I received the envelope below in the mail yesterday, and I was 99% sure that it was some form of advertising. However, there's always a little bit of doubt when I see words like "Urgent - Requires Immediate Action" or "Business Mail - Penalty for Tampering" on the envelope, or when I can see what … Continue reading A Call for Truth in Direct Mail Advertising →

My mom has been in and out of nursing homes for the past few years, and each time she is admitted, it seems to take a while for her to get accustomed to the surroundings. She is currently entering her third week at a nursing home, and the level of confusion was quite high when … Continue reading The Power of Music →

I took my aunt for a doctor's appointment today at a state of the art facility*, and it was one of the worst health-care related experiences I have had, and I wasn't even the patient, but merely an observer. It started off even before we stepped foot into the building; it seemed like the only … Continue reading High Tech Is Great, But Don’t Forget High Touch →

Secret, an app that allows its users to share messages anonymously within their circle of friends and with the public, announced today that it was shutting down. And I couldn't be happier. While I never root for anyone or any business to fail, and I admire the effort involved in developing and marketing a business … Continue reading The Problem with Anonymous Social Networking →

Date: April 28, 1978. Place: a college party at Lake Valhalla, East Stroudsburg, PA It started off like many other Friday nights in college, heading out to a party with friends. Who would have known that by the end of the evening, my life would be changed forever, for the better. Somehow during the course … Continue reading The Day That Changed My Life →

I believe that one of our main goals in life is happiness, or at least the pursuit of happiness. In addition, I believe another critical goal is to make society a better place for everyone. In the past couple of weeks, two organizations have come out with their rankings of the world's countries, using two … Continue reading Global Report Cards on Happiness and Social Progress – How is the U.S. Doing Versus the Nordic Countries? →

I've been a fan of Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam's for over 40 years. I admired him as much for his music as for his commitment to peace and other social causes. (He also had some of the best album covers.) As we enter another graduation season, fond memories of singing "On the Road to Find Out" … Continue reading ‘The Wind’ by Cat Stevens, Then and Now →

TMI alert... I've gained about eight pounds since I started blogging on January 1. And unfortunately it's not eight pounds of muscle, the extra weight has settled all around my waist. Now there's probably a few things that could help account for the weight gain. My exercise routine got thrown for a loop a few … Continue reading Love and Marriage, Horse and Carriage, Blogging and Snacking →

Over the past week I had the pleasure of reconnecting with three of my former students, all of whom coincidentally graduated in 2005. Two of the students had agreed to be a guest speaker in my classes, and I met the third for dinner. Katie, who currently works for a Fortune 50 firm, spoke last week about how … Continue reading Staying in Touch →

Once again, Seth Godin's daily post has forced me to think more clearly about the way I view certain issues. Today's post by Seth was about parents not setting high enough standards for their children, or bosses not setting high enough standards for their employees. The result is (potentially) out of control children or employees … Continue reading Who Should Set Your Standards? →