💡 SPOTLIGHT
Dogs and democracy: pets as the perfect mirror of a nation's respect for the law
An Argentine writer in Sweden was shocked to see pets as quiet and orderly as people there, quite in contrast with pet owners at home. Did that say all there is to say about the contrasting states of two countries? asks Débora Campos in Buenos Aires-based daily Clarín.
It would be a bold hypothesis as hypotheses should be, but here goes: can one gauge a nation's lawfulness and civic-mindedness just by observing the conduct of people walking their dogs on the street? Well, possibly…
Sweden, that paragon of orderly liberalism, is one of the countries with a rock-bottom corruption index — or at least that is how the Swedes perceive it — according to Transparency International. In 2023, the NGO, which monitors governance standards, reported Sweden to be the world's sixth least corrupt country, though it has even done better in other years. In any case, it is always one of the countries that take the law seriously.
Virginia Higa, an Argentinian writer living in Stockholm, has devoted parts of her beautiful book El hechizo del verano ("Summer's Spell") to observing the Swedes' relationship with their pets.
Tyst is the Swedish word for quiet or silent. And as Higa observes, Swedish dogs are very quiet. They travel on public transport, she says, but "never bark and when they do, people turn around and stare. The word quiet is tyst, which sounds like the Spanish word chistido (a whistle). I think it should always be pronounced with a finger before your lips."
Furthermore, she says, dogs are always walked on a leash "although I've seen some running free, especially in the suburbs." This is in contrast with the dogs one usually sees in Argentine provincial cities. There, she says, "unleashed dogs are seen as a threat, constantly running after bikes and motorcycles, causing traffic accidents, biting at joggers' ankles or frightening children."
There are no stray dogs in Sweden in any case, she says, adding that a dog's life is "as functional and orderly as the people they live with. They have their own schools to train them. You can't adopt a puppy. Dogs are bought and sold, and are extremely expensive. One day I asked my Swedish teacher why you couldn't adopt an animal. She replied that when people have to pay for something, they take it more seriously."
The global corruption list places Argentina 98th out of 180 countries, in a middle zone with countries like Albania and Belarus above it, and Ethiopia and Gambia below. Anyone who has a dog in Buenos Aires knows that the rules on keeping a dog were made for everyone — except you and your dog.
"He doesn't need a leash, he's such a good boy." Just today as it happens, "I don't have a bag to pick up his poop." I never "registered my Rottweiler, he's so gentle." I walk "10 dogs, but they're little ones." Yes I breed poodles in my apartment, but "they hardly take up space" etc.. How many times have we heard such excuses in Argentina?
So yes: hypotheses should be bold, lawfulness is based on respect for the community, and rules are for everyone.
— Débora Campos / Clarín
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Foreign diplomats attend Navalny’s funeral: Hundreds and potentially thousands of people, including the French and American ambassadors to Russia, have turned up to say farewell to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose funeral is underway at the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrow in southeastern Moscow. The leading Vladimir Putin critic, who died in an Arctic prison, will be buried at Borisovskoye Cemetery, on the banks of the Moskva river. The Kremlin has refused to comment on his death or funeral. For more, check out this recent piece: A Christian Martyr Too? Navalny's Political Courage Was Also An Act Of Faith
• UN chief calls for probe into Gaza aid delivery massacre: UN Secretary General António Guterres said the deaths of more than 110 Palestinians during an aid delivery in Gaza will require an independent investigation. The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of civilians surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, while an Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it “posed a threat.” France’s President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident and called for “truth and justice” regarding the role of Israeli soldiers.
• Iran votes in first elections since mass protests: Iran has held its first parliamentary election since the 2022 anti-government protests over mandatory hijab laws after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini. While the elections are seen as a crucial test of legitimacy for Iran’s leadership, a low turnout is expected.
• U.S. Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown: The U.S. Senate has approved a short-term spending package to avoid a partial government shutdown, the fourth such stopgap measure in several months. The bill will have to be signed into law by President Joe Biden, who saluted its passage but warned it was “a short-term fix, not a long-term solution.”
• Shooting leaves four dead in Germany, soldier turns himself in: A Bundeswehr soldier turned himself in shortly after four people, including one child, were shot and killed in two locations overnight in Germany’s Lower Saxony. It is not clear if the shootings are related at this time.
• Bangladesh fire in shopping mall kills at least 45: A massive fire has ripped through a six-story shopping mall in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, late on Thursday, killing at least 45 and injuring dozens. A top fire service official said that the blaze could have originated from a gas leak or stove.
• Nepal mandates tracking chips for Mount Everest climbers: Nepal has announced ahead of the 2024 Mount Everest season that all climbers will have to rent and use tracking chips on their journey, in order to “cut down search and rescue time in the event of an accident.” This follows last year’s record of 478 climbing permits delivered by the country, proving extreme tourism is as popular as ever.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“Alexei Navalny, his last words” — Amsterdam-based daily De Volkskrant dedicates its Friday front page to the Russian opposition leader ahead of his burial in Moscow. The Dutch newspaper analyzes the letters he wrote in penal colony days before his death, that retrace his last thoughts.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
iSchadenfreude: The Apple car flop reminds us why German carmakers are built to last
Apple's announcement that it has discontinued its car project is bigger than it may seem. It is a serious admission that a car revolution is not as close as we thought — and really good news for German automakers, writes Daniel Zwick in Berlin-based daily Die Welt.
❌ The Apple Car was of course supposed to be a software-defined product, like an iPhone, and to possibly enable completely new forms of mobility. Apple has now canceled this revolution. According to reports in the U.S. media, the project has been stopped. After 10 years of research and development and billions in investment, it is clear that Apple will not be launching a car on the market.
🚙 More important is the entrepreneurial insight gained from Apple's withdrawal: the business model of car companies will not change in the foreseeable future. The technology giant was certainly aiming for this as much as for a technological leap. The minimum requirements for an Apple product can be seen from the iPhone: it must be easier and more intuitive to use from the user's point of view than the competition's products, it must look better. And customers must be prepared to pay far more for it.
⚠️ After the Apple exit, it has become even less likely that Elon Musk will overturn industry rules and unhinge global car markets. The Tesla boss likes to present himself as a revolutionary. In reality, however, his car company sets itself apart above all in the details. Just like Apple, Tesla has been working on autonomous driving for many years — and others are doing the same. Even though Musk is slightly faster than the competition — because he is taking greater risks — the technological lead will never be so great that Tesla can take over the entire market.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
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#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
1.04 billion
A study released by the Lancet medical journal reveals that more than 1 billion people worldwide are currently suffering from obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted the study, emphasizing that the obesity "epidemic" is disproportionately affecting poorer countries, and its prevalence is rising faster among children and adolescents than adults. The analysis, based on data from more than 220 million people in over 190 countries, estimates that there were 226 million obese individuals in 1990, rising to 1.04 billion in 2022.
📣 VERBATIM
“This looks to me like war in every bit of the constitutional sense.”
— U.S. Senator for Connecticut Chris Murphy has commented on U.S. President Joe Biden’s claim that retaliatory air strikes against targets in Yemen constitute acts of “self-defense” and could therefore dispense from Congressional approval. “We have engaged in multiple rounds of strikes, we have a limited number of boots on the ground, we have taken casualties, we have prisoners,” Murphy added. “I’m having a hard time understanding why this does not require a traditional, congressional war authorization.”
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to the media after casting his vote at a polling station in Tehran. Iranians are electing new members for Iran's parliament and the country’s Assembly of Experts, i.e. the body in charge of appointing Iran's Supreme Leader. — Photo: Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• Why Pro-Palestine Protests Have Been Fading In The Arab World — DARAJ
• Putin's Moldova Flex: Why The Time May Be Ripe For Russia To Take Transnistria — FRANCE INTER
• How Governments Around The World Keep Trying — And Failing — To Boost Birth Rates— WORLDCRUNCH
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