Hang 'em High

In the papers in the past few days, there have been reports of children killing themselves while re-enacting the hanging of Saddam Hussein.
This made me wonder (as one does while sitting on the tube for twenty minutes staring at your feet)about a few things.
Firstly, why did the authorities choose to show the hanging on television?
Secondly, why would children want to re-enact the death of a dictator?

Let's look at the first point, shall we?
Executions around the world, and more specifically seem to capture the public's imagination. Barely two hundred years ago, one couldn't walk through a city without literally bumping into a hanging body in the streets. But, maybe i'm being naive on this point, haven't the human rights societies of the world decreed that executions of any kind be done in private with only people close to the case bare witness to the hanging/electric chair/beheading etc? What is it about an execution that fascinates people? Have we as a society reverted back to the days of old when a good hanging in a public square was high entertainment? As if reality TV isn't bad enough, they air what should have been a news clip, as a full length prime time feature. I believe that the executives who made the decision to show the footage, made a very bad choice. If ratings were so bad that it demanded an execution, then I say - Bring Back DALLAS!

On my second question: Children re enacting the hanging of Saddam Hussein. I wonder, in the past, were there a string of cyanide related deaths amongst children re-enacting Hitler's death? Or a case of beheadings amongst children trying to re enact the headless state of one of King Henry's wives? I doubt it.
It's puzzling, scary and rather revealing of society today.

I guess adults forget that children are the greatest imitators. Ask the girls in rehab for eating disorders after trying to imitate Posh's latest minute size, or re enacting Lindsay Lohan's skeletal phase. Or the youngsters recovering from trying to imitate Cobains heroin addiction, or Moss' cocaine habit. She bounced back to becoming one of the highest paid models today. Cobain wasn't so lucky, and niether are a lot of thier imitators.

The point, and i promise i have one, is that children are sponges, absorbing everything they see and without anyone there to tell them the difference between the good the bad and the ugly, i believe we'll see a lot more re enactment related deaths amongst kids.
So Mr TV Exec, i highly recommend you review your show line up. Cut out ALL reality TV save for the News and Discovery Channel, and replace the unwatchable with fun, escapism. after all, isn't that what we originally bought our tvs for?

Wet Pants

You gotta love living with a guy. Take yesterday for example. I called P knowing that he'll only rise at about 9am (joys of being a waiter) and reminded him of teh pile of laundry that he said he'd do. Apparently he did the laundry, cos by the time I dragged my exhausted carcass home, the pile was gone from the middle of the living room floor - don't ask.

I promptly passed out in bed (it was only 9pm). At about 12:30am, I was awoken by P and his cousin coming home. Have never met said cousin and left him sleeping on my couch this morning. I have work tonight and wanted to wear my jeans, so i asked P if he had hung up the laundry. He muttered something and disappeared for a while. I went back to sleep, but woke up a little later. Turns out that P put the laundry in the washer but didn't hang it up until I reminded him when he got home. If I ha known this, I would have hung it up myself.

SO today, I threw on damp jeans, which froze solid the moment I walked out the door. And yes, I only have one pair of jeans. I wil buy more the moment I can affor to.

But that isn't the end of my night. Oh no. After waking up the second time, I couldn't fall back asleep. I blame the few pots of coffee I drank yesterday at work. I was wired from about 1am til 3am, then dozed until 6am. Crawled out at 7am and made it to work in time for our end of year meeting/debriefing etc.

Now for the past few weeks, I have been contemplating leaving my current job for anything better paying, regardless of career progress etc. My boss outlined the strategy for next year and the sheer volume of work lining up was enough to make me want to hide under my desk. Overwhelmed just isn't the word. And just as I was running through my various options, up comes this proposition. Next year sometime, he will be looking to recruit an events manager.

Dammit! Thats the carrot to my proverbial donkey. Looks like i'll be sticking around.

Loaded the new media player update. Spent yesterday drooling over the new look and the options and downloaded some xmas songs - turns out i had none. SO now i'm getting all xmassy, well, kind of. maybe its just the cold that i'm mistaking for xmas spirit. SOOOO damn cold. Global warming my ass!

Blogville is also very quiet with the ghosts of bloggers on leave. Am I too much of a geek to not blog during the festive season? yes, I have no life. and due to this i'm looking forward to work tonight.

Ok, i'm actually looking forward to seeing one of my two bosses at the pub.

I am Insano, queen of the geeks. I embrace my geekness and lesser geeks must bow before me.