An 'old man rant' and French protests
Plus NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War, and a South China Sea team up
I want to start with an “old man rant” that has been rattling in my brain for a month. I need to get it out somewhere but it is not worthy of an entire post.
The new slang term “giving me the ick” is rude and needs to be stomped out of our vocabulary.
Unlike “red flags” — which reference personality traits that could potentially create a toxic relationship — “giving me the ick” is a judgemental phrase that bullies people for innocuous, completely harmless quirks.
I have heard” icks” that range from “men buying fancy Starbucks lattes” to “expressing gratitude to the mattress after sex” (the second one is, admittedly, damn funny). This thread is an amusing list of people telling on themselves for being absolutely ridiculous.
“Ick” bugs me because the phrase is inherently arrogant, placing the criticizer above the poor person who did nothing wrong except fail to meet arbitrary and random standards.
We frequently complain that our world has become harsher and less communal in the last decade, but then we simultaneously popularize the “ick” slang. If we are going to actively create harsh phrases to bully a bad date, then we cannot complain about the cruelty of the world we created.
TL':DR: stop saying “ick”; it’s rude as hell.
Rant over. Enjoy this standard issue! I have some special essays planned for the coming weeks.
Followups on A6 topics
Three US soldiers killed in drone attack on US forces near Jordan-Syria border
Netanyahu must be removed, top former Israeli national security officials say
Four Countries Join US in Pausing Funding for UN Aid Agency in Gaza
A6 - Where the World Happens
French farmers are protesting threats to way of life
Farmers in France staged a large-scale protest to fight for better crop subsidies and compensation for green policies and free trade.
On Sunday, the farmers vowed to continue the movement despite the government offering concessions after the protesters threatened to disrupt life in Paris.
So far, The strategy has been to use farming equipment to shut down traffic over long stretches of road and dump agricultural waste at the foot of government buildings. The protests reached a climax last week when an explosion at a government building near Toulouse blew out its windows. Nobody was injured in the incident.
One farmer succinctly expressed their concerns to Reuters, saying: “We always have more rules to follow, we are always asked for more, and we earn less and less. We cannot live from our work anymore.”
Similar protests in Europe have cropped up in Germany, Poland and Romania, and politicians are monitoring whether farmers represent a growing constituency for the far right.
The protests in France will surely be one of many in the future as governments make the necessary — but often painful — transition away from greenhouse-gas-emitting technologies. The reality is that governments will need to create vibrant support programs if they mandate that farmers move away from diesel and other carbon-intensive processes.
NATO begins largest military exercise since Cold War
Around 90,000 troops will participate in NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War, involving 50 naval ships, over 1,100 land vehicles and more than 80 fighter jets.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said the exercises represent an “irrevocable return” to the Cold War.
While not technically a member yet, Sweden will also participate in the exercises named Steadfast Defender 24, which will last until May.
Sweden’s admission into NATO is a foregone conclusion after Turkey approved the ascension (although Hungary stubbornly refuses to admit Sweden).
The exercises are designed to replicate a game plan if Russia were ever to attack a member of the regional security pact.
A core feature of the war games will be to demonstrate NATO’s ability to deploy defenses from North America to Europe in the face of an attack, and it will also practice the deployment of quick reaction forces to Poland.
Other regions of focus will be the Balkans because they are seen as vulnerable to a Russian attack and Germany because of its importance as a headquarters to defend its neighbors in eastern Europe.
The previous exercise on this scale was in 1988, when 125,000 troops participated in what was an annual drill during the Cold War.
Philippines and Vietnam teaming up in the South China Sea
The Philippines and Vietnam plan to sign a deal to improve collaboration between the two coastguards, signaling their willingness to put aside competing claims in the South China Sea and work together to counteract China’s assertiveness in the region.
No details of the deal have been announced, but it will likely be focused on protecting fishermen who stray into foreign waters and improving relations between Manila and Hanoi.
The deal will be met with annoyance in Beijing, which claims the entire South China Sea as its own. Their logic would be, “How can these two countries work together to protect their borders inside of our territory?” It will be worth monitoring if China increases its harassment of Filipino and Vietnamese ships in the coming weeks.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be meeting with top Vietnamese officials during a visit starting on Monday.
China’s bullying in the South China Sea has strained relations with both the Philippines and Manila. It is a flashpoint issue in Filipino politics, where it has become an animating factor for who gets elected into office.
Vietnam is no democracy, but the South China Sea issue has driven Hanoi into America’s arms, and it is now one of Washington’s strongest allies in Asia.
Kenya court blocks government from sending police to Haiti
The Kenyan High Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to deploy police officers abroad, meaning the country cannot participate in a UN scheme to use international officers to help Haiti control its gang problem.
The gang violence in Haiti has reached a point where it has genuinely disabled the country’s ability to function.
The Kenyan court ruled that because Haiti is not sending police officers to Kenya — which would be inconceivable at this moment — the country would not send its officers abroad.
Haitian gangs control 80% of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and they are credited with 83% of the country’s murders and injuries.
Kenya had initially planned on sending 300 officers in the early days and eventually having 1,000 police in the country.
Various Haitian spokespeople were dismayed by the decision, pointing out that the country has actively called for International help since October 2022.
Others said Haiti must figure out its problems internally and that international interference may accidentally make the situation worse.
Climate Change: Clean energy was China’s most important driver of economic growth in 2023
Most environmentalists will admit that the most crucial factor in turbocharging the transition to a cleaner world is that it becomes financially beneficial to invest in the industry. That seems to be happening in China.
A new economic analysis of Chinese data indicates that clean energy was the single largest driver in investment in 2023 and that its contribution to the economy grew by 30% year-on-year.
Clean energy — specifically solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries — contributed to 40% of the country’s 5.2% growth in 2023. The analysis estimates that China’s economy would only have grown by 3% without a clean energy economy.
The data from China indicates that heavy investment in clean energy is good for the economy and that it can become a source of stability amid an economic slowdown.
That being said, it is important to note that the jury is still out about if EVs and batteries are as clean as they sometimes seem.
Kevin’s article: Newly discovered gaps in Great Wall of China create more mysteries about why it was built
From the first three paragraphs:
Archaeologists investigating the Great Wall of China’s “Mongolian Arc” have discovered large gaps in the wall were not the result of destruction, degradation or erosion, but were never built in the first place.
One explanation scientists have come up with for the missing sections is that the Chinese builders were working in haste, amid concerns about the threat posed by the rise to power of Ghengis Khan, according to a study published in the Journal of Field Archaeology in late December.
The Mongolian Arc – which stretches from northern China into Mongolia –was built sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries, far earlier than the most famous segments constructed during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and is believed to have been used by the Jin dynasty (1115–1234), but that has not been proven conclusively.
What I am reading
Letters from an American covers New Hampshire primary
World roundup: January 27-28 2024
I totally agree with your rant, but why call it an Old Man Rant? Doesn’t that smack of ageism?