On psychic, spiritual and related matters, including interesting reading:
- EXCELLENT comments about examining things in context to avoid being trapped by conspiracy fantasies;
- an interesting philosophical critique of morality;
- science-based advice on "how to raise kids who don’t grow up to be jerks (or worse)";
(Mægan)
On Uganda this week:
- Museveni is continuing his stay in, and abuse of, power;
- 47% of people in some areas CANNOT social distance;
- Bobi Wine colleague Nubian Li has recounted his prison ordeal;
- the Uganda Human Rights Commission has cited police as a major human rights abuser;
- profiling of Muslims in Uganda;
- weapons in a the restive east of Uganda have been surrendered;
On Burma this week:
- the protests and killing continue,
From the news this week:
- on the climate crisis and the environment:
as existing events show the need for better planning, an assessment of the impacts of the climate crisis which warns its effects would outstrip those of the pandemic and LOOK LIKE WAR; a critique of the plan to save the world's wildlife finds the plan is inadequate; the heritage-listed Blue Mountains are facing "urgent" threats; invasive species in Nepal; an environmentalist in Kenya has been murdered; the required target for electric vehicles; yet another way we could become an energy superpower if we didn't ideological dinosaurs in power at the national level; the environmental and human rights devastation caused by the aluminium industry; a mining company has agreed to an independent review of a major mine; no matter what evasion the national neolib nitwits try to indulge in, the Great Barrier Reef IS AT RISK; the national neolib nitwits have successfully lobbied the UN to ignore science and reality;
a supermarket chain will stop using plastic toys in promotions;
(responsibility) - on international relations including war:
HOW to escape extremism; a good, objective, balanced assessment of the now deceased Donald Rumsfeld - yes, he was a disaster, but there is a collective responsibility also; France will host an aid conference for Lebanon; "Algeria recalls ambassador to Morocco in row over Western Sahara"; "Sudan seeking debt relief from Gulf Arab nations"; Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic cruise missile; China has been accused of hacking attacks; China has used a sock puppet to threaten nuclear attacks if Japan defends Taiwan; “cybercraft is replacing statecraft as an expression of geopolitical power”; Rwanda spied on Ugandan officials; Australia is looking to buy a communications company in the Pacific to limit China's growing influence; provocative moves by Turkey on Cyprus; South Africa's neighbours are reviewing their reliance on that nation after the recent riots; a reminder undersea cables are NOT secure;
- on the COVID-19 pandemic:
lockdowns have shown the flawed "understanding" of human interaction of many powerbrokers; the Netherlands showed that abandoning all COVID restrictions in an attempt to "live with" the virus is dangerous; excellent advice on masks, distancing outdoors, and aerosols/droplet travel; existing human rights treaties could be used to take action against irresponsible governments; a controversial media platform has been forced to apologise after allowing two controversial right wing bigots to lie about COVID and vaccines; "try telling a man who is staring at his starving family and has nothing to feed them that he is not an essential worker"; a critique and criticism of the use of private industry in the rollout; the NEED for better COVID treatments for patients as well as prevention; businesses are struggling, but aid has increased - but individual Australians are struggling to get help; "This COVID thing, if we've learned one thing, is that its high on randomness. The less time you give it, the less opportunity you give those hundreds of parameters to interact in a way you don't predict"; aid went to companies that didn't need it; more irresponsibility by Scott; long term mental health issues - including brain fog; as rentals become less affordable, "grey nomads" undergo lockdown also (and I dispute that their situation is cramped); small town stigma;
(Berkana - healing & compassion) - on genocides and other human rights issues:
"global abuse of cyber-surveillance weapon" has led to a warning that "governments must impose a global moratorium on the international spyware trade or face a world in which no mobile phone is safe from state-sponsored hackers" - France is investigating, and see here on protections and checks; we are FINALLY seeing a right wing bigot being deported - although not for her bigotry and hate; "eighty per cent of Muslims in Australia say they have experienced discrimination"; we - Australia - are going to abandon those Afghans who helped us - and their families - to torture and murder; an example of one of the ripple effects of child abuse; "hundreds of Iraqis protested ... to demand that authorities hold accountable the killers of dozens of activists associated with a long-running protest movement"; Egypt has freed activists after criticism of its human rights record; an opinion that a major gambling company should not have a licence - and withdrawal of a merger offer; China has taken action to stop underage online gambling; the diversity of Muslim communities in Australia; a critique of the moral aspects of the USA getting into, supporting mates instead of democracy, and then getting out of Afghanistan; "social housing is frequently colder than global health guidelines" (in temperate climes); family members are searching for their disappeared in Mexico; slave-keepers in Australia have been jailed; unconscionable conduct and excuses over seven years by Australian governments have led to a court case to protect the family members of some who helped us in Afghanistan - or those that are still alive . . . ; questions over the arrest, treatment and extradition of a Nigerian separatist; protests over water shortages in Iran; a "wave of arrests across eastern Tibet after digital search operations"; China's continuing oppression of Uyghurs has been witnessed;
- from Human Rights Watch:
governments target reporters, activists and dissidents with spyware; human rights failings at Japan Olympics; a tale of two pandemics; unjustly jailed activists in DR Congo should be released; celebrating International Justice Day; some good news from New York; UN experts highlight Myanmar's crackdown; cronyism and nepotism in Kenya's Covid relief; the US response to refugees coming from Cuba and Haiti; Japan failing on equality; ice cream maker to stop sales in illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory; prominent rights defender in UAE in danger; religious freedom dented in the EU; and keeping yourself safe from spyware; Hong Kong should drop charges against an activist who organized Tiananmen Massacre commemoration; US carries out airstrike on al-Shabaab in Somalia; Turkmenistan arrests doctor who challenged her unfair dismissal; Covid-19 restrictions could exclude athletes from Paralympics; UN should support Covid-19 humanitarian assistance in Myanmar; Tanzanian opposition politicians arrested; car companies need to address abuses in aluminium supply chains; class action lawsuit against ethnic profiling in France; death sentences in Myanmar; downgrading minority languages in China; Hong Kong should drop charges against vigil organizer; the fight for LGBT Rights at the Olympics and Paralympics in Japan; Tanzanian opposition leader and supporters arrested; lessons from the floods in Germany; and Hungary's dictator wants a referendum to build support for hateful discrimination; focus on rights during Tokyo Olympics; Iran respond to rights demand with bullets; seeking justice for human rights defender's death in Kyrgyzstan; G20 leaders meet to discuss environment; China sends back North Koreans to torture and sexual abuse; the European Union lacks vision to defend the rule of law; Argentina respects all identities;
- on democracy:
back in the "good old days", we actually tried to convince others to also have full employment ... SIGH; right wing bias in a media platform that is required to be objective; neochristian right wing extremists are working to take over the conservative party in Qld (a case of insidious infiltration); eSwatini is refusing calls for change; the oppression in Eritrea; a grossly inadequate sentence for an insurrectionist from January's attempted coup in the USA; a new internationally backed PM will take the reins in Haiti; more suppression of journalism in Nigeria; Zimbabwe is suppressing NGOs; US officials worked behind-the-scenes (some didn't resign to block someone worse being hired to prevent coups and Waco-like sieges in #45's final year (and the threat is not over yet . . . ); India-Bangladesh border issues are being politicised in India; renewed protests in Colombia; ‘normalising misconduct’; Tanzania has regressed back to arresting opposition figures; concerns that local elections due soon in South Africa would not be fair; an analysis of the riots in South Africa; abuse of emergency powers in Thailand; continued oppression in Russia; a state of emergency in Ecuador after prison riots; concern about upcoming elections in Zambia;
(democracy) - on LGBTIQ+ matters:
old homophobic lies in Hungary; a pledge to ban intersex surgeries in my home state after decades of activism; a US judge has stood up for trans kids; bans on IS athletes; "LGBT+ survivors of sexual assault are speaking out"; - on racism:
racist basis for sexual assault by strip searching of Indigenous women prisoners; an ambulance service has apologised for being part of a racist death; the pandemic is exacerbating both racism and bystander apathy; an education resource about Indigenous change makers; - on sexism and misogyny:
gender deafness; more "factually incorrect" misogyny from Qld police; the staggering extent and scope of sexual harassment in work; appalling sexism in sport - also this patronising and egregious incident; some women athletes are fighting back against sexism; defence barristers in rape trials appear to be incompetent misogynists from the 1950s; past misogyny in sport; - on ableism:
"disability advocates say businesses need to lose 'fear of the unknown' to find untapped potential"; - on animal rights:
how "no kill" shelters save animals;
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