World News

We came back from the long, relatively unplugged weekend in Louisiana. I was surprised to see that Michael Jackson was still dominating the news. To an astounding degree. I mean, Katie Couric has a ringside seat and a good part of the ABC World (World) News is devoted to covering the memorial service at the Staples Center in LA. I thought for sure that we would be back to living out the disaster-in-a-fishbowl that is Jon, Kate, and their kids.

I liked MJ back in the day when I was a young teen... I liked MJ back in the day when I was a young adult. As he grew older and changed radically, I didn't think much about it, except that his private life as a whole must have been pretty "out there"... I remember when Elvis died and people were just devastated. I didn't get that any more than I get this. As they say on American Idol, "Yo, Dawg, I'm just not feeling it".

Annnnywayyy...

What was interesting was that when I changed to the BBC news, I was reminded of what Katie Couric might have been telling me - That the president of Honduras had been overthrown and that there was violence and unrest in that country. That in China, riots were going on between Muslim Uighurs and the Han Chinese, leaving over 100 people dead. That Sarah Palin had resigned as Governor of Alaska... The BBC unapologetically throws in names like "Zelaya", "Urumqi", "L'Aquila" and expects that the viewer knows who or what they are referring to. They report news from Eastern Europe, South America, India, Africa... Africa!!... all as if it were local news! The last time US news even mentioned an individual, non-mid eastern country on the African Continent was Somalia in '94.

I found out that our president will be going to Africa in a few days. Somebody should tell Katie.