Everyone Loves This Photograph Of Uruguay's Radical President Wearing Sandals At A Government Meetin

[Judi Lynn]

Everyone Loves This Photograph Of Uruguay's Radical President Wearing Sandals At A Government Meeting
Adam Taylor, provided by Business Insider
Published 11:02 am, Friday, December 27, 2013

People seem to love this picture of Uruguay's President Jose Mujica at a ceremony for incoming Finance Minister Mario Bergara in Montevideo, yesterday.



Mujica already has an outsized reputation. A former guerrilla fighter known for his exceptionally frugal lifestyle, The Economist nominated Uruguay as its first ever "country of the year" last week, pointing towards a new gay marriage law and its "experiment" with a state-controlled legal marijuana industry.

What is it about this image in particular that stuck with people? Well obviously, there's the crumpled shirt and sandals, and also the strangely nonchalant slouch. But perhaps, as Max Fisher of the Washington Post points out, the beauty of the image lies in its contrast — Mujica is sitting next to two very politician-looking politicians. Mujica may wear sandals and drive to work in a beat up old Volkswagen Beetle, but he is still a hard working politician.

http://www.seattlepi.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Everyone-Loves-This-Photograph-Of-Uruguay-s-5096564.php

(Short article, no more at link.)

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This immediately iconic photo of Uruguay’s president must be seen to be believed
By Max Fisher
December 27 at 12:14 pm

Uruguayan President José Mujica has a well-earned reputation for a personal style that is assertively ... let us call it informal. It's part of the 78-year-old politician's practice of eschewing all trappings of power and status; he gives away most of his salary, lives in a small, one-bedroom apartment and drives an old VW Beetle instead of taking the customary limousine. He's often called "the world's poorest president," although the former guerrilla and Marxist resists the label. He's not a victim of poverty, after all; he's a political leader who cares deeply about economic inequality and is making an effort to lead by example.

Still, there's something to seeing Mujica really living his message that drives home just how unusual it is. This photo, from Thursday, shows him sitting between his vice president (to his left) and his new finance minister, during the latter's official swearing-in ceremony. Soak it in:

What struck me about this photo, after having fully absorbed that I was looking at the head of state of a sovereign nation, was that Mujica has staffed his administration with people who look and dress like senior government officials. In other words, though he's chosen to cultivate a moderately radical image for himself, he's not making that image so important that it's precluded him from working with suit-wearing technocrats. He still wants to run his country.

Since Mujica took office in 2010, his government has won plaudits from Western institutions, including the Economist – not the sort of publication you expect to see endorsing a former Marxist and sandal-wearing critic of the capitalist system. The magazine recently named Uruguay its "country of the year," praising its legalizations of gay marriage and marijuana. "Modest yet bold, liberal and fun-loving, Uruguay is our country of the year," it announced. "Better yet, the man at the top, President José Mujica, is admirably self-effacing."

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/12/27/this-immediately-iconic-photo-of-uruguays-president-must-be-seen-to-be-believed/

[DeSwiss]

1. I LOVE this guy!!!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

2. he's got a lot of late-career Brando mojo going on

[Maynar]

3. Ya can't do a good job in pinchy shoes.

Truth.

[El_Johns]

4. Looks to me like he's got heart disease.

[Puglover]

8. Wow you're a better diagnostician then Bill Frist.

Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2014, 10:48 AM - Edit history (1)

He needed a video.

Edit to change Lott to Frist. derp.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. That would be Dr Frist, video diganosis specialist....

easy mistake to make, the crazy all blend into one another.

[Puglover]

18. Thanks Blue.

I'm sad I screwed up my clever dig with a colossal mistake.

[IDemo]

10. Blood pressure? HDL/LDL? Pulse rate?

We'll wait here for your lab results, Dr.

[El_Johns]

15. Edema, more pronounced in the right leg. With apparent pitting.

[Aristus]

16. I can see some lower-extremity edema, but there's no way to

assess whether it is pitting edema or not.

A trained diagnostician might want to get a chest x-ray, an EKG, and a lab test for B-Type Natriuretic Peptide before confirming a diagnosis.

What is unmistakable: the man has a heart!

[Comrade Grumpy]

22. The guy is 78.

[El_Johns]

24. My mother's 83 & has no edema.

Edema and heart disease (congestive heart failure): When the heart weakens and pumps blood less effectively, fluid can slowly build up, creating leg edema.

I don't get why people seem to find the comment offensive. Edema around the ankles is a key sign of congestive heart failure. It's simply a fact & wasn't intended as some criticism of the guy.

Everyone in my father's family had congestive heart failure & they all had edema starting in middle age. My mother's family all lived into their 90s and didn't.

Edema in the lower extremities isn't a normal sign of aging.

[Ghost Dog]

5. Spanish TV interview with Mujica,

very much worth attending to. Those who can understand the Castillian Spanish language spoken with a Uruguayan accent and turn of phrase will surely find this deeply moving. Beautiful man:

http://floridadiario.com.uy/2013/06/01/mujica-sorprendio-en-europa-mira-la-entrevista/

[OffWithTheirHeads]

6. I wonder...distant relative of the Pope?

[Bluenorthwest]

13. The Pope stridently opposes both marriage equality and marijuana reform so

the key word would be 'distant' not 'relative'. Francis is against most of the things Uruguay is doing, the progress on equality being the most galling to the anti gay clerics of this world, Francis included. In nearby Argentina, Francis spent years attempting to prevent gay people from gaining any rights, it was the issue he built his career upon. Francis pushed hard against marriage equality law there, using hate speech and venomous lies, but Argentina passed it anyway, 70-30. Francis failed to stop equality and progress, all of his invective was wasted. May all of his invective always be wasted when he attacks those who have never harmed him.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. The CIA

in 1970 the CIA sent an officer to Uruguay to teach their government torture techniques and methods to suppress the population. He was captured by the rebels and killed. One of the leaders of those rebels is now the president of Uruguay.


http://www.spirituallysmart.com/Dan%20Mitrione.htm

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. Tough luck for Mr. Mitrione.

[Laughing Mirror]

9. Love the photo, love the man

Thanks Judi Lynn!

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. What I see is a fat guy who likely has trouble tying his shoes.

I mean, it's pretty obvious he has trouble bending over... take a look at those toenails. F'kn gross.

[tabasco]

12. Your post indicates your lack of intelligence and maturity.

Please pursue an education and try to learn common decency.

[cherokeeprogressive]

17. So, I guess only educated people like you can appreciate...

Toenails long enough to cast a shadow. Cool.

What else can you glean about me in less than 50 words?

[malaise]

19. I love him big time

Happy Holidays Judi Lynn

[Coyotl]

20. K&R

[UTUSN]

21. >>>

[font size=5]" No man is great enough or wise enough for any of us to surrender our destiny to. The only way in which anyone can lead us is to restore to us the belief in our own guidance."
~ Henry Miller ~[/font]