Traveller
Shortage of medical supplies, food, riots in the streets…
Ministers have published details of their Yellowhammer contingency plan, after MPs voted to force its release.
It outlines a series of “reasonable worst case assumptions” for the impact of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the paper confirmed the PM “is prepared to punish those who can least afford it”.
An atmosphere of weariness is descending on the mass of people. They were already weary of Brexit and are now getting weary of endless headlines about a constitutional crisis that never seems to end.
In the 1930s, the psychologist Erich Fromm noted that the ideal conditions for the rise of dictators and autocrats was a “state of inner tiredness and resignation”, which he attributed to the pace of life in stressed, industrialised societies.
Among the German working class, Fromm observed “a deep feeling of resignation, of disbelief in their leaders, of doubt about the value of any kind of political organization and political activity … deep within themselves many had given up any hope in the effectiveness of political action”.
In their face-to-face meeting in Dubin today, Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar told Boris Johnson that leaving the EU without a trade deal would be disastrous.
It’s notable that it’s again been repeated that the EU has not received any proposals since Johnson became PM in July.
Meanwhile, Johnson attempted to spread the blame and claimed a no-deal Brexit would be a failure that both the British and Irish governments would be responsible for.
Boris Johnson is already refusing to accept responsibility and is attempting to cast blame on others for his projected failings.
Occasionally I put together a list of the things that caught my attention as I surf the web trying to make sense of the world we live in. I send it out to those who might be interested.
You may want to sign up — it’s not as bad as you think.
🧳 Adventure & Travel
» Video » The always entertaining Alex Honnold, probably the greatest solo climber of all time, answers rock climbing questions » Watch…
» The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports that tourism enjoys continued growth » Read the press release…
The annual Gallup Global Emotions Report attempts to measure life’s intangibles — feelings and emotions — and provides a snapshot of people’s daily experiences. The survey focused on the previous day’s experience. Gallop then ranked each country on both the Positive Experience Index and the Negative Experience Index.
Of some 151,000 adults surveyed across 143 countries for the report, a third said they suffered stress and at least 20% experienced sadness or anger.
The five questions on Gallup’s Positive Experience Index questions focused on the previous day and asked if they felt well-rested, if they were treated with respect, if they smiled or laughed a lot, if they did something interesting, and if they experienced enjoyment.
U.S. News and World Report has released it’s annual Best Country Rankings.
The overall rankings are made up of nine subrankings:
These are the top 10 overall:
1. 🇨🇭 Switzerland – Overall score 10.0
2. 🇯🇵 Japan – 9.8
3. 🇨🇦 Canada – 9.7
4. 🇩🇪 Germany – 9.6
5. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 9.4
6. 🇸🇪 Sweden – 9.3
7. 🇦🇺 Australia – 9.3
8. 🇺🇸 United States – 9.2
9. 🇳🇴 Norway – 8.8
10. 🇫🇷 France – 8.7
11. 🇳🇱 Netherlands – 8.5
12. 🇳🇿 New Zealand – 8.3
13. 🇩🇰 Denmark – 8.2
14. 🇫🇮 Finland – 8.1
15. 🇸🇬 Singapore – 7.7
The Henley Passport Index has released its third quarter ranking of the world’s most powerful passports in 2019.
The index is compiled from data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and measures global mobility based on visa-free access to destinations. It also uses data from the index’s 14-year history, “to show how travel mobility has changed over the past decade, looking at which passports have gained in strength and which have fallen behind.”
Japan and Singapore hold the world’s strongest passports, with Visa-free access to 189 destinations. South Korea dropped to second place, joining Germany and Finland with Visa-free access to 187 destinations.
The United Arab Emirates entered the top 20 index for the first time in the list’s 14-year-history, moving up an astonishing 41 spots. Other countries that climbed standings include Taiwan, which climbed 24 places over the past ten years and ranks 30th.
The USA and the UK each dropped to the lowest position they’ve held since 2010, sharing the sixth spot with Canada, Greece, Norway, Belgium and Ireland.
Pakistan now offers an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to citizens of 50 countries, including Finland, Japan, Malta, Spain, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates — but not, notably, the USA or the UK.
Most Powerful Passports of Q3 2019:
1. Japan, Singapore (189 Destinations)
2. South Korea, Germany, Finland (187)
3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg (186)
4. France, Sweden, Spain (185)
5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland (184)
6. Canada, Norway, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, UK, USA (183)
7. Malta (182)
8. Czechia (181)
9. Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Lithuania (180)
10. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (179)
The Least Powerful Passports of Q3 2019:
101. Bangladesh, Eritrea, Iran, Lebanon, North Korea (39 Destinations)
102. Nepal (38)
103. Libya, Palestinian, Sudan (37)
104. Yemen (33)
105. Somalia (31)
106. Pakistan (30)
107. Syria (29)
108. Iraq (27)
109. Afghanistan (25)
Source: Henley Passport Index
Through all phases of life, Canada and Scandinavian countries treat their citizens well, according to US News.
More info at US News
Reference: Living 2.0
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