Serious Stuff

Here at Enchiladaland we can't always be casting an outlook on the sunny side of things. We can't always concentrate our scattered thoughts into trifles like Paris Hilton (I'm going to find a way to mention her in every post from now on) or the ending of the Sopranos or what's new in Fushe Kruje.
Sometimes, unfortunately, we need to call attention to dreary stuff that is happening as we speak. Luckily, all one has to do is open the newspaper and voilá, we have a catalogue of calamities to choose from. Obviously, we need to do this in moderation, at the risk of becoming morose and ultimately suicidal. We do not like to be constantly reminded of one of our principal tenets, which is that the world is a disgusting cesspool of evil muck. We like to distract ourselves with art and beauty, but sometimes these things are hard to avoid. An example from today's news:

The BBC's headline: "Zimbabwe collapse in six months". Six months? From what I understand the country has already collapsed:

Inflation: 3,714%

Unemployment: 80%

4 milllion people need food aid

Life expectancy: 37 (men), 34 (women)

But it is typical of people to think collapse and utter chaos are just around the corner while they are living in the very midst of it. Life can get really bad and then some. There is always worse. Meanwhile, that evil, ancient pest, Robert Mugabe, is holding on, seemingly impervious to his wholessale destruction of the country and the suffering of his people.