Nap time

 The cluster effect is fascinating. We don't hear about something for years and years, then suddenly there's a whole bunch of them in a very short time. The latest phenomenon to display the effect is the "night-shift air traffic controller falling asleep and endangering planeloads of people" story. How did that become a national catastrophe almost overnight?

The U.S. transportation secretary is only willing to go so far to address the problem:

Air-traffic controllers will be given longer breaks between shifts under new anti-fatigue rules announced Sunday, but the nation's Transportation secretary appeared to shut the door on the solution some scientists say would best address the recent spate of sleeping controllers: carefully controlled naps.

On my watch, controllers will not be paid to take naps," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Fox News Sunday. "We want to make sure they're well rested. We want to make (sure) that in the workplace there's the ability for them to do their job, but we're not going to pay controllers to be napping. We're not going to do that."

Companies build lunch and break time into the work day all the time. Why not nap time, too, if it improves safety? Personally, I think the quality of work would improve everywhere if naps in the workplace were routinely encouraged. I think I could write much better editorials after 40 winks or, heck, even 20.

(Those of you inclined to say there is ample evidence to suggest I'm napping while I write editorials are respectfully invited to keep your mouths shut.)