SAINTS PRESERVE US

 

I’m Ready for My Close Up, Mr. Jobs

 

This morning’s edition of the Edmonton Journal was downright disconcerting. There was nary a picture nor a word about hockey savant Connor McDavid. What did catch my attention was a short, unaccredited wire service story datelined Moscow, Russia: Police there have started a ‘Safe Selfies’ campaign.

 

At least ten Russian citizens have shed this mortal coil in 2015 whilst taking self-portraits with their smartphones. Authorities are suggesting that maybe rooftops and railroad tracks, while scenic, are not the most prudent locales. Oh, and posing with loaded weapons or tigers is probably unwise. I imagine that posing with a loaded weapon and a tiger on a roof above train tracks is probably just asking for it.

 

Human stupidity is of course boundless and knows no national borders. However, provided the ‘Safe Selfies’ news gets through to someplace like, say, Mariupol, Ukraine I can picture a scene in a café. A man puts down his newspaper and says to his companions, ‘You know what? I think we can beat these guys.’