When I moved to Lantana six years ago, I planned on starting a business, but what type enterprise, I didn’t know.  My entire career had been spent in newspapers and online media before Google was a household name.  I quickly set up shop in my home and began brokering media space while I considered several different ideas for a new business.  As a broker, my work consisted of selling advertising space on newspaper websites as well as email marketing data but I had my mind on something larger in scope with longevity. Being a founding member of the Lantana Golf Club, I found my way onto the golf course every afternoon to take my mind off of work, opening my mind up to new ideas and that is where I formulated what came next. During this time I had no kids and little responsibility, proving to be a convenient way of life, now that I look back.  My golf score was also in the eighties and now I am lucky to break a hundred.  Golf is an unforgiving game and will bury you if you’re out of practice, much like the newspaper business.

     With the shift from print to online, ironically enough, I missed newspapers and pursued buying a local one.  The Flower Mound Messenger was a paper that was for sale at the time, spurring my interest. After bidding on it with no success, in large part due to the fact I was competing with another buyer, who happened to be one of the world’s largest newspaper corporations, I focused on another newspaper that published every other week, opposite The Messenger, called The News Connection. After meeting with the Bairds, the founders and owners of The News Connection, we found that we had good timing and arrangements were made for the acquisition quickly. It was only weeks later that we were the proud new owners of a local newspaper. By this time, The Messenger had announced their plans to pub... [Read More]

     The real estate market was thriving five years ago in Southern Denton County.  It was obvious by the number of real estate advertisers we worked with then compared to now.  Over the past few years, the market has slowly worsened brought on by a number of things, but the main culprit was subprime lending, referred to by many in the business as “liar loaning.”  Subprime lending is a financial term that was popularized by the media during the "credit crunch" of 2007 and involves financial institutions lending to borrowers who do not meet prime underwriting guidelines. Subprime borrowers are more likely not to pay the money back, such as those who have a history of not paying loans back, those with a recorded bankruptcy, or those with limited debt experience.

      After many of these bad loans started defaulting to foreclosure status, the bottom fell out and Denton County was at the top of the list for foreclosures.  We started losing advertisers and any business that was dependent on home sales started to feel the crunch.  It’s been a rough couple of years for real estate but one thing I have noticed; the real estate professionals who have been at it for a long time all say one thing in common.  “It will turn around eventually and homes will start selling again.”  It’s extremely difficult to remain optimistic during a recession and I admire those who can do it.

      Well, the Obama administration kicked off a new program Wednesday that's designed to help up to 9 million borrowers stay in their homes through refinanced mortgages or loans that are modified to lower monthly payments. The administration, launching what it calls the "Making Home Affordable" initiative, said that borrowers will have to provide their most recent tax return and two pay stubs, as well as an "affidavit of financial hardship" to qualify for the $75 billion loa... [Read More]

     I have taken my time to embrace social networking online, swearing off Myspace and Facebook, being quick to shoot down a mention of any virtual playground.  Eventually, I ignored my will after hearing about Facebook for the thousandth time from many who I consider to be level headed. I opened my mind, chunked my stubborn adult values out the window, and then logged on to see what the hype was about.  It’s free and there is minimal intrusiveness on the front end, meaning they want very little information to get you onboard, which made it easy.

     After setting up a barebones page so that I could start searching, I instantly noticed two friends’ requests. As I accepted one of them that I quickly recognized, suddenly another person invited me in.  All people I hadn’t spoken with in years and here they were standing in line to catch up on what I was doing now. How flattering!  After making them my friends with the click of a button, I began to delve into their lives from the comfort of my own laptop by exploring their pages, which included up to date profiles and pictures.  The combination of easy navigation along with the powerful search capabilities made for a “drug like” addiction. Time zipped by as I rattled my brain for names to search for. I found people I knew and lost contact with all the way from Hawaii to Bosnia.
    

       Facebook was created in 2004 by Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, along with his brainy classmates.  It was geared toward college students at inception and has recently become a phenomenon, wrapping its electronic arms, around the world. The movement is, in large part, used by middle aged people who have lost track of more acquaintances than they can remember, because of various schools, jobs and marriages. I mentioned to my wife that she should give the global village a look and now she is su... [Read More]

    Some of you who know me realize that my wife and I had a son about 7 weeks ago and he and our daughter are the joy of our lives.  With 4.5 years difference in their age, we forgot how difficult it was taking care of a newborn.  Yes, I quickly forgot about the needs of a new baby and all of the decisions that have to be made, like how and what to feed them.  My wife decided to breastfeed since he took to it so easily, supplementing with a small amount of formula.  The nurse gave us soy based formula at the hospital, saying that it would be good for him since it's the most similar to breast milk.

    From that point, our routine started to take shape and we went with her advice without question.  Last evening my wife was online researching different formulas, delving into the pros and cons of each when she stumbled upon a columnist who made some very bold claims. She got my attention from the next room as I heard her frantically shout, “You're not going to believe this!” His name is Jim Rutz, founder and chairman of Open Church Ministries.  Rutz claims that soy is making kids gay.  Seriously, he states that soybean products are feminizing due to high levels of estrogen.  
“If you're a grownup, you're already developed and you're able to fight off some of the damaging effects of soy. Babies aren't so fortunate. Research is now showing that when you feed your baby soy formula, you're giving him or her the equivalent of five birth control pills a day. A baby's endocrine system just can't cope with that kind of massive assault, so some damage is inevitable. At the extreme, the damage can be fatal. Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality, says Rutz.”

    As a Publisher, I definitely don't buy into everything I read, only believing half of what I see, but after reading this man's piece, I decid... [Read More]

    It seems that a dark cloud has been following me around, and those I’m in contact with feel similarly. We have a newly elected president that hasn’t done anything yet, per se, and has the best approval rating of any new President since John F. Kennedy.  Most of my associates are small business owners or people who work for small business and there isn’t as much confidence in the room as there was a year ago.  Could Obama be that ray of light we’re looking for?    

    With a plummeting stock market, banking, automotive and retail at a low point, to put it optimistically, we need to see something positive. I pray that President Obama can deliver on half of what he has promised, proving to be more than just the virtual messiah that citizens have hoped him to be. Looking at the proof, there is plainly nothing to go on yet, but with his new economic stimulus package coming down the pike, which could give him a positive track record quickly, he could prove himself right away.  I understand everyone needs some time, even the chosen ones, but let’s not let any grass grow. Americans are anxious and the best thing Obama could do is impact the economy in a positive way quickly. I could even overlook moving terrorists out of Guantanamo Bay into our country if he spurs the economy.    

    Right now, I am longing for the days when we can all show some confidence again and we feel like things are somewhat in control.  As an eternal optimist, I truly feel things will turn around, regardless of whom is leading our country, and time has a way of working things out.  People and business will adjust to the new way of doing business.  Prices will drop and those of us who have some disposable income will start spending again.  It is a process of reclamation. With the media’s love for President Obama, I assume we will see less negative press and mo... [Read More]

     When are you getting home?  What’s for dinner?  Can you pick up milk and diapers?  Those are some of the regular text messages I get these days.  I quickly reply back with short answers like, no problem, or what do you want, I’m not picky.  Text messaging has become a phenomenon in the U.S. these days, catering to those of us who are all about convenience.   I have never been one for long phone conversations so I see text messaging as a Godsend. If I could reply to him with a text I would say thanks a bunch.
What I like about texting the most is the, directness. You can cut through the minutia and get straight to the point without wasting time.  I admit that sometimes I hesitate to pick up a phone call if I don’t feel like I have enough time to take it.  With a text, I can usually always engage in conversation right away, since I know it will be to the point and quick. You’re in and you’re out!

    What surprises me are the people who refuse to embrace new technology.  I will send them a text message and rather than replying, they pick up the phone and call.  They say they don’t do texting and would rather talk. Oh really, you don’t do that? It’s as if I was offering them drugs. It’s just a little workout for your fingers I think to myself as I just wasted two minutes of my time. Then there are those whom you suspect are not hip enough for texting and you find out they do text.  These people are discovered when you send them a text with no anticipation of a reply, then surprisingly, you get that unmistakable little chirp on your phone with their response.   Don’t judge a cell phone by its owner, the secret society of texters is growing every day. Studies say that 75 billion text messages are sent every month. I suggest you take a chance by texting those whom you least expect a reply from.  You might just be surprised and then you can add ... [Read More]

     Life is often a game of chance, forcing us to make decisions without completely being convinced of the facts.  You can only go on what you feel is right, while many times your decision may not be accepted by others.  I was reminded of this again after being faced with vaccinating our child who was just born, before we left the hospital a few weeks ago.  Are vaccines safe? That's a dangerous question to answer these days. To say "yes" or "maybe" is to be accused of inviting a public health disaster as millions of parents refuse to vaccinate their children against dreaded diseases. But to say "no" is to deny the experience of parents who need no more proof than the fact that their children were fine before a shot and not fine after. The issue has become a flash point of contention, pitting science against certainty, doctors against parents, and parents against one another.       

    Before 1980, autism was diagnosed in just 1 out of every 10,000 children. Twenty-five years later, the National Institutes of Health reported that autism disorders affect one in every 250 children, and is estimated to increase 10% every year. Though no scientific evidence has yet to prove a link between autism and vaccinations, both the scientific and medical communities agree that further research and study needs to be conducted before the possible link can be completely dismissed. The first connection with autism and vaccinations come through a preservative called thimerosal. Thimerosal is a preservative found in many vaccinations. Thimerosal contains 46.9% ethyl mercury. Mercury is the second most harmful natural substance to humans, next to uranium. Mercury has been proven to cause neurological damage, among other ailments. Over a decade ago, The Institute of Medicine concluded that the hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines could be associated with neurodevelopmental dis... [Read More]

        Last week my wife, daughter and I were perusing Target for some last minute things the day before we planned on going to the hospital to induce labor for the birth of our son.  After 30 minutes had passed, Amy was leaning over the cart complaining that her stomach was cramping and she was short on breath.  My four year-old was pulling on my arm, begging for a new Barbie with no regard for her mother.  Here I am between the two women in my life, one my needy daughter and the other my very pregnant wife; both demanding my immediate attention.    

    What do I do, I stick my foot in my mouth like most men do when they are under pressure by girls.  While ignoring my wife for the moment, I said to my little girl, “Stop yelling at me or you’re going to make your mother cry!  Look at her, she is about to cry.”  As we returned to the car and I tried to defend the verbal stupidity that had rolled off of my tongue earlier, Amy insisted that I began to time the minutes between what she suspected was contractions.  After discovering there was a contraction every three minutes, we concurred that we needed to get to the hospital quickly.      

    In my mind, we were not supposed to have the baby until tomorrow and it never dawned on me that it may happen sooner.  We took our daughter home, where her grandmothers were waiting and quickly explained to her that we needed to go to the hospital tonight rather than tomorrow. She hugged our necks tightly with love, and then we were off.  In the car, Amy told me something that she never does, which was to step on it, go faster!  I put my hazard lights on and drove my H2 like the Duke boys behind the wheel of the General Lee, straightening the curves and flattening the hills.  Her water broke 30 minutes after we arrived and she delivered our son, Steele J... [Read More]