I’ve been thinking about Florence, pledges, harm, and help. In 1893, nursing pioneer, Lystra Gretter, passed on the light from “The Lady of the Lamp” in penning the Florence Nightingale Nurse’s Pledge. Reminiscent of the Hippocratic Oath, the pledge included a commitment: “I shall not knowingly administer any harmful drug.” While nursing is so much […]
Recently, my grandson George borrowed the Haviannas I schlepped home from Sao Paulo for my daughter. He put them on all by himself. We think we may have a fashionista on our hands—a theory further supported a week later when he requested the doctor use fluorescent pink fiberglass to make a cast for his little […]
Whoever concluded we are direct descendants of apes must have missed Solomon’s advice about considering ants. Seriously, nonhuman primates travel light. More like ants, we humans spend our days schlepping stuff around. We pack suitcases and briefcases, pull them through airports, stow them overhead, and drag them to taxi stands, hotel rooms, meetings, and back […]
If I remember correctly, I was driving home from the airport while listening to an NPR clip about two airline pilots overflying their destination by 150 miles. The commentator said they “lost situational awareness” while using laptop computers for personal activities. I’m sure these pilots were not dumb, but what they did was stupid. What […]
On December 13, 2012, the coinventor of the bar code died at 91. During WW II, Joseph Woodland’s military service involved being a technical assistant on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I’m told he thought he was working on a cure to cancer and later found out that he contributed to the development […]