Speaking of modern labor standards (as we were)...

One of the tragedies that made American labor unions respectable was the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, in which 146 women died because factory management had locked them into their factory to reduce pilferage, and they were unable to force the locks when the building caught fire.

Well, it looks like someone at WalMart likes the idea of going back to the good old days. There have already been several incidents where workers locked into buildings on the night shift have had to wait for hours to get out because no one around had a key.

In response, not so much to an outcry from the employees as to the bad publicity which it has engendered, the company now says it is instituting a policy that when workers are locked in, there should always be a manger on site with a key. I guess they had formerly thought that making managers work the night shift would be inhumane...

And for more back-to-the-future stuff, check out Jeanne D'Arc on how Dubya honored Martin Luther King's birthday....