News: Critics Claim Sun Too Bright, Pose Shining Ordinance

According to the Associated Press, "Critics: School had time to get kids out before tornado struck." Who the hell are these critics, and upon what planet do they reside?

Concession: Hurricanes are somewhat predictable in so far as we can warn people about their presence in advance. We had the opportunity to do something, evacuate, etc with Katrina and it didn't happen. Perhaps some officials still feel remorse about their failures to act. Nevertheless, school officials in Alabama, the people charged with the welfare of Alabama children, were warned Thursday that tornadoes were in the area and to be on the lookout. Several schools in the area closed; some did not.

BUT, tornadoes are not predictable the way hurricanes are predictable. School officials have been forced by these "critics" to offer what-if doomsday scenarios about what would have happened if the students had been hanging around outside in the parking lot when the tornado struck. And yes, students will spend all day cutting classes only to spend their free time hanging around the school--oxymoronic and insensible behavior, but they're teens, what can you do? Would they have been any safer anywhere else? Good question; the answers vary because no one has a better answer than anyone else. They were as safe at school during a severe weather watch as they were in their homes.

So, to the critics I say this: stop looking for someone to blame. It was a violent act of nature that had neither rhyme nor reason nor malice of forethought. It just happened, and no matter how sue-happy your lawyer might get, it's not anyone's fault. This is not a case of negligence on the part of engineers, nor is it malpractice on the part of school officials, nor is it the case of a government organization attempting to hide its lack of action, nor is it a case of a big company trying to save a buck by launching a product before it could be tested. There are legitimate law suits obliging people to take responsibility for their actions, but there are also frivilous suits which make foolish demands in the hope that law-abiding, responsible entities will simply settle to deflect negative public opinion.

You want someone to sue? Sue God. Sue Allah. Sue Yahweh. There are plenty of churches and temples around, and they've got cash. Sue the Wiccans if you like, but don't be surprised at the reception you may or may not receive in whatever afterlife you believe in.

Delivery Charge? For Pizza?

In the future world of Stephenson's "Snow Crash," the only thing that America does really well is pizza delivery. The Mafia takes the business over, and you get your pizza in thirty minutes or less, or the Don delivers your pizza himself. Or something like that.

Anyway, my family unit ordered a pizza from Papa John's this evening by email. Yeah, I know, like I couldn't pick up a fucking phone, right? Not entirely; if I ordered online, they would give us free cheese sticks. Whee. So we ordered a pizza from Papa John's by email. Besides, I don't want to leave the house, want to interface with humanity minimally, blah blah blah.

On the checkout page, I actually read the order to verify my choices (no, really), and that's when I noticed a line item for the Delivery Charge. It's a buck-fitty extra for some shmuck to shlep my 'za to me. I'm interested to know if this is something that Papa John's in other cities does, too, and if so, is it more expensive or less or what. I mean, the buck-fitty extra is essentially the cost of the cheese sticks, right?

Of course, I realize that I could simply order by phone from one of the excellent little shops locally, but we felt like something different, and we had a coupon... If you're in Dallas and you need good pizza, I would recommend Tony's Pizza on Northwest Highway and Easton Road. Lover's Pizza at Lover's Lane and Inwood or the one at Garland Road and Buckner are fine choices as well. You can't go wrong with Campisi's or Scalini's if you're in the Lakewood or Greenville Road areas respectively. I'm not sure if ANY of them deliver, but they are all outstanding food options.

For what it's worth, I've sent an email to the Papa himself (or his on-line comment screen), so I'll keep you updated.