Does anyone you know suffer from ergasiophobia?

Ergasiophobia is fear of work and I think I have been plagued by that malady for years, perhaps decades.

The pet industry in the United States is big business. Recent data indicate that expenditures for household pets exceeded $47,000,000,000 in 2010. Sixty-two percent of American homes include at least one pet.

A distillery in Kentucky sells 20-year old bourbon for $110 per fifth. There exists a long waiting list of potential purchasers who hope to acquire a portion of the very limited supply. I read that one bottle of wine purportedly owned by Thomas Jefferson is valued at $160,000. All of this is out of my league. I even dislike paying movie theater prices for soft drinks.

Plastic trash discarded into our coastal waters has become a major threat for hungry birds. At least 100 species of seabirds are known to regularly eat plastic. Some of the birds cannot regurgitate plastic. A dead fulmar (a variety of seabird) was found with more than 30 pieces of plastic (including toys, foam, bottle lids, and polystyrene) in its stomach.

Locals have known of the Cave of Marbles (in Southeastern Mexico) for several generations. However, it was only recently that the international community of speleologists has become aware of the cave that has marble-sized calcite spheres loosely stacked several inches deep along a 60 foot floor. Most of the shapes are marble-sized, but some exceed 3 inches in diameter. Scientists estimate that there are approximately 200 million stone orbs or “cave pearls” in one area of the grotto.

The Mayan Culture Era lasted for approximately 600 years. The achievements of the Mayans far exceeded those of all other societies in the region during that time period. The sudden collapse (during the 9th century) of the nation is an ongoing mystery. Some speculations involve disease, drought or war. Thus far no convincing evidence has been offered for any of these theories. This situation has led more than one historian to suggest the cause may have been lack of leadership and resulting anarchy. Is there a possible lesson to be learned?

Speaking of leadership questions: A congressman inquired of the U.S. Pentagon as to why it took only 13 months for a jet pilot to be trained, but 15 months was required to train a military bandleader. I would suppose that some of those military songs are really complicated.

Well, please do not discard plastic where wildlife might be dining and do have a great week.