Blast in Manchester England at Ariana Grande Concert

Terrorism strikes again, though as of this writing, there was no clear affiliation to a terrorist group, that's still what it is. Be it a crazy guy, or connected to ISIS, the result is the same. And it stinks, that it was at a venue sure to be teeming with underage kids.

The story has overtaken the news, as these stories often do, which can be frustrating. Two things we know (and that was articulated by Rachel Maddow on her program, which was entirely devoted to the story), facts are constantly shifting in  the newness of this kind of story--so, it's unreliable information--and there isn't much to do but speculate. Which creates a dilemma for happening now news: they have to cover it, but there really isn't much to say. I wish they'd get a handle on the way to segue in and out of these major stories, instead of dwelling on them exclusively.

But sadly, no. We see the same looped, shaky, usually vertically* framed cell phone video, interspersed with almost as shaky location footage of the building, with not much going on. It's not riveting television, even though what they're covering is both important and dire. No easy way to do it I suppose.

And on a purely superficial note: if you ever find yourself in the middle of a breaking news event, and have the presence of mind to start recording video, turn the phone sideways. Thank you.

[Excerpt]

Explosion, Panic and Death at Ariana Grande Concert in England

An explosion that may have been a suicide bombing killed at least 19 people on Monday night and wounded dozens at an Ariana Grande concert filled with adoring adolescent fans in what the police were treating as a terrorist attack. . .

Read more (with video) at: New York Times