You've put your finger on something. This phenomenon is one of the reasons that I now live in Europe where if people are prone to this kind of thing (Zambo Jimmy anyone?) it is harder for me to notice or take seriously since I don't speak the language well. In Hungary, for instance, when the renowned rock star Zambo Jimmy died by self inflicted gunshot wounds (Did he really do it himself? Or was he helped?) at a party, there was a huge and incomprehensible (to me) outpouring. Of course, internationally Zambo Jimmy is probably best known as the world's most ugly woman. I'm serious. Someone once conducted a poll. I've posted a German site with his photo as my web page so you can check it out. Also below is a short TimeAsia article on his passing.

http://mitglied.lycos.de/RaFuchs/deadpopstars/zambo/

Sweet Jesus.

It's just plain 'ole mass hysteria. Let's hope it stays non-violent.

Please just the poor woman go.

Best line of the week from Jon Stewart: "Now we know just how sick you have to be before Congress gives a flying fuck about your health care."

I have to say though that I think that the fact that there is a real person behind this circus is a little under-reported in our rush to take sides. I can't imagine a worse situation than having the whole world looking in on my private agony. But I also have some worries about the "when in doubt, euthanise" turn that our society is taking.

Christie Blatchford has written a nice column about this in today's Globe and Mail. I'm a fan of Rick Salutin's, so I like his argument too (in yesterday's paper), but I think I side with Christie on this one.

I don't think that dragging in the e*word doesn't serve this discussion - at all. We should have never heard of this case: I don't want to have anything to do with someone else's private bickering over very private and serious family matters.

Uhm, should check my spelling before posting, I meant ofcourse "dragging in the e*word doesn't serve this discussion".
I simply wished that the media would have euthanised the entire Schiavo-discussion: a cacaphony of shallow, instantly served, prefab, one-liner, sound-bite opinions.

I think the lack of privacy was a natural result of the increasingly public battle that the family was waging against itself. If I were the woman in question, I would not want the publicity. I also think that someone could write a thesis on these Lady Di like public crises involving misplaced empathy and identification. On the other hand, clearly the family can't agree. Clearly they have called in outside help. So the issue has become a controversy, which is now being used by various people to support their own agenda. Oh well. I didn't do it. I'm merely commenting on it. Euthanasia is just a word for mercy killing. It's not especially controversial in Canada and the US. Many support it. I don't, but you don't need to worry too much about that.

The Blatchford article is really a brilliant piece of writing, no matter how you feel. I also recommend the piece by Salutin. Both are full of humour and benevolence. I donâ??t usually agree with Blatchford, but on this issue I do.

Will someone please point to where the other side of the health care debate is in today's Globe and Mail (March 28 2005)? Because all I see is a lot of let's put public health care out of its misery. Have they even bothered to ask anyone to present another side? Also, if you know of any pro-public health care stories that have been printed by the Globe in the last five months, I'd love to hear about them. I haven't seen any. Okay maybe one -- it was a guest column or 'online only' about six months ago.