Obviously, Christmas cheer around the globe has been greatly subdued with the news of the devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, a calamity that has now claimed at least 23,000 lives. (For what it’s worth at this dark hour, neither vacationing actor Jet Li nor long-time Sri Lankan Arthur C. Clarke, despite early reports, are among the missing, although that’s clearly small consolation given the unprecedented loss of life here.) Many condolences to the victims and survivors of this terrible, terrible tragedy. Update: A staggering 150,000 and counting…simply awful.