A crime against man and nature

The New York Times and The Washington Post are doing a good job of covering the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, I don't think the average American is grasping the magnitude of this disaster or how it might eventually impact them. This is about more than just not being able to eat your favorite seafood.

Here's a link to a decent assortment of multimedia graphics on the Times site. And here's the latest on the scope of the spill from the Post. If you're relying on the network television news to give you substantive reporting, forget about it. The best broadcast reporting is being done by the PBS Newshour. I recommend tuning in.

I've said almost everything I can say about BP and other oil executives. Just looking at those three suits pointing fingers at each other in front of Congress last week confirmed everything I suspected. It's the same old story. Lies, arrogance and extreme corporate wealth continue to allow people and companies to wiggle their ways out of being held accountable. These guys need to go to jail. Getting a scolding from a senator or President Obama isn't exactly a strong deterrent. We fine people for littering. What should be the penalty for a massive oil spill?

Americans need to wake up and demand better from business leaders. From sketchy coal mine operators to shady bankers, slimy oil executives to greedy Wall Street investors, we are letting bald-headed men with designer suits and private jets destroy our environment and economy while they continue to prosper. They are doing more damage to this country than any illegal alien or would-be car bomber.

Calling this an accident is not a valid reason to not prosecute these oil executives. Negligence in certain cases is a crime. At the very least, BP was negligent in not having a plan to contain this spill after the fatal accident occurred. Oh yes, people on the oil rig did die. That seems to get lost in the story. And in terms of destroying property, livelihoods and local economies, I can't think of a bigger crime than what is taking place in the gulf.

Manager: Check the job site and leave me alone

I have been ignored, lied to, rejected and occasionally encouraged by folks in hiring positions during my search for a job. But until today, I don't recall anyone actually responding rudely to my inquiring about potential openings, unless you consider no response as being ill mannered.

I keep a record of every place that I contact. I maintain notes about how hiring managers respond to my inquires, whether they sound pessimistic or encouraging in e-mails and phone conversations. I don't follow up with anyone who doesn't respond to initial inquiries, figuring that's probably not the type of person I would want to work for anyway.

I made some routine phone calls and sent out some follow-up e-mails today to see whether some folks who I first corresponded with in February and March had any news for me concerning possible openings. In some cases, they asked me to do that. In other cases, I just do it on my own initiative, figuring working people are far too busy to remember to check in with me every two or three months.

I was surprised this afternoon when "Mr. Rude" essentially told me not to contact him anymore and to just check the company's Web site for job openings in the future. I softened his words a bit. This reaction was a 180 from his empathetic and complimentary response in March. I guess he doesn't believe much in karma or was just having a bad day.

There is a lot that I didn't anticipate when I become unemployed for the first time in my life at age 51. I knew the financial hardships were going to be hard, of course. I knew finding work in a recession was going to be a challenge, but I had conquered more difficult tasks in my life. I knew my confidence might be shaken, but I didn't anticipate the blatant rudeness that came my way today or the days in which I can't get a call back or acknowledgment of an application. And through these last 17 months, the one question that remains a bit unnerving: How does someone work successfully and uninterrupted for 29 years and suddenly become an outcast, a pest, a burden on society in the eyes of some? I guess I should have asked that of Mr. Rude.

U.S. representative responds to blog item

I am flattered that Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia apparently reads this blog. The congressman snail-mailed me a second letter today clarifying why his first note was tardy, which was something I mentioned in a post last week.

"I try to respond to my mail as fast as I can, but sometimes the volume of mail and e-mail can slow down the response time," he said.

Wolf ended the letter with his best wishes regarding my search for employment, noting that "the newspaper industry is in dire straits." To quote another Republican of lesser intellect, "You betcha."

Maybe I should send a resume to Mr. Wolf's office. I've never said I couldn't work for a Republican. How 'bout it, Frank? Want to help out a journalist down on his luck?

In all serious, the 10th-District representative is a pretty decent guy. I have heard many positive stories from Virginians about his willingness to reach out over the years. When he came to my office at a newspaper in Manassas, Va., to talk about various issues with me 15 years ago, I was very impressed that he would take the time to acknowledge the small publication. Many politicians in Washington don't bother with community newspapers. They go for the large-circulation papers like USA Today, my last place of employment, or The Washington Post.

Now, about that job ...

Moments of helpful surrender

Some days there's just nothing to say. When that happens, this blog usually goes dark for 24 or 48 hours. Why force it? It's not like I am being paid for this or providing the world with any great service. I am a humble blogger getting more humble by the hour.

For whatever reason, there have been more days recently where I just sit back in a kind of contemplative amazement, watching the wheels go round and round, as John Lennon said. It's like seeing the fog roll in. It's scenic, mesmerizing and ominous all at the same time. And there isn't a whole lot one can do about it except to take it in.

Today is one of those days.

The right fit is more important than age

Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies became the oldest Major League Baseball player to pitch a shutout last Friday. He's 47.

One day later, Betty White hosted Saturday Night Live. Ratings went through the roof as the 88-year-old actress showed the young'uns how it's done. Yes, she can still get laughs for all the right reasons.

Last month, Al Pacino, 70, turned in his best performance in years playing Jack Kevorkian in an HBO film. The movie and stage actor isn't quite ready for the Kevorkian death machine.

A friend of mine recently raved about a musical performance given by 64-year-old Van Morrison. U2 remains one of the biggest bands in the world at an average age of 50. Now into their 60s, Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett keep packing concert halls.

I am not sure why anyone would question the ability of any of these people just because of their age. Their continuing success speaks for itself. Experience matters. So does talent and authenticity. And while certain skills may diminish with age, there are a lot of older folks who can still out perform less experienced people with borderline abilities.

It didn't surprise me that Betty White did well on SNL. That's what she does. She makes people laugh. She doesn't need to pad her resume or get a Madison Avenue makeover. She's the real deal. Jamie Moyer may not throw the heater anymore, but from years of experience he knows how to pitch. He's using his head as much as his aging arm.

Hollywood occasionally rediscovers actors who are over 50. Mickey Rourke's resurgence in The Wrestler is a good example of that and it paid off at the box office and with DVD sales. Marlon Brando turned in one of his best performances in The Godfather when he was well over 50. The key to their late-career success is that they were cast in the right roles. They weren't rolled out like carnival freaks so that some empty suit could make a buck. The material fit their abilities and age. It was respectful of their talents.

These right matches don't always happen, which is why audiences can sometimes be led to believe that a performer is washed up. But when the role or material fits the performer, magic can occur. Brett Favre with the talented Minnesota Vikings didn't look nearly as old as Brett Favre with the lowly New York Jets the previous season.

It seems time and time again seasoned people are proving that careers don't have to end at 50. Given the right opportunity to shine, these folks are flourishing. Joe Torre took over managing the New York Yankees in his late 50s and won several championships long after most baseball executives thought he was washed up. It was a good fit for Torre, not just a job to ride into retirement. But it took some intelligence by the people who hired him to see that potential. They had to look beyond Torre being an older man, possibly in the twilight of his career.

Unfortunately, the majority of American companies haven't gotten on the experienced-worker bandwagon. The statistics show that if you're laid off and over 50 you're more likely to be out of work for a longer period of time. Under these new rules in this dreadful economy, Betty White might not have ever progressed beyond the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Al Pacino would have been out of acting sometime after Scarface and would have never won an Oscar for Scent of a Woman.