The Merciless Kim!!!

Okay, I realise it's an open secret that I can't get enough of Kim Jong Un. A quick browse of my posts will soon reveal my love for the guy, just for the sheer amount of material he provides and boy, he is currently the gift that keeps giving at the moment or what?!

His latest gem was the 'merciless beating' he has promised to deliver to the US. The whole thing took me back to growing up in Nigeria, where the phrase 'beating you up mercilessly,' is often the menacing threat received on the playground when one supposedly stepped out of line.

The beauty in the threat of course, lays in the fact that the person who utters it, does so in the spirit of ultimate sabre-rattling, not necessarily because they possess the physicality or even guile to deliver a good old beat-down. I could even go as far as saying most individuals who promise a merciless beating, probably are not equipped to deliver one.....

I actually have a childhood friend who unfortunately got stuck with the nickname 'Merciless,' primarily because he was at the end of the beating he had so vehemently promised his tormentor. Almost 40 years later and even his missus calls him M! It's always a favourite, funny topic at any of our soirees.

Talking of funny, I defy anyone to watch those North Korean broadcasters announcing the state's latest tirade, without bursting out laughing. The volume and barking nature of their voices is currently my favourite guilty pleasure. And let's be honest, there is no sight funnier than Little Kim and his all-black, ill-fitting overcoat, ably assisted with his nicely balanced chunky cheeks!

What is not funny though is this latest bout of threats and counter-threats....and to my mind, they is no doubt that a few lives will unfortunately be lost and if history is anything to go by, the dust will settle. In any case, most us really know this is really about China than anything else....it is definitely Xi Jinping's first real dilemma. Or is it?

Isn't the whole thing actually to China's advantage in a way? She can call off her attack dog off whenever she wants, but whilst the belligerent growling in Pyongyang goes on, the smaller states in the area begin to detach from the US and look towards China for protection. Very clever...no? The Chinese have always been masters of diplomatic strategy. Read the The Art of War and you will see what I mean.

Irrespective of the outcome, eventually the Pyongyang regime will get the attention and a smidgen of the respect it craves and then, it will on to the next one!

There's still unsettled business in Iran...

A Deficit of Comprehension

Some things are always going to baffle us as human beings.

Invariably, it is our level of natural tolerances which will most likely dictate how puzzled we become when faced with things we consider conundrums. In other words, one person's befuddlement, is another person's incident of clarity.

For instance, I will always be baffled that the US strikes potential terrorist threats with drones, yet, HSBC which has been found to have laundered money for terrorist networks gets a $1 billion hand-slap (you can only guess how much the bank laundered in total). I am even more baffled when you find out that Nima Ali Yusuf, a Somali woman living in the US, who was found guilty of sending $1,450 to members of the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, was sentenced to 8 years in prison. 

And yet we wonder (another thing that baffles me) why most people out there believe in the existence of  The Illuminati and a 'them' and 'us' world order.

The disparity in the two aforementioned terrorist financing cases is clear and needs no amplification, but for those of you who might not be aware of the scale and depth of HSBC's complicity, I add the Senate Report for your consumption. That should suffice, in case you had any doubts. Oh, just to further clarify, no one went to jail for HSBC's crimes.

Readers of this blog will know I will forever be flabbergasted by Oscar Pistorius' contention that he heard noises in his bathroom, but somehow did not check on his beloved girlfriend before going to confront the intruder.

But then, maybe I have a personality flaw....maybe I find it hard to trust people.

So I reached out to my environment and wondered what baffled others around me. I ventured out with a leading question: what is going on in the world today that absolutely baffles you?

A stranger whom I met at a flea market, wondered why pedophilia crimes do not attract the death penalty. Why should these people be imprisoned and allowed to live off the state, when they had defiled the most vulnerable in society, he asked. He went on to posit a day will come, when pedophiles will be able to go to court to successfully argue for their rights to be sexually attracted to children. He was puzzled as to why the rest of us couldn't see these things. He was positively baffled.

But then, maybe he had a personality flaw....maybe he is too emotional.

A friend with a history of radicalism, wondered why Israel was not considered an Apartheid state in the light of its treatment of Palestinians. She admitted to being baffled that whilst the world community is comfortable with the Jewish State's nuclear capabilities, it remains resolute that the likes of Iran and North Korea do not ascend to such heights. She swore to be being permanently perplexed with the world's inaction when Israel almost single-handedly propped up the Apartheid government in South Africa, in contravention of the common global direction.
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But then maybe she has a personality flaw....maybe she is overly sensitive.

A lone street protester, defying the ambient freeze and screaming at the top of his voice. He seemed baffled as to how big companies get away with tax evasion and yet we send untold amount of individuals to jail, for the same thing. His placard had a few comparisons, but I guess naming names is no longer necessary....they can all smell the coffee and hear the phones ringing now. As he ranted (positively) on and laid out the essence of his case, it became clear this was a very baffled man, who was clearly gaining equally baffled conscripts from those passing by.

But then maybe he had a personality flaw....maybe he hates big business.

An embittered young man with a yearning to return to his African country. His intermittent shaking of the head, drew me to him. Why so sad my dear brother, I asked. His tale was populated with pain, laced with sorrow and stewed in vitriol and regret. He was suffering from the special brand of bafflement which afflicted people who longed for change, but couldn't see a way through. You know the type....who spend copious hours digesting information on how their home country is being literally sucked bone-dry, with no hope in sight. He asked me with teary eyes whether I understood his revulsion and bewilderment. How can they say things are getting better, he asked.

But then maybe he had also had a personality flaw....maybe he is an armchair revolutionary, who expects change without getting involved.

I could go on forever, as I ended up speaking and interacting with quite a few baffled people, but space and time betray my willingness to share in totality.

What I can completely share though, is the pervading cloud of befuddled people wondering around the world. They watch unfolding events, putting their special spins on it and wonder how certain things continue to happen unchecked. Theirs is a twisting existence with many unwinding turns. They remain burdened with a revolving door with no exit....

And just as I keep repeating all through this piece, maybe we all have personality flaws and are somehow misguided. Maybe it's the curse of over-thinking. In any event, a lack of comprehension of daily events subsists. Our account in the Bank Of Understanding is in the red. A deficit is emerging and is here to stay....a deficit of comprehension.

We need a resolution.