Thanks to Imogen Foulkes and BBC Online News for the Headline
Today, Sunday, the Swiss voters , well those entitled to vote which is another question are deciding whether they are officially going to “cap” their population at 10 million. Firstly , I’ve got to admire the work ethic of the Swiss, I mean voting on a Sunday. I’m not too sure how many polls have been done or if they are even allowed to have endless media debate and swingometers on the subject of limiting the population. Interestingly enough Switzerland is the home of Dignitas the elective end of life organisation , however that is not what they are voting for as I understand it. It’s reducing immigration.
Whether everyone understands the argument or not . One side says they need immigrants for the ancillary jobs that the indigenous population do not want to do and also that the Swiss Economy needs access to the Single Market which is the E.C. and in return for this access the Swiss need to offer free movement of labour.
The other side of the argument is the same as most Countries and probably doesn’t affect the really rich in Switzerland and those that live in rural areas. Too many people clogging up the Schools, the Hospitals and the Roads.
This is unfortunately a common theme, we have too many people in the World, the rich want people to be useful(to them), the rich have the money to promote their ideas. Increasingly the poor are being ghettotised and now Switzerland today is voting to “cap” it’s population. Where will it all end?
A meme spreads rapidly like a virus,knowing the qualities of those interested in pursuing this spread. Typically a hyper, detail surfer, who will be on to the next new thing before the digital clock on their phone moves onto the next minute. You might have already guessed “memes” are not my thing.
Richard Dawkins an evolutionary biologist coined the phrase in his book “The Selfish Gene” way back in 1976. He describes it as “a unit of cultural transmission”. Perhaps culture is a mite too fancy for the average meme. Which tries to reduce the human pscyche to it’s most basic building blocks.
Observational Comics must either love or hate them. The hyper comics need to be in with the “crowd” know the latest meme that is trending among the demographics they are trying to please. Yes, I can see it being a love or hate relationship, reducing a three minute , carefully thought out monologue into a cartoon or gif which says the same thing visually and very often for free.
Does this explain the demise of the fondess for observational comedy? Discuss in your own time, I haven’t finished my rant on memes.
AI generated image
The really trendy memes are more concise than my AI generated image, I cannot see the above generating lots of likes and re-blogs and shares.
No the real diamond memes are light-hearted and sum up an element of common culture which in it’s own time ( most likely the late ninteties) was ground breakingly popular.
Enter Rick Astley, his song “Never Gonna Give You Up” is the hook to arguably the most popular meme in the history of the Internet. The meme itself tricks users into watching the music video for the song. Clever eh? Harmless I suppose. Fun yes. And rightly so , for the generations who remember Rick, possibly even those who take an interest in Rick because they were introduced to him by the Meme, it introduces them to a wonderful musician and his music.
The dark side of Memes exists too, if you can be tricked into listening to Rick, what else can you be tricked into doing or believing. The problem is not being on trend and wanting to be. I’ve just googled “harmful memes” and it is a thing.
Bless google and bless AI it suggests the following to avoid harmful memes.
Is this meme making fun of someone’s looks , race or beliefs?
Does this make me feel angry or upset about a group of people?
Is this joke based on an unfair, sweeping rule?
The word “joke” is interesting, so memes are meant to be funny, Comics must hate them. In an audience maybe of up to five hundred people will many of them walk out of the theatre seriously damaged by what they have just heard? The audience can complain or give feedback.
Ramp that up to Internet access to the World of Social Media and I- pad parenting , is it possible that a meme can turn into a dangerous trope with no comeback whatsoever. I think so.
Which is why , the word meme is a word and “thing” I will always be wary of and I wish more people could see through it’s instant gratification.
An illustrated comic showing various everyday struggles like morning rush, work-life balance, and social media impact.
Ten fire engines and an aerial ladder were sent to a fire on the Watermill Industrial Estate, the building housed a soft play area and a mini zoo.
All the animals died inside the building, including meercats, owls , giant tortoises , iguanas, genets and a 16 foot snake.
I wonder how long it will take them to replace their display animals or if they will be so upset that they don’t want to feature animals anymore. Time will tell.
Thanks to Greta Simpson and the Manchester Evening News for the Headline.
The wife of the teacher who saved two 14 year olds from being stabbed within a school in Blackley , in the City of Manchester,modestly agreed to provide a photo of her husband who could have been so easily killed in the frenzied attack by another child on the two 14 year olds.
It’s a beautiful photograph, he is in traditional dress of some kind, maybe at his wedding or perhaps a family wedding.
Thankfully, although he was stabbed in the neck, and the wound required hospital treatment, he was able to return home. The two children who were attacked also required hospital treatment but were able to return home. The child responsible for the attack was assessed by Mental Health Experts and is now in Police Custody.
The man’s wife explained that it was a phone call that she never wanted to recieve ” that her husband had been stabbed and was in hospital”. Thankfully he was OK. As well as the photo that she gave to the press, she asked that her best wishes be passed onto the two children who her husband had saved from more serious injury and perhaps death.
There is a lot of tragedy in this story, and there will be a moratorium as to the why and wherefore of what happened , what caused it and how are knives so easily accessed by children who think they are a solution to whatever they feel they have to face.
However, the photo of the teacher sticks in my mind, he did what all of us hope we would do in a similar situation. He acted heroically , his name is Maysum Aabdullah and he is 27.
Siesta a tradition in rural Spain and other warm Mediterranean Countries, I mean why not. Does it matter if it’s cold outside , surely some warm soup and a sleep in the middle of the afternoon or indeed the morning would do us all good. We could stagger our work day so that there is no such thing as the five O’clock rush. It would be more natural and perhaps work sharing would become an attractive prospect.
Apply it to schools too, if AI is going to take over, then at least make everyone’s life enjoyable.
A woman rests inside a recharge pod while colleagues work and chat in a modern office
Thanks to Fredrico Pita and Aljazeera Online for the Headline.
I’ve got to admit that reading this headline really was very scary for me. I’m aware that South America was the chosen destination for many high profile and probably not so high profile Nazi war criminals at the end of World War Two. Along with the activities and history of the conquistadors in the then Americas in the 16th century where slavery and land acquisition was taken as a right by adventurers and explorers.
And here we are in Modern Day Argentina with a Country whose political structure is now geared to promoting itself as a “white European Country”.
Apparently in 1853, with the formation of the Argentinian State Juan Bautista Alberdi, who was the main architect of the Constitution incorporated into article 25 with his proviso “that to govern is to populate” and to encourage the State to promote European Immigration.
So no wonder the Argentinian Government aligned itself with the United States, Israel and voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery as the gravest crime against humanity and calling for reparations. Argentina certainly aligned itself with some strange bedfellows.
The implications now are that various Institutions within Argentina which were promoting indigenous people’s rights have been eroded and no longer exist having lost Government funding. The new President Javier Milei is promoting the libetarian defence of historical hierarchies and is determined to encourage the “Whiteness and Westness” of Argentinia.
It’s a lesson to me that if you don’t pay attention to what is happening, that the rug can so easily be taken out from under your feet.
I think Argentina needs to review it’s constitution urgently.
I wouldn’t have the heart to tell a tourist that they have made a mistake in their choice of itinerary when visiting my Country ( or any other for that matter). Surely it is up to them and after all they are on holiday.
All the other possible visitors well there are just too many comobulations to make this a serious prompt. Too many variables.
The businessman on a “presentation” tour who doesn’t understand that everyone is tired of listening to “pep” talks from senior executives who don’t know how anything works. To rock bands who expect people to pay £300 a head to see them play , even though they long ago gave their best and finally people who visit Parliament for the day to learn how “democracy ” works and if they are lucky get to see Black Rod banging on the door of some building which is long past it’s best and needs a multi million pound budget just to keep it from falling apart on a daily basis.
I don’t think it’s been renamed “Kushner Island” yet , it’s actually Sazan Island and the Albanians who care about the environment of the Mediterranean’s most important and remote biodiverse hotspots are not happy with their Government selling it to the Retail Development Group headed by Jared Kushner the husband of Ivanka Trump.
Apparently , while cruising the Med, while they had nothing better to do as President Trump had not started his second term. Jared and Ivanka stopped off on Sazan Island and “fell in love with it”. Falling in love in Trumpish terms means turning the Island into a “resort” with ten thousand hotel rooms and the opportunities to scuba dive and traipse through the undergrowth safely and return to air conditioned rooms and a acreage of swimming pools with bars beside them. Stuff the wildlife, oh yes , why not have a ” shooting itinerary” with taxidermy thrown in.
The investment amounts to $1.4 billion dollars and the Albanian Government sees it as a development worth pursuing that will bring valuable revenue to Albania. I would agree with the protesters, the plan is not suitable for the Island and with all that is going on could easily be a project that is started and not finished. Leaving the Island in a hell of a state.
Thanks to Olamilekan Okebiorun and Business Insider Africa for the Headline.
Seems Tanzania, the second biggest economy in East Africa has fallen out with the EU and the United States over the results of a disputed election.
They have turned to Russia for investment having attended for the first time the St Petersburg International Economic Forum where the discussions started. Tanzanian officials insist they do not want to break ties with the West, however in the real World why should they not talk to the Russians, isn’t there money as good as anyone else’s?
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
A digital globe showing illuminated transport and communication networks across Europe, Africa, and Asia.(AI Generated Image)
thenotsomightyom 