2011's turning out to be a pretty interesting year, wouldn't you say? What with the couple of revolutions here and smidgens of natural disasters there, it really has gotten off to a cloyingly heated start. And we're barely into March, mind you. Of course, the overly-exuberant earth citizen will have you know in no uncertain terms that these signs are indeed none other than those heralding the end of times, and who can argue? Their cornerstone reference is, of course, a box office smash hit flic with the inconceivably genius title of -wait foorrr iit- "2012". *insert blank stare here*

The natural disasters are pretty much expected. Nothing new there,really. Mother Earth may indeed be the only female in the history of herself (double-take) to have never gone into menopause. In spite of her age. And therein, perhaps, lies her frustration, because when she's got PMS, she lets us all know about it. And it's not pretty. But we've been around long enough to expect the majority of her groundbreaking tantrums and pacings to and fro in stormy huffs, during which she hails insults and cries floods of inconsolable tears. We're used to it. We might as well, y'know. It's her roof we're living under after all. And we don't even pay rent.

The uprisings however, are a totally different kettle of fish. Seemingly having sprung up from nowhere, what's different this time around is that they've not only managed to tear away our attention from our own self-fulfilling lives and onto the plight of the oppressed in the Middle East who, under tyrannical megalomaniacs who've for decades maintained a miserable status quo; but by their apparent success, the uprisings have shone a spotlight onto the other regimes across the world. Not that we didn't know they were there; with 40 dictators around the world today- of which 23 are autocrats- ruling an estimated 1.9 billion people within the claustrophobic grip of a collective iron fist, it's pretty clear which parts of the world won't be getting a "Best place to Live" award any time this century.

Or will they? Unlike anything my generation's ever witnessed before, the uprising in one country looks to have ignited the sparks in another, and from that, yet another reared its head. From Tunisia to Egypt and now Libya, the trodden-down populace in the North of Africa have engineered an organic revolution of their own machinations. No scripts, no main actors. Just a cast of determined millions. The proverbial domino effect at work and it's been fascinating to witness.

But what's been even more interesting to chew cud and pontificate on,are the ramifications that this might (and in all probability will) have on the eleventeen similar other regimes around the world. The scenes that were played out on satellite television of masses of unarmed people of all ages and classes willing to die for a grasp at freedom from decades of tyranny must have run shivers down the back of even the thickest-skinned tyrant in their overly-lavish multi million dollar mansion. Somewhere, an overly-fed good-for-nothing despot is shaking in their shiny over-priced Dolce & Gabbana boots. Some self-serving egotistical, air-head crocodile liberator with a God-complex has his jowls quivering double-time with fear.

Because the biggest threat to the aforementioned tyrant's comfortable perch at the top of his plasticine pyramid isn't that of some nameless, obscenely-armed rebel movement. But rather, it is the mind of a long suffering and exasperated people who dare to dream: "What if?"

Of course, if you think there's such a thing as an organic revolution, then "they've" got you right where they want you. And who might "they" be you ask? Ditch the rabbit and follow the loot, Alice. Follow the money.

Plasticine Pyramids & Crocodile Skin Boots