I've been wrestling with an issue in my own mind for the past two months. There are a lot of ugly chambers up there, so it's really easy to get lost. But in truth, I am an avid horse racing fan.

Anyone who knows the story of thoroughbred race horse Barbaro knows that this is not exactly a popular position these days. And deserved or not, this horse's recovery has gotten front page coverage in many newspapers.

I don't ever want to see an animal hurt. Or people either, as every jockey in the business suffers some sort of injury.

I find this sport incredibly exciting. I don't care about wagering, but a good race where no one gets hurt is possibly the most exciting two minutes or so in sports.

Anyway, I really like to believe that the training staffs in horse racing care about their animals. Care and feeding are a large investnent for owners. I know every sport has its dark underbelly these days, but overall I still believe in racing.

It's been tough being a fan these days. But I've analyzed this as well as I can in the story below. Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong.

 

 

It seems like a day doesn't go by without us receiving a health update on thoroughbred race horse Barbaro. A lot of people are wondering exactly why this may be, considering that the general public is preoccupied with enough of their own problems and really doesn't need to know when some horse is feeling well enough to eat a carrot.

But Barbaro's health does matter. It matters more than many people realize. And there's a very simple reason.

Barbaro gives us hope.

By now everyone knows his story. A phenomenal three-year old colt outruns an outstanding field of twenty horses to win this year's Kentucky Derby by a wide margin. Two weeks later this story becomes nearly irrelevant.

As witnessed by a national television audience, Barbaro shattered three bones in his right hind leg shortly after the start of the Preakness Stakes and has been in a struggle for survival to this day.

And just as suddenly people began to respond to this horse. Fans and animal lovers from all over almost immediately began sending Barbaro fruit baskets, gifts, and get-well cards. The horse is unlikely to respond, but that didn't matter to these people.

Folks just don't behave that way these days. More often than not their prevailing mood is angry. They're fighting their own daily survival battle. Many need to work multiple jobs in order to feed their families. Yet these same people are taking the time to send their love to a horse.

In the meantime, life goes on as usual. North Korea has been testing their missiles and Osama Bin Laden keeps sending us tapes every few months.

Often sports will offer a release from life's daily conflicts. But in my area Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb are continuing their verbal battles in the press. Elsewhere, Barbaro cannot be reached for comment on his situation.

 Flyers GM Bobby Clarke and forward Simon Gagne have opposing opinions on whether Gagne is worth $5 million a year or not. Barbaro never held out for more money to run in the Preakness.

Horse racing offers a certain allure which to many is hard to describe. Beautiful, graceful animals being guided by some of the finest athletes in the world have provided many of the most memorable moments in sports which can occur in about two minutes. Some of Barbaro's local fans have been around long enough to remember some of racing's finer highlights from Garden State Park.

May 27,1985, on nearly the same day Barbaro's injury occurred, Eclipse Award winner for Horse of the Year Spend a Buck won the first Jersey Derby. He had previously won the Kentucky Derby also.

But some of life's most beautiful spectacles can be equally fragile. A nationwide audience saw their hearts sink when they witnessed pictures of Barbaro holding up his leg in a completely unnatural position. Jockey Edgar Prado quickly pulled up the horse and has gotten some credit for initially saving its life.

That's where everyone came together and the compassion began. Meanwhile the cards and letters continue to pour in to New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania today.

Life in thoroughbred horse racing is a daily struggle for those folks you don't see on television. Jockeys may be the only athletes in sports who know they are going to suffer broken bones even before they begin their career. Of course, running in the most famous horse race in the world on worldwide television gave Barbaro a higher profile than any horse who may be running at Philadelphia Park or elsewhere.

But these animals still suffer catastrophic injuries which are not always known about by the general public. Not too much was heard about a horse from Philadelphia, Dashing Harry, which had to be humanely euthanized in July.

The horse racing community and fans alike know that animals don't deserve to have such things happen to them. Most of them will do anything they can to win the approval of their two-legged masters. Maybe that's where the harsh term, "dumb" animal originated. But it's another reminder that life is short, and time is often fleeting.

One of the more popular hobbies among the general public these days is the protest march. There is a growing sense of frustration about our issues, a feeling that there is nothing we can do to help our cause.

Phillies fans are angry at Charlie Manuel and team management, and pitcher Brett Myers faces alleged accusations. Meanwhile, Barbaro spends another peaceful night.

And people have lost numerous friends and relations in the war, yet they still find it in their hearts to send well wishes to some horse they've never ridden. It has to mean something.

It's very possible that this country needed something to rally around in the midst of today's turbulent times. As individuals we may not be able to control the outcome of the war, and we can't control what some maniac in North Korea is planning next.

But if that many people are offering their compassion to help this horse battle for its life on a daily basis, there's no way it can be wrong. Despite all of man's issues with one another, chances are he'll still go home and receive a warm welcome from his pet.

Barbaro gives us hope.

 

Bob H

 

I stole part of this title from Daisy's recent post. It's a really good one. Now we have an opposing point of view.

One way of avoiding the heat during this prolonged hot spell is to visit your local mall or department store. You can suck up someone else's air conditioning for a time, and maybe even buy something useful. Instead, today we're taking a look at some other items you can purchase. The term "you shouldn't have!" has never been more meaningful.

First, I was able to find a little something for those incurable romantics we may have out there in the Stream.

Perhaps the ladies could use these delightful little numbers during this continued run of hot weather. Or perhaps not.

You can also find this product, whose time has definitely come. Unfortunately, the price has not arrived as yet.

Stay cool.

 

Bob H

 

Let's reckon who's truly nonessential

By Bob Holt

So our long regional nightmare is over. Once again New Jersey is alive and well and open for business, and "nonessential" state workers have returned from furlough and begun to earn paychecks again.

But how would you like it if your place of employment classified your job as nonessential?

We learned during the state-government shutdown that New Jersey has nearly 45,000 "nonessential" state employees. They did not have to report to work during the shutdown.

I work for a major corporation that distributes compact discs, videos and computer games for a large portion of its earnings.

This is very much a nonessential service, except to state employees who might have been watching the videos during the week they were furloughed because they couldn't afford to go out for the night.

I am also a freelance writer. My work is essential only to an editor who needs to fill newspaper space on slow news days.

So I know what it feels like to be nonessential.

But for the furloughed state workers it must have been a surprise to hear they were not essential.

How would you like to find out that you were nonessential in your workplace after working there for 25 years? What if you are a parent struggling to support your family?

So maybe it's time to review the criteria that make state workers essential or nonessential.

Obviously the police and those who provide services for people with disabilities such as mental illnesses must be listed as essential.

Casino Control Commission employees, whose absence shut down the casinos, may qualify as essential.

To casino-goers in Atlantic City, these state employees are essential, though most visitors I talked to said the most essential employees on the Boardwalk are the ones who sell Steel's fudge and saltwater taffy.

Atlantic City felt the brunt of the revenue loss during the state shutdown. No one wins when the wheel lands on red at the casinos for three days.

The city that's always turned on isn't quite the same during the heart of vacation season when all of its slot machines are turned off.

But when a budget is proposed in March, and more than 100 days later we reach a conclusion that gouges taxpayers anyway, the status of certain legislative positions may require a second look as we ponder who's essential and who's not.

To balance the budget we had to lose $2 million per day in lottery revenue and $1.3 million a day in casino gaming taxes during the state shutdown. Apparently some people in essential positions had not done their math for years.

It's funny. Those nonessential state workers, many of whom earn $20,000 a year or less, manage to balance their personal budgets, but New Jersey has a hard time figuring out how to make ends meet on nearly $31 billion.

All this leads to one conclusion.

Essential employees: people who put in an honest day's work to feed their families and often contribute something to the betterment of their community.

Nonessential employees: politicians.

I am not a doctor, and I do not even play one on television. With all of the problems going on in the world today, many others tend to remain overlooked. I have gotten behind a cause, and perhaps you can join me as we help to prevent  this growing epidemic. It is also recommended that you warn your friends. Thank you. Thanks to us it's working.

I'm always interested in the points of view of the public. Maxim magazine has come forward with their opinion of the twelve worst comedians of all time. This is only an exhibition, this is not a competition, please no wagering. These are merely opinions. We report, you decide that they're wrong. Here goes:

12. Carlos Mencia
If this is what comedy is going to be like when Mexico takes over America, then we're voting for anyone who promises to put a 50-foot barbed-wire electric fence from Texas to California?and then another one around our TV.

11. Christopher Titus
Chris makes jokes about abusive fathers beating their children.

10. Judy Tenuta
We think it's fair to call Judy Tenuta an organ grinder, not because of her acumen with an accordian, but for her ability to shred our insides with her shrill voice and pathetically schticky act.

9. Kathy Griffin
Is she a gay dude? We're asking for serious.

8. Gallagher/Gallagher II
Wait, is this Gallagher or Gallagher II? We can never tell those guys apart. Is Gallagher that comedian who tries to "make a difference" with his free-love hippie jokes, only to realize that people just want to see him smash a watermelon with a hammer? Or is that Gallagher II?

7. Paula Poundstone
Remember that time Paula Poundstone was busted? That's by far the funniest thing she's ever done.

6. Sandra Bernhard
You're not attractive, and that makes you angry. We understand. But why not use some of that unattractiveness to make you funny, too?

5. Louie Anderson
Being fat is one thing, but being fat and pathetic is just sad. C'mon, Louie?if you're going to be a huge tub, you need to embrace it. Choke down cheesecakes onstage. Do a bit on getting aroused while rubbing your own man boobs. Talk about how your s***ts are bigger than Gary Coleman. In other words, be a funny comedian.

4. Yakov Smirnoff
We get it?life in Russia was difficult. You had to wait in line for everything (even toilet paper!). But you know what's worse than life in Russia? Having a schtick that only plays to 75-year-olds in Missouri who still think Communism is the enemy.

3. Whoopi Goldberg
Soccer moms love Whoopi 'cause they think she's "edgy." Soccer dads are terrified of Whoopi 'cause they think she looks like the "Predator." We don't like her because we like "comedy."

2. Margaret Cho
"Mothers are difficult! But my Asian mother very difficult mother to have! She say things like, 'Me rikey flied lice.' She a very Asian mother!"

1. Sinbad
We're not sure what we hate most about Sinbad. Is it the neon pants, the annoying dangly earring, the oversized Reeboks, or the fact that he doesn't drink? Oh, wait, now we know. It's the rotten jokes that he always tells. That's what we hate most about Sinbad.

From my own viewpoint, Carlos, Griffin, and Whoopi are hideous, while at least four of the others are no longer relevant. Christopher Titus must be pretty bad because I've never heard of him. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for these people to list the ten or twelve best comedians. It starts with the late Johnny Carson and goes down about two notches from there.

Bob H