Because of the snow and some other problems TradioV will not be broadcasting today, so at 4 p.m. you won't be hearing me on The Startup Show. Hope you'll join us next week. Or just give me a phone call any time, (303)861-1447. I'll be by the phone from 4 to 5 this afternoon. :)

My little book on startup is only 99-cents for the e-edition (click here), it talks about the 4 phases of startup, concrete suggestions for each step. If you don't find it useful, I'll give you $1 back.

Phase 3 is to get started as quickly as possible.  The best Phase 3 book I've ever read is Just Start, you can read the first chapter free, see http://Just-Start.com.

Ash Wednesday

George Weigle talks in today's Wall Street Journal (click for article) about the qualities that will be needed in the new Pope.

Vatican II was the culmination of over a hundred years movement towards reaching out, the New Evangelism. Weigle says what hasn't worked is Catholic Lite, that building on a nominal foundation is what has just about killed the Church in Europe.

Thomas Merton started the conversion process in my own personal life, after I'd lost my faith. As a 9 year old kid, I'd gone forward to be baptized at University Hills Baptist Church. It's still a vivid memory being in the basement, sitting by my dad, praying, his eyes still closed when I responded to the call from the preacher to come forward. I learned from my mother much, much later that he hadn't been pleased at all, thought I was too young, soon after he took our family to a Methodist church, after I was married there he and mom and my brothers went to an independent church before settling in at a Presbyterian church.

Dad had four sisters, they were all Baptist, but as I understand it they all went to different branches of the Baptist church, seems like his mother went to a 5th branch, and none of them were at all sure the others were going to get into heaven.

I have two brothers, from how it looks to me we are all about like dad's family was, all going to different churches, all figuring the other guy is wrong. The apples don't drop too far from the tree, and not all on one side.

One of my favorite TV shows is Blue Bloods, my favorite scene is the Catholic family sitting around the dinner table. Those families that grow up in the same church have a big advantage.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays and Sundays are considered "feast" days during Lent. It's observed by Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Methodists. But not at the Methodist Church we attended, at least not by dad.

I've wondered what life might have been like for me if we'd stayed at that Baptist church, and it hadn't been Baptist/Methodist/Unitarian/Congregationalist/Atheist/Presbyterian/Lutheran/Episcopalian/Catholic for me and my poor kids.

It was a surprise a couple of years ago when a friend died and his funeral was at that Baptist church, it felt like coming home. I really started to wonder if it might make sense to go back. That's no longer a possibility. I drove by recently, it's been torn down. Ash Wednesday reminds us that's what happens to us all eventually.

Dust to dust. Ashes to ashes.

Happy birthday, pop.

John E Wren, was born on this day in 1924. Cancer took him November 15, 1979. He had 4 older sisters, his dad died when he was only 8.

Before dad died I realized he'd never talked about his dad. "I guess I resented him," he told me from his final of a long series of hospital beds. "I always thought my life would have been a whole lot easier if he'd fought it a little harder."

I've always wondered since then if dad might have lived longer if he hadn't been forced as a kid to fight it quite so hard,

We just posted a link to Bill Moyers interview with Jonathan Haidt author of the new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, to be published in March 2012.  See http://Facebook.com/WeVoteOrWeRecall

In the book, his interview with Moyers and the other info on the above site, Haidt explains the evolution of morality — how we evolved to have different morals, and how these differences can bind us together into groups that seek victory, not truth, and blind us to our own predispositions.

In an era of increasing political polarization, he strives to strengthen understanding and dialogue rather than falling back on the usual partisan accusations of “You just don’t get it!”

Ask a question of Ben Franklin

Ben's going to write a letter each week, answer our questions, check it out http://Facebook.com/Small.Business.Chamber