Tuesday, Jun. 08, 2010
Oil spills and weight loss
John Beaudoin, Journal Publisher
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After the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989, I always hoped we wouldn’t have to be smacked in the face again with sickening images of birds and other wildlife covered in oil.
Unfortunately, greed and poor planning have won over again.
I have been saving up my rant on the BP oil gusher for a few weeks now and I just cannot bite my tongue any longer.
This is a flat out embarrassment for that industry, for BP and for our country. I am not here to place blame – this is not a Democrat thing or a Republican thing – it’s a humanity thing.
The guy running BP has humiliated himself and his organization by his ridiculous comments regarding the gravity of the situation. And now, “Titanic” producer James Cameron has been invited to the table to share his thoughts on a solution because he has experience with under-water movie scenes.
Seriously?
This story just keeps getting more and more shameful. I mean, that’s like inviting Kevin Costner to help out with the Hurricane Katrina cleanup because he was in “Water World.”
Heck, I think the guys from “Wayne’s World” would do a better job at figuring out how to put an end to this environmental disaster.
Watching the news over the weekend, I can barely look at the images of the seagulls that are so weighed down with oil they cannot sustain flight. It’s just so sad.
And before you label me a tree-hugging liberal, please know that I do understand the human side to this disaster, too.
Fishermen and others that make their living working the Gulf are going to be financially devastated by this catastrophe. And now word is out that BP may be dragging their feet on some of the claims.
I don’t think we are ever going to fix this kind of corporate greed until some of these guys start getting taken away in handcuffs. After this disaster, I think it is high time.
OK, deep breath. I feel a little better now.
I am celebrating my almost six-month mark on my way to getting back down to a respectable weight (whatever that is).
Since Jan. 6, I have lost over 27 pounds. I have been a little discouraged that the weight is not falling off as quickly as it did in my 20s, but my friend and fitness guru Janice tells me not to worry, so, this is me officially celebrating the fact that I have lost that much in six months. I still have 20 pounds to go, though, so I need to keep myself in check at the various social occasions that dot my calendar.
It’s pretty tough to eat healthy some times and even tougher to get motivated to work out.
But, it doesn’t happen at once; weight loss is a long-term goal.
The good news is I will have a kid I have to chase around here in another three months. That ought to keep me in shape.
John Beaudoin is publisher of the Blue Springs Journal. To respond to today’s commentary, call 816-282-7001 or e-mail jbeaudoin@bluespringsjournal.com.
