Post No. 1,998 - Interesting reading, and on Uganda, Burma, and from the news

On psychic, spiritual and related matters, including interesting reading: 

• interesting thoughts on competition and community from my favourite blogger; 
• making friends with strangers; 
• from the world of physics: a concept termed "time crystals"; 
• I am going to be following the work of Guy  Standing on "the precariat" (and of the Basic Income Earth Network [BIEN]) with some interest;

(Mægan)

 

On Uganda this week:

• Museveni is continuing his stay in, and abuse of, power; 
• an example of the ongoing abuse;

On Burma this week:

• the protests and killing continue;

 

From the news this week:

• on the climate crisis and the environment:
  concern about fossil fuel companies intruding into science lessons in schools;   as the oceans warm, tropical fish and sea urchins are moving south and destroying kelp forests;   "more sustainable Australian farming would protect our lucrative exports (and the planet)";   water scarcity;   "green roofs make solar panels more efficient";   some of the adaptations being trialled by some communities;   in NSW, "the Land and Environment Court has ordered the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to take steps to safeguard against climate change";   calls to protect more of the Amazon basin;   China will trial a thorium nuclear fission reactor for generating power - which has by-products with a much shorter half life and is much harder to turn into weapons, and does not need/use water;  
  
  
  (responsibility)
  
  
  
• on the fall of Afghanistan:
   - "the plight of Afghan security contractors highlights the legal and moral risks of outsourcing war";  
   - an interview with an expert who has been pointing out for years the damage done by endemic corruption - particularly in Afghanistan, where it contributed to the fall;   the former president who enabled entry of the (hypocritical) violent extremists in the first place in 1994 may crop up in political shenanigans yet again;   other violent extremists may take advantage of the chaos - or be motivated;   a good analysis of the regional aspects and implications;   an excellent overview/analysis of the last couple of decades - and also this;   we need a proper Parliamentary debate before going to war (at least the Senate will do an after-the-fact review) - see also this criticism of "white man's media";   even expat Afghans are living in fear;   an accusation that "the government was "blackmailed" into dealing with the Taliban by the United States";  
   - growing fears for those trying to get into Kabul airport by the deadline because of the conditions they are experiencing (and some have been killed) and at least one firefight - some nations have told their citizens not to try (and some will no longer try after repeated beatings or tear gassings by the extremists), but some evacuations are happening (and some were picked up from suburbs) and the international community of ditherers may extend the arbitrary deadline - we've (xenophobically) refused our embassy guards, though ... and then backtracked (for most ... ), and one Lib wants more visas issued;   the EU leader has responded to concerns about an influx of refugees (some European nations are blocking Afghan refugees at their borders) by pointing out moral duty - and confirmed the EU has NOT recognised the violent extremists;   a short term rental company will house 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan for free;   the loss of hope may spread to other nations that have been looking to the USA - and see this comparison between the USA in Afghanistan and France in the Sahel, but India may strengthen ties with other nations;  
   - after intelligence warnings, a violent extremist group has performed a multiple suicide bomber attack at Kabul airport, killing and injuring scores of people - see here, here, here, here, and here;
   - women  are pointing out the acts of vengeance have begun - as are others;   the death of hope - particularly for Hazaras;   aid is being delayed or blocked;   some of the developing daily life struggles;   anti-COVID vaccinations have reduced;  
   - the violent extremists in control now can use US weapons left behind and fight at night;   resistance is still continuing in some areas;  
   - nitpicking responses to comparisons between the rapid, unexpected military collapse and fall of South Vietnam and the rapid, unexpected military collapse and fall of Afghanistan;  
  
  
• on international relations including war:
  Israeli-Gazan violence;   a suicide bomber in Pakistan has attacked a Chinese motorcade;   Ethiopia appears to be using Iranian-made drones;   more on the very obvious geopolitical risks of the gas pipeline from Russia through Ukraine to Europe;   after eleven years, Sudan and South Sudan will re-open their border;   questions over when Rwanda's effective troops will leave Mozambique;   the US Vice-President is visiting south east Asia to improve relations and confidence;   the pandemic has shown how dependent North Korea actually is on other nations / international connections;   China is addicted to real estate;   Algeria has broken off diplomatic relations with Morocco - see this analysis;   concerns over Eritrean troops moving into Tigray;   "Sudan and Libya agreed ...to activate a regional security agreement to curb human trafficking and illegal immigration";   South Sudan is acting against criminals on a major cross-border highway;   "Australia should question American resolve in Asia because the job of meeting the China challenge is too big and the stakes are too small";   Nigeria has signed a military cooperation agreement with Russia;
  
  
  (BPM group leadership)
  
   
• on the COVID-19 pandemic:
  vaccine passports will be part of our long term future;   people are being pushed into homelessness during the pandemic; (and police and bureaucracy are too FBU to cope);   one repugnant person appears to be deliberately spreading the virus (this happened at times with the AIDS epidemic as well ... ), one staggering pseudo-priest is spreading lies, and other appalling people are causing anti-health measures mayhem and anti-police violence (one has been jailed, hundreds have been arrested [and several police officers had to be hospitalised], and others are being sought) - some in France;   repugnant republicans who are blocking health measures for children may face legal action;   the PROFIT-MAKING aspects of the denialist industry;   a summary overview of the viral evolution aspects;   political games / pressures pushing for premature reopening;   schools in the UK will use CO2 monitors to "aid school ventilation";   WHY WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO "LIVE WITH THE VIRUS";   Australia's bureaucracy is hiding how many immigration prisoners have been vaccinated;   WE MUST VACCINATE AT LEAST 90% OF THE POPULATION TO AVOID MASS FATALITIES - see also this;   difficulty getting vaccinations for children with disabilities;   boosters WILL happen (why does anyone doubt that?);   the NEED to stop ****ing around and address ventilation - and other lessons we should have learned from addressing TB! (as someone who has fought for safer ventilation in office buildings since the 80s, I will be pleased if the IPOCs finally shut up and just do this);   "as always, [Scott's] slogan is more spin than science, and the phoney distinction will be dangerous to our health, our wealth and our society";   persuading the reluctant;   details of the rapid onset of distressing symptoms for some victims - and a call not to delay seeking help, which is why a woman died alone, at home;   overwork is killing delivery drivers in South Korea;   the continuing need for multicultural messages;   fed up with Commonwealth inaction, Qld will build its own regional quarantine facility;   the danger of false economies leading to a repeat of mistakes;   the need to review the endemic, unquestioning use of outsourcing;
  
  
  (Berkana - healing & compassion)
  
  
  
• on genocides and other human rights issues:
  "‘algorithmic management’ makes work more stressful and less satisfying";   classist and politically biased attitudes towards one particular soup kitchen and homeless people in a park;   more on the evidence of war crimes by Tigrayan rebels;   Belarus has done a Xinjiang, China by building detention camps for dissidents;   another privacy breach by NSW police;   "public housing the key element to stop ex-prisoners re-offending";   more on the "dangerous" overreach of changes to surveillance laws;   "fears of neo-Nazis in military ranks";   the problem of the medically unrecognised alleged medical condition "excited delirium" being used as an excuse by police;   an ethnic minority is fleeing Ethiopia to Sudan;   "Somalia hit by triple threat of climate crisis, COVID and conflict";   an eSwatini police officer has said ‘not in my name’ by resigning, as civil society organisations call for that nation's head of state to be charged by the ICC;   child labour in Ethiopia;   revelations that idiotic police in the USA chased a non-existent "antifa" bus;   we are inching towards better protection against modern slavery (as our current act has weaknesses);   "eSwatini’s army commander ... [has] resigned ... after police ... released secret audio recordings of him allegedly plotting to kill a newspaper editor";   to our everlasting shame, our SAS in Afghanistan appear to have been our drunken, drugged version of what was being portrayed in the film "Platoon" ... ;   how bigots are getting around social media rules to stop the transmission of hate;   "money 'justice'";   a Chinese company in Mozambique has enslaved local workers during the pandemic;   an atrocity alert for Afghanistan, Niger, and Burma;   "neo-Nazis are using anti-lockdown protests to recruit new members";   a witness to alleged war crimes by Australians in Afghanistan has been relocated by Defence after an explosion at their home was not investigated by police;   concerns about an suspected miscarriage of justice in Iraq;   new powers to fight crime on the hidden net - but with concerns;   several police in Thailand have tortured and killed a prisoner;   criticism of India's failure to act on a four year old Supreme Court ruling protecting privacy;  
  "due to continuing political violence by President Lukashenko's regime, including the arrests and torture of over 35,000 civilian protestors, Genocide Watch considers Belarus to be at Stage 8: Persecution";   "
  due to continuing denial of the extent of the Junta’s crimes during the Dirty War and the continuing discrimination against indigenous peoples, Genocide Watch considers Argentina to be at Stage 3: Discrimination and Stage 10: Denial";  
  "because of violence and discrimination against Coptic Christians, arrests of human rights defenders and journalists, and denial of Bedouins’ citizenship and property rights, Genocide Watch considers Egypt to be at Stage 3: Discrimination, Stage 7: Polarization, and Stage 8: Persecution";  
  "while Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States have historically endured discrimination, harassment, and persecution, surges in violence in 2020-2021 underscore the magnitude of the AAPI communities’ plight. Because of the prevalence of anti-Asian hate incidents, including verbal and online harassment, physical assault, civil rights violations, and, in the case of Atlanta, a mass shooting resulting in the deaths of eight individuals,  Genocide Watch considers the situation in the United States to include Stage 3 (Discrimination), Stage 4 (Dehumanisation), and Stage 6 (Polarization)";  
   
• from Human Rights Watch:
  apparently unlawful strikes on Gaza destroyed homes and livelihood; no flight out of Kabul should have empty seats; Paralympians shouldn’t have to fight to access rights; Brazil's president blocks critics on social media; more than 300 people rescued by MSF can safely disembark in Italy; European countries should lead effort to facilitate safe passage for Afghans at risk while UN rights body should investigate abuses in Afghanistan; journalists in Pakistan raise alarm over proposed new media law; Rohingya refugees die at sea; crackdown on human rights defenders in Palestine; lack of home-based services denies older people in Russia dignified lives; response to Haiti earthquake needs to meet people’s needs; former Chad dictator Hissène Habré dies in prison; a call to compensate Hissène Habré’s Victims; Russia prosecutes critics in occupied Crimea; food insecurity in Madagascar; Zambia’s new government should champion rights; thousands of Afghans still hope for evacuation; new report on deaths of thousands of migrant workers in Qatar; justice needed for Sri Lanka's disappeared, and for ethnic cleansing campaign in Myanmar; Biden shouldn't soft-pedal Ukraine on human rights; telecommunications decree curtails free speech in Cuba; Congress in Brazil should reject an anti-indigenous rights bill; deadly attacks at Kabul airport throw evacuation effort in chaos; Ugandan government harass rights groups; US administration should roll back Trump era immigration policy; Brazil's poor record at inclusive education; Tanzanian president's sexist remarks; a glimpse into Iranian prison abuses; it's past time to stop COVID-19 inequalities;   risks to media in South Korean laws;  
  
  
  
  
  
• on democracy:
  the need for electoral reform to prevent harm;   "Capitol police officers who were attacked and beaten during the insurrection at the US Congress on 6 January by extremist supporters of [#45] filed a lawsuit ... against the former Republican president, his ally Roger Stone and members of far-right extremist groups";   concerns over the dodginess of "ministerial discretion";   disturbing evidence of egos and budgetary focuses in firefighting;   “former 7:30 host ... alarmed by Australia’s authoritarian drift” and “about the increasing “militarisation” of police forces”;   a call to publish data on CEO pay ratios;   democracy in Tunisia has been further deferred;   a successful post-electoral transfer of power in Zambia;   "Empire Energy’s “close financial and personal relationships” with the Liberal party warrant an investigation into the government’s decision to award it $21m in federal gas exploration grants, a Senate inquiry [sic] has found";   censorship continues to spread in Hong Kong;   a call to tax wealth properly;   the benefits of a UBI;   the dangers of the growing "precariat";   a major media "empire" "strikes back" at the ABC’s documentary on a right wing media platform’s championing of #45;   the Treasurer's "directions to ASIC throw the banking royal commission under a bus";  
  
  
  (democracy)
  
  
  
• on LGBTIQ+ matters:
  a murder in the USA may be homophobic;   religious and political bigots;   community gardens to help heal LGBT Ugandans from the trauma of discrimination/abuse;   "Brazil’s first transgender pastor: ‘All humans have flaws, being trans isn’t one of them’";  
  
  
• on racism:
  in the ACT;   regret for racism in sport;   late and slow vaccinations have allowed the delta variant into vulnerable Indigenous communities;  
  
  
• on sexism and misogyny:
  sexism in part of the art world;   "all-female  vegan rangers leading anti-poaching in Zimbabwe" (see also here, here, and here);   "Grace Tame urges action on matters of consent, condemns reputational damage control";   helping women recover from economic abuse by partners;   regressive attitudes are undermining progressive laws;  
  
  
• on ableism:
  inequity in the Paralympics;   Disability Services Australia has gone into voluntary administration, citing economic pressures from the pandemic, as "Shadow NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says the federal government's "savage cuts" played a part in DSA's insolvency";   belated privacy protection for witness at the disability Royal Commission;  
  
  
• on animal rights: 
  implementation of improved protection of animals from domestic netting;  
  
  
• on other matters:
  finally some common sense allowances for the fact that humans are all different when trying to look at food advice;   "changes to superannuation rules mean for-profit funds may not disclose poor performance";   a call for reform of our merger laws to stop companies eliminating their competition;