HOW MANY LIES CAN YOU TELL?

Most of us think of ourselves as honest people. Which means we would not steal from our employer or cheat on our income tax. However, the true definition of honesty is someone who never tells a lie. Since numerous studies have shown that the average person lies four times a day, it would appear that none of us are truly honest. Actually, we expect politicians to lie. Washington Post fact checkers determined that Biden made a total of 78 false or misleading statements during his first 100 days in office. Using the same methodology, they found that his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump, made 511 false or misleading statements during his first 100 days. The question is, how many lies can you tell?

Psychologists have identified four main colors of lies: White, Gray, Red, Black. Some go on to include Blue and Green lies. I would add Orange

White lies are thought to be harmless, and meant to please someone or spare their feelings. As an example You would tell someone you like their new dress, even though it’s unflattering. _White lies are seen as a necessary part of everyday social interactions.

Gray lies are the untruths we tell to keep ourselves out of trouble. As in, “officer I was only speeding because I think I’m having a heart attack.” Kids lie to their parents about drugs, sex and alcohol. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn’t, depending on the skill of the liar.

Black Lies are deceptive–an effort to gain personal benefit. People cheat on their partners. Lawyers may raid their client’s trust funds. Most of us can spot a bold faced lie , but not if the person is very clever. .

Red lies are about revenge and spite. They’re meant to deliberately harm someone, and they often do. Especially in the workplace.

Blue lies are made in defense of a group or organization. Church members may cover up the failings of a popular minister.

Green lies are told by those who don’t even realize they’re lying. They’re just telling a good story. They’re full of blarney, as the Irish would say. They’re so entertaining that no one cares if they’re truthful.

Orange lies are what I call bragging lies. They indicate the liar is insecure and wants to bolster his own self confidence. The flip side of this is humblebragging, defined as bragging masked by a complaint or humility, intended to show what a fine person they really are.

But sometimes, we’ve put up with all the lying we can stand, especially if it’s the black kind. I think Republican Congressman George Santos has probably reached the tipping point with his numerous, blatant lies about his background before he got elected. But then again, you never know. His constituents may not really care, as long as he votes the way House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wants him to.

Eventually, we get fed up with frequent liars. Do they really think we’re dumb enough to fall for their fabrications? How many lies can you tell before no one believes a word you say?

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023

DANGER LURKS IN TRAIN TOWNS

WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT TRAINS? Life as we know it would come to a standstill. For one thing, they transport toxic chemicals too dangerous to be carried by trucks. This latest train derailment in Ohio caused a massive spill of vinyl chloride that is threatening the health of the entire town of East Palestine. Why should I care? Because I have lived in a train town for a major part of my life. Danger lurks in train towns.

Not being a chemist, I’ve never paid much attention to vinyl chloride. But apparently it’s a compound needed to make polyvinyl chloride, a hard plastic resin used to produce tons of important products: pipes, wire and cable coating, packaging material. It’s also used for life saving devices such as medical tubing and blood bags. It is in footwear and kids toy. Also, paints, rubber products, and some cosmetics. Polyvinyl chloride has been in use since 1926.

As the saying goes, somebody has to do it. Transport vinyl chloride, that is. It’s typically shipped in liquid form, but can turn into poisonous gas under certain conditions, like in Ohio. Apparently, there are safety features available that trigger automatic braking on trains carrying hazardous materials, before they derail. But somewhere along the way, those safety features were deregulated under the Trump administration. I guess they cost too much money or something. Anyway, the Biden administration under Transportation Secretary Buttigieg didn’t do anything to re instate the regulations, so I guess we can blame just about anybody for what happened in Ohio.

DANGER LURKS IN TRAIN TOWNS when trains derail and spread toxic fumes from hazardous material spills

Why should I be concerned when I live across from a beautiful, green, well maintained city park that covers 177 acres? Because there is a railroad track going straight through the park. I can look out my window and–through the bare trees in winter– see railroad cars gliding across the hills. A lot of classy homes have recently been built along the train tracks down the road. And a whole new subdivision of high end condos continues to grow less than a mile away..

There are 40 railroad crossings in this small college town, with a dwindling population of 57,699 people. We have beautiful parks, 5 colleges and universities, a new convention center and a casino in the works. Why don’t people want to stay here? Are the railroads the elephant in the room? Is there a subconscious reaction to the sight of trains running through our city at all hours of the day and night? We may never really know. All we can do is hope we don’t have a train derailment like the one that just occurred in Ohio.

Danger lurks in train towns.

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023

STOP! SNATCH SOME WINTER SUNLIGHT.

Did you know February is considered the worst month of the year? It’s depressing because it’s gloomy, gray, and we’re sick of snow and cold. And yet, it does offer occasional surprises of sudden sunshine and warmer temperatures as harbingers of Spring. Especially here in the Midwest, we’ve enjoyed some beautiful days when the sun is bright, the sky is blue, and the weather is in the sixties. When one of those days happens, Stop! Snatch some winter sunlight.

If you’re working from home, shut down your computer and step outside. Is there a yard or patio nearby? Pull up a chair and lift your face to the sun. If your job is indoors, either take the day off or arrange for a very long lunch hour. Stop everything. Don’t clean your house or go grocery shopping. You need some of that unfiltered sunlight to lift your spirits and provide some vitamin D. Tomorrow it might rain or the temperature might drop. Plenty of time to catch up on the work you didn’t do yesterday. Enjoy the amazing grace of a sunlit day in February.

Sunlight has gotten a bad rap for a long time. Because everyone knows that too much of it can cause skin cancer. But lately, scientists have been telling us that we should get about 15 to 20 minutes of unfiltered sunlight every single day. That’s the best way to insure you get enough vitamin D, which has many important functions in our body. Vitamin D enhances the immune system, helps with depression, and is good for your heart and bones. Many folks who live up North don’t get enough of it in the winter.

There are many benefits of sunlight: It lifts your mood, increases energy and improves symptoms of mental health. It’s also healing. Ultra violet rays destroy bacteria and viruses. And besides boosting your immune system, Vitamin D is needed for stronger bones.

Listen to your weather forecasts, and if a beautiful day is coming up, make plans to take full advantage of it. Before you know it, you’ll be picking daffodils and tulips!

February 13, 2023

WARNING! BIG PHARMA MAY DISABLE YOU

Antibiotics save lives. That’s why so many octogenarians are still around. The year I got blood poisoning was the same year that penicillin became available for physicians. Otherwise, I would have been a goner. So I’m not knocking antibiotics. However, physicians really need to be careful when prescribing them, because many have serious side effects. Warning! Big Pharma may disable you.

Our travail began last week when my husband went for a routine doctor’s appointment with a cough. It wasn’t a serious cough, but he’d had it for quite awhile. Therefore, his doctor prescribed a certain antibiotic which has also been a target of many lawsuits, if you look it up on the internet. In other words, it’s one of those risky ones. Not like taking the more widely used like amoxicillin. Most people don’t have to wonder if they’re allergic to something like penicillin. They know within minutes after they take it, get help, and never take it again. However, the side effects of some drugs aren’t so readily apparent.

On day two of taking this prescribed medicine, my husbands lips began to swell. However, he believed that his doctor knew best. So, on day three, he took another pill, and that’s when the dam broke. His lips and eyes were swollen, sore and bleeding. That was on a Saturday morning and we all know you are wasting time calling a physicians office on a weekend. We hoped that by Monday, after discontinuing the antibiotic, the swelling would go down. But it didn’t. It got worse.

Warning! Big Pharma May Disable You — WARNING! BIG PHARMA MAY DISABLE YOU. Side effects like a torn tendon may appear weeks after you take this antibiotic.

Thus began a round of steroids which cause a diabetic’s blood sugar to skyrocket. Which meant he had to have insulin shots, administered by me. The swelling and soreness is improving, so we have hopes that we’ll be back to normal in a few days.

Since then, I’ve researched the side effects of this particular antibiotic and found them overwhelming. It has caused permanent disabilities in patients, ranging from torn tendons to heart damage. . You have to wonder why it’s even on the market.

Warning !Big Pharma may disable you. But they’re willing to take risks with your health because they are reaping huge financial benefits.

February 6, 2023February 5, 2023

COLLEGE DROPOUTS WILL WIDEN WEALTH GAP

Remember the old saying, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?” That axiom began to change in the last few decades, because college became more affordable and appealing to poor kids. But now, enrollment from that demographic has started to drop. In the town where I live, University enrollment has dwindled by 30% of what it was just a few years ago. Instead of roughly 12,000 students, it’s down to 8,000. Wowza! Conversely, enrollment at private colleges has greatly increased. Higher tuition and housing costs don’t seem to bother rich kids. Which means that college dropouts will widen the wealth gap for future generations.

Why do certain colleges and universities appeal to first generation students? Obviously, it’s all about money. Lower tuition and housing costs for sure, but also, lower academic standards. Kids who attend high schools in poor inner city neighborhoods don’t have the same advantages as children in ritzy suburbs. They don’t do nearly as well on achievement tests as their upper middle class counterparts. For obvious reasons. If you’ve ever taught school in a poor neighborhood, you know that some of the children can barely stay awake in class, and others are disadvantaged in ways that affect their academic achievement.

The Higher Education Act of 1965 changed the scenario for high school graduates raised in poverty . Pell grants and college loans were more readily available. Conventional wisdom was that a college graduate’s loans could be quickly repaid because of higher paying jobs after graduation. That worked out for students in certain fields like medicine, law, engineering, and other degrees. But for the C student who majored in English Lit, or became an elementary school teacher, that promise of a high paying career turned out to be a heartbreaking myth. And yet, a college degree was still seen as the key to upward mobility, higher social status, and a better life.

In the past few years, high school graduates have started to make pretty good money. Labor shortages and increased demand has resulted in higher wages for skilled workers. Now they can afford to buy a house or new car at a young age. A plumber or laboratory technician might make as much as a marketing manager. Truck drivers may earn more in the short run than English teachers. And they don’t have student loans hanging over their heads.

However, higher education still pays off in the long run. Over a lifetime, a person with a college degree will have more job security, occupational mobility, and greater earnings. Compare the job satisfaction of a 50 year old accountant to a top earning construction worker of the same age. Their incomes may have been similar. However, the construction worker’s legs and back could be giving out, while the accountant has no such worries. The accountant also has a good pension coming when he finally retires at age 65.

College enrollment is dwindling because a college education seems to have lost it’s appeal for kids from low income families.. Consequently, the wealth gap between rich and poor is likely to widen in the coming years.