You have to ask the next question, in that in a village that looks like this:
…allowed construction of houses that look like this:
…that question being: “How much was the local planning committee bribed?”
I think we should be told.
Tag: Things that totally suck
Synchronicity
…or what we Olde Pharttes used to call “coincidence”*.
Last week I posted a query from a Reader (read it here) about relocating a grandson, and there were a number of comments from other Readers on the topic.
So later in the week, I found this little snippet (via Kenny):
Only 37% of respondents would encourage their family to serve in the military, while 63% would not, according to the poll. Several branches of the military have been plagued with recruiting and retention problems in recent years as the Pentagon continues to look for solutions.
Of those who would not encourage their family members to join the military, 57% said they felt that way because it is “too dangerous,” according to the poll. Approximately 45% cited the “failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan” as the reason not to join.
Funny thing, that. I always thought that joining the military would entail some kind of physical risk, but that probably just shows how out of touch I am with the modern world.
*I know there’s a substantial conceptual difference between synchronicity and coincidence.
Not As Advertised
It seems as though some over-achieving Brit students won a prize:
Three girls from an inner-city sixth form are heading to the US after securing the A-level results needed for their £1million Ivy League scholarships.
The bright trio passed their admissions tests with flying colours meaning Harvard and Princeton offered to fund the entire cost of their four-year education – for close to £350k each.
However, the final step of getting onto their courses rested on their A-level results – making for an anxious few months for the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS) pupils.
Yesterday it was confirmed that all three teenagers scored the grades necessary to study in the US – meaning they can now start preparing for the big move.
And the names of these hardworking girls? Sally McKenzie, Julia Holbrooke and Heather Smith.
Nah, just kidding:
Tasneen Hossain, Feyisara Adeyemi, and Harmanpreet Garcha, all 18, were each awarded places at top universities in the States through a programme run by their East London school.
You see, this is where the whole affirmative action thing poisons the well. Yes I know, I have no doubt that these girls worked hard and got the results that enabled them to qualify.
But as any fule kno, the chances of Tasneen Hossain, Feyisara Adeyemi and Harmanpreet Garcha getting into an Ivy League university are going to be far better than if their names were Sally McKenzie, Julia Holbrooke and Heather Smith.
Because equity, you see, and Ivy Leagues are lousy with this foul pestilence. So there’s always going to be that little niggle of doubt about whether they actually merited the scholarships over, say Sally McKenzie, Julia Holbrooke and Heather Smith (the latter automatically disqualified in the admissions process because White Privilege, you see).
Sadly, the joke is going to be on these girls, because Ivy League degrees aren’t worth a quarter of what they used to be. As they will no doubt discover when they apply for any jobs outside academia.
Question Answered
A Reader asks:
“Why do you always diss the UK’s National Health Service in your news roundups? It’s not like we have anything like it.”
He’s referring to this sardonic comment under some catastrophe involving the above institution:
Basically — and even among a few otherwise-levelheaded conservative Murkins — a lot of people seem to wish that we had a similar institution (nationalized “free” health care) Over Here.
All I’m doing is simply pointing out the many and varied ways that such a system — even one like the much-vaunted NHS — can fuck up your life.
And that we should never.
Checking Out The Options
From a Concerned Reader (anonymous, for obvious reasons):
It seems our crazy Western governments are intent upon starting one or more wars. If one has a teenage grandson and wanted to resettle him somewhere in the world to avoid his participation in one of these conflicts, do you have an opinion as to where he might go?
I have to tell y’all, that is a really good question.
I’m leaving aside the old-time “draft-dodger” discussion, because it’s clear that this is not a Vietnam-era situation where everybody knew that our kids were being sent off to die for a country which was eventually going to fall into enemy hands anyway. (In other words, don’t go there in Comments.)
A lot depends on the grandson, of course. Does he speak Spanish? (In that case, places like Panama and Dominica are decent choices.) Ditto any other foreign languages, which open up areas like Southeast Asia — Thailand especially seems to be becoming a destination of choice.
It also depends how much you’re willing to pay for this resettlement, as several countries offer one the opportunity to purchase residency or citizenship (CBI, it’s called), so if you have the spondulicks, there’s that.
However, I also think one could consider staying at home, so to speak, but simply going to a place where one would be outside the risk of any foreign entanglements: the Coast Guard or a local police department, for example.
Comments on the topic are of course welcome.
Vote Of Confidence (Part Deux)
The ascension of the Commies to the BritGov in Britishland caused people to start looking for places to get away from Commissar Starmer’s policies (as reported here). especially after when literally only a few hours into power, he unveiled all sorts of wickedness.
Over the Channel, then, there came this:
France’s leftwing parties have begun jockeying to lead the country’s next government after their unexpected parliamentary election victory thwarted Marine Le Pen’s efforts to bring the far right to power. Amid warnings from a former European Central Bank chief that their spending plans risked catastrophe, members of the hastily cobbled-together leftist Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) jousted with each other over who to back for prime minister. The NFP won the most seats in the National Assembly after the second-round vote on Sunday, but is far short of a majority, although it ended ahead of both President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance and Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (NR).
The results marked a success for centrist and leftist parties’ bid to form a common “front républicain” by pulling out of races to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote. It was also a stinging setback for Le Pen. But the leftist bloc — which ranges from the centre-left Socialists to Greens, communists and the far-left La France Insoumise, its biggest constituent party — will struggle to form a government.
“Within the week, we need to be in a position to present a candidate for prime minister and force the president to take this situation into account,” said Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialists, who made gains on Sunday. He also hit out at Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the LFI’s firebrand leftist leader, as “certainly the most divisive” figure within the NFP bloc and as lacking the consensus profile needed for the post of prime minister.
And to the surprise of absolutely nobody:
Prominent French Jews Urge Fellow Jews To Leave Following Left Dominating Elections
…because the Left in Europe (and especially in France) are virulently pro-Muslim and ant-Semitic (as are all French Muslims, almost by definition).
But even more telling is this:
Wealthy and Productive French Citizens Are Eyeing Escapes to Switzerland, Italy
…not all of whom are Jews, of course, but a good number must be.
Popcorn anyone?
Might as well sit and watch the bonfires Over There until the Socialists steal our own next election (again).