· Alive and Free · If your doctor informed you that your chance of having a heart attack was extremely high, you’d probably ask what you could do to prevent the impending event. Suddenly, despite your busy lifestyle, you’d make time to eat smarter and exercise regularly. If you were told that a lengthy prison sentence or a violent death was in your future, what could you do to prevent it? Would you know the risk factors to be addressed in order to decrease violence? Years ago I learned … [Read more...] about Violence Prevention Model
Archives for March 2018
Tribal Identity
· Left or Right? · I grew up in a white, suburban neighborhood of Chicago. People in my community, Skokie, were predominately of the Jewish faith. On Jewish holidays at school I would join two or three other students in our nearly empty classrooms. Because of my religion, I was a minority. I had many Jewish friends including Steve Boren. Les Nagai, was Japanese American; Harvey Look was Chinese American. I never thought of any of them as hyphenated friends; we were just buddies. When my … [Read more...] about Tribal Identity
Writing Dialogue
· Know Your Characters · "So, you said you wanted to be a better writer." "Yeah, I do." "Well, I'll give you some tips. I'll bet you've heard this one before." "Just tell me!" "Practice, practice, practice." "Oh, come on now! I know that already! How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." "Yeah, but knowing it and doing it are two different things." "Well, that's true. I don't write enough." "In writing dialogue you must first know your characters. In order to … [Read more...] about Writing Dialogue
Bond Agent
· "It's a Whole 'Nother Story" · Kathleen Carter, Hutchinson, Kansas, has been a bail bonding agent for fifteen years. Today she works for Owens Bonding Company. When a friend suggested the bonding business to Kathleen, her first thought was: “This could be interesting.” Since Carter had been working with the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP), she was already “used to dealing with the criminal side.” As a bond agent, Carter learned to take calls twenty-four hours a day when she … [Read more...] about Bond Agent