Growing up in London in the late 1960s made an indelible impact.
The city was vibrant and incredibly accessible via bus and underground. I went to high school with a band of desperados keen on scouting the music scene and we found cheap tickets to the Royal Albert Hall to witness Hendrix, Cream, and Simon and Garfunkle. Continue reading
In journalism classes we teach the balance imperative. Get both sides of the story.
But as journalism critics we acknowledge that being balanced doesn’t mean the story always gets told. Continue reading
Sense of smell is primal.
Sometimes, riding the bus into work, I smell my seat-mates, which is not always pleasant.
Sweat, vomit, cigarettes and booze smells waft downwind. Continue reading
Feelings of Schadenfreude crept into my sinews this week, making me feel delightful contrition in one fell swoop.
How superficial to admit I enjoy the misfortune of others: the antithesis of being empathic.
But sometimes a situation gels before your eyes when someone squirms under the hefty baggage she packed herself.
I’m not talking about my students: they are brave souls who take great risks and rely on my encouragement.
I’m talking about colleagues who refuse advice and help. Reminds me of the scene where Gene Wilder, as Willie Wonka, tells Violet Beauregard not to grab the chewing gum: “I wouldn’t do that…” he advises.
And we delight when Violet pumps up like a giant blueberry, getting the come-uppance she deserves.
My secret response is sheer Schadenfreude: delicious delight.
One of my friends is keenly interested in gift-giving. From a sociological perspective, giving gifts reflects important interpersonal ties.
Even though my friend says she’d like to teach a class on gift giving, truth is, her interest stems from childhood when she gave her mum a present that fell flat. Her mum looked disappointed and then quickly recovered, praising the gift. Continue reading
The film Contagion takes a peek at the CDC folks in Atlanta and shows that they care about one another: it’s the other folks that cause them grief—the feds and the locals. I think they got it right.
I was privileged to work with a bunch of epidemiologists in Atlanta, all of whom dedicated their lives and work to helping people. Period. Continue reading
I’ve delayed reading the reviews for the new film Contagion until I sort though my feelings. When I worked at the CDC my colleagues didn’t suit up in the Day-Glo orange hazard gear but they did venture to outbreaks to figure out how and why diseases spread.
And none of my friends perished working on an outbreak. Continue reading
I advise students on research methods, which often puts me in a tenuous position. My job is to ensure that students learn methods by-the-book but the reality is that researchers tug and pull at methods, adapting and adjusting to circumstances.
This can be frustrating. Continue reading
Michele Bachmann’s recent pronouncement about vaccines is right up my alley because it reveals how we talk about science.
In case you missed it, during a recent debate Bachmann scoured Rick Perry, governor of Texas, for requiring that girls in Texas get the cervical cancer-fighting vaccine. Continue reading
A recent news story reported that the pop notion of different learning styles lacks proof.
Fascinating that an idea we take for granted—that some folks are visual learners and some physical learners—has yet to gain empirical traction. Continue reading
Cynthia (Ištá Tȟó Tȟó) Coleman Emery's Blog 