By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal government is going into uncharted waters, deep-sixing the giant paper nautical charts that it has been printing for mariners for more than 150 years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that to save money, the government will stop turning out the traditional brownish, heavy paper maps after mid-April.
The agency will still chart the water for rocks, shipwrecks and other hazards, but sailors, boaters and fishermen will have to use private on-demand printing, PDFs or electronic maps to see the information, said Capt. Shep Smith, head of NOAA’s marine chart division.
And where are we supposed to put down our beer bottle now?
Here’s a serious question, does this mean boating courses (i.e. U.S. Power Squadron) will stop teaching navigation on paper charts. I can’t see them using flimsy white printer paper only 8.5″X11″ for that purpose instead.
Still, NOAA sells about 60,000 of the old 4-by-3-foot lithographic maps each year for about $20 apiece, the same amount it costs to print them.
Then how is this a cost savings issue? Seriously, cut out one of Michelle Obama’s shopping trips. That should cover it.
For 155 years there’s has been a horse cab stand at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. And the horse and carriage ride through Central Park has become an iconic tourist attraction of New York City.
But both major mayoral candidates have said they would get rid of the carriages if elected.
Horses have been pulling carriages for thousands of years, it’s what they do. Comparatively, for a horse this is a easy gig.
Hanging over much of this issue is the prospect of the slaughter of horses.
Murphy, once a trotter race horse, was destined to a slaughterhouse and now works the streets.
No retirement career for you old boy, sorry. It’s not just the current stable of carriage horses, it means no second career for any horse in the future. Notice that the “animal rights” asswipes aren’t going after police horses? That’s a much tougher gig, but their owners carry guns.
PUPPYCIDE is a feature length documentary that takes a journey with victims of puppycide, the dogs and their owners. From the moment they meet and seal their emotional bonds to the excruciating trauma of loss, we follow the dog owners’ battles for justice with police culture and the legal system, both of which treat puppycides as acceptable collateral damage.
Militarization of the police threatens everyone, but when did they rip the soul out of these men. Lets be clear, it is very difficult for a single dog (especially smaller breeds) to kill or seriously injure a full grown man. We aren’t talking about packs of rabid wolves here. So what are they really killing these dogs for? A nip on the ankle? Years ago, I visited a neighbor, she had a new dog. Both of us were smiling as I slowly extended my hand to pat the dogs head. Damn that dog was fast! Before I realized it the dog had lunged forward and bit my hand, hard. Funny bit, when I got home I was holding my hand up and out and said to my wife, in a surprised tone of voice, “She bit me!” . With a shocked expression she exclaimed,”Lindy (the neighbor) bit you!!! What did you do?”. Later we got to be friends, the dog and me, I mean. So, should I have shot the dog, or would that be wrong?
Addendum: After I posted this I went out and did errands, and guess what I noticed? Dogs, big dogs. Usually on a leash with a tiny woman at the other end. Swear to God, most of the dogs looked bigger than their companions. Now those dogs I’d be scared to have coming at me.
Truth to tell, when I was a kid I was mauled twice, at eight and fifteen years old. I never had to get the rabies shot (why I don’t know) and for a long time I was terrified of dogs, all dogs. I overcame it, a long story I’m not going into, and I’d have to say that I’ve enjoyed the company of a number of fine Canis lupus familiaris brothers since then.
So, since I overcame my fear of dogs I’ve tried to make up for the years of avoidance and animosity. Perhaps that is why I had so little sympathy for any police officer dealing with a family dog in full defense posture. Even at eight I never considered killing the dog that bit me, at fifteen I was an accomplished bow hunter but never went dog hunting.
To those of us that are just regular people without the God-like powers and most significant, the immunity of our police, to kill another living being is not something that is done lightly or without consequence. To kill a family member, either two or four legged, causes other human beings pain. To kill a child’s pet is a sin.
So in the end I guess I don’t excuse the quick triggers of the cowards who capaciously killed a living creature because they are afraid of a dog bite.
Be a Man.
“The energy needed to refute BS is of an order of magnitude greater than the effort needed to produce the BS in the first place. ”
On the North River 