From Here to There...Work Training to the Daily Drabble
I had inservice training at work today. Which was good in some regards and bad in most.
The training pertained to bloodborn pathogens and sexual misconduct. It was good in that it didn't start until 9 am, so I got to sleep in for an extra half-hour today. It was also good because I was given a ride by Lenny, my coworker, who has a State car and so doesn't have to pay for gas to get there. Nor did I have to figure out parking and directions on my own, which, once I got there, would have been rather nerve-wracking, as it was on the campus of an inpatient mental health facility (not a problem for me, as my major was clinical psych) and nothing was labeled (very problematic for me, had I been driving alone).
I thought bloodborn pathogens would be a joke. After all, I was a bio major for a while (before deciding that I couldn't bear the thought of a life in a lab, and I suck at chemistry), so what could they tell me that I didn't already know? Actually, bloodborn pathogens was quite interesting. The instructor was with an AIDS foundation--not a State employee, in other words--and she used to teach inmates, and so she was really blunt and realistic about things. I appreciate that. We're all adults. We don't need someone shifting feet at the front of the room and mincing about saying "pre-cum." (Which, yes, she said. And then, at a later point, had "mucus" on the PowerPoint and "snot" on our handouts and told us that was because the trainers had told her that she couldn't use "snot" in the classroom. ::scoff::)
Of course, bits of it were hard for me. She was talking about squeezing blood out of a wound you think might have been infected (like with a needlestick), and I got all woozy and such. No blacking out, though, which is always a good thing!
Bloodborn pathogens aren't an issue for me, being an office employee with no offender contact, but the presentation was interesting. I didn't realize that Maryland has the third highest HIV infection rate in the US, and Baltimore is the third highest HIV-infected major city. Yay, us! /snark It's not surprising, though. We talked about why: First and foremost, of course, is Baltimore's intravenous drug problem. While in most places, unprotected sex is the number one cause of HIV infections, in Baltimore, it is unequivocally IV drug use. Secondly, community attitudes prevent talking about it. Baltimore is largely African American, and at the center of the communities are not schools or social centers but church, and the prevailing attitude is that "you don't talk about that in church." Once again, because people are uncomfortable mixing reality with their religion, people are dying. WTF?
Also disturbing is the notion that condoms are contraband in Maryland prisons. So it is impossible to have protected sex (legally) in prison in Maryland, and so people who have sex in prison--and face it, it happens--have no way of doing so safely. So prison becomes one teeming HIV opportunity.
Also disturbing is the fact that *intentionally infecting* someone with HIV in Maryland is a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a maximum sentence of three years and/or a $2500 fine. Meanwhile, as Brian and Lenny (my warrant officer colleagues) pointed out, carrying $20 worth of crack is a felony. Seems like priorities are a bit screwed up here. No one wants crack addicts, but crack addicts are much less dangerous than a life-ending disease, and drug use is largely a personal choice. (Please don't take this opportunity to argue with me about addiction. Addiction treatment was one of my specialities in college; I just do not feel like getting into a long rant about addiction and the availability of treatment services in my city. Trust that it sucks. I know that it sucks. Perhaps another time, but now it is late and I want to drabble.)
She only said one thing that I disagree with: "You have clients who may have metal health issues, like manic depression. And if someone is a drug addict, they are probably also manic depressive." Um, no. Nice thought, but no. Bipolar I disorder (often known as manic depression) is a very serious and somewhat uncommon condition. Drug use (and addiction) are not uncommon. Nor are they related except that people in a manic state are more prone to taking risks, which may include drug and alcohol abuse. Perhaps she meant to say that most people who are Bipolar I are also drug addicts? I also doubt this, but I don't remember the stats on this, so I can't say for sure, but if most drug users were also bipolar, this would be one f***ed up world. More f***ed up than it is already, of course.
The afternoon session was Sexual Misconduct. Not sexual harrassment but misconduct, as in between employees and offenders. Again, I don't have any offender contact, and so I certainly cannot be tempted into inappropriate relationships with them. Plus, this half was boring. Bloodborn pathogens at least applies to daily life, but this applied to me not at all. I doodled Stars of Feanor and worked on patterns to paint along the bottom of my archers' robes through the whole thing.
Some of my coworkers have gone or are going soon to Louisiana. Because they are all retired police, they are going to help out the police down there. The stories they are telling...I will not repeat them here. They are awful. They are the kind of poison that I scorn the media for portraying, and so I will not do the same. Suffice to say that I give mad respect thumbs to those who are giving up their time and (sometimes) their pay (as we are contractuals) to help out. ::gives mad respect thumbs::
Okay, enough on that. Now it is time for the Word of the Day and associated drabble, because Dawn Felagund has a mild headache and wants to go to bed.
Really, it's just too easy:
demagogue \DEM-uh-gog\, noun:
1. A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
2. A leader of the common people in ancient times.
Examples
"This was to have held a sculpture of a Roman charioteer driving four horses, but the work was never completed, leaving behind what looks like a diving board or a futurist balcony, ideally suited for a demagogue exhorting a throng below."
-Michael Z. Wise, "A Fascist Utopia Adapted for Today," New York Times, July 11, 1999
"A consummate demagogue, McCarthy played upon cold war emotions and made charges so fantastic that frightened people believed the worst."
-Arthur Herman, Joseph McCarthy
"Even when he showed his true colors as a demagogue and trickster, Stalin did so in such a crisp and weighty, confidence-inspiring manner that he bewitched not only his conversational partner but himself as well."
-Milovan Djilas, Fall of the New Class
Etymology
Demagogue derives from Greek demagogos, "a leader of the people," from demos, "the people" + agogos, "leading, one who leads," from agein, "to lead."
Sparking Oaths
At first, I scoff the throng beneath him, their rabid eyes alive in the torchlight, as they drink his words as they would fine wine. He raises his sword, the swirling anger and grief in his voice making him an irresistible demagogue.
But I will resist: his son, his foil, with my golden hair and my hatred of the forge.
Then he turns, and the silver sparks of his eyes burn mine. Beneath the passion lies a plea: I cannot do it alone. I need you.
I grasp the hilt of my sword. I feel myself come under his sway.
~oOo~
Okay, off to bed and a (hopefully) normal day tomorrow.
~MDFotF
The training pertained to bloodborn pathogens and sexual misconduct. It was good in that it didn't start until 9 am, so I got to sleep in for an extra half-hour today. It was also good because I was given a ride by Lenny, my coworker, who has a State car and so doesn't have to pay for gas to get there. Nor did I have to figure out parking and directions on my own, which, once I got there, would have been rather nerve-wracking, as it was on the campus of an inpatient mental health facility (not a problem for me, as my major was clinical psych) and nothing was labeled (very problematic for me, had I been driving alone).
I thought bloodborn pathogens would be a joke. After all, I was a bio major for a while (before deciding that I couldn't bear the thought of a life in a lab, and I suck at chemistry), so what could they tell me that I didn't already know? Actually, bloodborn pathogens was quite interesting. The instructor was with an AIDS foundation--not a State employee, in other words--and she used to teach inmates, and so she was really blunt and realistic about things. I appreciate that. We're all adults. We don't need someone shifting feet at the front of the room and mincing about saying "pre-cum." (Which, yes, she said. And then, at a later point, had "mucus" on the PowerPoint and "snot" on our handouts and told us that was because the trainers had told her that she couldn't use "snot" in the classroom. ::scoff::)
Of course, bits of it were hard for me. She was talking about squeezing blood out of a wound you think might have been infected (like with a needlestick), and I got all woozy and such. No blacking out, though, which is always a good thing!
Bloodborn pathogens aren't an issue for me, being an office employee with no offender contact, but the presentation was interesting. I didn't realize that Maryland has the third highest HIV infection rate in the US, and Baltimore is the third highest HIV-infected major city. Yay, us! /snark It's not surprising, though. We talked about why: First and foremost, of course, is Baltimore's intravenous drug problem. While in most places, unprotected sex is the number one cause of HIV infections, in Baltimore, it is unequivocally IV drug use. Secondly, community attitudes prevent talking about it. Baltimore is largely African American, and at the center of the communities are not schools or social centers but church, and the prevailing attitude is that "you don't talk about that in church." Once again, because people are uncomfortable mixing reality with their religion, people are dying. WTF?
Also disturbing is the notion that condoms are contraband in Maryland prisons. So it is impossible to have protected sex (legally) in prison in Maryland, and so people who have sex in prison--and face it, it happens--have no way of doing so safely. So prison becomes one teeming HIV opportunity.
Also disturbing is the fact that *intentionally infecting* someone with HIV in Maryland is a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a maximum sentence of three years and/or a $2500 fine. Meanwhile, as Brian and Lenny (my warrant officer colleagues) pointed out, carrying $20 worth of crack is a felony. Seems like priorities are a bit screwed up here. No one wants crack addicts, but crack addicts are much less dangerous than a life-ending disease, and drug use is largely a personal choice. (Please don't take this opportunity to argue with me about addiction. Addiction treatment was one of my specialities in college; I just do not feel like getting into a long rant about addiction and the availability of treatment services in my city. Trust that it sucks. I know that it sucks. Perhaps another time, but now it is late and I want to drabble.)
She only said one thing that I disagree with: "You have clients who may have metal health issues, like manic depression. And if someone is a drug addict, they are probably also manic depressive." Um, no. Nice thought, but no. Bipolar I disorder (often known as manic depression) is a very serious and somewhat uncommon condition. Drug use (and addiction) are not uncommon. Nor are they related except that people in a manic state are more prone to taking risks, which may include drug and alcohol abuse. Perhaps she meant to say that most people who are Bipolar I are also drug addicts? I also doubt this, but I don't remember the stats on this, so I can't say for sure, but if most drug users were also bipolar, this would be one f***ed up world. More f***ed up than it is already, of course.
The afternoon session was Sexual Misconduct. Not sexual harrassment but misconduct, as in between employees and offenders. Again, I don't have any offender contact, and so I certainly cannot be tempted into inappropriate relationships with them. Plus, this half was boring. Bloodborn pathogens at least applies to daily life, but this applied to me not at all. I doodled Stars of Feanor and worked on patterns to paint along the bottom of my archers' robes through the whole thing.
Some of my coworkers have gone or are going soon to Louisiana. Because they are all retired police, they are going to help out the police down there. The stories they are telling...I will not repeat them here. They are awful. They are the kind of poison that I scorn the media for portraying, and so I will not do the same. Suffice to say that I give mad respect thumbs to those who are giving up their time and (sometimes) their pay (as we are contractuals) to help out. ::gives mad respect thumbs::
Okay, enough on that. Now it is time for the Word of the Day and associated drabble, because Dawn Felagund has a mild headache and wants to go to bed.
Really, it's just too easy:
demagogue \DEM-uh-gog\, noun:
1. A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
2. A leader of the common people in ancient times.
Examples
"This was to have held a sculpture of a Roman charioteer driving four horses, but the work was never completed, leaving behind what looks like a diving board or a futurist balcony, ideally suited for a demagogue exhorting a throng below."
-Michael Z. Wise, "A Fascist Utopia Adapted for Today," New York Times, July 11, 1999
"A consummate demagogue, McCarthy played upon cold war emotions and made charges so fantastic that frightened people believed the worst."
-Arthur Herman, Joseph McCarthy
"Even when he showed his true colors as a demagogue and trickster, Stalin did so in such a crisp and weighty, confidence-inspiring manner that he bewitched not only his conversational partner but himself as well."
-Milovan Djilas, Fall of the New Class
Etymology
Demagogue derives from Greek demagogos, "a leader of the people," from demos, "the people" + agogos, "leading, one who leads," from agein, "to lead."
Sparking Oaths
At first, I scoff the throng beneath him, their rabid eyes alive in the torchlight, as they drink his words as they would fine wine. He raises his sword, the swirling anger and grief in his voice making him an irresistible demagogue.
But I will resist: his son, his foil, with my golden hair and my hatred of the forge.
Then he turns, and the silver sparks of his eyes burn mine. Beneath the passion lies a plea: I cannot do it alone. I need you.
I grasp the hilt of my sword. I feel myself come under his sway.
~oOo~
Okay, off to bed and a (hopefully) normal day tomorrow.
~MDFotF