h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You could cheat and use a blockquote (or whatever it's called) introduced by, "in the opinion of a Researcher" (or even "of this Researcher")

I don't think the final paragraph is in need of any more changes. I think it is fine as it is.

Great piece Pinniped! Makes my return to Peer Review all the more worthwhile.



Lanzababy

Entry: The Lake Peigneur Disaster - A73988914
Author: Pinniped - U183682


page turner

I have not much to add on this, except to say that it's a good topic, and well-covered.

I would be inclined to indict them even more severely, but perhaps more sneakily, by drawing comparisons to a litany of similar, but specific, instances of corporate greed and nincompoopery.

Like I said at the beginning, this is a stop-gap, until I find a way to describe the Bhopal disaster in terms that might stand a chance of a successful PR passage.

Bhopal is an extreme example of corporate America's behaviour. I want to contrast it with the hysterical reaction to Deepwater Horizon, which went a long way further than the corporate community, and indeed further than the political community. (Some people have suggested Piper Alpha as a better match for the event, but Piper Alpha only killed ten times more than Deepwater Horizon and was rather less damaging in environmental terms. Bhopal killed a thousand times more, the discharged toxins were lethal and the clean-up effort was avoided for a generation).

I'm not going to back down and limit this to a criticism of corporate America. Millions of ordinary Americans have allowed themselves to be persuaded that Deepwater Horizon was the fault of foreigners, and that through it America has suffered the worst industrial pollution incident in history. That means that millions of ordinary Americans are stupid, and culpable participants in a culture of lies.

On this portentous anniversary, let's just remember that the death toll at Bhopal was at least three times greater than that of 9/11, and probably six times greater in the final outturn. Most Americans don't care about Bhopal, or even know about Bhopal. But I do. I care and know that it's victims were no less innocent than those of 9/11. I care and know that the kinsmen of the perpetrators of 9/11 have been hounded around the world for a decade, while the kinsmen of the perpetrators of Bhopal howl with anger at its pale echo on their own shoreline.

No more debate about the final paragraph please. It stays. If the Eds don't like it, then my clear instruction is that they must not publish an Edited Entry in a modified form - this stays in the general Guide. If you think that a good Entry has been spoiled by an opinionated ending, then please consider which is more important: having a neat and tidy and politically-correct Edited Guide or having a collection of writing that expresses the feelings of our community.

This post has been removed.

What/Who was that?

That was me, and I have absolutely no idea why it was offensive.

Tut, tut. Naughty Dmitri

In the hopes that this doesn't get yikesed, I was in essence agreeing with the author, here.

Was it because I referred to certain online encylopedia which shall remain forever nameless, using asterisks???

If you use too many ** then I believe the 'filter' kicks in, assuming a swear word being covertly used.
The way pin has re-phrased that last paragraph is much improved from what I first read. At least he's no longer making an all encompassing, sweeping statement about all of America and all Americans and no-one can deny that certain aspects of corprate America leave little to be desired. Same applies here in the UK to some extent, banks a perfect example.


BMT

wonders if pin watched last night of the proms with an american opera singer singing Rule Brittannia waving an American flag.



BMT

No. No. Say that didn't happen.

I still prefer Amyl Nitrate's version.

I nearly choked on me coffee when it happened. Talk about timing.


BMT

I'm glad I listened. On the radio, all the flags are the same.

That deserves to be a quote.

Too kind, Dmitri, particularly because it wasn't the first thing I thought to post.

I very nearly said something inappropriate about the incendiary treatment of sacred creeds.

Which I would probably have agreed with - the news being full of such.

But since the filter has an itchy trigger finger, perhaps we'll stick to oblique obliquy.

Resetting the heading

lil xx