An obituary means he is dead. I am seized by the need not to let anyone at the Los Angeles Times read this in The New York Times. I call a friend at the Los Angeles Times. As he picks up I realize that I have made a mistake. It's still early in Los Angeles, is John even dead there? What time was it here when they said he was dead? Is it that time yet in Los Angeles? If there's time left on the West Coast, does it even need to happen there? Should I be taking him there right now? If I hang up and fly out can we have a different ending on Pacific time?
