I lived with my Quaker grandmother the first 5 years of my life. I am now 70 years old and that single blessing seems to me to be the most important element in the formation of my character, my thoughts and my beliefs. My younger brothers did not share that same experience and they look […]
Several years ago, at the request of my wife I participated in a career day at Chaparral Elementary School. Several events happened during that day that should have been a harbinger for things to come. I today look back on those events and smile and say—well of course. Kids always get it. Kids can understand […]
I used to believe that there was such a thing as “the doctor patient relationship”. Maybe a long time ago and if you are a patient and are lucky you may have a doctor who you know and who works for you without being encumbered by a relationship with an insurance company or a “health […]
I see the word “alloyed” being used in print and the electronic and social media with increasing frequency. I have always known what the word meant in the metallurgical sense, but when referring to a privilege or a “right” I had to look it up. It means according to Merriam’s “something added that lowers value” Synonyms […]
The confusion in our understanding of the difference between empathy and compassion leads those who don’t know the difference between “feeling the right way” and doing the “right thing”, to almost always do the wrong. Empathy is a psycho-social phenomena and a postmodern invention used to justify feelings coming from the era of psychoanalysis in […]
I am not a political scientist. I am not facile in the application of marketing principles. I have never run or been involved in a political campaign. As a citizen who has become interested in politics only over the last 10 years, I have noticed some problems that seem to be inherent in the so […]
I remember in a very famous campaign speech in 2012 President Obama repeating the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King about a man should be judged “by the content of his character and not the color of his skin.” This week my wife and I will be traveling to Hampton Virginia where Booker T. […]
In 1977-1978, I was the medical officer on the USS Virginia (CGN-38). She was an awesome ship that was powered by two Nuclear Reactors. The prototype is still at the INEEL and the two reactors from the ship are now “mothballed” at Hannaford on the Columbia River. We had 500 men on the ship and […]
I have lived in Boise for 34 years. During that time, I have had many patients who either were or later entered into politics. Legislators, Mayors, three Governors. Several in that group shared a goose blind together years ago. Many of us attended daily Mass at St. Alphonsus on the 4th floor at 1200 noon […]
When I left active duty in the Navy in 1988 and came to Boise one of the first people I met was “Gil” Gilbertson who was the CEO of St. Luke’s. Gil was a great man. Unfortunately, he has passed. We could certainly use his wisdom today. At a very difficult time in our community […]
In 1633, Pope Urban VIII ordered the house arrest of Galileo Galilei for continuing his postings of the theory first put forth by Copernicus that the earth was not the center of the solar system but rather the sun was the center and the earth revolved around the sun. This was the second time Galileo […]
I have spent some time this week while on Whidbey Island in Washington State watching people. Everybody in Washington State is now wearing masks indoors and outdoors on our beach! I think of my grandparents who fought in WWII and my parents who both served in the Korean War. How do a people allow themselves […]