I'm going to miss Newsweek. It provided a valuable insight into at
least what one section of another culture thinks about world events.
Sadly, it is the latest victim of our cost cutting measures, and
subscriptions are high on the 'but do we really need them?' list.
Well I suppose I could argue yes, as it, or at least its content
inspired this blog, which in turn filled some space on Junkk.com and
maybe even gave a person who reads it a reason to return. Hmmn. Tough
call.
Anyway, the story that inspired me was the fallout, if I can call it
that, from Mr. Sharon being struck down. What got me was how
everyone, from the rabbi next door in downtown Tel Aviv to the US
sate Department, were running around like headless chickens.
Derailing the peace process and lord knows what else being bandied
about amongst the wailing and moaning, with earnest Middle East hacks
looking to camera and sharing the shock of the moment.
For crying out loud. The guy was almost 80 and more than a few kilos
above the ideal. You might also suspect that his lifestyle may on
occasion have been a tad stressful. Did no one have a contingency in
mind for when (I'm pretty sure death still ranks as a sure bet, along
with taxes) this happened?
I'm starting to wonder. There used to be a sense that folk much
smarter than we were figuring out all sorts of 'what ifs' and putting
in place all the necessary 'what we do is's', and doing it with
decades in hand to plan and prepare. Now I'm not so sure. It seems
like we're seeing 'just in time' government in much the same way as
just in tin time car assembly, with all the ability to cope when part
of the chain breaks. And it's all for the same reasons, to save a
penny now and let someone else's career deal with the consequences.
I am not encouraged.
ps: In the same edition there was a feature, not exactly critical, on
how Scooters (you know, the kind battery-powered jobs that
predominantly senior folk race around shopping centres) have evolved
from medical need to lifestyle choice are now the new walking in the
US. As Charlie Brown would say: 'Good Grief!'.
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