Is It Just Me?

While the world to our west continues to stumble and shake its way through a wide variety of woes, uncertainties and yes, silliness, there are at least some things happening in Asia that should give us present and future hope. Myanmar for one is high on my list - and here I think the whole world, for once, is holding its breath in unison hoping that nothing will derail the positive changes that have taken place in that country recently.

And although you may see it differently from me, the recent publicity given to the ousting of a highly placed political leader in China is a positive change. A public display of disaffection related to someone of such a high rank would not have been thinkable until fairly recently. Possible links to crime notwithstanding.

Asia continues to mature ... to come of age, with of course the notable exception of North Korea – but that is a completely different story, and perhaps one that has a different ending in store. Watch that space, I suggest.

Meanwhile the west wobbles.

Job figures in the USA once again, and as commented on ad nauseam in these columns, have not proved to be as robust as had been hoped. It should never be a surprise. But it led once again to the inevitable sell-off in the stock markets. Europe, meanwhile, meanders towards the odd election. In particular President Sarkozy is looking a little healthier after his handling of the outrage in Toulouse, but although gaining on Francois Hollande he is far from being out of the woods. The future for saving the Eurozone if Hollande is elected looks bleak. And Britain's Conservative Government is looking less and less in touch with the people, even though some of the things they are trying to do are possibly sensible - but the way in which they are being introduced is winning no friends.

The media everywhere is still bashing the bankers indiscriminately. Gotta hate someone – and take the heat off yourself!!

And whilst in the West, some oddities and some amazements.

Like the idiot who jumped into the River Thames during the annual Oxford versus Cambridge boat race, and who could have lost his life as a result, (a wish of his apparently), protesting again elitism. His five minutes of fame (and let's hope the media just ignore him from now on), ruining the hard work and sweat of 18 athletes who have devoted their lives to reaching this achievement. Eloquently stated by Oxford’s rower Will Zeng when he wrote:

“When I missed your head with my blade, I knew only that you were a swimmer, and if you say you are a protester, then no matter what you say your cause may be, your action speaks too loudly for me to hear you. I know with immediate emotion, exactly what you were protesting. You were protesting the right of 17 young men and one woman to compete fairly and honourably, to demonstrate their hard work and desire in a proud tradition. You were protesting their right to devote years of their lives, their friendships, and their souls to the fair pursuit of the joys and the hardships of sport. You, who would make a mockery of their dedication and their courage, are a mockery of a man.”

Pictures of the grinning Boat Race “protestor” will hopefully be replaced by something less enjoyable to him when he gets jailed without any attendant publicity.

But of course, the “protest” has far wider implications. In an Olympic year in London, how many more people in a misguided, or purely publicity-seeking venture, will try and create disruption to events being contested by hard working, dedicated, single minded and, in many cases poor, representatives from around the world.

And staying with the oddities theme, I read that the authorities in New York are cracking down on the use of potentially offensive words in school tests. Amongst the words bizarrely (okay, bizarre to me anyway, perhaps not to you) banned by the city’s Department of Education are “dinosaurs”, which might offend creationists; “birthdays”, as Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate them; and “homes with swimming pools”, because not everyone has one. Quite!