As a chaplain, I deal with many patients who are hard of hearing. It takes so much effort to communicate with them and they get so frustrated by not understanding what is being said the first time. Hearing often is not fully appreciated until it is lost. I encourage everyone to protect their hearing now while it is not impaired.

NATIONAL SAVE YOUR HEARING DAY

Each May 31st, National Save Your Hearing Day is observed.  It is important to take some time to learn ways to protect your hearing and that of your family. Our hearing is vital, and there are ways that hearing loss can be avoidable.

There are various reasons from which hearing loss can be the result, some of which include:

• Age
  
• Noise
  
• Genetic
  
• Illness
  
• Neurological Disorders
  
• Medications
  
• Chemicals
  
• Physical Trauma
  
• Neurobiological Factors
  

It is estimated half of the cases of hearing impairment and deafness are preventable.  There are many effective, preventative strategies including immunization against rubella to reduce congenital infections, immunization against H. influenza and S. pneumonia to reduce cases of middle ear infections, and avoiding or protecting against excessive noise exposure.

“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” -John F. Kennedy, 35th US president 

Today is Memorial Day.

• It is more than a day to be off from work.
  
• It is more than a day for a picnic.
  
• It is more than a day for special sales at many stores.
  

Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have served in the Armed Forces to protect and defend our nation. I have freedom today because many were willing to serve. I thank all Veterans, those who returned from their deployment and those who sacrificed their life and returned to families who loved them and were grieving as they prepared to honor the life of those that they loved and who served.

National Hamburger Day is a favorite food holiday in the United States. Top it with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion-or toss on a slice of cheese with some ketchup and mustard. Whether you go gourmet or just plain bread and beef, you’re sure to end up with a full stomach! Like Hot Dog Day and Cheeseburger Day, this celebration usually occurs during sunny weather when people can get outside to grill their own beef. Of course, burger restaurants across the nation also chip in to make it a belt-busting day, with plenty of special deals.

Upon further research, I discovered the following facts about hamburgers:

• Americans approximately consume roughly 50 billion burgers a year.
  
• The hamburger business is 73-billion-dollar business
  
• There are over 50,000 burger restaurants located across the country.
  
• Approximately 7.5% of all US restaurants are burger restaurants.
  
• California has the highest number of burger restaurants, second is Texas, third is Florida, forth is Ohio, and fifth is Illinois.
  
• 71 Percent of all beef consumed in restaurants is in the form of a burger.
  
• McDonald’s buys over 1 billion pounds of hamburger meat per year.
  
• Burgers account for roughly 60 percent of all sandwiches sold.
  The biggest burger ever on a restaurant menu was 185.8 pounds and cost almost $500.
  

While reading a news article about Jared Kushner I began an internet search to identify the firm representing him. WilmerHale is the firm. When I found their web page I noticed a link at the bottom that read “Modern Slavery Statement”. This intrigued me so I read it. After reading I decided to post it to share with my readers.

MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT

Statement pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015

This statement is published on behalf of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, registered with the SRA under registration number 287488, and references to “we” and “the firm” are to that entity.

Our approach

We are committed to achieving high standards of ethical behavior in the conduct of our business. We do not tolerate slavery or human trafficking or abusive or unfair treatment in any part of our business or in any part of our supply chain.

In the last financial year

We have considered our current suppliers and have undertaken a project analyzing the parts of our supply chain that are at risk of slavery.

We have assessed our local supply contracts by size and risk profile and have assessed the risk of slavery or trafficking being present. We have taken and are taking steps to ensure that slavery and human trafficking play no part in our supply chain.

The main areas of risk that we identified through our review were in relation to the hiring of outsourced catering staff. Appropriate due diligence undertaken pursuant to our new policies, referred to below, is being conducted to mitigate those risks. We have a policy to only use reputable outsourcing agencies and to comply with all local laws, regulations and codes of best practice. We regularly review our outsourcing procedures.

We have in recent months introduced a procurement procedure and policy with a specific requirement to carry out a risk analysis in relation to slavery and enforced labour with all potential new contractors to the Firm. This is one of the evaluation criteria behind our selection of new vendors.

Stephen Pollard
Partner
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

31 December 2016

I belong to Wordsmith.org. I receive daily messages each containing a featured word of the day and the history behind and examples of how to correctly use it. Today’s word is “krummholz”. It is a combination of the German words “krumm” which means crooked and “holtz” which means “wood”. It refers to small crooked trees at the edge of a mountain.

One of my favorite actors is David Krummholtz so I was intrigued to learn the meaning of word that surely is a form of his last name. David’s best known TV series is “Numb3rs” where he used math to help his brother, an FBI agent, solve crimes.

The image above was taken off the Internet for illustrative purposes.

Recently I had a medical issue and went to my primary care physician who referred me to a specialist. The appointment with the specialist was yesterday and was a complete waste of my time. He was not able to help me and referred to another specialist. The referral was not what made the time I spent a waste of time.

The physician spoke down to me, even to the point of saying, “Who is the physician here?” He interrupted me as I attempted to answer his questions. He told me my answers were not sufficient.

If I did not work in health care and know that most physicians do not behave like he did, I might have resolved to never see another physician in my life. Fortunately, I know better than that. I will assure you that I will not be seen by the specialist I saw yesterday ever again, even if that entails traveling out of our area for medical care.

Every patient has the expectation of being treated with respect by those employed in health care who are providing treatment!

I am in the center of the picture with Andy Cohen on my left. He produces the series of “Real Housewives” TV shows. On my right is Anderson Cooper who is a reporter/anchor for CNN and CBS’s 60 Minutes. They appeared together at the Borgata Hotel for a show they do together. In the show questions are received by the audience. The questions and the answers were entertaining.

While in Atlantic City I made the tourist trip to the Boardwalk and saw the ocean and bought a few souvenirs. The best part of the weekend was the time with Andy and Anderson!

Brighten the Corner Where You Are is a poem written by Helen Steiner Rice, who is pictured above.

Recently our Department of Patient Experience and Culture used a musical version of this poem to help encourage our staff to project and practice being pleasant and welcoming to everyone we encounter at the hospital.

This link is to a YouTube video of Ella Fitzgerald singing the poem. As you listen to it, you can’t help but smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5I4ZRHVpEo

I hope Ella’s rendition will inspire you to “brighten the corner where you are”!!

After going for the whole month of April without a post I have resolved to post daily for the month of May. I have been enjoying the grass turning green. It makes walking Cooper a lot more fun seeing the grass looking so fresh and healthy.

Cooper enjoys the new aromas he can smell. As I walk him I often wonder what fascinating scents he is enjoying that I am not able to detect. I hope that you are finding ways to enjoy the change from Winter to Spring!