RIP Roger Ebert...

Film Critic and writer Roger Ebert passed away from cancer today. Several media outlets have worthy obituaries available here, here, here and here.

We've thought it interesting to share with our readers a glimpse at some of the out-takes from the "At the Movies" program.


Slightly racy and includes some language...




RIP, Mr. Ebert...

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/showbiz/roger-ebert-obituary/index.html

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&ved=0CGkQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcchicago.com%2Fentertainment%2Fthe-scene%2Fsun-times-film-critic-roger-ebert-obituary-201494461.html&ei=ieRdUfnrBZHJ4AOA7oHQCw&usg=AFQjCNFDITGtpspY2hO6jUORyCatjgwptw&sig2=wKHwPIURM5154s-GlkJEVA

http://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/the-scene/sun-times-film-critic-roger-ebert-obituary-201494461.html

Great Sportsmanship...

Great story out of El Paso, TX about one young man's sense of compassion and sensitivity toward a less able peer from a different high school. They matched up on the basketball court recently and both emerged winners.

What's Driving Gang Violence? Great read from the Atlantic...

There's a great read over at The Atlantic featuring a thoughtful discussion between Ta-Nehisi Coates, Senior Editor for the magazine and Dr. Harold Pollack, an expert on youth violence from the University of Chicago's crime lab. The article is in conversation form and while a bit lengthy, is pretty interesting.

A preview:

I sometimes travel in some pretty tough neighborhoods, and it's been maybe 20 years since someone has laid an unfriendly hand on me. The gray hair seems to put me in a different category. The kids we encounter are sometimes a bit struck that one can be a shrimpy, nerdy guy and be a successful adult man. That option doesn't seem as open to them.

I remember when Allen Iverson came into the NBA and people could not understand why he walked around with twenty dudes. I totally understood, and I suspect a lot of black males did too. But one thing that's become clear to me, and that I've tried to grapple with in my blogging, is that cultural practices that offer some protection in one place are often quite harmful in another. Iverson's clique may have saved him countless times in Virginia Beach. But in that broader world, they sometimes empowered his worst urges. So much of my work is about how young black males negotiate violence, and how those negotiations affect them when they interact with the broader world.

I get a sense of that when I talk with young men in Chicago who participate in violence prevention efforts. Kids are wearing that ice-grill for some very real reasons in their world. It's just a tough assignment to be a 17-year-old kid in urban America.

We often hear some version of this story: "Dr. Pollack, I'm so glad you are doing this. There are too many guns, too much fighting out here. My friend was shot. But you have to know something: If some guy gets in my face in the hallway, I'm going to have to kick his ass because I can't afford to allow anyone to mess with me."

Your comments are right on the money that kids' approaches can be protective in one context, but quite harmful in another. If another 17-year-old gets in your face, you might have to be tough. If that's your automatic response, things won't go well when your 11th grade English teacher gets into your face over a missing assignment.

The academic literature also suggests that aggression-prone kids aren't very good at deciphering the unspoken intentions of other people. Psychologists speak of "hostile intention attribution bias," whereby youth interpret other people's ambiguous behavior as more hostile and more threatening than it actually is.

Some of the best interventions help kids with social-emotional and self-regulation skills so that they can deal more safely and productively with each other and with adult authority figures. We've found in randomized trials that such interventions can reduce violent offending. But you can't tell kids "Don't fight." That's not realistic in their world.

I do believe that kids are exposed to some pretty toxic messages about adult masculinity. Their lack of a decent roadmap is reinforced by crummy pop culture from Chief Keef to video games to BET. Much more important, though, many of these kids don't have adult men in their everyday lives available to show them how it's done. One could write 500 Ph.D. dissertations about how hip-hop or pornography mis-socializes young men in their relationships with women. I'm not thrilled about some of what the kids are listening to or viewing. Yet the Tipper-Gore-style anxieties seem misdirected. Media dreck is much less important than the ways youth observe adult men in their lives actually treat women. Much of the hip-hop that adults dislike reflects kids' real experiences. It isn't pretty to hear, but what's coming through people's ear-buds isn't the real problem.

Click here to read the entire article...

Source: 

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/02/the-social-trends-driving-american-gangs-and-gun-violence/273170/#

Open vs. Closed MRI's...

 A few weeks ago I began experiencing some pain behind my left ear which traveled up the rear of my skull to both sides. Although my head "ached," it wasn't like any "headache" I'd ever had. Coincidentally, I also had a single brief dizzy spell. Very unusual for me, so I checked in with my primary care physician who ordered me to undergo an MRI of my upper spine.

I've had several MRI's in my life. Several on my abdomen due to a benign tumor on my adrenal gland a few years ago and another one on my left knee that revealed a torn meniscus that will be repaired surgically in January. Not once have I found the procedure to be stressful in the least. Not at all. The radiology techs at our local hospital are very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.

I arrived that morning for my neck scan really focused on the rest of my day. I had two performances scheduled in the afternoon and evening, plus other errands to run. I left all my metal items (watch, cell phone, belt, etc.) in a secured locker, waltzed into the MRI room, hopped up on the table and was all ready to go. They positioned me opposite the way I'd usually been oriented. Usually, I went in feet first. that day, it was going to be head first. No biggie I thought. So what? Let's do this, eh? The tech put a cervical collar on me and asked if I was ready to go in. I said "sure."

As I was being slid headfirst into the long, very narrow tube, there was a very sudden, very brief negotiation within myself. Entirely foreign to me, as well. I'd never in my life had a feeling of claustrophobia. Ever.

Until then, that is...

The tube was so tight, I couldn't move my head, shoulders or arms. I couldn't see anything except the top of the tube. It was like somebody flipped a switch and I felt enormously uncomfortable and the anxiety was intensifying quickly. I told myself, "cool it....deal with it." To which the rest of my brain replied with a hearty "Oh yeah? I don't THINK so..."

I was just dumbfounded as I squeezed the buzzer device in my hand and said, "Uh, I'm really sorry, this isn't going to work for me, get me out please..." I couldn't believe it. No way, not me. I felt embarrassed, frustrated and foolish all at once. I apologized profusely to everyone on the team for wasting their time and quickly gathered my belongings and left.

As I walked to my car, one thought ran over and over in my head. "Where the fuck did that come from?" I couldn't believe what had just happened. I tried to figure out what had caused it. A) I'd had no breakfast that morning. B) I'd just started a new painkiller the day prior that I already wasn't wild about as it too increased my anxiety. The combination of A & B seemed to me to explain much of what had just happened. Still, I couldn't convince myself that even without A & B I would've been ok. The negotiation was over awfully fast while I was in the tube. I mean fast...

By day's end, I'd discovered a different kind of MRI experience that is tailor made for people who don't like small spaces and several other types of patients, especially very large patients. Its called an "open MRI" and you can see a picture of it below:

As you can see, the sides of the device are totally open. This makes all the difference, trust me. The top of the tube is still very close to your face, but its not as bad. The tech at the open MRI I used a few days after my original experience also suggested putting a wash cloth over my eyes as I was slid into the chamber. I left it on my face and over my eyes during the 45 scan. It wasn't fun by any means, but it was manageable. There were still waves of anxiety but they were very minor compared to the previous experience with a traditional "closed" MRI.

From what I understand the images are both very good no matter which machine you utilize. The open MRI takes a bit longer to capture the necessary images but not dramatically so. A 30 minute "closed MRI" winds up being about a 45 minute "open MRI" session.

Tomorrow I'm back at the MRI Center for another scan, this time of my brain. I suspect that I will be mildly uncomfortable but get through it just fine. I had no idea these open MRI's even existed, but I'm awfully glad they do.

UPDATE: The brain scan this morning was "no big deal." Since I knew what to expect, my stress level was fine and the anxiety really never kicked in at all.

Phenomenal day at work...

Phenomenal day at work...


As most of the RC readers know, I am a full time professional musician in addition to writing this blog. It was an extraordinary day and I wanted to share.


I'm a few months into my 16th year of  providing live musical entertainment for Seniors in Southwest Ohio. I'm incredibly blessed to be able to do this...and nothing but this...for this long. I've met some amazing people, seen profound courage and grace and learned a lot about my self along the way. Working with members of our "greatest generation" is a privilege.


Today began as most days do, I had a single show near downtown Dayton at 2:00pm. An Assisted Living facility, this group would be fairly high functioning but with some physical or early stage memory loss issues. A mixed group, I planned on performing a variety of material from Country, Big Band and Oldies. The show was fun, everyone got involved and left in better spirits than when they walked (or rolled) into the room.


That's what I do...or rather, that's what I get to do on a daily basis, over 400 times a year.


What made today different was the phone call I received from a long term client around lunch time, asking was I available for a special performance later today? I explained that I had a performance scheduled from 2:00pm to 3:00pm, but after that I was free. "What was up?" I asked...


The client explained that one of her residents, let's call her Mary, (not her real name) was facing surgery tomorrow where they would amputate her remaining leg. She previously had had one leg removed about two months ago. Mary was getting quite anxious about the procedure and the Activity Director wanted to think of something that might soothe her nerves for a while. The director knew Mary had followed me around for several years in my public performances and asked if I would come in and spend some time with her.


This woman is facing a surgery in a little over 12 hours to cut off her one remaining leg and they think I'm the guy to help her out? "Sure," I said, "...what room number is she?"


The director didn't tell Mary I was coming in. I'm not scheduled to perform there until later in the month, so there's no way she was expecting me. "Mary, you have a surprise visitor stopping by later on..." was all they told her.

I arrived at the facility around 4:30pm. I walked to her room and knocked on the door frame and said, "Hey Mary, what's up?" Mary didn't recognize me at first but as I walked toward her bed she realized who I was. She teared up and remarked to her room mate, "...this is the guy I told you about! This is the guy I told you about! You should hear him sing!!!"

I gave her a hug and sat with her for about 30 minutes. I held her hand the entire visit. We laughed, we talked about various things and she cried a few tears before I left. She was surprised to see me but I told her that for all the times you've come seen me, it's the least I can do to come by and wish you luck before your big day.

Mary has a great sense of humor. Last month when she saw me she exclaimed as she showed me her missing lower left leg, "Bill! They took my leg!" To which I replied "Well, let's go get it back!" Which made her laugh. Today, when she tried to put on a happy face about no more pain in the soon to be amputated lower limb, I offered up, "Just think of all the money you'll save on Podiatrist visits!" Which also, made her laugh.

I told her I'd see her in a few weeks and play her all-time, favorite song "The Very Thought of You" for her. I gave her one more hug for good luck and kissed her on the forehead as I said goodbye.

I don't know if I'll ever see her again...

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There's something profoundly intense about having a connection with someone you don't really know on one hand, yet are almost intimate in a different way. The last time I performed for her at the home, I stopped my show and wheeled her from her table in the back of the room right up to the front of my keyboard. I sang "The Very Thought of You" directly to her. I looked her right in the eyes and watched the tears stream down her cheeks as she thought of her husband who used to sing it to her before he died several years ago.

I don't know her husband's first name. Or any of her children's names. Or her favorite dessert, color or actor. She doesn't know any of that about me, either. But somehow, through the magic and power of music and whatever I contributed to this, a really, really cool thing happened. I participate and enjoy moments like what I've described on a pretty routine basis. I never take them for granted. While I hear over and over again that my music and interaction with these wonderful folks is therapeutic, I have to confess its a two way street. I can't imagine anyone having a better time than I do...

How could they?