The headlines are startling, although not unexpected. Among students in grades 3 through 8 on Long Island less than 40% passed Math and less than 50% passed English in recent standardized tests. Although I’m not a fan of standardized testing, the results are undeniable.The effects of the pandemic are many. We have suffered personally - directly and …
I don’t consider myself to be superstitious, yet there is one phenomenon that I’ve noticed that gives me pause.The jinx happens when a sports announcer says something speculative - - a comment about the number of innings without a hit against a pitcher or a hitting streak for a batter.Before last Sunday’s Giants-Ravens game, they did a brief segmen …
Every so often I see a message that I feel compelled to share.We were visiting the Hot Shop (a place where glass is blown and otherwise formed) at the Tyler School of Glass at Temple University. Although everyone - students and professors- appears to be having fun, it is a serious place. Working glass, especially hot blown glass, requires well-chor …
I met him only once. We spent about an hour together. We were both in transition in our professional lives. We talked about our respective careers up until that point and where planning or fate might take us.He probably doesn’t remember our meeting. I doubt that I would have either….. had he not been appointed a judge to the United States District …
We always hear about polls. And with Election Day looming, we will be hearing about polls more and more. The polls will warn us, try to motivate us and, ultimately tell us how and why the vote went the way it did.Every day or so I receive an email, text message, or phone call asking me a polling question or to participate in a poll. So far I haven’ …
Based upon a true story.At a doctors appointment, you are escorted in by a rushed medical assistant who is tasked with the preliminaries before you are seen by the doctor. There is a sense of anxiety in the air. You are anxious - after all, you are at a doctor’s office. And the assistant is adding to the anxiety. A sense of pressure. A tone.Just un …
Teams. As I was watching the U.S. Tennis Open, I heard several of the players refer, and thank, their “Team”, as the camera scanned over to a spectator box with several people in it. Perhaps it is the new rule in tennis that allows coaching during a match. I’ve noticed increasing references to “teams” - in the business world and elsewhere. Maybe i …
The other day, I wore a suit and tie to the office. Unusual, certainly given the more-casual office dress code over the last few years. The reason for the tie was that I had a virtual hearing in the afternoon and a jacket and tie was expected and appropriate.One of my colleagues who I passed in the hall and would be on the hearing with me mentioned …
Referrals are such an important part of networking. Recently, we have been very involved in both receiving and giving referrals. We have learned that referrals can be complicated.An interesting and complicating aspect of referrals surfaced and it raises questions that should be considered when both giving and receiving referrals.What do you do when …
I lost my cellphone….Or at least, for about an hour, I thought I had lost it.Years ago, I had lost my cellphone. Back then, the phone was simply a phone.In that hour of panic last week, I realized what my “phone” really was. As I traced my movements in desperate search, my thoughts were overwhelmed by the importance of my phone and the difficulty, …
Today we’re getting on a ferry. For me, there is something magical about ferries. We take the ferry from Long Island across the Sound to Connecticut. And then another ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard.The first ferry is the alternative to driving on 95. It’s an easy choice. There is no alternative to the second ferry except a plane. Again, …
I walked into a coffee shop last Sunday morning in Alexandria, Virginia. It was about 10:30. There was a Washington Post for common reading on the table. I looked at the front page and realized that I had already read the articles on line.How I get the news has dramatically changed over the years. Although I am one of the few people I know who stil …
Last week Gotham had a great night at Citi Field as the Mets and Yankees squared off for the first of two games in their subway series.As I sat among my friends from Gotham, the fan allegiances were apparent as people decked out in respective jerseys and hats. It was nice to see those of different allegiances coexist.A few days later, the Mets trav …
I sometimes find myself in a situation where I have to make excuses for someone else. Awkward. Depending on the situation, I’ll sometimes offer that I have enough trouble making excuses for myself, let alone others.We were sitting at a table on the sidewalk outside a cafe in Great Barrington enjoying a pastry and watching people walk by. A couple s …
There’s an old Yiddish expression (aren’t all Yiddish expressions “old”?) - “Man plans and God laughs.”As we come out of the restrictions of the pandemic, we are planning more. And the results are mixed.Plans are changed by last-minute (and unanticipated) Covid. Airline travel is iffy and then, there’s always the weather.So, as we make our plans, r …
