I am not an inattentive student of the lessons taught by our modern cinema. I know that when the dead walk again the only way to stop them is by destroying the brain. I know that ultimate culprit of even a random-seeming tragedy is either a high ranking government official or a large company's CEO. And I know that when a beautiful women flirts with you, she is going to steal something from you, lead you to an assassin, or kill you herself.
And so, when I was on the elevator today relating to my friend my views on office productivity in an amusing manner and the pretty young woman in the corner of the elevator began to laugh my instant response should have been suspicion. But I failed to remember my training and, encouraged by her response, continued my monologue with an increased vigor which was rewarded by an increase of laughter from the lady.
Fortunately for me, we reached her floor before I could take some foolish action like getting her name or department to track her down later. Who knows what shallow grave or penniless pit of poverty I would be in now if that had not been the case.
Those who do not learn the lessons of the cinema are doomed to repeat it, thus it was with our good General Petraeus. He could have chosen virtually any biographer in the world to write his official biography. But this man who was instrumental in turning the tide in the Iraq war and defining counterinsurgency as it is practiced in the military today forgot the first lesson they teach you in the International Relations PhD program at Princeton and echoed by Magneto, "...never trust a beautiful woman. Especially one who's interested in you."
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