Pity the poor balloon. About to celebrate its bicentennial anniversary next year, the air has been let out of the balloon, so to speak. I know we’ve seen devastation (the Hindenburg disaster in 1937), but balloons have historically represented fun, joy, and happiness to so many. But those days are long gone… From being environmentally disastrous to posing threats to small children and wildlife, balloons have lost some of their pop of late and undoubtedly are suffering from deflated egos.
We now have Balloon-gate, with myriad mylars (or other, strange, unidentified flying objects) being espied over North America, Canada, and other countries. Whatever the (nefarious) purposes might be (it sure ain’t Google Maps traversing the troposphere), these are not balloons that simply escaped from some birthday party. This will undoubtedly be one more blemish on the reputation of the air-filled orbs that used to bring so much joy to so many, but now leave us filled with angst. Whoever the balloonatics are, they are not subtle or very clever, and this practice must be stopped. It’s a perfect time for pinheads to pop up and puncture these projectiles…
On another note, a winding road near where I live finally got an overdue repaving. Great. Now, just a few months later, comes a road sign popping up alongside white, dotted lines drawn so that this very same road can be retrofitted for a (much-needed) water main replacement. So much for planning and communication. Can you dig it? Nah…
And speaking of water, the lack of any substantive answers related to Red Hill and its myriad leaks, spills, and mishaps will soon place it in the vaunted realm of the Waikiki Natatorium, TMT project, and Ko`olau Stairway to Heaven. That is, local issues we discuss, but invariably do nothing about. The only things that seem to leak slowly and undetected from the Red Hill area are real solutions with fixed timelines and transparent accountability…
And speaking of moving slowly, two workers fell into a vat of chocolate at a Mars Wrigley plant in Pennsylvania last year. They both were rescued, but I wonder if it took a few hours for them to ask for help, and did they first ask for some raisins and nuts? The plant, which assures us that safety is a “top priority”, was fined for safety violations, and apparently the dish ran away with the spoon.
Think about it…