https://www.nwfrenchies.com/past-puppies
We’ll get to the picture of a lemming in just a few, but this French bulldog has been described as looking like a baby, if you ignore the ears. During times of stress (most of the time these days), we tend to humanize our pets. Dog ice cream is even available. And have you seen the lush dog beds, coats, rain boots, chew toys and car seats? Fun’s over now.
The photo of a lemming I promised earlier may be less adorable, but lemmings have it tougher. They live in the arctic, do not make good pets, and are short-lived. Storied for their self destructive tendency to drown themselves in the sea under the malevolent influence of another, they have become a metaphor for self-destruction. The expression “like lemmings to the sea” originated in the 1950s and remained popular for decades afterward. The phrase was used as a way of symbolizing people who unthinkingly follow what the crowd is doing, often with dangerous, if not downright fatal, consequences. They live under the snow and their coat color changes with the weather.
_____https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tunturisopuli_Lemmus_Lemmus.jpg_______________
YAY, FRANCE https://time.com/6277524/france-influencer-marketing-regulation-social/
I really hate to be manipulated, so I was glad to read that France is influencing the influencers via laws. As early as 2023 the influencer marketing industry—a largely new economic sector that pays everyday individuals to promote products to their followers—is worth an estimated hundreds of millions of euros. But the industry has never been formally recognized by the law and is instead governed by laws designed for traditional marketing. France’s Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, launched a public consultation in January 2023 to set up a framework for regulation. “This is the first time in Europe that a comprehensive influencer regulation framework will be put in place.” Le Maire said about the bill. The Internet “is not the Wild West” he told local media.”
French influencers are already required to specify in their post’s description if they are paid to promote a brand or product, but the practice is not always followed. In a study earlier this year, the country’s economy ministry’s consumer protection bureau found that six of 10 influencers did not follow regulations. Under the new law, content creators would be required to include a disclaimer indicating that a post is sponsored as a banner across photos and videos, rather than just in the description or as a hashtag. Fernandez says there is a lack of understanding of the laws governing the sector. The new legislation will create a foundation for how influencers’ content will be regulated when it comes to advertising.The bill considers influencers’ activities as advertising to be governable under French Consumer Law, closing a loophole that has long allowed influencers to turn a blind eye to regulations by recognizing the sector and explicitly defining the laws governing it. The plan would not regulate influencer’s free speech on social media, only on those used as an advertising channel, an official explained. Those who do not comply could face six months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 300,000 euros. A law passed in Norway in 2021 made it mandatory for influencers to disclose if they were posting retouched photos as part of paid promotion! That’s a good idea, too.
ENOUGH! I GET THE BIG PICTURE….According to NPR, during the current campaign, Mr. Trump has made more than 100 specific threats “to investigate, prosecute, jail or otherwise punish” people he regards as enemies, including Mr. Biden, Kamala Harris, members of Congress, judges and prosecutors. Do I look like a lemming? I think I’ll try praying, just in case…
NANMYKEL.COM 