Old Men Ruling the World

Hi Everyone

Did you realise that many of the world leaders are approaching middle age and nearly all are hoping to leave a legacy for the world to remember them by? These people influence the lives of nearly half the population of the world. Now, hopefully someone will remember me as someone who has done something useful with my life, but even if that happens, I will not be here to know. With all these leaders having a limited future, no doubt Putin needs a victory in Ukraine, and Mr China would crave a takeover of Taiwan, Netanyahu is seeking to eliminate Hamas, and Boris has given us Brexit. Goodness knows what legacy Trump will leave, except to say that historians will be talking about him for many years to come. For many of these leaders to achieve their legacies, sadly, many of the people in their country or other countries that they seek to control will suffer death or displacement. Surely the best legacy that would ensure their place in history is to achieve peace through negotiation and an acceptance of differences. Recently, when I was putting a quiz together, I discovered the word gynocracy, which is apparently the word to describe a form of government where all the senior posts are occupied by women. I think that perhaps that idea is long overdue. It is hard to believe that they would do a worse job than the present lot.

If you have only a little knowledge of the history of our country, you will know that we have had six King Georges, the last one being the father of our late Queen Elizabeth II. The reason I am giving you this useless information is that the bricklayer of dubious ability had five children or six if you count the one left outside the front door of their house two days after it was born. One day, when I was out with him, he told me that he had “made a mistake” and that they were expecting another baby. When I got back to the office I told the news to the young man that I worked with before asking him what name the the new baby might be called. Without hesitation, he came back with the answer - George the Seventh.

Young carers are a group of people who are often forgotten and overlooked. I am full of admiration for young people who find themselves having to care for a sick parent or sibling. This week I read about a teenager caring for his mother, who has a severe degenerative disease. As well as caring for her, he wanted to know more about the condition, so he spent many hours with the help of our friend Google, researching. The reward for all his efforts is that he has now secured a place at Oxford University studying Biochemistry with the hope that it will result in a career in a research establishment as a Biochemist. Thankfully, amongst the pages of depressing news, it is possible to find an inspiring story.

Just a Thought :

How does an Israeli make tea? Hebrews it.

How many men does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, he just holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve round him.

Brian