Of slow-dancing gems, an adopted star and dealing with the stress of commuting

 A lovely animal which, for a moment, could be mistaken for the gross-looking demon that inspires corrupt governments?

Just the look of this animal reminds me of a corrupt minister in a corporatocracy...

  and there may be more of them than one would like to think!

I have never seen such detailed and beautiful pictures of this grotesque thing which in Kiswahili is known as a strangler (kinyonga) because it winds its tail around the branches of trees the way plutocrats strangle the people [with the way they manage the economy].

How do they catch their prey?  With LOOOOOONG TONGUES!!

The video

Jokes aside, of course the chameleon looks more like a beautiful jewel than an oligarch and, unlike the oligarch, the chameleon is totally harmless (except in some parts of the world where it is used to conjure up dreams and witchcraft).

How does an Oligarchy rule the masses?  A few individuals who get a high from prancing around charismatically simply take control of the government by throwing a few daily-needed shillings to the poor - their constituencies - and then protect themselves with security forces paid for by taxpayers (the corporates, like GM and Safaricom) who rely on the government for protection and a mutual alliance.  The burgeoning middle class is now paying taxes, too, and becoming allied to their employers, the oligarchs.

The Iron Rule of Oligarchy

Are you a commuter?  Do you go to work everyday in a vehicle?

ON THE HELL OF COMMUTING

Whether gridlocked in traffic, crammed on to public transport in unbearable heat or forced to sit next to someone with poor hygiene, most of us have experienced downsides to our commute. But now a study has revealed the secrets to avoiding commuter hell. (from The Guardian)

Are you a woman and a commuter - travelling back and forth, to and from work from Monday to Friday, whether in a bus, car, matatu or train?  

How do you feel at the end of the week?

How much is the way you plan your weekend dependent on the stress you have accumulated from commuting?  

Did you know that it is probably much less stressful to be a fighter pilot?  

Here are some links to help you learn more about the stress of commuting and methods of meeting the incipient deleterious effects of commuting to work like an automaton.

Commuting is more stressful on women than men

Want to feel less stress?  Become a fighter-pilot

Commuting makes workers miserable

Nine steps to dealing with stress from commuting

A Taste of Honey

Adopted child?

Interview of Leslie Sharp, an actress, in The Guardian: 

'When I hear people talking about their families it's not something I totally understand'

...something very truthful about a relationship between a mother and daughter, about a parent who's failing and doesn't quite know how to make it right.  Excerpt from an interview of Leslie Sharp in The Guardian

Did you ever meet your birth parents?
I met my birth mother and we were able to have a relationship for 17 years before she died.

Leslie Sharp starts in Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey at the National Theatre in London.