Category: Articles
Commuter Calm
July 8, 2009
I heard that London commuter trains have begun to encourage some of their drivers to conclude their standard announcements with short philosophical comments. The transportation system has supplied them with handbooks containing famous quotes, as well as training in how to select the best quote for the situation. Research has demonstrated that people tune out [...] Read More...
The Gods of Guitar be Praised!
June 25, 2009
“The gods of guitar be praised!” With these words the announcer of our local PBS station introduced the centerpiece of last night’s fundraising appeal—the 2007 performance of Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood together at Madison Square Garden. I have seen many of the great musical performances featured in these appeals, most of them classics and [...] Read More...
Swift Compliance
June 1, 2009
This week I received an email from a physician’s office requesting records on a mutual patient. This is standard practice and as long as the patient/client signs a release form specifically authorizing it, the information is provided. What surprised me about this request was its language. It began innocently enough, establishing that we shared a [...] Read More...
One Thousand Cranes
May 18, 2009
We visited Hiroshima on our trip to Japan earlier this year. The museum there is now dedicated to world peace and contains several monuments and displays. I snapped this photo of origami cranes made by school children in honor of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was a child of two when the bomb hit Hiroshima. She [...] Read More...
Coaxing Habits
March 2, 2009
This is an article I was asked to write for a professional journal dealing with bariatric surgery. I think it has broader application. Once you’ve had surgery, the rest is downhill, right? Not so fast! You’ve probably already discovered that making post-surgical lifestyle changes takes time and effort for several reasons. Developing a healthy lifestyle [...] Read More...
