Now I Understand

Okay, now I get what Ernie Anastos was talking about.

The dog’s name is Ernie.

Separated At Birth

Joe the Plumber and the Colossus of New York. One is an ugly monster and the other is a very underrated 1958 movie.

Taylor Swift Remix

Will Sasso is the actor who played Curley in the new Three Stooges movie (I hate to admit but it was funny). Vine is an app that records 6 second videos. I’ve seen some really clever ones. This one makes me laugh every time. Probably the goat.

Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care

As a social work professor, I try to instill in my students the idea that we must really know our clients to be able to help them.

My grandfather Matteo Barbaro at Steeplechase Park, Coney Island NY

Joseph A. DePinto
All rights reserved. Photo is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission.

I grew up in Coney Island which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. During that time, Steeplechase Park was still open and my grandfather operated the Caterpillar ride.

Tilgins. Couple on Caterpillar ride at Coney Island amusement park. Museum of the City of New York. 90.36.4.9

The caterpillar ride debuted at Steeplechase Park in 1925. The ride featured a canopy that enclosed cars once it reached maximum speed, making it popular with couples. It also contained a large fan that blew air from the seats. Photo and text courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York.

My friend Charles Denson is the executive director of the Coney Island History Project (which was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy) and the above photo of my grandfather and the following audio will be a part of the Steeplechase exhibit of the Coney Island History Project which will reopen on March 24th. Please stop by and visit the expanded exhibition center on West 12th Street below the Wonder Wheel at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

The following is a recounting of some very fond memories of Steeplechase Park and Coney Island. Enjoy.

Dangers of Social Media

Non clinician view: I really don’t give a $hit about Manti Te’o. When (not really a) Dr. Phil is all over it, it’s time to ignore.

Clinician view: This is a direct result of fragile egos testing hopefully real life situations in social media. We are bound to see more of this.

Snow in Coney Island

My hometown was hit very hard by super storm Sandy. The new blanket of snow adds a quiet beauty.

Spring Semester Starts 01/14/2013

Winter break is almost over and school starts next week. I’m looking forward to meeting all my new social work students. Get ready for a great semester!

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,500 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Frances DePinto Speaks Barese

My mother grew up in a large family. Her parents were from Bari, Italy and they spoke an Italian dialect. We’ve always found it amusing. We love you mom and miss you.