Honolulu Lite
On this somber AloHa Friday, nerves are still too frayed, emotions too raw following this week's deadly terrorist attacks to engage in our usual light-hearted look at the news. Life imitates tasteless
piece of music artThe trick to dealing with terrorism is not to let it disrupt your way of life. If you do, the terrorists win. So, if all goes well, next week we resume our usually tasteless review of the wacky and weird news that often doesn't make the paper.
For now, here are a few news items related to the tragedies in New York and Washington that may have fallen through the cracks.
Hip-Hop runs for cover
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) >> A hip-hop group has pulled the cover of its upcoming album: a macabre depiction of the World Trade Center exploding.The cover art for a band called The Coup eerily showing a group member holding a detonator in front of the exploding towers, was created two months ago. It had been shown on the group's Web site until highjacked airliners brought down the twin towers.
(Critics often say that today's music artists know no shame. Thankfully, in this case, they were wrong.)
On the other hand ...
CHICAGO (Reuters) >> A day after halting sales of guns and ammunition in its stores, Kmart fired off a press release saying the national retailer was back in the gun biz.The release did not say why the self-imposed moratorium lasted only one day.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. the world's largest retailer, did not stop selling its guns and ammo.
(Which pretty much explains why Kmart reloaded its shelves so quickly. By pulling its guns from sale, Kmart obviously wanted to make a statement. By resuming sales a day later, it's kind of hard to know what that statement was.)
Hoaxstradamus?
SINGAPORE (Reuters) >> Did the 16th century French astrologer Nostradamus forecast the attack on the World Trade Center?Thousands of people have received emails containing a prophesy that seems right on point. It allegedly points to September 2001 as a time when a "great King of Terror" will come from the sky and fire will burn "the new city."
Another part refers to "twin brothers torn apart by chaos" and the beginning of a "third big war."
Problem is that parts of the supposed prophesy don't even come from Nostradamus.
(Why is it that Nostradamus's prophesies only become crystal clear AFTER something horrible has happened?)
Weird Web site: It's not weird, but this week's web site is www.kimble.org. It offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in this week's highjackings and mass murder.
Honolulu Lite on Sunday: Covering the coverage. How'd the networks and cable news programs perform? And what's new with Gary Condit?
Quote me on this: "Hell is truth seen too late." -- Anonymous.
Alo-Ha! Friday compiles odd bits of news from Hawaii
and the world to get your weekend off to an entertaining start.
Charles Memminger also writes Honolulu Lite Mondays,
Wednesdays and Sundays. Send ideas to him at the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210,
Honolulu 96813, phone 235-6490 or e-mail cmemminger@starbulletin.com.
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