You say inbreeding can lead to retardation?

Some people complain that America exports too much of its culture (TV and movies) to foreign countries. I think the Prince Harry flap demonstrates that we haven’t exported enough of it.

After all, if Harry had just watched enough South Park, he would’ve understood “Dressing like Hitler isn’t cool.” And it’s certainly not badass.

Dept. of Best-Laid Plans

I was going to have a nice dinner in the city with about a dozen friends of mine for my birthday tonight, but we’re getting smacked down by snow here in NJ, and half the contingent (including myself) won’t be able to make it in. It’s a pity, because I was really looking forward to the mix of people, and the ensuing conversations and company. Oh, well.

So it looks like I’ll be staying in tonight, with a winter wonderland outside, and curling up with either a good book or a movie.

To make up for it, here’s a beautiful picture (link courtesy of Andrew Sullivan).

Rust Never Sleeps

Last month, as I was walking through the parking lot to my office, I wondered, “Whatever happened to Mathias Rust?”

There was no significant provocation for this. No one was running a “history of punk-rock Cold War pranks” or “I Love the ’80s” special. It was just the idle maunderings of this brain of mine.

For those of you who don’t remember herr Rust, here’s the skinny:

In 1987, a certain someone flew a little Cessna plane into Moscow and landed it in the middle of Red Square. The Russians immediately arrested the 19-year-old German pilot, and threw Mathias Rust into jail for an 8-year sentence. He served 18 months before getting out.

The damage to the Soviet rep was done, though. There are some who read this act to mean that the great Soviet military wasn’t All That, and that Gorbachev’s double-whammy of trying to keep up with Reagan’s SDI initiative and getting hit with Rust’s merry prank were the kickers that led to Glasnost.

The rest of Rust’s story is filled with some lowlights, but he’s supposedly living in Berlin with his 2nd wife, and maybe he’s got his house in order. There’s a website called “Whatever Happened To” that relates stories like Rust’s, a service for which I’m quite appreciative.

I wonder how tough it is to live a normal day-to-day after your crowning achievement comes at the age of 19. I mean, since I live in my hometown, I used to wonder this about some of my high-school classmates, who kinda epitomized Springsteen’s Glory Days.

But it’s one thing when that achievement was making a great touchdown catch, and another thing when you’re known for pantsing a world superpower that was devoting 25% of its GNP to its military.

I hope he’s living pretty peacefully, maybe having a kid or two, and getting them ready for flight lessons.

RIP

Will Eisner died today. He’s a pretty legendary figure in the history of the comics. I would’ve met him a few years ago at a small press comics expo, but he got stuck in Florida, due to bad weather, and had to skip the show.

Also, Kelly Freas died on Sunday. He illustrated a ton of science fiction book and magazine covers, and was best known for the cover of a Queen album (that one with the big robot). I didn’t know Freas’ work that well, but he did paint a cover for my friend Paul’s book Strange Trades.

I would’ve written about some of the celebrity deaths that occurred between Christmas and New Year, but I would’ve made a really tasteless joke. So bad, even I knew it was tasteless.