Prophetic magazine cover

Timing can be everything in the print publishing world. In an age of 24-7 media, printed publications work hard to stay ahead of the news, to present fresh insights a day, a week, a month after publication. 

Sometimes fate can intervene with a good idea, as in this 417 magazine cover whose main headline screams,"What it Feels Like to Ride a Tornado." I picked up a copy of the magazine while visiting Columbia, Mo., earlier this week, and just a day after flying into tornado-ravaged Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. 

417, for those who don't know, is the area code for southwestern Missouri, not far from St. Louis and other Southern states ravaged by an incredible swarm of twisters that killed hundreds. And Missouri is considered part of "tornado alley," a multi-state region that's a hotspot for tornadoes in spring and summer.

So I suppose this edition of the magazine was right on target on highlighting a relevant angle for a series of stories on "what it feels like" topics like riding a tornado, getting robbed at gunpoint, or surviving a skydiving accident while pregnant.

Sadly, sometimes good ideas interfere with unpredictable news, and leave one feeling just a little bit queasy.