Ethics and Morals

2/7/2014

Today in the news is a Judge who allegedly steered a $43,000 contract to the husband of a business partner and then lied to investigators about her actions.  The Judge is being charged on 19 counts of wrongdoing by the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.  The board also levied 10 counts against the agency's general counsel, who is a partner in a property management business with the Judge. Why do people in power continue to take risks that might (and should in my opinion) upend their careers. If these wrong doers were regular people, like you and me, granted we likely wouldn't make the paper, but we would certainly end up in a courtroom.  

And what's up with the firemen who refused to help a man who had a heart attack.  Bystanders rushed to the fire station but reportedly were told that they couldn't respond until the family called 911.  Apparently, a fireman watched but did nothing and the man died later in the hospital.  Seriously?   All they had to do was cross the street and help.  Forget policies and procedures, this man needed medical attention and needed it now. How could the firemen simply refuse to do anything?  Forget protocol for a moment, if for no other reason than compassion, why didn't they try and help this man? What a surprise that a fire lieutenant at the center of the investigation submitted her retirement papers after being placed on administrative leave.  What is wrong with these people and perhaps more to the point, the system in general?

You know as well as I do, that a regular person who came across someone clearly having a serious medical problem, would try and do something.  Few of us would just keep walking because we didn't want to get involved.  The man's daughter could have called 911 but under the circumstances I'm sure she was out of her mind with worry about her father, and likely was in shock and panicked (I know I would be).  I'm also assuming that since the firehouse was just across the street, she probably didn't think that she would need to call 911.  I know I would assume that the firemen would do something, and I'd be wrong.

Police Officers have several opportunities to gain personally from their status and authority as law enforcement officers. Police Officers are there to serve and protect and should not be above the law.  Yet it's clear that the Blue Code of Silence among policemen can prevent corruption from becoming public. The investigation of corruption in the New York City Police Department in the early 1970s, divided corrupt officers into two types: meat-eaters, who "aggressively misuse their police powers for personal gain," and grass-eaters, who "simply accept the payoffs that the happenstances of  police work throw their way."  The sort of corrupt acts that have been committed by police officers have been classified as follows, and this is only a partial list:

• Corruption of authority where officers receive free drinks, meals and other gratuties.
• Kickbacks, receiving payment from referring people to other business. This can include contractors and tow truck operations.
• Shakedowns for accepting bribes for not pursuing a criminal violation 

 The public puts a lot of trust in firemen, policemen, Judges as well as appointed city, county and state officials.  They are supposed to be upholding the law and doing the right thing, even if it makes them unpopular.  But we know that there are some of these firemen, policemen, Judges and politicians, who willingly and knowingly do the wrong thing. We read about ethical or moral violations that occur more often than they should. If we can't trust them, then who can we trust?

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Alcohol

2/6/2014

Drinking is and always has been a way of life for most people.  Luckily for the majority, we're talking about responsible drinking: a glass or two of wine, beer and perhaps some of the harder stuff. The problem is that teenagers and young adults don't seem to know when to stop, and then they get in their cars and drive.  Result for a lot of these young people? Accidents, injuries and sometimes death.

Luckily for Jeff and I, our two youngest sons thought a wild Saturday night was some popcorn, diet coke and computer games until the wee hours of the morning.  They were definitely not  part of the in crowd nor did they want to be.  We told the boys that they could call us anytime day or night if they found themselves in a situation that was uncomfortable and we would come and get them immediately, no questions asked.  We were very fortunate to have never received that call.

Statistics say that 1 in 10 teens in high school drink and drive.  Kids ages from 16 to 20 are 17 times more likely to die when their blood alcohol is 0.8%.

In the 60's as a teenager, it was cool to smoke, a habit I never took up.  I lived in a small town and there was, of course, some beer drinking.  I don't remember my school mates hitting the hard stuff (or perhaps I was just naive).

Yesterday, the Maryland Senate passed a bill with a vote of 37-10 that would ban high-proof alcohol from liquor stores. The bill would ban any drink that is 95% alcohol - 190 proof from being sold in Maryland.The Senator said that the measure really targets only one kind of liquor: grain alcohol.

There are many dangers stemming from such high-proof alcohol according to the Senator, who says that leaders at universities in Maryland are asking for the measure. They blame alcohol poisoning for fights, sexual assaults, injuries, and deaths. Some say that the high proof alcohol is tasteless and is an easy way to dump grain alcohol into a punch or any other drink, in order to up the grain alcohol content.

One Senator bought a bottle of Everclear at a liquor store and brought it to the Senate. He disagrees with the characterization that it is odorless.

The Senate was prepared to vote on the bill yesterday, but a one-day delay was granted so skeptical senators could see what restrictions neighboring states such as Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania have on high-proof liquor.  All three states have either prohibited its sale or put severe restrictions on those who can buy it.

Even if the bill becomes law, you know as well as I do, that if a young person wants to drink, they will. Where there is a will, there is a way.

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A Lacy World

2/5/2014

When I woke up this morning and looked out my bedroom window, I saw that Mother Nature visited us last night.  She covered all the trees with a thin layer of ice, resembling lace.  The trees are beautiful to look at and once again I marvel at our ever changing weather.

Mother Nature (because we have to have someone to blame) can and has wrecked havoc around the world with hurricanes, earthquakes and typhoons.  There is nothing pretty about occurrences like this and the damage is generally extensive and devastating. 

But there is a softer side to Mother, when gentle spring rains fall lightly on our grass just waking up from it's winter slumber and the buds of tulips and other spring flowers begin poking through the ground.  

When we moved here in 1986 from California, our boys had never seen a robin, a dogwood tree or the majestic beauty of tall oak and elm trees.  California is known best for palm and fruit trees.  Palm trees line the streets and most neighborhoods.  When the fronds die, they turn brown and have to be cut off the tree which requires special attention to avoid the sharp edges of the fronds.

They had also never seen much snow, unless we took them up to the mountains occasionally during winter.  So when our first winter arrived after moving to Maryland, the boys were thrilled.  Jeff and I less so.  They were young enough to want to get bundled up, build snowmen and have snowball fights.

As they got older, we had enough snow shovels for each boys' hands!  There is an advantage to having sons - they can carry firewood, shovel snow, make holes for planting trees and shrubs, and mowing lawns.  Basically, I didn't have to get involved with outside work.  My job in the winter was to have a fire going, and hot chocolate (w/marshmallows) waiting for my cold and tired sons.

Luckily for us is that the ice we got last night was not heavy.  In our backyard we have an entire row of Leland Cypress trees that after 20 years are quite tall and top heavy.  These trees also have shallow roots.  With heavy ice or snow, we stand a chance of losing branches due to the weight on the branches.

For now I sit in my favorite chair, drink coffee and enjoy the views from my window.  No longer do I need to call the phone number at work to see if the building was closed or delaying opening. I guess that's a small advantage of being retired.

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Soap Bottles

2/4/2014

Soap bottles you ask?  Yes, those annoying plastic bottles that dispense soap for hands or dishes.  I don't know about you but the one I use for dishes, that little plastic dispensing thingy gets gunked up a lot.  Solution?  Put the dispenser to soak in hot water until you have de-gunked the little spout.  Put it back on the bottle and within a matter of days, start the process all over again!

Last week I was a woman with a mission - find a better device for soap.  Off I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and headed for the kitchen wares. The offerings of dispensers was more than I expected.  Perhaps I'm not the only woman who hates those plastic bottles.   So I pumped the top of all the containers on display and then carefully read their "instructions" and what kind of soap the dispenser was supposed to be used for.  Most of them only said hand soap and nothing about dishes.  Do I take a chance on one of these devices and return it if it doesn't work on dish soap?  Argh.  This type of purchase should be seriously easy and not require me to have to put so much thought into it.  It's not like I'm trying to create a new soap device that I can take to the Shark Tank (and be turned down by Mr. Wonderful)!

Just as I was about to give up to go home and de-gunk my dispenser (again), I spotted a dispenser on the bottom shelf which was not on display.  Eureka!  I found my dispenser.  How did I know?  Well the little metal scrubbing accessory told me that this device was clearly meant to hold dish soap.  Problem solved.  I left the store and hurried home to fill up my new toy with dish soap (making sure I saved the receipt just in case), and set about making bubbles of soap in the sink.  Did it work?  Perfectly.  I am truly a happy camper.  I will still be buying dish washing soap in plastic bottles so that I can keep my dispenser full.  Believe me, sometimes it's the little things in life that can make you the happiest!

Since I no longer have to worry about plastic soap bottles, I will turn my attention to something else.  Of course I don't know what that something else is at the moment, but not to worry, I'll come up with something!

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Super Bowl 2014

2/3/2014

What did you do yesterday?   I stayed busy all day on purpose. It was a pretty nice day here weather wise.  Could go out with just a sweater and no need for a coat - yeah.

Sunday morning was spent as all of my Sundays are - recording the next week of television. Thankfully because of the football game, there was no need on my part to have to juggle all of our shows making sure that nothing over ran something else.  I did record the game, and as it turned out we both ended up watching the entire game, which even to someone as naive about the game as I am, was boring.

Some of the commercials we saw were just so over the top that I initially couldn't figure out what the product was.  Loved the Budweiser commercials as I always do, partly because of those beautiful horses. For some of the advertisers and knowing how much each spot cost them, I really felt sorry that they spent so much money on an ad that for me as a consumer would feel no pull to buy their product.  In some cases I actually had trouble figuring out what the product was!  But more than likely they weren't trying to attract the attention of older people such as myself and I'm okay with that.  I have my favorite products and companies and I am a very loyal consumer.

Before the game started, I did some reading and laundry (boring) and continued to find a home for all the things that I had brought home from the office.  It may be easier to put the remaining things (which are small and are inconsequential, in a box, snap the lid on top and wait a year.  If in a year I haven't missed anything in that box, then they need to find a new home.

Yesterday afternoon, my good friend took me to a movie in a very nice theater which had wide, comfy seats and armrests large enough for two elbows!  What a treat.  The movie was subtitled and initially you have to adjust to both reading and watching.  But after a short bit of adjustment it became easy.

By the time I got home, I fixed myself a bite and settled on the sofa with Jeff to watch the only game he ever watches.  The Sea Hawks trounced over the Broncos, which is somewhat ironic to me - birds over horses!   I went to bed before the game was over, so convinced that nothing short of a miracle could change the way the game was going to end.  

So that was my Sunday.  Today is gloomy and raining.  It's one of those days where I appreciate that I don't have to go outside.  There are some benefits from being retired and this is one of them.

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Football

2/2/2014

It's official, the football season is going to end today, unless you play fantasy football.  The game today will be watched by millions of folks across the country.  They will individually be rooting for their favorite (or at least their pick of the two teams that are playing) team to win.  I don't "do" football so I can barely remember who is playing and the outcome of the game doesn't matter to me.

I am not a sports widow, because Jeff isn't particularly interested in sports.  We do watch the big game, but find the commercials, which are generally great, more entertaining than the game.  I know this puts us in the minority, but we're okay with that.

What the big game does do is make it ridiculously easy for me to line up my Sunday night television, since there is very little else on except 60 Minutes and Downtown Abby.  Generally, on Sunday I have to very carefully watch the times of our favorite shows and make sure that there are no conflicts.  I love television and after reading the Sunday TV Week, I sit down - coffee and marker in hand - and select the shows we're going to watch for the week.  Jeff isn't the tv nut that I am, so I watch my cheesy shows when he's working or flying.  We do have several shows that we both enjoy, such as Shark Tank, Elementary and the Mentalist.  

I suppose if I were in a grocery store today, I would see carts filled up with chips, dips, and in certain stores beer.  I don't think anybody sits down to watch a football game with a dainty plate filled with celery and carrots!  Pretty sure those aren't considered "real" football food!

Okay some fun facts:

• This game is the second highest day for eating.  And yes I know you know that Thanksgiving wins first place in this category.
• 1.23 billion wing portions are consumed; 11 million pounds of chips, 38 million pounds of popcorn; 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips and finally 51.7 million cases of beer are drunk (or should it be drank?)
• Ads during the game cost 3.4 million per 30 SECONDS!
• And finally, 56% of people  tune in to watch the game for the commercials as they do for the game itself (Jeff and I are part of that 56% - most of the advertisers make good use of their ad spot

 This afternoon my good friend is taking me to a movie which will be a good way to spend the afternoon.  We're going to watch a subtitled movie which will give me a good opportunity to check out my new glasses for distance seeing!

So enjoy your afternoon and definitely your evening spent probably in front of the television and I hope your team wins.

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New Glasses

2/1/2014

Over the years, my eyesight continues to deteriorate.  I think I'm just one step away from needing a guide dog - and they can't drive!

The prescription for my glasses is a bit complicated - bifocals and prisms and consequently they are quite expensive.  I don't change my glasses very often and keep my frames for years.  I don't feel the need to have designer glasses, which simply puts more money in the pocket for someone(s) that already has plenty of money.  

I put off eye exams, even when I know my eyesight isn't as clear as it should be.  I don't like getting new lenses and having to "break" them in.  Like old slippers, my old glasses are comfortable and I've gotten used to them, even if I have to struggle a bit to see.

Last month I went to see the ophthalmologist to have my eyes tested because I was having trouble reading the words on the tv.  While it's not one of those 60" television, it's good sized and up until recently had no trouble reading the words.  One of the things I hate about having my eyes tested, is the part where you have to decide if "1" or "2" is better.  I always wonder why I can't have a third option.  After I keep going back and forth long enough, I'm so confused. I also keep wondering why the doctor can't somehow make the decision through some magical doctor thing to know exactly which lens is better.

I left the doctor's office with a brand new prescription for my regular (distance) glasses.  I was so excited because I knew that very soon I would actually be able to read the television screen.  Yesterday, I popped in to get my new lenses.  Right out of the gate I didn't like them.  I also know intellectually that you have to give new glasses a chance so that your eyes can adjust.  The suggestion was to wear my new glasses as much as possible during the next couple of days.

Last night we went out to Andy's house to have cake and ice cream for his birthday.  It was dark on our way home and that was when I became frustrated.  Every road sign, tail lights, etc. all had half of the sign or light underneath the actual sign.  Okay, this nearly drove me nuts.  I tried for awhile to close one eye to see if my problem was in just one eye.  Nope.  Didn't matter which eye was open/closed, still had this annoying shadow thing on everything.  

Guess where I'm going today?  Yup. Back to the opticians to talk about my night vision.  I know the doctor lowered my prisms, which I have had for years to keep me from seeing double. Maybe the solution will be to put back my prisms to what they were before getting new glasses.  Wish me luck.

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