Asta la vista

Terminator terminated. California’s Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is finishing up his job. He is out of there early 2011. End of term. Asta la vista.

But to make the exit painful, the Democrats won California’s governorship in the mid-term elections earlier this month. That’s a blow to Arnold. The Austrian muscles who went from Mr Universe to Conan the Barbarian to the Terminator and then Governor. Who knows...., in true Hollywood style there might be a sequel.

Wondering if his Democrat, Kennedy-dynasty wife is happy with Arnold’s end of term and the Democrats take-over in California.

It’s amazing how simple, routine US mid-term elections keeps the globe on the edge. Every political so-called-analyst, and every media outlet from Tokyo to Johannesburg reported and commented on the US ballot battle. It’s often just hype and wagging the dog. It’s Obama mania. It’s the fascination with the Tea Party. It’s the human need for some tragic-comedy on a larger scale and the battle lines for seats in the US Congress and Governorships just ticked the boxes for media fever worldwide.

And of course, as media unfortunately goes these days, it comes with the usual simplicity that kills all explanation. And exaggeration. Overdoses of cream and ketchup on the TV news-show. Stress the show part! The end of Obama. The republican revenge. Right wing take over. Obama lame duck. And on and on. Did any journalists not had a 5 second look at voting history over the last 20 to 30 years in the US? No, that would just be too intellectual and time consuming. Who needs reference points, context and...deeper truth? Well if some of them would do their real job they would have found out that many US presidents’ party lost heavily in mid-term elections in their first terms, and still many bounced back and took a 2nd term. Bill Clinton is just a simple example that comes to mind. And yes things change and times are different,... but for sure the more they change the more they are the same.

The Tea Party populists remain an interesting ‘event’. Still plenty of 1-liners and over-simplistic slogans. But a cattle-like crowd is always hungry for some mind filling crap. The simpler the better so the brain doesn’t need to be activated. Deaf, dumb and dumber. Politics come from all types and sorts, but the Tea Party’s realistic content is just absent. It’s hot air amidst a junk food society. It doesn’t mean they are just evaporating. No on the contrary, unfortunately. Their screams and shouts fit in today’s society and political games. Time will tell but time is a confused thing. But of course, the freedom to be dumb is a constitutional freedom. Guaranteed!

Human behaviour is too often in regress.

Across the Atlantic students went on the rampage in London. The current government wants to increase student fees to help pay off the state’s debt. And that’s just not going down well with the students. They feel education is being turned into a money game and thus the richer your parents are the better an education you can get, and thus the democratisation of education is being slaughtered. Students also clashed with riot police in France recently. Different reason, same anger. France has raised the pension level and thus youngsters feel their entry into the stressed labour market is being made more difficult. And thus Parisian stand offs. And in Marseille and in Lyon,....

Memories of the historic student riots from 1969 filled the air.... for a few days.

So the military junta in Burma held elections. Controlled elections. Just a farce. Nothing free nor fair,... nor democratic. And rightly so has the democratic world rejected the outcome which – haha – was victory for a military associated so-called-political-party. Burma is a basket case. Dictatorship. Corruption. Poverty. Abuse. If the world really wants, these freaks would be toppled within a few days.

Human behaviour is often different from human speech.

Forgotten about them? The Somali Pirates are truly still in action. Still roaming the seas around Somalia, Kenya and Yemen for their next hijack. Some clashes with European naval forces have occurred but nothing to stop the pirates’ threat.

Good news now. First female president elected in Brazil. Viva!

Bad news. More terrorism threats. This time via FedEx parcels. And some suspected ink cartridges too. Cargo transport is now the new target. And thus action taken against cargo handling from suspected sources like Yemen and Somalia. But the cargo and courier business is certainly a weak link. All energy needs to be brought to bear to track down the sources of the explosive packages and then those fuckers need to be taken out. Basta!

Yemen is certainly falling to pieces fast. Failed state. Rotten to the core. Central authority too corrupt and too weak to do what it is supposed to do. Al Queda’s presence growing and across its narrow strait lies the ultimate failed state Somalia. It’s a breeding ground for extremism and religious nutcases.

Good news again. South Africa’s animal welfare activists from LionsRock saved 6 lions from abuse in Europe. One of them was born and raised in a hotel in Bulgaria. How nuts is that!?

Human behaviour towards animals is often just crueler than animals themselves could ever be.

Throw out. OFF! What’s in a name? OFF! is a new, explosive punk band from Keith Morris who made his historic mark with Black Flag and Circle Jerks in the 80s. Morris’ return is an in your face blast of old style fast and furious punkrock. No holds barred.

C -Ya

collateral – November 2010 is progressing at an unwelcoming pace