Viral Vicissitudes

Yesteryear, Today, Tomorrow: The Bad, Good, Our Place in History (?) Tap into History, Counter -Intuitive: Once again, I attempt to gain your attention and provoke reflection, with a reversal of expectations, and with a turn of the phrase most of us are familiar with, which became even more mainstream in our culture following the release of the 1966 Clint Eastwood film, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". A phrase I found myself pondering after doing a quick survey of world news the dawn of the day before this post, as well as the morning of the day we will inevitably hear "Taps" played, at least in this part of the world. And, eerily similar to what the bagpiper shared with us in preparation for our mother's memorial service a few years ago (the same piper who helped us play tribute to our father several years prior): "I'll play Amazing Grace first as it tends to make everyone somber, and we'll finish with Scotland the Brave, which will send everyone...

2020 Hindsight: Obfuscation, Misclassification (I/II), Politicization, Clarification  Pandemic Primer - 4/4 (promise!) 5-27-21: "...Biden orders intelligence inquiry into origins of the coronavirus..."                 "...who died from COVID? State doesn't really know..."                "...man exonerated after serving 30 years on new DNA evidence..." Premature(?) No, not really. Despite the fact that we are not quite done with the pandemic or, more aptly stated, the pandemic is not quite done with us, it is always timely to consider the factors that interfere with good understanding of any condition(s), the cognitive, social, and even 'political' influences that obscure accurate diagnoses, that in turn can lead to over , under  treatment, and potentially disastrous  outcomes. Represented as currently this morning, "...Boris Johnson's mishandling of the early part of this pandemic cost thousan...

  Cookie Crumbs...Talking about Diplomacy, Talks: Home and Abroad Leaving a trail, tail wind: like those that follow you on Google, the cookie trail today goes back to April 25th, a post about various approaches to diplomacy, primarily of a domestic nature, and generally on the lighter side. But events from the past few weeks compel me to elaborate on both the 'art' and 'science' of diplomacy, this time more on an international level, ranging from ongoing 'vaccinal' diplomacy, to more recent intense efforts to gain a cease fire in the Middle East, where warring factions who had been relatively calm heated up, resulting in the loss of many lives, disruption in commerce, and destruction of both property and a tenuous trust. As I categorize the dimensions and types of diplomacy, hopefully you can all associate with your own opportunities and attempts to mediate various conflicts. I also offer analogues to my daily practice for illustration and reflection. Admittedl...

Recovery Post (con't), Post Recovery: The Stress Test! ... the speed and extent of recovery, in addition to reflecting the characteristic of resilience , is a strong indicator of one's health in any given area, or the health of  system, organization, institution...after being tested, under stress, following a strenuous workout... (Almost) Full Circle: As I have shared here periodically, throughout my four decade professional career as a psychologist, I have been witness to, and participated in, many types of 'management', the first of which was "Stress Management", which eventually got absorbed by "Anger Management". Lately, I have seen the rise of  all kinds of coping strategies and programs targeted at "Anxiety" and its close relative "Sadness", the symptoms of which, if persistent and uninterrupted, can have significantly adverse impact on one's mental and  physical health. In other words, your general well-being. More rece...

About, In, Recovery: Universal Appeal, Personal Experience. What we all want, need, strive, hope for: "You'll be good as new" What we want and hope to hear after a personal or collective setback (e.g., bankruptcy), upon the official diagnosis of a disease/medical condition, or in the midst of malady...pre- and  post morbidity, how much we can expect to recover  and at what rate .    President previous: "We had the world's strongest economy until this virus...we'll come back even stronger..."     President present: "We'll get America back on track, back where it was before..." Sounds a bit like prognostication to me, what about you? (see May 19th) Getting Traction, Taking (12) Steps: Whether trying to recover from a physical or fiscal mishap, or combatting a lifelong unhealthy habit, there are identifiable steps (as well as gadgets to track them😀)-- proven, time tested methodologies in every domain of life, that you can engage to: a) get s...

Chances are...about 99 out of 100: Pandemic Primer, Part 3 - Prognostications I'll bet: that you've already engaged  in making a prognosis  at least once today by the time you've read this. Whether you decided to wear certain apparel, based on the meteorological prognosticator you overheard on the television last night or the sage of our age, Alexa, informing you this morning as you awoke. You may have even 'hedged your bets' (an important concept in making prognostic statements), guarding against a bad outcome by, "just in case, take an umbrella".  Overheard, not underappreciated: This very morning, by the time I wrote this, in hopes of you reading it, while working out and listening even casually to the morning world news, I heard the following statements containing prognostic implications: "Biden warns that states with low vaccination rates may see COVID cases rise again...We believe based on our analysis and previous foreign policy experience in t...

"Here kitty, kitty...a cool cat...just when you thought you were safe..." In Sync, Sink:  Once in a while, a story will present itself in such a timely fashion that, along with other things I am experiencing, thinking about, and writing to you about, that becomes a matter of synchronicity. As I have been writing to you about diagnostics and prognostics, as I was looking for another interlude you and I could sink our teeth into to again cleanse our palates before reading about more serious stuff, as I have been meeting more cats and dogs the past year (from a distance) than all my life prior, and as I was listening to local and world news a few days ago, it all came together...in the form of a kitten as well as a colossal canine! Anxiety Reprise - Type II, my bad (?) In talking to people in my office and writing to you about anxiety, I have often made the anthropological reference to the saber-toothed tiger, as in "Once upon a time anxiety allowed us, through an adrenalin...

Pre-Pandemic: Detection, Protection, Projection - A Pandemic Primer, Part 2 Back to the Future, Back and Forth: "If I knew then what I know now...should've, would've, could've...what were we/they thinking?!" If you haven't heard or said a version of one of these, I would be amazed. We all catch ourselves looking back, second guessing ourselves, more often others, and otherwise play 'Monday morning quarterback' ("I could have told them that wouldn't work...If they'd only listen to me..."). This is the second installment from the mini series I started just a few days ago, with some important acknowledgements in between. Okay, let's get down to basics... False Positive, Negative - a One, Two Punch: When we set out on the mission of detection, it's of course useful to know what  we are trying to detect, as well as the signs  (i.e., symptoms) of the thing  we are trying to detect, such as COVID-19, for example -- well, what did you...

Infection Detection, Rejection...Selection: The Second Annual ISA Back by (un)popular demand, a COVID Confluence: What kind of synchronicity, this? The fact that I have begun a mini series including the topic of diagnostics and detection, just a few days after celebrating mom, and just a few days to the year I introduced you to Ignaz Semmelweis (see May 9th, 2020), and the beginning of the eponymous award. So here we are, already a year later, looking back on what we have learned from the last fourteen months, give or take...including but not exclusive to detection of infection, far after Dr. Semmelweis called for hand washing as a way to reduce infections, particularly in hospital wards devoted to the health of mothers-to-be, after which he was rejected, felt dejected, and eventually hailed as the "saviour of mothers". Quite a shift in public opinion. So, here I am asking you again for this year's nominations for the Ignaz Semmelweis award, an award that is to bestowed o...

A Garden of Delights, Garden-Variety: Don't look now...nor listen! Just when you thought... Just as we ourselves start emerging from the shadows of the pandemic (see May 6th post), besides being informed we may have to continue some dimensions of the 'pandemic protocol' as we go to get seeds, starter plants, and extra planting soil to get serious in our gardens around here (for you in the south you've had a head start but this post is for you as well!), we find out that we may be joined by some uninvited guests....millions of them -- now how am I supposed to sustain distancing in such a condition?!  Garden-Variety, Earthly Delights: Put these two commonly encountered terms together and what do you get -- "The Garden of Earthly Delights", the modern term given to a vintage painting by Hieronymus Bosch (a household name, I'm sure), which he rendered between 1490 and 1510, when he was somewhere between 40 and 60, a painting which has been housed in the Museo ...

                                                          A Mothers Day, In Jeopardy A Twofer: Two posts in one day! I couldn't overlook Mother's Day, could I? And this is another second -- the second Mother's Day card I find myself sending out on this blog. A card with mixed emotions -- happy to be able to have this forum to SHOUT OUT to so many moms, but melancholy as it means the pandemic is not over yet, the fact that I'm still posting under this theme. But may as well have some fun with mom on her special day...let's play a game she's no doubt familiar with, if not accomplished: Jeopardy Category for $500:    Answer: Pots and pans, Costco case of diapers, a new blouse    Question: What are things that mom already has plenty of, that she'll find herself  cleaning, that she can return... before  using? Double Je...

Detection, Protection, Deflection...Pre-, Peri-, Post-: A Pandemic Primer - Part 1 Diagnosticians, Prognostications, Obfuscations: who we are, how we do it. Time, Place, Person: "I've had enough of this, I've had it up to here , I hear this _ _ _ _ all day long! This stuff about diagnosis, prognosis, and how the press and politicians are saying, doing things to confuse us...and here's this blogger guy coming along with more of this tripe about why it's important to be aware of how we make decisions about informal things on a daily basis, as well as how decisions are being made in hospitals and in Washington, D.C. regarding important stuff like our health and welfare...why now, aren't we almost free and clear, I thought we were done  with all this diagnostic discussion...where was this blogger earlier in the pandemic when these concepts were more important?!"         Well, it did  matter then and I was  writing about it...such as in how anxiety ope...

Fame, Fortune...Fortitude: Frankl(y), it's time for another visit with Viktor Emerging from the Shadows: As we all begin to emerge from our homes and otherwise from the shadows of the pandemic, which is far from over but finally showing signs of slowing (e.g., "State relaxes rules on masks, outdoor gatherings...state officials say they're encouraging  outdoor activities..."), thanks in no small part to the indefatigable efforts on our behalf by a legion of health care workers, scientists who arrived at a workable vaccine, cleaning service workers, grocery store stockers/cashiers, truck drivers, waste managers....if I've missed naming you explicitly here, I have thanked you over and over again silently--consider yourself profoundly appreciated. It seems to me to be decent timing for a refresher of Dr. Viktor Frankl's experiences, psychology, and larger philosophy I referenced here earlier, in attempt to provide some coping strategies for the road ahead, as the ...

Dames on the Dais...Belle of the Ball: Admissions, Commissions...Omissions "Behind every great man... (sits) two great women", as the new , circa 2021 saying now goes. As in the president, the vice president, and the speaker of the house. A historical photo we witnessed just a few evenings ago, as the president, in his first speech to the the joint house, was 'propped up' by two female loyalists from his party. One quite used to the terrain, while another newly seated (on the podium, that is, as the now VP had attended as audience, as a senator), both no doubt grinning behind their masks. History in the making. Women and other people who have been marginalized on the rise, being admitted after previously being blocked, locked out. Juxtaposed to some ongoing COVID circumstances hitting women in the pocketbook and other forms of 'exclusivity' (experienced as omission here)...All this, shortly after cleaning up the confetti from "International Women's Da...