Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky. Remember that name. He's the lone Washington politician blocking an extension of federal unemployment benefits to millions of Americans.Here's the deal, Mr. Bunning. Either you cough up the money now or you add to the growing economic crisis if millions of folks start falling off the cliff this Sunday. Many of these folks have never been unemployed in their lives and are trying very hard to find work, keep their homes and pay their bills despite the increasingly long odds. They have decimated their savings accounts while Washington has dragged its feet on creating a climate that would be supportive to job growth.You, Mr. Bunning, and other politicians played a big role in getting us into this recession. Now is not the time to play political games. Read more about what's at stake here.
Update: Apparently small-business owners aren't too happy with Sen. Bunning, either. In fact, even Republicans aren't supporting Bunning's obstructionist grandstanding. How can this happen? One politician shouldn't be able to do this. Read more.
Gannett, the publisher of USA Today (my former employer) and dozens of other newspapers, shed 8,100 jobs since 2007, according to Gannett Blog, which is published by a former employee, Jim Hopkins. The blog apparently has a large following and is worth a look for anyone interested in the media business.
, Md., a modest-at-best place where I worked in 1980, before it was bought by Gannett. It apparently hasn't changed much and is typical of smaller newspaper buildings.
Gannett has always been known for running lean operations at their community newspapers. But so have other media companies. Thomson Newspapers owned The Daily Times when I worked there and paid and staffed very poorly, despite fat profits from lots of paid advertisements and decent circulation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Of course, those were the days when newspapers had high-profit margins -- higher than most businesses. Not sure exactly where the profits went. Most folks in the newsroom made less than first-year school teachers. That hasn't improved much over the years.
The Gannett building in McLean might give the impression that journalists are rolling in cash. I can say with certainty that isn't true, which makes all the job losses in that industry even worse because many laid-off employees couldn't pad their savings accounts enough to weather this storm. Still, many journalists are hoping they can re-enter the field once the economy improves.
This is where whales belong. They don't belong in Sea World in a tank not big enough for an ordinary dolphin let alone a killer whale. They are social animals that are being forced into captivity for profit. The spirit is being ripped out of them every hour they are there. I don't want to hear anything more about education or research. People who really care to educate themselves or study these sea creatures should do it in the oceans, not as part of some carnival-like act in Orlando. There are plenty of whale-watching expeditions open to the general public. And it is far more educational, not to mention enlightening, to see whales in the wild versus in an over-sized fish tank with silly names and splash zones for the kiddies.
I have come to loathe zoos and places like Sea World. I believe it's particularly cruel to imprison large, social animals. I can't even go to the National Zoo in Washington, a freebie zoo that is generally ranked fairly high, without getting anxious seeing elephants and gorillas in small areas. I can't imagine the anxiety and depression the animals feel as morons throw popcorn at them, but I can relate to why they occasionally snap, as the killer whale did at Sea World yesterday. I feel sorry for the trainer who died in the incident, but it's just another sign that we need to move beyond this sort of treatment and containment of wild animals. We need to preserve their natural habitats and respect their roles on this planet that we all share. And their role isn't to amuse the village idiots who attend these amusement parks and don't think twice about what they are really witnessing. Sorry to sound harsh, but I have no patience for people who stuff cotton candy down their throats while teaching little Johnny that it's perfectly fine for these wonderful creatures to be ordered into doing tricks several times a day for a lifetime. These are probably the same children who grow up and think it's funny to get high and taunt a big cat in a zoo. Occasionally, the cat grabs one of these jerks. Remember that?
To be fair, Sea World in Orlando does some good work in rescuing various injured creatures such as sea turtles and manatees. There are caregivers there and elsewhere with good intentions. I personally knew the zoo director in Miami and he was truly concerned about the animals at his facility. These aren't all bad people. In fact, I am glad they are there so that the abuses aren't far worse. The trainer in Orlando probably cared a lot about the whale that eventually killed her. The empty suits behind these places are the bigger problem. Sea World and most places like it are for-profit facilities with more interest in the bottom line than in doing good work. The bean counters and corporate leaders are more interested is selling Shamu dolls than protecting whales. The smaller operators who don't have Sea World's resources are run even more shoddily.
I don't necessarily advocate closing down Sea World, but I do support the idea that it becomes more about conservation and stewardship and less about entertainment and profits. I don't think Sea World should use dolphins and whales for shows, period. The intellect of these mammals has been proven to be far superior to most other creatures. Rescue efforts are fine, as is allowing a certain degree of public exposure to those on-premises care and research procedures. In my opinion, that would send a better message to people wanting to learn about these large and often dangerous mammals. But, of course, we live in a culture where everyone has to be entertained 24/7. I fully expect a camera phone video of yesterday's fatality to show up on YouTube, making the event even more of a spectacle for the public.
I think the big orca shows send a mixed message to people. On one hand, folks can see the majesty of these creatures up close, which in some way might help raise awareness about protecting the ones in the wild. On the other hand, we're saying it's OK to remove whatever we want from the oceans, treat them anyway we see fit, if they increase ticket sales and amuse the masses.
An even worse offender than Sea World are the gaudy resorts that are now holding dolphins and other intelligent marine mammals captive in order to draw more business to their hotels. They don't even pretend the animals are there for educational purposes. Dolphins are among the most incredible animals on earth. To see them in some tank in the lobby of a hotel or used as a road-side attraction for tourists who want to pay to swim with them is an abomination.
I've gone to Sea World and similar places in Miami and New England. I like to think that I've grown since patronizing these aquariums/theme parks. I would also like to think that collectively human beings are growing more aware of the wrongs we commit against the natural world. Yet, as long as there are profits to be made and a lack of real education exists, I fear we may never move beyond these and other moral crimes.
"The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to." TOO SOON OLD, TOO LATE SMART — Dr. Gordon LivingstonA lot to ponder in this simple passage... And that's all I am going to say about that.
Maybe there is a small silver lining to the massive unemployment problem. The Washington Post reports that fast-food breakfast sales are down. Not good news for restaurants, but maybe a little health benefit for those prone to coronary problems.Of course, prolonged anxiety from not having a job probably does more damage to one's health than the occasional McGriddle on the way to work. I am a strong believer that constant stress is one of the most common causes of premature death. McDonald's loss might be the funeral industry's gain.
Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky. Remember that name. He's the lone Washington politician blocking an extension of federal unemployment benefits to millions of Americans.
