Society & Culture

‘Twas the time before Christmas, in a contrasting 2023 Not that anything artificial was stirring, not even with GPT; The stockings of influencers, clouded pink with dyed blond(e) hair, In hopes of somehow uncaging St. Nicolas memes here and there; Some children nestled snug, teaching to fish gave a life of good stead, While visions of mullet haircuts danced upon years of laughter ahead And Mama Russia still had its chief, with hammer, sickle, and cap, Had this made the Middle East not wake peacefully from its nap— When in public any perceived antisemitism sports such a clatter, Even if barefoot, serving nasi goreng could be a protesting matter. Away from windows, there are crises at sea and points of flash, Torn open volcanoes, storms, floodwaters with crocodiles, ash. The silver spoon is decoded enigma-like via costly labels at a co., Gave lustre to division, no middle, just those above ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, in the uncertain year of 2022 Not a creature went without stirring, not even a new normal too; The stock of Twitter, Elon did acquire with care, In hopes that billions paid had a value still there; Boxes of classified documents nestled snugly under beds, While visions of 2024 ran sweetly plumb through some heads And political chiefs, and of the energy expenses they tried to cap, Unsettling gas price rises were making for a cold winter’s nap– When out of the Kremlin, naughty little Vlad had made such a clatter, Wanting to play with the nice kids’ former Soviet blocs was the matter. A way before, farewell Queen and welcome King, not in a flash, Torn open, Harry’s new book, if title-less, he might need the cash. To the moon no more, the fallen stars of crypto, Fraud fried the fad lacklustre, watch out ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, having quarantined thro’ much of 2021 Not a question of shaken or stirred, had World War C only just begun; The stocks and logistics of supplies found disruptions despite the greatest of care, Hopefully there’d be a solution, changing rules, seasonal workers here and there; The children were home and unsettled, parents smuggled contraceptives to bed, While visions other than eating turkey or ham caused a spike in protein instead And America with a new Commander in Chief, not fond of tweets or wearing a cap, Had settled some conspiracies, but not of his brains, and old, did he need a nap– When out in the world arose questions of change, the Ukraine, and Russian clatter, Alleged forced disappearance made boycotting Chinese Olympics a political matter. Away from spotlights a British consort and German leadership changed in a flash, Torn between reopeners and stay shutters, ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, yet nearly all thro’ 2020 Not only stirring creatures, but viruses, problems a-plenty; Stockings where hung like chads, courting interpretive care, Hopes aside, for most it had been a turducken of a year; People were quarantined, in lockdown, nestled not snug in their beds, While masks wrapped many faces with visions of stopping the spread Although some stood vigil without ‘kerchief, and clutching a MAGA cap, For they could not settle their brains, it was more nightmare than nap– When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, Carollers singing of the colour of lives that matter. Away from the window some drew, fearing its smash, Was it rebellion or looting, and what of government cash? Deficits to the moon seemed the solution to show, Gold had lustre, interest rates near naught and below; When, the reflection of frankness in a mirror did appear, ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, and hence almost thro’ 2019 Not only a year-end occurring, now even a decade has been; Stockings have been worn by males and females, but don’t stare, Hopes of inclusion and flames of division were seen here and there; Children rallied against climate change, quilts not on their beds, While Time’s Person of the Year brings with her a sense of dread And Frosty the Snowman, once in a magical land where ice did nap, Had just wished it no warmer, lest he melt leaving only his cap– When out on the streets there arose still more clatter, Protests in Hong Kong, democracy and China the matter. Away from America Huawei phones were sent in a flash, China tore things up, threw foreign PCs and software in the trash. Trade war talks stalled at Phase 1, plus mention of quid pro quo, Disney said Marvel’s ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, near the end of 2018 Not surprisingly these lines stir, repeat what has been; Though Khashoggi was not quite hung with care, Mr. Miyagi waxed on popular culture to go there; Investors got nervous, some blamed trade wars, others the Fed, But Yellen was gone, no point in calling for off with her head And Hondurans plus more in their caravan large, at a border did nap, Calls to “build the wall” made wearing a Make America Great Again cap– Barbara and George passed, sadness, a dignified clatter, Deaths worth two Bushes in the hand for that matter. A way with turkey, a question of whether to carve or to cut? Yet ask the bird and it will tell you to go get– Ducked any profanity, since it’s a family show, Add a chicken, that’s a turducken of innuendo; When, Harry married Meghan, a Royal ...

‘Twas the time before Christmas, reflecting back on 2017 Not much had worked, from what has been seen; Politicians fired rockets and taunted without care, National security, sovereignty, diplomacy was where; People once thought concerts were safe as a bed, Bombings and shootings, sugar plum visions fled Hillary still held her ‘kerchief, and Bill his cap, Supporters unsettled, maybe in 2020 they’d be back– On the internet things were said with such a clatter, Put a hashtag on any opinion and surely it must matter. Those within range fear a North Korean ICBM flash, Batten down the shutters, and what is this rash. The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, The line above unchanged, relevant to what’s below; When, from Tinsel Town they came to say #MeToo, A cause to slay, power abused by more than a few, Thinking with that little old driver, so lively and ...

LEGO and tape goes together like crowd and funding. Such is the idea behind Nimuno Loops – The Toy Block Tape. Bumps on one side and sticky on the other, using the tape allows almost any surface to be turned into a LEGO-compatible building block land of fun. There’s also the Receiver Tape which acts like the base of LEGO-compatible building blocks, allowing for an expanded range of taping and block building activities. Whether it’s accessorising toys, sticking building blocks to walls, or getting closer to helping answer what you might look like as a LEGO character, the adhesive LEGO-compatible tape has got things covered. Probably literally. Since it’s being crowdfunded, jump on board and order a few rolls of the Nimuno Loops to help make the LEGO-compatible sticky tape a reality. Excessive use of the LEGO-compatible tape could be a sign of either necessity, ingenuity, desperation, or senility. It ...

Coining a phrase isn’t quite the same as phrasing a coin, but Deadpooling looks to be a thing now. The character’s self-aware nature allows Deadpool to appear almost anywhere. In everything. And be prone to be popping up over anything. Not unlike male teenagers Meaning that breaking the fourth wall is no longer limited to DIY mistakes or an Interstellar plot twist. Thanks to Zamurai Productions, the latest to get the Deadpool treatment, or a Deadpooling is a: Tale as old as internet Song as old as kismet Deadpool and the Beast For those waiting for the last rose petal to drop, it’s more of a Gaston musical number really and involves Disney’s live action rendition of Beauty and the Beast (2017) getting the Deadpool Musical parody treatment. Plus nothing says “live action” quite like Deadpool. There’s an irony there. Probably. Maybe. Only if you still need to change into ...

Cartoons are a product of culture, but is culture a product of cartoons? The question posed is of concern to a group of Islamic leaders in Australia known as the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), who are currently helping the campaign to raise funds for television shows which support Islamic values. In their sights is creating an Islamic alternative to the children’s (and just quietly adults’) television show Peppa Pig. Based in Sydney, Australia, the production company One4Kids, is aiming to raise $20,000 to start working on their Islamic Peppa Pig alternative. To be called Barakah Hills, it’s described as an “halal cartoon series” which is set in a “predominantly Muslim town”. Known for their character Zaky and animated cartoons which include the topics of learning Arabic, prayer, the Quran, and Ramadan, One4Kids has stated: “The show’s main objective is to show children what it is like to be a ...