Friday, March 11, 2011 :::
 
A Couple of Quick Thoughts

There Will Always Be A Japan

Of course, the thoughts and prayers of all people of good will go out to the poor people of coastal Japan, who suffered a horrendous earthquake this morning, the 6th largest in recorded history.

Tragedy, however, not only brings out the best and worst in people, it brings out the deepest parts of their character.  The earthquake did that, in one way familiar to anyone who has seen Japanese tourists.

Among many videos making the rounds is one of some businessmen in the middle of a meeting.  When the earthquake strikes, about half the people do what most people do, which is panic.  For those who have never been in an earthquake, they are doubly upsetting because they hit your inner ear, so you are swimming while the ground beneath you rolls.  One man made it under a desk, flimsy but a rational option.  One man sat stock still and held a piece of paper over his head, which would have done nothing to ensure his survival, but which did ensure that he will delight millions of giggly children the world over for days, perhaps months, to come. 

The other half?  They whipped out their cameras, leaned against the wall, and pressed "on," including the fellow who shot the video.  He apparently stood in the middle of the room and attempted a circular pan.  It worked about as well as could be expected, which adds to the drama of the tape.

If sleaze happens and there is no one there to report it, is it still sleaze?

A woman that no one remembers except lifetime subscribers to People has published a book about her lengthy friendship (and some time romance) with the late JFK, Jr., from prep school through college and into early adulthood.  JFK, Jr, if the reader will recall, died proving that Papa Joe Kennedy was wrong: the normal rules in fact do apply to Kennedys.  In the younger John's case, it's the one about not piloting a plane into a storm that one is not qualified to fly through, particularly if qualified pilots have all declined the opportunity.

Proving that some dreams never die, no matter what disproofs have offered themselves throughout the years, the reviewer in Entertainment Weekly concedes that the authoress is "a beautiful writer," but "one has to wonder" why she wrote the book "now."  (Quick guess here: a publisher finally bought it.)  It does offer a "glimpse" into "the most fiercely private family" (you read that right), but it feels "invasive" and "smacks of cheap sensationalism."

Ummmm.....

::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 2:01 PM


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What doesn't kill me, makes me laugh... usually.