When we buy something new like a cell phone, lawn mower or car there is always an owner’s manual that comes with the purchase. Not everyone makes the effort to actually read this manual. After all, it takes precious time away from us that could be spent experimenting and playing with our newly purchased gadget.

Desperate attempts by refugees to flee to Europe from the political crises in several North African nations are ending in disasters at sea. In response to the rising number of fatalities, “The European Union proposed doubling the size of its Mediterranean search and rescue operations on Monday, as the first bodies were brought ashore of some 900 people feared killed in the deadliest shipwreck while trying to reach Europe” (Reuters, April 21, 2015).