Tag: news

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The History

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Sports

Before I conjure up some more literary magic, I would like to take a fraction of your time to acknowledge some deaths.

1.) Over 30,000 Iranian civilians and anti-government demonstrators have been killed by the Iranian Republic Security Forces since December 2025, in what can only be described as massacres.

2.) Legendary comic book artist, Sal Buscema, died on 23rd January 2026, aged 89. He worked for multiple companies across his long career, having created fantastic characters like Rebecca and Brian Banner, Lady Deathstrike, Grandmaster, The Invaders, Hyperion, Helmut Zemo, U-Foes, Time Variance Authority, Rom the Space Knight, and the Wrecking Crew, among many others.

3.) The recent storm that hit the North Island of New Zealand has resulted in the deaths of nine people, through flash flooding and two landslides.

4.) The beloved actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara passed away on January 30, 2026. Among her many famous roles, my personal favourite was Cookie Fleck in Best In Show. O’Hara had the knack of making any character, especially the unlikable ones, very likeable.

I don’t have any inspiring things to say, other than my family and I are very sorry to hear of their deaths, and to send our condolences and deepest sympathies to their loved ones.

In New Zealand, both national and regional governments have numerous questions that require answers from the media, the public, and grieving families.

My thanks and apologies for bringing this up.

Moving on, I wrote another non-award-winning blog post last week regarding rugby, American football’s older and hotter sibling. I mentioned that I was going to discuss the greatest rugby tournament outside of the World Cup: The Six Nations Championship. I aim to provide my followers with things they didn’t request, except for the three followers this is written for. They know who they are.

So, like Fozzie and Kermit, we need to keep movin’ right along into The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The History. For all my non-rugby supporters, I’m sorry/not sorry. Prepare thyself!

Credit: Guinness Six Nations/Love Belfast

Every year, a fantastic rugby tournament begins that runs from February to April. It’s called the Six Nations Championship, or the Guinness Six Nations Championship, and it comes in three different flavours, Men’s, Women’s and Under-20s.

The Six Nations, as the tournament is commonly known, involves, get ready for it, six nations that are England, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy, and Ireland1. It’s one of the world’s oldest international tournaments.

Once again, I need to interject myself into something that I am actually writing. Since I’m an All Blacks supporter, it may have crossed your wonderful mind as to why I’m writing about the Six Nations. That is another superb question from you, you’re getting so good at this! I’ll do my best to give an over-complicated answer; nothing but the best on Some Geek Told Me.

The All Blacks compete in an annual tournament with three other countries (The Rugby Championship), but before that, it was with only two other countries (The Tri-Nations), which first started in 1996. I love watching and supporting the Rugby Championship, but it pales in comparison to the Six Nations.

Credit: Guinness Six Nations

For me, the Six Nations is the greatest rugby tournament outside of a World Cup, and this is coming from a New Zealander! As a kid, I was enthralled by learning about the tournament, which was called the Five Nations. Obviously, watching delayed coverage, or at the very least, highlights of the games from the other side of the planet, gave me a taste of how other countries played and managed rugby.

It was always interesting to see rugby from a different perspective, which included the size of the stadiums, the singing, respecting the kicker, the age and tradition of the tournament, as well as the rivalries. I soon discovered my love of the All Blacks also transferred into being curious about what our opponents were doing.

As time marched on, my fascination with the tournament became more defined, because as an All Blacks and Black Ferns supporter, following the Six Nations was logical; if your rivals smashed each other up in an annual competition, wouldn’t it be prudent to gauge how they are performing and to see what they’re up to?

Even now, as a fully-grown man-child, watching the Six Nations makes me ask two questions: Who do I want to win? or Who do I want to lose? It also poses more questions if one particular team is performing well: Could the All Blacks beat them in their current form? but also, If the Black Ferns played them next week, who would win? I love the Six Nations.

I’ve finished my interjection, so we’ll return to the spot where we left off. Thanks.

The tournament has a long, rich and proud history, so I’ll do my best to explain it properly. When discussing the Men’s tournament, it first began in 1883, when it was known as the Home Nations Championship2; which included England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. A few years later, an argument about whether a try should have been awarded resulted in the nations establishing the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby.

From what I understand, England was not happy that Wales, Scotland, and Ireland had formed a new club, and they refused to join. This hilarious incident meant that England was excluded from the tournament from 1888 to 1889, which in turn meant the tournament did not take place. However, by 1890, everything was worked out, and the tournament had restarted.

The format for the Hone Nations continued until 1910, when France was allowed to join the tournament. As you can guess, with an extra nation in the mix, management decided to change the name of the competition to the Five Nations Championship, because, you know, five nations were playing.

The First and Second World Wars meant that fielding international-level rugby players was a little difficult, along with the country being at war, so from 1915-1919 and 1940-1946, the tournament was not played. It’s worth noting that in 1932, France was banned from the competition because of rumours and allegations of various misconduct3 and they were only allowed to rejoin in 1939, but the Second World War prevented them from physically returning until 1947. 

From 1947, the Five Nations Championship marched on until 1999, because Italy was now asking to join the tournament. They were accepted, so in 2000, the Five Nations Championship was renamed again, thus becoming the Six Nations Championship, with the addition of Italy. France is the defending champion.

The 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations launch in London. Credit: Guinness Six Nations

The Women’s tournament followed the same trajectory as the Men’s, but the time period is smaller. The tournament started in 1996, which was named the Women’s Home Nations Championship, which included exactly the teams as you would imagine: England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

In its format, the tournament lasted three years, until in 1999, you guessed it, France was added to the tournament, changing the name to the Women’s Five Nations Championship. And because history likes to repeat things, this version of the competition lasted only three years, before Italy was introduced into the tournament in 2002, turning the Women’s Five Nations Championship into the Women’s Six Nations Championship. Bet you all of Trump’s orange makeup that you didn’t see that one coming. England won the tournament in 2025.

It is also interesting to note, that Spain played in the Five Nations and Six Nations tournaments from 2000 to 2006.

As for the Under-20s tournament, they started in 2004, but it was called the Six Nations Under 21s Championship, and this lasted until 2008, when they changed the age restriction, which allowed another tournament to have yet another name change. So, the Six Nations Under 21s Championship became the Six Nations Under 20s Championship. Nothing to see here, move along, move along. However, like the Men’s competition, France is the current holder of the title.

In the tournament, each team plays five games, alternating between home and away matches. The following year, the home advantage is reversed for each matchup. For example, the Men’s game between England and Scotland in 2025 took place in England, but in 2026, the England vs. Scotland game will be held in Scotland.

Just because I can, I’m going to list the stadiums that are used in the competition4:

England: Twickenham, London, seats 82,000

Wales: Principality Stadium, Cardiff seats 73,930

Scotland: Murrayfield, Edinburgh, seats 67,140

Ireland: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, seats 51,700

France: Stade de France, Paris, seats 81,330

Italy: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, seats 72,690

The points system for the Six Nations is standard, but with a few quirks:

  • A win gives a team 4 points. (Yay!)
  • A draw gives a team 2 points. (Oh, stink!)
  • A loss gives a team 0 points. (Oh, the shame!)

There are also bonus points to be awarded, which come in handy if teams have the same win/loss records.

  • Scoring four or more tries in a match, gives a team 1 extra point. (Yay again!)
  • Losing by 7 points or fewer, gives a team 1 extra point. (Sweet!)
  • If a team wins all of their games, which is called the Grand Slam, they are automatically given 3 extra points.

At the end of the fifth round, the team with the highest total on the points table wins the championship.

Many trophies are competed for during the different tournaments, which, ironically, is exactly what we will be discussing next week with The Six Nations Rugby Championship: Part 2. Cool bananas!

In my humble opinion, the Six Nations Championship is arguably one of the greatest annual sporting events on the planet, and if you ever get the chance to watch a game, do yourself a favour and do it.

Well, that’s it for another week. Do you follow the Six Nations? What’s your favourite moment? Who will win in 2026? As always, please let me know.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, remember where you put your keys, and I’ll see you next week for the second and final blog post about the Six Nations Rugby Championship. The excitement is building!

1 When discussing Ireland, I am not referring to the Republic of Ireland, but the actual island of Ireland, which consists of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the international level, rugby is one of the few sports that represents all of Ireland, unlike football, which has Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland teams. This is reinforced with the cross-border flag for the Irish Rugby Football Union, which incorporates both countries, the Republic of Ireland (controlled by the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland (controlled by the United Kingdom).

2 When discussing the Home Nations in rugby, it is in reference to England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, collectively known as the Home Nations.

3 France was accused of many things, but the main offence was fielding professional players, when at the time, rugby was an amateur sport. Rugby finally went professional in 1995.

4 France also has a second stadium that they sometimes use for the tournament. It’s the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, in Northern France. Its capacity is 50,180.

To control another country, or not to control another country, that is the question

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Geography, People, Politics

As fans of this highly informative blog will undoubtedly know, I’m somewhat of a fan of William Shakespeare’s work. I’ve talked about his work before on this beloved blog, but one day I will discuss the villains, because, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing greater than a Shakespearean villain.

Now, you could be sitting on public transportation as you read this, or maybe in the bathroom, and you would be forgiven if you think I’m going to talk about Shakespearean villains today. Alas, no, not today.

I’m bringing up the term because, once again, in my humble opinion, someone last weekend exhibited actions worthy of being called a Shakespearean villain.

Well, that’s not fair to Iago and Richard III, is it? I mean, they could challenge Trump to a battle of wits, but … oh, you know the rest.

I was honestly going to write a Tour of the Solar System post, but each time I looked at the news, the OCD in me wouldn’t let it go, so here we are.

Unless you have been living in a shoe, I’m discussing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by United States forces, after they attacked the capital, Caracas, on 3rd January. At the latest count, at least 57 people were killed in the attack. Like I said last week, it’s an interesting way to start 2026.

This also covers Trump claiming that the United States is going to “run” Venezuela, along with opening up its massive oil reserves and selling them, in addition to prosecuting Maduro in the United States court system.

I’m not here to debate the legality of what Trump has done, purely because I’m not an expert in international law. If I were, my topics would be far more exciting! Trump’s actions can be measured against the United Nations and/or any other international legal body. However, my Spidey-sense has been tripped, and is ringing like a school fire alarm.

Today’s rant will be of interest to roughly only 8% of my readers, but it’s about my hopes and fears regarding the situation.

Credit: Ferguson

Let’s start with the most obvious statement, which I’m going to repeat:

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

I’m not going to sit here and list the crimes Maduro has committed against Venezuelans, as they are well documented. Along with former president, the late Hugo Chávez, Maduro has run Venezuela into the ground, and the shenanigans involving various Venezuelan presidential elections have also been well-reported.

So, I’m going to reinforce this point that Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro. They are free of his extrajudicial killings and suicidal financial policies. This, of course, seamlessly brings us to my hopes for Venezuela, because I want to focus on the country first.

My hope for Venezuela is, quite simply, that Maduro’s removal will give them hope. Depending on how much money is created from the sale of the oil, if it happens, of course. Regardless, I hope it is pumped back into the country and its people.

I came across a social media post from a man in Venezuela who stated that people in the West do not understand what it was like living under Maduro’s regime, as it was a time of great despair. He mentioned that if Trump wants to take their oil, he can, because at least the money would bring some financial benefit to the country.

That’s tough to read and argue against.

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

My other hope for Venezuela is with the new President, Delcy Rodríguez, the former Vice President. Assuming the US government “allows” her to function in this role, or the opposition leader, María Corina Machado, does not take the job, or if she is just waiting for Maduro’s return, there are a lot of expectations and responsibilities now resting on Rodríguez’s shoulders.

Rodríguez has been involved in previous policies, but not all of them, that have crippled the country, so she’s in a rare position to redeem herself and the government, to Latin America, the world, but mainly to Venezuela. Her government can craft new laws that will lift Venezuelans, and not continue with the same or more Maduro-style policies that have damaged the country.

With Maduro’s removal, there is a possibility that the country could divide and fall into civil war, or it could bring the nation together with steps toward a brighter future for Venezuela.

I hope that Rodríguez is up to the task, because the country has suffered enough. She can bring them hope against inflation and corruption. What’s going to happen? I have no idea, but we can still hope.

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

Alright, those are my hopes for Venezuela, so what are my fears?

As I mentioned just before, Venezuela could tear itself apart if it and the world are not careful, but I believe the country will survive. It will be rough, but no worse than the years under Maduro, which have given them a new strength. I am not too fearful for Venezuela’s future. No, it’s what happens outside of Venezuela that gives me fear.

I said before that this blog post is not going into the legality of Trump’s actions towards Maduro, or “seizing” control of the country, or threatening to sell off Venezuela’s oil reserve. Far better writers, reporters, activists, lawyers, and journalists can do that.

Are Trump’s actions illegal, and will the US government suffer no consequences, or are Trump’s actions legal? I don’t know which one scares me the most. This has led me to a revelation; regardless of whether Trump’s actions were legal or not, and whether Venezuela will thrive or not, I fear that this is only the start.

Let’s begin with the United States, because it’s an obvious choice. We are going to play a game and pretend there will be no legal consequences from the international community for Trump and the US government over Maduro’s capture and “seizure” of Venezuela. With me so far? Great.

So, if Trump is allowed to capture a leader from a sovereign country, because that country has resources that the United States needs, what is stopping them from doing it again? What happens if they decide that taking control of Greenland needs to become a reality? While they are at it, maybe taking over Panama to secure the Panama Canal seems like a great idea to strengthen American interests.

Hell, let’s secure Cuba, Haiti, as well, though, securing Colombia is another super idea too.

The problem here is that no matter how it is justified, the world may look at the United States and think, “If they’re allowed to do it, so are we.”

Following Trump’s and the United States’ new foreign policy of 21st-century annexation, we can only guess at what the upcoming chaos could be. Imagine if Russia captured Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or China secured Lai Ching-te, because they followed the United States’ example.

Israel takes Palestine, China annexes Taiwan, Nepal, and Bhutan, and Russia absorbs the former USSR states of Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Maybe North Korea decides to unite the Korean peninsula and invades South Korea. Maybe India decides that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are better off under Indian control. Maybe Sudan thinks that South Sudan has had its fun and its time to come home.

It could be that Egypt takes North Africa, while Nigeria absorbs West Africa. In other parts, Central, East, and Southern Africa descend into carnage. As for the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, that could be a royal rumble, with land and oil on the line, involving multiple nations.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines could start fighting over islands, with Australia and New Zealand concluding that all Pacific Island nations need to be under their control, to protect everybody’s future.

Where would this strategy of a real-world game of Risk take us? Carving up regions in Antarctica and the Moon? The new land-grab would destroy everything and everyone. Trump just has to do it again, or another world leader decides that their neighbour has a nice pair of resources, and it starts. This, of course, is assuming that no country fights back.

Another possibility is what if one country decides that another country would be better off under their control, but the surrounding countries, or even the world, steps in to stop them? What if a conflict between two nations spills over and engulfs the region or the world? I mean, Russia is already knocking on NATO’s door.

It’s possible this could happen. Highly unlikely, but still possible. I fear that the wrong leaders are surrounded by the wrong people, being told the wrong advice, that if they don’t act and claim what they want from another country, someone else will.

To me, this is madness. It’s just madness. I don’t know how this is going to work out, because I doubt even Trump knows. All I know is that this, if it hasn’t already, could go sideways very quickly.

I’m glad that Venezuela has the opportunity to move forward, since the country has been lacking hope for a long time. Whatever happens next, I hope that world leaders, even my government, whom I trash-talk a lot, manage to calm the situation down, so clearer heads will prevail. Maybe.

Well, this is not exactly how I thought we would be starting 2026, but like many things in life, they are out of our hands; though it’s still nice to know that not everybody agrees with the sparkly new Donroe Doctrine. To quote Pope Leo XIV, “War is back in vogue. And the zeal for war is spreading.”

What are your thoughts on the situation? As always, please let me know.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Before I depart to have UMC1 and UMC2 kick my arse once again in Monopoly, I thought I would continue the depressing tone of 2026.

I’d like to remind you all to continue discussing the situations I’ve mentioned, as well as those in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine. The ongoing riots and the deaths of protesters in Iran also warrant our attention.

The universe loves and needs opposites, which are being played out across the Earth. War has Peace, Hate has Love, Ignorance has Compassion, Apathy has Empathy, and Sour Cream and Chives has Salt and Vinegar, so don’t lose hope. And with that, I’ll see you next week.

Is there anything better than the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace? Hold my beer.

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Politics

I had originally planned to write about something else this week, but after learning about a particular piece of news, the die was cast, and the decision was no longer mine to make.

Just in case you’re a very unlucky person and have not been following the news, there has been a recent development in the administration of peace in the United States. The United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., which is run by the United States Congress, has been unselfishly renamed after everybody’s favourite world leader, as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Naming a building after yourself is rather classy, especially if it’s a government building.

This compelling and authentic move reflects President Trump’s desire for peace in the United States and around the world; except for Yemen, the European Union, Venezuela, Portland, Iran, Mexico, Canada, Chicago, and Greenland, but they don’t count.

To prove this point, President Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize recently, which in no way panders to his fragile ego. That is just garbage, spun by fake news outlets that believe in accountability and justice.

Like President Trump, I am very humble, and I would like to acknowledge The Daily Show for giving me the idea for this informative article. Credit where credit is due. On behalf of 100% of the staff at Some Geek Told Me, I would like to thank The Daily Show for the inspiring idea, as well as President Trump for pursuing peace, because he can stop wars that don’t even exist! What a role model!

Credit: BBC & Getty Images

Because President Trump is a bastion for peace in a world that seems divided by President Trump, I have collected some other clinics, institutes, academies, and other learning centres that could be renamed, like the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

Sadly, I was born outside of the United States and away from President Trump’s bigly protection, so some of my selections may not be familiar to my international readers, but my New Zealand readers will understand.

And with that, let’s turn the page and begin now.

  • The Christopher Luxon Entitlement Academy
  • The Winston Peters Centre of Cultural Diversity
  • The Brian Tamaki LGBTQIA+ Appreciation Institute
  • The David Seymour Food Nutrition Clinic
  • The Pauline Hanson Centre of Islamic-Awareness
  • The Vladimir Putin Geography Academy
  • The Kim Jong Un Institute of Human Rights
  • The Viktor Orbán Centre for Free Speech
  • The Alexander Lukashenko Institute of Democracy
  • The Bashar al-Assad Anti-Corruption Institute
  • The Benjamin Netanyahu Anti-Genocide Centre
  • The Xi Jinping Institute for the Protection of the Uyghurs
  • The Nigel Farage Centre of Tolerance and Inclusion
  • The Kristi Noem Gun Safety School
  • The JD Vance Museum of Furniture
  • The RFK Jr Centre for Preventable Childhood Diseases
  • The Marco Rubio School of Fawning and Grovelling
  • The Sean Duffy Centre of Climate Change
  • The Lauren Boebert Gender-Affirming Clinic
  • The Marjorie Taylor Greene Institute for Autism Awareness
  • The Ted Cruz Free Abortion Clinic
  • The Elon Musk Family Planning Clinic
  • The Jeff Bezos Centre for Independent Book Sellers
  • The Bob Iger School of Business Ethnics
  • The Patrick W. Smith Academy of Accountability
  • The Darren Woods Museum of Environmental Disasters
  • The Anthony Hopkins Academy of Method Acting
  • The Neil deGrasse Tyson Flat Earth Centre
  • The Jonathan Pie Anti-Profanity School
  • The Alex Jones Meditation Institute
  • The Nicholas Cage Institute of Marriage Counselling 
  • The Rassie Erasmus Centre of Sports Ethnics
  • The Neymar School of Acting
  • The Cristiano Ronaldo Centre for Modesty and Humbleness

And I would like to close with a post humorous choice:

  • The J. R. R. Tolkien Memorial Institute for Concise Writing

So, how did I do? Did I miss any selections? As always, please let me know.

I hope you liked this week’s rant as much as I liked writing it. Next week will be the last proper blog post before I head off into the sunset for a much-needed break, since running a highly successful blog takes its toll.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the Supergirl trailer, and I’ll see you next week.

TIME’s Person of the Year is not what you think it is

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Literature, People, Politics

I realise there are more pressing issues confronting the world currently. These include the danger of climate change, the Sudanese civil war, the cryptocurrencies of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Hawk Tuah girl, Israel’s genocide of Palestine, when the Superman trailer is going to drop, and whether The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, will rule them all at the box office.

In saying that, I must acknowledge last week’s announcement of TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year. If you’ve been living under a rock or listening to Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping at full volume for a week, then you would have heard that the lucky winner was 2016’s winner, Donald John Trump. You know, the star of Zoolander, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Two Weeks Notice, The Little Rascals, and Eddie.

As you can imagine, the concept of Donald Trump winning TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year, has delighted millions of people and equally enraged millions more. On one hand, people are praising the decision, because he’s the OG of MAGA, defeated Kamala Harris in the US Presidential election, survived an assassination attempt, and is the proud father of three of his five children.

On the other hand, Trump’s been busy. He was convicted on 34 felony charges for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a porn star, found liable for sexual assault and defamation, and has more legal issues concerning the IRS, and the Trump Organisation, among others.

So the two questions on many people’s minds are, yes, bananas do grow upside down, but also, why was a convicted felony and President-elect selected as TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year? Sadly, the answer is boring and nuanced, because, and say it with me, TIME’s Person of the Year is not what you think it is.

Credit: TIME

Let’s go back a few steps to 1927, when TIME, the American news magazine, first introduced the award of Person of the Year to Charles Lindbergh.1 Now you would think gracing the cover of TIME for the Person of the Year, would be a great honour, worthy of the amazing contributions you have made to humanity for the past year.

Again, you could imagine that it was because you had developed a vaccine, brokered a peace treaty and ended a war, discovered a new early human species, won the World Cup, was the star of a $2 billion blockbuster, or won an election. If you thought this, you would be wrong, oh so wrong.

According to TIME editors, to be awarded Person of the Year, you need to fit this criteria:

“Featuring a person, group, idea, or object that “for better or for worse … has done the most to influence the events of the year.”

I’m going to let that sink in for you. Influence the events of the year. Not curing children’s diseases; not clearing mines from a warzone; not freeing sex slaves; not persecuting racists, like the Ku Klux Klan, or Neo-Nazis; not developing carbon capture devices; or not fighting for human and animal rights; but influence the events of the year.

After reading that, and for better or for worse, tell me that person(s) is not Donald Trump. Did I want it to be him? Of course not, because both my grandfathers would return from the grave to beat some sense into me if I did.

However, this is the reason Donald Trump was awarded the title; not because he’s a good, honest, positive, decent, law-abiding and amazing person, but because he has dominated the news cycle in 2024. He really has. Even here in New Zealand, we have read and watched his shenanigans this year, whether they were election-based or legal-based.

To highlight the selection, I give you two quotes from TIME”s website on the announcement, to better explain the choice from their point of view:

“For 97 years, the editors of TIME have been picking the Person of the Year: the individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months. In many years, that choice is a difficult one. In 2024, it was not.”

“Today, we are witnessing a resurgence of populism, a widening mistrust in the institutions that defined the last century, and an eroding faith that liberal values will lead to better lives for most people. Trump is both agent and beneficiary of it all. For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-­generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2024 ­Person of the Year.”

Nobody on the planet had dominated and influenced the news cycle in 2024 more than Donald Trump. Even Palestine was drowned out by the MAGA Emperor. Using TIME’s definition of “Featuring a person, group, idea, or object that “for better or for worse … has done the most to influence the events of the year”, Donald Trump is the clear winner.

I know this decision has upset people, but I want to leave you with two things; one negative and one positive. If you’re angry about the choice, don’t blame Trump. He’s a 78-year-old narcissist, who doesn’t have the need, desire, or ability to change.

Don’t blame TIME, by trash-talking or boycotting them. It’s their rules and they are just following them.

If you want someone to blame for Trump winning this award, blame yourself. Blame your parents, children, spouse, siblings, neighbours, and politicians. Blame teachers, lawyers, journalists, reporters, scientists, librarians, talk show hosts, activists, social influencers, podcasters, singers, actors, and world leaders, for this mess.

You could blame everybody and anybody you’ve ever talked to in the last 10 years. Hell, you can even blame me. The reason is that all of these people, regardless of their political philosophy and beliefs, or mine, all have something in common: whether it’s positive or negative, we all talk about Trump.

Any attention that man gets is good attention, because it means people are talking about him, and that’s what he wants. And we have all given it to him, which is why he has dominated the news cycle.

By ignoring his crazy rants and lies, along with his illegal dealings, we are condoning his behaviour; therefore, we are enabling him. By calling out his crazy rants and lies, along with his illegal dealings, he can play the “I’m a billionaire victim because the false news and the deep state are out to get me” card; therefore, we are enabling him.

He’s like a male succubus, but instead of feeding and living off sexual energy and activity, he thrives on communication. The more people discuss him, the stronger he becomes. His ego feeds off the attention. But hey, what do I know? Even writing this stupid post will probably mean Trump will reach Super Saiyan God status now.

As for the positive part, just remember that even though Trump won this award, he joins some other previous top-quality winners of the award like Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling (1937), Adolf Hitler (1938), Joseph Stalin (1939 and 1942), Richard Nixon (1971 and 1972), Henry Kissinger (1972), Ruhollah Khomeini (1979), Jeff Bezos (1999), Vladimir Putin (2007), and Mark Zuckerberg (2010).

Trump and the rest of the League of Losers can’t hold a candle to recent winners like The Ebola Fighters (2014), Angela Merkel (2015), The Silence Breakers (2017), and Greta Thunberg (2019); along with my favourites, The Protester (2011), The Guardians (2018), and Volodymyr Zelensky and The Spirit of Ukraine (2022).

And with that, I’m going to shut my mouth and go to bed. We are well into Summer here, which I’ll discuss somewhat next week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching Syria and Palestine, and I’ll see you next week. Christmas is coming!

1 The award was actually first named Man of the Year, but eventually, equality caught up.

An Ode to 34

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Politics

Trump.

Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump!

Even here in the South Pacific, there seems to be no escaping from Donald Trump. He’s here, he’s there, he’s in every courtroom, Donald Trump, Donald Trump!

Over the years, I’ve developed two vices that I’m ashamed to admit. I enjoy watching Panda Fail videos; basically, pandas failing at being pandas, but also watching billionaires complain. I can’t get enough of both of them. This awful transition brings us to Donald Trump’s recent trial.

It’s difficult to believe that the star of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the founder of Trump University, and the winner of the 2024 Trump International Golf Club Most Improved Player award, was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to make hush money payments to a porn star, in an effort to make it appear as legitimate business expenses.

I was as shocked as you were. I mean, someone at the centre of over 4,000 legal cases, involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, personal defamation lawsuits, tax disputes, real estate lawsuits, and many more, couldn’t possibly be involved with lawlessness. The whole concept is very sad.

However, a jury of 12 of Trump’s peers, found him guilty of 34 felony counts, with sentencing to happen on 11th July 2024.

Former U.S President Donald Trump listens as defence lawyer Todd Blanche presents closing arguments during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City. 28th May 2024 in this courtroom sketch. Credit: Jane Rosenburg/Reuters.

I’m not here to discuss in detail the trial because I’m not a legal expert. I have enough trouble remembering what I said to my children last night, let alone explaining a court case. No, what I’m here to comment on is the reaction to Trump’s conviction, mainly through entertainment.

As I’m getting older, I’m finding that I prefer to experience satirical news a lot more than I did before, thanks to Trump. So because of this, may I present the best reactions to Trump’s conviction, whether it’s monologues or songs. Oh, I forgot, the last video isn’t a response to his conviction, but it ties it in quite nicely.

I love listening to billionaires complaining that life is unfair, and watching Trump’s reaction to his conviction has been hilarious. Like I said before, I do feel ashamed about this.

What’s been the best reaction or response to Trump’s conviction? As always, please let me know. I’m feeling better again, so I’m ready to be infected with a child’s new illness. Good times.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the T20 World Cricket Cup, and I’ll see you next week because the Tour of the Solar System is painfully marching forward again. Awesome.