“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” – Douglas Adams
I was listening to NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” online today and I heard the best analogy to use with those who defend torture.
The person who came up with it was Tom Bodett. He said that defending torture was like accusing a shoplifter of stealing and the shoplifter saying “Wall, call it what you want but look at all this great stuff I got.”
The preliminary investigation into an explosion near Bay Meadows Elementary School in Orlando, FL seems to indicate that a paint can or other similar container may be responsible. No explosive devises were found on or near the school.
The temperature here yesterday was in the upper 80s. A tightly sealed paint can left in the sun could definitely build up enough pressure to cause an explosion.
Update: Now they are saying it was a “Fix-A-Flat” that over pressurized and blew up. (4/26/07)
I’m glad I don’t work at Bay Meadows Elementary School or Southwest Middle School today.
A PE teacher reported an explosion near Boy Meadows Elementary earlier this afternoon and the school was put on lockdown. When the Orange County Fire Department investigated they didn’t find an explosive device but they did find white powder near the school. A few hours later, Bay Meadows was taken off lockdown and students were transported to Southwest Middle where parents and school buses could pick them up.
When a school is put on lockdown students can’t leave, even if their parents come to pick them up. This is done to ensure the students’ safety. In a situation like this, if a parent was leaving with their child and another explosion occurred, both could be injured. No one wants that.
I’ll pass along more information as I find it.
Fox, apparently, has ordered a new reality show called “Someone’s Gotta Go.” The premise is that the viewers get to watch as the employees in some company fire each other each week.
Cold, man. That’s just cold.
Personally, I seriously wonder if this isn’t just some publicity stunt on Fox’s part to bring in more viewers to all their shows. After all, what company, even a small one, wants to air their dirty laundry and financial instability on national television? Yeah, the economy is bad and everyone is having rough times, but does that mean that a struggling business will go this far?
It’s one thing for management to open its records to its employees and start a discussion on what can be done for the good of the business and where changes can be made. That’s done with management leadership and in private.
It’s another to make other people’s hardship into a game so that viewers can cheer and boo at their tv sets.
Just how much money would Fox have to offer to a business to get the owner/management to say “Sure, I want my customers to think I’m a wuss who isn’t willing to do the hard work. I want my employees to hate me because I’m making them do my job. I want no one to ever consider hiring me for a management position ever again.”
Just how much money would Fox have to offer the employees for them to say “Sure, make this situation into some sort of Lord of the Flies scenario. Sure, I’ll be happy to be a back-stabber for the enjoyment of others.”
If this isn’t a publicity stunt by Fox, then maybe the question we should as is:
Are we really so callous that we’ll watch this show so that we can laugh at others misery?
