Airports - A Stressful Place To Be

Gone are the day when going to the airport was a pleasure when all would bid loved ones farewell or welcome them to or back to the arrival destination. Now, just the though of going to any airport within the United States or even some of those airports overseas would make anyone have an anxiety attack. Some of the frustrating issues include:

Crowded atmosphere. Deregulation has contributed to cheaper costs which has meant over the year that flying has become more affordable for the masses. So, simply driving into the departure or arrival terminal can be lengthy and frustrating with traffic and curbside congestion as drivers stop anywhere to drop off or pick up passengers. The terminals are overcrowded with swarms of travelers hustling and bustling throughout a mini-city atmosphere that is impacted further with those hanging around as a result of delayed flights.

Travel regulations are constantly changing unexpectedly. So, one cannot anticipate what to expect when going through TSA lines. The only consistency is the removal of shoes.

Delayed flights. A traveler's hope is that their flight will leave on time, but that is a bit too much to expect. With flights coming from elsewhere, weather conditions, and mechanical issues to contend with, it is always a miracle when a flight actually takes off on time.

Overbooked flights. The flaw of overbooking flights was highlighted earlier this year with the inexcusable, forcible removal of a passenger from a United flight. So, one never knows if they will get on a flight even if they booked and paid in advance early and also check-in early.

Lost baggage.It is hard to imagine that after asking passengers to volunteer to check-on their hand luggage, an airport representative would tag the volunteer's bag to go to Bridgetown, Barbados instead of to Kingston, Jamaica.  There are worse luggage lost horror stories so passengers can only hope and pray that when they get to the arrival cities they will retrieve their luggage off the carousel.

Poor service in handling those who require wheelchair assistance. It is doubtful that since 2015 Eulen America's has improved its practice of taking American Airlines wheelchair passengers of the airplane but quickly abandoning these needy passengers in a secluded part of Miami International Airport for over an hour instead of wheeling them directly to Immigration,  baggage claims, and Customs. No better service can be extended to Direct Airline Services (DAS) serving Spirit Airlines whose shortage of workers mean that one worker may be responsible for handling two or three wheelchairs at the same time. So, while many may believe that wheelchair passengers' travels may be effortless, the reality at airports indicate that the wheelchair services workers are under much constraints and this ultimately affects disabled passengers.

Racial profiling of certain international flights. It is evident that passengers disembarking from certain international destinations face extra scrutiny by Immigration and Customs officers. Luggage will not be delivered to carousels in a timely manner. So passengers from these flights under surveillance  just have to wait patiently and watch other passengers retrieve their luggage although these passengers' flights may have arrived after the scrutinized flights. What is ironic is that passengers disembarking European flights may need to scrutinized too, but racial injustices continue to get those passengers a by pass.

Hypocritical Photo Op of the Year!!

It is hard to make sense or give any logical reaction to this photo op of Trump lifting a Black child. This man has not shown any respect or any desire to be cordial to the first Black president or demonstrated any interest in Black and Latino minorities and their causes for that matter. Yet, he and his political team seem to believe that lifting a Black child or craftily arranging for Black children to be in Trump's presence for a photo op during his visit to Texas will show any semblance of his compassion towards the people. Wrong!! This is hypocrisy and definitely FAKE news!! Nevertheless, his awkward, pretentious moment of holding a Black child is just another example where Blacks and minorities are slyly used throughout the years by others to follow through with their hidden agendas.

Bethune Cookman University - Student Voices Matter

Student voices certainly do matter which was demonstrated when Betsy Devos visited Bethune Cookman University. The university's administration had an opportunity to avoid such a major public embarrassment if they had only given consideration to the voices of the main stakeholders - the 6000 students who signed the petition. Any intentions of having Devos as the graduation speaker to bring more recognition to the university backfired. But, why would the Black administration not give consideration to the students' concerns when Devos has never taken Black students or HBCUs into consideration in her financial schemes? Instead, the Bethune Cookman's administration took the authoritative position of ignoring so many students' concerns. The university, Betsy Devos, and even Omaroso Manigault, with egg on their faces, will never look back with fond memories at the 2017 Bethune Cookman University graduation where students defied their administrations' failure to do what is right for their students and in the name of the great civil rights activist, Mary Bethune-Cookman. Good to see that activism is still alive among Black students!

Reflection of a First Time Voter

For so many years, Maggie had never had the urge to vote, but the 2016 Presidential elections changed her lackadasical attitude about the importance of voting. This 2016 election was too serious for her not to participate in choosing a presidential candidate. However, prior to going to the polls for the first time, she wanted to be an educated voter by becoming familiar with unfamiliar selections on the ballot. Some choices were obvious but selecting other candidates such as the state's Supreme Court and Circuit Court judges meant that she would have to obtain information on them. So, on the morning of early voting, she was prepared to make selections. She arrived at the location to an exciting atmosphere as crowds of people representing a diverse population of voters were already there. She also noticed the sounds of supporters shouting the names of candidates or passing out voter's guides. Looking at one of the voter's guide, however, Maggie noticed that it showed support for certain judicial candidates; however research indicated that these candidates swayed instead towards the opposing politican party. Such example indicated the importance for voters not to rely on these political guides but to take the time to educate themselves instead. Nevertheless, Maggie joined the queue, went through the voting process inside the building, and left with the "I Voted" sticker. Her first time voting was a satisfying experience that she will not take for granted in the future.

EEOC Miami's Office Unacceptable Case Backlog

UPDATE (11/5/2016) - 1 1/2 years and no response from EEOC from Miami office
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(1st posted - 7/20/2016)
It was always thought that no government agency in the world could ever compare to the unacceptable and lackadaisical government services in one developing country I often visit. However, this thought stands corrected when dealing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office in Miami (EEOC). The EEOC Miami office's backlog extends well over one year from the date a complaint was filed. Yes, that is correct! Do not expect to get any response from the Miami office anytime earlier than one year! Never mind calling the office since the phone rings and transfers to a full mail box of, it is guaranteed, dissatisfied claimants who may be wondering why it is taking this Federal office so long to address his/her case. In fact, after the year, a claimant's case is not even assigned to representative's attention. Hopefully, this practice does not extend to EEOC offices in other cities throughout the United States. Nevertheless, one suggestion that could address the Miami office's great backlog is to stop leasing office space in the highly priced, striking, landmark skyscraper that overlooks the financial and business district downtown. Instead, it may be more cost effective to move to less expensive office accommodations. A huge cut in real estate office expenses could allow money to be available and spent more wisely in hiring additional EEOC staff so that complainants may get their cases resolved before an accused leaves a company, retires, or the company closes down. 

Verbal Abuse Goes Beyond the "Locker Room"

The crude remarks of Donald Trump that was egged on by Billy Bush is an example of the verbal abuse that constantly occurs with some men who show no respect for women when talking among themselves. But, this type of behavior is not only prevalent in the "locker room". It all too often continues in the homes where their female partners are abused. Many have the false impression that physical, verbal, or mental abuse against women occurs mainly in lower income households. However, any type of abuse is all too common in wealthy households as noted in the link below. During a political atmosphere where Donald Trump's not surprising verbal abusive behavior is popular news, one has to go beyond this and also the claims of his many other similar outbursts that are now coming to the forefront.  We should also consider how this tendancy outside the home may extend within his home. There is an eerie silence from Trump's former wives, and the unbelievable press release from his current wife of forgiving his taped rantings of abuse towards women leaves great doubt.  Money talks in this case, and it is understandable that none of these women would dare to speak out negatively against the "hands that feed them". Nevertheless, physical, verbal, and mental abuse against women is alive and well for all women regardless of class, creed, color, religious belief, etc. and it must stop.

Domestic Violence Among the Wealthy Hides Behind ‘Veil of Silence’

Beware - Donations to American Red Cross for Haiti

Over one year ago, the Blogger posting below was made which includes a link that confirms the inexcusable outcome of donations to the American Red Cross that were not adequately used to assist in the rebuilding process of Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Now, unfortunately, the west coast of Haiti has been severely impacted by Hurricane Matthew. With over 1,000 deaths, Cholera illnesses, homelessness, etc., etc., Haiti is once again in need of public support worldwide. However, it is important to take heed on how organizations, such as the American Red Cross, failed to adequately distribute the millions of dollars in donations that were specifically intended to help rebuild the earthquake battered Haiti. As such, it is necessary to do research on organizations prior to making pledges to know which ones in fact made a significant impact on this country. 

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American Red Cross - $500 Million Unaccounted for Donation to Haiti                                                                                     

~~posted - June 15, 2015

When a disaster occurs, many will donate to the American Red Cross since this agency is expected to put the fund to good use in rebuilding the country or areas of destruction. $500 million was received in donation to aid Haiti in rebuilding after the earthquake. Yet, years after the earthquake in Haiti, the American Red Cross cannot account for how the funds were spent in the redevelopment of the nation in building houses for so many who were left homeless. The organization claimed that they provided housing for over $130,000. However, ProPublica and NPR's investigation uncovered that only 6 houses were built. Thanks to the little known TECHO, Haitians can move out of the uncomfortable blue tents into more suitable basic structures. As more buildings go up, TECHO continues to listen to the needs of the residents and adapt the a building's foundation to accommodate important requests. Red Cross needs to take a page out of TECHO's book. It is no longer acceptable for the American Red Cross to set aside donations intended for specific disasters in order for the funds to be used instead for future matters or to address the organization's administrative issues.

Red Cross Spent Half a Billion Dollars to Build Six Homes in Haiti