Editor’s note: Dr. Deaton, a social economist from Princeton who is widely respected uses this readable book to separate health and income’s effects on global life quality. He is brave enough to go way back and way forward in sharing his thought and all of his present and past observations are well researched and documented. Late in his thesis he says (my favorite seven words in the book) that we should worry about “equality of opportunity, not equality of outcomes.” His overall findings, if summarized from my reading would be that we’ve had huge progress in spreading (health and income) life quality over the last 150 years but that we may not do as well going forward. Essentially he is optimistic about the past and somewhat pessimistic about our future and while he cites good reasons to be skeptical, I’m hoping his warnings are observed and considered but not believed or accepted.  

Editor’s note: How fun it is to make my article of the month a local news item about our MD, Bill Leamon’s work in the area of social enterprise! Enjoy.

The most underutilized asset of ANY organization is their database.

Editor’s Note: This is the book I would be able to write if I had 10 times the experience I have at this time. Every interest I’ve had, it seems, is covered by this famous reporting couple. The thorough nature of their approach in fact makes it informative and helpful to a neophyte like me but also a bit weighty if you are more casual in your interest. Kristoff and WuDunn take account of an amazing number of vignettes of successful and unsuccessful efforts to stem poverty and its root causes here in America and throughout the world. In the same book, they also study the science of both giving and receiving. Finally, they cover measuring impact. For me it was well worth the slog and even if others are overwhelmed by it, the book adds fame and practical knowledge to this emerging social change society we are growing together.

Editor’s note: I’m not Coldplay’s biggest fan but I like the guy’s voice a ton and enjoy their creative orchestration, particularly their use of strings. While hearing this, one of their most popular tunes I was struck by the lyrics I’d never quite listened to before. The recurring point of course is the old “riding high in April, shot down in May” of Sinatra reminiscence. But the real striker was the one phrase chosen below as my favorite lyric.  

Editor’s Note: I enjoy this woman’s writing style. I consider this article a modernized treatment of my favorite Viktor Frankl quote, “happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue as an unintended side effect....”

I’ve made the cut as a speaker on the national Vistage circuit. With no small thanks to my son and promoter, Kevin, we have ten presentations scheduled and that number is climbing. Vistage is a peer group concept with over 2,500 groups in the USA of 12 to 18 CEOs who gather once a month for a full day to work on their businesses together.

Editor’s note: Take your time getting into the Youtube video, Victor hits the song at about the middle of his bass solo in a Flecktones’ live concert. Wooten is known as Futurman and surely the most unique electic bass player I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, this makes you thirsty for more Bela Fleck, whose entire history and band is the soul of unique approaches to music and instruments.

Editor’s Note: The entire three page book can be read in this file as it is in the public domain. Seems maybe it always was since the author gave rights to railroad executives in many countries and this little book was shared 40 million times in its first few years out. That was over 100 years ago and the writing is (appropriate to 1899) a bit heavy handed. But the point of it is highlighted in my excerpt below in one short sentence and I love the idea that all employers are in an endless search for “Rowans” – someone who can be counted on to get a message to Garcia. Note: Dedicated to my newest grandson, Rowan Zigmunt McCarthy.

Editor's comment: I've been a student of mind-body connection for 18+ years now and this is as good a commentary as I've read. No one - NO ONE - seems to respect the physical outcomes of stress. My basic "go to" emotion is anger, which is based in fear. And I spent the majority of my life never realizing what an impact that had not only on those I loved but on my own health. Now, I work to simply notice it as it comes up (it never will "go away") so that I may manage it more skillfully.