Shuffling the cards of the Israeli cabinet

Israeli politicians are all perky and excited at the news of a new leader and a potential position in the new cabinet. It seems like being just 1 of the 120 members of the Parliament (Knesset), politicians want the ministries.

• What is the ace of hearts Tzipi Livni going to do to from a new royal flush cabinet.
• The king of hearts, I guess, is the second most important postion meaning the Vice Primier, but what was this position again it was just a position created by Sharon to give veteran politician Peres a respectable title. Overall, a sheer waste of tax payers money. So lets assume the Defence Ministry is number two, this should remain under Barak.
  
• The queen of hearts, Foreign Ministry is up for grabs since Livni will vacate the post, and talk of the town seems as if Meir Sheetrit is vying for the spot
• The jack of hearts will be the departure of Friedman as Justice Minister and the spot is vacant. Ayalon, Ramon, Hanegbi, Perhaps?
  
• Finishing off the royal flush, the ten of hearts, Sheetrit's move will open up the Interior Minister which will enlarge the eyes of Shas leader Yishai who would love to control this ministry.
  

Odds of a royal Flush: 649,739 to 1

It's the Brazilian Obama!

Great story in the Guardian today. Obama Mania has hit Brazil in a big way. Would you change your name for politics? Seems kitch to me.

Tom Phillips September 15th 2008

Walk into a polling station in Belford Roxo, an impoverished city on the fringes of Rio de Janiero, on October 5 and you will be faced with an historic choice. You could vote for Alcides Rolim, the Workers' Party mayoral candidate promising a "city for all" or Elizeu Pitorra, a local communist who believes it is "time for a change". Most voters, however, will probably opt for Barack Obama, a 39-year-old Brazilian who, until recently, was known as Claudio Henrique dos Anjos.

Welcome to Obama-mania, Brazil-style. Few countries have embraced the idea of the US's first black president as enthusiastically as Brazil, a country with one of the largest Afro-descendant populations on Earth yet where black faces remain a minority in politics. Obama T-shirts are everywhere while chat shows and newspaper columns are filled with talk of the 47-year-old Illinois senator.

Now even Brazil's politicians are lining up for their piece of the pie. Due to a quirk of Brazilian law, candidates are allowed to run under the name of their choice. As a result, at least six Brazilian politicians have officially renamed themselves "Barack Obama" in a bid to get an edge over their rivals in October's municipal elections.

"In truth it was an accident," says Belford Roxo's Obama, an IT consultant who is bidding to become the city's first black mayor. "I'd been on the television wearing a suit and people thought I looked a bit like him so they started calling me Barack Obama. They'd see me in the street and shout: 'Hey! Barack!" So I decided to register it."

Like his illustrious American counterpart, who has relatives in Kenya, Brazil's Obama also has one foot in Africa. His grandfather was the descendant of slaves.

He admits he has also been looking to his namesake's speeches for inspiration. "I say the same things. I talk about political renewal, change, about transforming the city."

Despite their similarities the two Obamas have yet to meet although the Brazilian Obama says that as mayor he would "extend an invitation" to the real Obama to dine in Belford Roxo. "It would be great if he could come and see our reality," he beams. "Just imagine."

Time for a comeback

Wow, it has been a year since the last blog post, time flies.
It's easy to make excuses, I was busy, no time for this, but at the end of the day my fears of blogging came true. It was just a fad in the beginning, exciting, interesting and then time consuming. Slowly, the posts became less and less until the hiatus break of a year.

So anyway, here goes another bash at it, I have come across some great experiences and stories that need to be shared. So from my view on top of this world I would like to share some of these with you, regarding the media, politics, life, technology and current affairs.

Enjoy and comment cause it makes me feel good!