Battleship Reason

Seeing how the internet is buzzing with Obama’s latest prize, I thought it would be appropriate to express one of my worries regarding his Majesty the First Ethnically Diverse President of the Predominantly White United States of Amexica. The reason for such a pompous title is simple – it seems that nearly everyone has erected some kind of a mental pedestal upon which they have subsequently placed the president. Whether this is closing down Guantanamo bay, allowing gays to openly serve in the military, bringing about the long awaited social healthcare, or world peace (at least in the Middle East), the President has appeared to promise something to nearly any interest group, no matter how big or how small. Is it then surprising that the clever fellows over at the Nobel institute thought they ought to get in on the action? Probably not.

However, let us back up for a second – who is actually to blame for all of these promises? Certainly, Obama has indeed made many, but the public itself was more than willing to tackle on extra challenges for the good president. Obama has a heavy cross to bear indeed – not only is he the first president of any shade other than pasty white, he is also the second youngest president of the United States. The first one? Kennedy of course. Let’s hope that youth doesn’t turn out to be a lethal condition. It is Obama’s youth (and a multi million dollar campaign) that has perhaps made him appear this shining beacon of hope for the vast majority of Americans, as well as a significant portion of the world’s population. I personally think that we have too high hopes of Obama. Certainly, he is extremely talented, charming, and resourceful, but he is after all only human. How many presidents have attempted to solve the Middle Eastern dispute? How many have failed (at least in the long term)? Every single one.

The world doesn’t change because of one man, but it changes because that one man inspires hundreds to think and to act differently. Instead of waiting (a bit like loyal hounds) for Obama to sort out the world, maybe we should be the ones to support him and to give him help. Would it truly take that much for us to gather and do our bit for the world? Well, the answer is sadly – yes. We are, after all, lazy creatures who cherish comfort and convenience above all. That’s why people like Obama represent (to us) the best way to fix the world. We think that where we as a collective fail, individuals with vim and vigour can succeed. We know that singular people cannot fix the world, yet we still persist in believing that they can. Is it because we are lazy? Probably.

Therefore, don’t blame Obama for this cult of personality. Blame us, everyday people who want to change things, but without putting in the effort needed to do so.

I’m not one for glorifying military on an everyday basis, but you do at times have to hand it to them – they sure know how to impress you. This photo in particular is not anything staged – a Navy sonar technician just happened to take a snap shot of an F-22 breaking the sound barrier – but there is something quite striking about the contrast of the black and white on such a simple background.

Imagine Venice – the city of lovers, of culture, of beauty and of mystery. You sip champagne in your gondola while an ever charming Italian gondolier sings a pleasant little tune as you move slowly down the Grand Canal, which is almost empty. He deposits you at your chic little boutique hotel that is still fashionably dilapidated to give it a sense of time. You offer to pay him, but he refuses and smiles, making sheeps’ eyes at you and saying in badly accented English: “No no signore! You lady and you, this my gift to you!”

And now surface to reality. Venice is beautiful, for about ten seconds. If you do not get a concussion from all the tourist swinging their brand new DSLR’s with 2 meter lenses around, then you are likely to die of starvation because of the incredibly inflated prices at Piazza San Marco. There is probably no point in getting off your boat really – sooner or later you will be ankle-deep in water. Oh, and yes, seeing how Venice lacks what we would traditionally call a sewage system, you will probably be skipping through the water trying to avoid all the squishy land mines. Oh, and that gondolier? Yes, imagine how romantic it is to be shifted through tiny little (albeit pretty) channels with dozens of gondolas in front of you and to the back. Dozens, if not hundreds, of like-minded couples and families trying to gain some semblance of romanticism, while your gondoliers shout to each other about Maria and how good she was last night. Oh, and the singing? No, best to leave La Donna E Mobile to the professionals. The final bill for a half an hour gondola ride will probably account for about thirty percent of your entire trip’s budget. Yay for Venice!

That having been said, the city does have its charms. One of them, at least for me, a man, has just taken form of Venice’s first female gondolier. This breaks over nine centuries of male dominance in this particular profession. The test for a license itself is apparently purposefully gruelling in order to discourage women from applying for positions – yet twenty three year old Giorgia Boscolo has managed to do just that. She is apparently much more at ease handling long poles than shopping and latest gossip. Favourite activity? Rowing, not spas. You have to admire a woman like that. Set aside the whole male-female divide for a second, and imagine the situation.

Gondoliers are one of Venice’s best known features. Venice without gondoliers is like New York without its yellow taxis. Now imagine how much courage it takes for a woman to challenge an institution that is not only known worldwide for its male-dominated approach, but also has that same approach rooted in over nine hundred years of practice and history. I myself find it difficult to imagine the sheer willpower necessary to tackle such a challenge, much less have the stamina to see it all the way through to the end. While I find larger than life politicians and popular figures some form of inspiration, the act of this one single woman speak volumes and volumes of the unbelievable need and desire for the human spirit to evolve and to challenge the perceived notions of this world.

Oh, and of course – again – Id much rather look at a pretty face as I glide through Venice than a gruff looking annoyed man with a tendency to curse at his fellows.

Read the full (albeit short) story here.

Denis Healey - Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer

This really needs no words. Read the full story about him and some other fashionably old people at Time Magazine: Does Age Bring Wisdom

I would not dare call this the latest craze out of Japan, since Tokyoflash has been around for a while – but for those of you who do not know, these are watches (not even too expensive, as watches go) that will truly boggle the mind. Forget about telling time with numbers and dials – get used to shapes, zeroes, ones, and in some cases – colours! Everyone should have one. That way we can all walk around and be completely unaware of what time it is in the world (because, let’s face it – these watches take some getting used to). Maybe then we will have more time for each other, when we don’t know how much precious time we are ‘wasting’ away from work.

Tokyoflash