November 2013

Stupidity II-If Only… The gynecologists have relented. Those in the “female only” specialty will not lose their board certification by treating males at risk of anal cancer and participating in the federally-funded study of the same disease (see link below). Now there’s something to be thankful for. Men admitting they made a mistake. See. Stupidity […]

The Juxtaposition of Personalized Cancer Care Quality and Molecular Genomics: A Real Strategic Plan By Leonard Zwelling          The November 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine has a remarkable juxtaposition of two editorials of relevance to MD Anderson.          The first by Huckman and Kelley discusses what the lay public is really

Stupidity: My Favorite Subject By Leonard Zwelling             I know I have to stop writing about stupidity. But, as Woody Allen said about death in Annie Hall, it’s a very important subject.             After my 29 years at Anderson plus that memorable year in DC, I really thought I had seen stupidity on display at

CTRL-ALT-DEL By Leonard Zwelling          My experience with IS Help lines, whether 4-INFO or some others, is that when I call in with a problem, the first suggestion given is to either shut off the computer and restart it or do a reboot; CTRL-ALT-DEL. This has become a metaphor for a solution to a situation

50-November 22, 2013-Remembering Below is the prologue to the book I am currently writing with my co-author Marianne Ehrlich. The book is about the similarities between the forces causing the crisis of leadership in government in Washington, DC and the identical causes of the crisis of leading and governing MD Anderson. The book, tentatively titled

Why We Are Here By Leonard Zwelling             The reasons I went to work at Legacy are many, but this illustrates one.             My son Richard sent me this. As upsetting as it is on a personal level, it is just as upsetting on a political one. It is most unfortunate that non-profits have to

The Risk of Insularity to Mattering By Leonard Zwelling          Most people want to matter. They want to be heard. They want to participate in causes in which they believe and contribute to those causes. They want to make a difference to others and with others. They want to be a significant part of the

Truth and Consequences By Leonard Zwelling          The effect, result or outcome from something that occurred earlier. That’s my dictionary’s definition of consequence.          Blog readers know that the book I am writing about my experiences in Washington and at MD Anderson has four major themes: 1.   Moral relativism as a rationale for bad behavior

How to Lead By Leonard Zwelling          I always thought politicians were older than I. Presidents always were and senators surely were. Most governors, too.          But a funny thing happened on the way to Medicare, I am older than most of the politicians now. I have seen more than many. Heard way too much.

Politics Is a Feeling By Leonard Zwelling          As I have done several times before, I stole this title from one of my inspirations. Peggy Noonan was a speechwriter for President Reagan and is the unofficial keeper of the flame that he represented—conservative thinking with a smile. She continues his legacy every Saturday in the