I was recently asked to join the board of Reconstruction, Inc., a Philadelphia-based non-profit that works on issues related to re-entry programs for recently released prisoners, the injustices associated with the sentence of life in prison without parole (referred to as death by incarceration), and community building for families and neighborhoods affected by crime and … Continue reading Reconstruction, Inc. – Doing Work That Matters
The Wall Street Journal had a story the other day about Starbucks' disappointing results in Europe and the U.S. that resulted in its third consecutive sales-target miss. While there could be several possible explanations for not hitting its sales target (changing consumer preferences, more competition, pricing, decreased quality, etc.), what was surprising were the reasons … Continue reading Is There a Link Between Terrorism and Sales of Starbucks Coffee?
It's been a few months since we had to put our dog Butters to sleep, and we were waiting for the right time to get a new dog. Well the wait is over. We were fortunate to find out about a dog that was being fostered by a friend of a friend, and when we … Continue reading Our Newest Family Member
My son and I were driving around today, and Elton John's classic song, "Candle in the Wind" came on the radio. It immediately brought back memories from almost 20 years ago of Princess Di's funeral and Elton's performance of Candle in the Wind in memory of her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8gO0Z818j4 It's one of my favorite songs, and … Continue reading Elton John and Ally McBeal
A few months ago I wrote about what is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, a situation where one happens upon some obscure piece of information—often an unfamiliar word or name—and soon afterwards encounters the same subject again, often repeatedly. Last week I wrote about how great Bryan Stevenson's book, Just Mercy, is. In the book, Stevenson … Continue reading The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon and W.E.B. Du Bois
A tip of the hat to Seth Godin for the title of today's blog post. Seth closed his Sunday blog post with that line, but before it, he used some examples to support his case. Here are some of those examples: serving 4 ounces of wine in a beer stein would make it seem like … Continue reading Portion Control via Vessel Size Is a Secret to Success and Happiness
This is the 69th in a collection of newspaper ads written by Harry Gray, then CEO of United Technologies, that appeared in the Wall Street Journal from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Here is the text from that ad. Someone once asked a Southerner, "Where does the South actually begin?" The Southerner said, … Continue reading Common Courtesy Is No Longer Common
I just had the best night of the summer so far. The Upper Merion Parks and Recreation Department puts on an annual summer "Concerts Under the Stars" series, and tonight featured Gaelic Storm along with opening act Brian Bortnick. We (my wife, son, and I) decided to go to the concert despite never having heard … Continue reading Best Night of Summer 2016, Thanks to Gaelic Storm
It seemed a like a perfect summer night, warm and a little muggy. Our calendar was open for the evening, and so at the last minute we decided to buy some tickets to watch the Wilmington Blue Rocks play the Lynchburg Hillcats. The Blue Rocks are an advanced Single-A league in minor league baseball affiliated with … Continue reading The Bordens Go to a Baseball Game; You Won’t Believe What Happened Next
The title for this post is one of the more memorable lines from “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson, a lawyer who defends those on death row or sentenced to life in prison, people who are broken. He notes that he often had conversations with clients who were struggling and despairing … Continue reading Each of Us Is More Than the Worst Thing We’ve Ever Done
Borden's Blather 