Most of us probably don't bother thinking about it, and just assume that prices are cheaper at dollar stores. But that is not always the case, according to a study by The Guardian. For example, a 4.5 ounce box of raisins costs $1.00 at a dollar store, but a 72-ounce box at a big box … Continue reading Buyer Beware →

A couple of weeks ago I received the results of my teaching evaluations from this past Spring, and to say they were less than stellar would be putting it mildly. In fact, they were among the worst evaluations I've received in 30 years of teaching. My first reaction was to downplay the significance of the … Continue reading Asking For, and Getting, Help →

A few weeks a go I wrote a post about how the Burger King on Market Street in San Francisco played classical music all night and all day, to discourage the homeless from hanging around. I also noted how that was not the first time such a tactic had been used. A Canadian 7-Eleven used … Continue reading Barry Manilow Writes the Songs That Repel People?? →

In a series of laboratory studies, former Stanford postdoctoral fellow Paul O’Keefe, along with Stanford psychologists Carol Dweck and Gregory Walton, examined beliefs that may lead people to succeed or fail at developing their interests. Now I'm a fan of Dweck's work on the importance of having a growth mindset, and while this current research seems to  build … Continue reading How Is This Stanford Research Considered “New”? →

Which one of the following lifestyles sounds most appealing to you: He is a healthy, middle-aged father who socializes at least six hours a day and has a few good friends he can count on. He sleeps at least seven hours most nights, walks to work, and eats six servings of fruits and vegetables most … Continue reading Profiles of the World’s Happiest People →

It's the perfect bar bet. Ask your bar mates what company is the world's largest tire manufacturer. Bridgestone? Nope. Guess again. Michelin? Not even close. Goodyear? Uhhhhh... No. You'll probably never guess, even though this company makes nearly 70% more tires than the number two manufacturer. And it's not like it's a company you've never … Continue reading And the World’s Largest Tire Manufacturer Is… Drumroll Please… →

Well at least according to the author Henry James. I was unaware of James having made such a statement, but came across it in a beautiful essay in today's Wall Street Journal by Patricia Hampl. She writes: It’s easy to see his (James') point, to follow him into the meadowland that those two words conjure … Continue reading Summer Afternoon – the Two Most Beautiful Words in the English Language →

We just got back from watching an outstanding performance of Camelot at the Act II Theatre in Ambler, PA, and some of the dialogue really struck me. Early on in the play, King Arthur is struggling to figure out why we have wars in which people get killed. He notes that when a hawk is … Continue reading The Timeless Wisdom of King Arthur of Camelot →

This past Tuesday was a sad day in the world of Finance. It was announced on that day that General Electric would be removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, effective June 26. On that date Walgreens will take the place of GE as one of the 30 companies which comprise the venerable Dow Jones … Continue reading A Changing of the Guard →

One of my favorite songs from the Paul Simon concert this past weekend was one I had never heard before, "Rewrite". At its most basic level, it's a story of a Vietnam vet working at a car wash, but what he really wants to do is write a screenplay. So he spends his nights "working … Continue reading Workin’ on My Rewrite →