AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
By Allan R. Andrews
American Reporter Correspondent
This commentary was originally posted
in April, 1998, at:
http://www.american-reporter.com
WASHINGTON -- Here are some facts to help parents guide their children:
The law firm representing Paula Jones in her sexual harassment case against
the President, Rader, Campbell, Fisher & Pike of Dallas, Texas, accumulated
in six months a bill for legal services totaling $900,000, according to
an Associated Press story concerning Ms. Jones' outstanding bills.
My elementary school arithmetic puts that at about 135 working days, or
$6,818 plus change per day.
With the four named senior partners of the firm working each day (32 hours),
that comes to an hourly wage of $213 plus change, and if we consider the
possibility that only one lawyer worked on the case each day it results
in an hourly wage of $852 plus change.
To put that in annual perspective for readers, someone earning $852 per
hour finishes the year with a salary of $1,772,160.
Someone earning $213 per hour gets an annual salary of $443,040.
Tell your kids to forget the lottery and go to law school.
+++++
The outstanding headline of the week was posted on CNNSI over a professional
soccer story:
"Report: MLS to offer Pope new contract."
As one of my colleagues commented, "Gee, he must be feeling better."
+++++
According to a wire story out of Nebraska, the National Arbor Day Foundation
sued a Kentucky environmental group, Ecology Crossroads Cooperative Foundation,
for using the words "Arbor Day" to identify itself.
But Wirt Morton, the great-grandson of J. Sterling Morton, who initiated
Arbor Day, turned around and sued the Foundation for registering the name
and logo. Morton claimed Arbor Day belonged to everybody.
Apparently, the National Arbor Day Foundation and Morton settled on Arbor
Day remaining in the public domain, although the Foundation will retain
use of the name and the logo.
Arbor Day began in 1872 as a day for the planting of trees. It is usually
celebrated in late April, especially by elementary school children and environmentalists.
This year, Arbor Day falls on April 24. Its initiator later became agriculture
secretary in the administration of President Grover Cleveland, and his former
mansion, Arbor Lodge, is a tourist attraction in Nebraska.
Those who petitioned against the National Arbor Day Foundation on behalf
of the Kentucky group argued that some Americans might be sued for celebrating
a holiday.
Tell your kids to forget law school and to plant trees.
+++++
Speaking of holidays, how do blind children take part in Easter egg hunts?
Mark Paoli, an engineer in Elko, Nevada, knows how.
In order to help his 4-year-old son, Gus, who is visually impaired, enjoy
an Easter egg hunt, Paoli implanted the beepers from toy cellular phones
into the eggs, according to an AP report.
Now Gus doesn't have to see the eggs, he finds them by hearing them.
Paoli's wife, Margaret, got the egg rolling, as it were, when she discovered
that several local associations for the blind she contacted had no inkling
of where to find beeping eggs, although several people apparently had heard
of such beeping egg hunts.
Mrs. Paoli simply bought out a local supply of toy cellular phones and put
her husband to work.
+++++
Finally, people with college degrees are healthier than high school dropouts.
A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found
that college graduates have better jobs, take better care of themselves
and have better access to health care and as a result they feel healthier
more days in a month than do high school dropouts.
Further, the study indicated the state with the healthiest college graduates
is South Dakota.
Tell your kids to plant trees and go to college in South Dakota.
Allan R. Andrews is a former news editor for The Stars & Stripes, working out
of Washington, D.C. He can be contacted at andrews852@verizon.net