When Push Comes to Shove

Rudeness seems to pervade our culture, often taking on iconic status among some people. Most of us may get a little irritated, but we take it in stride. But people have been killed over perceived slights.

In her new book, Talk to the Hand: #?*! The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door (Gotham Books; New York. 2005), Lynn Truss offers insight into this variation of responses, that rings very true.

She writes (p. 7), " . . . what is so interesting about our . . . society is that perceived rudeness probably irritates rough, insolent people even more than it peeves polite, deferential ones. As the American writer Mark Caldwell points out in A Short History of Rudeness (1999), if you want to observe status-obsessed people who are exquisitely sensitive to slights, don't read an Edith Wharton novel, visit San Quentin."

Be careful (polite and considerate) in public places (that includes driving on the roads). It's a rough world out there, and you never know who you're dealing with.

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“To be feared is to fear: no one has been able to strike terror into others and at the same time enjoy peace of mind.”

- Seneca

More Hurricane Recovery Info

Employers and workers helping with hurricane clean up and recovery efforts will benefit from a new group of quick cards and fact sheets produced by OSHA. Available in both English and Spanish, this informational material focuses on safety and health topics such as aerial lifts, atmospheric testing in confined spaces, asbestos hazards, black widow and brown recluse spiders, chain saws and construction personal protective equipment, to name a few. These resources can be downloaded from OSHA's hurricane recovery page, or can be ordered by calling OSHA's publications office at (202) 693-1888.

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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

-- Hannah Moore

You are getting sleeeeepy!

If you want to get a good night's sleep, perhaps you should move to a new city:

Honolulu, HI would be a good choice, or St. Paul, MN. They're catching the zzz's in Fremont, CA, and you certainly can't go wrong in Atlanta, GA. You might even want to think about moving to Minneapolis, MN.

Those are the five best-rested cities in America, according to a recent study conducted by Men's Health Magazine.

The study looked at how many people average seven or fewer hours of sleep each night; the number of people who suffer from insomnia; the number of people who use sleeping pills; and the number of sleep disorder centers per capita.

Texans appear to be the most sleep-deprived of our country-men. Insomniacs rule in Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. Maybe it's all that spicy food?

For all of you who could use a better night's sleep, check out the great resources at the National Sleep Foundation.

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“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

- Barry LePatner