Poo Be Gone

ALISTER: Have you seen this global Labubu craze? I just watched a video of grown adults queuing outside shops at 3 AM for these demonic-looking toys. And a UK store had to pull them because customers were getting into actual fights! There’s even a counterfeit market where Chinese customs seized over 46,000 fake Labubus!

MERIDYTH: It's like Beanie Babies, just a bit of fun. They're just quirky dolls by a Hong Kong artist, Kasing Lung. They’re sold in 'blind boxes' so you don't know which design you'll get until you open them. But with any craze, there is some ridiculousness that comes with it, like the human-sized Labubu that sold for over £110,000 at auction.

ALISTER: It's a marketing scam! Pop Mart, the toy company, saw its revenue double to nearly $2bn last year. They’re deliberately creating artificial scarcity with 'limited editions' and 'secret figures' that have a 1 in 72 chance of appearing in your blind box. It's gambling aimed at young people.

MERIDYTH: Keep your knickers on. How is it any different than Panini’s football cards with their ‘limited editions’ or ‘signature cards’? The 'ugly-cute' aesthetic resonates with Gen Z, who are tired of perfection and want something with personality. Why are you trying to suck the joy out of life?

⚢ No men allowed. The first ever residential building just for women is now under construction in West London. With 102 affordable housing flats, it offers women affected by crisis (i.e. domestic abuse) a safe and secure home.

🤯 Wet wipes are made from plastic! Did you know that? Not all, but most are. So check those labels, especially if you live in Wales, where plastic wet wipes will be added to its ban on single-use plastic starting next year.

☀️ Dining outdoors in this heat? London’s mayor has announced a £300,000 pilot to help restaurants and cafes boost al-fresco dining this summer. So if you’re in the capital and happy to sit in the sun, then head over to Brixton, Leyton, Shoreditch, or Westminster where the funds are currently being funnelled.

🚄 She took the midnight train going anywhere. Unless it was from London to Birmingham and Leeds, because HS2 has been delayed again. This time to 2033! Two reviews have been completed highlighting the scale of the mess! Lessons learnt time.

🚤 Small boat drama. At G7, the UK and France held private talks about some new “innovative” ideas to manage illegal migration. One proposal is for the UK to simply refuse visas from countries, who won’t accept deportations of illegal migrants. Yay? Or nay? Maybe worth a squabble.

🎪 Unfair funfair. Accidents at funfairs (or circus) aren’t uncommon - over 300 per year! After a decade of accidents especially involving the safety harness, there are finally questions around the industry’s safety and track record.

Good news… for anti-screen time advocates in the Netherlands. The Dutch gov’t has said children under age 15 should not use social media, citing health impacts. Bad news… for Elon Musk as SpaceX rocket exploded in another setback for his Mars project. Unnerving news… for the world as it sits in wait for Iran’s retaliation after the U.S. bombed 3 of its nuclear facilities.

🇨🇦 Tough trade deals. At the G7, Canada and the US agreed to reach a trade deal within 30 days. Otherwise, Canada plans to “adjust” their counter-tariffs to target US steel and manufacturing industries.

⚡️ Still in the dark? Remember Spain’s massive blackout? The investigation is complete and the government is pointing the finger at the grid regulator and private firms. Not a cyber-attack or due to renewables. This is only creating more frustration with the ongoing battle where France is limiting Spain’s access to the EU energy grid.

🧬 Who’s your daddy? Imagine having to ask that on a 1st date. The EU is finally considering limiting the number of kids conceived from a single sperm donor. While there are individual country caps, there aren’t cross-border ones. Want to know more? Watch Netflix’s “The Man with 1,000 Kids.”

🤖 ChatGPT, summarise this for me. New research has shown an over-dependence on AI bots can erode your critical thinking skills. By robbing you of the process for discovering and uncovering information, you become lazy - making it more difficult to come up with an original thought.

🧫 Chromosome editing. CRISPR is a gene-editing system where enzymes are programmed to look for a pattern in the DNA to “snip” it out. It’s revolutionising healthcare because now they can even “remove” the extra chromosome that causes down syndrome.

🔬 DNA screening. New NHS plans will see all new born babies have their DNA mapped for potential diseases. It’ll be a massive step forward for the NHS and their ability to follow and understand genetic disorders.

🤑 Who’s your Sugar Daddy? Speaking of popular sperm donors… The founder of the messaging app Telegram has over 110 kids. But instead of a being a ‘dead beat dad,’ he plans to give all of them an even split of his wealth when he dies. £10.3bn split 110 ways is still £93m each. Not bad for having to ask, “Who’s your daddy?” on a first date.

🚀 What comes up must… Honda shocked the world with their first successful launch and landing of their own reusable rocket! Honda threw their hat into the space race ring back in 2021 and this is the first real taste of their progress.

😨 Think of the children! One mum has vowed legal action against Cineworld. When she took her kids to see Lilo & Stitch, one trailers was for a horror film, M3gan 2.0! Her kids have been having nightmares ever since. I don’t blame them… I’d have nightmares too!

🙈 Monkey see, monkey do. Kids have been recreating real world events virtually in Roblox. Recently, they’ve been mimicking ICE raids and even hosting their own “No Kings” protests. Just remember your kids are sponges.🧽 

By Meridyth

I have a strong appreciation for good grammar (although, you may not always notice it in our squabbles). I even follow this guy on Instagram @EnglishEnjoyed.

So, it drives me nuts that my son’s school isn’t teaching the Oxford Comma. And sadly, that isn’t uncommon. It’s being phased out everywhere and I don’t understand why! 🤯

The Oxford Comma avoids misinterpretation and offers clarity. Take this sentence, “I’d like to thank my parents, God, and Oprah.” With the comma after “God,” it’s clear that you’re thanking 3 different entities. Written without it, the sentence reads, “I’d like to thank my parents, God and Oprah.” It now implies that your parents are God and Oprah. Get it?

It’s so important that a U.S. state was forced to pay a $5 million settlement because the Oxford Comma was missing. So join me in taking a stand for the Oxford Comma. Start using it and let’s see if we can’t make it a standard! 😉

By Meridyth

Remember when Chumbawamba sang, “I get knocked down, but I get up again”?

This high schooler in Oregon tripped on the last hurdle of a race, got knocked down, but decided NOT to get up again. Instead she impressively rolled across the finish line… still coming in 1st place!

You’ve got to love her style and her commitment to finish! I think we could all learn a little something here… 🏆

Whew, you made it!

It’s been an eventful week for DNA. It’s what makes you uniquely you… and what makes our AM Squabble uniquely us. So join us next week when our DNAs go head to head.

Alister & Meridyth