Prisoners claim to think they are more moral than others

A study of about 79 prisoners (and, I believe, a few non-prisoners from the research team as controls) claims that prisoners think they are more moral than other prisoners and others not in prison.
QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN
A short newspaper article has no time to give details on the questionnaire. The questionnaire often has yes or no answers. For example, is a restaurant good or bad? It might have great food but bad drinks. A human being might defraud banks but be kind to animals.
The prisoner might think he was just unlucky to be caught.
All we know is that the prisoners either think they are more moral, or think that they should be, or they think of themselves that way, or want the person asking questions to think that. Maybe they just want to get out of prison by appearing better than average. Or they lie more on questionnaires!
So what are the conclusions?
PRISONERS' VIEWS ON BEING IN PRISON
Why do they think they are in prison if they are more moral?
Bad luck - at getting caught? Because the cops and police are biased?
Because they are moral but know they have low IQ and misunderstand rules?
Because of mistaken identity?
Have they forgotten what they did? In denial?
Just lying to the questionnaire in the hope of early release?
Lying, boasting?
Self-deluded?
Want to go straight but easily tempted because go for immediate gain (e.g. from theft) worry about being caught later, later?
Optimists? Think they will get away with crime?
Pessimists? Think if I don't take this money now I'll never have any?
Feel they deserve more?
Revenge?
Is the problem to make them see the truth - would that alter their behaviour?
Or do those who claim they 'can't remember' a crime telling the truth?
Does it matter?
Should we be punishing criminals or locking them up?

I think the questionnaire should have been done differently.
Ask people different questions. Don't ask what they think. Ask what they do. And what they think they should do. And whether they are happy to continue acting the same way? Or would they prefer to change?
Do they commit crime on impulse without thinking of the consequences?
Do they think they get away with it?
Do they think others are lawless and they are only doing what everybody does.
If they want to change:
1 Would they prefer not to be tempted? (For example, goods not on display in self-service shops but you have to ask an assistant for goods.)
2 Or would they prefer tougher penalties?
3 Or name and shame? Or rewards for good conduct?
4 Or to be less worried?
5 Or to make it easier to return goods?
6 Or to relate to the shop assistant by name? Or know the boss of the store?
If you find money in your home do you return it to the owner? If you find money in the street do you return it to the owner?
IF WE WANT TO CHANGE THEM
Society wants to prevent crime, catch criminals, spend less on prisons, prevent re-offending. Recompensing victims comes low down and late in the history of prison reform.
In criminal cases courts in the old days did not enough.
   The message could be that prisoners see themselves differently from the way non-prisoners see themselves. Or, that we all see ourselves differently from the way others see us. Some see themselves as always in wrong. Others see themselves as always in the right. the middle group see themselves as the norm, the average. Does that mean they think that half the world are saints, and half are sinner. Or that everybody is or should be like them?
   The rule of one never applies to the whole world. My father survived WWII. He ate apples. That doesn't mean that everybody survived World War II. Nor that if you eat apples, you will survive a world war. You have to take a group of people. That's what a survey does.

Fabulous foods and drinks- Easy to find on Facebook

It's time to declutter and throw out my papers from the BBC GoodFood show in London. But before I do that I must make a note of the highlights for myself, you and any other potential visitors to next year's show or anybody who wants to know what they missed at last year's.

Assuming that we could actually stick to our New year's resolution to do the 2 day a week diet, that leaves us five working days when we can enjoy normal or even wicked food.
For the five days when you indulge in what you fancy regardless:

Let's take the happy view that we are all overworked and overpaid and overeating and can afford to indulge in pricey spices and foods.

FUN FOODS & DRINKS

SWEET POPCORN & CHOCOLATE
While we are deciding what to do first, some popcorn:
Garrett's popcorn shops:
facebook.com/GarrettPopcornUK
I really like their tin of popcorn, smart enough to serve at a party or take to a party. I think it was a one off pre-Christmas idea, but if enough people demand it, they make make some more.

Next chocolate. Green & Blacks have dozens of varieties, all delicious. I like anything with nuts, which gives you sustenance, and fruit, or ginger.
I'm also a sucker (literally a sucker) for any new chocolate. As a piece, or a chocolate drink.
choclatl.co.uk
For a great birthday gift in the shape of the recipient's job (workplace gift?) or hobby, you can get chocolate in the shape of keys, scissors and diy tools. See schokolat.co.uk
What kind of chocolate? Belgian chocolate with 60% cocoa solids. For Xmas, Valentine's Day, mother's day, father's day, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, moving home, and congratulations, for example on exam success. The press handout says some of their product contain E numbers. More details from their website.

SUGAR FREE NOSH
Sugarfree ice cream and sorbet. They do chocolate, coffee, berry, or mango.
taywell.co.uk/nosh

SAVOURY SAUCES
If you fancy a curry and can't be bothered to cook, or want to use up your Xmas or Sunday chicken leftovers, try the Great British Sauce Company. Facebook.com/GBsauce
The Big dipper has some great tastes. My favourite was Cocunut and Chilli Butternut. They change seasonally.
If money is no object, their party Packs are about £25 for four pots.


COOKERY COURSES - SMOKED FOOD TO SWEET FIG MACAROONS
How about smoked salmon? In the old days you hung your salmon over the wood-burning or coal fire under the chimney. Now I buy mine in the supermarket or eat at restaurants. But you could make your own, or learn how it is done, the better to judge the quality of the food you are buying or ordering.
Food courses for food lovers: Coldsmoking
Facebook.com/coldsmoking

Cordon Bleu has the name for great skills, but did you know you can now do a cordon Bleu course in London. A member of Harrovians Toastmasters speakers group sometimes brings us her delicious confections. I went on the course at the show matching three wines to three flavours of macaroons, just wonderful. My favourite was foie gras and fig. The ingredients you need include foie gras terrine and double cream. Oh, dear. But it did taste lovely.  Christmas pudding macaroon was a novelty and easier to source and make and get past your left wing politically correct vegetarian friends.
Le Cordon Bleu London.
lelondon.com

FAVOURITE FLAVOUR - TRUFFLE OIL
My favourite new flavour is truffle oil from Italy. Really tastes of truffles. Add it to eggs or whatever you fancy. A small bottle can spice up lots of meals.
I can't remember where it's from but the man promoting it was also from www.manzanogolfresort.it
It's a local speciality of the Tuscany region.

TO GO WITH IT - FLORA TEA
Green tea  - just add water and a flower grows in your glass. An amusing party trick.
floratea.com

What else did I learn? Can't tell you, because after
For next year's shows: www.bbcgoodfoodshowlondon.com
Note it in your diary for November. If you are off around the country there will be other food shows by the BBC and others further north in England (Birmingham? Hull?), as well as Wales and Scotland.

The Two Day Diet

Two days a week? Let's make that the weekend - I need to eat during the week to get work done.
Great idea. You could do a five day week then go to a hotel offering the diet with use of the leisure centre swimming pool to stave off boredom. For those of us who are not keen cooks, maybe if a moderately priced hotel chain offered this they could fill the hotels at weekends when hotels are empty because the business customers have all gone home. Sign up for four weekends and get the fifth free. 

Nil By Mouth in hospital

I see two problems which occur often in hospitals. You see a sign over your relative's bed which says Nil By Mouth. You think they are trying to kill your relative on the Liverpool pathway by denying food, water (which is painful and causes headaches and a swollen tongue and prevents you swallowing food and water and speaking). If the family are all overweight as is the patient and they equate feeding with loving they feel they are giving their sick relative comfort and love as well as sustaining food and health by giving food. If the hospital had understood and said they were feeding the patient nutrition through a tube in the arm, but the patient's throat is sore from an operation / thrush, whatever, that might be OK. Alternatively, to leave the patient in intensive care and unconscious so they do not eat until the throat has healed might be an alternative, but generally you want to get the patient up and about and breathing. The whole family needs a sensible diet and sympathetic talks in person and/or by phone before and after surgery and hospitalisation.

If I ruled the world

If I ruled the world:
1 All cups would be stacking.
2 All chairs would be stacking, folding, stain proof, have high upright backs, and be height adjustable and expand to the length of your upper legs.
3 All beds would adjust to the hardness you desired.
4 Every street would have a corner shop which included police/neighbourhood watch, doctor cum pharmacy, library/internet, lost and found, citizens advice and 24 hour supermarket.
5 All phones, computers, cars, children, parents, spouses and shopkeepers would have a tracking/find me device.
6 My bank would bleep me whenever money went or or out and automatically transfer money to the new accounts offering higher interest.
7 Every business would have workers logging in so nobody illegal worked.
8 In every street you would be able to donate leftovers to a leftovers kitchen.
9 Nobody would have nuclear weapons. Or any weapons. Instead of national service we would have one week a year doing community service.
10 All offices, hospitals, homes and gardens, inside and out would have a weekly spring clean/repair service as part of the council tax, the way that we now have parks locked daily and bins emptied weekly.
11 All school leavers would be assigned to work experience in their last year's holidays, at least two on overseas exchange programmes.

Dead wrong, dead right!

After my late uncle died in Barnet hospital, I picked up his post - which asked him to come into outpatients for an eye test.
   When I phoned outpatients at the weekend I was forwarded to a recorded message from maternity. My dead uncle was not pregnant.
   When I complained on Monday, the apologetic lady who answered said something along the lines of, 'Oh, dear, not again!'
  Hospitals should check that the morgue notifies outpatients.
   At the time I could just about see the funny side. I now have more of a sense of humour.

Death in the house - need a new one?

A woman asked the council for a new council house when she learned somebody had previous died in hers.
1 I've seen little houses you build yourself in a day. Everybody who wants a new house should build their own. Pay back the cost on a mortgage.
2 What of the people who cannot live where somebody has died? Does that mean you cannot visit a grave? or be a caretaker of a graveyard? That does limit where you live and work.
I worried whether the previous owner of my house, an old lady, had died in it. My neighbour, who is a nurse, laughed. She said, 'What about hospitals!'
People have died or are buried in every church, hospital, under roads, the gates to most cities, on many big construction sites, the Tay bridge, Kings Cross, Clapham Junction, most London underground stations, the Channel tunnel, under car parks, in Hastings, on many beaches, most fields and villages in Belgium, Scotland and Wales, Ireland, all medieval castles, Victorian and Edwardian houses, the whole of the East End of London which was bombed in the war, large areas of France such as Normandy. Nobody would ever inherit anything. No caretaker could live in and guard the premises marked by a blue plaque as a home of the famous. And don't get in an ambulance.