Two thoughts on this story: 

1) Can you imagine what people will do to avoid paying to use a restroom on a plane?  I can see cups and bottles aboard the airliner being “recycled” for human waste purposes.

2) This quote from the Ryanair spokesman, referring to the company’s chief executive, is telling: “Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and while this has been discussed internally there are no immediate plans to introduce it…”  Hmmm… let’s see, I have a choice of flying with an airline that has a CEO that, “makes a lot of this stuff up…” or, maybe, an airline that is a little more organized and thoughtful?  Since I am flying in an aluminum can at 35,000 feet, guess what I’ll choose!

Restroom ransom? Airline mulls toilet toll - News- msnbc.com

OK I think we’re all used to the Nigerian “scams” that we hear of from time-to-time.  You know, those situations where the relative has died, and they need your help getting the estate (money) moved?  I think there is one where you cash the check and send them the cashier’s check – only to find out later that the check you got was bad?  The common denominator is always the same, some uninformed consumer trying to “help” someone out.

So the story linked-to below is just too hard to believe – but it involves an institution we are supposed to trust.  Citibank, one of the nation’s largest banks.  Apparently a gentleman from Nigeria conspired with others to create false documents so convincing that Citibank would follow the instructions and begin wiring money all across the globe, as a result of a request from the National Bank of Ethiopia.  I’ve included a picture of the poor victim – NB of E.

Now I understand consumers, with little education, might be tricked into one of these frauds – but the “victim” here is Citibank.  Now I don’t know the last time you ever tried to wire money from you personal account, but having done so on at least one occasion within the past few years, AND having worked at a bank myself, I can tell you that banks are skittish about wiring money.  Why?  Because once it’s gone, it’s gone!

Two interesting tidbits to ponder as you consider the story:

1. This fraud was detected, not by NB of E or Citibank themselves, rather it was by some of the wire receiving banks (banks of the criminals) who, apparently, couldn’t complete the wire because the information they had was incomplete (e.g., they couldn’t figure out what account to put the money in.)  Thank God for dumb criminals!
2. At the end of the story, it mentions that Citibank has “credited back” the “lost funds” to NB of E.  OK, I would hope so, Citibank made the mistake!  Of course, what they don’t say is how much Citibank ultimately “lost” … because wires are wires… and although legally they might be able to seize the accounts of the fraudsters… it won’t be automatic or assured (is the money even still there?)

So for everyone out there wondering why banks need bailing out – here’s another one.  They can’t even verify that wire transfers that exceed $25 million are really authorized.  Now you know how those “risky” loans got made! 

Nigerian Accused in Scheme to Swindle Citibank - NYTimes.com

When this country finally comes to terms with the fact that people do want to enrich themselves, either directly or indirectly as a result of “who they know” and “what they know,” we can then figure out how to make sure it is done with disclosure and doesn’t cross ethical lines of reasonableness. Until then we cannot overlook things like the nomination of Leon Panetta to be the next director of the CIA.

Word is coming out that Mr. Panetta took a “couple” plane trips on a corporate jet owned by EduCap, a private student loan company that has contributed to some “non-profit” activities run by Mr. Panetta and his wife. Mr. Panetta and one of EduCap’s founders, Catherine B. Reynolds, both serve on Zenith National Insurance Corp.’s board as well. How cozy is that? Mr. Panetta, serving as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff, undoubtedly made friends in the student loan lobby after the Clinton administration pushed higher education tax breaks, etc.  Those kinds of friendships last years and surely pay “dividends” just as long.

Former Senator Daschle, nominee for the Health and Human Services Secretary, was similarly linked to EduCap and plane trip(s).  Mr. Daschle, however, ran into a bigger problem – unpaid taxes – and that ultimately de-railed his nomination, so I doubt we’ll ever really know the extent to which he was(is) befriending the student loan lobby.  Thankfully his tax mis-hap helped us understand his relations with the medical lobby to whom he most certainly would have been thinking of while engineering a “better” system for us.

Obviously the President’s staff check the backgrounds of these individuals, and yet, we still manage to see stuff “dug” up about what could be conceived as conflicts of interest.  One suggestion for change: pay our senior leaders amounts that encourage them NOT to need to sell themselves to the highest bidder after leaving office.  As an example, the President of the United States is paid $400,000 annually, a far cry from what any top executive at a Fortune 100 company would make.  Consider that the cabinet members are paid considerably less, it is easy to understand why the temptations facing people leaving public service to make a quick buck here and there is so widespread.

Hearing on CIA nominee Panetta slated - UPI.com

No, I’m not talking about that old TV show, which by today’s standards seems idyllic.  I’m talking about this woman in California, who, apparently used fertility services to conceive and carry to birth EIGHT babies.  WOW.  That in and of itself would be newsworthy.

My personal belief is that society and government get too involved in what people do, but even I have limits.  From what I have read, we have a mother of six who decides she wants another child.  Call me crazy, but that seems to be scary itself, but add to that the fact that the mother lives with her mother and is unemployed you wonder.  Oh, but wait, she apparently uses some type of fertility services and ends up with OCTUPLETS.  That’s right EIGHT newborns. 

Who is going to support these children?  Clearly she is going to need a village to do it, both emotionally and financially.  I’m sure we’ll be helping (as taxpayers) to get all 14 children she is responsible for through school, etc.  Is that fair?  If I knowingly make a choice to have children what level of responsibility do I have to take in order to raise those children?  Can I impose my will to procreate on society in general?

The ethics and morality of medicine is an area I wish I had more time to ponder and comment on.

My final thought: We require people to have driver’s licenses to drive on our roads, is it time to have “birth licenses” and validate that you are capable and equipped to bring another life into this world?

Birth of octuplets rattles fertility experts - Los Angeles Times