Misdirected Anger

Q: Who is the most powerful person in the world?


(I can almost hear the frantic tapping of keyboards attempting to reply to my ambiguous question.)


Is it  Barack Obama - USA?  Vladimir Putin - Russia?   Angela Merkel - Fourth Reich?   Christine Lagarde - IMF?  Ban Ki-Moon - UN?...

Influential, they most certainly are, but all powerful? No no.

I'll come back to that but first let me explain why I've asked the question.


Last week I was in a pub in Ireland, involved in an interesting political debate with friends regarding certain leaders in EU countries who appear to be short-changing their voters. The imposition of austerity measures by some governments to get the economy on an even keel are causing unjust hardship to the most vulnerable in society; the elderly the poor and the sick. The real truth is that all of society suffers.

We were referring in particular to Portugal's leader, Pedro Passos Coelho;

Pedro Passos Coelho 

I went on to argue the case for Pedro who, despite having the right intentions and boundless integrity, is so politically impotent that he should be exonerated of all blame regarding the state of the Portuguese economy.

Pedro's impotence stems from the fact that he has to first accept the collective decisions of his cabinet ministers, then accept the directives from the European Union - Brussels -  to whom his country is eternally contracted (shackled) to, and Brussels in turn follows the path that they, along with the International Monetary Fund, have set in motion.













In democratic systems no single leader has total power. Be it good or bad, that is what the voters have chosen. Democracy.

Democracy is not perfect, it just happens to be the best and fairest political system ever devised.

Our debate ended when Claudia made this interesting observation;

"If Pedro is impotent how come he's fucking so many people?"

Fair point.

In answer to the original question of this post, the first non democratic leader that came to mind who'd probably fit the bill of most powerful, was Xi Jinping - the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China and...wait for it...Chairman



of the Central Military Commission of China.

But even Xi Jinping, despite his mighty powerful position, has to bow to a certain amount of pressure and consensus from the six Politburo Committee Chairmen that form his cabinet.





So, the title surely has to go the megalomaniac leader who wastes his country's very limited resources  on his lavish life-style and in building a nuclear arsenal - while half the population goes undernourished. The world's number one despot, who answers to no one but is capable of starting a world war, is...Kim Jong-un

**

The inappropriate anger we direct at leaders such as Obama, Cameron, Passos Coelho, Merkel and many others for their inability to carry out promises spewed out in attempts to get elected, should be put in perspective.

To all those who misdirect their anger at their leaders I say

'Like it or Lump it.'

The only alternative is to follow the example of the German people who, in 1933, democratically elected Hitler, the dictator who in turn became the biggest loser in history.

Is that an alternative worth considering? Or should we learn the lessons from history and avoid repeating the same mistakes?

:)

With Just A Sign, I'd Wait Forever

Your fragile beauty renders me speechless - longingly
Your delicate manner impels me to hold you - protectively
Your every word replays in my mind - constantly
Your elegant walk, freezes in my field of view - gracefully
Your diamond smile lights up my world - lusciously
Your sparkling eyes, like a warm moon-lit night, remain - invitingly


JP



and as Mario Quintana once wrote, and I quote;


We are responsible for our actions
but not for our feelings.
We are culpable of what we do
but not of what we feel.
We can promise actions
but can not promise feelings,
for actions are birds in a cage,
and feelings are birds on the wing
(translation)


:(

Condescending Piousness

Every so often FaceBook brings to my attention social issues that, if it weren't for this expansive forum, would likely go unnoticed.

This morning I stumbled across a post that almost brought a tear to my eye. It re-affirms my belief that humanity is on the right track and that the spirit of fraternity and benevolence amplifies with each new generation.

I know that for many years religious institutions, in particular Christian organisations, have helped feed and clothe the poor - but I have always detected a certain air of arrogance and condescending piousness from those dispensing aid that I dislike immensely. An "I am holier and wealthier than thou, and don't forget it" kind of attitude.

There is no condescending attitude with the Italian idea of "Suspended Coffee", for the simple reason it has no ulterior motive such as ingratiation.

The "Suspended Coffee" idea is based on an Italian goodwill tradition of those who can spare the cost of extra coffees when ordering theirs. Pre-paying.  An idea that is now spreading around Europe with more and more Cafes joining the scheme.

It was brought to my attention by a chap who was visiting his pal in Belgium. He noticed some people going to the counter to order their coffee and asking for two or more "suspended" ones. When he enquired of his friend what that was all about his pal said "wait and see".

Some time later a dishevelled and likely homeless old boy walked in and politely asked if he could have a "suspended" coffee. The waitress promptly served him the hot and comforting beverage that no doubt makes a huge difference to this destitute man's quality of life.

The dispensers of charity in this case remain anonymous and the recipients don't feel compelled or obligated to thank the donors. Genuine charity. I like that.

 I like that a heck of a lot.

:)

Thirst That Can Not Be Quenched

Have you ever wanted someone so badly that you actually feel a sensation akin to a warm nervous tremor in your stomach every time you see or think about that person?

I hope you have.

And if you have, was the feeling mutual?

I hope it was...for your sake, for I doubt there is anything more gut-wrenching and frustrating than wanting someone who doesn't feel the same way about you.

It is a hunger that can not be sated.

Oh, the ultimate mental torture that is unrequited love!

Strange how medical science, despite its numerous achievements and advances over the last century, is still incapable of providing explanations to feelings and emotions such as love, longing, desire and attraction.

I believe that eventually science will be able to explain such emotions, and possibly even find a cure for what is commonly referred to as matters of the heart. Matters of the mind would be a more appropriate description. Sadly, such a breakthrough is not likely happen soon.

I see your name everywhere, everyday, in a nondescript name tag and in the lines of my poem...

"  Bring forth the end of your eternal absence and
   Embellish my existence with your sparkling presence
   Light up the darkness of my Autumn days
   Light up the flickering embers in my hearth
   And allow my boundless affection safe passage into your heart"

JP

News In The Cold Light of Day

A Japanese chef cooked and served his own genitals!

Mao Sugiyama, a self-described asexual cook from Tokyo, marinated and cooked his todger and served it to five diners at a posh banquet last month.

Sugiyama's Tweet last April caused controversy when he posted "I am offering my male genitals (full penis, testes and scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen.Will prepare and cook as the buyers requests"

There's me thinking Coq Au Vin was a French dish!

From The New Zealand Guardian Feb 3 2004, concerning a sign seen in a Police canteen in Christchurch, New Zealand: 
'Will the person who took a slice of cake from the Commissioner's Office return it immediately. It is needed as evidence in a poisoning case."

Whilst on the subject of poison,Syria has decommissioned its Chemical Arsenal...

Arsenal got trounced 2-0 by Chelsea...

...Chelsea Clinton is no longer camera-shy (yiipee! One more celeb for GB to study), unlike her dad Bill...

Bill Gates offers lifeline to Spanish Construction giant, FCC, by buying into the company and helping with the economic recovery of the country. Bill, the billionaire philanthropist, does more to help humanity than all the world religions put together, and apparently, unlike religions, with no ulterior motives. Bill has taken to studying the human condition and so adds another feather to his cap - Anthropology...

Anthropologist extraordinaire Gorilla Bananas, continues to amuse all who venture into his world at The Japing Ape blog, with his humour and uncanny simian ability to make sense of senseless humans...

Humans will overrun the planet by 2050! According to author Dan Brown's latest novel, Inferno, (half way through as I write) the future is rather bleak as Earth struggles to accommodate an inevitable human population explosion. I'm not sure why I've decided to read Dan's latest offering, but I say, somewhat coyly, I am a fan of his. I find his novels light-hearted but entertaining and I especially like the way he threads fiction through History...

History repeats itself more often than I like. It appears that President Obama may have forgotten to tell the NSA (National Security Agency) bosses that the Cold War is over and that it is extremely rude to snoop on your friends.

Angela? Why?

With freunde like that who the hell needs feinde??

Come back Bill, all is forgiven.