So surreal. So sad, but not in the way that you would think…

This is a fantastic project and one that - being Nigerian - I’m excited to see the progress of. Hell, I might even invest…

International Recognition.

It was just after midnight - after my bedtime - and, as I often do, I lay in bed, listening to the BBC’s World Service, hoping that reports of the affairs of those in other countries would overpower my insomnia and help me drift into tomorrow. During the world Briefing I heard the anchor twice mention a term (during two separate reports) that caught my attenion; it was the term “internationally recognised”.

The first mention concerned the quite fascinating, ongoing diplomatic stand-off taking place in the divided west African nation of the Ivory Coast, between the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and the - wait for it - “internationally-recognised” new president, Alassane Outtara. The second utterance of this ‘roll-off-the-tongue’ term came during a report on leaked documents detailing years of diplomatic discussions between Israel and Palestine. The reporter - who was simply doing his job and reading the script, I should add - described how annexed Israeli settlements in official Palestinian territory were not - you guessed it - “internationally recognised”.

As the term tumbled over and over in my head, rebounding against the walls of my conscience, I found myself almost laughing inwardly. It dawned on me that the term “internationally recognised” might be described as a ‘Mickey Mouse’ term, journalistically speaking: it has only surface value and the power it holds over the situation it describes is almost negligible, as it cannot easily be judged or measured. 

To me, the term “internationally recognised” in political discourse is almost the journalistic equivalent of saying: “My big brother Barry said…” While Barry’s statement may well be true, the mere fact that Barry said it has little relevance to the current state of affairs because old Bazza has no jurisdiction in the matter.

I guess the conclusion that I was wrestling with, as I toyed with the idea of creeping downstairs to the kitchen to recover the remnants of a packet of Boasters Belgian chocolate chip cookies, was that citing international recognition when reporting today’s politics is about as pertinent as the use of technolgical analysis in professional football. “Clean up on aisle five!” I thought with an inward smirk, “one can of worms opened, and spilled!”

SATURDAY: This is the kind of thing we need in the UK. that’s the spirit, Latvia!

MONDAY: Beyond the Fine Tailoring.

Photo via

—

I’ve been thinking about politics a lot lately, particularly as it has never been a more active and important part of my life than in this current era.

History was made when BARACK OBAMA was elected to the US presidential chair in 2008 and -though many might disagree - it seems to have been the flapping of a butterfly’s wings that the world needed.

See, before, politics to me was about a bunch of ugly men wearing expensive suits and deciding the course of our lives for us. Mostly, they made the wrong decisions. But I’ve recently come to the conclusion that politics is less about the cut of the suits and more about the people wearing them - that’s what really governs our world.

Obama is the proof in the pudding. If you have a mentality to change things for good and the persona to see it through, only then can good things happen in this miserable world. The trouble is, human nature doesn’t work like this - not usually, anyway.

The US health reform bill has just been passed. It is another landmark in American history, make no mistake about it. It has been attempted before by the likes of Clinton, but Obama has that extra quality that is only usually evident in fictional superhero characters.

If only more world leaders had graduated from the ‘University of Barack’, the face of the world might be less ridden with metaphorical acne.

Politics is just a war of personalities and egos. If you break these down, you get that little bit closer to that idealistic haven we all dream of.

If I’ve learned anything, however, it’s that you’ve just got to give things time. That’s why I’m not giving up on the idea of an Israel and Palestine standing amicably and peacefully side-by-side, or a world free of nuclear weapons, or a prosperous Africa.

If this mindset is a crime, I’ll take a one-way ticket to the penitentiary right now.

—DEMUS.

TUESDAY: Korean Kids & Their Internet Addiction.

(Photo via)

The last couple of nights, I’ve been listening to the BBC World Service in bed (as I often do) and apparently there’s a real problem in South Korea with kids being addicted to the internet.

It’s hardly surprising considering the teched-up utopia in which they dwell. Plus, I’m starting to lose count of the number of times a day I see or hear the words “social networking”.

I remember when I used to be ‘addicted’ to MSN Messenger and Yahoo chat rooms. Literally, I would come home from school and spend hours drumming keys, talking bollocks with people I’d just spent pretty much a whole day with.

The solution they’ve come up with is to develop free software that will limit the time that these kids spend glued to their Macs. This is a response to a recent ‘death by internet addiction’ where a couple left their kid to starve to death at home while they were out at an internet café playing an online game that simulates child-rearing. How f-ing ironically ridiculous is that?

I think everybody just needs to take a step back – a step back in time. The real solution is to remember how the f**k we used to live before the internet days, when social networking meant going down the pub; when Craigslist wasn’t the way to pick up women; when people crafted letters by hand instead of e-mail. I much prefer this old-fashioned way.

Although I do love blogging…

—DEMUS.

6922.) No importa que te allás ido sin una explicación, y tampoco que me dijeras un “gracias” cuando te dije que me gustabas demasiado. No importa lo patán y mujeriego que eres, ni lo mal que he hablado de ti con mis amigos, ni las veces que he dicho que ya te superé. Tampoco importa que aun la sigas queriendo, a pesar que ella ya se fue del país. Te quiero. Deja de meterte en mis sueños y hacer este corazón más pesado de lo que ya es.

(via blogsecret)

—I would love to know what this says. Does anyone speak Spanish?