Patriotism, country music by former 'American Idol' finalist Ayla Brown and rock and roll by Madison Rising made the Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Defend Freedom Tour a treat for the spirit and the ears.

Westerns haven’t been sexy to Hollywood producers for a long time, but a plucky group of filmmakers is trying to change that. And they got Eric Roberts to play the devil with "Six Gun Savior."

“The secret to great service brands, like Starbucks, Nordstrom and Nespresso, is that they inspire the customer experience through their teams,” said SGEi president Shane Green. It’s mindset and behaviors. These create a reputation. In today’s social media-focused environment your reputation is your brand. How you do things is how people will see you in the marketplace.”

“Grow fast or die slow,” was the quote from growth mentor Samir Patel (@meetsamir) that Vincent Dignan used to set the tone for his presentation, “Growth Hacking Live: Boost Your Startup in Realtime.” Dignan spoke to a room overflowing with startup entrepreneurs at SXSW V2V, a four-day (July 19-22) educational …

The V2Venture Competition at SXSW V2V enabled early-stage startups to pitch their products and/or services to industry experts and investors. Ten applications particularly impressed me.

Two entrepreneurs at a four-day educational event for startups demonstrated hardware and software solutions that aim to help living-on-their-own seniors stay safe and healthy.

“On October 20, 2000, they pulled the plug,” explained motivational speaker John Bates. “We had lost $80 million and when you do that, they come in, usually with security guards, lock you out and you have nothing. I was so embarrassed, so crushed, I thought I was going to die,” he explained. But, Bates survived the bursting of the internet bubble and today, as founder/CEO of ExecutiveSpeakingSuccess.com, he teaches executives all over the world how to pitch to obtain funding and achieve other objectives. And, he's good with a light saber.

“When I grow up, I want to be Dr. Manhattan," was one of the responses Anthem Film Festival organizer Jo Ann Skousen received during the “Top 10 Films Every Libertarian Should Know” panel. Sometimes you get more than you ask for. After the audience joined the panel in suggesting films, well, there were a lot more than 10.

Searching for Eddie Running Wolf, a feature length documentary by director Thomas Hartmann, defies easy classification.

Eight little girls at a birthday party on their neighbor’s farm; what could be more innocent than that?