Last night the local news broadcast a story about a horrific fire that destroyed a family's home in a nearby town. An 11 year old girl raced through the house to wake her younger siblings and lead them to safety. The mother and father suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation, and are in critical condition.

During the story there was about ten seconds' worth of video of the 9 year old brother, sitting alone on the curb, crying his eyes out. Then we got video of him close up at a different angle.

A telephone number for those wanting to help the family financially was given.

The very next story involved another fire, but focused on the family's St. Bernard, who was on life support for inhaling smoke. Again there was video of the dog, hooked up to a ventilator, and it was accompanied by an interview of a family friend urging the public to donate money for the treatment of the dog. The vet also made a plea saying that the dog's chances were 50/50 and if we didn't come up with bucks, they would have to pull the plug. The number was given twice, and when the news shifted back to the newscasters, the male newsman asked his colleague to repeat the number for the dog, and how sad it was. He also asked the reporter from the scene to keep us up to date on the dog's progress.