Posted by RT on January 6, 2021 |
Comments Off on Time to change? Mixed response after German officials cheer diversity campaign to give names of migrant origin to weather events
The German migration agency has praised a campaign to showcase ethnic diversity by giving names of foreign origin to weather events. The initiative did not go down well with everyone though.
“We live in an immigration country. Nevertheless, the weather highs and lows [anticyclone and cyclone] are almost always given names like Gisela and Helmut. It’s time to change that,” a diversity group wrote on their #WeatherCorrection project’s website. The campaign to bring “new” German names into weather forecasts involves activists from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
“After all, Germans also have names like Ahmet, Chana, Khue und Romani,” the website said
Pretty much anyone can choose the name of a cyclone or an anti-cyclone for a fee of between €240 and €360 ($296-$444) paid to the Free University of Berlin’s Institute of Meteorology, with the proceeds going to student projects. The names are then used in official weather reports.
Fourteen such names were acquired through the initiative for 2021. So this year, Germany will see weather events with names of Arabic and Turkish origin, like Ahmet, Cemal and Jussuf, as well as Bozena, Bartosz, Irek, Dragica, Goran, and Chana, which are of Polish, south Slavic, and Hebrew origin.
The country’s migration and integration minister’s office praised the campaign in a series of tweets. “Ahmet or Alex, the main thing is the weather report! In 2021, it will be as diverse as our society, and that’s a good thing.”
The initiative, however, was met with a mixed response online.
“A very nice idea! And yes, our society is diverse – even if some don’t want to hear that or accept that,” one person tweeted.
Others called the idea “stupid” and complained about the “ideological indoctrination through the weather reports.”
“Thank you! The naming of high- and low-pressure areas is certainly one of the biggest issues in Germany. It doesn’t really matter whether the Ahmets and the Stafenies also get top education and well-paid jobs,” one person complained.
There are also those who say no one really cares about the names of weather events, while others find the campaign amusing. “Most high- and low-pressure areas have a migrant background, but little is known about the sexual orientation,” one Twitter user said.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Posted by RT on December 1, 2019 |
Comments Off on What next, cattle transport? Mexican mayor mocked online for wanting Tesla pickups as GARBAGE, WATER trucks & police cars
The top official of a Mexican city has suggested that the futuristic Tesla Cybertruck would be awesome to patrol streets and to take out the trash, unleashing a wave of mockery online.
Last week, the internet had a field day poking fun at Elon Musk’s most-recent creation – the electric-powered Tesla Cybertruck. Nevertheless, Adrian Esper Cardenas, who heads up the city of Ciudad Velles in Mexico’s central San Luis Potosi state, believes the trendy pickup trucks would be rather useful in municipal services.
The mayor said he has pre-ordered 15 vehicles, making a deposit of $1,500 of his own money, equivalent to his monthly salary. Instead of driving around environmentally-conscious hipsters, the cars would be transformed into water trucks and garbage trucks. “They’ll have three times the loads of a normal truck,” the mayor said.
Cardenas also suggested that Musk’s futurist-designed electric cars could serve as police patrol vehicles – presumably to roam the streets of Ciudad Valles, watching for drug cartels and other violent gangs. At a press conference, the mayor even revealed what a law enforcement version of a Cybertruck would look like, equipped with roof lights and police markings.
El alcalde de #CdValles Adrián Esper Cárdenas anunció este día que inició con la solicitud de compra de 15 unidades Cybertrucks eléctricas marca #Tesla que serán destinadas para la Policía Municipal, Obras Públicas y la DAPAS. Estarán llegando al Municipio en el año 2021. pic.twitter.com/QoRZoTCDdI
The official told reporters that using the trucks would save the city around 24 million pesos ($1.2 million) a year.
“We took a photo [of the pre-orders]. I will send it to Elon Musk to see if he makes us a discount.”
The idea, however, triggered widespread mockery on Mexican social media, with many baffled by the prospect of seeing Tesla cars performing public services. “I thought it was fake [news],” one user wrote.
Others jokingly suggested that slick Cybertruck models could be used for other mundane activities, such as transporting cattle.
@elonmusk Tesla Cybertruck 2.0 version Mexico algunas ideas de mexicanos ahora que su municipio comprara algunas, dicen que el Alcalde de Ciudad Valles Adrian Esper le solicitará tambien los siguientes modelos que los va a ir apartando de una vez 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/pKJAnSezxA
Some began with an ironic anticipation that the Tesla-driving police force will be the first step in transforming Ciudad Velles into a futuristic mega-city.
Commenters also blasted the mayor for blowing money on Teslas instead of focusing on more pressing local issues. “Many schools are closed, there is a lot of poverty – these are the issues they should be investing in,” one person complained. Another user said that even if the mayor delivers the Tesla trucks, they will not get far, because of the city’s potholes.
