Martin World News

 

I learned a valuable lesson today- If all else fails, start with the Communists:

1- RT (Russia): Penwasser's "This is silly" meme insert here

Headline: German left demands abolition of marriage

To be fair, the article (paraphrased) let's us know it's the Kiddie wing of the German SPD (which does not mean "silent putt deadly") who put for this bit of legislation...

The motion titled ‘Down with the patriarchy, even if it feels romantic’ was presented late last month ahead of a conference of the SPD’s Berlin branch scheduled for May 8 to May 9. According to the Berlin Young Socialists (Jusos), marriage is a key institution of patriarchy that secures the “oppression of women by cis-men” and “restricts freedom and self-determination through its claim to permanence.”

Well, you know, God DID intend it to be permanent.  And God DID intend the man to be in charge- though not as opressors.Something in that "even if it feels romantic" gets me, though.  Like, "Because it doesn't work for ME, let's ban it even if most people make it work."

2- Also RT- But why did it cross the road?

Headline: Taiwan’s leader a ‘rat’ – Beijing

You would think by this time big ol' China would have ceased giving a good whit about Taiwan.  KIinda like if Puerto Rico declared independance, the majority opinion in the US would be, "So? Good luck with that."  Oh, but not here- neither of these two can handle the other doing something on it's own.  A bit more subdued on the Taiwan end (for good reason), but on the Chinese end...

China has compared Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to a “rat crossing the street” after he secretly boarded an Eswatini government aircraft and flew to the small southern African kingdom on an unannounced state visit.

To explain:  China has bullied about everyone into not recognizing an independant Taiwan.  Only 11 nations- and 7 of them combined would be a little bigger than Allen County, IN- recognize Taiwan as "the Republic of China", and Eswatini (if you are as old as me, you might remember it as Swaziland) is the only African one.  (For the record, the USA is listed as "ambiguous relationship with" Taiwan.  Which means, "We recogize them as independant but don't want either side to call us rats."

3- Xinhua- Only in China

Headline: China's robot police patrol cities during Labor Day holiday, signaling AI-powered urban governance

Yep, this past Labor Day (May1st) holiday, the city of Hangzhao deployed 15 "intelligent traffic management robots" at strategic intersections.  "Capable of working continuously for 8 to 9 hours a day, the robots handle routine, repetitive tasks, freeing police personnel to focus on more complex duties that require human judgment and intervention."  Good idea, but only in China or North Korea would this work.  Just try imagining it in New York, Chicago, or LA.  In Chicago they would probably call them 'target practice'.  Even here in Fort Wayne, I would wager they'd have gang tags on them by noon.

4- Khmer Times (Cambodia)- And doing a damn fine job

Headline: Cambodia and Thailand spotlight Buddhism’s role in peace

I found it funny that this was the fourth headline on their banner page, following, "Experts reject Thai claims of past aid to justify actions against Cambodia" and "Hun Sen warns Thai move to end maritime MoU may fuel row".  In fairness, the article does start with, "Despite the border standoff..."

Finale- Granma (believe it or not, "the official voice of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee)- Say what?

Headline: The “Old World” That Is Dying: The Metaphor of the Interregnum

And if the headline puzzles you, how about this teaser:

The crisis of neoliberalism is not merely cyclical, but organic in the Gramscian sense: capital cannot offer stability, decent employment, care, or an ecological future

Grok, can I get this translated?

Plain English version:"The free-market system isn't just going through a rough patch — it's fundamentally broken at its core. Big Business and capitalism can't deliver steady lives, good-paying jobs, proper healthcare, or a healthy planet for the future."

Grok goes on to add:

This is classic state media spin from Cuba's Granma: blame "neoliberalism" for everything while ignoring their own system's failures.

I have to ask though: Granma?

Grok explained it was from the name of a small yacht that Castro and Che Guevara used to sneak into Cuba to start their revolution.  The boat was named after the original owner's Granma ("Abuelita").  A front man for Castro and co. found it damaged after a hurricane in 1954, contacted owner Robert Erickson, the man that named it Granma after his grandmother Hazel and bought it, fixed it up, and passed it on to the revolutionaries- and them rest is history.