Steve Irwin has died. He was 44. He died while filiming a segment for a documentary. Unfortunately, while diving in the Batt Reef, he was stung by a stingray and died before medical authorities could arrive in time.
Irwin escaped death more times than any mere mortal should. And yet there was something inherent within his charisma and character which suggested, nay demanded, that he could not and should not die. Not long ago, Irwin dared to carry his month-old son into a den of crocodiles under one arm while tossing meat to a croc with the other. It pissed people off. But it confirmed in my mind that Irwin, more than anything else, was insane. On the flip side, this insanity also translated into a ferocious boosterism of Australia and vociferous protests against hunting. Irwin reminded us that we were part of the food chain and I suppose, with his last stroke, proved just how dangerous getting closer to that role could be.
The world, in its own strange way, needed a guy like Steve Irwin, however vigorously self-promoted, if only to remind the human race that, no matter how picayune or crazed your interests, it’s worth getting excited about. It’s worth it to sometimes leap into the deep end. It’s worth it because nobody else out there will.
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (
I hate to be a dick, but …
Boys and girls … wild animals are wild, and they can kill you. Especially if you handle them unwisely. I imagine getting stung by a stingray *in the chest* takes some work.
That is all …
(Ed – We’ve met. I am married to the entity called Barking Kitten.)
Wow, I’m impressed with these words:
The world, in its own strange way, needed a guy like Steve Irwin, however vigorously self-promoted, if only to remind the human race that, no matter how picayune or crazed your interests, it’s worth getting excited about. It’s worth it to sometimes leap into the deep end. It’s worth it because nobody else out there will.
Beautifully put.
Well, heya, Mr. Kitten. We’ll have to hang out sometime.
Steve Irwin will never die, he be chillin with Pac and BigE and elvis. He’ll be back, dont you worry, when the time is right he’ll come back and wrestle all the problems out of the world like the croc wrestler he is. I can hear him now ,CRIKEY! One of the greatest men to ever live.
Apparently, it was that he pulled the barbed tail of the stingray from his impaled heart that actually did the fatal wound. Had he left it alone, it’s possible they might’ve save him. Maybe. But that’s his life, man. He made a life out of getting in the face of our most primal fears and giving us an education in the untamed world around us. He was an Xtreme Mark Stouffer; a wildlife documenter that refused that barrier that keeps most distanced — and alive — from what they most ardently seek out.
Hats off to him, man.
I think that anyone who puts him down is so wrong in there outlook. He was someone who was truley amazing to watch. He was so passionate about his work. Truley he was someone that touched any animal lovers life. I have been watching his program since it came out. And what a loss to us all. My heart goes out to his family. I think this has effected me like JFK efected my mom or the way Elvis effected my grandmother. I have shed tears for a man I had never met, but who has touched my life through television. May he rest in peace.
A prayer for his family. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. You gotta know that there are animials in heaven.
A prayer for his family. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. You gotta know that there are animals in heaven.
steve was a great bloke and a wonderful man.
i have never met him,but i always watched his programmes
on Animal PLanet.Iwas very shocked when i heard the news.
my condolences to terri,bindi,bob family and friends.
Steve you will always on my mind.
Croc’s Rule
Steve R.I.P.
Love Anja
Steve was kind of kooky but he did so much for the environment and animals. He poured all the millions he made into preserving the wildlife and the environment and I just think we should all pay our respects. He was not just a nationally recognised symbol but international. I just hope that his spirit lives on in many other Australians out there and we all chip in to save the environment form needless destruction.
Peace out and long live the croc hunter.