Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Dead Lack "Vital Signs?"

The Globe & Mail isn't the paper it used to be when Ken Thomson owned it. A headline in today's paper showed how muddled the G&M has become:

"Two on downed aircraft lack vital signs"

Lacked vital signs? When you pull two bodies from the wreckage of a crashed plane and the victims aren't breathing and their shattered bodies don't have any pulse, they're not lacking anything. It's not like they're afflicted with some deficiency. They're dead, they've left this mortal coil, they've joined the choir invisible.

Fortunately two others aboard the plane do have vital signs.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090106.wplane0106/BNStory/National/home

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that you came across this. I had a similar feeling yesterday when I read a report about John Travolta's son who had died. In the news report, they quoted a doctor in the Bahamas who said his body, "looked great" (exact quote).

I know that could be considered an accurate statement, but is that really the best description to give about someone who just died . . .

"Well, Mrs Johnson, let's start with the best news about your daughter's disappearance. She looks great! Sadly, there are complications. First off, she's dead." (or per your post on the latest vogue, "she lacks vital signs")

The Mound of Sound said...

I don't know what to make of it. It's just wierd. That comment about Jett Travolta's body is morbid beyond belief.