I Am A Swede

Tensions have been rising between France and Turkey for a while, and it's been escalating rapidly the last few days. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54692485 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54678826

I'm sure many of you have seen this already, but I think it's worth sharing nonetheless. It's such a powerful video. I just wish there was a video of Trump's reaction to this.... or the reaction of some of those idiots who cheer him on.

^^ That sounds dangerously close to blackmail to me. I'm sure they're perfectly aware of how far they can go though without breaking any law, but it's morally reprehensible.

Of course! It makes a lot of sense to choose someone completely unqualified for a job. I guess Ms Alley doesn't go to a qualified doctor either when she's sick, but instead goes to someone who can examine her quicker! I will never understand why it's seen as a positive thing that someone who runs for political office has no experience in politics?!

Yes, when you put I like that I can absolutely see your point. If Serena does get that elusive #24 then Margaret Court, and her offensive views, can finally fade into obscurity.

I'm not saying we haven't made some errors here, but when you see someone who is supposedly a scientist tweet such blatant lies as these you have to wonder what their purpose is.....

I don't see the point in using just the number of majors someone has won as the proof of their greatness. It's not the same nowadays as it was in the past. The status of the Australian Open was nowhere near what it is now back in the days for instance, and there was even a time as late as the 1970s when a lot of the major players didn't enter the French Open for a number of years because they played WTT, a rival professional tennis league.

Well, I'm finding myself not disliking it.... Joking aside, there is actually something quite touching about it in its simplicity. If we couldn't get a big send-off for Annie, and for a multitude of reasons that was never going to happen, then I think this is the best alternative.

So true! If my math is correct Federer/Nadal/Djokovic have won 56(!) of the last 67 Majors, including the French Open currently being played. Only 10 men have won a Major since 2004, when the Fed/Nadal/Djokovic era began in earnest, compared to 27 women.

That is the case here too. We've seen a big increase in new cases among students recently. There has been a lot of gatherings and events since the school year started, and the recommendations about social distancing have not been respected at these gatherings. I think that since the vast majority of those that have died here have been 70 years and older young people are starting to feel that they're not really at risk. And this is a dangerous way of thinking.

I guess we'll have to see where it goes, but since Victoria is hardly going to bring back Emmerdale Farm I wonder what the point will be. Furthermore I don't think that Annie had any property left in the village. I distinctly remember that she sold her part of the farm back in 1996 due to money issues. But anything that gives Victoria screentime is appreciated.

^^ That podcast was actually very good, and brought up a lot of good points about how we have handled the pandemic here so far, and why. So if you do have the time then do listen to it. I think that the key word in the our strategy has always been sustainability. The measures that were introduced here, were such that they can be maintained for months, maybe even years. That was the main objective with avoiding a complete lock-down. "It's a marathon, not a sprint" has been the mantra from the authorities here. And like they brought up in the podcast, the public here followed the regulations extremely well. I have a job which doesn't allow me to work from home, so I travel to and from work every day and the streets were almost empty even during the day. People listened to the advice and stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary to go out. Could we have done things differently? Absolutely. Our death toll is way too high, mostly due to the fact that the disease found its way into the care-homes for the elderly. But I hope, and believe, that we have learned valuable lessons from this, and when the next pandemic comes, which I'm sure will happen, we will be better prepared. And I hope, and think, that we will use the same strategy when that day comes.