With the arrival of two aid workers who contracted the deadly and highly-contagious Ebola virus in West Africa to the CDC in Atlanta—and one quarantined patient being evaluated for infection in New York City—pandemic paranoia has reached a (no pun intended) fever pitch.

A debate erupted into the narrative regarding the public-health implications of transporting individuals infected with the virus to American soil for the first time, and the potential for exposure. Plot lines from Outbreak and Contagion are rattling around in the anxious brains of the population and fueling Hollywood-scenario fears.

Thankfully, the condition of the two Americans being treated with an experimental drug seems to be improving; and media-sensationalism and online-conspiracies aside, the individuals receiving care in the United States has brought the massive Ebola epidemic in West Africa to the forefront of the national conversation.

The virus has already infected over 1,000 people in the countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, making it the largest outbreak of Ebola in recorded history. A section of the world improperly-equipped to deal with such a substantial medical-crisis, there was a disturbing lack of attention being paid to a situation that threatens to turn catastrophic. So while millions of Americans are irrationally freaking out over the virus’ stateside arrival, the spotlight is now focused on resolving the emergency in West Africa, as it should be.

The continued improvement of the two Americans who received the experimental vaccine is terrific news, and potentially tide-changing for suffers in West Africa. It took a national uproar to generate mainstream attention to the situation across the globe, and with the encouraging news from this trial treatment, hopefully it begins to subside.

Curiously, those with the most media experience seem to be the ones with the most recurring cases of foot-in-mouth disease. Last week’s patient was Steven A. Smith, ESPN talking-head and commentator known for his strong opinions and animated style. Unfortunately, he did not articulate this one as artfully as he would have liked.

Last Friday on ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ Smith provided his take on Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s two-game suspension for domestic violence, and amidst his diatribe, made the insane comment advising women not to ‘provoke wrong actions’ in domestic disputes.

Firestorm: engage.

Social media lit-up immediately, from calling Smith out as a misogynist to calling for his job. The story was no longer about Ray Rice, but about the deep and overriding issue of domestic abuse. Smith also did not receive any help from the NFL, who suspended Jacksonville Jaguars wide-receiver Justin Blackmon an entire season for failing a drug test, contributing to the conversation about their disciplinary priorities. Two-days for domestic violence. A season for smoking marijuana.

Smith issued an apology on ‘First Take’ yesterday, but for someone as boisterous and opinionated as Steven, came off as flat and rehearsed. There will be no Don Imus-esque reprisal for Smith, he will merely weather the bad press and remain in-place as an ESPN commentator. You would think that being a part of the media would instill a strong sense of media savvy in these individuals, but these situations unfold almost weekly. Blame it on the human condition, blame it on a hot-mic or a bad day at the office; but if you’re Steven A. Smith and you begin blaming the victim, the respect of your audience and overall credibility will assuredly take a hit.

Last week was another one of those weeks, where the news-cycle was a maelstrom of bad news. The world seems an ever-increasing warzone—with conflicts occurring on borders in seemingly every corner of the globe.

On the heels of the latest escalation in the longstanding territory-dispute between Israelis and Palestinians came the most tragic development in the battle for Ukraine: the downing of the civilian passenger jet Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by a surface-to-air missile. All 298 souls onboard perished in the crash and the outrage that followed served to widen the schism between East-West to Cold War levels.

In the geopolitical and sectarian struggles that have plagued the international landscape, the main victims are civilians caught in the crossfire. From families currently being forced from their homes into refugee camps in Iraq and Syria to the violence along ethnic-lines in Bosnia in the 90’s, the impact of warfare frequently affects the innocent. It is a revolting aspect of society, and there never seems to be a lull in the brutality. Ostensibly every week, societal unrest begins to boil over, threatening to deteriorate into a civil war.

Despite borders, despite cultural differences, language barriers and religious quarrels, we have our humanity in common. The events that caused the disaster of MH17 are yet another catastrophic example of the impact that warfare has on the general populace. We can only hope that there is a resolution to the conflicts afflicting these parts of the world sooner than later.

Tech-startups have had a cataclysmic effect on obsolete business models, driving the establishment to adjust and adapt or begin the death dirge for their organizations. From Netflix’s foray into original—and superb—programming, forcing the hand of cable company fat-cats to up their game, to online-review apps putting comment cards in the public-eye, Silicon Valley’s impact on the status-quo has a boot-quaking quality that is reverberating throughout boardrooms globally.

Nowhere is this more evident than Uber’s incursion into the taxi-cab market, which in Orlando, is turning Mears Transportation’s upper-level executives legs into jelly. The ride-for-hire app, which planted its standard firmly on Orlando soil a bit over a month ago, has indisputably shaken the industry and ruffled the feathers of the institution.

As Uber touts itself as a ride-sharing smartphone application—not a taxi-service—they claim they are not subject to the licensing and regulations the city requires for traditional taxi-drivers. Political gamesmanship followed—with police orchestrating sting operations targeting Uber drivers, towing their vehicles and issuing fines for operating unlicensed cabs.

The threat of legal consequences was not enough to curtail Uber drivers—who were reimbursed by the company itself for fines and lost time—and over the weekend, Mears announced that it had halted the construction of its new headquarters, the impetus being declining profits.

In five-weeks, a tech-based neophyte took a large-enough chunk out of an Orlando staple’s profit-line to significantly alter future plans.

This result should not have come as a surprise to Mears. Like Blockbuster to Redbox, when operating on an outmoded archetype and ignoring the looming shifts in business, it typically spells disaster (and bankruptcy).

It’s no coincidence that Mears released their own app shortly after Uber’s arrival, but with the weekend’s report of their construction hiatus, it appears the damage had already been done. Mears is now in a strategic defensive position—not ideal for making money—and faced with the choice of changing their business model or accepting the fact that their business, along with their practices, will be a thing of the past.