Archive for category The World

more America

Last week I had a bit of a rant about the state of the Republican party nominees in the US.

And then as if to thwart me the daft buggers went and voted for the newt in whatever state it was.

Just to make it more fun his main rival with the equally amusing name of Mitt! Now of course Mitt is a true friend of the common man in America living a very realistic life on his $44m income for last year. Much has been made of the 15% tax he paid on that, as indeed it should, but actually with the right investments, primarily in pensions, you could probably get away with a similar amount in this country too, so that’s not as scary or ridiculous as it sounds.

Anyway, talking of the lands of the rich and the free I’m off to Wales tomorrow. Strange place. Stunning in some bits, and so bloody grim in others, not helped by the vernacular housing of course which closely matches Ireland for ugliness. Oops, mustn’t get on a rant. I’m about to go and do a lot of business for the bank there with a guy from a business finance company which isn’t actually based in Cardiff, it’s just that the fella’s holiday home is nearby so he’s keen on Friday meetings there. Cool by me!

America!

The American pantomime took a brilliant twist again yesterday when the second wife of Newt Gingrich revealed that he delivered her an ultimatum of either accept his affair with some other bird (now his third wife) or get out.

There are a few howlers in this amazing story.

First – could the world’s most powerful nation possibly even consider, for just one minute, having a leader called Newt? Newt? Really? In fact could any self respecting man call himself Newt, no matter what his dastardly parents might have stitched him up with?

Second – aren’t all these Republicans supposed to be good upstanding Christians? All that “So help me God” stuff? Standing on the stage with their families looking chiseled from wax?

And then, here’s another beauty. After his ultimatum to Mrs G number two, he goes and delivers a lecture to some women’s group on American family values.

Does irony truly fail to occur to these guys.

Shit Obama. You might not be the saviour I’d hoped for, but if you can’t wipe the floor with these assholes it’ll be a bad job indeed.

The wonderfully weird world of North Korea

Having a bit of time to just kick around is unusual for me even at home, but at world it’s unheard of. Except these few days between Christmas and New Year.

Here’s a theory – the less people in an office, the less work, but the same output. Having people around creates work, you end up doing shit just because…, Because you have to look busy, because someone else has to look busy and so they create projects that don’t need to be done.

A great way to see that theory in action is these few days. There is no one around, yet everything happens as it should, and everyone goes home on time.

A result of my enforced relaxation in the office is that I’ve been watching the funeral of Kim Jong Il. I love it!

Even the mad Russians don’t go in for this stuff anymore, and the world misses the cray show.

There’s this crazy huge car carrying a massive picture of the old boy, the new leader Jong Un looking like a stroppy teenager, and all the population out balling their eyes out – but those in the pictures don’t look the poor under nourished population we’re told about.

And then there’s the snow. I don’t doubt that the snow is real, it looks freezing, but that makes you wonder where on earth North Korea is, a look on the map shows it is on a similar latitude to Spain. So how come it’s snowing? Maybe it’s high country? Shows how little I know about it – but by the end of today I might just be a bit better informed.