“Why do children love imaginary figures like Santa Claus…? Because they like to pretend. And when children pretend, they are exercising the evolutionarily crucial human ability to envision alternative ways the world could be. In adults that ability is at the core of our very real capacities for invention and innovation.” – Alison Gopnik, author of “The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life”; full story in December 22, 2009, The New York Times.

“Pocket parks — also known as miniparks and vest-pocket parks — are small patches of landscaped nature generally built on vacant building lots or scraps of city land that fall between the cracks of real estate interests… (Thomas Hoving, former New York City parks commissioner) recognized that they offered the city not only ‘lungs’ and a respite from noise, but opportunities for collective action by the surrounding communities whose help he enlisted in reclaiming the land. He believed that the communal act of making these spaces of quiet itself promoted harmony.” – from “City of Earthy Delights,” George Prochnik, Opinion, The New York Times, December 13, 2009.

“Some employers are getting involved in community health promotion initiatives to reinforce their own employment-based health improvement goals… ‘This represents a recognition that employer wellness programs need to fit into a broader community framework,’ said Michael Thompson, principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. ‘It really requires a more holistic effort to change the course of society and employers are playing a major role in getting it started, but they can’t accomplish it without a lot more support from their communities. We need to have the oars pulling in the same direction.’” — full story in Business Insurance, September 14, 2009