RIPs and Other News

There's so much bad news out there right now. Where to begin? How about RIPs for Charlie Murphy and David Letterman's mom Dorothy. I enjoyed watching both of these people on television. Charlie's skits on Dave Chappelle's show were often great and Dorothy was a ray of sunshine on Letterman's Late Show especially when she did her pie thing around Thanksgiving. 

In other news, I'm glad to see United changed its tune about the handling of the passenger who refused to be "re-accommodated" from his flight to Kentucky. I guess once their stock price dropped and they started losing some serious money, they decided to take a more apologetic approach to try and stop the bleeding. Had they simply handled the passenger in a more humane way, the company wouldn't have found itself in this position. 

Airline Beatdown

All I can do  is shake my head while watching the recent viral video of a man being pulled and dragged from his seat on a United flight from Chicago to Kentucky. That man didn't deserve to be treated like this just because he refused to give up his seat on a flight. As someone who flies United often and never had a problem, I'm shocked to see the airline treat a passenger so terribly. I'm sure they now realize that their bad customer treatment will only result in bad publicity for their airline. And all of this nonsense was done to accommodate United crew members who needed to get to Kentucky? Why didn't United just put them on other flights with other carriers if necessary? Had they simply worked around their problem instead of assaulting a man who did nothing to deserve an airline beatdown, this entire situation could have been avoided. Is this the new world order we're forced to live under? Is this Donny T's America? God, I hope not.

Bagged Lettuce

I read this morning that some folks in Florida discovered a dead bat in their bagged lettuce and, to make matters worse, they had eaten from the bag before the decomposed bat bits were discovered. Ugh. I can't even imagine eating from a bag of anything that had a dead bat inside of it. Now those folks who were exposed to the bat have to be tested for rabies. I swore of bagged lettuce myself a few months ago when I opened a bag and a silverfish crawled out. Thankfully, I hadn't eaten any of the lettuce and I was in the process of washing it when the bug showed up. Ugh. That bag went straight into the garbage and I decided I was done with bagged lettuce. Now, if I want lettuce, I'll get some that I can inspect first. I understand bugs can get into produce, but you'd think these companies that sell bagged lettuce would inspect the contents before it's bagged. Always wash your produce before you eat it, bagged or not. At least then you've got a fighting chance to catch something nasty that may have hitched a ride with your foodstuffs.

Rahm Requirements

Recently, failed Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed certain requirements that public school students would have to meet in order to receive a high school diploma. Students would have to show a college acceptance letter, a letter stating that the student has been accepted into a branch of the armed services, etc. to show that the student had plans to do something after high school. As much as I'd like for all Chicago high school seniors to have plans about their future set in stone, some don't and these kids shouldn't have to do anything other than pass their classes in order to graduate. What is this? Communist China where the government tells you how to run your life? What if a kid graduates from high school and just wants to continue working at Starbucks until he or she figures out what he or she wants to do in the future? What if the kid doesn't want to do a damn thing except sit on his or her ass watching television all day after graduation? (This would be a shame, but this student shouldn't be refused a high school diploma because of this choice.) It's wrong for Emanuel to try and force kids (adults, really, when they turn 18) to meet some requirement that he feels is necessary for success in life. What about encouraging kids to have a plan for their future rather than forcing them to have one? College is not for everyone. College immediately after high school is not for everyone. Everyone isn't interested in going into the military. Everyone can't snag an apprenticeship. Some high school seniors aren't ready to plan their lives out during senior year and ready, willing, and able to provide a letter that explains their future and these kids shouldn't have to.

The Secret Everybody Knew

So Barry Manilow came out as gay today...at age 73. Better late than never, right? He claimed he didn't come out earlier because he didn't want to disappoint his fans. As a Manilow fan, just let me say, "I already knew, Barry!" and I'm sure many other fans knew also. I don't fault anyone for living his/her life on his/her terms. If Barry didn't want to come out publicly until now, that's his business. Life your life, Barry! I'm sure I've posted before about my love for the music of Manilow, but let me just say again that he has made some really wonderful songs. "Looks Like We Made It," "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," and "Weekend in New England" are just a few of my Manilow favorites. He doesn't get the respect he deserves because haters will hate.

The Rainmakers

I recently read a story about a gay man who was harassed and bullied by a co-worker on a daily basis. The guy complained about the harasser, but the harasser was not disciplined because he was a "rainmaker" at the company. He brought in a lot of money, so his awful behavior to others was ignored and brushed aside. The gay guy sued the company and cleared some legal hurdle to get action. The harasser eventually left the company or was fired, but the mere fact that he was allowed to ridicule and belittle a fellow employee constantly with no disciplinary action brought against him just because he made a lot of money for the company is ridiculous. The same goes for the shenanigans going on at Fox News. The powers that be over there apparently don't care that there's a pattern of harassment against women by certain male employees. They're willing to pay out millions of dollars in settlements to keep these jerks on the payroll because they bring a lot of money into the company. They should change their motto to Bros Before Hos because that's what they seem to believe. I've seen a similar pattern in the workplace with a guy who's been a jerk to many other people (mainly women) who has been promoted and praised because he brings a lot of revenue in. It's sad that someone's awful personal behavior can be ignored if that person is a rainmaker. Putting profits over people is never right, but it seems to be the new reality at least in corporate America.

Ladies Who Don't Lunch

I read this week that VP and creepy preacher Mikey P. won't have a meal with alone with a woman other than his wife. He also won't attend any event where alcohol is served without his wife being present. So, what does this mean? That the guy doesn't trust himself enough to sit in a restaurant and have lunch with a woman other than his wife? That the mere presence of alcohol in a setting requires that he have a "handler" close by to keep him in check? Wow. I'd be the last one to give anyone marital advice, but I think if you can't trust your spouse or he/she doesn't trust him/herself to share a meal with someone of the opposite sex or be in a setting where alcohol is served, then something is definitely wrong with your relationship. I get the whole fear of impropriety with men and women, but this sounds like something way beyond that. This is downright creepy but creepy is Mikey P.'s middle name. He totally looks like someone who'd serve you poisoned Kool-Aid and smile in your face while he did it. Our country is being run by a group of asylum escapees.