COMFORTING NEWS
As if we don’t have enough things to worry about, now Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is warning that a major cyber attack on the United States is a very real threat. She says what she calls a “cyber 911” could happen “imminently.” She says critical infrastructure, including water, electricity and gas is very vulnerable and an attack could have the same impact as Superstorm Sandy, which KO’d electricity to a large part of the Northeast. Napolitano was speaking at The Wilson Center, a DC think tank. Sounds like she just got Live Free or Die Hard on Netflix.
Napolitano says there are things we can and should do right now that, if not prevent, could certainly mitigate the extent of the damage. She’s urging Congress to pass cyber security legislation that would allow the government to share info with the private sector to prevent an attack on infrastructure, much of which is privately owned. A cyber security bill failed in congress last year after opposition from business groups, who called in government overreach, and privacy groups who were concerned about Internet eavesdropping. I say if it keeps us safe, let Big Brother listen in.
Yipee Ki Yay
SMOKIN’!
There’s
big bucks in the funeral biz with CNBZ saying it rakes in some $17 billion annually. So, what’s hot in the world of morticians? Cremation….literally. It’s the fastest growing part of the industry as attitudes have greatly shifted. In 2011, 42% of those who took the big sleep were cremated. According to the national funeral directors association (I’ll bet they’ve got some stories to tell) that’s double the rate of just 15 years ago. In fact, in some states, the cremation rate in 70%, mostly in the west.
One of the biggest factors behind the rise is the Catholic Church’s ending of its ban on the practice. Another factor is the spreading out of families geographically. With more Americans farther from their hometown and parents, cremation becomes a much more practical way to care for a loved one’s remains. But the single biggest factor is….survey says……cost! A cremation costs about one third the cost of a conventional burial.
P-C POLICE IN TINSELTOWN
Here’s a hot topic among the beautiful people in Hollywood…Should acting awards like the Oscar and Emmy still be given out by gender? Some argue current categories no longer fit the times as society continues to move in the direction of gender-neutrality. Others, however, among them sell pretty well known Hollywood actresses, say separate categories for women are needed because they get fewer substantive roles than men, a fact they claim is obscured by the current award show equal set-up of five men and five women competing in the separate acting categories. Two time Academy Award Winner Sally Field, who is nominated for a best supporting role in “Lincoln”, says “if you do that you won’t see ANY actresses up there on stage at all, The percentage of roles is so weighted toward actors. That’s the way it’s always been.”
The whole argument is moot, really, because viewers tune in the awards shows to see stars, and no awards show wants to reduce the number of categories in which it gets to showcase those stars. Besides, that would cut the Oscar show down to three hours and we can’t have that.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Another sign that our tangible world continues to elude our fingertips is the continued freefall of former video rental industry leader blockbuster which is closing another 300 stores and slashing 3,000 j
obs over the coming weeks. The company will continue to operate about 500 stores down from.1,700 in 2011. The company has struggled competing against netflix and red box and has tried to counter them by offering on-demand digital streaming services, mail order plans and blockbuster express kiosks.
Sleep Tight, Rhode Island!
With border neighbor Massachusetts ready to fire up three full scale casinos and its lawmakers considering Governor Deval Patrick’s State of the State suggestion the Bay State lower its sales tax to 4.5%, what do our lawmakers prioritize? Same sex marriage. I’m not suggesting it’s not an important issue considering we’re the last New England State to recognize it….but don’t we have bigger fish to fry? All you need to know about the immediacy of wrestling with this bill is the fact that it zoomed through the House but now will sit for weeks, if not months, before the Senate starts to wrestle with it. So what was the big hurry up all about? Meantime, Rhode Island remains tied with Nevada for the worst unemployment rate, dead last at 50that 10.2%. Massachusetts is 22ndat 6.7%. The National unemployment rate is 7.8%.
