldn’t arrive for a few weeks, and [...]

During my 19 years on the board of a large, publically held corporation, I have been in many discussions with my colleagues about whether or not the sole responsibility of a director is to enhance shareholder value.  I argue that while this is an important part of our duty, we also have a responsibility to other stakeholders: customers, employees, and the welfare of the community and state we do business in. This subject is examined in a recent article in The Economist, a weekly magazine [...]

Is the USA a Christian nation? Ponder some teachings of Jesus and then you decide. Please share your conclusion by clicking on “comments” at the bottom of the page. These teachings have been gleaned and paraphrased from the four Gospel lessons as recorded in the New International Version of the Bible.  Blessed are the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peace makers… You have heard it said, eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do [...]

It is not the critic who counts… not the one who points out how the strong stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena… the one whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and who spends him or herself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows [...]