Overall, I do a much better job managing my ire than I did in my younger days. Outside of idiotic drivers and my friends at Continental Airlines, not much gets me really fired up anymore.

But then I come across something like this and I truly want to harm someone. Namely, whichever newspaper exec thought this was an acceptable way to boost revenue...














This is a photo of a house fire in a neighboring town. The family's four dogs were killed in the blaze and it seems possible the home will be a total loss.

But not all is lost. That's right - you can buy this photo to hang on your wall, to commemorate this family's suffering!

Give the gift of photography! Order now for delivery by Christmas. Final days for delivery by Christmas!

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Look, if they want to make a few extra bucks selling photos of random community events or little Johnny and Susie playing sports, fine. But how fucking hard would it be to remove the Buy This Photo tag from things like this?

On a day when hundreds of people in the newspaper industry lost their jobs, it only serves to further raise my blood pressure to see people who make decisions like this, to make a buck selling photos that capture personal tragedy, prosper while people who actually care about reporting the news and seemingly outdated things like good writing and editing are put out on the street. Done, of course, three weeks before Christmas.

I'll be calling to cancel the paper tomorrow. I can only hope they ask why I'm terminating my subscription...