I live in the global village also. The world is small and fast in terms of communications these days, and to make that easier to deal with certain rules of thumb have come to apply just as in any small village:

1) If you haven't heard any bad rumors by 9:00 am, start some.

Well, that's only one rule and perhaps I misspoke, but it's pretty ubiquitous. Covers lots of situations. By the time ya get the mess sorted out, it's months later and people by then believe the first version they heard and kept hearing. Here's a true story that demonstrates what I'm on about.

In our town there was a fellow named Deacon Barscoombe Wiltedale who took up with the Mayor's sister Rhododendron Heathquest in what was presumed to be a bonfire of emotions. They were wed and as is all too common these days divorced before the ink on the marriage certificate was rightly dried. Their house was split evenly between them thanks to a purchase at the local hardware store of a Husqvarna chainsaw and a replacement chain to speed cutting time and their neighbor Cordwood Snicker who turned out to be quite adept with a piece of chalk and a 100'-tape measure.

By the time the local bloggers got hold of the brief but sorry tale, the exact dates were nailed down and Deacon Barscoombe was determined to have had 'something coming to him' because of his part in the wretched affair. To my knowledge, the Good Deacon is quite safe from possible tar-and-feathering because he vanished into thin air--from whence he came.

Gradually the story will fade, unless of course he follows up on his once-stated promise to run against the Mayor for town leadership. Story on his status with regard to that in tomorrow's installment.