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.

Why piracy sometimes really doesn’t pay off.

Perhaps inspired by the rise in internet piracy, Somali pirates (of the sea-faring variety) have decided to hoist the flags and man the cannons. Except in this case, they have no cannons. They have jury-rigged boats armed with dubiously trained men carrying elderly AK-47s. If they happen to be carrying cannons, then those cannons probably pose a greater risk to the pirates themselves than the actual intended recipient of their explosive packages. The truth of the matter is – Somali pirates are doomed to extinction. The reasoning behind this – simple – technological gap.

In the example of ye-old piracy, technological gap between the pirates and those chasing them was minimal. Both sides had access to similar shipbuilding, both had access to more or less similar cannons and equipment. Although in general the pirates were not as uniformly armed, they were still capable of giving a hell of a fight. Even internet piracy can be a good example. The only reason why internet pirates have not yet been stamped out is because they can hold their own against their legal counterparts. The more prohibitive measures are invented, the more ways around them are found.

In the case of Somali pirates however, there is no equality. As described before, these are somewhat reckless men who are poorly armed, trying to take over massive vessels. Although they are capable of intimidating merchant shipping, they cannot hold their own against modern combat ships. Actually, never mind combat ships – support ships even! As I’m sure you have read, the ship that the pirates attacked was a command and supply vessel. What this means is that it’s supposed to sit far away from combat, as it is really designed to ferry intelligence staff and rolls of band-aid and ice cream. The fact that the Somme not only fought their attackers but also chased them tells you everything you need to know about how capable those pirates were of tackling a minor military vessel.

So, good luck to the pirates, but I doubt their activities will see them in the next decade or millenium.

If you are the political type, especially when it comes to the UK, you might want to head over here for a true alternative to the current UK political system.

You see, although I studied politics at university level in the UK, I never found it to be that interesting. Realistically speaking, I find there to be very little practical difference between the three major parties in the current UK system. Media will attempt to influence you into believing that the differences are vast, and that Tories and Labour are two sides of the spectrum. While there is SOME truth in that statement, both parties are biased in favour of left or right, but both parties are firmly ingrained in the center of the political spectrum. Lib Dems have been, for the larger part, centric, with a recent tendency to slide towards the left. In general (UKIP, BNP, and RC aside), most UK parties are fairly moderate.

Compare this to the French or Italian political system. The parties that, in those countries, respect the far left and the far right are not only fairly active, but are also successful to a certain degree. Granted, neither country has ever been an example of stability, which helps account for some of the success communists and socialists have had.

Simply put, the UK system always appeared bland to me.

That is, until I chanced across the website I linked, and went on to explore the more interesting aspect of UK politics – the independents. These men and women are those who chose to represent not party views, but their own views. From what I’ve seen, they mostly appear to be down to earth, hard working, and most surprisingly – willing to listen to their constituencies. Which, if you are a student of politics, would notice is a rare quality in the world today. Not only that, but they believe in their own path so strongly that they refuse the comforts of a large party in order to pursue what they believe is right. I might disagree with some of their viewpoints, but I can certainly respect the amount of willpower it takes to fight and struggle when you are, for all intents and purposes, at a disadvantage to most of your competitors.

Here’s to hoping that this somehow becomes widespread, and that more and more politicians begin to put their own views above those of the party. Of course, none of that will be possible without an entity such as the Independent Network – so please, if you hear something about them, or read something about them in the future – at least spare them a though or two, if not actual hands on help!

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.

Albanians, Cut Off, Get Set to Vote

So, Albania is set to go into an important election this Sunday. The reason for that is that the country has recently joined NATO, and is currently seeking membership with the EU. Thus, whichever party ascends to power will have some heavy international burdens to bear.

I’ve had the privilege of travelling through Albania briefly when I was younger, and have spoken to many Albanians living in Macedonia during my many trips there. The impression all of this has left me with is that Albanians themselves consider their biggest problem to be a rather antiquated view of the world and of themselves. Younger generations of Albanians seem keen to embrace western social ideas and in turn shed most of their traditional values. They welcome freedom of expression, universal suffrage and free access to information. Naturally, there is also a sub-set that welcomes western consumerism for the apparent glitz and glamour that it brings, but that was to be expected in a nation that has only recently discovered the concept of elite and luxury. In essence then, young Albanians are prepared to invite the west into Albania in order to improve their individual lives. Yet, are they ready for such an endeavour? Albania’s history is rich and long, but its last fifty years can best be described as radical and isolationist.

Under Enver Hoxha (although nominally a Stalinist, I would rather call him a Maoist), the country suffered greatly, and with the fall of communism, did not adapt well to changing circumstances. As a result, throughout most of the 1990s, Albania was isolationist at best, to the point of coming close to a civil war in 1997. Without the necessary knowledge of international protocols, it is now finding itself in a world that is perhaps moving too fast for Albania’s liking. A brief survey in Albania might show that most people consider globalisation to be an uncomfortable skin disease (yet, there is no evidence to suggest that this might not also happen in western nations). Albania also stands out as the only truly Muslim nation in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a significant Muslim percentage, but they are certainly a great deal more liberal than their Albanian counterparts. In Albania, hijab is a rule, not a suggestion. Certainly, changes have been made since the fall of communism, but true emancipation is still well beyond the political horizon. Sadly, this means that Albania’s relations with its immediate neighbors are strained as well, particularly due to religious intolerance that plagued the Balkans in the 1990s and continues to do so in certain areas. In essence, Albania is an overseas investor’s nightmare – politically unstable, economically unsound, and with deep societal divides, both within the country and with its immediate neighbors.

So the question is – can Albania overcome its inherent problems and become a successful European nation? The answer – as always – is that time will tell. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? In many ways, Albania does not have the luxury of time – in this fast-paced, always moving world, it must be able to vault over all its internal problems, land with its international political feet on the ground, and run through capitalism and liberal democracy to catch up to its neighbours and the rest of Europe. Even in the Balkans, home to countries with severe setbacks because of decades of political bickering, economic mismanagement and social unrest, Albania still stands out as perhaps the worst-off in many regards.

So perhaps the answer would be a time machine? Go back in history and change Albania’s course? This is not a complicated project as it appears to people. The best time machine known to man is that of a history book in elementary education. A political assassination does not always need to take shape of a bullet. Russia’s destruction of the cult of Stalin went a long way to changing Russians’ perspectives of their own nation and of themselves. Rewrite your books, and you have changed the history of your people, if not history itself. Sad, but true.