Nibbled News

False tornado alert sends residents scrambling for shelter

“But who wants to be foretold the weather? It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand.” 
―    Jerome K. Jerome.

For many years , especially during the long and unpredictably stormy  summer months, I was one of those gullible people who firmly believed in and trusted our  local television meteorologist -- tv weatherman -- to accurately predict the upcoming weather patterns in my area. People I knew usually consulted their copy of The Farmers Almanac or their Aunt Bessy's aching bunion to forecast for themselves when stormy weather would be arriving. I trusted my fate to a well-known and respected media personality.

 I used to live in a region of the country known as Tornado Alley and during the tempestuous summer season believed that my local guru would be able to help me plan my week with a bit of newfound confidence. One local authority was always impeccably dressed, sported a flashy bow tie and a charismatic smile and of course an infectious sense of humor that could allay the fears of the most nervous Nelly. Approaching cold fronts, high pressure areas and storm fronts were always handled with great aplomb by this local weather hero. His batting average for correct forecasts averaged about an impressive 90 percent.

Over time and with great personal reluctance I gradually began to realize and accept the fact that his television personna and charisma had nothing to do with the reality of events occurring outside my own front door. The weather was unpredicatble and chaos theory seemd to rule the type of weather pattern that would visit a particular area.

One reputable broadcasting station constantly bragged that they had invested millions of dollars in highly sophisticated, electronic weather forecasting equipment and that they even had the capability to accurately pinpoint the type of weather pattern a particular neighborhood would receive. Wow. Quite the promise. I felt safer with such a publicly endorsed guarantee. If they could do that then anything was possible. Was this a case of arrogance or corporate bravado?

Earlier this week the folks in my region were issued a tornado alert and informed that a series of potentially threatening funnel clouds had been indicated on a doppler radar screen. An official at the regional weather office issued a public alert around 2 p.m. The community was initially put on standby notification and then within minutes an official order to take cover was given. All this took place in a matter of minutes. People scurried indoors and took the appropriate actions to protect themselves and their families.

Local television, radio and dedicated weather radio stations issued the alert to take cover. People responded accordingly and sheltered themselves in their basements. School officials corralled children into the gymnasium and tried to keep them calmed and entertained until the crisis had passed. Anxious moments passed slowly as the thunder roared, lightning flashed, skies blackened and the wind built up momentum. A community nervously held its breath praying for the best but expecting the worst.

The storm passed without major incident dumping a significant amount of rainfall, pea-sized hail, water soaked streets and no major damage. It was a typical storm for the region. School buses had waited an extra 45 minutes for grade school students to be released. Residents on the south-east side of the city left the confined safety of their basements. It was just a typical summer thundershower. The indiviual who had issued the alert had cried wolf prematurely and set a cowering community on edge.

A local television station's news team was interested in the why's and the who's of the story. They visited the governmentally run weather bureau and spoke with the behind-the-scene person who actually issued the alert. The person was male, mid-thirties, shabbily dressed in blue jeans, sneakers, blue anorak and sported a scruffy beard. He claimed that it was his responsibility to monitor the storm system and made the call to issue the alert. He was a five-year veteran at the position and was working the shift alone that afternoon.

When asked by the reporters if he felt guitly about sounding the alert he smugly answered no and told them he would do it again if conditions warranted. He answered their questions in a guarded manner and appeared to be trying to cover his back with each carefully worded response. His glib , off the cuff replies made the news team skeptical of his sincerity and honesty. He had made a serious judgement error and was refusing to accept responsibility for his impetuous action.

Before you are totally swayed into trusting or believing your community's own weather forcasting personality remember the tale of the Wizard of Oz. Even though that person in charge seems all knowing and responsible come to grips with the fact that somewhere a behind-the-scenes person is controlling his actions and that the clever wink or enchanting smile is merely this person's attempt to gain your confidence and increase his viewing audience. Be aware. Be careful.

Father he hardly knew made lasting impression

"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right." --  Bill Cosby. 

My friend Derek's father was born in 1908, was the youngest of 11 children, proudly served in World War II as a soldier, came back home from the war and worked hard in numerous job situations. He eventually married at age 39 and had three children, two girls and one boy. His oldest son , Derek, was born in 1948 roughly 40 years after his dad. In July 1956 his father passed away unexpectedly  and he found himself orphaned and without a father. At the tender age of nine he had become the man of the family.

 He had been a rather sickly child and for the first six years of his life suffered chicken pox, whooping cough, measles, tonsilitis and a bout with kidney and liver ailments. He had spent more time in the hospital than he did at home. In those early days universal health care immunization programs and prenatal child care were non existent. His parents and others felt that such early childhood illnesses were par for the course. They were not rich people but they loved their children and provided for them the best they could.

His time spent in and out of the children's wards of hospitals helped him realize that family is important and that he was determined that he would do whatever it took to stay healthy and stay out of hospitals. His mother told him years later that whenever she visited him in the hospital he would jump out and down excitedly in his crib. Her presence helped to speed up his recovery. He remembered that the children's section of the hospital was always dark and  foreboding  and contact with the nurses was minimal. One of his attending nurses told his mom that she actually dreaded having to give him his injections. He had become a human pin cushion.

By the time he was six years old his struggle with childhood disease was over.  He had to start school at a somewhat later age but remembers spending time with his dad on family vacations and special outings. Trips in the family vehicle were always pleasant surprises. His dad had a zest for life and was an eternal optimist. These and other positive qualities were transferred to his young son. The family ties grew stronger as he spent more time at home. His health improved greatly and his once over weight physique transformed into a healthier slimmer version of himself.

His dad had been a railroad engineer and his mom and sisters would visit him at work. Derek enjoyed sitting inside the cab of the steam powered locomotive his father operated. The engine's numerous controls and the mere size of the locomotive  itself always captured his attention. Visiting his dad at work was the highlight of his young day. His dad was always happy to have him visit and he told him stories about the other types of trains that were used at the terminal. The stories were always filled with surprise endings.

When his father passed away in summer of 1956 Derek was shattered. High blood pressure and a burst blood vessel in his father's brain had caused a deadly cerebral hemmorage. His father died at an early age and left a wife, one son and two daughters alone. Derek then became the nominal head of the household and did his best to keep his mother and two sisters in good spirits and health. He admitted that he was not devestated by the death but rather became determined to be the best he could be despite this tragic setback.

Over the many years that followed he kept his silent promise to his father. He put himslf through university, worked at a number of job positions, took care of his mother and sisters financially and eventually married and became a husband and father dedicated to both family and community. He did not want to elaborate more on this issue but does volunteeer a good portion of his time and finances  to charitable organizations and events.

He readily admits that he missed having a father during his formative years to provide guidance and support. But he also realizes that his father's passing away also helped forge the person he eventually became -- a tough minded optimist who welcomes the challenges life throws his way. Life is a fragile, day by day learning experience.There are no written guarantees for anyone.

If you dad is still living send him a greeting card, call him on the telephone and let him know you appreciate all the love and effort he has provided you over the years. Wishing him a "Happy Father's Day" may make him the happiest man on earth and just might help you feel a lot better as well.

Take steps to protect your personal information from prying eyes

"If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it
expects what never was and never will be ... If we are to guard against
ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to
be informed."   -- Thomas Jefferson.

Like it or not we are all from time to time persons of interest. Someone out there in dataland is constantly trying to gather as much personal information as possible about each and everyone of us  be it telephone conversations, recent cell phone numbers dialed ,consumer purchasing habits, religious affiliations, television viewing trends and food items we purchase at the supermarket.

Many times these data gathering forays are performed in an above the board manner and we are willing participants in its collection. Other times it is done surreptitiously without our immediate knowledge. Your Air Miles Reward point card you hand over to the cashier at the grocery store or that warranty card information you send in to a particular merchandiser reveals things about you. Other times the data is collected without a person's knowledge and then the legality or should I say the basic ethics or morality of the search comes into question.

A significant number of online users try to protect their personal identities and resort to a number of approaches to minimize the amount of user data that will be obtained each and every time they venture into Cyberland. They purchase commercial programs that they hope will cover their tracks whenever they are online, periodically sweep their computers for trojans, cookies, viruses and an infinite array of invasive programs and software that could possibly compromise their online safety.

A number of the more prominent software developers promise consumers that their software will conceal their online identities, protect their computer's operating systems from electronic invasion, ensure that their online banking and business transactions are secure and a myriad other ways that developers hope to entice consumer dollars. These programs work only if the user updates the software, faithfully scans his computer for problems on a weekly basis, avoids sites that are potentially dangerous and minimize the amount of information he or she willingly submits online.

Unfortunately, a majority of computer users , cell phone users and yes even tablet users are lazy and as a result find themselves constantly being hacked due to their laziness. Back in the wild west days the indians used smoke signals to communicate with distant tribes about upcoming events or exchange regional information. This was their non electronic chat line and the system worked fairly well until non aboriginals deciphered what the tribal members were saying to one another. Once their private information system was compromised the tribal members could no longer safely communicate on their gloabl "online" system.

Speaking of being unknowingly compromised were you aware that hackers are now able to remotely activate your computer's camera and spy on you without your knowledge. A video posting I viewed recently on You Tube depicted the ingenious way a number of ambitious computer hackers tapped into a person's webcam without their knowledge. They acquired the access point when the at home user was in a chatroom and freely spied on the unaware chatter.

I suggest that you cover your laptop's camera with a piece of band aid to prevent this type of spying. If you have the larger screen television setups with web access I heartily recommend that you cover its camera opening with something to preserve your own sense of security and family safety. Imagine the embarassment you would feel if you discovered a video of you and your family on You Tube because someone had activated your television's webam without your knowledge.

A person still has the right to protect and preserve his personal information from prying eyes. The individual has to decide just how much data is useful and how much is invasive. Think before you submit information to a third party and ask why some information they require on a simple warranty card is mandatory. Treat your personal information as a valuable commodity and always ask questions when prompted to provide more data than you feel necessary.

 

 

Keeping things simple makes life less complex

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” 
―    E.F. Schumacher 

 

Business school graduates as well as young children in grade school are constantly reminded by both their well-meaning teachers or professional  mentors to keep things simple be it a complicated financial analysis or a school science project. KISS is an acronym, abbreviation or slang word that means, "Keep It Simple Stupid".

It sounds as if it were a cynically harsh indictment but it does in the end help folks focus better and keep their creative eyes on the goal: simplicity. Many times over-enthusiasm for a pet project inadvertently leads to an unintended complexity in something that was meant to uncomplicate a person's life. When a simple item or procedure morphs into the complex then a consumer's trust in the system is put to the test. This article focuses itself on only four such instances of unintended complexity. You may have your own personal list of such nerve jangling items. 

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The pudgy Pillsbury dough boy welcomes you with open arms and a friendly giggle to try his company's breakfast treat -- crescent rolls. The commercial shows a pair of female hands easily popping open the cardboard container after which the pliable soft dough inside the tube pops out easily and is waiting for you to gently remove it and place it on a cookie sheet ready to bake in your pre heated oven. I tried this manoeuver six times and each time was unsuccessful in freeing the dough from its prison. Somehow the pliable contents refused to leave its tube. I wondered if I was the problem until I spoke to a few neighbors who also admitted having the same problem with the packaging. Letting the package thaw to room temperature or using it straight from the store's dairy case had the same results. So much for convenience.  

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One innovation that frustrates an appreciable number of people is the child proof prescription cap. If you have arthritis, are over 60 years of age and your grandchildren are in their 40's you truly have no need for such a feature. The directions on the top of the cap is always written in a small type size which is a chore for a person with diminishing vision to decipher. If your fingers cannot curl around the tap to pry it loose then you are in dire straights. My neighbor Bert and his wife dread whenever they have to order their prescription updates. Childproof caps are the rule and so their frustration level always rises when they need to take their medication. Their solution is to use a hammer to break the original plastic bottle and store their pills in special pre labelled glass containers they purchased from a pharmaceutical distributor. This bottle has a metallic screw on cap. It's easier on the hands and the nerves. 

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Battery manufacturers are eager to admit that their battery packs will last
for five years and proudly post an expiration date on the packaging itself. The concept of battery freshness has a certain appeal to cost conscious consumers who want to get a bargain on such a bulk pack item. The date imprinted on the package helps the buyer justify his/her purchase. But the manufacturers fail to remind you to remove their batteries from an item that you will not be using for an extended period of time. Over time even their copper topped battery will leak and corrode the insides of your electronic items. I have a small 3" by 2" portable travel-sized radio I usually toss in my suitcase when I travel. Recently I discovered that the batteries inside had leaked and corroded the terminal posts in the radio. This is bad news especially when you need the latest weather reports while on vacation in storm riddled areas.

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The SX-70 was a folding single lens reflex (SLR) Land instant camera produced by the Polaroid Corporation and featured a film pack containing 10  pictures which ejected automatically from the camera and then automatically developed without chemical residue. It is an ideal camera to take on vacation with you and many photographers use it to set up their photographic sessions and color layouts. If you happen to own one of these cameras make sure you check the expiration date before you load it into the camera and press the power button. If you used expired film the colors will be muddled and the overall convenience of using such a simple device will only lead to your personal frustration. That special picture of a lifetime may turn out to be the one you missed. Read the expiration dates carefully.

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These are just a few of the many ways popular time saving conveniences and inventions have at times failed to provide a simple soultion to life's complex situations. Keeping things simple does keep life from becoming overly complex and frustrating. If only innovative thinking could keep apace with immediate consumer need it would be a calmer world.

Intentional tenant blindness produces public eyesores

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”  ―    Albetert Einstein. 

Why do so many apartment residents place their ability to read on the back burners of life and proceed to park, walk or dump their used furniture in those areas that are clearly marked with warning signs forbidding such actions? They seem to intentionally shed their understanding of a written language in favor of taking an advantage of an obviously forbidden undertaking --- garbage dumping.

Obviously there must be some hidden reason why they would flaunt the rules and do whatever they please at a moment like this. Sometimes , sheer indifference is the guiding principle. They no longer consider themselves to be tenants at a particular residence and believe that their damage deposit will cover any and all costs associated with their delinquent behavior. This attitude only highlights the fact that they always were an undesirable tenant but kept that fact under tight wraps.

Sometimes there are more rational reasons as to why a tenant would choose to dump their problems near a municipal garbage container only a few feet away from a sign cautioning tenants not to do so. An infestation of bed bugs might force a resident to abandon their possessions outside a garbage receptacle. This happens a lot more frequently during warmer summer months when the little critters seem to multiply geometrically and spread their own brand of havoc on unsuspecting residents. Resident managers ask their tenants to inform them should such a bed bug infestation occur in their suites.

I recently spoke with a number of building custodian-managers and they added that tenants are asked to report any kind of insect infestation. In the case of bed bugs the suite is inspected, sprayed and then revisited to ensure that little critters have been eliminated. Many times however the treatment does not work and the infested furniture must be thrown out as soon as possible by the suite's occupier. Living room furniture, beds, mattresses , box springs and the occasional dresser must be tossed in the rubbish heap.

In other instances troublesome tenants may have been given an eviction notice and are determined to make a statement by abandoning their suite furniture and all and letting the clean up staff handle it's fate. Clean up crews I spoke with confirmed this fact and added that the physical condition of the abandoned rental unit was in dire need of repair and cleaning.  One unit I inspected had stained carpeting, broken appliances, holes gouged into the walls and clogged pipes in the kitchen and bathroom areas. Not the best way to vacate your apartment.

The piles of abandoned rubble and furniture pictured at the start of this article were left there for the long holiday weekend. On Tuesday morning a cleanup crew cleared away the mess and brought it to the city dump. This time at least the do not dump sign was not covered by a mattress or a piece of broken furniture. Other times that is the rule rather than the exception. The stuff left behind is by no means top of the line material.

 It's funny that folks who are reluctant to put their best foot forward for the public to see are not hesitant at all to place their garbage and trash in plain sight for the entire world to see. Sometimes, people are their own worst enigmas.

 

Tornado mindset needs constant updating

"There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control." --  Leo Buscaglia.

Many folks consider the upcoming three day long weekend to be the official kickoff point of the summer holiday season. In many parts of the country it  promises warmer weather and this in turn promotes a lot of outdoor activity like baseball, barbeques, lawn trimming and outdoor leisure time. It is a fun time and definitely a family time of year. A relaxing, soul searching time of the season. For a majority of folks this fact of life is true and worthy of public acknowledgement.

However, if you are unfortunate enough to live in Tornado Alley this same time of year, the May through to Labor day period, marks the beginning of the season of constant cloud watching, knuckle wrenching and of course praying for mild weather. Tornado season has returned to this area and a troubled sky means troubled times for the people living there.

You begin  to stock your makeshift  emergency shelter with provisions, blankets, water, a flashlight, radio and storm lamps.  It become a way of life and promises safety. We lived in a newly constructed residential housing project at the time and underground shelters were no where to be found. Each family was responsible for its own shelter and safety.

When I was younger our family lived in one of these tornado infested areas. A young child had to be constantly instructed and reminded during the summer months on what to : do in case a tornado alert is sounded; go and seek shelter when a funnel cloud is sighted in your neighborhood; and finally take shelter and keep your wits about you should you be trapped in a tornado zone. Once a month the Civil Defense siren  would blare on the first Saturday for about five minutes and people would go through the drill of manning their selected tornado shelters in preparation for the big event.

Once a month neighbors nearby would discuss their survival action plans to safeguard their families in the event that a funnel cloud touched down and created a disaster zone. The monthly preparedness plan help to solidify the neighbors in the immediate vicinity and occasionally neighbors from nearby areas would visit and invite other community members to  a block barbeque party. The closeness helped to allay the fears of many families. There are no strnagers in a situation that could become a life and death event.

One severe thunder storm in particular caught a neighbor off guard as a torrential downpour dumped so much water on the area that he had his basement partially flooded with dark, murky sewage water that  rose through the basement sewer pipe to a three foot high level. The shelter was rendered useless in an instant and the man and his family sought shelter at his friend's house across the street. His home was not damaged physically but the water did destroy the appliances he stored down there.

People discover over time that they become overly obsessive-compulsive about summer sky watching and dark approaching thunderstorms in particular. A dark cloud in their minds means danger is near and the first deafening roar of thunder has them seeking a nearby basement for shelter. That is the result of years of childhood training and socialization meant to educate the child about storm safety protocols and procedures. Common sense about storms usually takes a back seat to survival training.

I no longer live in or near Tornado Alley and as such do not immediately panic at the approach of a summer storm. Friends and associates think I have this irational fear of storms. It is difficult to effectively relate to someone who has not experienced first hand the rage and fury of a storm cloud harboring a funnel system.

Tornado underground shelters should be mandated as necessary for those residents living in Tornado Alley. Governmental financial aid could be combined with some type of insurance coverage to ensure that costs are manageable and that the protection of human life and limb is deemed more important than a financial sheet's bottom line figure.

Skateboard riders should be trained, licensed and insured

"The  hardest thing about skateboarding is consistency: The slightest flick of your  foot or gust of wind can send your board flying, so it's really anybody's game  out there."  ---  Shaun  White. 

Skateboarding , one form of personal transportation , is also considered to be the following: an action sport;  recreational activity; art form; or just plain good old outdoor exercise and fun. The sport itself has many adherents and has been shaped by many skateboarders throughout the years. A good per centage of the users are under the age of 18 and more than 75 per cent of them are male.

The arrival of warmer weather has also encouraged a great number of these speed enthusiasts to venture outdoors and and strut there stuff on sidewalks and roadways that were not initially meant for them to hotdog on. The uncontrollable nature of the board itself combined with the inexperience of many board riders leads at time to disastrous results.

Bumps, bruises, contusions and a host of assorted injuries are the likely result of inexperience. Skate boarders realize and  accept the fact that over the course of time he/she will experience the occasional tumble, shinned knee or elbow cut that's why the majority of them wear helmets, knee pads and elbow guards.

The unaware pedestrian or motor vehicle operator immediately becomes aware of the inherent danger in the sport when a blurred figure immediately lands on top of or stops cold turkey in front of his car or else crashes into him unannounced while he is casually walking down a sidewalk unaware that a dangerous situation is about to occur.

A senior citizen out for an early evening walk with  his or her dog on a city sidewalk, a mother pushing her young infant in a stroller or even a young couple walking hand in hand on a warm summer night should not have to concern themselves that an out of control skate board will suddenly careen into them and cause them physical harm. The senior can only move so fast and the mother with the infant is at the mercy of the board rider as it approaches them at break neck speeds.

I have recently jumped out of the way of a group of younger board riders as they frantically yelled, whistled and shouted at pedestrians in their route of travel to "get out of the way!". It was a Sunday afternoon and the public library I was visiting was located on a hill. The road way was marked for both cars and bicycles but the younger riders chose to use the sidewalk instead. I was lucky that they yelled at me for all of them were listening to their iPods and two were busy texting on their cell phones.

Skateboarders should be licensed before they are allowed to speed around in public places. The licensing would ensure that they have had sufficient training to handle themselves and their board around the public. Parents should ensure that their youngsters have had this necessary training to protect themselves and the public from harm. Fines should be levied on all riders who lack this training. If a bicycle rider requires a licence to be on the street then board riders should also require such documentation. 

A skateboard is not a toy like a frisbee or hool hoop once were. It is a serious piece of uncontrollable transportation that puts the rider and the public at personal risk whenever a youthful rider gets the urge to test his or her mettle against the challenge of the sport. A public sidewalk, city street or even shopping mall parking lot is not the appropriate place for these young risk takers to enjoy their boards.

Standards should be set to protect the public and improve the safety aspect of the sport. Youth clubs or the merchandisers of the boards should offer an orientation program to provide the training, licensing and safety issues involved in using the board. Public streets, walkways and even shopping malls are not the correct venues to use to enjoy this sport.

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Apartment hunting doesn't always have to be intimidating

"When  I was 5, some financial things happened, and I moved seven times in a year. We  moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My mom would  always say, 'Don't get comfortable, because we may not be here  long.'" --    LeBron  James.

If you are an apartment dweller who has experienced the discomfiture of periodically searching for a new place to live you then realize that the search itself sucks big time. The prospect of living in a newly rennovated residence is often foreshadowed by the fact that there an almost infinite number of details that must be checked and rechecked to ensure that your move in and out will flow smoothly. 

 The process itself is somewhat akin to searching for lost treasure. You have to be meticulous, prepared to do the required amount of leg work, patient and of course honest both with yourself and your future landlord. A major stumbling block in the process is trust: you trust that your future suite manager will offer you a fair deal; the manager trusts that you will be a responsible and worthwhile candidate to reside in his building.

 There are a few useful gimmicks you can carry with you use to assist you in your search for your next desired dwelling place.. This article will describe the tools I use as a Mystery Shopper to evaluate the caliber of professionalism resident managers offer their potential new clients. You will need to bring a few extra items with you but in the end it is worth the effort. A bit of diligence and personal resolve will ensure you get the lodging you are seeking.

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A cell phone equipped with a camera is an ideal tool to use help you record your initial reactions to a condo or co-op you are viewing. This is especially true if you have scheduled a number of viewings on a particular day. Memory oftentimes is clouded and discretely clicking a few pictures here and there can help you form a better opinion of a fuure home for yourself. The phone helps you keep in direct communication with the manager in case he did not keep your appointment or you need directions to locate the site. Many times my cell phone has enabled me to rearrange my appointment due to conflicting scheduling situations.

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A small pocket compass is another tool you can use to check and see if the person conducting your tour is familiar with the property and its surroundings. When you chatted with the resident manager on the telephone to arrange the tour you specifically requested a suite facing a certain direction. When you are viewing the suite use the compass to verify for yourself whether or not the promised unit is facing the direction you requested. If not mention this fact to the tour guide and watch their reaction. It's worth the effort.

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Another recommended tool I carry with me on my mystery shopping assignemnts is a mini flashlight. Make sure that the batteries are fully charged and ready to be used. On one assignment I had to appraise a suite located on the 15th floor of a prominent highrise tower. The manager and myself had stepped into the elevator and she nonchalantly pressed to button to transport us to the required floor. After a few moments of upward ascent the elevator stopped between floors. The lights in the elevator itself went out. This was a good time to panic.

 

Luckily,  I reached for my flashlight and happily saved the day. The visibly shaken female unit manager  was able to use her cell phone to place a service call to the building's maintenance department. Help arrived shortly and after we had inspected the apartment we decided to chose another elevator to use for our downward descent. It was an almost harrowing experience but I was prepared for that moment.

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Finally, bring a small notepad and record your impressions of the suite, the building, the surrounding neighborhood and most importantly your interaction with the resident manager when you get back to your car. The memories are still fresh in your mind and you will be able to compile your notes later on before you make your final decision.

This approach might seem somewhat unorthodox and at times off the wal but it worked for me. I located my present suite using the methods I have outlayed here and am very pleased with the results. The method you use is entirely up to you. Just realize that your future enjoyment of your suite will ultimately depend on the planning steps you orchestrated to ensure that the accomodation you searched for was the one you finally received.

Parental smother-love debilitates children and grown adults

"Because  parents have power over children. They feel they have to do what their parents  say. But the love of money is the root of all evil. And this is a sweet child.  And to see him turn like this, this isn't him. This is not him." ---   Michael Jackson.

Mother Nature has endowed the black bear with the necessary instinctual common sense to raise her young, teach them all that she knows about survival in the wilderness and then when the time is right abandon them when the offspring have learnt all that she can teach them about living.

Their personal survival and safety depends on how well they have individually adapted to and incorporated  their mother's techniques and teachings. A mother bear can only do so much to instill survival skills in her young cubs. The rest is up to them and their desire to exist.

Plato, the earliest and most reknown Greek Philosopher and educational thinker, postulated in his work, The Republic, that education was the most important building block for society. He advocated that young  children around the age of seven be removed from their mothers and be raised by the state. This overall plan would assist society in  identifying the innate skills of the children and give them proper education for that particular skill.

This governmentally sponsored tutoring would, in his opinion,  guarantee that society would have those skills necessary to maintain itself through its members. This was his ideological platform at the time more than two thousand years ago. Of course you had to have parents agree to this massive educational reform program. The children would be well provided for and assured a productive and fulfilling future.

Modern man however in his infinitely higher wisdom , realizing that parents would not willingly want to be separated from their young , invented instead places of education that offer teetering and inexperienced offspring the place to go and learn the spooosed required skills and graces needed to function in a more contemporary social setting. This learning curve tends to ensure that society itself will not fall flat on its face due to a wide spread lack of trained individuals  able to meet its basic social and economic needs.

Sometimes well meaning parents tip the scales of success and intentionally smother their child's inner drive for personal success and replace it with their own need for control and dominion. Society then has its hands full of adults who live at home in their 40's, 50's and 60's and lack the ambition and drive to better their lot in life due to their own parentally engineered insecurity and lack of faith in themselves and their abilities.Eventually they become a blight on society and their families.

Pat (not his real name) is a divorced 66- year-old male who has become such a social tragedy. He is estranged from his family, friends, spouse and children and  currently resides in his car, performs his personal hygiene tasks at 24-hour gasoline service stations, does his laundry whenever the mood moves him and has lost a significant 20 pounds of body weight.  He is in dire health and has no place to turn for support or comfort.

Former friends state that his mother, who passed away a few years ago, was the guiding light of his life. He was the baby of the family who was always pampered by her and admitted a few years ago that he needed a strong female figure in his life. His wife has gone on with her own life and has broken any social ties with him. He calls his daughter and son on occasion to solicit some money from them. They dread receiving telephone calls from him.

Another person I once worked with, call him Frank, is 56 years old, was an only child , has a significant amount of money in his bank account which he acquired through familial inheritances, has never been married and currently lives with his aging mother. He also is a tragedy in that he never left home, never apparently took a chance on himself to improve his life or circumstance and admits that he would be lost if anything ever happened to his mother. He says he is unsure about his future.

 He admits that there is something missing in his life but also adds that his love of travel and his motorcyle helps him escape the boring times which tend to crop up in his life. He keeps his friendships at arm's length and is outwardly manipulative in his attitude towards other people. He had purchased his parent's home and allows his mother to reside there with him. People who visit his house notice how he treats his mother like a personal servant and gets upset with her quite frequently.

I feel a certain amount of empathy for both these men realizing that they are the same type of personality located on the opposite end of the same extreme. Smother love has had a direct impact on their lives . One man will probably die alone in his rusting out car while the other will live alone in his high priced mansion feeling unsure about the meaning of his life.

Finally, there is Kelly a 44-year-old father of two, separated from his wife for the past two years who is employed but lives in his parents garage. His wife and himself had a mid sized house and a mortgage but when she left him to pursue her own career he just gave up and let his parents take care of him and his needs. His parents are strong-willed folks and have always protected their son from the many cruelties of life the list of which probably includes his ex wife.

The men presented here are not atypical. They merely appear to lack the social skills necessary to blend in smoothly with life and their significant others. A smothering familial member has apparently done them a great injustice by extending their period of dependency to include adulthood. Parents should know when to let their fledglings leave the nest even if it is done at a time later on in life.

Your dog depends on you for moral support

"Animals  are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their  actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up  to." Alfred A. Montapert

When you reside on the  main floor level of an apartment complex you immediately discover that your view of the world changes on an almost daily if not hourly  basis. This is especially true if you have lived for many years on the third or fourth floor level of a high rise residential building. 

 The world of street traffic and pedestrians down below is out of your immediate line of sight. While the view up there in the clouds at times could be described as being inspirational the real glimpses of life and people are discovered  on the lower levels. The air is cooler and the pace of life a bit more hectic.

You will soon discover that people strolling past your patio walking their dogs offer you an immediate although  short term glimpse of themselves and the way they relate to the world around them. The relationship they share with their pet can easily be discerned by the way the animal paces itself in relaton to its master's stride.

Confident pups strut proudly at their master's side. Insecure ones continually look over their shoulders as they saunter along. Dogs with an attitude trot at a distance challenging the world to knock that proverbial block of wood off their shoulder. Insecure and neurotic animals present a pseudo-aggressive stance but only with their master's permission.

The way many people treat and interact with their pets ( dogs in particular)  tells onlookers the manner in which these same folks relate to life in general. Impatient dog owners will actually drag the dog by the leash and force them to proceed down the sidewalk. One neighbor I noticed was tugging hard on his dog's leash while the dog itself sat back on its hind legs refusing to walk another step.

I actually got angry watching this older man forcibly pulling his dog along the sidewalk. The dog itself was an older dog and had trouble maintaining its defiant gait against its master.  You could say that the master in his own mind felt he was winning the battle of wills. The next day the same man walked past my building and his dog now walked a lot more confidently at the new pace it set for the duo.

Jim, a former neighbor of mine, treated his dog like royalty. It was an older dog, blind in one eye and suffered from a slight touch of arthritis. But this dog always enjoyed its daily promenade with his master. This pampered pooch was always dressed for the weather: in the winter boots, a body protective wrap and toque. In the summer months: lighter slip on booties for its paws and a protective water resistant blanket.

I thought this was an extravagance until I discovered the cost a visit to the veterinary hospital can amount to.  I hope that there is a medical insurance plan to help defray the medical bill for dogs. Some of the charges rival health care for humans.

Jim's  dog passed away a short while ago and Jim was saddened by its death. He is in his mid-70's and walks with a cane but still misses the long walks that he and his pet enjoyed. They  gave them both an opportunity to get some sun and fresh air during the spring and summer months.

Many rental apartment units charge dog owners a hefty $25 per month per pet owned. You have to really love your animal to cover this cost. A pet owner also needs to develop a special rapport with his or her dog. It is a relationship that develops over time.

 Dogs are perky, proud, pugnacious, personable and playful. They will reward you with love, kindness, fidelity and friendship if you treat them with a degree of respect, love and attention. They are good for the ego and the spirit.