He's my oldest colleague, by turns my arch rival and closest ally, my pal and pool partner and an uncle to my daughter. In the latest edition of his podcast, Creative Conversations, Steve Crescenzo and I reminisce about our sketchy careers, the meaning of employee communication, writing and communication technology.

While I was spending time with my dad during the fall we unearthed a film made of a trip my grandfather, Charles Murray, took to Germany, in 1947.

He was head of public affairs for Armco Steel and the U.S. government dispatched him to make an assessment of what it would take to restore Germany's devastated manufacturing industry.

This film, in four parts—one, two, three and four—is mostly of interest to our family, but if you're like me, you'll enjoy struggling to contemplate the long lost trust in businesspeople (and, yes, the attendant paternalism) suggested by a scene at the 5:40 mark of part four: "A Woman Asking Mr. Murray Where She Might Get Materials to Make Dolls."

Our neighborhood dentistry, East Village Dental Care, sends us a letter saying that because of the economic crisis they're not raising their fees.

Instead, "we have turned them back to 2006 prices!"

O, 2006—the salad days!