[ale] OT: Out in left field or in the sewers of The Big Apple

[Jim Kinney]

On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 4:19 PM, Jeff Lightner <jlightner at water.com> wrote:

> Its not holding others responsible for your responsibilities.   Its
> holding them responsible for THEIR responsibilities if they didn't put
> up safety barricades around the manhole.
>
> Talking about traffic and subway entrances is a red herring.   We aren't
> talking about normal hazards - we're talking about a hole where normally
> there is a cover.  There is a reason why you'll see new traffic signals
> flashing for a week to a month before they're turned on - its to get
> people used to the fact that there is a change in environment.
>

Maybe it's just me but it really feels like people are missing the punchline
on this topic. People have fallen down stairs and into open manholes before.
The important factor is this person fell into an open sewer hole while
texting! This is totally hilarious!

Do municipal employees screw up and get the safety first _then_ open cover
order wrong?  All the time. As is usually the case, accidents like this are
first "set up" by a screw up then "activated" by a second screw up. There
are two failures here but only the second one is worth any discussion.

Has anyone ever actually _seen_ the content of a typical teenage girl's text
messages? If so, the idea of a texting teenager falling into a pipe full of
poo is better than Marx Brothers, Monty Python and (original) Pink Panther
all rolled into one! That she fell into a pipeline of poo while spewing a
pipeline of poo is _so_ poetic.

I am, as a parent, very, very happy she didn't hit her face on the far side
of the rim during the fall or break anything but her pride. But I would be
one of those parents howling in laughter if my daughter had done the same
thing. I've seen my daughter walk into the door frame entering her room
while texting. I laughed so hard I cried. Especially since she had just been
admonished for being "distant and distracted" because of the constant chat
clients and text messaging (a claim vehemently denied by said youngster).

Kerbam-splat! Dad dies laughing. Kid quits walking and texting at the same
time.

-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III
Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness
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