IT EXEMPLIFIES "CUTE"

Fifty years ago authorities, faced with a whale of a problem, decided to use a straightforward solution to clear matters up; they dynamited the cadaver. Thus leading to A) a rain of terror; and B) a news video that speaks to men to this day. The background is that a deceased cetacean had washed ashore, and the remains were becoming a nuisance.
And dynamite, as so often, seemed an appropriate answer.


[Right here is where the video would be, if I felt like it. But you've probably already seen it numerous times, and if you're a vegan I do not want to trigger you. Well, actually I do, but not this way.]


The footage of the event is part of popular culture, and provided a cheerful festive break from grimmer news reportage. Especially because it showed a confident brightly modern approach to an age-old problem.


"High tech is potent, precise, and in the end, unbeatable. The truth is, it reminds a lot of people of the way I pitch horseshoes."
------ George H.W. Bush


It is likely that far more men have watched the tape obsessively than women. 'Stinky thing go boom' has male fantasy written all over it, and the visuals appeal to the little boy in all of us.


Having tied the quote by our forty first president to that event, I am now reminded of several more wonderful quotes -- word magic of stupendous proportion -- that might be as or more appropriate, from the same source:

"And let me say in conclusion, thanks for the kids. I learned an awful lot about bathtub toys, about how to work the telephone. One guy knows, several of them know their own phone numbers, preparation to go to the dentist. A lot of things I'd forgotten. So it's been a good day."

"Please just don't look at the part of the glass, the part that is only less than half full."

"If a frog had wings, he wouldn't hit his tail on the ground; too hypothetical."


There's a zen-like dreaminess there. I wish I had something profound to say, that would weave all of this into a gestalt, but it's impossible. All there is, is a sense of wonder, amusement, and non-sequitorial perfection.

We had a country once that could send whales skyward.

It was indeed a kinder, gentler age.

Morning in america.



Final note: one plus one equals three. For large values of one.




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