Ever been someplace unpleasant? Sure you have: a bathroom that needs cleaning, a restaurant with crappy service, a room full of hyperactive kids, Newark Airport; the list is endless.
The title of this piece arose out of one of my clinical locations when I was in school learning how to become a nurse. I was attending a small State College in Pennsylvania. Pocono Medical Center was right next to our campus, and served as a clinical site for many of our classes, but it was not a huge place, and some of us got farmed out to other sites.
Stroud Manor was a nursing home that was across the street from the medical center. Our initial impression of the place was not the least bit positive. When we walked through the door, our noses were assaulted by a strong smell of urine. There were very few staff, and the patients did not seem to get much in the way of care. They did not seem to mind, though, and we soon found out why.
I had never heard of Belladonna and Opium suppositories, but they were a frequently-used product at Stroud Manor. Basically, the residents were being drugged so that things could be managed with minimal staff.
From our perspective, the residents were being neglected, and we were free labor for the owners. As a group, we wanted to refuse to go back, but the only thing this was likely to accomplish was a failing grade for each of us. We reluctantly stuck it out, although none of us felt we really learned anything from working there. That being said, we did out best to provide good care for the residents when we were there. The title comes from a description of the place supplied by one of my classmates. It was pretty helpful in describing how we felt about the place, and has been useful in describing my feelings about a few other places I have encountered since then. Interestingly, I remember press reports of the nursing home getting sanctioned by the State for proving sub-standard care, and the place eventually closed. Whether or not one of my classmates was responsible for filing a complaint about them is unknown, but the negative attention the owners got was well-deserved.
So, the next time you are stuck in someplace unpleasant, ask yourself "What would God do?" You now have the answer.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Intellectually Celibate
The title of this piece is a term I once heard used to describe former President George "Dubya" Bush.
Our 43rd President was known to point out that "even a C student could be President". There is a fine line between "nice" and "stupid" which he seemed to straddle with great skill.
We probably all know people who are not deep thinkers, but I doubt that any had such power combined with such a lack of awareness (remember "Mission Accomplished"?). Dubya apparently did not read newspapers or books, nor did he read the briefing materials prepared for him by White House staff (at least not with any regularity). To me, it is not a huge surprise that we ended up in wars without clear objectives or end points. Combine this with advocating tax cuts when we are already operating at a deficit to fund the two wars, and it is easy to understand why things were such a mess when he left office.
Obviously, being President requires a unique skill and knowledge which not everyone has. Unfortunately, Dubya appears to have been one with neither of them. While Obama is clearly way more intelligent, he apparently lacks the skill set as well. While many people may want the job, not many appear to be good at it.
Considering his lack of interest in reading, it's more than a bit surprising that Dubya would have a Presidential Library. Most Presidential Libraries don't contain books, but rather papers, videos, audio recordings, and mementos. In his case, though, calling it a Library is a bit of an affront to the English language.
On a positive note, I have to say that I approve of how he has chosen to retire and stay out of politics. He does not attend events or make public comments about political issues, so at least he does not make things worse. For that, all should be grateful.
For those of you who think Dubya was a great President, I respect your right to your opinion, but we will have to agree to disagree. I think we, and history can remember him as both nice and intellectually celibate, and let it go at that.
Our 43rd President was known to point out that "even a C student could be President". There is a fine line between "nice" and "stupid" which he seemed to straddle with great skill.
We probably all know people who are not deep thinkers, but I doubt that any had such power combined with such a lack of awareness (remember "Mission Accomplished"?). Dubya apparently did not read newspapers or books, nor did he read the briefing materials prepared for him by White House staff (at least not with any regularity). To me, it is not a huge surprise that we ended up in wars without clear objectives or end points. Combine this with advocating tax cuts when we are already operating at a deficit to fund the two wars, and it is easy to understand why things were such a mess when he left office.
Obviously, being President requires a unique skill and knowledge which not everyone has. Unfortunately, Dubya appears to have been one with neither of them. While Obama is clearly way more intelligent, he apparently lacks the skill set as well. While many people may want the job, not many appear to be good at it.
Considering his lack of interest in reading, it's more than a bit surprising that Dubya would have a Presidential Library. Most Presidential Libraries don't contain books, but rather papers, videos, audio recordings, and mementos. In his case, though, calling it a Library is a bit of an affront to the English language.
On a positive note, I have to say that I approve of how he has chosen to retire and stay out of politics. He does not attend events or make public comments about political issues, so at least he does not make things worse. For that, all should be grateful.
For those of you who think Dubya was a great President, I respect your right to your opinion, but we will have to agree to disagree. I think we, and history can remember him as both nice and intellectually celibate, and let it go at that.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Always get married in the morning...
More relationship advice. This time from the late Mickey Rooney (married eight times) who advised: "Always get married in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted a whole day."
I once read that over half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce, so I have to concede that Mickey is much more of an expert on these things than I am (I have only been married twice so far).
On Facebook, for those of you who want to list being in a relationship, one of the choices you can select is "It's complicated". Looking around and seeing the relationships that many people are in, it's a bit surprising this selection is not chosen more often. It isn't necessarily a negative; relationships can be complicated and also be hard work.
We have so many different types and degrees of relationships: acquaintances, friends, good friends, best friends, enemies, relatives, colleagues, bosses/subordinates, co-workers, customers, girlfriends/boyfriends, lovers, fiancées, spouses, and a host of others. Put "former" in front of the descriptor, and you have created a whole new set. Considering how relationships can also change, you can begin to see why that one choice on Facebook isn't all that bad.
I guess you could say that the dynamic nature of relationships (they start, end, morph into different levels or categories) is part of what makes life so interesting and challenging. Relationships also seem to be something we all want or need. Think of Tom Hank's character in Castaway who developed a relationship with a volleyball (who he named "Wilson"). If we don't have a relationship, it seems like we will figure out a way to create one.
Whether you choose a volleyball or a spouse, whatever meets your need is OK. Remember , though, if you choose to get married, pick a time before noon. It can't hurt.
I once read that over half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce, so I have to concede that Mickey is much more of an expert on these things than I am (I have only been married twice so far).
On Facebook, for those of you who want to list being in a relationship, one of the choices you can select is "It's complicated". Looking around and seeing the relationships that many people are in, it's a bit surprising this selection is not chosen more often. It isn't necessarily a negative; relationships can be complicated and also be hard work.
We have so many different types and degrees of relationships: acquaintances, friends, good friends, best friends, enemies, relatives, colleagues, bosses/subordinates, co-workers, customers, girlfriends/boyfriends, lovers, fiancées, spouses, and a host of others. Put "former" in front of the descriptor, and you have created a whole new set. Considering how relationships can also change, you can begin to see why that one choice on Facebook isn't all that bad.
I guess you could say that the dynamic nature of relationships (they start, end, morph into different levels or categories) is part of what makes life so interesting and challenging. Relationships also seem to be something we all want or need. Think of Tom Hank's character in Castaway who developed a relationship with a volleyball (who he named "Wilson"). If we don't have a relationship, it seems like we will figure out a way to create one.
Whether you choose a volleyball or a spouse, whatever meets your need is OK. Remember , though, if you choose to get married, pick a time before noon. It can't hurt.
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