The Terrible Predictability of It All

One of the most ghoulish-yet-wise sayings we've ever heard is "Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do." (Or, a bit more accurately, "poorly constructed buildings do.") So as soon as we heard news of Haiti's latest natural catastrophe yesterday, we knew the death toll would be high. There is little chance that the nation's relatively weak government has made the enforcement of building codes a top priority, and poverty has doubtless compelled most builders to resort to the cheapest...