Why is it that Starbucks, and places like it put a smile on our faces? I cannot speak for everyone, but I can tell you that from my own experience it can change an otherwise dreary day into one of hope. This may sound a bit overstated, but bear with me for a moment.

As a society we have become one with our computer, and sadly that means we find ourselves locked away behind a keyboard and screen for most of our day. This also means that we do not “get out there” and greet the world like we used to. Yes, there are social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and hundreds more, but we are socializing through a computer screen! I am a big fan of these sites and belong to a few of them.  In fact, I have caught up with many old friends from various stages of my life that I thought I had lost contact with forever so I am definitely a 21st century geek in very real proportions; however, they do not replace being out in the public and meeting new people.

So, this week I have been feeling a bit down. Perhaps it is the change of seasons. Perhaps it is the state of the economy. Perhaps it is that I know I have a mountain of grades to post, or perhaps it is the fact that I had a summer cold. Whatever the reasonI knew that I needed to get back “out there.” So, I packed up my briefcase and headed out to my favorite Starbucks, and here I sit with a grin on my face.

Starbucks and my “skinny latte” have not changed the state of the economy or posted any of my grades for me, but it has brightened my mood. I can sit here for hours working and watch people come and go. Some have become familiar faces over the months, while others are new and transient customers grabbing a bit of caffeine during their whirlwind of a day. We all have one thing in common. We took a moment to be part of life; part of something greater than our own momentary pathos. Could be just a nod or a smile. Could be a lengthy discussion on economics with a group of regulars. Could be sharing a table with a stranger. It doesn’t really matter. It forces us to connect; in the literal way and not through a fiber optic cable.

The moral to the story here is that we can all let the sorrows of our lives and the world get to us until we drown, but if we take a moment out, and connect with the world around us we will all start smiling again.  Even if just for a brief moment over a grande, double, half caff, soy, sugar free vanilla, iced, upside down latte.

Oh, and hold the whip.

Some residents of Big Tujunga in the Los Angeles area are making claims today that their homes were lost when firefighters were diverted to the Palos Verdes fire. Now, for those of you not located in Los Angeles I will give you a little geography and fiscal education. Big Tujunga is fairly well populated with older smaller homes dotted throughout the canyon while Palos Verdes is populated with larger, many newer, more opulent homes. Now let’s do the math:

According to several real estate websites the mean home price in Palos Verdes, CA is just under $1 million. The mean home price in Big Tujunga, CA is between $400,000 – $500,000.  If property taxes are assessed at around 1% we can easily see that between the two areas Palos Verdes is the big ticket item for the state.  A state in dire financial crisis I might add.

Right now you are saying “that can’t be!” How can a professor of business ethics jump on the accusatory bandwagon of alleging financial favoritism? Has the latest news story gotten to her head without doing the research? Have conspiracy theorists invaded her cerebellum? No. Quite the contrary. I am not jumping on a bandwagon, not a conspiracy theorist, but most importantly am speaking from personal observation.

What the residents of Big Tujunga are claiming rings true. Almost every other year now I have been evacuated from my own canyon home above Chatsworth, CA due to raging, out of control fires. I am not complaining about this fact because I accept the pitfalls of living in paradise. Four years ago we were evacuated and I attended an NBC news conference being held by Mayor Villaraigosa and the fire chief just below the canyon. They proudly announced to the crowd and the cameras how the water drops were taking place at that very moment in Bell canyon. Now, this would have been good, but the homes most in danger were in Box and Woolsey Canyons. The fire had not even reached Bell canyon at that point, but rest assured those homes were protected while not one water drop had occurred in Box or Woolsey. When I confronted the mayor about this he hemmed and hawed so I pressed the point and inquired as to whether the higher property taxes in Bell canyon had anything to do with why we were not receiving the needed water drops. While watching the television camera go from my face to his repeatedly he appeared to be a deer caught in the headlights then sputtered out that he would personally go check on our homes. To his credit he did just that, but I wanted water drops like Bell Canyon was getting not a mayoral visit. We did begin to get water drops just minutes after his trip up our canyon, and I am not saying definitively it was because of my confrontation, but I also don’t believe in coincidences.

So, when I saw Bert Voorhees, resident of a burnt out home in Big Tujunga Canyon, make his claims on the news today I gave a silent cheer and ran to my blog. After all, I have a blog on ethics and what could be more unethical than greed on the part of our government? Some may argue that it makes financial sense. I say garbage! It is not okay, nor is it ethical to decide whose home gets saved by the value of their property tax! Next thing you know the government will decide whose life is worth saving by how much money they have. Uh oh, they already do that. It’s called health care and war.