Business

July 26, 2014
July 26, 2014
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Aggressive Behavior, Anger, and Trust

AngerOne evening during the summer of 2005, I called one of my clients and asked him if he would come over to my house to fix a problem with my plumbing.  His name was Jim, and at that time he was in his mid-50s.  We had done business with each other since the early 1990s.  I was originally introduced to Jim by another client who owned several rental properties and had hired Jim to work on his properties.

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July 19, 2014
July 19, 2014
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Modern-Day Advice from a 13th-Century Saint

Thomas AquinasLast week, I wrote about how an adorer (“Tony”) had criticized me because of an article that I had written about Amazon.com and its founder, Jeff Bezos.  Tony provided several reasons why I (and other Catholics) should refuse to do business with Amazon, one of which is that “Amazon distributes pornography.”  Here’s how I responded to the comment about the pornography issue:

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July 12, 2014
July 12, 2014
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Criticism From An Adorer

Amazon-frustration-freeWhen I started my law practice in 1983, there was an office supply store named Kellstedts that was located about four blocks from my office in downtown, Peoria.  All of the offices that were located downtown bought their office supplies from Kellstedts.

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July 9, 2014
July 9, 2014
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A Lesson From Amazon.com

If you use the Internet to shop for items, there’s a good chance you’ve purchased products from Amazon.com. With 96 fulfillment centers located throughout the United States, Amazon is a financial threat to a number of local and national businesses. Products that are ordered from Amazon are routinely delivered to customers’ doorsteps within one to three days.

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May 31, 2014
May 31, 2014
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The Life of an Entrepreneur

EntrepreneurIf you’re like me, you probably never heard of Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380–1444).  I learned about him a couple of weeks ago when I read a summary of his life.  His feast day is on May 20, the same day as my birthday.  This year, when I turned 57, I decided that it was time for me to learn about the saint who is honored by the Catholic Church every year on my birthday.

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April 5, 2014
April 5, 2014
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Dealing With The Dirty Laundry

Laundry RemovalI was born on the same day that my grandfather, Harry LaHood, was buried.  My grandfather died on May 17, 1957.  My mom and dad attended his funeral Mass on May 20, and then went to the cemetery for the burial service.  Mom’s contractions had started earlier in the day and became more intense while she and Dad were at the cemetery.  After the burial service was finished, Mom told Dad that she needed to go to the hospital.  I was born later that day, and Mom gave me the same name as her father.

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December 28, 2013
December 28, 2013
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A Duck Hunter Wins One for the Christians

Phil RobertsonOn Christmas morning, my wife sent a text message to me and our children with a link to a YouTube video.  The beginning of the video showed images from the first Christmas.  The audio that played in the background was from the segment of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” where Linus recited the famous passage from the Gospel of Luke: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them….”

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December 14, 2013
December 14, 2013
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The Language of Money

Accumulate WealthDuring my first year of practicing law (1983), I got a call from a young man who had received a speeding ticket.  He was employed by Domino’s Pizza as a deliveryman, and he wanted me to help him keep the ticket off his driving record.  For purposes of discussion, I’m going to call him Jim.

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December 7, 2013
December 7, 2013
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Rich Enough To Have An Indoor Bathroom

OuthouseIn March 1990, I interviewed my grandmother, Cecilia LaHood (Grandma Ceil), for an article I was going to write and distribute at an upcoming 80th birthday party her children were planning for her.  Grandma Ceil’s date of birth was April 15, 1910.  During the interview, Grandma told me that her family lived in three different houses during the first six years of her life.  None of those houses had electricity or hot water.  I recorded the interview and later transcribed what Grandma said.  Here’s what she told me about their fourth home:

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