Is a TV show that goes into the causes of airplane crashes and malfunctions on the National Geographic channel. Also Engineering Disasters (says it all) on the History Channel.

In every instance of an airplane disaster, there was some human error involved. Whether it was failure to adhere to established maintenance procedures, an airline being cheap and cutting corners, or Airplane crew disregarding instrument warnings, the cause always turned out to be human error.

An airplane doesn't just fall out of the sky on it's own ( in fact it goes into a circular holding pattern until it runs out of fuel) and this tragedy is no exception.

In one instance a pilot got sucked out of the cabin window because a mechanic replaced a bolt in the window with one that was a tiny bit smaller (he survived because some stewards hung on to his legs until the co pilot landed with the captain still on the outside).

In another instance an airplane crashed into the sea because there was tape on a sensor on the wings (pilots thought they were higher than they actually were).

Another plane crashed because the pilots left a cabin pressure switch set to manual and when they got to altitude the cabin depressurized and everyone went unconscious (airplane eventually ran out of fuel and crashed).

Yet another incident involved a fuel line that was replaced on an airplane, but the mechanics failed to secure it properly. Due to vibrations of normal flight it would rub against another part and eventually there was a hole in it. During one flight the airplane lost all of it's fuel while in flight due to that hole. The pilot was able to land the plane with no engines.

So in each and every instance, the crash or emergency was preventable had the airline been following proper procedure.

It does not surprise me one bit that Spanair was in dire financial straights and was about to lay off 1000 employees. No doubt they cut-corners as well.

Looks like it.

Looks like it.

The subject of off-shore drilling or drilling in ANWAR is so easy to refute, it just shows you how gullible most Americans are. Sure we can drill our way to energy independence and cheap gas. It's not like it will take years to extract and it will be sold on the world market, with only a small share going to the US.

It's funny how U.S. Americans think, and can be so easily convinced that somehow the little oil there is in the US will be magically nationalized, and will be for the benefit of them.

It's not like private Giant Oil companies will be selling it to the highest bidder regardless of what Americans would chose.

Let's face it, offshore drilling is free money for exxon mobile with no benefit to the US consumer. In fact by the time they start selling the oil, gas prices will be much higher just because of inflation, let alone because of increased global demand.

But Republicans have people convinced that it will magically lower gas prices tomorrow. In fact wasn't McCain's answer to one of the questions at the Religious forum yesterday "Drill now drill now."?

What the Fuck?

"...illustration of how women's bodies are treated as objects for male viewing. "

The reverse is totally false, of course! His Calvin Kline ad is practically pornographic, yet I've never seen broadsheet mention it.

Seriously Kate, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're so against sexual portraits of the female body because you have issues with your own. If you're not happy with your body go to the gym, get a trainer and tone up a little bit.

Lighten up pussycat!

Seriously. This must have been the best summer for Hollywood "blockbuster" movies in at least 10 years. In the same season you have Iron Man, The Dark Night, and WALL-E, in addition to Hell Boy 2.

On the surface, to a reactionary contrarian, such as Ms. Zacharek, these are typical teen-boy Hollywood fare with art and humanity subverted to the soul sucking commercialism of the modern movie industry. If you believe this then you haven't been paying attention. Ms Zacharek should turn in her critic credentials post-haste.

I am more than certain that Guillermo del Toro didn't make Hellboy 2 strictly for the money. You don't craft a world like this if you didn't have vision and were just after a paycheck.

The animators at PIXAR, with their gourmet lunches and trips to Paris as part of their typical workday aren't Hollywood dilettantes trying to cash-in. They are artists.

But they are all monetarily successful artists and that's where I feel the resentment comes in. Whereas Ms. Zacharek sees them as agents of a corrupt system feeding crap to the masses of Middle America, I see them as intermediaries between the "high-art" aesthetic and the multiplex where most Americans seek out culture.

For Ms. Zacharek, if a film is seen by more than three people, it's somehow suspect. But maybe that just means it's worth watching.