David Blistein
Street cred
It's very difficult to talk about homeless people without seeming overly idealistic or fatalistic. Or, worse, to seem just clueless.
Even the right phrase: homeless, houseless, homeless-by-choice, housing challenged, couch surfing, tent city-ing. To bastardize Leo Tolstoy, "every homeless person is homeless in his, her, and/or their own way."...
A direct connection between brain and fingertips
On typewriters, keyboards, and the technological evolution of the tools we use to put our thoughts into words
At some point when I wasn't looking, the clunky, consonant-riddled word haptic - which has nothing to do with being “happy” - started appearing in system settings for phones and computers. I will share the definition, but clearly, it's a word that only a linguistically passive-aggressive techno-geek could love...
How can public have a constructive dialogue with police unless we know whom we’re talking to?
It was humbling to sit on the Town Common on June 17 and listen to stories of pain and frustration presented by people whose lives have been impacted in negative ways over the years by the Brattleboro Police Department. But it was equally humbling to realize how little I...
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More thoughts on marijuana (so to speak)
I have absolutely no doubt that certain strains of marijuana in certain dosages can successfully treat depression, anxiety, bipolar, and other mood disorders in certain people. As a guy who prides himself on having an open mind, I have no doubt. Nada. Zilch. I measure success by the same standard that we expect from prescription antidepressants: that certain formulations in certain dosages help certain people. Ditto for over-the-counter remedies such as SAM-e, St. John's Wort, 5-HTP, B-vitamins, and amino acids.
‘The disease is personal. The treatment is that elusive’
If you have a heart attack, you have a heart attack. If you have cancer, you have cancer. If you have diabetes, you have diabetes. These diseases, horrific as they may be, have names. In general, medical professionals know what is going on inside you - and which medicines or procedures might help. Or at least how they work…or why they might not. What we call “depression” has many names. And - despite all the talk of serotonin, norepinephrine, and...