Fish for Friday

Edited by Morris Dean

[Anonymous selections from recent correspondence]

Robert Reich observes that what someone is paid has little or no relationship to what their work is worth to society: "Work and Worth." Excerpt:

Does anyone seriously believe hedge-fund mogul Steven A. Cohen is worth the $2.3 billion he raked in last year, despite being slapped with a $1.8 billion fine after his firm pleaded guilty to insider trading?
    On the other hand, what’s the worth to society of social workers who put in long and difficult hours dealing with patients suffering from mental illness or substance abuse? Probably higher than their average pay of $18.14 an hour, which translates into less than $38,000 a year.

Learn the myths and truths about plastic pollution in our ocean. With many people visiting the beach this summer, not to mention all the coverage that ocean plastics has received recently, it’s a great opportunity to clear up some of the misconceptions about plastics in the ocean: "The Five Myths (and Truths) About Plastic Pollution in Our Ocean." Excerpt:

Myth: There are floating islands of plastics in every ocean.
    Fact: Only a small percentage of ocean plastics float at the sea surface.Most plastics are dispersed throughout the water column, resting on the seafloor, trapped in Arctic ice, or inside ocean animals. The plastic gyres you hear about in the news are primarily composed of tiny plastic particles that are the degraded fragments of their original form (i.e., bottles, containers, toys)—many are the size of a grain of rice.

Myth: Ocean plastic primarily comes from ocean dumping and industry, such as cruise ships or container ships.
    Fact: Most of the plastics in the ocean come from items we use every day—bags, bottles, caps, food containers, etc. By limiting single-use plastics in our everyday lives and disposing of these items properly, we can reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean.

How bitterly ironic to realize that the descendants of the people who fled the Midwest "Dust Bowl" 80 years ago and found new hope and livelihoods in California, may have to consider fleeing back toward the Midwest to escape today's "Dust Bowl" in drought-stricken California: "A modern-day Dust Bowl."

Good advice: "You can only become accomplished at something you truly love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and do them so well, people can't take their eyes off of you." –Maya Angelou

I woke early and it was very cold. When I went in to the camp's bathroom to have a shower, the dipstick in one of the shower cubicles stayed in there so long that by the time I turned the hot water tap, he had used it all. I had a cold shower at 33°F in about 90 seconds!!!!!! Jerk. I almost said something to him, but figured it would just go over his head. You just can't fix STUPID!
    Or, if I had said something, it wouldn't have bothered me for him to become violent. I was so mad, he could have been the Incredible Hulk and I would have made him whimper. He was probably in his 50's, with "cute" multiple earrings going up his ears. That's the first thing I would have torn out to disable the moron. Just a Richard Cranium he was. Figured out what that means? (Dick Head)
    In a past life several years ago when I was more agile and buff, not to mention younger, I used to be a security guard and a bouncer before that. I learned very quickly to look for weak areas when confronted or simply approached by someone who looked a little suspect. There is always somewhere that's vulnerable.

My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post's to be exactly what I'm looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn't mind publishing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome blog! My web site...mobile home air conditioning units prices.

A Sunday School teacher had her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible – Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task, but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
    On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was extremely nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."'

Limerick-inspired verse of the week:

The bent-over neighbor lady's fine derriere
spoke clearly to my instincts, "Do hurry here!"
    but she wasn't my wife,
    she was Joe's, on my life,
and morality cautioned me,"Don't tarry there."

Copyright © 2014 by Morris Dean