After a while...all lists and advice starts to feel the same and generic from everyone. A delivery driver can invent his own advice list too...and it would sound equally so profound. You got to be your own individualistic human bean with your own life wisdoms, lessons, perspectives and experiences
What is the beef that the nurses at Long Beach Memorial Hospital on Atlantic Boulevard (who I just witnessed protesting on the sidewalk outside the facility) have about their current contract? The nurses at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, located at 2801 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, California, have significant concerns about their working conditions and the lack of progress in contract negotiations with MemorialCare. Represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), the nurses have been in contentious negotiations since February 2025, with little movement on key issues. Their grievances, which led to a one-day strike on May 22, 2025, include: Unsafe Staffing Levels: Nurses report chronic understaffing, which they say compromises patient care. They frequently submit "assignment despite objection" forms, indicating unsafe patient-to-nurse ratios and insufficient ancillary staff, such as breakers or support roles, to provide safe and therapeutic care. Workplace Violence: Nurses are demanding stronger workplace violence protections, including compliance with California’s workplace violence prevention law. Incidents like a patient bringing a gun into the hospital in December 2024 highlight their safety concerns, with requests for measures like metal detectors at entrances unmet. Inadequate Working Conditions: Issues include forced floating (nurses being reassigned to units without proper training), broken equipment, and lack of supplies, all of which erode patient safety and increase nurse burnout. Layoffs and Service Cuts: MemorialCare announced 115 layoffs effective July 1, 2025, following 72 layoffs in February 2024 and 60 in March 2025, citing a $40 million shortfall. These cuts, affecting nurses and other staff, along with closures like the outpatient pharmacy and blood donor center, have heightened tensions. Nurses argue that these reductions exacerbate staffing issues and undermine patient care. Lack of Good Faith Negotiations: The nurses accuse MemorialCare of engaging in unfair labor practices, including canceling bargaining sessions (e.g., May 9, 2025) and proposing to pause negotiations until July unless the union withdraws strike notices. The hospital’s response to the May 22 strike included a four-day lockout, further straining relations. Unaddressed Economic Issues: Negotiations have stalled on non-economic issues, with hospital management refusing to discuss pay raises until other points are resolved, frustrating nurses who seek competitive wages to improve retention. These issues reflect the nurses’ broader fight for a contract that ensures safe staffing, workplace safety, and fair compensation. The strike and ongoing pickets, such as the one on March 18, 2025, underscore their commitment to addressing these concerns, while MemorialCare’s actions, including layoffs and lockouts, have deepened the conflict.
I like the look of the ivy-covered apartment building at 445 E. 3rd street, so I googled the address to get an image and wound up with this boring structure... However, this is what it actually looks like today... ...a much-improved aesthetic!
The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in 2008 primarily due to the inability of the team's owner, Clay Bennett, to secure a new arena deal in Seattle. The existing KeyArena, where the SuperSonics played, was considered outdated and inadequate compared to other modern NBA arenas.