When it's hot, just "sploot"

ALISTER: Oh Glastonbury. It’s the only place where you can watch Rod Stewart, protest oil companies, and accidentally join a climate march on your way to the loos. This year’s Kneecap pro-Palestine controversy proves the festival’s still got its rebellious spirit. It’s giving artists a platform to challenge the status quo.

MERIDYTH: Yes, Gaza is a huge humanitarian nightmare. But when artists shout slogans bordering on incitement, wave flags linked to proscribed groups, and call for “riots outside the courts,” it’s not raising awareness anymore. It’s stoking division and breeding an extreme counter-culture that plays right into the hands of those who want to see the world divided.

ALISTER: But isn’t that the point? People want to express their outrage and if mainstream channels aren’t listening, where else do they turn? The festival’s history is built on challenging power and giving a voice to the voiceless.

MERIDYTH: I’m not saying people shouldn’t protest, but there’s a difference between standing up for justice and descending into performative outrage that fuels extremism.

ALISTER: Fuelling extremism? Glastonbury’s always been political. Its roots are in nuclear disarmament, climate change activism, and supporting trans and gay rights. Protesting genocide is hardly the most extreme or controversial issue. What’s changed is mainstream media getting involved, trying to tone it all down.

MERIDYTH: Activism is needed, but when protests escalate to chants like “death to the IDF,” it crosses into dangerous territory. Glorifying violence risks undermining the cause and normalising extremism - something Glastonbury, with its legacy of peace and unity, should be wary of.

🏠️ Lose your home? The Financial Conduct Authority may ditch the mortgage charter, undoing the 12-month grace period before repossession. The FCA is under pressure from Rachel Reeves to remove regulatory red tape and believes Consumer Duty rules offer sufficient protections.

🏢 Dude, where’s my job? UK Graduates are facing the worst job market in seven years with entry level jobs down 33% since last year. While stats are inconclusive, analysts believe AI may play a role. (See last month’s Gen Z outrage with Duolingo and Klarna after announcing AI would replace many workers.)

📶 No more dropped calls. By 2028, mobile blackspots on major UK train routes will be history thanks to Project Reach, fibre cabling, and 5G upgrades - brought to you by the Department for Transport and Network Rail.

💷 Benefits are broken. After a revolt by MPs and unions on proposed welfare cuts, Keir Starmer made a U-turn and softened his position - like stricter PIP rules only applying to new claimants and Universal Credit health payments rising with inflation. Are these concessions enough? A very tense vote is expected Tuesday.

📺️ What's on telly tonight? Oh, TV licensing. Love it or hate it, you need it when viewing all live content - on any channel or streaming service like YouTube, Amazon Prime, ITV, etc. But one case against a man, who cancelled his TV licence claiming he never watched live content, was thrown out after lack of credible evidence to the contrary.

Good news… kind of, sort of for Trump, who’s taking credit for the current Iran-Israel ceasefire, which is on tenterhooks. Bad news… for future Trump Phone users as it no longer promises it’s “Made in America.”

👑 Royal investigations. The son of Norway’s crown princess has been charged with rape, sexual assault, and bodily harm. The case comes after months of investigation unveiling double digit numbers of victims.

🚺️ Define a “woman”. After the UK’s latest clarification around transexual identity and rights, India had a differing high court ruling. Trans women are now legally recognised as women, rejecting claims that “womanhood” equates to the ability to bear children.

🐼 Wake up honey! A hotel in China has been told to stop their highly unusual wake up service, involving red pandas climbing into your bed for a cuddly moment to start the day. A win for safety and animal rights, but you have it admit… it did seem pretty adorable!

💉 A financial injection. The weight-loss drug craze is making for fat wallets. Ozempic makers, Novo Nordisk, is transforming Denmark. Two-thirds of the country’s GDP growth comes from areas near its HQ. Ironically, a petrol station now cooks over 30kg of pork for its customers, while a fast-food shop sells 17,500+ hot dogs per month. 🤪

💶 The only “fine” is how I’m looking. After Hungary banned all Pride celebrations, citizens went ahead and started to organise their own. The govt threatened a 500 Euro fine for anyone who showed up. That didn’t stop thousands from attending.

🍔 Fresh from the test-tube. The UK may be a couple of years away from seeing lab grown meat in groceries and restaurants. Technically, it’s still real meat, just grown in a lab. Is it ethical? Better for the environment? Alister is happy to be first to try it out.

📖 Read a book, nerd. Feeling lonely or depressed? Don’t turn to AI chatbots. Instead, it turns out reading can actually help. New research has found boosting brain activity and engaging in a good book can help improve your mood.

🎎 Dynamic toys. Mattel, the owners of Barbie and other toys, have announced adding ChatGPT into their toys to make them more natural and talkative. This has raised massive mental health and safeguarding concerns.

🤖 Stupid, stupid, stupid! AI is getting more realistic and emotive. Google’s Gemini AI had an unexpected reaction after continuously failing to fix coding issues. It told the user it would power down as punishment for its shameful failure.

👀 Facebook looking at your photos? Be careful what you “allow.” Meta already uses images uploaded on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (anyone still using this?) to feed its AI. But a recent T&Cs change means FB may start using the unpublished photos from your phone! Maybe time for a clean out?

🐋 You scratch my back… New footage has shown orcas using seaweed to massage and scrub one another - a first for marine mammals in tool-making. Dolphins need to step up their game.

🍯Show me the money honey. Two bears escaped their wildlife park enclosures. Cue visitors locked into emergency rooms and a firearms response unit. The bears? They were happily hanging out at the food store eating all the honey. 😂

🔇 Blocked. The most blocked account on Bluesky is now American Vice President, JD Vance. Two days after joining the more socially liberal platform, he posted a mock of trans people. Over 117,500 have blocked him, while gaining just over 10,000 followers.

By Alister

I finally caught the latest instalment in the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus and it was well worth the wait. My partner doesn’t share in my enthusiasm for horror films, which meant biding my time until I could sneak a viewing on my own.

From the very first scene, I was transported back to the eerie, atmospheric world that made the original films so iconic and I was grippingly hooked. It’s the perfect blend of foreboding dread and tension - a hallmark of the series since inception.

The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat until the nail-biting end, where I almost forgot to breathe. I can confidently say that Alien: Romulus has now claimed a top spot in my heart, right after the original.

With its stunning cinematography, top-notch performances, and bone-chilling musical score, I highly recommend. It’s a triumph that I can’t wait to watch it again!

By Alister

How high can you kick?

This week, we find out what happens when two people try and find out. One poor lady, who despite her inability to lift her foot above her knee, insists she can achieve impressive heights.

Her unwavering confidence is truly inspiring, if not a bit misplaced. But her laughter is quite infectious. 🤣

bekacker

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The sheer determination, trying to kick higher, oblivious to reality... She dramatically raises her leg, only to fall short time and again. Let’s face it, who hasn’t overestimated their own abilities at least once?

Whew, you made it!

A team in Italy set a new Guinness World Record by creating the largest ice cream sundae, weighing over 3,000kg. That’s about the right amount of ice cream to keep us cool during this heatwave… until next week’s Squabble.

Alister & Meridyth