Pillow 032
colour me black
I came across a New York Times story about Bain and Company, the American consulting behemoth being involved in a corruption scandal in South Africa’s Tax Agency. Few years ago, it was McKinsey and Eskom. The article essentially accuses Bain and Co. Of colluding with Jacob Zuma to destabilise the Tax Agency and turn install Zuma’s henchmen in place. Imagine hiring a consulting firm that’s supposed to take you from Point A to B only to then move you backwards institutionally.
We speak about Elon Musk a lot but that’s also because Bedside is a brief of all the things I think and read about weekly. Elon has been in the news a lot recently, if not about his Twitter acquisition, then about his tweets or now this is interesting, his South African upbringing. I really liked this article that looked into his early childhood in South Africa. The article left me hoodwinked because it ended so abruptly and also because the writers looked like they were trying to pin the Apartheid system on Musk. The headline was really weird, I know Musk is the fall guy for most things but Apartheid really? Which is why it was quite shocking to me when I saw the news that Elon Musk plans to be the CEO of Twitter upon the acquisition being completed. This man already has enough daggers aimed at him and managing Twitter will only intensify that. It’s one thing owning it and another thing being the face.
Digress A
The New York Times is quite digital and techy. They have made a lot of progress in building digital products that I think characterising them as just a media company doesn’t do them justice. I see the clear traits of a product led company even in how they arrange and publish their digital articles, the acquisitions they make and the people they bring in. This is a free ad telling you to buy a New York Times subscription today it’s just $1 per month.
America makes me laugh man. This country prides itself as being the cornerstone of the world but some of its fundamentals are really skewed. Cases in American courts are rarely judged on the merits of the case and instead is based on the political leaning of the Judge first, before the merits are looked at. Judges build their political reputation through their years in lower and circuit courts and then become known either as a right or left judge. Why is the analysis of a Judge’s performance based on their political leanings and not on the merits of the case being judged. What this then means is that you cannot have a fair court since the highest court of the land is filled with Judges who either swear allegiance to the left or the right. America’s Supreme Court is now spoken about based on the composition of its judges and their political leanings instead of their ability to dispense judgment fairly. There can’t be anything fair from a court that already adorns a political bias before ruling on a case. No wonder the leaks from the Supreme Court this week caused a furore.
Biden is doing something fundamental on the lowkey. The Biden administration has actually and intentionally put women on the forefront and on screens way more than the past used to. Women are holding key positions and being given the power to be who they are. The next general of girls who grow up watching these women will not be short of role models and idols. This week, Biden announced Jen Psaki’s replacement as White House Press Secretary; Karine Jean-Pierre. Karine is a black woman. If you watch American political dramas, you’ll know that the WH Press Sec role is a daunting and very public role. The fact that a black woman will become the face of this government is super commendable, add that to the Black woman in the Supreme Court then I have to give it to Joe, who’s “did” it again.
Digress B
This week, I spent some time reading about Mitt Romney. What a career this man has had. Would he have been a better President than Obama? Well, what I can say is that he has demonstrated results of being a better performer, result maker, family oriented man and a good man. Make of that what you will. I’d still want to see him become President.
Something gory is happening in the South East of Nigeria and not enough attention is being paid because we have a tone deaf government. The ESN militia openly brandishing guns, causing mayhem and killing people keep growing in influence. This is no more about the struggle for Biafra, this is now a movement that has been fully taken over by angry and jobless youths loving the power and influence a gun gives them. If nothing is done to nip this menace in the bud now, we will see the rise of yet another Boko Haram, These guys will become too innumerable and difficult to stop, the whole South East will become a pariah. Why is the Nigerian government not learning from the origins of Boko Haram? The Niger Delta Militants would have become a terrible menace as well if not for the mindfulness of President Yar’Adua who create an Amnesty programme. Nigeria’s heterogeneous society needs a government that is humble and sensitive to the peculiar demands of all and this must be at the front burner when selecting the next President.
Always True!
Miracle Roch.