The Latest Addiction: Cell-Phone Mania

Officer Kent Porter received a call last fall, late in the afternoon, about two teenagers who had stolen DVDs at Guitar Grave, in Portland's downtown area. Porter was met by the store’s owner who said he’d chased one of the thieves down Elm Street and then lost him near Portland High School.

During the chase the youth dropped his cell phone, which was turned over to the officer.

After Porter saw a number for "Mom," he dialed it, got her name and address, and was told her son wasn’t home yet. Now that's making good use of a cell phone. I approve of that!

Police were waiting to arrest the teenage thief upon his arrival. And speaking of Officer Kent Porter, what a name! Whenever I hear it, I always think he should go to Hollywood with that moniker.

What! You Don't Have a Cell Phone?

And now to get back to cell phones, lest I get too distracted. I may be the only person in Portland without a cell phone, and that would include most high school students. I don't need one! I don't have to be available to people every minute of the day. That's the purpose of an answering machine, which I do have.

How about those folks at the supermarket gabbing on their cells? What are they talking about? Whether to purchase Wonder Bread or focaccia?

And then there are all of those people supposedly walking along together; but in so many instances, one of them is blabbing into a mouthpiece.

 

I see people on cell phones walking with their children; people on cell phones walking dogs;   people on cell phones walking alone; people supposedly driving cars who are yakking on cell phones.

I do understand that cell phones have an important function today. They are certainly necessary for people who have professions where they may be called for emergencies. But I've also read that some women carrying cell phones will place themselves into potentially risky situations because they believe the phone carries such an element of safety. That isn't a good thing.

A Carnegie Mellon University study just released has shown that merely listening to a cell phone while driving impairs drivers. The study will be appear in an upcoming edition of Brain Research.

Cell phones are just everywhere. You can't escape them. There are too many cell-phone users who are also inconsiderate of everyone else around them. Restaurants are not places where you should hear ringtones going off every few minutes. There are probably a million different ringtones available, so that everyone with a cell phone can be truly unique. There should be a ban on their use in these establishments.

I'm sure you've come across people who have their hands free while walking down the street and talking on a phone. When you first approach them you get the impression that they're talking to themselves. But they aren't. They're probably speaking to some other nincompoop who's walking down another street spouting gibberish into a phone.

Perhaps cell phones will be given to children at birth. Then they can fit into our manic telephone society as soon as they begin walking and talking.

"Hello Nana!"

Cell Phones and the Hereafter

And would you believe that some people are desirous of being buried with their cell phones?

I'm not really interested in putting profanity on this site, but when someone sent me this road sign, how could I resist? It just sums it all up so well, and so succinctly.

Amen!