Category: Social Behavior

You Said What?

According to famenetworth.com Paula Deen’s net worth is $15 Million. So even if she lost all of her television shows and all of her contractual deals with Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, etc. she does not have to work another day of her life.

However, if she values her reputation she has a long way to retrieve her image.

It appears that some other famous people also have issues that are not quickly repaired. Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson are five who come to mind.

Of that list only Bill Clinton can be identified as someone who has mostly retrieved his reputation. However, would you leave your daughter in the same room with him?

Clean Tap Water Fails to Reach Faucets Nationwide

June 17, 2013:  The Los Angeles Times has caught up with KPCC and the New York Times in today’s from page article titled “Funding to improve drinking water has come at a slow drip.”  What will it take to motivate California government?

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KPCC, an NPR station in Los Angeles,  had an item this past Friday about Springfield California that does not have drinkable water.  Nitrates from fertilizer have poisoned the well that is the source of their piped water.  The residences of the community must drive five miles to buy bottled water.  The people are all too poor to move from the community.  The community is unincorporated and does not qualify for any grant programs.

Springfield lies along a single dusty road near Watsonville in Monterey County. Strawberry fields surround the road. The town is so small you cannot find it on a map. In the middle of one of those fields is the source of the community’s frustration.

Upon research I have learned that this situation is not at all uncommon throughout the nation.

Laura Garcia in Monson CA carries a water bottle

Laura Garcia, whose well water is laced with excessive nitrates, had to use bottled water until the recent installation of a filtration system in her sink.

MONSON, Calif. — I did find it on the map north of Visalia California.  Laura Garcia was halfway through the breakfast dishes when the spigot went dry. The small white tank beneath the sink that purified her undrinkable water had run out. Still, as annoying as that was, it was an improvement over the days before Ms. Garcia got her water filter, when she had to do her dishes using water from five-gallon containers she bought at a local store.

Environmental Protection Agency distributes funds to state agencies that are supposed to identify problems and underwrite solutions. By the E.P.A.’s calculations, no state has been as inept in distributing the money as California.

According to Jared Blumenfeld, the regional administrator of the E.P.A., nearly a quarter of all small water systems in California are in the Central Valley.  To fix the problems, however, requires access to engineering and financial management resources beyond the reach of the needy communities, Mr. Blumenfeld said. “We require the state to be sure the people they fund have managerial, financial and administrative capacity to deal” with their water issues.

Meanwhile there are people retiring in California from government jobs with annual pensions of more than $100K.

Additional source for this article from the New York Times.

The Reasoning of Corporate Executives

jeep-cherokee-fireA fatal fire involving a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was struck by a pick-up truck, according to NHTSA

It is always a wonder to me how the reasoning of corporate executives works.  Those brilliant minds seem to ignore the obvious so many times.

An outstanding example was the decision by Sav-on Drugs in Los Angeles (a retail chain of drug stores) to change their name to Osco.  The new name was mistake because “Osco” having the same pronunciation as the Spanish word “asco” (oss-ko) which means “nausea” or “disgust”, a considerable factor within southern California’s heavily Hispanic market.  After spending millions of dollars on those new signs (Osco Drugs) they spent more millions changing the name back to Sav-on Drugs. 

Then there was the issue of auto safety.  Toyota Camry’s were reported to accelerate even as the drivers were applying the brakes.  Toyota’s sterling reputation was seriously damaged.  Consumer’s Reports removed their recommendation to buy that car and warned their subscribers that the car was not safe.  Stories about lax quality abounded.  Camry sales plummeted.  Apparently Toyota has overcome the issue after a massive recall.  It most definitely impacted my decision in purchasing a new car in 2012.  We bought a Nissan Altima.

So why is Chrysler saying “No” to NHTSA when asked to recall their 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees and 2002 to 2007 Jeep Libertys?  What could be Chrysler reasoning?  After all, they have finally seen a rebound in their sales.  Is it worth saying “No” to NHTSA?  Chrysler’s cars are still poorly rated by Consumers Reports but the public has been supportive of their brands.  Why chance another sales nose dive?

Well, the Empire was finished after the war.

Downton Abbey

UpStairs – Downstairs, Gosford Park, and Downton Abbey all have the common theme of the “distinct behavior produced by the British class system.”  They reflected a time that was basic to the British Empire. The title above was a line from Gosford Park. Not only was the Empire finished after World War One, the British class system was finished too.  It’s just been a slow deterioration.

On our visit last summer to London, the fascination with Great Britain’s past was everywhere.  I did not hear anyone say “keep a stiff upper lip” but it was apparent.

How do you march into the 21st century with your past clinging to your every decision?  That is the challenge for the prime ministers of England.

Their Heathrow Airport, Tube subway system (it‘s really old), and high speed rail to Paris are good starts.  Britain needs to look at motivators from the past. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert was the promoter of The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.  Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher promoted free enterprise.

This is not to imply that everything in Britain’s past was bad.  To survive in this century the British class system is no longer appropriate.  Today we reach new highs based upon our capabilities.  Race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation are of no consequence.  Finally, most of us have come to our senses. 

You Would Be Smiling Too!

Lloyd Blankfein

Lloyd Blankfein is the CEO of Goldman Sachs.  The company cut 900 jobs last year.  He earned $26 million in 2012.   Wouldn’t you be smiling? But he is not alone!

John Stumpf, the head of Wells Fargo Bank was awarded $19.3 million in 2012.

The Capital One chief, Richard Fairbank, was the third highest-paid bank CEO in North America even after taking a 8.9 percent pay cut, dropping his compensation to a mere $17.5 million for 2012.

Poor Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, saw his 2012 compensation cut in half to $11.5 million after a loss of more than $6.2 billion on a failed bet on derivatives.

The pay of the top 20 bank CEOs increased an average of 7.7 percent for 2012 compared with a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The tally is based on salaries, stock, bonuses and long-term incentive pay awarded to the CEOs for 2012.

The annual earnings of the heads of America’s largest corporations average is over $28 million.

Meanwhile the United States BLS reported last September that Median family household income declined by 1.7 percent in real terms between 2010 and 2011 to $62,273.

In other words the leaders of our largest companies earn more than 456 times the average family household earnings.

Isn’t free enterprise a wonderful thing?

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it Again!

 You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail

cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well……….
Sheriff Joe Arpaio

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!

Oh, there’s MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who’d like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 – $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.

Now he’s in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn’t doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border.. He’s kind of a ‘Git-R Dun’ kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO

HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF

AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ‘ Tent City Jail’:

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails… Took away their weights Cut off all but ‘G’ movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

He Wouldn’t Get

Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So

Sued For Discrimination.

He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.

When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It’s Gonna Be While They Are Working

ON My Chain Gangs..

He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value.

When the inmates complained, he told them, ‘This Isn’t The Ritz/Carlton……If You Don’t Like It, Don’t Come Back.’

More On The Arizona Sheriff:

With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:

About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before..

Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS.

‘It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,’ Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. ‘It’s Inhumane.’

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: ‘It’s 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear,

But They Didn’t Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Mouths!’

Way To Go, Sheriff!


Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders.

Criminals should be punished for their crimes – not live in luxury until it’s time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can’t afford to have for themselves.

Think Different

Hope and change.  It was the thing that Barack Obama had promised in his first run for the presidency.   We all hoped but change never came.  In the last presidential election his theme was “forward.”  I did not understand that theme and I doubt many others understood it.

Americans never learn.  We just switch back and forth between Democrats and Republicans hoping that there will be change.  It just never happens.  Whether it’s domestic issues (IRS investigations and the confiscation of AP phone records are the latest) or foreign affairs (the question is who knew what about Benghazi) the number one action in Washington D.C. is politics.

Most of us simply turn off those news items because they offer little accurate information unless you are interested in raising up one political party at the expense of the other.

Americans are being manipulated as usual.  We repeatedly fall for the same foolishness.  Thinking differently means not participating in group think.  It’s doubtful very many people will follow my advice.

There are Consequences

There are consequences to the things you say or do even if you are not in the public eye.  Express hatred or dislike for a particular group (i.e. the Irish are all drunkards) to friends and you might learn that they are offended by your words.  The consequence is the loss of friendship.  Similarly a business has the reputation for mistreatment of its employees (think Wal-Mart) and the consequence might be the loss of customers.

Rush Limbaugh

I usually do not listen to Rush Limbaugh because of his incendiary language.  Apparently I am not alone.  Salon.com reported on a Politico Dylan Byers column that Limbaugh may be leaving Cumulus Media by the end of this year because of his remarks about Sandra Fluke.  Limbaugh called Fluke a slut.  The Cumulus Media CEO said that their top three stations had lost $5.5 million, in part, because of an ensuing boycott of their stations.

A fire at one Bangladesh clothing factory followed by the collapse of an eight story building, that has now reportedly killed more than 800 people, has resulted in clothing companies withdrawing their contracts in that country.  Of even greater concern is that there will be a loss of sales in stores of products made in Bangladesh.  That would include me.

Coca Cola introduced New Coke about ten years ago.  It was a total flop.  They quickly returned to their original formula.

The NRA may be dancing over their defeat of a background check for gun buyers but the consequences of their lobbyist efforts will be felt.

The next time you are about to open you mouth on any subject consider the impact of your words and the possible consequences that could affect your relationships or your company’s relationships.

LAX Ranked at the Bottom of Most Categories

Light Pylons at LAXNo one wants the noise and traffic associated with an airport.  Most of us who bought homes near the airports knew what the impact on our lives would be.  Having lived between Vanowen Street and Sherman Way in the North Hollywood-Van Nuys corridor for many years I can relate to the irritation of hearing the landing gears shift into place along with the jet noise.   The issue is that the second largest city in the United States has an airport that does not make a list of the 30 best airports in the nation.  Travel and Leisure magazine says, “LAX ranked at the bottom of most categories—that includes location (20th), check-in and security process (21st), impression of safety standards (22nd), baggage handling (20th), staff communication (21st), and terminal cleanliness (21st). Clearly, this worn-out airport is ready for a major Hollywood makeover.”

Eric Garcetti, candidate for mayor, was more concerned with obtaining votes then supporting this measure.  He voted “no” to moving the north runway need to provide space for larger aircraft. The only three “no” votes were the two running for city wide office and the representative for the area surrounding the airport.  Garcetti has now lost my vote.

Which minority will be next?

Infamously ill-tempered Fox News co-host and former Democratic strategist, Bob Beckel, suggested this past Monday that the U.S. stop accepting foreign Muslim students until the ones already here have been thoroughly vetted.

Bob Beckel “The hatred for the United   States runs deep,” Beckel said during a broader discussion on the Boston Bombings.  Perhaps we should block entry of all Muslims into this country until those already here, both permanent residents and visiting Muslims, have been thoroughly vetted.

Look, America is under siege.  Radical Muslims have sworn to attack and destroy the United States.  Unless Muslims can prove that they are not part of a radical group we must assume that they are.  I am merely following Beckel’s reasoning.

The United States locked up 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.  There were no trials.  The decision was based upon the fear that any one of those people could be working for their native land.

Apparently we have not changed.  Run for the exits!  Fear has overtaken logic and reason.  The rights defined in the constitution are about to be ignored.

Which minority will be next?