|
COURTESY COACH: Happy New Year 2005!
|
The Tea Party Company
|
Jan 05, 2005 07:04 PST
|
IN THIS ISSUE:
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS WHO DEFEND AND DELIVER AI
COURTESY COACHING CLASSES IN THE METRO DETROIT AREA
HAPPY NEW YEAR! A LOOK BACK AT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF 2004!
===========================================
"Teachers are people who start things they never see finished, and for
which they are never thanked until much later." --Max Forman
RECOMMENDED READING: Click Here to Purchase our Newest Recommendation
from The Emily Post Institute–far and away the best etiquette guide for
kids on the market today!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?search-type=ss&tag=theteapartycompa&keyword=Emily%20Post%20Etiquette%20Kids&mode=books
==============================
HELPING THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO ARE DELIVERING AID
With so much emphasis on charitable giving in the aftermath of the
Tsunami in Asia, please consider supporting the Armed Forces Relief
Trust in addition to your gifts to those organizations which support
the victims directly.
The mission of the Armed Forces Relief Trust is to assist the military
aid societies by providing a single vehicle to accept donations that
will benefit the men and women of our Armed forces and their families.
Examples of such assistance may include payment for a soldier’s airfare
to fly home for his father’s funeral, a special reading program for a
sailor’s daughter, special medical attention for a pilot’s expectant
spouse, or college tuition for a soldier’s child.
As our troops continue to fight in Iraq and now move to deliver aid to
the victims in Southeast Asia, it is important that we do our part to
help those who make it their job to defend and assist others. For more
information, please visit their website at
http://www.afrtrust.org/index.asp.
===========================
COURTESY COACHING CLASSES IN THE METRO DETROIT AREA
MANNERS AND ETIQUETTE FOR LITTLE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. This renowned
curriculum has been featured in HOUR magazine, The Detroit News and
more. Unique, interactive classes use activities to provide children
with an appreciation for the importance of polite behavior and etiquette
standards. Topics include appropriate greetings, telephone use, manners
for meal times, parties, correspondence and more. Few things give
youngsters more self-assurance than knowing what to do in social
situations. The final session will be a dress-up tea party at the
Townsend Hotel that will include their renowned afternoon tea service,
dress-up accessories, a keepsake photo and party favor! Instructor:
Cyndee Harrison.
Four-Weeks of Classes in Birmingham, Michigan beginning Tuesday,
January 11th. Visit www.communityed to register online. Three-Week
course begins Wednesday, January 12th in Grosse Pointe. Call
586-246-3123 to learn more.
Don’t live near these class locations? Request a Training Quote for
your local school and community today at www.mannersforkids.com !
=============================
HAPPY NEW YEAR! A LOOK BACK AT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF 2004
An Excerpt from a publication released on December 28th from the
Josephson Institute of Ethics:
The year 2004 was filled with stories laced with ethical implications.
Here`s a year-end assessment by radio commentator, author and nationally
renowned ethicist Michael Josephson of the Joseph & Edna Josephson
Institute of Ethics (a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Los
Angeles, CA). First is his list of the Big Ten, the most important
ethics stories of 2004. Next is his list of the Underplayed Seven,
stories that deserved a lot more attention.
The Big Ten
10. Unfair Fahrenheit. Michael Moore`s pseudo-documentary "Fahrenheit
9/11" did not deserve to be taken seriously. It doesn`t matter what you
think of President Bush, this effort was bush-league and fundamentally
unfair. The danger is that it parades as a documentary and probably will
spawn partisans of every stripe to abuse this format as a new political
tool.
9. Janet Jackson and the Super Bra. The breast-bearing, heat-seeking
publicity missile launched by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during
the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show unleashed the pent up frustration of
people who are tired of exhibitionist indecency and sophomoric stunts.
The FCC is more empowered and some irredeemably vulgar radio shock jocks
have lost mainstream jobs (Howard Stern has gone to satellite). The
problem is that the backlash may go too far in establishing a narrow
moral orthodoxy.
8. Basketbrawl: The Pistons, Pacers and the Fans. The free-for-all fight
during a recent basketball game between the Detroit Pistons and the
Indiana Pacers established a new low. Both player and fan behavior were
despicable, but the event may be a positive catalyst for needed reform.
It`s a very good sign that prosecutors in Michigan have filed criminal
actions against five fans and four players.
7. Paul Hamm`s Golden Opportunity. Men`s gymnast Paul Hamm was awarded
the coveted gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games as the result of a
serious judging error that resulted in the suspension of the three
judges who gave a South Korean gymnast the wrong starting value. This
mistake caused the South Korean the medal and the official gymnastics
federation, lacking the courage to make a definitive decision, urged
Hamm to relinquish it. Instead, Hamm claimed victory and contested the
appeal in Switzerland. His right to the medal was upheld on the
technicality that the South Korean`s coach failed to protest the error
immediately after the routine. In asserting his legal right to keep the
medal, Hamm missed a golden opportunity to translate the noble rhetoric
of the Olympic creed into a single immortalizing act of sportsmanship.
Hamm is a fine young man who did nothing wrong, but he could have done
something very right. Now, he has turned the opportunity to make a grand
gesture into a footnote pointing out the controversy surrounding his
victory. Though it`s not the point, he also lowered his market value
immensely.
6. Rathergate. When CBS anchorman Dan Rather based a story about
President Bush`s National Guard service on a forged document he damaged
his legacy and the credibility of CBS. It was a BIG mistake.
5. National Guardsman Challenges Defense Department. On the positive
side, a National Guardsman from Tennessee, Thomas Wilson, showed a lot
of guts confronting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the lack of
armor on certain vehicles. He told Rumsfeld that soldiers were
scrounging rubble to find pieces of scrap metal and ballistic glass "to
put on our vehicles to take into combat." This young soldier has exposed
a serious deficiency with great ethical implications. If vehicles can be
made safer by the self-help tactics prevalent in the field, shouldn`t
the Defense Department be able to find a way to make vehicles safer
sooner?
4. Martha Stewart and Other Execs Go to Prison. The year 2004 could be
called the year of Corporate Accountability. In addition to new
accountability standards dramatically affecting governance and holding
CEOs responsible for the accuracy of financial reports, an unprecedented
number of men and women with corner offices went to prison, lost their
jobs or paid huge fines. Next year we may even see more of this
activity. The poster girl for the prison movement is Martha Stewart who
received a jail sentence of five months, and another five months of home
arrest. There`s no doubt that she was made an "example," but she clearly
lied and tried to cover up and her trial and sentence does send a clear
and chilling "this could be you" message to high-profile execs who may
have taken or considered taking legal or moral shortcuts. For an
extensive list of convictions, indictments, firings and fines in 2004
see:
http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/2004-corporate-scandals.htm
3. Juiced Up Athletes and Records. The full impact of the Balco designer
steroids scandal is yet to be felt, but already some of our nation`s
most prominent sports heroes have been discredited by steroid use and
accusations of use. Baseball will ultimately reform but confidence in
the integrity of achievement records in the new era may never be
regained.
2. The Comeback of Moral Values -- Whatever That Means. There`s no doubt
that a conservative perspective on what is or is not morally acceptable
played a significant role in the last presidential election. This can be
a good thing or a bad thing. It`s good that there is greater emphasis
and more discussion about right and wrong (as opposed to pure
materialism and/or expediency). It can be a bad thing if this is used as
a wedge to further divide the country into warring ideological camps. We
need more bridges, not wider chasms. We need more civility and respect
for opposing points of view, not less. If the matter is relegated to a
battle between extremist secularists and extremist religionists we will
undermine the foundation of religious freedom and tolerance, a
cornerstone of American democracy.
A 2004 Gallup Poll shows there is still wide and deep disagreement on
core "moral values" -- 50% believe abortion is morally wrong, 50%
disagree; 54% believe that homosexuality is wrong, 46% disagree; 37%
think stem-cell research is wrong, 63% disagree; 36% think sex between
unmarried men and women is morally wrong, 64% disagree. If we do not
find respectful ways to advocate the policies we believe in and find
ways to accept not having everything our own way we will find ourselves
in an unpleasant and corrosive ideological civil war with no winners.
1. Abuse of Prisoners and Legalistic Rejection of the Geneva
Conventions. The number-one ethical story of 2004 has two parts:
prisoner abuse and official rejection of the spirit and letter of the
Geneva Conventions as it applies to "detainees." Well-documented reports
and photos of illegal, inhumane and immoral abuse of prisoners at Abu
Ghraib and elsewhere by U.S. military personnel will have an enduring
negative impact on America`s image throughout the world. Though
unequivocally condemned by President Bush, the failure to hold
high-ranking officials visibly accountable gives the story greater
vitality. Attempts by some unofficial apologists to characterize the
behavior as little more than hazing is foolish and wrongheaded. Of
course, we are not the same as the monsters we oppose who behead
innocents on TV, but the issue is not "moral equivalence" but moral
propriety. In adopting the Geneva Conventions in 1949 we agreed to
standards of humane treatment of all human beings. These standards
explicitly preclude torture, humiliation and intimidation. It is not
constructive or appropriate to split hairs about what each of these
terms mean. There is a clear spirit of respect for humanity that should
dominate legalisms.
While our government acknowledges that the Geneva Conventions apply to
prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our military courts are holding
individuals accountable for violations, the U.S. has taken the formal
position that neither the letter nor spirit of the Conventions apply to
"detainees" held at Guantanamo Bay. Presumably this means it is OK to
torture, humiliate or intimidate. Whether technically valid or not --
and it is likely that courts will reject the government`s claim -- this
position undermines our moral authority and establishes a double
standard for our concept of basic human decency and humanity.
Seven Underplayed Stories
7. Fallen Moralists: Limbaugh and O`Reilly: Where`s the Follow-Up? Drug
charges against Rush Limbaugh are still unresolved, and the lawsuit with
extensive and explicit allegations against another outspoken moralist,
Fox`s Bill O`Reilly, was settled in secret. The underplayed story is the
real facts. Since both men are powerful preachers of virtue, we ought to
know what they did (if anything) that might be inconsistent with their
preachings. Journalists should pursue both issues so the reputations of
these men can be rehabilitated if the facts exonerate them. Or, if they
did what they are accused of doing, we should take that into account
when we consider their advice.
6. Pop Warner Football League Cancels Play Offs to Combat Cheating. A
great 2004 story that never made the national news concerns a youth
sports league that is concerned more about character than winning. The
Arizona Youth Football Federation in Central Arizona was besieged with
complaints about the falsification of the age and residency of young
athletes. The volunteer board concluded that cheating was rampant. So
despite violent parental opposition, including threats, they cancelled
the playoffs and launched a full investigation.
5. Unreal Reality Shows. So-called reality shows like The Apprentice,
Survivor II, Big Brother, The Mole and lots of others both reflect and
shape popular culture. Many promote deviousness, manipulation and
outright lying. They are exceptionally engaging because most people
think that everything is real -- and they are encouraged to think that.
In fact, each of these shows has writers, along with editors who often
re-sequence events. In some cases, the participants are prompted or even
scripted and certain events are artificially created to maximize tension
or drama. Ultimately, these shows are to reality what professional
wrestling is to sports. We need and deserve truth in labeling. The myth
of reality is perpetuated by shameless cross-promotion and the treatment
of what happened on these shows as worthy news events.
4. The Real Facts Behind the Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman Stories.
Speaking of reality, another underplayed story concerns the
misinformation that surrounded initial heroic reports concerning the
capture of Jessica Lynch and the death of Pat Tillman. These fine people
still deserve our utmost respect, but it`s troublesome that the Pentagon
perpetuated or permitted erroneous information about them. Jessica Lynch
did not fire a shot or resist her capture, as she was already injured.
And Pat Tillman, the hero who left pro football and a
multi-million-dollar contract to defend his country, was not killed by
enemy fire in Afghanistan. He was killed accidentally by men from his
own platoon, several of whom were demoted or disciplined. Though this
information was known within Army circles from the beginning, it came
out only many long months after his eulogies. The unfortunate
circumstances of his death do not diminish his heroism, but they do cast
a negative light on the Pentagon`s willingness to be candid about
negative information.
3. The Mouse Man Lies With Impunity. Unless you regularly read the
business section of a major newspaper, you probably don`t know about the
recent courtroom testimony of Michael Eisner, the Chairman of the Walt
Disney Company. Under oath, Mr. Eisner admitted without embarrassment or
remorse that he repeatedly lied publicly and privately to conceal a
monumental business error and an irreparable rift between Disney and its
newly hired president, Michael Ovitz -- which resulted in a termination
that cost Disney $140 million. The audacity and content of the
admissions should have merited headlines but instead we saw more
evidence of the disease of low expectations. Despite indignant huffing
and puffing about the lies and deceptions that led to a parade of
multi-billion dollar corporate scandals, it seems that no one really
expects top corporate leaders to be honest, at least not when lots of
money is on the line. How else do you explain the ho-hum indifference to
Mr. Eisner`s confession that he deliberately lied on the Larry King show
in order to soothe worried employees and investors and to protect the
lies he was telling to Sony Corporation as he tried to convince them to
take over the Ovitz contract?
2. Newspaper Executives With Enron Instincts. Why don`t more people know
that corporate greed and venality infected the Chicago Sun-Times,
Newsday, the Dallas Morning News and the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy?
At each paper, circulation executives cheated advertisers by making
false claims about the number of papers distributed. As a result, the
Chicago-based Tribune Company, publisher of Newsday and Hoy, set aside
$95 million to compensate advertisers; Belo Corp., owner of the Dallas
paper, agreed to pay $23 million; and Hollinger, the parent company of
the Sun-Times, allocated $27 million. Given that these newspapers are
social watchdogs, this should have been a big story.
1. Texas Miracle or Texas Fraud? The biggest underplayed story of 2004
concerns school cheating by teachers and administrators, especially in
Texas, the ideological home for the testing strategy in "No Child Left
Behind." In a demonstration of great journalism, the Dallas Morning News
reported this month that their analysis of scores from nearly 8,000
Texas schools revealed substantial evidence of cheating in at least 200
schools. One of the strongest cases involved a Houston elementary school
that received a federal No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Award in 2003.
This is not just a local story. This year the Texas Education Agency
documented rampant manipulation and fraud on dropout rates in the
Houston Independent School District, the launching pad for President
Bush`s first Secretary of Education, Rod Paige. Though teachers
and administrators received $7 million in cash bonuses based on
falsified performance reports, no one was fired and no demand was made
for return of any funds. In addition, the Houston school district was
found to have understated crime statistics and boosted test scores by
preventing low performers to take the 10th grade comprehensive exam. If
we want to understand the insidiousness of a culture of cheating we need
look no further than our schools.
For more information, please visit www.charactercounts.org.
=============================
The mission of The Courtesy Project is to Cultivate a Culture of
Courtesy. Our approach to this goal is three-fold. First, we will
provide direct instruction in the behaviors, skills, and values of good
manners. Secondly, we will complement and complete existing Character
Education initiatives in schools and communities by providing educators
with effective teaching tools to provide quality etiquette training for
every child. Finally, we will foster a partnership with
Considerate-Done.com, a nationwide Click-to-Complain website designed to
provide both businesses and consumers with positive solutions to
courtesy issues in the marketplace.
============================
SHARE THE COURTESY COACH:
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others! Read archived
messages at http://lists.topica.com/lists/teatime or visit our website
at www.mannersforkids.com
=============================
LOOKING AHEAD: Courtesy Coaching is excited to partner with
Considerate-Done: A click-to-complain website where consumers and others
can offer positive and helpful solutions for poor customer service and a
lack of courtesy in the marketplace today. More information will follow
in upcoming editions of Courtesy Coach!
============================
|
|
 |
|
