Model Citizenship

In our next tale, we have both a model citizen and a couple of not so model citizens…One lazy Saturday afternoon at Lopez Lake - a great little jewel for weekend getaways -, I had the pleasure of witnessing the good, bad, and the ugly in row-boating behavior.

The weather on this particular day was very nice - about 70 degrees and clear. There was, however, a bit of wind blowing across the lake - with some gusts upto about 3o mph. The lake level, as you can see in the pictures, is down to about 80% - exposing many reeds and branches near the shore making for a difficult time for those boaters not able to negotiate the wind and resulting near-shore currents.

While we were enjoying a little lunch from our campsite on the top of a hill, we noticed a small rowboat drifting precariously close to the shore and branches - eventually it became entangled in the trap. 

The boat remained stranded for several minutes as the operators (looks to be one child and one adult) thrashed around with their oars trying to free themselves.

While they eventually did free themselves from the reeds, they found themselves no match for the on-shore winds and currents - They finally beached it. At this point, they sat in the boat trying to free themselves with their oars from inside the boat - to no avail.

Finally the model citizen in our story came to their rescue - walking into the water to free the stranded boaters.

So - here is how it all breaks down:

• Two boaters - wearing life jackets and weighing down the boat -remained seated in the boat while another individual pushed them out of trouble in knee-deep water - NOT SO MODEL CITIZENS
• A stranger walking into the water to free two people who seem to have no interest in helping themselves - A MODEL CITIZEN, INDEED!

This is yet another example of a severe lack of basic common sense - if it wasn’t for our model citizen in the story, these two “boaters” may very well still be stranded…

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We will likely all agree that inner city traffic in Southern California could stand for some improvements. Too many cars on too few streets with way too many stoplights - a recipe for certain congestion that sets the stage for writhing frustration before even reaching the freeway - a certain path to road rage! While the California State Vehicle Code has made a valiant effort in providing some structure to the way we drive, it falls short on a particularly important matter - teaching a fundamental common courtesy for fellow drivers.

So, to show that I care about my fellow drivers and to do my part in providing a little reprieve, I wanted to discuss a few not-so-model actions at red lights. I have included a diagram to help you follow-along (for all you visually oriented folks). Just click the picture for a closer view.

Scenario A
For the first scenario we have the classic “I will not allow you to make a left turn on my watch” drama. In examining the intersection, you will note the line of “offensive” drivers all lined up in the left-hand lane when there is plenty of room in the middle lane to sit and wait at the red light. Now, say I was in the white vehicle and wanted to turn left at the light. I would now be forced to wait for two cycles of the light because these not-so-model drivers decided to block the access to the turn lanes…usually for no good reason at all!

Scenario B
In this situation, we have a similar drama - a selfish driver sitting in a turn lane intending to go straight, blocking cars from making a right turn. Now, sometimes I understand the need to make a right turn immediately after an intersection - so it would make sense to be in the far right lane. However, even in this situation the driver going through the intersection could show a little courtesy and stay as far as possible to the left side of the lane - leaving enough space for cars to make a right turn if desired. Read the rest of this entry »

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May was a busy month here at Modelcitizenship. Here’s a look back at the top posts of the month:

Not So Model Citizens:

• McKinney’s article on People and Their Pets
• A story about Dirty Old Italian Men
• Reverend Al Sharpton acting like himself as usual
• Confusion at California Stop Signs
• And some bad etiquette in Checkout Lines

Model Citizens:

• Some unexpected Model behavior at Ronnie Scott’s in London
• Lunch saved by Andrew Jackson!
• Surprising behavior 30,000 feet in the air

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What’s worse? Distracted cell phone drivers or inconsiderate road hogs? Today I was lucky enough to come across a not so model citizen that possessed both of these great attributes. I had just pumped gas, and needed to make a right turn out of the station, into the left turn lane. Now this was a fairly busy 4 lane street, so the window of opportunity for me to make it into that left turn lane was pretty small. I was in luck however, because there were only 2 cars in the lane closest to me (but not blocking me), and the rest of the lanes were open. This would make my exit much more expedient. Unfortunately, as I got ready to pull out, a lady in a Mercedes SUV comes racing along the right lane, and stops right in front of me. Blocking me in. What’s worse, is that she was sitting there yapping on her cell phone, completely oblivious to what was going on.

Read the rest of this entry »

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