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January 26, 2006
On Mindless Complaining
Most weeks I pick up a copy of the Chico News and Review. I offer the publication about as much journalistic credit as I would the Weekly World News reporting that Bat Boy and the Loch Ness Monster are engaged to wed. I do find it a semi-entertaining read, however, and a good look at what the extreem left are thinking. The unabashedly liberal mag does it's best to trample religion, the 2nd Amendment, personal freedom, and common sense once a week, though in it's defense offers entertainment and culinary reviews that are usually absent in more main-stream publications.
In this weeks edition editor Tom Gascoyne lays into Wal-Mart for what he calls "cheap PR". At issue is Wal-Mart's Kid's Recycling Challenge which encourages elementry school children to collect plastic shopping bags from fields, streams, etc. and turn them in for cash for their school. For each 60 gallon sack full of recovered bags the kids turn in Wal-Mart gives the school $5. It's not much but it does three good things. 1) Kids get involved in their community and come away with a sense of pride in a job well done, 2) Schools get some much needed cash, and 3) The environment benefits from not having plastic bags laying around. Tom takes issue with the program because Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in America and should have given more and because Wal-Mart gets a portion of what it pays out back by recycling the bags themselves.
Okay, so Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in America and I don't think that offering more money would have broken them or even strained them but why look a gift horse in the mouth? They gave something, they did three goods in one stroke, they got envolved in a postive way. All Tom did was complain about it. Come on, Tom, they have no obligation to do anything at all, cherish their gift! You call their gift cheap PR but isn't that what your column is for you?
Libs seem to have a love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart. While the poorest, welfare recieving, government sucking masses seem to be the most liberal (wouldn't want their free ride taken away) they also are the same ones shopping at Wal-Mart. Why not? They're the cheapest place in town and you can get damn-near everything in one trip, saving time and gas. I would think that Libs would love Wal-Mart for catering to the very people who are their core constituancy. But no, they'd rather everyone who is successful be taxed down to nothing so that the poor could be held up to a level they never worked to acheive, where everyone is exactly equal to the person next to him. I recall a word for that...Communism.
Posted by at 05:10 PM | Comments (5)
On So Called Racism
I like reading the letters to the Editor in the Chico ER. It's good to know how people feel about a subject, and the letters often provide a variety of feelings on a number of subjects. Interestingly enough letters to the editor and Tell It to the ER's were often used by my Debate professors when I was in school as a lesson in how not to write an argument. In some cases the poorly written case was an accident, someone who just didn't know how to do it right. In some cases it was intentional, someone who, by fancy writing, could dupe the unsuspecting reader into taking their side when their premise and argument actually had little to do with each other.
I don't know which way Thomas O. Billheimer II is playing it but I do know his argument lacks support for his premise in his letter to the Editor printed today. He argues that the city has spent a large sum of money for public improvement projects including $10,000 on benches made out of the Hooker Oak, $40,000 for a set of interactive sculptures, and money on pieces commemorating Erol Flynn. These projects, he argues, provide proof of the racist attitude of the city because no money is being spent on projects for Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. While I agree that King was an important man there are thousands of King memorials throughout the country and the man is sadly dead so his feelings are far from being hurt. The projects proposed for the city all have Chico and it's history in mind. The Hooker Oak is obvious, I'm under the impression that the interactive sculptures will have a "Chico" theme, and the pieces to Erol Flynn commemorate a man who put Chico on the map by shooting the original Robin Hood movie in Bidwell Park. I'm certain that the other projects will have a very "Chico" flavor to them.
I don't think that Chico is racist, and I don't agree with Mr. Billheimer's argument. The city is proud and chose art pieces that demonstrate how proud it is. Chico has a rich heritage, a flavorful past, and a promising future. Why is it wrong to show that through art? King memorials can go up in any city, no other city will put up a piece dedicated to Chico except for Chico, and that has nothing to do with racism.
Posted by at 09:04 AM
January 24, 2006
On Mexico
I recently took a long-needed vacation to Mexico and was impressed by some of the things that I saw, so I thought that I'd share them with you all. The trip was a cruise through the Riviera and stopped at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and finally Cabo San Lucas. The difference between these three cities was quite impressive. Read on.
After two full days at sea we stopped in PV. I had booked a tour through the ship to view two tequilla producing factories and then go through the downtown area of PV. The factory tours were impressive. the process is pretty basic. Read the extended entry for a bit on tequilla making. Our tour guide described Mexico as "The Land of Contrasts." His point was that there is a broad contrast between the "have's" and the "have nots". The rich are very rich. Very very rich. The poor are very very poor. There are parts of Mexico where the poor have less than even the poorest nations in Africa. Driving through these areas was shocking. People were living in the city dump, eating week old food, scrounging for things to make shelters out of. Those who can't do that dig holes in the sides of hills. the middle class is almost non-existant. This isn't to say that they don't exist, and to the casual viewer it seems that they're prevalant. The middle class is all that the tourists see. The rich don't want the tourists in their areas, and the tour industry doesn't want the tourists to see the poor. So when you drive through a Mexican city that is a tourist area you are seeing the middle class in all it's splendor. For the Mexican government this is great, since they're all rich. The middle class is taxed to death, and the poor provide nothing, and are given nothing. This isn't to say they don't have a plan in progress for dealing with the poor, because they do. Mexico is assisting them North and across the border to the U.S. as so not to be a burdeon on Mexico any more, but that's another post.
Mazatlan was our second stop were I took a tour of the Pacifico brewery. Pacifico beer is owned by the Modelo Group and so that brewery made Pacifico, Modelo, and Corona, though Modelo group makes many other lables. The tour was impressive, as the brewery was the most high-tech facility in the city next to the resort hotels. Our tour guide was fantastic and I would recommend him to anyone going to Mazatlan. His name was Mazatlan Frank (www.mazatlan-frank.com). He was born in Canada and lived back and forth between Canada and Mexico growing up. As a result he speaks both languages perfectly, knows the areas very well, and is very knowledgeable about the history of the region. He does all manors of tours, not just the brewery, and his cost for driving us around all day and taking us to the brewery was $230 which was divided by six people...a smoking good deal. With Frank we got to see the rich area of town, which was cool. Mansions there were gigantic, on water, gated, guarded, and still inexpensive by our standards (about a million U.S.). Very impressive.
Cabo was our last stop and we didn't do much here except be lazy on the beach. What impressed me most about Cabo was how Americanized it was where we were. Mc Donalds, Burger King, etc were easy to find, streets were to American standards, and everyone spoke english. The down side to Cabo was that while laying on the beach I was asked about a dozen times by people selling whistles, blankets, bracelets, etc if I wasnted to buy either cocaine or marijuana. Annoying to say the least. Since I'm on the subject of buying things in Mexico, don't buy the jewlery unless you're in a jewlery store. If you're not sure, go into a hotel and ask someone there where they recommend. Where it used to be you could look for a certain stamp on the metal to tell if it was real is no longer accurate. The stamps are counterfeit and the "silver" is actually mostly lead.
All in all it was a great trip. I needed the vacation, though I'm glad to be home. If you have any questions, leave a post, I'll let you know what I know. Pictures from the trip soon to come.
Tequilla comes from the Blue Agave cactus which is related to the pineapple and many other cacti. Each plant takes about eight years to reach tequilla-ready maturity, along the way it's threatened by excessive moisture, drought, bugs, wind, and poachers who dig up the plant to make moon-shine. Once mature the leaves begin to die and the stump is harvested. The stump weighs up to 200 pounds and looks like a giant pineapple. This stump is roasted in a giant brick oven or smoked under coals, depending on the factory (Cuervo uses steam cookers, thus their crappy product). The roasted agave is then chopped and placed into a fermenter and covered in water where it is allowed to ferment for two days. Once that's done the pulp is filtered off and the alcohol distilled off. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water so by boiling the mixture at that low temperature only alcohol, oils, and trace amounts of water come off. This is a first distilltion tequilla and is what is sold by Sauza, Cuervo, and tastes like motor oil. In fact this stuff is used to clean the machines by better factories. Where I went they then distilled off the undesirable alcohols (methanol, acetone, and ketones) so that only ethanol (the good stuff that doesn't give you a hang over) is left. This is then either bottled of barreled. Bottled tequilla is called Blanco because it has not been barreled and is clear. If it's left in a barrel for a week then it's Resposado (rested) tequilla and has a milder, smokier flavor as well as a mild carmel color. Barreled tequilla for a year is Anejo (aged) and is the best. It's as smooth as water and has a very nice smoky, oaky flavor as well as a darker color. The smoky flavor comes from the fact that all tequilla factories that barrel their product use old Jack Daniels barrels due to the quality of the oak and the fact that traces of the whisky provide a smooth flavor. Cuervo and Sauza tequillas may be brown but don't let that fool you into thinking that they're aged, the color comes from corn syrup added later for the purpose of fooling the unwitting consumer into thinking that their product is better than it is. This isn't to say that Cuervo doesn't have it's purposes. It's good for blended drinks since you don't have to taste it much and you don't drink enough to give you a headache, it's good for cooking since it's cheap and the added sugars make a nice glaze on chicken and fish. It's also great for de-greasing an engine (no I'm not kidding).
Posted by at 04:36 PM | Comments (3)
January 21, 2006
On Health
How often do you hear the following? "Eat better, excercise more, live a healthier life!" Day after day Americans are being told that we are now the fattest nation on Earth and that our diets and lack of activity are to blame. And it's true. Look around you, I mean really look. How many people do you see that are overwieght? How many are severly overweight? Chances are you can't go through the day without seeing at least one person who is so obease that even in a non-medically trained opinion you would say that their lives are at risk. The problem facing most Americans is not that they aren't aware that they are eatting wrong and excercising too little, it's that they don't know what eatting healthy really is.
When you think of eatting "health food" you would probably think that it means cutting out everything that tastes remotely good and switching to something that looks, tastes, and has the consistancy of chipped cardboard. While those "foods" are certainly out there there are lots of great every day foods that can help you shed the pounds, keep them off, and not leave you feeling like a rabbit. By eatting some of the foods below and following a couple of easy rules you can see some great changes that will have you feeling better, looking better, and living better.
The Rules
1. Eat breakfast. It doesn't have to be a huge to-do but eat something. Studies have shown that eatting within the first 90 minutes of waking up help to kick start your metabolism and keep it up throughout the day.
2. Eat smaller frequent meals. Three big meals a day usually dont cut it, but five smaller meals a day are often just the trick to keep your stomach from growling and keep your metabolism going.
3. Eat some fiber. Fiber is more than just the stuff your grandpa uses to stay regular. Fiber binds to fats and helps them move through without being absorbed. It also expands in your digestive track making you feel full and since it takes a long time to digest it not only burns a lot of calories to process but keeps you feeling fuller longer.
4. WHITE BREAD IS THE DEVIL! One slice of white bread is about the equivilent to downing five teaspoons of sugar. It has no real nutritional benefit except for a lot of calories and empty carbs. Whole grain and whole wheat breads are a much better alternative due to the high fiber content. Look for breads that have between 3 and 5 grams of fiber per slice.
5. Don't count calories. You're going to go crazy if you do this. If you're hungry you should eat. Veggies (any veggie other than potatos) are great. Pickles, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrots broccoli and cauliflower with a little ranch, really any vegetable makes a great snack. Also, don't be afraid of a little fat. Fat takes a super long time to digest and makes you feel full. Unsaturated fats in moderation are not a bad thing.
Researchers at the City of Hope Med Center report that people who ate a low-calories, high-fat diet lost 63% more weight in six months than those who followed a low-fat diet with the same number of calories.
-Mens Health Magazine
Good For You Foods
1. Nuts. Any kind
2. Beans and lentals
3. Any green veggie other than iceberg lettuce which is basically just water and has no nutritional value
4. Any kind of dairy
5. Oatmeal, instant or otherwise
6. Eggs
7. Lean meats, such as turkey or chicken
8. Peanut butter. Yeah, the good old standby is actually good for you too. The best are the organic or unrefines kinds that are nothing more than peanuts and salt. As a general rule if the jar has oil that has risen to the top its better for you. Just stir it up and stick it in the fridge.
9. Olive oil. Just be aware that when cooking with olive oil that its flash point is lower than other oils so keep the heat down a bit.
10. Anything with "whole grain" in the title
11. Berries, any kind
Simple huh?
Recipies
Here are a couple of simple recipies that are compliments of Mens Health Magazine that not only taste good but are good for you.
Stuffed French Toast
2 Tbsp part-skim ricotta cheese
2 slices whole-grain bread
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp slices almonts
1 egg
1 Tbsp 1% milk
Spread the room temperature ricotta over the bread. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and the almonds. Top with another slice of bread. Whisk together the egg, milk, and cinnamon. Dip the bread into the egg and cook on medium heat on a nonstick pan until lightly brown. Flip and cook the other side. Serve with some berries. One serving
Spicy Chicken Wings
12 chicken tenders
3 tsp honey
3 Tbsp hot sauce
2 Tbsp low-sodium Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
Mix it all up except the chicken. Microwave for 10 seconds. Stir. Place the chicken and half the sauce in a ziploc bag and shake. Cook the tenders for about 2 minutes per side. Toss with the remaining sauce and serve with some reasonably low fat blue cheese dressing.
Turkey Wraps
1 whole wheat tortilla
1 Tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
2 Tbsp chunky salsa
1 cup turkey lunch meat
Romane lettuce or spinich if you like
Spread the cream cheese down the middle of the tortilla. Pile on the salsa and turkey. Top with the greens. Wrap it up borrito style.
Posted by at 12:24 AM
January 13, 2006
On Canadian Superiority
It seems that whenever a hard-core liberal wants to bash America they point towards the North and start touting how fantastic Canada is with their low crime rate, socialized healthcare, and what not. But how did Canada get that way? A few days ago I posted on how Canada was dealing with a problem with alcoholic homeless. They took a "cover it up and ignore it" policy, and, hey, it seems to work for them. But this is not the first such program. Read on.
In 1999 I visited Canada with a few friends. We planned on staying at a Hostel (basically you get a room, a community bathroom, and community common area) and while we were driving there were commenting on how poor of a neighborhood we were it. At one point it actually looked like someone was leaning on a lamp post, shooting up. When we got to the place we were informed by the owner that Vancouver has the highest auto theft rate in the Northern Hemisphere, especially American cars, so to be careful. He then suggested we park our car next to his van and leave a list of any valuables in our car and room with him so he could "keep an eye" on them. Yea, well, we left and stayed down town. The neighborhood in that we drove through was East Hastings, a part of Surry. It has been consistantly rated the worst area for crime in the Northern Hemisphere, and for good reason. Vancouver, recognizing that normal people didn't want to live next to dirtbags took a hands-off approach to East Hastings. Basically the policy was that you could do what you wanted there, and you wouldn't get into any trouble, if you crossed into Vancouver, however, the law would hammer you down. All was well and good, the riff raff migrated there and the rest of B.C. was pristine. But now it's getting out of control. East, and now West Hastings is attracting deginerates from all over the world. People do shoot up on the street. People are killed and the bodies lie where they drop, law is non-existant. Still though, for Canada this is a good trade since the rest of the country is nice.
Now, I'm not here to bash on Canada, if it works for them, fine. But I don't like hearing that they have no problems from the likes of Michael Moore. They have chosen to take a different approach to crime than we have. Instead of solving it, they consolidate and ignore it. It's not how I would do it, but I'm not the P.M. of Canada either.
Posted by at 06:44 PM
On Sororities Suing
Alphi Chi sorority at Chico State is suing the university over what it calls civil rights violations. At issue is whether they are constitutionally enabled to recruit new members during a semseter when University President Paul Zingg specifically forbade all Greek organizations from doing so. The prohibition came after several very high profile incidents involving various fraternities and sororities on campus including the death of Adrian Hedeman, death of Mathew Carrington, and a pornographic movie being filmed at another fraternity house. In addition to the recruiting ban 58 other regulations were set forth in a meeting hosted by Zingg and attended by every Greek organization on campus that wished to remain recognized, including Alphi Chi. The Intra-fraternal Council representing the fraternities, and Panhelenic representing the Sororities agreed to abide by the rules, Alphi Chi decided that they wouldn't.
The ladies of Alphi Chi state that they are being unfairly punished for the actions of the "idiot boys across town," as if Greek females have nothing to do with the problem and so should be immune from the rules. Lets not forget, ladies, that a young member of Kappa Sigma Delta recently gave birth to, and strangled, her infant child in the sorority house. Not to mention that I see as many sorority members with cases of alcohol poisoning as I do fraternity members. I just can't believe that it's all sugar and spice over there.
Ultimately I think Alphi Chi will lose their lawsuit, but it will be a long fight and will cost the University a bundle, a cost that will ultimately result in higher activity fees, and registration fees. It is my sincere hope that when this is all over and Alphi Chi is eating crow that they will be slapped with their own suit to recover legal fees for the University.
Posted by at 12:43 PM
January 10, 2006
On Pepsi and Patriotism
Today I learned that Pepsi planned to unveil new, patriotic, soft drink cans featuring various American Land marks and the Pledge of Allegance. However, the scandal was that the words "under God" were going to be omitted as not to offend anyone. When I first heard of this I was outraged, and offended. A bit hurt too, actually, I love Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke just doesn't measure up. However, this rumor turned out to be unfounded after a bit of research. A number of hoax buster websites feature the myth and debunk it. All is right and well with the world again.
Posted by at 11:25 PM | Comments (1)
On Justice
Thank you to Nick Frietas for bringing this to my attention. No doubt if this guy writes a children's book every bleeding heart will want him cannonized. Oh, and Nick, if you're reading this where ever you are right now, thanks for what you're doing, #111 is very proud of you and we pray for your safe return home soon.
---
On behalf of the Police Officers of F.O.P. Lodge #5, Philadelphia along with our brothers and sisters in Law Enforcement throughout the country, we are outraged, shocked, and dismayed to learn that the third Circuit Court of appeals would consider that Convicted Cop Killer Mumia Abu Jamal should get a new trial.
The facts of the case that convicted the cowardly acts of Mumia Abu Jamal on the December 09 th, 1981 murder of Police Officer Danny Faulkner are still the same 24 years later.
The facts of the case have and always have been clear, concise, and overwhelming. - - consider the following:
Police arrived within moments after the incident and found Mumia Jamal sitting on the curb, wounded and only a short distance from the dead officer.
Officer Faulkner's spent bullet was found in the attackers' chest.
The attacker, Mumia Abu Jamal, was wearing a shoulder holster.
Mumia Abu Jamal's gun was registered to him, in his name.
The attackers' gun was found near him with five spent shells, two of which were in the body of the deceased Officer.
In addition to a spontaneous statement, in which Mumia Jamal stated he shot the officer, three (3) eyewitnesses positively identified Mumia Abu Jamal as the shooter at the scene of the murder.
One eyewitness stated she saw the officer shot in the back by Mumia Abu Jamal.
Another eyewitness testified he never lost sight of the defendant (Jamal), from the time he shot the officer, until police placed him in custody.
Still another eyewitness testified he was so close to the shooting of the Police Officer, that the witness could see the officer's body jerk- "his whole body jerked when he was shot in the face."
The jury, multiracial in it is making up, was chosen with Mumia Jamal's personal participation and found the evidence against him to be overwhelming. To that end, the jury, not the Judge, voted unanimously to convict Mumia Abu Jamal of First Degree Murder and imposed the death penalty because he executed Officer Faulkner in cold blood.
Mumia Abu Jamal has had numerous legal appeals through the court system including the Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and our highest court in the land, The United States Supreme Court. His convictions were upheld at every level.
This entire appeal is ridiculous. It is a smack in the face to not only the entire legal process, but to Danny Faulkner's family. How much suffering must they endure?
Enough is Enough!
Danny Faulkner is dead. He can no longer Love, Laugh or have a family - He had no appeals!
Submitted by Jim Wheeler - FOP Vice-President
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Feel free to cut and paste this post in it's entirety and send it off to as many people as you can think of.
Posted by at 11:18 PM
January 09, 2006
On Drunk Canadians
Canada has adopted a new "healthcare" initiative that provides free alcohol to homeless alcoholics. Participants in the program are allowed to get up to 15 glasses of wine per day in an effort to control the amount of drinking, and get homeless Canadians into clinics where they can get check-ups, blankets, and other necessities. According to a Reuters report the program is a huge success. Canada has reported a decrease in alcohol related violence, as the drinks are spread out through the day, rather than consumed all at once, and a decrease in alcohol related Emergency Department visits. Its common knowledge among anyone within the Emergency Services realm that alcohol is a contributing factor to about half of all ER visits in one way or the other. Drunks are more likely to fall down, over indulge, get into fights, crash their cars, have metabolic abnormalities, or just show up for things that aren't really emergencies because to a drunk it seems like a good idea.
While one can't argue with the numbers I am concerned about the idea of giving out toxic amounts of a toxic substance and calling it healthcare. While this does put a stop to the symptoms of a social disease it does so without actually doing anything for the disease, and it does so at a huge cost to the tax payers. Even with the added benefit of being able to give health screenings and necessary items to these individuals, you're doing so by bribing them with their addiction. What's next, providing a few free rocks to homeless crack-heads? If the program sought to slowly wean alcoholics off of the substance that would be one thing but there's nothing to indicate that goal, and if it were the goal wouldn't the consumers just get what they could for free and then buy what they couldn't.
I applaud the ideas of this program, and admit that the figures are impressive but I cannot advocate intentionally providing alcohol to alcoholics just to keep them out of the ER and keep them from needing police assistance. It's the social equivilant to putting a towel over a stain on the carpet. The stain is till there, it's just covered up. Perhaps Canada, and America, should work on cleaning up these addicts, rather than encouraging them.
Posted by at 03:04 PM
On Minimum Wage
Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to raise minimum wage has been met with the expected amount of cheers and boos. At issue is raising the state minimum wage to $7.25 an hour immediately, and then raising it again in July of 2007. This plan is being embraced by unions and labor groups, groups that traditionally have nothing nice to say about the governor, and despised by business groups.
The problem with raising the minimum wage is that it encourages inflation. Small businesses have to absorb the additional cost, taking away from the bottom line, or raise prices. Both options risk putting a small business, such as a family owned hardware store or deli, out of business. While large businesses like Wal-Mart will be less affected by the change, consumers can probably expect to see rising prices after the increase, just because they can. In most cases, also, an increase in minimum wage means only a raise in pay for those making minimum wage, for those of use making above that, we can only expect higher prices on consumer goods, and being inched closer to the poverty line.
On the other hand, minimum wage is supposed to be the absolute minimum that a person can make to survive. Out of this wage, and a standard work week a person should be able to pay rent on a clean, reasonable home, pay utilities, pay for transportation, and pay for food. These are the necessities of life. There is absolutely no way a person working at minimum wage and 40-50 hours a week can meet this goal. If we were to judge minimum wage against this standard then it should be someplace around $11 an hour. With California's economy so over inflated, tiny houses on no land costing half a million dollars, and reliable transportation going for $25,000, how can someone making minimum wage survive? They can't. Instead families must rely on government assistance to survive.
While increasing the minimum wage will ultimately cost everyone some, the idea that a family could become independant of welfare and other forms of assistance is enough to make me a supporter. Perhaps the governor isn't going far enough. Perhaps a radical increase in minimum wage is called for, followed by a radical decrease in state assistance to those who don't work. The money saved in taxes would be more than sufficient to offset the cost of the wage increase, and the loss of the handout would be enough to force people who are overly reliant on the government for their existance to get a job.
Posted by at 12:49 PM | Comments (1)
January 07, 2006
On David Vega
David Vega was a Housekeeper employed by Compass Group, working at Enloe Hospital. If you recall Enloe outsourced housekeeping duties to Compass a while back, a decisioon that saved the non-profit hospital funds but brought criticism from the community. Now, I say David Vega was a housekeeper because he was fired recently. According to Vega he was dismissed after bringing several waste-management issues to the attention of his superiors. Supposedly bags of trash were being left on the ground and sacks of biohazardous waste, which must be specially disposed of at a higher cost, were being mixed in with the regular trash. According to Compass Vega's habitual tardiness cost him his job. Vega admits that he was late to work a few times, but states that it was no more than several other employees who still have their jobs.
I've worked with Vega at the hospital, and I know his concerns regarding the disposal of waste to be true. Compass doesn't seem to have enough employees working at Enloe to handle the job, as a result trash cans often fill up, forcing the bags to removed from their containers and placed on the ground until someone qualified to properly dispose of it can be reached, which often takes an hour or more. I know Vega to be a hard worker, responsive to concerns of other staff members, and willing to do jobs that other housekeepers don't do, like stripping old wax off of floors, and scrubbing the insides of recepticals to assure no pathenogenic growth. I don't know about his tardiness record or Compass' policy on it. However, if it's true that other employees are equally as tardy as he, and that is the only factor involved in his dismissal then the others need to be equally reprimanded or Vega given his job back, or compensation.
My next concern over this situation was the actions of several Enloe employees in response to Vega's dismissal. According to an article in the Chico Enterprise Record a group of Enloe employees took it upon themselves to go to a Compass office at Enloe, bang on the door, and shout obscenities at the staff inside. In my opinion this is reprehensable behavor and they deserve the suspension they got. Far from helping Vega these individuals jeapordized his case by putting the Compass Group on the defensive. A similar incident occured recently where a group of Enloe nurses took it upon themselves to picket with the Services Employees International Union, which is seeking to represent all non-nurses at Enloe. The California Nurses Association contract clearly states that CNA members, ie nurses at Enloe, are not allowed to picket with other unions. By doing so these nurses violated the CNA contract with Enloe and so gave up their union protection, which prompted their suspension from work. Vigils were held, fliers distributed, and letters to the editor were written, and the facts clearly demonstrated that they were wrong. I'm certain that equal response will come from these employee's actions, and they're wrong too, no matter how well meaning.
It is my hope that a positive resolution can come from alll of this. David Vega has a young family and needs employment and a clean employment record. If this does indeed turn out to be a move by Compass to quite a rabble rouser, and it's my opinion at this time that it is, I hope that David is compensated, and I would hope that Enloe dismisses them from service and finds a more honest company to do it's cleaning.
Posted by at 11:45 AM | Comments (3)
January 05, 2006
On Toast
Imagine for a moment that you work for a company that makes toast. Never mind why they make toast, it's just for demonstration's sake. So, this company makes toast, all kinds of toast for lots of different toast consumers. They have a pretty good thing going, and you like your job, as does most of your other co-workers. For the most part the people you make toast for are happy with your services, a few dissidents aside.
Now imagine that your company plans to introduce a brand new way to make toast, different from anything you've ever seen. They promise that this will streamline production and create a more accurate product as well as creating reports on how much toast is made, what kind, flaws, suggestions for improvement, etc. You consider this a good thing, since toast making is your life and you're committed to a quality product. Then the big day comes when the new system is introduced. There are some problems with start-up, naturally, but you're sure they'll work themselves out as people get used to the new way of doing things. But then time goes by an nothing gets better. Toast is being burned, or not toasted at all. A toasting process that used to take a flick of the wrist now takes several computer key strokes, mouse clicks, and searching through menus, taking up to a minute for each peice of toast. But still you perservere, expecting your company to help out, acknowledge the problems, and make things better. But, again, time passes and nothing gets better. Now your consumers are getting angry. They are getting bad toast and it's taking forever to get it. You and your co-workers are unhappy, you do twice as much work for half the product and now your consumers are down your back all the time. You mention your concerns to those who can do something about it and are shocked by the response you get. "This process cost us millions," They say, "It's what we're going to use from now on, whether it works or not." You're flabbergasted. Why would you keep a process that doesn't work? Why isn't anyone acknowledging there even is a problem? What about your customers who rely on you as the only toast manufacturer in town to provide high quality toast? Why stubbornly hold onto a system that is costing money, decreasing productivity, causing a plummet in morale, and causing errors just because it was an investment? Why not cut your losses as a lesson learned? Who knows?
Now, you may say "who cares, it's just toast." But I use toast as an analogy for healthcare, and this is really happening here in our community. Without mentioning names I will say that one of the largest healthcare providers in the area has begun using a computer system that is slowing patient care, causing errors, and is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. A cost that is, I'm sure, going to be passed on to the consumer. As a nurse I am committed to providing high quality healthcare and when I learned about these errors I was appalled. The mission of any healthcare provider is to provide high quality healthcare, and if a system interrupts that mission then it needs to be discarded or revised until it works, don't you think?
Posted by at 12:13 PM | Comments (1)
January 04, 2006
Nurse Sentenced
Michelle Torgerson, a Minnesota nurse, was sentenced today after she pled guilty of dispensing watered-down flu vaccines last year. If you recall there was a massive shortage of vaccine last year, and priority was given to vaccinate the old, infirmed, very young, and those at high risk of contracting the disease due to professsion or circumstance. Somehow Torgerson got ahold of a supply of the vaccine, diluted it with saline (at least she didn't use tap water), and dispensed it at a clinic she put on for college students. She charged $20 a shot.
Putting aside the fact that what she did constitutes malpractice, practicing without a licence, breach of nursing ethics, and fraud this nurse commited a much larger crime, though one that can't be prosecuted. Rather than perform the duty to educate the public on who does and does not need a flu vaccine during a shortage (college students being young, healthy, and resilient don't necessarily need a vaccine, though they typically want them) she played into fears and decided she'd make some money off the deal too. Students payed their money and recieved an injection of vaccine so dilute that it provided virtually no protection against the virus. She has since been stripped of her license to practice nursing, will do jail time, and pay a fine. In my opinion she needs to be sentenced to perform public service in the way of community education about disease prevention and control.
While I'm on the subject of disease prevention I thought I'd share some tips on how to keep healthy this winter, especially with all the hub-bub about bird flu and what not.
1. Wash your hands. With all the vaccines, antibiotics, disinfectants and everything else on the market the best way to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands often. You don't need expensive antibacterial soap, plain old soap will do. Lather up, use warm water, rub your hands together for about 30 seconds (sing Row, Row, Row your boat, it takes about 30 seconds to get through) and rinse thoroughly. This will keep you from spreading your germs to others and get other people's germs off your hands and keep them out of ports of entry like your mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.
2. Wash bedsheets once a week. Everybody drools, coughs, sneezes, and whatnot when the sleep, it all lands on your pillow, is allowed to grow while you're awake, and they you set your face in it the next night.
3. Keep kitches and bathrooms clean. These are "wet" areas of your house and pathogens love wet areas. A little Lysol cleaner and water goes a long ways once a week.
5. Stay hydrated. A dry body has a slower immune response than one that is properly hydrated.
6. Take time out for yourself. During the summer it's easy to take time off to relax, there's so much fun stuff to do. In the winter, when you need a little extra time off everyone works works works. Go see a movie, a play, a lecture, go out to dinner, just do something for yourself that lets you relax. Your body will thank you.
There you go. Six easy ways to prevent getting sick this winter, from a nurse, and it didn't even cost you $20.
Posted by at 11:51 AM | Comments (1)
12 Dead
So hear I am at almost 3am, reading the news as is my custom upon coming home from work and I learn that the initial reports of 12 miners being found alive in that WV mine was incorrect, that there are actually 12 dead. Those in charge are calling the error a "miscommunication". The families of those who died are planning on suing (who, I don't know). I have mixed feelings that I'm trying to sort out. How do you miscommunicate "12 alive" and "12 dead". Obviously the rescuers must know the difference between a dead person and a live person. What benfit would the person taking the report and updating the media have in reporting erroneously? What happened there? I can definately see how the families would be upset at the extreem devistation that being told that the miracle that they thought had occured really didn't but who are they planning to sue, and on what grounds? The story at this point is all of 20 minutes old so there are no answers for me or for the families of the miners. I'll have to wait like everyone else.
Posted by at 02:37 AM | Comments (1)
January 03, 2006
Dr. Seuss
Everyone knows who Dr. Seuss is (or was as the case may be). He wrote charming childrens books like the Cat in the Hat, the Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, as well as many other books. His books were renowned for their silly rhymes, sillier illustrations, and an imbued message about taking care of our planet, doing as your mother says, and other issues pertenant to a child. What is little known about the man is that his career started as a political cartoonist. He wrote cartoons regarding the inequality of race in the 1940's, about the over taxation of the poor and the benefit of the rich, and most famously about oppositon to WWII and American isolationism preceeding the war.
In his book "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" Richard Minear displays a number of Seuss' cartoons from the WW2 era as well as explanations to the political happenings of the time. I think that any reader can find a relevance to what is depicted in those cartoons published 60 years ago to what is happening in America today. Despite the common belief that the second World War was widely accepted and lauded there was as much political pressure to withdraw from Europe and Japan peacefully as there is now to withdraw from Iraq. May saw the fight against Nazi Germany as a European battle and that we would do best to stay out of it all together, despite Germany's resolution to sink all American cargo vessles sailing into and out of European ports. It was also believed that through arbitration the Japanese conflict could be resolved. There was much debate as to whether or not Japan and Germany were holding talks as to how to divide up the world if they were victorious. Those opposed to the war insisted that there was no connection between Japan and Germany. We now know differently, of course, though the connection wasn't as powerful as some believed.
Dr. Seuss wrote about all aspects of the war and American life during the 1940's and 50's. He firmly believed in the war and it's efforts. He opposed American isolationism, racism (though his drawings of Japanese figures always looked the same, squint eyed, pig nosed, and a bit befuddled), anti semitism, and tax loopholes for the rich. Even after his political cartoon days were over and he was making childrens books the political message was clear for anyone who chose to look. The Cat in the Hat with his red and white striped hat was a parody of our Uncle Sam, the Lorax was a message on Environmentalism, the Bitter Butter Battle mirrored the Cold War, and Green Eggs and Ham was a message on racial tolerance. The man had a lot to say in his day, and his messages carry over time in their relevance.
Authors Note: I'm almost certain that this image has been edited from it's original format to make it more relevant to today's issues. The type written font above the smaller bed was my first clue. Just be sure, I'm not the one who changed it, I just posted it.
Posted by at 09:02 AM
January 02, 2006
Road Condition Critical
The road conditions in this town are horrible. Plain and simple. Can't deny it. Roads that were built in the 1960's designed to be replaced after 10 years of use have been continually re-tarred and re-striped instead of replaced.
The downtown area is probably the worst, though there are other areas that come pretty close. Nobody can blame sparse population for not working on improving downtown roads, it's pretty congested there. Take a drive down 5th ave towards the hospital if you need proof. The road is rough, full of pot holes, and uneven. The shoulder, where residents park, is a muddy swamp. There is poor lighting at night making it a hazard for bicyclists and pedestrians, even the rare ones using a light at night. This is the main ambulance route to the hospital. Imagine bumping down the road with a broken leg or hip on that street. Ambulances, I can attest after working on them for a few years, are not comfortable ride. They're made for function, not comfort.
Then there's East East Ave. The road was re-covered last year (or was it the year before) and most of that is now peeling up. I'm not sure what stellar company did this work but instead of removing the old road and laying new blacktop they just put new asphalt on top of existing and called it a day. They didn't even go as far as doing the entire road, just a swath as wide as the machine would lay it, leaving the old stripes in a trench in the middle of the road. A trench which is now filled with water making the stripes impossible to see.
Perhaps the next time City Council talks about development of Chico they should consider beefing up what we already have before adding more.
Posted by at 02:04 PM
South Park Conservatism
Most people have heard of the Comedy Central TV show South Park. Most people who watch it see either a funny or horrid interpretation of four foul-mouthed childhood friends and little else. But I challenge anyone who watches the show to watch it for it's more subtle interpretation of modern society. Many episodes feature characters who are making real news, often with a satiric twist, often inflammatory. There are even reports of a prominent actor suing the creators of the show, Matt Stone and Tre Parker for deflammation of character as well as other charges.
During an interview with the creators a reporter for an entertainment magazine asked the duo about their political affiliation. The issue was that the sway of the criticism tends towards insulting the more liberal sect of society, however, to do that the creators embrace the concept of free speech and freedom of expression quite passionately, a tendency favored by liberals. The response by Stone (I may be wrong about this, if I am correct me) was that he considered conservatives to be morons, but liberals even more so. This caused some inflammation of the media who accused the pair of being wishy washy in their poltical views, inflammatory for inflammation's sake, as well as other accusations. The term South Park conservatism was born to describe the position of plucking positions from either side of the political spectrum at a whim and was intended to be an insult. However, the term has gained fashion among young voters, conservative and liberal alike (South Park Liberalism being the vogue) who tend towards one political party but freely embrace issues from the other faction. This is much to the dismay of the leaders of political parties who see it as an affront to their parties future, and for good reason.
I love the idea of South Park conservatism, and liberalism for that matter. It demonstrates that young voters are thinking for themselves instead of blindly aligning to one party or another. It's fantastic that a young conservative can say "What's wrong with homosexuality?" or a liberal thinking that gun control is the wrong direction for our country. I see this trend as the beginning to an end to the political radicalism that is so prevalant in our country today. I'm proud to say that I'm a South Park conservative. I reserve the right to think however I want, not how the GOP, or anyone else, tells me how I should.
Posted by at 01:05 AM | Comments (1)