Customer Service

Has this ever happened to you? I wanted to reorder a product last week, so I called the company’s toll-free phone number. A cheerful recorded voice wished me a good morning (it was afternoon), and told me how much she valued my call, my time, my loyalty, and my impressive humanness. She reminded me that…

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Tiptoeing Through the Tulips . . .

Scattershooting while missing the wonderful work of Bob Collins . . . * * * FOR THE record, I’ve never been confused with Tiny Tim (Google him, millennials – Baby Boomers remember him . . . and probably wish they didn’t). My hair was never that long. I sang bass in the choir. And I…

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Noblesville’s Colter Connections

When I wrote about Lucy Washington a few weeks ago I noted that she was the great-great grandmother of award-winning African American author Cyrus Colter. Colter was born in Noblesville in 1910 and I’d originally planned to feature him in this week’s column, but in doing the research, I found myself getting sidetracked by his…

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Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

One of my patients asked me recently what lymphoma is. My knowledge of the subject was a bit dusty before I started researching this column. Medical knowledge of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has rapidly evolved over the last decade or so. It is a very interesting disease and a type of cancer that is illustrative of where…

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IRS; You Are Not

My friend is having trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. We’ll call him Mr. Farmer, be-cause — one; it’s the IRS, and two; well, they already know his real name. They know it far too well, as far as he’s concerned. First, a little background. Mr. Farmer is known among friends and strangers alike as…

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Education ‘Reforms’ Come At Volatile Time

Here’s a pop quiz: What do Richard Lugar, Joe Donnelly, Mike Braun, and Todd Huston have in common? Early in their public service careers, they served on local or parochial school boards. This is notable because there is legislation in the Indiana General Assembly – House Bill 1182 – that will politicize school board races,…

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Listening To The Bells

The bells ring more or less all the time here. My husband, Peter, and I are in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a city filled with old churches. Every old church has at least a couple of old bells, and all the bells are rung frequently. Since there is so much I do not understand…

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Rix Quinn Coming To The Times

The Times has long been known as the best media outlet for intriguing columnists. From Betsy Reason to Paula Dunn to John Marlowe, Carrie Classon, Dick Wolfise, Tim Timmons and others, The Times brings you interesting food for thought every day. Beginning soon, we are pleased to bring you a new voice, Rix Quinn. Quinn…

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