The Shrinking Newsroom

Recently the New York Times announced it was eliminating 100 newsroom jobs.  I suppose as a stockholder I should be happy; company stocks rose on the news.  

Spokesmen for the paper said, “The job losses are necessary to control our costs and to allow us to continue to invest in the digital future of The New York Times….”

Really.  The digital future.  The last year I taught at East Stroudsburg University, students told me they no read an actual paper, they got their news from the digital edition.  Unfortunately, they didn’t know a damn thing about what was happening in the world.

Cutting back on beef

One issue in the current presidential race in Brazil is the increase in the rate of forest clearing in that country.  A major reason for jungle clearance is to provide pastureland for beef cattle.  

Here’s another fact that troubles me.  The F.D.A. has found that antibiotics in animal feed grew by 16% between 2009 and 2012, even though we know that antibiotic resistance in humans is increasing.

The pork chops we buy from our local butcher (Haydt’s Meat Market) are from antibiotic-free and gestation-cage-free pigs.  I haven’t eaten a steak in years.  Nonetheless, I have decided to cut back considerably on my meat consumption. I won’t be all fanatic about it; if I’m a guest and the host serves a meat dish, I’ll be polite and eat it, but I will not be having any more quarter pounders at McDonalds.

I suppose I’ll have to do some research on where to get my protein.  I think peanut butter may substitute.

Democracy in Afghanistan

I’m not sure we can call Afghanistan a democracy when the two major parties contested less than 60 percent of the legislative seats.  One party, the Republican, did not nominate anyone for 20.4% of the state legislative races; the other party did not nominate anyone in 22.9% of those races.  That means that in 43.3% of the legislative races there was no contest between the two major parties. 

Oh, wait, I’m sorry, I made a big mistake.  

That wasn’t in Afghanistan, that is in the U.S.  Only 56.7% of the state legislative seats up for election this year are contested.  In our own area in Schuylkill County we have a pinhead named Jerry Knowles running uncontested.  

I’m not sure what you call that system, but I’m pretty sure you can’t call it a democracy.

If you are wondering where I got those statistics, they are from the Oct. issue of the Ballot Access News, one of the most accurate sources of political news I know.

Schuylkill beats Carbon

According to an article by Chris Parker in today’s Times News, Schuylkill County has beaten Carbon County in the obesity race.  It seems that Schuylkill County is the eighth fattest county in Pennsylvania, while Carbon only ranks 24th.  About 33% of Schuylkill residents are obese, while in Carbon only 32% are obese.

How did we Carbon residents allow this to happen?  Where is our pride?  We drink beer.  We eat Big Macs.  We sit on our couches watching “Ridiculousness” and Nascar races.  Nonetheless, we have allowed Schuylkill residents to jump ahead.  We must do more.

I’m doing my part.  This morning I ate scrapple and eggs.  For lunch I had three pieces of pizza with extra cheese.  Tonight I had three pirogies drenched in butter.  Before I go to bed I’ll have at least three bottles of beer.  People of Carbon, we cannot let the Skooks defeat us.  Eat up.  Drink up.  And whatever you do, do not exercise.  We can do this.

Privatizing Social Security

Republican Joni Ernst, who is running for the Senate from Iowa, promises to protect Social Security for everyone over the age of 55.

Lou Barletta did the same thing two years ago in a rather famous confrontation with Linda Christman, who pointed out that people under 55 also deserved Social Security. 

You would think that after the most recent recession, Republicans would abandon the idea of privatizing Social Security, but you have to say this—they never give up a bad idea.

If we do nothing, the Social Security system is solvent until 2033.  To make it solvent after that, we can tweak it, either by raising the retirement age or by getting rid of the cap.  Currently income above $117,000 is exempt from the payroll tax.

What people like Barletta and Ernst are hoping is that older Americans have the attitude that can be summed up as, “I’ve got mine Jack, screw you.”  I hope they are wrong.

Columnist Gail Collins suggests that one way to combat this Republican idea is that people in the room who are 54 should break into loud sobs.

Questions for the pipeline company

Tonight a representative from the company proposing to build a natural gas pipeline across eastern Pennsylvania was supposed to be at the Towamensing Township Supervisors’ meeting to answer questions from concerned residents.  Late yesterday we received an email that the representative would not be attending the meeting.  This is the second time the company has cancelled.  Supposedly a meeting in Palmerton next month will answer all our questions.

My thought is that the pipeline company is hoping that with enough cancellations people will give up.  It is also easier for residents to attend their own township meeting than to go to one in Palmerton., so the number of angry people will be reduced.  The pipeline is not going through Palmerton.

Since there was no meeting tonight, I will share the questions I was planning to ask.  I had them all printed out on a two-page statement I was prepared to distribute. 

1.  Is the landowner responsible for keeping the right-of-way above the pipeline clear of trees and vegetation, or does the company do that?

2.  What is the circumference of the pipeline?

3.  Will the gas in the pipeline be refined?  Is it true that unrefined gas, straight from the wellhead, is more likely to explode?

4.  Who maintains liability if the pipeline explodes?

5.  Can UGI transfer responsibility or sell the pipeline to another company?  What happens if the company goes bankrupt?  If either of those contingencies occur, of what value are the company’s assurances?

6.  Will our homeowner’s insurance increase as a result of the pipeline?

The most popular name for boys in Israel

It’s Muhammad.  I am not making this up.  

Last year 1,986 baby boys were named Muhammad.  Twenty-one percent of Israelis are Arabs.  Six percent of the civil service jobs are filled by Arabs.  1.2% of the tenure track positions in Israeli universities are filled by Arabs.

F.Y.I:  That info came from an article by Jodi Rudoren in yesterday’s Times.