Imagine the situation. An elderly woman, perhaps in her seventies and dealing with a disability claim that has been pending for months, makes the twenty-minute drive to her neighborhood Social Security office, approaches the door, and discovers a notice. Closed. Only a few lines about facilities were provided. There is no reopening schedule. Just a recommendation to visit a website or give a number a call. It’s the kind of minor, annoying incident that occurs to real people, in real places, more frequently than most of us realize, but doesn’t make national news. That is basically what is happening in…
Author: Michael Martinez
In Britain, April has a way of keeping you in suspense. When the sun comes out in the afternoon, you’re momentarily, foolishly optimistic. In the morning, there’s frost on the windscreen and a gray sky pressing down over the rooftops. That’s kind of how this week has been; it’s been cold along the eastern coasts, surprisingly warm in sheltered western locations, and the kind of weather that makes it really hard to know what to wear. However, something is changing, and it’s difficult to ignore the forecast data. As April turns into May, a heat wave appears to be approaching…
A piece of legislation changes from being a political idea to something more permanent, something that will outlive the politicians who passed it, at some point between the first reading and the final vote. This week in Britain, that moment came quietly and with far less fanfare than it most likely deserved. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, passed by Parliament, will make it illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2009, to ever buy cigarettes. Not the following year. Not on their thirty-first birthday. Never. It’s the type of policy that requires a few seconds to register completely. A rolling…
In the medical field, 1958 is a long time ago. It comes before Medicare. It predates the majority of imaging technologies that are considered basic by modern doctors. It undoubtedly existed before the expansive, multi-campus healthcare system that now characterizes Central Florida, complete with shiny hospital hallways, urgent care facilities everywhere, and telehealth platforms that promise same-day access via a phone screen. The Ear, Nose, Throat & Plastic Surgery Associates has persisted in the face of all that change. Since the practice first opened its doors in Orlando, it has not only survived but grown, adding locations and doctors throughout…
Miami’s relationship with beauty has always been complex. The conversations by the poolside about who did what and where, the morning joggers on South Beach, and the unwritten knowledge that being attractive here is more of a local language than a vanity are all examples of how the city runs on it. In light of this, a cosmetic surgery practice requires more than just skilled surgeons to gain recognition. It requires a viewpoint. It appears that Vixen Plastic Surgery, located in Suite 822 on NW 7th Street, has figured that out. Just the name suggests intentionality. Vixen. Unlike many plastic…
It takes time to develop a certain kind of trust. Just years of showing up, doing meticulous work, and letting patients tell the story for you—not marketing, not a brightly lit Instagram grid, not even a lengthy list of credentials. For over fifty years, Forsyth Plastic Surgery on Maplewood Avenue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been doing just that. And somehow, despite operating in a mid-sized Southern city rather than a coastal media market, it has managed to build a reputation that most newer practices would spend years chasing. One aspect of the picture is the numbers. Maintaining a 4.8…
You wouldn’t expect to find a surgeon who trained under some of the most renowned Park Avenue cosmetic doctors in Woodlands, Texas. It’s a planned community north of Houston; it’s quiet, well-kept, and the kind of suburb where people care about their appearance but don’t want to show it. Despite this, SGK Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery has spent the last few years developing a reputation that is beginning to spread far beyond the zip code. It wasn’t by accident that Dr. Sugene Kim came here. After earning her medical degree from NYU, completing her residency at Georgetown, and graduating from…
Every new Housewives franchise starts with a scene where viewers stop, tilt their heads, and begin to ask questions. It’s not about the drama. Not because of the slogans. Regarding the faces. With New Jersey, it took place. Salt Lake City experienced this. And now, just one week into The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, it’s happening again, and this time, Liz McGraw has become the focus of the conversation almost immediately. Liz didn’t wait long to give people something genuine to work with, which sets this particular scenario apart from the typical Bravo conjecture. She metaphorically approached a microphone…