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View Full Version : "Weakened dam stable but 'extremely volatile'"

John Galt
10-19-2005, 09:25 AM
Yeah, that makes sense. Stable, yet not stable.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/19/massachusetts.dam.ap/index.html
KevinNU7
10-19-2005, 09:30 AM
cnn is desperate for ratings
vex
10-19-2005, 10:10 AM
Extremely volatile huh? Must be a bust.
Maple Leafs
10-19-2005, 10:25 AM
On many days, that sounds like an accurate description of my wife.
sterlingice
10-19-2005, 11:37 AM
cnn is desperate for ratings
Huh? Don't get me wrong- they are ratings whores with a lot of useless trumped up stories but that description is from the mayor of the town's comments, hence the quotes.

SI
KevinNU7
10-19-2005, 12:04 PM
The Mayor said it was under control but extremely volatile, which makes a hell of alot more sense
Huckleberry
10-19-2005, 12:23 PM
I understand that the words seem incompatible at first, but it's not unusual for a situation to be both stable and volatile.

The dam is currently holding the water. It's stable. However, that condition could possibly change dramatically and suddenly. That's volatile.

Think of a pressurized container of hydrogen. Stable and volatile. Volatile often means that a new, additional input to the situation can cause something dramatic to happen. Doesn't mean the situation isn't stable on its own.
John Galt
10-19-2005, 12:28 PM
I understand that the words seem incompatible at first, but it's not unusual for a situation to be both stable and volatile.

The dam is currently holding the water. It's stable. However, that condition could possibly change dramatically and suddenly. That's volatile.

Think of a pressurized container of hydrogen. Stable and volatile. Volatile often means that a new, additional input to the situation can cause something dramatic to happen. Doesn't mean the situation isn't stable on its own.

Better words would provide that distinction, like the mayor saying "under control." For the most part, stable is an antonym of volatile (http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?r=2&q=volatile). To say something is "extremely volatile" makes it even worse to me. "Stable" doesn't just mean currently in control, it means "not subject to extreme change of fluctuation." (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=stable) So, to me the headline is nonsense.