Tsunami's and Charley Sheen

Two natural disasters struck the same week. An earthquake and tsunami in No. Japan and Charley Sheen in the United States. Both disasters spun out of control with a destructive force hard to be believed. One left in it's wake ruined lives, compelling video, and a call for outside help. The other one destroyed villages in Japan and created a nuclear reactor meltdown, still ongoing.

I do not make light of the trouble in Japan, I use satire to point out the fact that the same day there were riots and uprisings in the middle east, financial meltdowns in some European countries, murders in Mexico, it was Charley Sheen on the front page of newspapers and the lead story in most news outlets. Talk show hosts had a field day with Charley's addled drug soaked brain and loose lips. Why for God's sake does anyone care about what Charley Sheen has to say about anything? The best thing that could happen to this overindulged brat is for everyone to completely ignore him. Then maybe and finally, he will realize that being a goof in front of a camera does not (in and of itself) give one the value of being "important". Of course, for him, it was the exact opposite of being ignored, he was catered to, egged on, and given on air time in every outlet that saw a potential ratings bump because we live in a voyeuristic society where everyone is a busy body. We have to know what everyone thinks including Charley Sheen.
What else is People Magazine for? How about The View, and all the other non reality, reality shows, what are they about? Knowing other people's business that's what. We've become a nation of eavesdroppers, peeping Toms, and gossip addicts. One of the highest rated tv shows ever recorded was the night Larry King interviewed family members in the dispute over who would get the "famous for being famous" Anna Nicole Smith's baby. She died from a drug overdose and the important news breaking question on many minds was "who will get her baby"? Millions of Americans wre glued to their TV to see this public (supposedly private) petty squabble. A week later no one gave a shit and today the average person watching that show can't even remember the name of the kid much less where he went.

Back to Japan. They have more problems than nuclear reactors, and big waves. Did you know they are flat broke. Their national debt is 998 trillion yen. 2 more trillion yen and they break the unheard of mark (never reached by anyone, anywhere) of being 1 QUADRILLON in debt. Today if you took every last yen gathered in taxes and applied every yen to the debt it would not cover the interest on the debt let alone the debt. The debt is greater, now, than their ability to cover it with every taxed yen. Their international loans come with a 12% interest rate, higher than Greece. They are having a financial meltdown that parallels the nuclear one. Add to it the cost of disaster clean up and/ also 6 reactors going off line and you have a country literally 3 steps from the abyss. (make that 2)

On the home front, with our financial crisis getting worse, with international news very scary in the middle east, and disaster in the far east our fearless leader (Pres. Obama) did get his brackets filled in for the NCAA tourney and there was a camera crew at the White House to record the historic event. Then he and Michelle will be leaving tomorrow for a weekend getaway in Rio.
Meantime, back to reality, a "no fly zone" is not in place in Libya and Ghadafi is this close to crushing the rebellion. The resultant bloodbath will be on a grand scale. He said (today) on official Libyan TV ( 2 cameras on loan from PBS) that he doesn't care if his forces "kill everyone of them". England, France, U.S. and the UN all said there should be a no fly zone but NO ONE did anything and now we'll all get to see the Moammar Ghadafi I remember from his old thug/terrorist days of the late 70's / early 80's.

March Maddness is upon us. It's a time for miracle shots, heartbreak moments, hyperbole and more game analysis than a doctor's report on a kidney transplant. At least 12 players will be called the best player in the land. At least one team will be annointed "Cinderella", and we will be told that at least 15 different coaches did the best coaching job of anyone "bar none" this year. This is the time where cheerleaders are told to be perky when the camera is on them, shout the name of the school (go Sycamores), coaches use pomade in their hair to get the Pat Riley look, and mascots will nod their heads like a kid on a cough syrup binge. Since they can't say anything, Roadrunners don't speak, and what would they have to say if they could speak, all they can do is nod their heads rapidly.
Every game announcer will be "so glad to be here", all the commercials will be for pizza, beer, chips, erectile dysfunction (see a connection?), cars, car insurance, tires, hair treatments, erectile dysfunction, basketball shoes, financial investments, gambling addiction hotlines, erectile dysfunction and Hooters. We'll see the hot Danica Patrick slither up next to her hot car mummering something about.....well I never listen to what she says, so I don't know what she talks about, I just notice she's hot and slithers up next to her hot car. Yes, for two weeks moms, sisters, wives, GF's, and significant others can just forget it. That glazed look in your man's eyes is not because of the clean house, the nice dinner not even the new thong underwear, it's Jimmer, Khwahi, Julian, and 845 other players hustling, grabbing, blocking and showboating (and that's just the pregame meal). It's March Maddness for sure!