The World Youth chess festival wrapped up in Brazil this week. The U.S. delegation turned in a phenomenal result, capturing the gold medal in the U8 Open and the silver medal in the U10 Open sections. Awonder Liang and Ruifeng Li, respectively, accomplished these remarkable feats. (Incidentally, I still outrate Liang by more than one hundred points, but seeing as he's seven years old, I don't think that's all that impressive!) Other top American finishers were Sarah Chiang (Girls U14) and Jeffrey Xiong (U12 Open). Congratulations to all of the competitors, and thank you to the trainers, coaches, and families for all of their support of U.S. chess in general and these U.S. chess players in particular!
Speaking of chess, I would be remiss for failing to mention that the New York Knights won a dramatic U.S. Chess League championship match last weekend. This is their first title since 2009 and second overall (not bad for a league that's only in its seventh year!). Top board GM Georgi Kacheishvili also won Game of the Week honors for his victory over Chicago GM Mesgen Amanov, which he concluded in fine style with the rare and difficult bishop-and-knight versus king checkmate. Congratulations to the Knights!
As for me, I don't have any tournaments scheduled for the near future. I may play a match sometime next month, but otherwise I will just wait and see what the tournament calendar brings my way. There are a couple upcoming events that look interesting, but for various reasons the scheduling won't work out. It's a bummer, but I'm trying to use the time to study and improve so that when I do return to tournament play I will be stronger than when I entered my winter hibernation.
And while I'm at it, a hearty congratulations to my friend Dave Carter, who last month was once again crowned Vermont State Chess Champion following his perfect score at the Vermont Open in Middlebury, VT. Way to go, Dave!
About Me
- Robert
- I'm a 2009 graduate of Dartmouth College who loves Jesus, my wife and all things Northeast.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Whistleblowers and anonymity
The title of the article in last Friday's New York Times summed it up: "Ombudsmen Gave Whistle-Blowers' Names to State Agency." Evidently, employees who care for developmentally disabled patients have long been promised anonymity for reporting potential cases of abuse and neglect, but they have not actually been receiving it. The identities of employees who make such reports have been routinely forwarded to the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which is in ultimate charge of many of these patients.
While the reports themselves must obviously be forwarded in order for the situations to be investigated and, if necessary, rectified, including the names of the employees filing the reports seems counterproductive at best and malicious at worst. Including the "whistle-blower's" name does nothing to aid the state in its inquiry. What it does do, however, is raise the specter of reprisals, which in turn disincentivizes employees from making reports.
Reporting cases of suspected abuse and neglect is not confined to employees of mental health institutions. In several states, EMS providers are "mandated reporters." As the name suggests, this means that if we encounter an instance of abuse or neglect--for both the pediatric and geriatric populations---we are required to file a report with the appropriate state office. To my knowledge, there is no assumption of anonymity that goes along with a mandated report. That's not a big deal, at least in my eyes, because we're told up front what to expect.
Whether or not there should be anonymity for whistleblowers is a different, though not entirely unrelated, question. It seems to me that there should be some sort of protection for those who speak up on behalf of those who can't be their own advocates. I'm not sure if complaints submitted entirely anonymously are the best way to go, but the ombudsmen know who came forward with which report. It's the facility administrators who are kept in the dark, which seems wise. The temptation to discourage reporting by wielding the threat of reprisals would be too great for some unscrupulous management teams to resist. Not all, maybe, but even one is too many. And as a measure of protection for the facilities themselves, the ombudsmen are well-equipped to do a little investigating of their own if a pattern of obviously specious complaints emerges.
Ultimately, New York's bait-and-switch with regard to whistleblower anonymity comes at the cost of the patients' welfare. And whenever it's the patient who loses in the end, something needs to be fixed.
While the reports themselves must obviously be forwarded in order for the situations to be investigated and, if necessary, rectified, including the names of the employees filing the reports seems counterproductive at best and malicious at worst. Including the "whistle-blower's" name does nothing to aid the state in its inquiry. What it does do, however, is raise the specter of reprisals, which in turn disincentivizes employees from making reports.
Reporting cases of suspected abuse and neglect is not confined to employees of mental health institutions. In several states, EMS providers are "mandated reporters." As the name suggests, this means that if we encounter an instance of abuse or neglect--for both the pediatric and geriatric populations---we are required to file a report with the appropriate state office. To my knowledge, there is no assumption of anonymity that goes along with a mandated report. That's not a big deal, at least in my eyes, because we're told up front what to expect.
Whether or not there should be anonymity for whistleblowers is a different, though not entirely unrelated, question. It seems to me that there should be some sort of protection for those who speak up on behalf of those who can't be their own advocates. I'm not sure if complaints submitted entirely anonymously are the best way to go, but the ombudsmen know who came forward with which report. It's the facility administrators who are kept in the dark, which seems wise. The temptation to discourage reporting by wielding the threat of reprisals would be too great for some unscrupulous management teams to resist. Not all, maybe, but even one is too many. And as a measure of protection for the facilities themselves, the ombudsmen are well-equipped to do a little investigating of their own if a pattern of obviously specious complaints emerges.
Ultimately, New York's bait-and-switch with regard to whistleblower anonymity comes at the cost of the patients' welfare. And whenever it's the patient who loses in the end, something needs to be fixed.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Back on my feet
I'm now one week post-oral surgery and I'm pleased to report that my recovery has gone incredibly smoothly. The first few days following surgery went by in a blur of soft food and NSAIDs, but I diligently followed the oral surgeon's post-operative instructions and really haven't encountered any complications so far. The swelling was minimal and I was fortunate to avoid the dreaded "dry socket."
Ellen has been a wonderful care-giver. There is no way I could have done this without her. She even organized a movie night with our church Community Group on Saturday at our apartment because she knew that I would be feeling lonely after three days on the couch. What an amazing woman; I am so blessed to have her. And the outpouring of encouragement and support from the church body as a whole has been a huge help as well.
I returned to work on Monday unsure of how my body would stand up to a full twenty four hour shift. Fortunately everything went well and I was able to take all my medicine at the appropriate times. Going into the shift, my biggest fear was that my NSAID pain reliever would be inadequate. I was prescribed Percocet to take if necessary, but taking it on Monday would have meant I could not continue working. Fortunately the Toradol did its job and the pain remained manageable throughout the day and night.
At this point I am optimistically declaring myself fully recovered, and while I still have to complete my course of antibiotics, I am otherwise medication-free (and very much looking forward to my first steak!).
Ellen has been a wonderful care-giver. There is no way I could have done this without her. She even organized a movie night with our church Community Group on Saturday at our apartment because she knew that I would be feeling lonely after three days on the couch. What an amazing woman; I am so blessed to have her. And the outpouring of encouragement and support from the church body as a whole has been a huge help as well.
I returned to work on Monday unsure of how my body would stand up to a full twenty four hour shift. Fortunately everything went well and I was able to take all my medicine at the appropriate times. Going into the shift, my biggest fear was that my NSAID pain reliever would be inadequate. I was prescribed Percocet to take if necessary, but taking it on Monday would have meant I could not continue working. Fortunately the Toradol did its job and the pain remained manageable throughout the day and night.
At this point I am optimistically declaring myself fully recovered, and while I still have to complete my course of antibiotics, I am otherwise medication-free (and very much looking forward to my first steak!).
Oral surgery
I had three wisdom teeth removed last Thursday. All things considered, the process went extremely smoothly, as well as I could have (realistically) hoped. In anticipation of being unable to work my normal shift on Friday, I shuffled my schedule and ended up working two twelve-hour shifts on the preceding Sunday and Wednesday. I got saddled with a late call on Wednesday, so I got home later than planned, but fortunately there was still time for dinner before entering my pre-operative fast at midnight. And since Ellen prepared a special "last meal" homemade pizza with hamburger and veggies, I would not have wanted to miss that.
Intellectually, I knew that the fast was for the best, and that it would be highly unsafe to eat or drink just before general anesthesia. My stomach had other ideas, though, especially when I joined eight other men from the church for our Thursday morning study ... which takes place in a bakery. My resolve held in the end, and I arrived at the oral surgeon's office hungry, thirsty, and nervous.
Once I checked in, there was very little waiting-around time. The assistant brought me back to the procedure room and got me all situated. This included taking a set of vital signs and asking me what kind of music I wanted piped in through the overhead speakers during the procedure. That all set, the oral surgeon came in and answered any last questions I had, and then it was time to get started. The most discomfiting part of the experience was actually when the assistant removed my glasses. I would have preferred being able to see what was going on while I was still awake.
Near the end of the procedure, I became faintly aware of the oral surgeon working in my mouth, but I didn't feel any pain. And once he was all finished, the assistant helped me to the recovery area and went to retrieve Ellen, who had been in the waiting room the entire time. They didn't keep me in recovery long--somewhere between five and ten minutes--and then released me into Ellen's capable hands. I had already filled all my prescriptions earlier in the week, so all that was left to do was be driven home and begin the recovery process.
Intellectually, I knew that the fast was for the best, and that it would be highly unsafe to eat or drink just before general anesthesia. My stomach had other ideas, though, especially when I joined eight other men from the church for our Thursday morning study ... which takes place in a bakery. My resolve held in the end, and I arrived at the oral surgeon's office hungry, thirsty, and nervous.
Once I checked in, there was very little waiting-around time. The assistant brought me back to the procedure room and got me all situated. This included taking a set of vital signs and asking me what kind of music I wanted piped in through the overhead speakers during the procedure. That all set, the oral surgeon came in and answered any last questions I had, and then it was time to get started. The most discomfiting part of the experience was actually when the assistant removed my glasses. I would have preferred being able to see what was going on while I was still awake.
Near the end of the procedure, I became faintly aware of the oral surgeon working in my mouth, but I didn't feel any pain. And once he was all finished, the assistant helped me to the recovery area and went to retrieve Ellen, who had been in the waiting room the entire time. They didn't keep me in recovery long--somewhere between five and ten minutes--and then released me into Ellen's capable hands. I had already filled all my prescriptions earlier in the week, so all that was left to do was be driven home and begin the recovery process.
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