"WTF? THE NEWS….BLUES…"

Hi Friends!

Today's "WTF?" © stevenn beck

You know…it's not really good for one's mental health to watch the morning news. I mean, by the time I get out to the gym I need to work out twice as long - and twice as hard - just to clear out the bad karma relating to that morning's reports. (And that's BEFORE I work on eliminating all the other issues from my mind.) Take this morning for example:

First, came the sad news that director Mike Nichols had passed away. Very unfortunate, a big loss - but certainly not news that would cause me to direct expletives in the direction of the TV set - unless, of course, I went on my occasional diatribe regarding life, death and the craziness of it all.

The next three stories were a little more closer to Earth - and made me see red. They were (in order of presentation):

1- A website in Russia somehow hacked into the software used by thousands of people to monitor their loved ones and/or possessions…and chooses to broadcast the information (including exact location) to anyone with access to their site. When the US government discovered this, the Russian government was asked to shut the site down - and they refused. The answer they give is that "the site broadcasts the information as a "public service to those hacked" since they neglected to take steps to safeguard their passwords. I am glad that the website is so public-minded. BTW: scenes on the site including the bedrooms of sleeping infants and toddlers - and where to find them…

2- Recently in New York several incoming jet planes came close to some toy "drones", which could - if they come into contact with a plane - cause safety issues - both minor and major - depending upon the nature of the collision. The FAA ruled that these "drones" - operated on the ground by people who were basically "playing" with a new toy - were to be considered "aircrafts" and subject to FAA regulations. This ruling has outraged the "Toy Drone Lobby" - you didn't know there WAS a "toy Drone Lobby" did you? (Neither did I.) Evidently basic freedoms are again in danger of being violated, specifically the right of anyone to fly an object into the path of an oncoming plane (without malice). (I expect an amendment to the Constitution any day on this issue.) So far the FAA has - justifiably - held its ground.

3- Another shooting at a school or university, this one at Florida State University. The shooter entered the library late in the evening, injuring several students (and sending hundreds who stayed late at the library to do their work) scrambling for their lives. The police killed the shooter but the ensuing investigation kept the rest of the students in the locked-don library for hours - and scared the hell out of the rest of the campus community. (I don't even have an editorial comment here except to say that I challenge those on the other side of this issue to come up with a solution…and I suggest that they first check the dictionary and obtain the definition of the word "solution".)

4- There are programs that route motorists around trouble spots and give them alternatives that will get them to their location more quickly; problem is, the proliferation of such programs has caused an over-abundance of vehicles on side-streets that were not meant for this kind of traffic. Residential areas…streets with schools on them…even very narrow narrow streets where passage by a large truck or SUV might be difficult…the above-mentioned programs fail to make distinctions with the lack of - or reduced - vehicular traffic the only consideration. (Thereby - at the very least - placing children and other pedestrians at increased risk.)

So…just "another day at the office" I guess…and... to the Russian website operators AND responsible Russian government officials, to the members of the "Toy Drone Lobby" who put playing with their toys above the safety of the many more actually travel somewhere, to anyone and everyone who fails to come up with a way to safeguard all of us from gun violence (other than arming the population) - and to the makers and programmers of the wonderful software that routes large numbers of automobiles and trucks to streets they shouldn't…>/p>

...what the HELL is the matter with you…I mean….like...WTF???

Bye for now- be safe!

Stevenn