Special to the Star-Telegram Jim was my best friend in high school. He and I did everything that best friends do: We hung out, talked, double-dated and “made the drag” around town. We played together on the football field, in the band hall and at church. During my sophomore year, I played quarterback; Jim, a … Read more
(Reprinted with permission of the author, DIANA KUNDE) Sun, Nov. 5, 2005 Special to the Dallas Morning News FORT WORTH—What do you answer when your toddler asks, “What’s this?” What’s likely to follow when a politician begins a sentence with: “The fact of the matter is … ?” And what do these questions have to … Read more
Special to the Star-Telegram Don’t like feeling like a fish flopping on an August sidewalk? Don’t give up hope. Next week, I begin a new job. I’ve been invited by the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University to teach a course in general semantics. There’s a bit of irony in this. In 1979, … Read more
Special to the Star-Telegram In 21st-century America, honor is an option — not necessary, not sufficient, desirable only if it doesn’t jeopardize the bottom line. I grew up playing sports in the Texas Panhandle. On my bedroom wall, I had a plaque inscribed with a then-famous Grantland Rice saying: For when the one great scorer … Read more
I contributed to the book by a mentor, Dr. Helen Harkness, Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life, (2005, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, ISBN 0-89106-209-2). Following are the excerpts that document my case study. Success Based on the Authentic Self (p. 41) Steve graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy … Read more
Special to the Star-Telegram Changing words doesn’t change what they refer to — but it may change attitudes. Words have been in the news a lot lately. Of course, one could make the argument that what we call “the news” is nothing but words. We hear and read about “the news” in the words that … Read more
(Reprinted with permission of the Dallas Morning News) Expert advises altering expectations as people seek new relationships Monday, December 29, 2003 By ALINE McKENZIE / The Dallas Morning News [Disclaimer: I’ve never used the word “expert” to refer to myself about anything. Not seriously. The background for this story is that Aline read the catalog … Read more
From the July 18, 2003 print edition of the Dallas Business Journal Mike Whiteley Tarrant/Denton editor When 16-year-old honors student Taylor Hess got expelled for carrying a bread knife onto the campus of L.D. Bell High School in the bed of his pickup, school officials drew more than the ire of stunned students and parents … Read more
INDEX OF CHANTICLEER CALLS TOPICS, 1999-2003 From 1999 into 2003, I published 34 issues of an online collection of observations, homilies, and lessons learned I called Chanticleer Calls. The name was inspired by Thoreau’s self-aware mission statement in his book Walden: I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily … Read more
March 24, 2003 FRYING SPAM As one who receives more than his share of spam, and probably has less patience with it than most, I have decided to stop distributing Chanticleer Calls via email. Unsolicited email, or “spam,” passed my personal obnoxious threshold long ago. Recently, PC Magazine featured a cover story on it. PBS … Read more
