For 50 years, Avis Rent-A-Car used the famous ad slogan "We Try Harder". The slogan was used in recognition of the fact that Avis was only the No. 2 rental car company in the world, and so the only way it was going to be able to compete with Hertz was to try harder. The … Continue reading Apparently Avis Was Right, No. 2 Does Try Harder →

Your kids are watching and modeling your behavior perhaps earlier than you realize. In a study led by Jonas G. Miller of the University of California, Davis, researchers recruited 74 pre-schoolers (average age 4 years old) from the local community. In the lab, the researchers played with the children one by one and explained that they would … Continue reading At What Age Does an Attitude of Altruism Start? →

As I was driving into Philadelphia today, I noticed something that I never "paid" attention to before, despite making the same trip well over a hundred times. I was taking Lancaster Avenue from the Main Line to West Philadelphia, and the change in the economic status along the way is quite obvious, and it's always … Continue reading Something Is Wrong Here →

As I was reading the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer the other day, it struck me that I tend to read the paper in the same order each time. I always start with the Sports section, followed by the Business section, then the Health section, Local News, National News, Editorial/Opinion (Currents), Entertainment (Live-Life-Love), and then Real Estate. I … Continue reading Do You Read the Obituaries Section of a Newspaper? →

"Love multiplies. And each outer ring protects the inner ones... But as time goes on and our hearts grow more rings, we don't have to leave anyone behind." I came across this beautiful writing while reading Francesca Serritella's column in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. Francesca and her mother, author Lisa Scottoline, write a weekly column called Chick Wit. … Continue reading Some People Just Have a Way With Words →

We just got back from a wonderful family vacation in Ocean City, NJ (America's Greatest Family Resort). What made the week even more special is that we (myself, my wife, and our three sons) were able to share a house with my wife's sister and her family (six kids), something we used to do quite … Continue reading Time Marches On, So Thank Heaven for Shared Memories →

"And then they have that way, nowadays, of sending you off to a specialist. 'I can only diagnose your trouble,' a doctor will tell you, 'but if you go to see such and such a specialist, he'll know how to cure it.' I tell you, the old doctor who could cure you of every illness … Continue reading Health Care, Circa 1880 →

Two stories came out this week that suggested to me that some companies are more concerned about the financial status of their firm than the health status of its customers. Anahad O'Connor wrote an article in The New York Times that reports on how Coca Cola is funding research to support the notion that exercise plays … Continue reading Profits Over Health →

The Wall Street Journal has a great story slated to be in tomorrow's (Thursday's) paper about the historic Beatles concert at Shea Stadium 50 years ago in August, 1965. While I enjoy several Beatles songs, I certainly would not consider myself a Beatles fan. But after reading the story, it makes me realize what a … Continue reading 50 Years of Stadium Rock, from the Beatles to Springsteen →