Didn't see anything much to comment on yesterday but today I saw this bit of weirdness. Sorry, I actually hit the publish button instead of the link. So anyone visiting will see a work in progress until later when I have completed my trip through the news and 'net.
We have talked about the ADHD "epidemic" which has had a lot of press over the last few years. It seemed to us that our mental health professionals were all too quick to label what was once normal childhood behavior as pathological and too quick to prescribe mind altering drugs. Of course, parents and teachers were all too happy to go along. A drugged out zombie of a child was much easier to deal with than a normal active, rambunctious child. This article confirms our gut instinct.
The continuing (and growing) story in this post-holiday period has been the hacking of commercial systems releasing the credit records of tens of millions of customers into the ether. However, this is another story that has bubbled up in the news media over the last couple of years.
Of course, high technology isn't the only part of our life that can go awry. People in parts of West Virginia are spending a fifth day without water because wonderfully named Freedom Industries spilled a toxic chemical into the Elk River. I am intrigued by two lines in separate stories. The first is in the above linked article which cites an official with the WVA Department of Environmental Protection who claims that the chemical was not considered "toxic" and the site wasn't subject to regular inspections. So residents were warned not to use their tap water for anything except flushing the toilet because a chemical not considered toxic by the state agencies charged with protecting them leaked into their water supply. The second statement came up in last night's news story. The reporter claimed the company wasn't subject to inspections because they didn't manufacture the chemical but only stored it. Really?? Why should simple storage of a toxic chemical be less dangerous than the manufacture?? Oh, I forgot. The state agency didn't consider it toxic.
God, I hope not!!! Haven't we had enough of that over-blown ego's self-promotion?
Reading the headline I wondered: if the Dollar Stores are getting too expensive for many Americans, where are they shopping? The story doesn't say but I agree that is says something disquieting about our so-called recovery.
Conversation at the grocer check out this morning. Favorite Grocery Clerk: How did you girls do with the snow and cold? Me: Fine. We did our shopping two days before the blizzard and then hibernated. FGC: I don't have much sympathy for those who moaned about running short. They were warned well ahead of time. Mom: We watch the weather reports to schedule the best days to shop on. Why so many others don't I don't know.
This article tells exactly why we don't watch much news any more--there isn't any coverage of real news. The author criticized the Sunday talking-heads shows but the regular news isn't much better.
No comments:
Post a Comment