Stuff YOU Should Know
Military Coups D’etat in Thailand
On May 22, the Thailand military forcefully took over power and announced that the country was now under martial law. Violence began last fall, when 28 people were killed and nearly 800 injured in anti-government protests aimed at former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is accused of corruption.
General Prayuth Chan-ocha is temporarily in charge of he country (having received official endorsement of King Bhumibol Adulyadej). More than 200 members of the ousted government are currently being held in custody. Others have fled the country or are in hiding. Two days of scheduled peace talks with political rivals fell apart after only four hours.
This type of military coup is not new to Thailand. With twelve since 1932 (when it became a constitutional monarchy), it is in fact the country with the most in history. The most recent coup was in 2006, when protestors successfully ousted then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for abuse of power and disrespecting the country’s monarchy. Historians believe the people of Thailand have had so many military coups because they are so widely divided politically, economically and racially.
Dig Deeper Continue to follow developments in this story. General Prayuth has vowed to create a “genuine democracy.” See what political experts say about the likelihood of this happening.
Facebook Updates Privacy Policy
Facebook has updated its privacy policy again. Do you know all the details?
Despite a downturn in teen usage, Facebook remains a dominant presence in people’s lives. By its nature, the social networking site encourages users to share large amounts of personal information. However, users have often complained that the company’s privacy settings are too hard to figure out. It seems that founder Mark Zuckerberg and company are finally listening. Some of the new settings include changing the settings for former profile pictures (which were once public for everyone), change in default settings from “public” to “friends” only. A new feature called Privacy Dinosaur will send users a check-up message and reminders when they are about to post something publicly.
Facebook’s privacy has changed significantly since its start. The original privacy policy allowed users ultimate control over who had access to their personal information. Today, Facebook allows outside websites access to user information unless they change settings. Because it is free to use, Facebook relies on partnership with third parties who pay for access to its members. However, some believe a heightened awareness of privacy in the wake of last year’s NSA leaks is motivating companies like Facebook to assure their users that they are mindful of personal information.
What Do You Think? If you have a Facebook account, how familiar are you with the privacy settings? How much does it matter to you that outside parties have access to your personal information? Why?
McDonalds New Mascot–Cute or Creepy?
The fast food giant, McDonalds, is no stranger to mascots or updates. Earlier this year Ronald McDonald, the chain’s beloved spokes-clown, got a makeover. The latest character to inhabit McDonaldland (along with Hamburglar, Grimace and Mayor McCheese) is Happy, the new kids Happy Meal brand ambassador. In an effort to overcome its image of being unhealthy, Happy was introduced to encourage kids to consider fruits, vegetables, yogurt, water and juice.
The response to the new mascot, has not been so “happy.” With its real-looking mouth, buggy eyes and noodle arms many in social networking circles are calling the new character “creepy.” The new design was originally introduced in 2009 in France, where it tested positively with the children there. McDonalds seem to be taking the criticism in stride, responding with its own self-effacing Tweet. As the saying goes, “any publicity is good publicity,” because the introduction of Happy has caused a 67% spike in online/social media impressions.
What Do You Think? Take a look at the new Happy Meal Mascot. What do you think? Take an informal poll of at least ten other people. Share the consensus?
And the Golden Palm Goes To…
Movie stars and film industry people all over the world are just arriving home from the Cannes International Film Festival, the most prestigious of its kind in the world. Held each year along the French Rivera, the invitation-only showcase has had a huge impact on cinema for the past nearly seventy years. A jury of made of eight members and a president (usually a widely-respected film director or personality) give out twenty awards (including one for best canine performance), with the highest honor being the Palme d’Or (French for “golden palm”). This year’s president was Jane Campion, the only woman to ever win a Palme d’Or (in 1993 for her film the Piano). This year’s jury gave the top prize to Winter Sleep, a drama from Turkey by filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
The audiences at Cannes are famous for their vocal responses to the films that are screened. If they don’t like something they actually boo, loudly. But if they love something they will give standing ovations that can go on for several minutes. This year, the big crowd pleaser this year was the US film the Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum and featuring Kristen Stewart. It will likely not be released in the US until late in the fall.