Why do governments think they have to change things?
Because every now and then it becomes apparent to everyone that their “civil servants” are taking far too many coffee breaks.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• Because every so often the need to pander to the masses arises, so our public officials create the illusion of change. In reality, however, it’s just new window dressing on the same old scam.
R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya
• They must do it to justify their existence.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
• When politicians win an election, they say they will clean up the mess they have inherited. Mais plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Joan Dawson, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Because they assume that they know best and they fall into the trap of thinking that change is good and will be accepted by credulous voters.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• Because they are incapable of getting it right in the first place.
Margaret Wyeth, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• For a long time they didn’t – then along came the news media and even worse, social media.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
Nothing funny about it
Why do you suppose that humans have a funny bone?
• It’s because it’s the bone in the arm that enables them to write in to Notes & Queries.
Jennifer Rathbone, Toronto, Canada
• It’s not a good name, as it’s no laughing matter when your funny bone gets knocked.
Margaret Wilkes, Perth, Western Australia
• Because life is no joke.
Nicholas Albrecht, Paris, France
• It’s there just to humerus.
Jim Dewar, Gosford, NSW, Australia
It’s more a matter of style
What’s the difference between someone who’s brilliant and someone who’s a genius?
Someone who’s brilliant knows he’s brilliant and enjoys being told so.
A genius doesn’t care and, deep down, thinks he’s just a normal guy, and wonders what all the fuss is about.
Hartmann Doerry, Tübingen, Germany
• It’s not really about level of ability; it’s more about style. Genius is brilliance plus eccentricity, funny hair, sartorial neglect, mental instability, forgetfulness or obsessiveness.
Remarks like “The fools, they dismissed my theories!” are a hint that genius mode has cut in.
Tom Westcott, London, UK
• Ringo was brilliant. Bach was a genius.
Susan M Heafield, Orleans, Massachusetts, US
• Work.
Tim Metcalf, Bega, NSW, Australia
• I’m sorry, but you’ve asked the wrong person.
Terence Rowell, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
I’m running out of tears
What is a crying shame?
Child poverty, religious extremism, ocean plastic, massacres in the Congo, racial prejudice, domestic violence ... the fact that I am running out of tears.
A better question would be: “What isn’t”?
Gerald Garnett, Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada
• Our current political “leadership”.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• Crocodile tears.
Anthony Walter, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Any answers?
Should we let computers vote?
Harvey Mitchell, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
Does one achieve more by leaps and bounds than by fits and starts?
Anthony Walter, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Send answers, and more questions, to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com
