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Jan. 11, 2006 I would have to be pretty destitute to work in a coal mine. If someone offered me a million dollars just to go in a mine for an hour, I think I would decline. The thought of being buried alive and trapped in a hopeless situation depresses and scares me. Breathing in all that coal dust can't be too good for the lungs either. Coal mining, however, is not even the most dangerous job a person can have. I remember reading one news report that showed statistically the most dangerous job in the United States is driving a New York City taxi cab. I agree with the actor, Danny Glover, on most issues, but I reject his complaint about racial profiling by New York City taxi cab drivers. The cab drivers are the ones who have decide whether the person they are picking up is dangerous or not. They are risking their lives. I'm sorry if some people get passed over by taxi cab drivers because they are black, but I sympathize with the taxi cab drivers; especially the ones who are understandably skittish because they have been mugged in the past. Danny Glover should drive a cab for a few months. I bet after he got rolled a few times, he would change his position on this issue. The next most dangerous job on the list was police officer. This is no surprise. Not only do they have to deal with criminals, but they get in the middle of domestic disputes; even more perilous in my opinion. Husbands and wives having irrational arguments can be far more deadly than simple armed robbers who are usually bullies that will give up as soon as they are confronted with superior force. Frustrated spouses often do not have the respect for authority that a hardened criminal will. Some think the most dangerous job is commercial deep sea fishing. Storms can destroy and sink a boat, and the whole crew can be lost. More often, a fishermen just gets snagged on one of the hooks attached to the long lines that are mechanically cast into the sea. Thrown overboard (some times in frigid water) like a piece of bait, the victim is in serious danger immediately. Lumberjacks have high mortality rates. Trees and tree limbs don't always fall where they are supposed to. Chainsaws can also be lethal, if used carelessly. And don't fall in a debarking machine. These machines will skin a person alive. Most people don't consider door to door sales risky. Think again. Salesmen have high death rates. I used to be a route manager (a job involving door to door soliciting and collecting) for the Augusta Chronicle newspaper, and I can understand why door to door sales is dangerous because if a person goes to every single house in every single neighborhood, they are bound to run into a psychopath. I remember coming across catatonic people in the projects. I assume their families couldn't afford proper mental health care. In addition to selling newspaper subscriptions my job required driving whole shifts from the wee hours of the morning until dawn delivering papers on unfilled routes or training new carriers. Sleep deprivation was a constant hazard--every manager I knew admitted to falling asleep at the wheel. When collecting money from customers and carriers, I was like a walking cash register--often in high crime areas of town. I have a new story (an excerpt actually) on my website (www.mark-gelbart.com) entitled "Put the Paper on the Porch." It is fictional but based on a true occurrence. I really had a newspaper carrier who was forced to put a newspaper on the porch at gun point. Is writing a safe profession? I don't know. Paul Sheldon of Stephen King's Misery was held captive by his "number one fan." Most of us, however, don't have to worry about the nutty fans that fame might bring. This story is pure fiction, but read the threat I received from the producer of the Austin Rhodes Show (a local radio talk show). It's on my website under the title, "What People are Saying about Mark Gelbart and Talk Radio." Troy Bradley (the producer) is just an idiot bully, and I don't take him seriously. I'm safe writing in the safety and security of my house behind locked doors and with the phone lines connected to 911 intact. At least, I think I'm safe. My 30-30 deer rifle is locked and loaded and in my lap, and I'm wearing brass knuckles as I type this. Maybe I should pray...pray I don't meet someone in the street that I've offended online. And pray I don't meet some psychopath who simply doesn't like the "cockadoodie" way I drive. ------------ About the author Mark Gelbart: My book, Talk Radio, is a black comedy about a radio talk show host who gets kidnapped and psychologically tortured by a loser. www.mark-gelbart.com Email: agelbart@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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