Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

In these pages, I’ve written about the power of singing. Several thousand miles away in South Africa sings out a Future Hope–the Soweto Gospel Choir, kicking off their North American tour this month. Different styles, countries away. But both St. Victor’s Catholic Church in San Jose, CA and the Soweto Gospel Choir sing in their [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Parents and Love of Children During our lives, we meet many people. Some we admire, others not. Some bring us joy; others, sorrow. But no people form us more as human beings than our parents. I’m fortunate to have had two caring, loving parents who helped me and my sister grow up with integrity. In [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

They’re’s a rumor that something called “MobiSnippets”are coming to MobileBeyond, MobileDiscoveries, IM-Mobile and my personal blog. So I’ve scratched my head, asked all the neighbors what they are, and no one can tell me. Suzie told me they’re not sharks like the ones that visited the Golden Gate Bridge. Or those icebergs that invaded New [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Our Mom’s are intimately part of our lives–from birth, as we grow up, eventually separating to  live our own lives. But sometimes things happen. Illness strikes us. Things go wrong. We’re incapable of taking care of ourselves. And that’s when Mom’s come where Angels fear to tread. That’s the case with Elsie, a 75-year old [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

In our stressed-out, sometimes troubled lives, it’s soothing to chuckle over good humor. When we tire of bad news on the Web or tube, in fact, an uncontrollable belly laugh may even keep us sane. My sister was kind enough to email me a few good humor one-two liners. Here they are (with a few [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

TED talks and videos, if you’ve seen them, bring incredible, brilliant minds to the world at no cost. I urge you to subscribe to email notifications of current, short videos, also available on iTunes. Birke Baehr, an eleven-year old kid,  blew the crowd away speaking about organic vs. our mass-produced meat and other staples. Don’t [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

In the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy and her friends–the scarecrow, the lion and the tin man–had one thing they each lacked. The tin man had no heart; the lion, no courage, the scarecrow, no brain; Dorothy, no home. Only Toto, the dog, and the Good Witch and Bad Witch seemed satisfied with their [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

They say you only meet a few people in your life who change you as a person. Jean Dargis, former Choral Director and Administrator of St. Victor’s Catholic Church in San Jose, CA, was one of them. Jean passed away this week. While I lived in San Jose, my home town, I sang in Jean’s [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Hot off the press. U.S. consumers, during our economic doldrums, are buying technology gadgets rather than washers, apparel and furniture that last a few years. Apparently the lure of a smartphone or blu-ray DVD player is more appealing than the five-year old toaster that…well, makes toast. One 28 year-old guy was quoted: “Who cares about [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Worried about Internet privacy, web monitoring, flash cookies and who’s watching your website activity? Need better privacy protection in your life? Read on. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal published the first article in a series called “The Web’s New Gold Mine: Your Secrets,” a comprehensive piece describing how ad networks and Internet tracking companies are [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

I awakened the other morning while  still in REM dream sleep. Although I don’t recall if my eyes opened into reality from a dream or nightmare (it could have been a mix of both), I was uncomfortable with the experience. You’ve probably experienced a similar occurrence as your alarm clock went off. You’re in a [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Tuesday morning pretty much started out like any Tuesday in our town People who still subscribed to newspapers and magazines found copies delivered on their front porches or in the mail. Web readers, after grabbing a cup of coffee, looked at their computers and mobile phones to read the latest local and world happenings. Early [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Have you ever thought about why we buy insurance to handle risk in our lives? After  purchasing auto, home, health and life insurance, you’ll probably get a sales pitch from an appliance store sales person to insure your washer, dryer and fridge. Walk into an electronics store, like Best Buy, and out you walk with [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

On the fourth of July, 1976–200 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence–I stood in a corn field on a farm near Brookings, South Dakota.  I had just arrived to become Program Coordinator of KESD-FM, an NPR station located on the campus of South Dakota State University. Little did I know that someday [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

When was the last time you came up with a good idea? Not just a “good idea” but a mind-blowing idea that solved business or personal problems? I’m guessing, like the rest of us, you’d say “not recently.” It’s like remembering the last time you put a fresh box of baking soda in your fridge [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Today I made a critical decision in my life. I will ONLY work for a company that is fun and friendly. I mean, life is too short to spend a third of your waking hours in an un-fun, not-so-friendly company, right? So I searched nationwide for all jobs with the word “fun” in them using [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Once again, the researchers are at work with their computer models and statistical flukes. In this case, the Labor Department recently released its 2009 American Time Use Survey telling us how people spend their time. According to the experts, here’s how we’re using our time in hours and minutes (2009/2007): Sleeping (8:40/8:34) Watching TV (2:49/2:37) [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

After having Chinese food tonight, I opened up two fortune cookies. The first read: “Your life will be prosperous if you use your creativity.” Kind of what you’d expect from a “fortune” cookie–nothing brilliant or earth-shaking. Tossed that one aside. The second one, though, caught my eye: “You will find your solution where you least [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

As we watch the huge slick from the Gulf oil spill spread across the ocean, I’m reminded of the Greek mythological Mother Earth goddess Gaia, made popular in the late 1970′s and, later, in the 1990′s by James Lovelock who wrote the book “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth.” Lovelock suggested that we [...]

Brian Brian Prows

Brian Prows - Social Issues and Debatable Topics

Well, the 2010 mid-term elections are over.  And it’s still clear to me that democracies are wonderful but they suck when it comes to reaching consensus on critical issues like health care reform. Once again, the Wall Street Journal,  reiterates tired, trendy phrases for many of its readers. In today’s editorial–”the ObamaCare Crossroads–we read: “In [...]

Brian Brian Prows