The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[Disney Irish]

I hate that I can't bring up Starship without it starting a debate about Elon Musk. Over 13,000 people work for SpaceX. I hate that his public persona often overshadows what that team of hardworking people has accomplished. On the one hand, I get it: he is bloody insufferable, hateful, and I wish he would shut his pie-hole. On the other hand, whatever he does at SpaceX internally inspires that workforce to work incredibly hard and accomplish incredible things. My long-time suspicion is that SpaceX is super successful because, at that company, Elon's leadership is tempered by the leadership of Gwynne Shotwell. He sets the aspirations, and she manages the workforce (and the government contracts) to get it done.

The funny thing about the suggestion of using NASA as a sponsor to avoid connections to temperamental billionaires is that NASA doesn't do anything alone anymore. SpaceX is building Starship, partially because it will be the lunar lander for the Artemis program. Blue Origin is also working on a second version of a lunar lander for Artemis. So, even if you put a NASA Artemis attraction in Tomorrowland, you would still feature designs connected to said temperamental billionaires. There's just no way around it.

Anyway, the only reason I brought up the last Starship test flight is because it was epic, and I know there is a lot of overlap between Disney fans and Space fans. I figured that some of you would enjoy it.

NASA never did anything on their own, they were the face of the space race back in the day, but they certainly never did it all on their own. Contractors were always used, from Boeing to McDonnell Douglas (formerly just McDonnell Aircraft).

So to me I see this as no different, make NASA the face of any space attraction at Disneyland. And if Disney wants to involve some of the more contentious people of the companies that NASA is using in the background, provided they want to be involved, well then it won't be as much of an issue as NASA will be the face of the attraction sponsorship.

 

[TP2000]

At this point I believe Tesla would do better without Elon.

I'm not paricularly an EV fan, I don't currently own one, but next year I am considering trading in my large SUV on the equally large EV Dodge Charger coupe (but I may go with a gas engine). So I am not an EV expert in any way, although I have ridden in friend's Teslas over the past few years. Very impressive technology and very nice cars.

But I went to Google to see what Tesla's market share of the EV market is. It's not even close. Tesla has almost 60% of the entire EV market currently. You sure see a lot of them on the roads nowadays!

2023 EV Market Share in North America by Manufacturer

Tesla = 59.1%
Ford = 6.5%
GM = 6.4%
Rivian = 6.1%
Hyundai/Kia = 6.0%
Mercedes = 3.9%
Audi = 2.2%
Nissan = 1.8%
BMW = 1.5%

And then a gaggle of car companies that had less than 1% market share in 2023. I'm not sure that firing the founding CEO that got Tesla to nearly 60% market share would be a good idea.

10 US Electric Car Sales Stats & 13 Charts - CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! I create so many US EV sales reports that I typically just assume stats are clear and easy to find … but then I go looking for a specific stat and it takes me ... [continued]

cleantechnica.com

 

[TP2000]

Disney would still fund the entire project including the "research" trips to Space X so imagineer executives can "learn" what is like to be in space.

Never gonna happen. SpaceX is based in Hawthorne, and that's only a 30 minute freeway drive from Glendale.

There's no way WDI would agree to a research immersion trip if it didn't mean flying on a corporate jet and staying at a Ritz-Carlton for a week or two.

 

[TP2000]

Have it sponsored by NASA and you can avoid any specific company involvement by any temperamental Billionaires.

I hate that I can't bring up Starship without it starting a debate about Elon Musk. Over 13,000 people work for SpaceX. I hate that his public persona often overshadows what that team of hardworking people has accomplished.

@DrAlice I was genuinely taken aback by the vitriol Elon received here. But to your point, I think those pictures of the cheering SpaceX employees are more impactful and moving than any of their senior executives are.

I've been going to Disneyland for many decades now, I've seen sponsors come and go, but when I'm in the park I never once thought of their leadership or the decisions they make and the opinions they have. And there have been quite a few really contentious debates there over the years; Monsanto and its Vietnam defense contracts in the 60's and 70's, Coca-Cola and it's refusal to pull out of Apartheid South Africa in the 80's, GE and their nuclear waste in the 70's, etc.

And then I remembered a conversation I had with friends who retired to Lanai about the Dole company's troubling past there, and the longtime sponsor of the Tiki Room. If you do a 60 second Google search on many of the current Disneyland sponsors, you can find a mix of truly horrible backgrounds or currently contentious socio-political decisions on behalf of the sponsor's senior leadership. I'll start with Dole since I'd already learned a bit about that from friends:

Dole Pineapple, Enchanted Tiki Room and various snack bars: Sanford Dole was born to Protestant missionaries from New England who went to Hawaii to convert the pagan natives in the 1840's. As an adult in the 1880's, Mr. Dole got involved in Hawaiian politics and the US Government's successful coup to overthrow the ancient Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, forcibly deposing their Queen and her household, and imposing martial law to create the new Kingdom Of Hawaii as an American protectorate by US government decree. The ultimate goal was to fully annex Hawaii into the US as part of Manifest Destiny, and Mr. Dole was DC's man on the islands who led that forced annexation by the US government in 1898. Mr. Dole was named the first President of the Provisional Government of Hawaii for his allegiance. Then it gets even worse. In 1922, Mr. Dole's younger nephew James Dole purchased the entire island of Lanai via a shady government deal wrangled by his uncle and DC politicians, and James Dole turned the island into the largest pineapple plantation and canning factory on the planet. By the mid 1920's he had tens of thousands of Hawaiian natives and Asian immigrants working on his pineapple plantation in what was charitably called at the time "indentured servitude", but what was really just chattel slavery 60 years after the Civil War ended. Despite public apologies from Dole and the US Government in the 1990's, the Dole name continues to be extremely controversial in Hawaii today, especially with pro-native Hawaiian citizens.

You can do the same thing with other park sponsors, thanks to Google or an interesting dinner party conversation.

Dreyer's Ice Cream (Gibson Girl, Clarabelle's) and Coca-Cola (everywhere) both have manufacturing plants and distribution centers in Israel and have resisted demands from the BDS movement to stop doing business there.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters) doesn't need a Google search, you just need to know that their Sea-Tac airport location couldn't honor my reservation for an SUV for my sister and her family of four and all our luggage last year. I had to scramble and pay Hertz almost triple the rate to get an SUV, and the delay took two hours. Evil people!

I think it's best to just not focus on who runs what company that sponsors stuff at Disneyland, and what their politics may or may not be. Instead, Tomorrowland was always at its best when it had relevant and leading American companies sponsoring the ride or show that dealt with their subject matter. General Electric, Monsanto, Bell System, McDonnel-Douglas, General Dynamics, Honda, etc., etc.

Whether we like it or not (and I love it!), SpaceX is an American company that is clearly leading the way in rocketry and space exploration. There is currently no one who comes close to what SpaceX is already doing. And they continually fly right over Disneyland for gosh sakes!

 

[Disney Irish]

@DrAlice I was genuinely taken aback by the vitriol Elon received here. But to your point, I think those pictures of the cheering SpaceX employees are more impactful and moving than any of their senior executives are.

I've been going to Disneyland for many decades now, I've seen sponsors come and go, but when I'm in the park I never once thought of their leadership or the decisions they make and the opinions they have. And there have been quite a few really contentious debates there over the years; Monsanto and its Vietnam defense contracts in the 60's and 70's, Coca-Cola and it's refusal to pull out of Apartheid South Africa in the 80's, GE and their nuclear waste in the 70's, etc.

And then I remembered a conversation I had with friends who retired to Lanai about the Dole company's troubling past there, and the longtime sponsor of the Tiki Room. If you do a 60 second Google search on many of the current Disneyland sponsors, you can find a mix of truly horrible backgrounds or currently contentious socio-political decisions on behalf of the sponsor's senior leadership. I'll start with Dole since I'd already learned a bit about that from friends:

Dole Pineapple, Enchanted Tiki Room and various snack bars: Sanford Dole was born to Protestant missionaries from New England who went to Hawaii to convert the pagan natives in the 1840's. As an adult in the 1880's, Mr. Dole got involved in Hawaiian politics and the US Government's successful coup to overthrow the ancient Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, forcibly deposing their Queen and her household, and imposing martial law to create the new Kingdom Of Hawaii as an American protectorate by US government decree. The ultimate goal was to fully annex Hawaii into the US as part of Manifest Destiny, and Mr. Dole was DC's man on the islands who led that forced annexation by the US government in 1898. Mr. Dole was named the first President of the Provisional Government of Hawaii for his allegiance. Then it gets even worse. In 1922, Mr. Dole's younger nephew James Dole purchased the entire island of Lanai via a shady government deal wrangled by his uncle and DC politicians, and James Dole turned the island into the largest pineapple plantation and canning factory on the planet. By the mid 1920's he had tens of thousands of Hawaiian natives and Asian immigrants working on his pineapple plantation in what was charitably called at the time "indentured servitude", but what was really just chattel slavery 60 years after the Civil War ended. Despite public apologies from Dole and the US Government in the 1990's, the Dole name continues to be extremely controversial in Hawaii today, especially with pro-native Hawaiian citizens.

You can do the same thing with other park sponsors, thanks to Google or an interesting dinner party conversation.

Dreyer's Ice Cream (Gibson Girl, Clarabelle's) and Coca-Cola (everywhere) both have manufacturing plants and distribution centers in Israel and have resisted demands from the BDS movement to stop doing business there.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters) doesn't need a Google search, you just need to know that their Sea-Tac airport location couldn't honor my reservation for an SUV for my sister and her family of four and all our luggage last year. I had to scramble and pay Hertz almost triple the rate to get an SUV, and the delay took two hours. Evil people!

I think it's best to just not focus on who runs what company that sponsors stuff at Disneyland, and what their politics may or may not be. Instead, Tomorrowland was always at its best when it had relevant and leading American companies sponsoring the ride or show that dealt with their subject matter. General Electric, Monsanto, Bell System, McDonnel-Douglas, General Dynamics, Honda, etc., etc.

Whether we like it or not (and I love it!), SpaceX is an American company that is clearly leading the way in rocketry and space exploration. There is currently no one who comes close to what SpaceX is already doing. And they continually fly right over Disneyland for gosh sakes!

I think the major difference between then and now is that the CEOs of those companies didn't have what has become an all out war with Disney. Gerald Phillippe wasn't having a flame war with Disney in the media in 60s and 70s. If he was you can be sure that GE wouldn't have been a business partner with Disney, Walt wouldn't have allowed it in the early 60s.

So like it or not today's CEO of many companies, including Iger at Disney, now how what are considered rock star status. You can't separate the CEO actions from the company profile, even if the company employees 1000s of very nice people. Its why there is a current shareholder revolt at Tesla to try and remove Elon as CEO by denying his pay package just next week. And honestly he shouldn't serve as CEO at more than one company anyways, but that is a different topic.

So yes like it or not as long as Elon is CEO of SpaceX and he has an open war with Disney there will be no chance for a sponsorship with Disney for an attraction.

 

[Parteecia]

@DrAlice I was genuinely taken aback by the vitriol Elon received here. But to your point, I think those pictures of the cheering SpaceX employees are more impactful and moving than any of their senior executives are.

I've been going to Disneyland for many decades now, I've seen sponsors come and go, but when I'm in the park I never once thought of their leadership or the decisions they make and the opinions they have. And there have been quite a few really contentious debates there over the years; Monsanto and its Vietnam defense contracts in the 60's and 70's, Coca-Cola and it's refusal to pull out of Apartheid South Africa in the 80's, GE and their nuclear waste in the 70's, etc.

And then I remembered a conversation I had with friends who retired to Lanai about the Dole company's troubling past there, and the longtime sponsor of the Tiki Room. If you do a 60 second Google search on many of the current Disneyland sponsors, you can find a mix of truly horrible backgrounds or currently contentious socio-political decisions on behalf of the sponsor's senior leadership. I'll start with Dole since I'd already learned a bit about that from friends:

Dole Pineapple, Enchanted Tiki Room and various snack bars: Sanford Dole was born to Protestant missionaries from New England who went to Hawaii to convert the pagan natives in the 1840's. As an adult in the 1880's, Mr. Dole got involved in Hawaiian politics and the US Government's successful coup to overthrow the ancient Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, forcibly deposing their Queen and her household, and imposing martial law to create the new Kingdom Of Hawaii as an American protectorate by US government decree. The ultimate goal was to fully annex Hawaii into the US as part of Manifest Destiny, and Mr. Dole was DC's man on the islands who led that forced annexation by the US government in 1898. Mr. Dole was named the first President of the Provisional Government of Hawaii for his allegiance. Then it gets even worse. In 1922, Mr. Dole's younger nephew James Dole purchased the entire island of Lanai via a shady government deal wrangled by his uncle and DC politicians, and James Dole turned the island into the largest pineapple plantation and canning factory on the planet. By the mid 1920's he had tens of thousands of Hawaiian natives and Asian immigrants working on his pineapple plantation in what was charitably called at the time "indentured servitude", but what was really just chattel slavery 60 years after the Civil War ended. Despite public apologies from Dole and the US Government in the 1990's, the Dole name continues to be extremely controversial in Hawaii today, especially with pro-native Hawaiian citizens.

You can do the same thing with other park sponsors, thanks to Google or an interesting dinner party conversation.

Dreyer's Ice Cream (Gibson Girl, Clarabelle's) and Coca-Cola (everywhere) both have manufacturing plants and distribution centers in Israel and have resisted demands from the BDS movement to stop doing business there.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters) doesn't need a Google search, you just need to know that their Sea-Tac airport location couldn't honor my reservation for an SUV for my sister and her family of four and all our luggage last year. I had to scramble and pay Hertz almost triple the rate to get an SUV, and the delay took two hours. Evil people!

I think it's best to just not focus on who runs what company that sponsors stuff at Disneyland, and what their politics may or may not be. Instead, Tomorrowland was always at its best when it had relevant and leading American companies sponsoring the ride or show that dealt with their subject matter. General Electric, Monsanto, Bell System, McDonnel-Douglas, General Dynamics, Honda, etc., etc.

Whether we like it or not (and I love it!), SpaceX is an American company that is clearly leading the way in rocketry and space exploration. There is currently no one who comes close to what SpaceX is already doing. And they continually fly right over Disneyland for gosh sakes!

The difference is that you had to search for that information. Elon is everywhere and deliberately provoking. I don't do social media and try to avoid all mentions of him and I can't.

 

[Rich T]

…Why can't Disney cough up 200 million and build it?…

I dunno, but—all on their own—they took a big budget, a great idea for a PatF Splash Mountain retheme and somehow managed to twist it into (insert kazoo fanfare, slide whistle and whoopie cushion sounds) Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Why’d they do THAT?!?

 

[TP2000]

The difference is that you had to search for that information. Elon is everywhere and deliberately provoking. I don't do social media and try to avoid all mentions of him and I can't.

Well, I don't do social media really either, but when I hear about him it's usually in the context of him being the richest man on the planet and one of the most brilliant business-industrial minds since Henry Ford or Thomas Edison.

I honestly never hear his name mentioned in the context of "Bad Guy and Official Awful Person", but perhaps I'm not reading the right blogs? I didn't know he was such a villain for so many folks, especially with so many of his cars on the roads.

No matter, it's probably unlikely that Disney will once again turn to American industry to help boost its Tomorrowland or parks in general, even if would certainly be better than a 75,000 square foot building being used for a timeshare sodapop lounge...

 

[Mark Norris]

I honestly never hear his name mentioned in the context of "Bad Guy and Official Awful Person", but perhaps I'm not reading the right blogs? I didn't know he was such a villain for so many folks, especially with so many of his cars on the roads.

I will never understand the vitriol that is engendered in some people by Elon Musk. Without Tesla or SpaceX, viable EVs would be at least a decade out, and the American space industry would be dead in the water. Those companies either wouldn’t exist (SpaceX), or would be just another failed startup (Tesla) without him, and if you ask the other hard-working people of those companies, they will, and have, whole-heartedly agree.

I’m pretty sure that Noland Arbaugh, the quadriplegic who can now operate a computer with his thoughts via Neuralink’s (another Musk company) first brain-implant, doesn’t lay awake at night bothered by some smack-talk that Elon randomly throws out on Twitter/X. He most likely prays to God that someone like Elon Musk exists at all.

 

[Disney Irish]

I will never understand the vitriol that is engendered in some people by Elon Musk. Without Tesla or SpaceX, viable EVs would be at least a decade out, and the American space industry would be dead in the water. Those companies either wouldn’t exist (SpaceX), or would be just another failed startup (Tesla) without him, and if you ask the other hard-working people of those companies, they will, and have, whole-heartedly agree.

I’m pretty sure that Noland Arbaugh, the quadriplegic who can now operate a computer with his thoughts via Neuralink’s (another Musk company) first brain-implant, doesn’t lay awake at night bothered by some smack-talk that Elon randomly throws out on Twitter/X. He most likely prays to God that someone like Elon Musk exists at all.

The reason is his bad takes on many topics end up outweighing any genius he had for a large portion of the population. The man can't get out of his own way a lot of times. If he just kept his mouth shut not many would have an issue with him.

Again can't unfortunately separate the man from the company while he is still running it.

 

[TP2000]

I’m pretty sure that Noland Arbaugh, the quadriplegic who can now operate a computer with his thoughts via Neuralink’s (another Musk company) first brain-implant, doesn’t lay awake at night bothered by some smack-talk that Elon randomly throws out on Twitter/X. He most likely prays to God that someone like Elon Musk exists at all.

I had never heard of Mr. Arbaugh and that technology. Incredible! I agree, that man probably goes to bed every night thanking God that Mr. Musk's Neuralink technology was ever invented.

I'm going to go investigate all these Bad Thoughts And Words that Elon is apparently saying out loud without approval. I'm fascinated by this topic here, although it's trending OT from my initial point in doing something, anything, with all the abandoned buildings and attractions in Tomorrowland while SpaceX shoots rockets over the park once or twice a month.

 

[Mark Norris]

Elon is apparently saying out loud without approval.

You nailed it.

 

[TP2000]

How absolutely tragic.

My gosh, yes. Unnecessarily tragic. Why wasn't she wearing her seatbelt? It was traveling on backstage roads with other full size vehicles in use, correct? You have to wear a seatbelt if the LSV "golf cart" goes on roadways and streets.

On the cruise line I frequent, in ports they have little 4 or 6 seat LSV's that drive you from the gangway down the wharf to the entrance to town/transportation. It's always just a straight shot at slow speed, no turns, and the drivers won't move an inch until everyone has their shoulder seatbelt on.

At home developments I toured a couple years ago, or where friends live now, they always have you belt up before the sales rep takes you on the tour in the cart. I think they even have buzzers now for unbelted occupants, like all cars do.

A tragic accident that could have been prevented unfortunately.

Here's a pic of the backstage roads at Disneyland, and I assume it was that type of "golf cart" shown, really a commercial LSV (low speed vehicle that has to have all normal safety equipment, including seatbelts) that was involved in the accident. There are full size vehicles, large commercial vehicles, and all sorts of stuff traveling on those back of house roadways with common street signage and rules of the road. Seatbelt use is the law in California in an LSV.

 

[eddie104]

I will never understand the vitriol that is engendered in some people by Elon Musk. Without Tesla or SpaceX, viable EVs would be at least a decade out, and the American space industry would be dead in the water. Those companies either wouldn’t exist (SpaceX), or would be just another failed startup (Tesla) without him, and if you ask the other hard-working people of those companies, they will, and have, whole-heartedly agree.

I’m pretty sure that Noland Arbaugh, the quadriplegic who can now operate a computer with his thoughts via Neuralink’s (another Musk company) first brain-implant, doesn’t lay awake at night bothered by some smack-talk that Elon randomly throws out on Twitter/X. He most likely prays to God that someone like Elon Musk exists at all.

I never understood people’s obsession with EM as he is not self made billionaire by any means.

He is also has terrible views for someone looking to revolutionize the American space industry.

People need to thank the US government for funding half of his ventures because he wouldn’t be in the position without them.

 

[Disney Irish]

I had never heard of Mr. Arbaugh and that technology. Incredible! I agree, that man probably goes to bed every night thanking God that Mr. Musk's Neuralink technology was ever invented.

I'm going to go investigate all these Bad Thoughts And Words that Elon is apparently saying out loud without approval. I'm fascinated by this topic here, although it's trending OT from my initial point in doing something, anything, with all the abandoned buildings and attractions in Tomorrowland while SpaceX shoots rockets over the park once or twice a month.

Neuralink is impressive tech to be sure. But I'm sure that many aren't going be fond of his goal to put a chip in everyone's head.

 

[Parteecia]

My gosh, yes. Unnecessarily tragic. Why wasn't she wearing her seatbelt? It was traveling on backstage roads with other full size vehicles in use, correct? You have to wear a seatbelt if the LSV "golf cart" goes on roadways and streets.

On the cruise line I frequent, in ports they have little 4 or 6 seat LSV's that drive you from the gangway down the wharf to the entrance to town/transportation. It's always just a straight shot at slow speed, no turns, and the drivers won't move an inch until everyone has their shoulder seatbelt on.

At home developments I toured a couple years ago, or where friends live now, they always have you belt up before the sales rep takes you on the tour in the cart. I think they even have buzzers now for unbelted occupants, like all cars do.

A tragic accident that could have been prevented unfortunately.

Here's a pic of the backstage roads at Disneyland, and I assume it was that type of "golf cart" shown, really a commercial LSV (low speed vehicle that has to have all normal safety equipment, including seatbelts) that was involved in the accident. There are full size vehicles, large commercial vehicles, and all sorts of stuff traveling on those back of house roadways with common street signage and rules of the road. Seatbelt use is the law in California in an LSV.

It gets sadder. Defective cart?

“Bonnye was traveling on a rear-facing seat of a golf cart along with 3 passengers behind Critter Country,” Delgado wrote on Facebook. “The driver of the vehicle was driving at least 20 mph on the route. The golf cart came in contact with a bump/dip in the road which caused Bonnye to react immediately. As she went to grab the handrail, it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle.”

Club 33 manager dies in ‘tragic’ Disneyland accident

Police are investigating the traffic collision in a backstage area of the Anaheim theme park.

www.ocregister.com

 

[brb1006]

Shanghai Disney Resort just created a video celebrating Donald Duck's 90th Birthday today. The video can be viewed on some of Shanghai's Official social media accounts.


Tokyo Disney Resort does similar videos for other Disney Characters (mainly between Mickey and Friends) interacting with Cast Members which they occasionally upload to their official Youtube and other social media accounts. Seen a couple of them in the past and they always put a smile on my face.







Unlike the stuff from the Disney Parks social media accounts, Tokyo's feels more lifelike and genuine and less corporate.

Also Tokyo Disneyland had a short ceremony honoring Donald Duck's 90th Birthday in front of Cinderella Castle.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It gets sadder. Defective cart?

“Bonnye was traveling on a rear-facing seat of a golf cart along with 3 passengers behind Critter Country,” Delgado wrote on Facebook. “The driver of the vehicle was driving at least 20 mph on the route. The golf cart came in contact with a bump/dip in the road which caused Bonnye to react immediately. As she went to grab the handrail, it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle.”

Club 33 manager dies in ‘tragic’ Disneyland accident

Police are investigating the traffic collision in a backstage area of the Anaheim theme park.

www.ocregister.com

Ugh. Such a tragedy, poor soul.

 

[Phroobar]

Never gonna happen. SpaceX is based in Hawthorne, and that's only a 30 minute freeway drive from Glendale.

There's no way WDI would agree to a research immersion trip if it didn't mean flying on a corporate jet and staying at a Ritz-Carlton for a week or two.

The Imagineers can talk to Blue Origin and get shot into space (for research) like Shatner did.

 

[TP2000]

It gets sadder. Defective cart?

“Bonnye was traveling on a rear-facing seat of a golf cart along with 3 passengers behind Critter Country,” Delgado wrote on Facebook. “The driver of the vehicle was driving at least 20 mph on the route. The golf cart came in contact with a bump/dip in the road which caused Bonnye to react immediately. As she went to grab the handrail, it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle.”

Club 33 manager dies in ‘tragic’ Disneyland accident

Police are investigating the traffic collision in a backstage area of the Anaheim theme park.

www.ocregister.com

Oh geez.

This is looking like Disney is in hot water here. They could be liable for millions due to apparent workplace negligence that caused the death of an employee. Not just an Anaheim Police issue, but a Cal OSHA issue to be sure.

At least several California laws governing the workplace and motor vehicle safety seem to have been broken here. Off the top of my head, and someone correct me if I've got anything wrong here from the info we know so far:

• Disney owns a fleet of LSV's and has employees ride/drive in them as part of their paid work duties.
• Disney's LSV's either have the shoulder and lap belts removed/deactivated, has older LSV's that are not even equipped with seat belts but still asks employees to operate them, and/or Disney is operating LSV's on roadways and allows employees to not use the shoulder and lap belts required by law.
• Disney has roadways on its property that are used by full size and commercial vehicles that either have an unsafe speed limit for use by LSV's without safety equipment, or the employee was driving over the posted speed limit.
• Disney owns an LSV that had faulty safety equipment (the grab handle on the backwards facing seat that broke), but allowed employees to ride and drive that faulty LSV.
• Disney actually owns/operates mere golf carts (much simpler than an LSV and without safety equipment) that have no seatbelts and are only legal for use on golf courses or closed pathways not exposed to vehicular traffic.

This is gonna be a legal and Cal OSHA thing for Disney, I'd bet you two churros. When the Lear family recovers from their grief and mourning, they need to contact a workplace safety lawyer ASAP.

These two ladies are about Ms. Lear's age from the newspaper report. The hand rails for the rear facing seats on an LSV are meant only to help you enter/exit the vehicle (or put your beverage in the cupholder). They are not meant to keep you from being ejected from the vehicle if it goes over a bump at 20+ mph. That's what the seatbelt is for, to keep you from being ejected out of the seat in case of accident.