This Guardian Editorial reports that crude mockery of Turkey’s president has led to a German comic being prosecuted under an obscure old law. It warns that free speech is one big loser and Angela Merkel’s reputation is another.
Source: The Guardian view on the Jan Böhmermann affair: no joke | Opinion | The Guardian
Personally, I tend to endorse the views of this Guardian editorial.
Thoughts?
English: Chart showing he circumstances for suicide in 16 states in the United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Suicide rates map es (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is an important breaking story reported in the NYT. It reports, citing a federal data analysis, that suicide rates increased among almost all groups, with women and middle-aged Americans hit particularly hard.
Source: U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High – The New York Times
This analysis focuses on the US but the conclusions are generalizable to other countries.
As I read the article I reflected on some of the following themes:
The American Dream is losing some of its momentum and this will have wide ranging social implications.
These challenges are picked up by ambitious right-wing populists like Trump, le Pen and now Boris Johnson.
The far left offer their own utopian solutions.
I suggest that we are facing a paradigm shift and the media and responsible political leaders have to be more open with the public.
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 