Dr. Richard A. Schwartz, MD, F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C.

Dick Schwartz entered my life as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland. I signed up for the six credit hour course- Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathology. From that stepping stone he was a member of our FEMA-funded, ground-breaking research tesm, conducting the first-ever study of the metabolic demands of structuiral fire suppression. We identified the aerobic and anaerobic constructs and contributions to working encumbered with SCBA and the PPE. 

Our friendship with Dick and his wife grew through life events including his marriage, his professional advancemet and later in setting up an Occupational Medicine practice in the Greater Washington, DC area. 

I was honored to serve as a pallbearer and call him friend. The official obituary follows. 

It is with great sadness and regrets that the physicians and staff of Cardiology Specialists of Virginia note the passing of Dr. Schwartz on December 20, 2022. Dr. Schwartz was a dedicated physician who dearly cared for his patients and loved his profession; he was our colleague and friend.

Dr. Schwartz began his private practice in the Northern Virginia area in 1974. He was the founder and medical director of a group cardiology practice in Arlington and Alexandria, VA. from 1974 to 2000. Dr. Schwartz received his medical degree from Cornell University in 1965. He served his Internship at Philadelphia General Hospital. His residency training was done in the Georgetown University Hospital program at D.C. General Hospital. Cardiology Fellowships were completed at Georgetown University Hospital and the Washington Center Hospital. He was Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Schwartz held the rank of Lieutenant Commander during his military service in the U.S. Public Health Service. He was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital of Medicine. At the University of Maryland, he served as a consultant in cardiology, sports medicine and physical fitness. He was a Director of the Northern Virginia Institute for Continuing Education, Chairman of the Board for the Medical Society Services and Treasurer of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Dr. Schwartz was past Chairman of the D.C. Medical Society Committee on Physical Fitness and a charter member and past President of the Sports Medicine Association of Greater Washington. He was a frequent guest speaker and author on various healthcare and fitness topics. Active in rowing for over 30 years, Dr. Schwartz was a senior master sculler and has participated in the sport as a crew member, coach, and team physician. He was a member of national championship crews and rowed on the 1963 Pan American team.

From the Wall Street Journal

The current era is marked by fading trust in U.S. institutions, but confidence in one pillar has held up: the military. But now even that is eroding, and the question is whether the brass will get the message.

The Reagan Institute releases an annual survey of public attitudes on national defense, and this year only 48% reported having “a great deal of confidence” in the U.S. military in results first detailed here. That’s down from 70% in 2018, and within the margin error of last year’s 45%.

This is consistent with other surveys. Pew Research this year noted a 14-point drop since 2020 in Americans who said they had a great deal of confidence in the military to act in the public’s interest.

The Reagan poll asked Americans what is driving the decline. It isn’t the ability to carry out missions or win in a fight. It is “things going on outside the core competencies of the military,” says Reagan’s Roger Zakheim. “Call it politicization, call it wokeness,” but that’s where “you can connect the dots.”

Some 62% said “military leadership becoming overly politicized” reduced their confidence some or a great deal. That includes trust in civilians who give the orders. Americans offered some of the worst ratings for decisions made by Presidents, and the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan comes to mind.

Some 52% also had reduced confidence in uniformed officers. Half cited “so-called ‘woke’ practices undermining military effectiveness.” Some of these episodes—a brouhaha over maternity flight suits—are overblown. But others are revealing: An admiral suggested last year that to increase diversity the Navy should consider reviving the practice of looking at photos in promotion boards—i.e., to make decisions based explicitly on race.

General Mark Milley’s speech to Congress last year that he wanted to understand “white rage,” in response to reasonable inquiries about whether cadets at West Point should be learning critical race theory, was a lapse in judgment. Many Americans think the military is no longer an institution that runs on excellence, merit and individual submission to a larger cause.

The Pentagon denies this is a problem, but it surely is if half the public believes it. The military relies on young Americans to sign up amid many other career opportunities. Fewer are doing so. Americans on the left have their own reasons for declining confidence in the military: 46% cited right-wing extremism, even though this scourge has been wildly overstated.

This drop in confidence comes at an ominous moment, as the public seems to know. Some 75% in the Reagan survey viewed China as an enemy, up from 55% in 2018, and the percentage of those worried about Russia has doubled. Some 70% are concerned China might invade Taiwan within five years, and 61% support increasing the U.S. military’s Pacific footprint.

The good news is that these trends can be reversed, as they were in the years after Vietnam. As GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher put it to us, the poll is helpful in narrowing “what our failures are,” and it isn’t the rank-and-file or even the equipment. “Ukraine has been one long advertisement for American weapons systems.” But “it seems to be the leadership.”

Americans want their military to focus on preventing or winning the next war, not on serving the latest political fashion.

Copyright (c)2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12/01/2022

Intellectual Property Defined

What is IP, or "Intellectual Property?"

From the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition:

Any of various products of the intellect that have commercial value, including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational property, such as patents, business methods, and industrial processes.

The set of rights protecting such works and property from unlawful infringement.

Any product of someone's intellect that has commercial value: copyrights, patents, trademarksand trade secrets.

So, going back in history to 1976, the elements of the Firefighter Challenge meet the definition; that is, any form of Climbing a stairway under load, hoisting with gloved hand a weight, simulated "chopping" with a sledge hammer, (or ax), advancing a charged hose and "rescuing" a mannequin is a derivative of the original work of Dr. Paul Davis. His research was published widely in copyrighted publications and trademarks registered in the United States and the EU.

The words: Firefighter Challenge cannot be trademarked because they are too broad. But the stylized version of the words and associated trademarks can be protected.
Also, the published rules on the official website are copyrighted. "Knockoffs" abound. Which brings us to the subject of Intellectual Honesty.

"If I don't call it the Firefighter Challenge, am I not stealing?"

Yes you are. In an attempt to be perceived as original thinkers, some organizations "tweak it" to demonstrate a difference that would suggest that this was their idea. Yet, the order effect is still there. But the idea was NOT theirs. It's been 46 years since the first Challenge course was created. The legacy of records has been meticulously maintained to provide value and reference for benchmarks around the world. Interestingly, the popularity of the Challenge is demonstrated by the hundreds of postings on YouTube.

You can develop your own version of the Olympic Decathlon, but the coin of the realm, time or points are not going to have meaning if what you're doing is different. Here in lies the value of a "Brand." And that’s why imitators need to be called out. Simply answer the question "where did you get the idea for your version of the truth?"