Rest in peace, Steve
As I write this, the following stories have been placed on the back burner at CNN.com:
- Annan to mediate Israelis' release
- Hostages freed from Moscow prison
- Iraq: Bullet-riddled bodies found
- Qatar to send troops to Lebanon
- Sudan says peacekeepers must leave
The lead story, if you haven't already guessed, is the death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, stabbed through the heart by a stingray.
The most amazing thing to me isn't that Irwin died in a manner so bizarre it's only happened seventeen times in recorded history. No, what amazes me is that my first reaction was surprise, as though the man's life hadn't revolved around joyfully taunting Death. Has there ever been another human being so eager to place himself in harm's way for the camera? Well, yes, actually. But he's not dead. Yet.
If it seems that I am mocking Irwin, or his death, rest assured I am not. I think Steve Irwin was inarguably extraordinary and, while I am sorry for his family, I can't help but think that the jaw-dropping way he left the world was perfectly suited to the adventurous life he led. Needless to say, Jamie disagrees with me. (Hopefully, he'll fix the words vs. pictures link and erase this when he wakes up in the morning ;-)
-Graham
P.S. To the countries that celebrate Labour Day in May (pretty much everybody) or October (Australia and New Zealand, you so crazy!), we apologize for the late update. Now that summer's officially over, I'm hoping Jamie's cottage days are done for the year.
