I have decided to post this early so I can focus on the fallout from the US elections - whatever that result may be.
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I’m going to begin this week with a comment that my recovery from a corporate working “life” has got to the stage where I occasionally daydream - which is a sign of recovering creativity, curiosity, wonder, and emotional & thinking function.
That is good in and of itself, but it is also helping as we go through the process of moving home and resolving various health issues.
Schools have cropped up a bit in my feed this week, with: one YouTube creator posting about “organising” a mutiny against an inflexible authoritarian; a potentially dangerous suggestion to grade students on their behaviour (bigots [especially christo-fascist/christian nationalist religious zealots] aka “conservatives” imposing [as they have done for two excruciating millennia] their ideas of what constitutes good behaviour are an obvious problem, but so is bullying - and I have personal experience of the uselessness of teachers and parents on the issue, and sympathise with this action); and the dangers of ableist, white supremacist, and parental abuses.
Of some relevance to the preceding paragraph are: the “values” problems shown by the arrogance of contractors committing acts of trespass and harm to an Indigenous eco-business DESPITE being warned not to; the active destruction of social media safeguards (and there could be legal cases about the output from AI ... and organisations are still using dangerous practices when it comes to data management); naive idealism around the old fashioned use of the word liberalism; and that conservatism is associated with worse health and life in the USA (and Finland may be heading that way). On that, one article has found that the founder of Australia’s “Liberal” party would be horrified by its current state - ESPECIALLY its housing policy.
On a more positive note: one US First Nations teen has been sharing the significance of Indigenous hair on social media; and the recent and otherwise largely disappointing UN COP16 biodiversity summit has agreed on measures to protect Indigenous representation and input (a little like a successful version of our heartbreaking Voice referendum).
However, it appears some in officialdom are trying their hand at vindictive back-stabbing that has endangered the entire family of an autistic boy who was cleared of charges based on what could be viewed as entrapment by officialdom ... At least one mega-corporation has yielded to decency - after being sued for discrimination. On a slightly different note with officialdom, refusal to accept and prepare for the reality of climate change contributed to the death toll from flash floods in Spain; others are still trying to leave Australians exposed to major personal risks by restricting privacy; others are silencing truth telling to cover up white supremacism (aka racism such as this) and what comes from that - including pretentious dog whistling attacks.
Further to that, ethics is another theme that has appeared this week - in a poor light, beginning with: a “The Guardian” exclusive on media hysteria fuelling an utterly unethical (in my opinion) ‘mob mentality’ attack on a prosecutor in a rape case that sabotaged that case (and directly harmed the mental health of the victim); employers “short-changing” workers of record amounts of the workers’ superannuation; a media regulator who can’t even read evidence, let alone do her job; staff at the AEC being sacked for fabricating survey data; in a perfect example of toxic loyalty (in the form of populist pseudo-nationalism), a YouTube creator has been criticised online for criticising recent historical abuses, but not those of Henry VIII ... ; a nurse has been - rightfully, in my opinion - “deregistered” for sadistic abuse of a dementia patient; and more entirely preventable surveillance capitalism spying through objects.
Politically, Australians have been reminded that the chaos in the USA could happen here - especially over ideas that those in control have special access and special privileges, which segues into a special report that shows how disinformation fuelled ethnic tensions in Kaduna, Nigeria, Russian has interfered in Moldovan elections, attempted to mail an incendiary device to the UK as a dry run for a similar (plane threatening) plot for the USA and Canada, and made bomb threats to US polling booths; and multiple arrests in Germany over an alleged plot to establish n_ z_-inspired regime and the jailing in Sweden of a far-right leader who tried to create social division (and Islamophobia).
Internationally: there has been a call for the West to give Ukraine “free rein” over North Korea joining Russia’s war, which is a potentially dangerous escalation in response to an escalatory act of desperation made by a nation that was finding itself unable to win (the question is whether North Korean troops are as effective now as they were during the active phase of the still technically continuing Korean War: this suggests not, and that such free rein is likely unsupportable); and Israel’s PM Netanyahu has been potentially linked to a(nother) scandal which seems to be along the lines that secret documents were doctored to create a lie about the hostages being moved to another nation, were leaked, and then were subsequently publicly supported by Netanyahu (who is dependent on the hardline right [who are supported by an ultranationalist TV channel which is becoming Israel’s most-watched “news” source] for support to stay in power, and on staying in power to manage court cases against him for corruption). Also, Israel’s capture in northern Lebanon of an alleged H_______h official has caused consternation/concern - including at the UN, which can suspend Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. The brief hope that Israel might be preparing the way for a ceasefire has been snuffed out with the person who floated it being sacked - to the ire of many Israelis ... who are not far right MKs keeping Netanyahu in power, and thus, sadly, don’t count. Hopes for a ceasefire or similar now shift to Iran, where reformist clerics have implied Iran should back a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Meanwhile, the influence of the war in Sudan continues to spread beyond Sudan’s borders ...
As a final item for thought, maybe watch and consider: “Strategy of Protest and Revolution 1: Basic Elements” https://youtu.be/YeK1VAZrjso I haven’t watched the subsequent episodes, which are based on historical examples, but there are some interesting points on social movements in this, including internal fighting, the benefits of organisation in reducing costs to participants types of organisation & context, types of grand strategy, etc. Note that violence has now been clearly demonstrated to NOT be effective.
Here are some llinks that might of interest or value:
- “The world’s oldest tree? Genetic analysis traces evolution of iconic Pando forest” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03570-4 “A vast colony of aspen clones could hold clues about how ancient organisms protect their genomes from harmful mutations.”
- “The Problem With Mindfulness | Therapist Explains How It Can Backfire” https://youtu.be/1Nw6GedZUOg This includes a good comment on the difference between mindfulness and meditation
- This lecture by a physicist included some interesting calculations, including an analysis of hypothesis as to why some cars restart after they have been stopped by the nearby presence of a UFO which predicted that around 10% would restart themselves ... and that matched well with the around 10% of several HUNDRED reports of cars being stopped under those circumstances - which, as the lecturer pointed out, in turn meant those people were (at least on that aspect) telling the truth. ““More Things in Heaven and Earth” UFO/UAP Teach-In with Kevin Knuth (Full Lecture)” https://youtu.be/TTtlgDB3Lts I’m not familiar with the organisation that posted this, but I will start to check out their other content.
And having started doing so: ““More Things in Heaven and Earth” UFO/UAP Teach-In with Jim Garrison (Full Lecture)” https://youtu.be/NPmn2XWJiW0 which includes some significant comments about the climate crisis (which is described as humans releasing energy into the environment at the rate of several Hiroshima bombs per second) and the growing risk of a nuclear war and “Global Disclosure Day 2024 (Official Livestream Replay) Presented by the New Paradigm Institute” https://youtu.be/hufO5C8sik4 I am a little wary of some of the speakers and others I have the greatest respect for, but you can make up your own minds, Dear Readers. It was good to see such a wide range of nations (not all English speaking, not all white) and groups included. I understand this in tended to be an annual event
- this week’s “afterlife report” by the Zammits:
< to be inserted later this week >
- also from YouTube:
- “From Trauma to Transcendence” https://youtu.be/_Bj7dUVzug8 The interviewee, Robin Lassiter, has written - with others - a book: “Earth: A Love Story” (pub. Honeyheart Press, 2023, ISBN 9798861434881; Amazon) I will also be following the podcast of the interviewer, Kelly Chase: “The UFO Rabbit Hole Podcast”
- from YouTube and elsewhere on neurodivergence:
- “I used to believe this LIE about Autism & ROUTINES” https://youtu.be/RhJytxiIodY This gives an excellent commentary on the issues of rituals, routines (some of which are - dangerous, damaging & draining - masking), and schedules - including misconceptions
- “Four Voices of Internalized Ableism” https://aureliaundertheradar.wordpress.com/2024/11/03/four-voices-of-internalized-ableism/
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Note that I am cutting back on aspects of my posts - see here.
(Gnwmythr is pronounced new-MYTH-ear)
Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither)..jpg)
