I am appalled at some of the email and facebook posts I have read today. I was really hoping that all the senseless name-calling and mud-slinging would end with the election. Get over it!! Obama is our President for now and this nation needs EVERYONE to support the bi-partisan rebuilding efforts instead of acting like a bunch of vindictive, petulant children. What are we...a nation of snotty middle-schoolers??? Grow up, America!
If you favor that "take back America" slogan, well - here is your chance to show you are up to the challenge. Even though polls verify that we are a nation divided about the best way to move forward, certainly we can find common ground. Whether it is a renewed effort to better educate and provide safety for our nation's children or creating jobs through diversification and new technology, we ALL benefit from working together toward common goals. Complaining about the problems and refusing to pitch in with the excuse of "I didn't vote for him" is not only destructive to the common good, but a disgrace to the spirit that built this country.
We were BORN a nation divided with just a single vote making the decision that we would be independent. If those founding fathers could find a way to build what we became with only a one-vote majority, then we can certainly roll up our collective sleeves and make a renewed effort to rebuild on that legacy. We can't do it unless we set aside our destructive old differences and "be the change you want to see in the world."
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Cold Hands, Warm Hearts
If someone ever suggests you go to the Baltic countries for a vacation, tell them ONLY in August! I just returned from what was planned to be a lovely trip across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Considering it was -22 degrees Celsius (-8 F) in the plains the day I left the US, I figured I was pretty used to the cold and could handle a late-winter trip to the region. Color me naïve – and blue with cold! For openers, the ground was covered with snow and ice. The streets (I assume there were streets under all that white stuff) were often down to single lanes with 1-2 meter high banks of plow residue on either side. It was truly a “winter wonderland” … I wondered what had ever possessed me to visit this land in winter!!!
As they say in summer in Kansas, it is not the heat that gets you, it is the humidity. The same is relatively true of cold in Kaunas (Lithuania). Sleet or snow or some sort of moisture fell every day of my trip, heaping bone-chilling humidity onto the cold. It didn’t help that I developed a sinus cold the third day and felt like I was being water-boarded with mucus most of the time. Yes, I know it is a virus and I was likely exposed to it before I left home, but it really made the weather even less appealing. I brought back video of famous examples of architecture and culture, but the subjects are all fairly obscured by snow, sleet or fog. On one of the 4-hour bus trips between cities, I took a photo out the window of a forested area deep in snow. A fellow passenger asked why I would take such an “uninteresting” picture. I told him it was for all my friends back home who would want to know what I saw on my trip. I saw snow.
What made the cold bearable were the genuine warmth and hospitality of the people. I have been in a few European cities where Yanks were not embraced by the locals. The opposite is true of every place I visited in the Baltics. People in general and “dog” people especially were friendly, helpful and even eager to accommodate visitors. I was welcomed into their homes like a family member and escorted around some of the most beautiful cities (I bought postcards so I know what they look like without snow) by warm, outgoing locals who were eager to share the rich history of their locale. I hope I was as gracious a guest as they were hosts. I know I deeply appreciated their cordiality and hope I have earned some lasting friendships along the way. The people I met were truly the highlight of the trip.
I enjoyed some great food (everywhere!) and excellent accommodations (including sauna) that made me feel privileged. Everyone was happy to share what they had – and what they have these days is much less than many other countries. According to Associated Press articles dated March 11, the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania currently have some of the most troubled economies among the 27 European Union (EU) members. The economic output shrunk by 14.1% in Estonia and by 15% in Lithuania during 2009. Their slightly less tech-savvy neighbor Latvia struggled with a staggering 18% drop and 23% unemployment. Latvia is the only Baltic nation that was forced to resort to an IMF bailout to avert bankruptcy. The contrasts of a rich culture and devastated economy were evident in many ways – if you took the time to look. However, instead of shunning outsiders as happens in many stressed economies, the Baltic people seem to realize that opening their doors and hearts may prove to be a clearer – or at least friendlier - path to recovery.
My whirlwind (or do I mean snowstorm) tour of the Baltics taught me a lot. I learned that I don’t want to be there in winter, but the beauty of the culture and the nature of the people do make me want to return for a visit that includes long walks through their historic treasure. The region has been touched by so many different influences over the centuries that Gothic Catholic cathedrals and stately German Lutheran towers stand side-by-side with Russian Orthodox onion domes. Riga (Latvia) in particular is known as the City of Churches. The old town area is a smorgasbord of structures influenced by various religions and architectural styles from past centuries. A stone’s throw away is one of the most stunning modern bridges I have ever traveled. I saw enough that I know I have to drink deeply of its “summer wine” beauty another time – when the warmth of the people matches the climate ;-)
As they say in summer in Kansas, it is not the heat that gets you, it is the humidity. The same is relatively true of cold in Kaunas (Lithuania). Sleet or snow or some sort of moisture fell every day of my trip, heaping bone-chilling humidity onto the cold. It didn’t help that I developed a sinus cold the third day and felt like I was being water-boarded with mucus most of the time. Yes, I know it is a virus and I was likely exposed to it before I left home, but it really made the weather even less appealing. I brought back video of famous examples of architecture and culture, but the subjects are all fairly obscured by snow, sleet or fog. On one of the 4-hour bus trips between cities, I took a photo out the window of a forested area deep in snow. A fellow passenger asked why I would take such an “uninteresting” picture. I told him it was for all my friends back home who would want to know what I saw on my trip. I saw snow.
What made the cold bearable were the genuine warmth and hospitality of the people. I have been in a few European cities where Yanks were not embraced by the locals. The opposite is true of every place I visited in the Baltics. People in general and “dog” people especially were friendly, helpful and even eager to accommodate visitors. I was welcomed into their homes like a family member and escorted around some of the most beautiful cities (I bought postcards so I know what they look like without snow) by warm, outgoing locals who were eager to share the rich history of their locale. I hope I was as gracious a guest as they were hosts. I know I deeply appreciated their cordiality and hope I have earned some lasting friendships along the way. The people I met were truly the highlight of the trip.
I enjoyed some great food (everywhere!) and excellent accommodations (including sauna) that made me feel privileged. Everyone was happy to share what they had – and what they have these days is much less than many other countries. According to Associated Press articles dated March 11, the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania currently have some of the most troubled economies among the 27 European Union (EU) members. The economic output shrunk by 14.1% in Estonia and by 15% in Lithuania during 2009. Their slightly less tech-savvy neighbor Latvia struggled with a staggering 18% drop and 23% unemployment. Latvia is the only Baltic nation that was forced to resort to an IMF bailout to avert bankruptcy. The contrasts of a rich culture and devastated economy were evident in many ways – if you took the time to look. However, instead of shunning outsiders as happens in many stressed economies, the Baltic people seem to realize that opening their doors and hearts may prove to be a clearer – or at least friendlier - path to recovery.
My whirlwind (or do I mean snowstorm) tour of the Baltics taught me a lot. I learned that I don’t want to be there in winter, but the beauty of the culture and the nature of the people do make me want to return for a visit that includes long walks through their historic treasure. The region has been touched by so many different influences over the centuries that Gothic Catholic cathedrals and stately German Lutheran towers stand side-by-side with Russian Orthodox onion domes. Riga (Latvia) in particular is known as the City of Churches. The old town area is a smorgasbord of structures influenced by various religions and architectural styles from past centuries. A stone’s throw away is one of the most stunning modern bridges I have ever traveled. I saw enough that I know I have to drink deeply of its “summer wine” beauty another time – when the warmth of the people matches the climate ;-)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Lost dogs can also get “lost in the shuffle”
A few weeks ago, some folks who own two of my Labradors called to tell me that the dogs had escaped the fence somehow and were on the loose. With the bitter cold Midwest temperatures at that time, even Labs can’t make it long without warmth and shelter. The hunt for the two black dogs – mother and son – was organized, but desperate. Flyers went up, bordering neighborhoods were walked and driven, etc. without any sign of the two. The owners called the local animal control facility, managed by the Kansas Humane Society, to report the lost dogs and check to see if they had been picked up. They left a name and descriptions of the dogs.
The dogs disappeared on Friday, so we hoped that families and kids at home on the weekend might spot the dogs and help us locate them. After a couple of days, we had little hope of finding them alive unless they had been taken in by a kind person or turned in to the Humane Society. The owners called the facility daily asking if any Labs had arrived - but the answer was repeatedly no sign of sweet 8-year-old Jill and her boisterous 6-year-old son Rufus. We couldn’t believe that two microchipped dogs could just “disappear” without the owners being notified.
On Monday, I called the Humane Society to give them the microchip numbers (the owners had neglected to do so). The clerk looked on her database and found a microchipped black male Lab listed. The microchip registry had been contacted and the chip number reported was not registered to any owner. I read her the number and she said the dog there had one almost like that, but the last number was not the same. It must not be the right dog. I quickly considered the likelihood that my lost black Lab male would have the same microchip number as another lost black Lab male except for the last digit… the odds were astronomical. I told her that they had the last digit wrong… she said it couldn’t be. I explained the improbability that there could be two different lost dogs of the same description with numbers so nearly the same, but she was adamant. The last digit of the chip on my records (with the stick on label provided by the manufacturer) was an “A” – the last digit on their hand-written card was an “8”. I explained to her that if one helper was scanning the chip and another was recording the number as it was read aloud, it would be easy enough to misinterpret an “A” for an “8”. She finally condescended to put me on hold while she rescanned the chip. Of course, the number I had given her was correct and Rufus was found!!!
Rufus had been picked up within hours of his escape about 8 blocks from home. I asked if any other dogs had been picked up at the same time. No… just that one black male. I gave her the microchip number for Jill. She said they didn’t have any black Lab females currently and no other Labs with a microchip. She did advise me about the great website for lost and found dogs at http://www.petharbor.com/. This site contains information from shelters and rescuers all over North America in a searchable database that can help reunite owners with their lost pets. I can’t say enough good things about this service. I put in my zip code, selected the Humane Society shelter, breed, color, gender and clicked on the search button. Immediately, a photo of Jill appeared on the right side of the page!!!!!! She WAS at the shelter and had been picked up the same day as Rufus. I called back immediately and informed the clerk that they did, indeed, have my black Lab female. She again said they didn’t have any dog of that description. I told her that I was looking at a PHOTO of Jill on the PetHarbor website and read her the record number on the listing. Oh, hmmm, well that is different if you have a record number. Yes, that black Lab female was picked up at the same time and address as the male (duh!) and had been there since Friday. She didn’t have a microchip. After explaining to this person several times that Jill DID have a microchip that I had implanted myself and they had missed it on intake, I gave up and just said the owners would be out to get the two dogs that afternoon. She noted the owner’s name, address, phone and the record numbers of the two dogs as there would be a fine when the dogs were claimed.
That afternoon, Ray and his wife went to pick up their dogs. What should have been a simple process was again complicated by the complete lack of competence of the staff. They had no record of that name, any dogs to be picked up, etc. They told the couple to just go through the rooms of cages and see if they could find their dogs. The facility is quite large and it took several hours to locate both of the dogs. When they returned to the counter to fill out paper work for the release, the SAME clerk said that the papers had already been filled out by the person who initially took my call. The forms had the record numbers of the two dogs AND their cage location right at the top!!!! These forms had been there all the time and the owners were sent on a wild “goose-dog” chase for two hours unnecessarily. Jill was scanned and – amazingly – the “nonexistent” microchip was found to have the same number I had reported earlier by phone. After paying a fine and getting a lecture about dog care, the family was reunited with their dogs. The ordeal ended successfully – but certainly not as it should have!
There are several important lessons learned through this encounter. First – and most important to those of us who choose to make animals an important part of our lives – you can do everything RIGHT and your pet is still not safe! Good fencing, careful management and supervision will not prevent your dog from accidently getting away from your care. Gate latches fail, locks spring, leashes break, tree limbs fall on fences, etc. The odds are that at some time during your life, a pet will get loose unsupervised and you will know the dread most of us have shared. The ASPCA (one of the oldest animal organizations) has a page outlining what to do when a pet is lost. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/finding-a-lost-pet.html. The advice is sound and provides an immediate course of action to locate your pet. Their first topic is identification – this can be the difference between life and death for your pet. Even if your pet usually wears a tag with your name or contact information on it, it may be missing when the dog is found. HAVE YOUR PET MICROCHIPPED - it is permanent and hard to remove or alter. Be sure you register the microchip with one of the pet tracking organizations – there are many around and you might want to register your pet with several for safety. I register mine with AKC-CAR when I register the puppy, but there are others that provide different services for varying fees. Be sure to update your information if you relocate and transfer the registration if the dog is sold or given to someone. If your pet is lost, recheck your information with the registry and be sure it is both current and accurate. When you report your lost pet to the local agencies and/or various other services, be sure to stress that it is microchipped. Put that on any flyers or classified ads as well. However, give the actual number ONLY to the official agencies so that unauthorized people will not have the ability to fraudulently claim your pet. Permanent identification and quickly spreading the news are the best one-two punch to get your pet safely home.
The second shocking lesson was how incompetent and unconcerned the people whose job is animal recovery can be. Many shelters or animal control facilities are staffed by part-time and volunteer workers. Even if there are written, organized procedures for intake and release, casual staff may not know or follow them. As with many organizations, ignorance and apathy are your worst enemies in pet recovery! Most of the staff may not be very motivated due to the constant glut of surrendered and captured animals, many of them in very poor condition. Dogs and cats that appear healthy and well-fed can easily slip through the cracks due to reduced intake observation and effort. These, however, should be the ones to get some extra attention initially, because they likely have an owner and can be retuned quickly if accurately identified. Moving out the easy ones rapidly leaves more room for the hard cases. Many staffers don’t “get” that simple logic, so the pets that could be reunited with owners within 24 hours are often shuffled around for days or never get home at all. What does this mean for you if your pet gets loose? Don’t believe anyone who says your dog or cat is NOT at the facility! Check for yourself and use the online resources like PetHarbor. Some shelters routinely take photos and post at least minimal information to these databases. As in my experience, even though the clerk looking at their records did not show ANY black Labrador females in the facility, the PetHarbor site had a photo and description of Jill. Incidentally, it also showed there were 2 other black females being held – go figure. You must be relentless in your search for your pet – because nobody else will be as motivated or pay as much attention to detail.
The third frightening realization was that ANYONE could have walked in the door of the shelter and left with Jill and Rufus. No proof of ownership is required – only a rabies certificate. Someone could have lost or dumped a pet (or it died) and gone to the shelter to replace it with a better, healthy one. There are absolutely no safeguards in place to prevent false claims of ownership. My heart skips a beat when I realize that Jill and Rufus – both nice looking and healthy specimens – could have been claimed by anyone wanting to “trade up” to a new dog. We are so fortunate that they were not already claimed or adopted by someone else before the owners actually located them! It was not through any effort of the shelter that this was prevented – in fact, recovering the dogs was accomplished IN SPITE of their apparent mismanagement.
So, what can you do to overcome some of these problems? If you have a shelter in your community, make an effort to find out how intake and release is done. If there are no safeguards in place to properly identify animals, talk to the governing agency. Get active in animal recovery and spread the word about the problems. Inform your city, county, township, etc., representatives that the COSTS for housing and maintenance will go down if more dogs are returned home quickly. This is simple logic and should appeal to even the most cynical pencil-pushers. Offer to serve on an advisory board that helps to set policies for animal control. Get your local dog club members active in assisting with the task through volunteerism and staff training. YOU can make the difference between a valued pet getting home within hours of admission or facing euthanasia a week later in spite of daily calls from the owner. Remember, someone you encourage or inspire to diligent attention to detail may be the one to reunite YOU with YOUR dog some day. That’s called Karma in action!
The dogs disappeared on Friday, so we hoped that families and kids at home on the weekend might spot the dogs and help us locate them. After a couple of days, we had little hope of finding them alive unless they had been taken in by a kind person or turned in to the Humane Society. The owners called the facility daily asking if any Labs had arrived - but the answer was repeatedly no sign of sweet 8-year-old Jill and her boisterous 6-year-old son Rufus. We couldn’t believe that two microchipped dogs could just “disappear” without the owners being notified.
On Monday, I called the Humane Society to give them the microchip numbers (the owners had neglected to do so). The clerk looked on her database and found a microchipped black male Lab listed. The microchip registry had been contacted and the chip number reported was not registered to any owner. I read her the number and she said the dog there had one almost like that, but the last number was not the same. It must not be the right dog. I quickly considered the likelihood that my lost black Lab male would have the same microchip number as another lost black Lab male except for the last digit… the odds were astronomical. I told her that they had the last digit wrong… she said it couldn’t be. I explained the improbability that there could be two different lost dogs of the same description with numbers so nearly the same, but she was adamant. The last digit of the chip on my records (with the stick on label provided by the manufacturer) was an “A” – the last digit on their hand-written card was an “8”. I explained to her that if one helper was scanning the chip and another was recording the number as it was read aloud, it would be easy enough to misinterpret an “A” for an “8”. She finally condescended to put me on hold while she rescanned the chip. Of course, the number I had given her was correct and Rufus was found!!!
Rufus had been picked up within hours of his escape about 8 blocks from home. I asked if any other dogs had been picked up at the same time. No… just that one black male. I gave her the microchip number for Jill. She said they didn’t have any black Lab females currently and no other Labs with a microchip. She did advise me about the great website for lost and found dogs at http://www.petharbor.com/. This site contains information from shelters and rescuers all over North America in a searchable database that can help reunite owners with their lost pets. I can’t say enough good things about this service. I put in my zip code, selected the Humane Society shelter, breed, color, gender and clicked on the search button. Immediately, a photo of Jill appeared on the right side of the page!!!!!! She WAS at the shelter and had been picked up the same day as Rufus. I called back immediately and informed the clerk that they did, indeed, have my black Lab female. She again said they didn’t have any dog of that description. I told her that I was looking at a PHOTO of Jill on the PetHarbor website and read her the record number on the listing. Oh, hmmm, well that is different if you have a record number. Yes, that black Lab female was picked up at the same time and address as the male (duh!) and had been there since Friday. She didn’t have a microchip. After explaining to this person several times that Jill DID have a microchip that I had implanted myself and they had missed it on intake, I gave up and just said the owners would be out to get the two dogs that afternoon. She noted the owner’s name, address, phone and the record numbers of the two dogs as there would be a fine when the dogs were claimed.
That afternoon, Ray and his wife went to pick up their dogs. What should have been a simple process was again complicated by the complete lack of competence of the staff. They had no record of that name, any dogs to be picked up, etc. They told the couple to just go through the rooms of cages and see if they could find their dogs. The facility is quite large and it took several hours to locate both of the dogs. When they returned to the counter to fill out paper work for the release, the SAME clerk said that the papers had already been filled out by the person who initially took my call. The forms had the record numbers of the two dogs AND their cage location right at the top!!!! These forms had been there all the time and the owners were sent on a wild “goose-dog” chase for two hours unnecessarily. Jill was scanned and – amazingly – the “nonexistent” microchip was found to have the same number I had reported earlier by phone. After paying a fine and getting a lecture about dog care, the family was reunited with their dogs. The ordeal ended successfully – but certainly not as it should have!
There are several important lessons learned through this encounter. First – and most important to those of us who choose to make animals an important part of our lives – you can do everything RIGHT and your pet is still not safe! Good fencing, careful management and supervision will not prevent your dog from accidently getting away from your care. Gate latches fail, locks spring, leashes break, tree limbs fall on fences, etc. The odds are that at some time during your life, a pet will get loose unsupervised and you will know the dread most of us have shared. The ASPCA (one of the oldest animal organizations) has a page outlining what to do when a pet is lost. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/finding-a-lost-pet.html. The advice is sound and provides an immediate course of action to locate your pet. Their first topic is identification – this can be the difference between life and death for your pet. Even if your pet usually wears a tag with your name or contact information on it, it may be missing when the dog is found. HAVE YOUR PET MICROCHIPPED - it is permanent and hard to remove or alter. Be sure you register the microchip with one of the pet tracking organizations – there are many around and you might want to register your pet with several for safety. I register mine with AKC-CAR when I register the puppy, but there are others that provide different services for varying fees. Be sure to update your information if you relocate and transfer the registration if the dog is sold or given to someone. If your pet is lost, recheck your information with the registry and be sure it is both current and accurate. When you report your lost pet to the local agencies and/or various other services, be sure to stress that it is microchipped. Put that on any flyers or classified ads as well. However, give the actual number ONLY to the official agencies so that unauthorized people will not have the ability to fraudulently claim your pet. Permanent identification and quickly spreading the news are the best one-two punch to get your pet safely home.
The second shocking lesson was how incompetent and unconcerned the people whose job is animal recovery can be. Many shelters or animal control facilities are staffed by part-time and volunteer workers. Even if there are written, organized procedures for intake and release, casual staff may not know or follow them. As with many organizations, ignorance and apathy are your worst enemies in pet recovery! Most of the staff may not be very motivated due to the constant glut of surrendered and captured animals, many of them in very poor condition. Dogs and cats that appear healthy and well-fed can easily slip through the cracks due to reduced intake observation and effort. These, however, should be the ones to get some extra attention initially, because they likely have an owner and can be retuned quickly if accurately identified. Moving out the easy ones rapidly leaves more room for the hard cases. Many staffers don’t “get” that simple logic, so the pets that could be reunited with owners within 24 hours are often shuffled around for days or never get home at all. What does this mean for you if your pet gets loose? Don’t believe anyone who says your dog or cat is NOT at the facility! Check for yourself and use the online resources like PetHarbor. Some shelters routinely take photos and post at least minimal information to these databases. As in my experience, even though the clerk looking at their records did not show ANY black Labrador females in the facility, the PetHarbor site had a photo and description of Jill. Incidentally, it also showed there were 2 other black females being held – go figure. You must be relentless in your search for your pet – because nobody else will be as motivated or pay as much attention to detail.
The third frightening realization was that ANYONE could have walked in the door of the shelter and left with Jill and Rufus. No proof of ownership is required – only a rabies certificate. Someone could have lost or dumped a pet (or it died) and gone to the shelter to replace it with a better, healthy one. There are absolutely no safeguards in place to prevent false claims of ownership. My heart skips a beat when I realize that Jill and Rufus – both nice looking and healthy specimens – could have been claimed by anyone wanting to “trade up” to a new dog. We are so fortunate that they were not already claimed or adopted by someone else before the owners actually located them! It was not through any effort of the shelter that this was prevented – in fact, recovering the dogs was accomplished IN SPITE of their apparent mismanagement.
So, what can you do to overcome some of these problems? If you have a shelter in your community, make an effort to find out how intake and release is done. If there are no safeguards in place to properly identify animals, talk to the governing agency. Get active in animal recovery and spread the word about the problems. Inform your city, county, township, etc., representatives that the COSTS for housing and maintenance will go down if more dogs are returned home quickly. This is simple logic and should appeal to even the most cynical pencil-pushers. Offer to serve on an advisory board that helps to set policies for animal control. Get your local dog club members active in assisting with the task through volunteerism and staff training. YOU can make the difference between a valued pet getting home within hours of admission or facing euthanasia a week later in spite of daily calls from the owner. Remember, someone you encourage or inspire to diligent attention to detail may be the one to reunite YOU with YOUR dog some day. That’s called Karma in action!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Common Denominators
As we all learned in grammar school, a denominator is used to divide or separate into segments. It is a means to fractionalize. I never truly understood why societal “common denominators” were considered shared traits that were thought to bring us closer rather than serve to divide us. This holiday season, however, I have seen many examples of the divisiveness that results when some “common” traits are missing in action.
The one that I find frequently absent these days is “Common Sense.” I have noticed it is especially rare in retail stores of all types. From fast-food chains to elegant boutiques, it seems that workers are required to leave their rational mind and problem-solving abilities at home. No thinking allowed on the job! Here is an example from yesterday.
My husband stopped at a drug store for a pack of antacids (dessert for Christmas dinner?) and was thoughtful enough to pick up a soft drink for me. The store has a large fountain with various kinds of coffee, fruit coolers, soft drinks, etc. Their usual price for carbonated beverages is 50 cents for a 22 ounce cup and $1 for a 44 ounce one. However, the store was out of the usual cups that are stocked at the soft drink machine. When my husband asked for a cup, he was told that they were out and to use one of the plastic cups at the iced fruit cooler machine. These are 32 ounces, so my husband was already alerted that there might be a problem at check out. He figured the easiest thing would be to pay for the pop right there with the clerk who had told him to use a substitute cup. After all, that person would know that the cup was used for pop and not the fruit smoothie. Can you guess the outcome????
The clerk SCANNED the cup – which rang up at $1.59 with tax. My husband asked how he could charge $1.59 for 12 oz. LESS soft drink than would have been in the 44 oz. cup for $1. This question created some frowning and finger counting on the part of the clerk, who did not immediately grasp the simple math. The clerk finally said, “Well, that’s how much it rings up and that’s what we have to charge.” Apparently, the manager who decided to substitute the cups didn’t give the clerks any direction on how to charge for the substitute contents. Clearly, this was a situation that called for a little “common sense” by the manager AND the clerks. They had all abandoned their logical thought at the door when pinning on their employee IDs. My husband paid for the soft drink (I would have left it had it been me) and delivered my “gourmet” priced Dr. Pepper along with a short rant. He vowed to never visit this store again – demonstrating how this simple lack of what is thought to be a common trait functioned as a common “denominator” that divides us and our future patronage from this retailer.
The other “common” behavior that I have seen causing a lot of divisiveness recently is the lack of “common courtesy.” From what I can tell, it is becoming as uncommon as 4-leaf clovers. In a season when we send greeting cards with messages of peace on earth and good will toward our fellow man, it appears that we don’t have either the time or inclination to actually practice those concepts in person. This “common denominator” serves to divide not only the people who fail to demonstrate courtesy, but infects the recipients who then spread the problem to everyone around them. Common “discourtesy” seems to be more contagious than the common cold! I’m sure I don’t need to give any detailed examples of this phenomenon – if you have been out shopping for the holidays you undoubtedly have a few of your own experiences to share. Feel free to add them in the comments section. I guarantee that I will display “common courtesy” and read them as if I never heard of fractions :-D
The one that I find frequently absent these days is “Common Sense.” I have noticed it is especially rare in retail stores of all types. From fast-food chains to elegant boutiques, it seems that workers are required to leave their rational mind and problem-solving abilities at home. No thinking allowed on the job! Here is an example from yesterday.
My husband stopped at a drug store for a pack of antacids (dessert for Christmas dinner?) and was thoughtful enough to pick up a soft drink for me. The store has a large fountain with various kinds of coffee, fruit coolers, soft drinks, etc. Their usual price for carbonated beverages is 50 cents for a 22 ounce cup and $1 for a 44 ounce one. However, the store was out of the usual cups that are stocked at the soft drink machine. When my husband asked for a cup, he was told that they were out and to use one of the plastic cups at the iced fruit cooler machine. These are 32 ounces, so my husband was already alerted that there might be a problem at check out. He figured the easiest thing would be to pay for the pop right there with the clerk who had told him to use a substitute cup. After all, that person would know that the cup was used for pop and not the fruit smoothie. Can you guess the outcome????
The clerk SCANNED the cup – which rang up at $1.59 with tax. My husband asked how he could charge $1.59 for 12 oz. LESS soft drink than would have been in the 44 oz. cup for $1. This question created some frowning and finger counting on the part of the clerk, who did not immediately grasp the simple math. The clerk finally said, “Well, that’s how much it rings up and that’s what we have to charge.” Apparently, the manager who decided to substitute the cups didn’t give the clerks any direction on how to charge for the substitute contents. Clearly, this was a situation that called for a little “common sense” by the manager AND the clerks. They had all abandoned their logical thought at the door when pinning on their employee IDs. My husband paid for the soft drink (I would have left it had it been me) and delivered my “gourmet” priced Dr. Pepper along with a short rant. He vowed to never visit this store again – demonstrating how this simple lack of what is thought to be a common trait functioned as a common “denominator” that divides us and our future patronage from this retailer.
The other “common” behavior that I have seen causing a lot of divisiveness recently is the lack of “common courtesy.” From what I can tell, it is becoming as uncommon as 4-leaf clovers. In a season when we send greeting cards with messages of peace on earth and good will toward our fellow man, it appears that we don’t have either the time or inclination to actually practice those concepts in person. This “common denominator” serves to divide not only the people who fail to demonstrate courtesy, but infects the recipients who then spread the problem to everyone around them. Common “discourtesy” seems to be more contagious than the common cold! I’m sure I don’t need to give any detailed examples of this phenomenon – if you have been out shopping for the holidays you undoubtedly have a few of your own experiences to share. Feel free to add them in the comments section. I guarantee that I will display “common courtesy” and read them as if I never heard of fractions :-D
Monday, December 21, 2009
Half a glass is better than no glass at all
I saw an ad on TV tonight about whether one's view found a glass was half-full or half-empty. I had one of those days that could be seen by either perspective. Let me explain.
Half-Empty: I got up this morning with the injured tendon in my foot hurting worse than it has all month. Clearly this is not going to heal on its own and continues to get worse.
Half-Full: I had made an appointment with a Podiatrist last week for this AM and he injected the tendon with some local anesthesia and short acting steroid. Tonight my foot doesn't hurt.
Half-Empty: I had to go get the tags for my new Transit Connect at the area tag office, which is always overflowing. When they calculated the sales tax, they included Kansas tax on items I had already paid for in Oklahoma with Oklahoma tax! The bill was about $35 more than I expected and ran over $1600!
Half-Full: The tag office was essentially empty when I arrived (lucky timing) and I got right to the counter. About a month ago I accepted an offer for a credit card with 0% interest on purchases for a year. I was able to pay the taxes (even the ones I didn't think I owed) and tag fees without shorting my checking account.
Half-Empty: I drove by the shop where I was getting a written estimate for potential repairs on my old van so I could decide whether to try to sell it for use or scrap. I didn't trade it in on my new vehicle because it was barely running and I figured it would need at least a thousand dollars of repairs to get it functional enough to take it to a dealer. Its failure is what prompted me to buy a new car now rather than wait. The estimate was a total of $411 - and I could have just had the van fixed to put off car payments for another 6 months or more.
Half-Full: I had a few things done to get it running ($145) and the mechanic thinks he can sell it for me at his shop for about $3000 to someone who is willing to get the other $266 dollars of repairs done to fix all the major issues. I don't think any dealer would have given me more than $1000 in trade on a 97 van with 125K miles unless they had a "Klunker" deal running ;-)
Half-Empty: Then I drove right back within three blocks of where I went to the Podiatrist this morning to get the H1N1 flu shot. The clinic didn't open until 2 pm and the podiatrist is not in on Monday afternoons. The clinic is a sort of "cattle call" operation by the health department and has been swamped since the supply of vaccine improved and shots for all ages are free.
Half-Full: At 3 pm when I arrived there were only 20-some people ahead of me and 8 nurse stations for giving vaccines. I was in and out in about 10 minutes - fully immunized now for that nasty "pig flu".
Half-Empty: I ran around all day getting poked and paying out money I didn't really want to spend.
Half-Full: I got three day's worth of things accomplished (including some banking, insurance and necessary shopping). I was home every few hours to let my puppies out and they didn't use their potty box once all day (quite an improvement). I was all done by 4 to feed everyone on time and then put my foot up for the evening.
**********************************
We may not have control over all the things that happen to us in life, but the one thing we can control is our attitude about it. Remember, we see the world not as it is, but as WE are.
Half-Empty: I got up this morning with the injured tendon in my foot hurting worse than it has all month. Clearly this is not going to heal on its own and continues to get worse.
Half-Full: I had made an appointment with a Podiatrist last week for this AM and he injected the tendon with some local anesthesia and short acting steroid. Tonight my foot doesn't hurt.
Half-Empty: I had to go get the tags for my new Transit Connect at the area tag office, which is always overflowing. When they calculated the sales tax, they included Kansas tax on items I had already paid for in Oklahoma with Oklahoma tax! The bill was about $35 more than I expected and ran over $1600!
Half-Full: The tag office was essentially empty when I arrived (lucky timing) and I got right to the counter. About a month ago I accepted an offer for a credit card with 0% interest on purchases for a year. I was able to pay the taxes (even the ones I didn't think I owed) and tag fees without shorting my checking account.
Half-Empty: I drove by the shop where I was getting a written estimate for potential repairs on my old van so I could decide whether to try to sell it for use or scrap. I didn't trade it in on my new vehicle because it was barely running and I figured it would need at least a thousand dollars of repairs to get it functional enough to take it to a dealer. Its failure is what prompted me to buy a new car now rather than wait. The estimate was a total of $411 - and I could have just had the van fixed to put off car payments for another 6 months or more.
Half-Full: I had a few things done to get it running ($145) and the mechanic thinks he can sell it for me at his shop for about $3000 to someone who is willing to get the other $266 dollars of repairs done to fix all the major issues. I don't think any dealer would have given me more than $1000 in trade on a 97 van with 125K miles unless they had a "Klunker" deal running ;-)
Half-Empty: Then I drove right back within three blocks of where I went to the Podiatrist this morning to get the H1N1 flu shot. The clinic didn't open until 2 pm and the podiatrist is not in on Monday afternoons. The clinic is a sort of "cattle call" operation by the health department and has been swamped since the supply of vaccine improved and shots for all ages are free.
Half-Full: At 3 pm when I arrived there were only 20-some people ahead of me and 8 nurse stations for giving vaccines. I was in and out in about 10 minutes - fully immunized now for that nasty "pig flu".
Half-Empty: I ran around all day getting poked and paying out money I didn't really want to spend.
Half-Full: I got three day's worth of things accomplished (including some banking, insurance and necessary shopping). I was home every few hours to let my puppies out and they didn't use their potty box once all day (quite an improvement). I was all done by 4 to feed everyone on time and then put my foot up for the evening.
We may not have control over all the things that happen to us in life, but the one thing we can control is our attitude about it. Remember, we see the world not as it is, but as WE are.
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