Bad news often has the strange ability to travel quite fast. It defies the logical mind how fast technology can spread the gory details of bad decisions.
Big news stories have the ability to become a lot bigger than they actually are. Take the Oscar trial for example. High society murder accused is plastered all over major newspapers and online news feeds, his every movement documented and speculated on.
Media sensationalism can know no bounds and every media house is guilty of it in some form. It has become quite hard to compete with the busy-bodies and town gossips with their tablets and smartphones, with nothing better to do than sit around drinking coffee and stirring the pots on public forums.
Then there is the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. International media houses have been having a tough time of keeping up with the social media frenzy surrounding the sudden disappearance of the plane, even blaming aliens for “abducting the plane and passengers”.
In our town, signs of alien invasion gone wrong can be found everywhere, if one only had the inclination to look for it. Take for example, the traffic light on the corner of Hardwick and Van der Bijl streets.
For the past few weeks, the Leaning Traffic Light of Newcastle seems to have been signaling UFOs passing overhead. One wonders if they abide by local traffic laws? Red means stop, green means go. Orange it seems means gun the engine and cross over the intersection at warp speed, a trick the extra-terrestrials picked up from our local taxi service.
Is it possible for the CCTV cameras, strategically placed in town, to catch these otherworldly traffic rule benders? Perhaps, they also feel the need to break things when they receive a fine notification in the post, or is the postman too busy battling stray dogs?
One can only wonder about the strange ways of aliens. At least residents of Newcastle can rest easy, knowing the powers that be have taken it upon themselves to regulate air traffic in a bid to make our roads safe for all.
