Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Tantrum Tues. posts are moving to my writing blog at Writes a Lot.com. At the ROSJ blog, it’s now Tantalizing Tuesday – mouthwatering, juicy posts that add sweetness, spice and passion to life!

I love writing the Tantrum Tuesday rants but I decided in the shower this morning (I do some of my best thinking there) that the Rose of Sharon Jewelry blog should totally focus on the positive.

Tantalizing Tuesday will be just as interesting (hopefully you’ll agree) as I talk about jewelry (of course!) and other topics that make life more joyous, more beautiful and more exciting!

The first Tantalizing Tuesday post will appear later this morning!

If you’d like to keep up with my tantrums and rants, I’d love to have you become a Writes a Lot blog subscriber.

You won’t be bombarded with daily posts but what you’ll find there will be worth an occasional quick read.

If you love to write or are interested in a writing career, I’ll be having conversations about the business, creative and personal aspects of being a writer/blogger.

Thanks everyone for all your support of Tantrum Tuesday – I’ll keep stomping my feet just in another location!

SPAM (the email type) is an insult to the canned mystery meat. SPAM is more than a nuisance – it costs our economy $71 billion in lost productivity.

With several addresses, I often get 700 – 900 unwanted messages a day! With an average 20 seconds to skim a message, every day I spend up to 4 hours just dealing with SPAM.  I don’t know about you but I have a lot better things to spend my time on.

Since no SPAM filter can take the place of your eyes – I have to look at every message at least for a microsecond before I hit delete.  Just what a business needs is to delete a message from a customer. But if you’ve every tried to reach a major U.S. corporation by email – forget about it! Their SPAM filters are often set so high your message never gets to anyone’s desk! So we’re drowned out because of SPAM.

As a freelance writer, I often had messages bounce back with a “we won’t read this” SPAM error message because of select keywords in my research requests.

Sure I could change all my addresses but that would become a nightmare as I live and do business online 24/7. Besides that’s only a temporary solution.

So what are we do to?

1. Take it serious and insist that our government agencies do likewise. This theft of time and money is a tremendous drain on everyone.
2. NEVER respond in any way to an unsolicited email message. They wouldn’t be sending them if they weren’t making money.
3. Contact any “legitmate” companies that seem to be using unsolicited messages and complain. Do not use the SPAM message to contact them. Find the company via a search engine.
4. Read how to pull the plug on unwanted messages.
5. Report SPAM to the federal government. There is a specific way to forward the header so the agency can trace back the activity.
6. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 needs the attention of consumer groups and more enforcement power. Since its enactment, things have only gotten worse.

Please share this with your family, friends and business associates – but don’t SPAM anyone!

6 months after the worse disaster in the Western Hemisphere, Haitians are still without basics. Billions pledged but only 2% has been distributed. What’s up?

I urge you to learn more about what has and hasn’t happened to help Haiti recover, not only from the earthquake, but from decades of unprecedented poverty.

Today’s interview of Sean Penn, actor/director and co-founder of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now is a powerful and informative message of success and failure. This hour interview provides you with first-hand information of what it is like on the ground in the Haitian capital.

Penn manages a camp of 55,000 displaced citizens. His skill at organizing and making things happen is amazing. He shares his organization’s efforts to not only provide emergency relief but to transition people into permanent homes, create jobs and make the country self-sufficient.

I encourage you to listen to this interview. And if you donated to a charity on behalf of the people of Haiti – contact them and insist that they make certain that the millions donated by individual Americans actually GOES to help Haiti.

 “Don’t think the work is done in Haiti,” urges Penn.

There are many great charities who are working in Haiti. However, I would personally encourage you to donate to Penn’s organization – J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The money is working hard without the bureaucracy of a charitable organization.

Tar balls were blown into Lake Pontchartrain last weekend by Hurricane Alex. New Orleans is again under an environmental assault. A glistening sheen of oil caused several Eastern sections to be closed.

Over 1,700 pounds of oily waste was skimmed from the 600-square-mile lake. CNN reporter shows the oil balls.

The greater New Orleans area has long been a fragile eco-system and is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. But it’s more than wildlife and waterways that are endangered – it is a way of life for locals.

Millions of area residents have lives directly connected to the environmental health of the region. This is a deep wound which makes me deeply saddened. No check from BP or government agency can repair this gut-wrenching damage.

Most of us witnessed the human suffering created by Katrina and watched our government fail the people and many still suffer from its aftermath. We must not abandon these people – they are our brothers and we have been pretty poor keepers.

Please write your congressperson and demand that our federal agencies make New Orleans a priority.

BP “controlled burns” used to contain the oil spill have new victims. Endangered sea turtles are being burned alive in Gulf. Rescuers turned away by BP.

One method employed by BP to reduce the amount of oil that reaches shore is a “controlled burn”. Shrimp boats hired by BP create a section to  burn by dragging fire-resistant booms. Booms are long tubes which float on the surface and act as a barrier for floating oil slicks. The sectioned off area is called a “burn box” and it set on fire to burn up the floating oil. If sea turtles within the “burn box” zone aren’t removed they are burned alive.

A boat caption had been actively rescuing the sea turtles until BP blocked his crews from entering the burn areas where turtles are trapped.

The sea turtles affected by the oil spill are the Kemp's Ridley species which are covered by the Endangered Species Act which has criminal penalties of jail time plus civil penalties of up to $25,000 in fines. BP’s actions which may be “critical” to the clean up effort certainly violate this Act.

"They ran us out of there and then they shut us down, they would not let us get back in there," said turtle rescuer Mike Ellis in an interview with conservation biologist Catherine Craig that was posted on YouTube.com on June 13th.

How You Can Help

The first step is to sign the CREDO Action petition demanding that BP allow the rescue crews in to capture as many sea turtles as possible.

The second step is to call your Congressional Representatives immediately. The organization Contacting Congress can provide you with the phone numbers.

Tweet and share this message:

Tell BP: Stop burning endangered sea turtles alive. Take action: http://bit.ly/aFrbdv @CREDOmobile pls RT

To Learn More

• Check out the RAW story from June 20, 2010.
• Listen to the NPR broadcast from June 10, 2010.
• Read and donate to National Fish and Wildlife Federation site on gulf spill.

Thanks for listening to my rant today. Let’s ban together to make certain that the Gulf clean-up doesn’t create more disasters.

With BP’s ongoing ineptness in handling this unprecedented environmental disaster, I’ll never run out of Tantrum Tuesday topics!

Have you ever wondered just what the facts are when employees strike? I just hate not being told what the beef is. Spirit Airline pilots are on strike now so I thought I’d fill in the blanks on the why.

Why would the pilots at Spirit (who calls themselves the largest Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) walk out? Could it be that to achieve these low costs that wages are below par or perhaps medical coverage is being eliminated or may be the pilots are just greedy? In an out of the ordinary tactic, Spirit Airlines is sharing the “facts” through Press Releases.

As a registered journalist, I received several of their releases this past week. To the tens of thousands of flyers around the globe have been stranded or inconvenienced by the strike, here’s what I found over the past few days:

According to a Spirit Airline press release “ALPA [the pilot’s Union] turned down a compounded average 29 percent pay increase costing the company an additional $70 million over five years, net of productivity improvements agreed to by the pilots. This 29 percent pay increase when combined with annual step increases totals a 47 percent increase in annual compensation over five years, prior to any overtime pay, signing bonus and 401K matching contribution increases.”

The Air Line Pilot Association counters with “Pilots would work longer hours, pay more for health care in face of record profits.”  Their Press Release today states “In the context of this strong profitability, management’s proposal would not bring Spirit pilots’ salaries up to industry standards for at least five years. The pilots’ pay has been frozen for almost four years, which would mean the pilots would wait a total of nearly nine years under management’s proposal before their salaries would match those of other pilots who fly similar aircraft elsewhere in the industry. The management proposal would also force pilots to work more hours and pay more for health care.”

From what I can gather, the reality is somewhere in the middle. While Spirit did over large wage increases they also balanced that with longer working hours. Spirit pilots are paid less than JetBlue (a comparable airline) employees and more than Air Tran's.

For the past three plus years, the union and Spirit have been haggling over this contract. That’s right 3 years! So Saturday the pilots walked off the job. At first, Spirit said they were going to continue flying with pilots unaffected by the strike; however, dozens of flights have been canceled since Sunday.

After reading dozens of news articles, I cannot find sufficient facts just snippets of the airline’s or the union’s press releases. Once again, consumers are left to guess what is happening.

The Spirit Pilots web site tells their side of the story. Help is available from Consumer Reports  if you are stranded by the strike or have other Spirit issues caused by the cancelled flights.

So why should we care? In the middle of all this wrangling are the key issues – passenger comfort and safety. 

Did you know  the makers of children’s Tylenol knowingly used bacteria-laden materials?  A full-blown Tantrum Tuesday post!

This post was written for Tantrum Tuesday on 5/24/2010; however, the automatic posting system went mad and this important post was left in the draft box. Better late than never!

In January, McNeil Consumer Healthcare (a division of well-known manufacturer Johnson & Johnson), voluntarily recalled certain lots of their children’s and infants’ over-the-counter cold, allergy and pain medications after consumers complained of an “unusual, moldy, musty, mildew-like odor.”  The odd thing is complaints started in 2008 and were ignored.

In January, McNeil stated the known risk to our children “is remote.” However, the Food and Drug Administration  issued a report based on April inspections in which they stated “we have theoretical concerns” about the safety of the recalled products.”

Consumer safety organizations

McNeil Consumer Healthcare posted a list of 1,500 lots of OTC  products on their web site. With three grandkids, I discovered 3 different products named in the recall but fortunately not of the same lots. I close call as far as I’m concerned. Executives and bureaucratic saying the changes are “remote” that our children in danger doesn’t instill any confidence in the manufacturer.

Pharmacy quality expert and founder of Purdue University’s compliance program, Stephen Byrn (as reported in USA Today) “said that though he doesn’t doubt that the risk of health problems from the recalled lots is remote, the type and scope of manufacturing problems cited by the FDA inspectors make it difficult to have confidence in the plant’s products.” DUH! Not a technical response but an honest one from a concerned Grandma.

Misplaced Trust?

Once again, a major manufacturer who we put our trust in has made decisions that put literally millions of children at potential risk. While they say the risks are small – I don’t know of any risk no matter how minute – a parent/grandparent would be willing to accept for their child.

It’s the that that they “knew” specific ingredients were infested with potentially harmful bacteria. Children, because of their less developed immune systems and lower body weight, are especially susceptible to harmful bacteria.

Check Your Medicine Cabinet Today

You’ll find a complete list of the 40 OTC brands at a special  McNeil Products Recall web site. The brands listed below are just examples. You must read, print and research the entire list.

The recalled lots were manufactured at one plant so products manufactured elsewhere are reported to be containment free.

Please check your medicine cabinet today for such brands as:

1. Tylenol Infant Drops
2. Motrin Infants' Drops
3. Children’s Zyrtec
4. Children's Benadryl Allergy liquids in bottles

If you have any of the recalled drugs, the manufacturer will reimburse your purchase price or send you a coupon.

While getting your money back is a good idea, I’m certain most of us would rather have safe OTC drugs for our families!

Check out  last week’s Tantrum Tuesday post on other OTC recalls.

Medical errors cost over $67 billion a year. They could also cost you your life. There is a simple way to cut down on errors. It’s LIST!

Intensive care specialist (anesthesiologist and critical care physician) at John Hopkins University, Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D.  has been busy beating the drum on how simple and effective a medical checklist can be to eliminate preventable medical errors.

The Stats are Scarier than the Hospital Stay

• 22% of Americans report they or a family member have experienced a medical error.
• Medical errors are the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Hospital acquired infections exceed 1.7 million per year.
• Many hospital acquired infections are resistant to antibiotic treatment.

So What is a Medical Checklist?

Checklists can list a variety of standard medical safety, medication disbursement, sanitation , surgical prep and patient contact procedures.

When you read the list(s), you’ll be shocked that anyone would need to be reminded of what would seem to be obvious even to a layperson.

Suggested checklist items such as:

1. Wash their hands with soap.
2. Clean the patient’s skin with chlorhexidine antiseptic.
3. Put sterile drapes over the entire patient.
4. Wear a sterile mask, hat, gown and gloves.
5. Put a sterile dressing over the catheter site.

But wouldn’t you know it – many doctors don’t think they need  the help of a checklist. You know the type – the one’s that have let you know they have lots of degrees, like to talk like God or just don’t like being questioned. We probably cannot do anything with arrogant medical professionals (and we may one day need their expertise) but we can insist that they do everything within their power to eliminate medical errors. A simple step is to use a medical checklist.

Checklists Work to Save Money and Lives

During one state’s 18-month training and implementation period, checklists saved over $100 million and 1,500 lives. You’d think hospitals and insurance companies would be demanding that checklists be incorporated into every physician/patient interaction.

But you see the rub is that nurses would be part of the monitoring system and doctors don’t like to take “orders” from a nurse.

Nurses, who are the front line caregivers, are woefully under appreciated and disrespected. Although years of training and experience qualifies them to be a valuable safeguard on the patient’s behalf, their input is often rebuffed by the “real” doctors. Checklists would need to be a responsibility of nursing and medical support staff.

Doctors simply need to get over themselves and realize that everyone needs some checks and balance to catch potential errors that arise from simple human error, exhaustion, routines that become so common that steps are skipped or medical people who are just “too busy.”

What You Can Do

1. Ask as a consumer whether your physician, surgeon, hospital, clinic uses medical checklists BEFORE a procedure is scheduled.
2. If you have a choice of hospitals, select one that uses medical professional checklists.
3. Read Dr. Oz’s Smart Patient Checklist

To learn more about medical checklists so you can be prepared to insist your local medical professionals adopt this life saving procedure, check out these resources:

• National Public Radio “All Things Considered” interview with Dr. Pronovost
• NY Times interview of Dr. Pronovost
• USA Today article on “The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande plus see which hospitals in your state have higher death rates
• Buy the book “The Checklist Manifesto”

• The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right (9780805091748): Atul Gawande: Books

• Time Magazine Article – Atul Gawande: How to Make Doctors Better
• Is Your Doctor Using a Checklist?

• Medical Errors: The Scope of the Problem
• Buy the book by Dr. Pronovost and author Eric Vohr.

Pilots use checklists, builders use checklists, shoppers use checklists, checklists are nothing to be ashamed of - You must insist that doctors use checklists.