Joe Paterno and stress

Many years ago, a candidate for president of Mexico, Donaldo Colosio, was assassinated. His widow died a year later. It was tragic because both of them were in their prime. Later, the guy who used to play Superman, Christopher Reeve, died after battling paralysis for years. His widow died a year later. She was in her prime. Now, Joe Paterno is ill. People say it is as a result of stress induced by the investigation into his handling of the Sandusky child abuse case. That is probably true. Stress and worry and depression kill people. Avoid them like the plague.

P.S. Five minutes after I posted this, Paterno died. Sad but true. He was the fall guy for others who should have reported what they knew. He trusted their judgment and they let him down.

Short and long

The media has made a big story out of nothing. It is typical media behavior. It just helps sell ad space in magazines, newspapers, the internet, and wherever else. It has been said that the First Lady was wearing short shorts on her vacation recently and that maybe it might not have been appropriate. It was funny, I thought. First of all, those were not short shorts she was wearing. Secondly, she was on vacation. The American public knows full well that women are now wearing skirts and dresses that are shorter than any short shorts used to be. Really. So, what is the fuss about? Nothing. It is media-created. Please. Look at the photos and compare.

These might qualify as short shorts, though girls often wear shorter shorts than these. Don't let the glasses fool you, this lady is not with the Secret Service.

Out of Afrika

NPR always has something to say about the troubles in Zimbabwe. It’s irritating. They just won’t leave it alone. Why is Afrika so dysfunctional? Does anyone know? Can’t someone do something to help this poor continent? There must be dozens of specialists in the State Department who make it their business to know as much about Afrika as their brains can hold, no? So, why don’t we have answers? Why no solutions? Who benefits from having Afrika remain a non-functioning continent? Is it anybody’s business to help the poor continent anyway? Certainly the Africans suffer from injustices right and left. They suffer from very poor health. That doesn’t help. Their life expectancy is the lowest on the planet. They suffer at the hands of dictatorial, unjust, and corrupt governments. That doesn’t help either. They fight each other in violent civil battles constantly. That’s not a positive thing. What to do? Throw money at it? Do they just need to learn to be just, to be fair, to share, to be honest, to be constructive, to be productive, and treat each other kindly? Would that do it? Can they even imagine a better world? Does anyone know? Hello?