Emily Post would be shocked....

Emily Post passed away before cell phones became popular; but she was the ultimate expert on etiquette. She would most likely have been mortified had she been alive to witness today's epitome of bad manners: cell phone usage.

Marching under her banner, modern day experts on good manners have posted a list of ten rules for good cell phone manners, a list that has apparently been kept under wraps, for there's little evidence of it having ever been read by the multitude of cell phone users.

Leading the list of admonitions is: Be in control of your phone, don't let it control you.

Second: Speak softly. This can't be emphasized too much, because few cell phone users abide by it.

The third rule that is rarely adhered to is: Be courteous. If you're in a group or at a table for dinner, turn it off! There's nothing more irritating that being at dinner with some oaf whose cellphone is constantly ringing, and who enjoys holding long and loud conversations on it.

Rule number four is: Watch your language. There's some language that others would prefer not to hear.

Fifth, and one that is also ignored, is: Avoid talking about personal problems.

The sixth rule concerns the silent ring option. Those around you are not interested in listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony played endlessly on your cell phone.

Rule Seven, and one that should be second nature: Don't use your cell phone in public places, like at church, or in the grocery store, or at the dinner table, for example. The novelty and prestige of having a cell phone is passe'.

Sales clerks and others who deal with the general public should have the good grace as to not talk on their cell phone or text, while trying to deal with customers.

Also, in the goes without saying category, is: Don't text or talk about private, or classified information.

And lastly: Don't drive and talk on your cell phone at the same time. This sort of behavior could be fatal.

Cell phones were intended to be a convenience for their owners; not a public nuisance.

Who's Lookin' Out . . . is back

We're back, and we're going strong.

The “We” being the popular “Who's Lookin' out for You?” informational program that got underway at Eastdale Estates a couple of years ago; was summarily decapitated by short-sighted management people; limped along at another facility, and has now returned to Eastdale Estates Senior Living Facility. It played to a packed house with its debut program on April 7, when Mrs. Susan Segrest, executive director for the Central Alabama Aging Consortium told her senior audience of the many programs and services her group stands ready to provide to seniors in the area.

On the following Tuesday, Rep. Warner Floyd of the Alabama Silver-Haired Legislature talked about how this group of dedicated seniors works to help improve conditions and services for the State's senior citizens.

On the 21st, Letha Stuckey, who has moved from the State's “Senior Medicare Patrol” to the Department of Senior Services, devoted much of her time to talking about the serious problem of elder abuse, and how her listeners can go about avoiding becoming victims.

Dr. Tom Geary who keeps tabs on how well various agencies of the State entrusted with the care and wellbeing of its seniors do their job. Many functions such as Eastdale Estates, were overlooked a half century ago when the Older Americans Act established standards for various functions whose task it is to see to it that our seniors' wants do not go unfulfilled.

Which brings the program into May, and off to a flying start on the 5th, when Chaplain Mark Springer from Jackson Hospital will give residents some good advice on how to prepare for a hospital stay: What to bring, and what not to bring. Mark’s a versatile speaker, and has visited Eastdale on numerous occasions.

On May 12, Gazette publisher Loretta Grant will share some interesting anecdotes and leave participants with a lot of good advice.

Consumer Protection Specialist Emily Nichols of the Alabama Attorney General's Office will share with residents some good advice on the 19th on how to detect and protect one's self from scams and scam artists.

Rounding out the month, on May 26, Virginia Moore-Bell from the Alabama Department of Senior Services will be on hand to talk about her work with the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Division. This is a service that residents of Independent Living Facilities should also be accorded. Perhaps she will share some ideas on how to bring this coverage about.

This is the second year this informational program has been underway at Eastdale Estates. Residents gain important and useful information, especially as it concerns living out their years in a more safe and pleasant environment, in light of the increasing incidents of elders having been abused in a variety of ways—in many cases by persons they knew and thought they could trust.

The programs begin at 10 a.m., sharp, each Tuesday, in the Activity Room at Eastdale Estates Retirement Community in Montgomery. The program is free, and the public is welcome.

See you on Tuesday at 10 a.m. You can't miss the facility; it looks like a three-story salamander.

Fake food...

As time has passed your scribe has noticed that there seems to be something “not right” about institutional meat.

A steak dinner served in a respectable restaurant used to be something to look forward to: a nice tenderloin of beef, carefully broiled and possibly seasoned with appropriate herbs and spices.

Today: however, especially in an institutional environment, something seems to be lacking: usually taste.

It could be that the cook isn't that talented; but the likelihood is greater that what you're getting is something relatively new on the dining table: “formed” meat.

This is a steak that has been created by gluing chunks of meet together to create something that it really isn't

“Transglutaminase,” or “meat glue” is used to bind chunks of meat together to form a product that may not be what it appears to be.

This may be why people residing in some form of institutional residence may see “steak” on the menu, but find that what is on their plate isn't like any “steak” they've been accustomed to. But it's cheaper. Cheaper that is to purchase, but not necessarily up to the culinary par to which the diner may be accustomed.

Reminds one of the World War II years when plastics replaced metals that were needed for the war effort; followed soon by man-made products to replace fabrics. Today we have fake bricks, fake siding, brick veneer, synthetic motor oil, synthetic marijuana and synthetic cocaine. What's real anymore?

Now synthetic fabrics have virtually replaced all the materials we held dear, and now we have fake meat. What's next? Or is there anything else left to fabricate?

The Food and Drug Administration says glued meats are “Generally recognized as safe,” but are we paying for “generally?”

If the steak you're getting for dinner at the old folks home doesn't taste like what one recalls from earlier years, it may be because it isn't “steak.”

Which may cause residents of such facilities to question whether or not they're getting what they pay for?

Is there an Ombudsman in the house?