🍝 THE DAILY SITDOWN 🍝

So, listen to this… this goddamn thing happened in Ghana. Ghana! You ever hear of the place? Sounds like some kinda fruit salad, right? Anyway, these two ministers – the Defense guy and the Environment guy – they’re *gone*. Kaput. Chopped liver. Dead as a doornail. Bought the farm. Pick your cliché, they’re all applicable. A helicopter crash. A *Z9* helicopter, they said. Sounds like something outta a goddamn video game, not some serious government transport. These guys were heading to some town – Obuasi, sounds like a sneeze – to crack down on illegal mining. Figure that one out. You'd think they’d have better things to do than hop in a chopper, but hey, these African countries… they got their own ways of doin’ things. *Capisce*? Eight people, total. Ministers, some other officials… some poor schmucks who probably just wanted a paycheck. All fried. Like a sausage on a damn grill. And the pictures… *jesus*. Charred remains circulating on social media. The internet is a goddamn sewer, I tell ya. The President – Mahama, some kinda name – he’s all shook up. “Down, down emotionally,” they say. Cry me a river, Frankie. He’s got three days of mourning, flags at half-mast, the whole nine yards. Makes you wonder what the hell *I*’d do if I lost a couple of guys like that, huh? Maybe a little less public grieving and a little more… strategic thinking about who gets the next contract. Now, they're saying "investigation launched." Yeah, right. Like they’re gonna find some faulty engine part and call it a day. Fuhgeddaboudit. Half the time these things are accidents, and the other half, well, let’s just say there’s a lotta ways a helicopter can go down. *Accidentally.* You understand what I'm hinting at, right? They got this one deputy national security guy, also croaked. Plus some party chairman. The whole thing sounds like some kinda… *purge*. Maybe these guys knew too much. Maybe some other deal went south. Who the hell knows? All I know is, it's a reminder: life is short. One minute you're making plans, the next, you're…well, you're bird food. It’s a crazy world, Paulie. A crazy, fuckin' world. Reminds me of that time… nah, forget about it. That's a story for another time. The point is: these things happen. Gotta keep your eyes open and stay sharp. You ever hear of the “Ghanaian Shuffle?” No? Neither did I… but trust me, this whole thing's something I wouldn't want to be a part of. It’s enough to give a guy indigestion. Pass the espresso.