Volte face

During my younger days, whenever someone committed a mistake, it would be described as an act of "oversight". Today, the economic debacle in America is being attributed to the "lack of oversight".
Rather queer, ain't it?

Relatives

Strange as it may sound, I get to meet my relatives generally only on two occasions. One, when somebody from the family is getting married; the other, when someone from the family has passed away. Both strangely signify the end of something.

Is this the only relationship one has with one's relatives?

YYY

The other day an office colleague of mine passed on. We had known each other for almost 20 years; but this acquaintance did not extend to the families. As per custom, all of us from the office went to attend the funeral. But not a soul from the colleague's family knew us. We offered our condolences mechanically and returned. This set me thinking.
Pray, why do people who are not close to the family go to funerals at all?

I have often wondered as to why people blog.
Is it to see their name in print?
Is it to share with the world at large their wisdom?
Is it to impress the world with their intelligence?
Is it to settle scores with others?
Is it just to keep up with the Joneses?
Or is this akin to asking, "Who is John Galt"?