All Aboard!!! -OR- Overture, Prelude, Fanfare or Calliope?

Exit. Cuckoo for cocoa puffs all the way. Stage Right

There is an old saw about deaths occurring around the holidays. That something in the human spirit, or lack thereof, greases the wheels for some people. While it's doubtful that Kim Jong Il attached any import to the symbolism of Christian holidays, he was astute enough to grasp the timing of the West's news cycles.

Many pundits and scholars will milk the Il cow sensing opportunity. In the end, that's what drives our newsinfotainment outlets. How Il upstages and overshadows the death of Vaclav Hovel is purely a corporate decision. If an actual celebrity with a vast library of footage kicks off between now and Sunday, Both Il and Havel will move to a footnote in the notable passings of 2011 year end wrap-ups. Perhaps lumped together because of Andy Rooney.

This has become our continuum. Our conditioning allows others to determine the amount and quality of information we receive. They report; we decide? Everything's changing? Nothing has changed? Short-attention span kabuki?

In general we remain on a treadmill of unchanging scenery. Still a ball of confusion.