Coincidence? I don’t think so!!!

This morning’s news: Another earthquake hit Japan, which was followed by a meter high Tsunami… An earthquake hit Mexico… A father that killed his three children was granted a supervised day parole… A 70 year old was hit by a car; the driver failed to stop at the crime scene and left the person to die in the middle of the street… Libya and the rest of North African / Middle Eastern nations are uprising against dictators… Chinese officials jailed an artist for “crimes of economics”.

This was just part of the 8:00 AM news and did not even include what was happening to the ozone layer (in case you’re wondering, ozone is depleting at a record pace, which could mean that we need SPF 500 to cover our bodies with).

Intermission J

Ooops, I’m sorry; I was distracted by a crying baby, who did everything possible to let me know he was hungry, including bunching up the corner of my shirt and sucking on it. I guess when you’re 6 weeks old hunger takes precedent J

Back to my story: So as I was absorbing the news of “the end of the world”, I unconsciously reached over and changed the radio station, and you know what started to play? Europe’s The Final Countdown! Instantaneously, it took me back to the winter of 1986, which represented a much simpler time: I was 14, living in Istanbul, out of school, and full of teenage hopes and dreams (which I admit included having teenage boy fantasies about Farah Fawcett, Samantha Fox and Phoebe Cates).

Can someone please refresh my memory? Did we not have bad news in 1986? Get ready, here’s a quick refresher:

• Challenger Space Shuttle explodes, killing 7 Astronauts
• Chernobyl Accident (1^st Nuclear Disaster) in Soviet Union
• Iran Contra revealed to public
• Corazon Aquino assumes presidency of the Philippines deposing Ferdinand Marcos
• United States bombs Libya
• Argentina (my favourite Football team (next to Italy and Turkey)) wins the World Cup. Remember Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal?
• Oprah Winfrey show airs for the first time

Do you see the parallels?

• NASA announces that 2011 is perhaps the last year Space Shuttle Endeavour will fly
• Fukishima Daiichi’s Nuclear Disaster in Japan
• Iran is still a mess with nuclear weapons
• Egyptian people depose of President Mubarak
• United States bombs Libya, albeit with the help of many other nations
• Isabella Layegh scores a goal using the “Feet of God” J
• Oprah Winfrey has her own TV Network

Coincidence? I don’t think so!!!

Thank you for reading,

Armin

PS. What’s the morale of the story? Teenage dreams are better than what we see and hear on the news!

PPS. My pledge to myself: More music stations and less news!