Post No. 3,514 - Some (hopefully) interesting reading / viewing / listening - Saturday 22nd August, 2026

I recently found the following interestingoand/orouseful, and am posting them here inocase anyoneoelse does asowelll.   

• “The Human Family Tree Has No Beginning”   https://youtu.be/OeHaG6EsOhQ   “Scientists once believed they could pinpoint the moment when humans first appeared. But as new fossils have filled in our evolutionary history, that defining moment has begun to disappear – replaced by a far stranger picture of what it means to be human.   Lucy is one of the most famous fossils ever discovered, but in recent years her spotlight has dimmed. She was part of the species Australopithecus afarensis and for decades was considered one of our earliest known human ancestors. To understand Lucy is to understand the story of discovery, human evolution and, ultimately, the changing story of us.”   Chapters include:   “The Human Leap That Never Happened,   The Evolutionary Gap In The Human Record,   So... What Counts as Human?,   The Line We Invented”   

• This is utterly unacceptable - as a former sailor, I acknowledge that the ocean is theirs first, and we’re second. (It possibly is actionable under international animal welfare conventions [or maybe even the bans on whaling?] - I hope whoever did this is found and punished under whatever laws do apply)   “Iberian orca known for ramming boats seen with suspected gunshot wounds | Whales | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/iberian-orca-known-for-ramming-boats-seen-with-suspected-gunshot-wounds   

• “Women’s physical and mental health ‘inseparable’, new endometriosis research finds”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/womens-physical-and-mental-health-inseparable-new-endometreosis-research-finds/lhvljp9zo   “New research has exposed an "enormous" gap in Australia’s women’s healthcare system.”   AND ALSO   “For Indigenous people, connection to Country can be a preventive health measure”   https://theconversation.com/for-indigenous-people-connection-to-country-can-be-a-preventive-health-measure-289306   “Studies show that when Indigenous people are displaced from or denied access to Country, measurable declines in mental health, physical health and social and emotional wellbeing follow.   And when Country is damaged, Indigenous people feel it.   It’s more than a connection to nature”    

• “My Bare Face Really Bothered This Woman”   https://youtu.be/YywsrxeA0VM   “woman left a comment on my video about not wearing makeup, calling women like me sloppy and lazy—and describing herself as “classic classy chic.”   I have no problem with women wearing makeup. Wear as much or as little as you want. But when did a bare face become proof that a woman has stopped caring about herself? And why do some women feel the need to insult other women just to defend their own choices?   In this video, I’m responding to the comment, the assumptions behind it, and the rather surprising contradiction I discovered afterward. The real conversation goes much deeper than this one person.”   

• “This Farmer Spent 15 Years Doing What Everyone Said Was Impossible”   https://youtu.be/o8uk25_P8Ww   “Ernst Götsch, a Swiss plant geneticist who walked away from a federal research career in Zurich, spent the next four decades on land everyone else had written off   ...   This is what happens when you stop fighting the land and start learning how it wants to recover.   🌿 In this video, we cover:   How Götsch planted 500 hectares by hand in a single year — layering 40+ species the way an actual forest layers itself, without a published guide, because none existed yet;   Why he cut healthy branches off thriving trees on purpose, and the plant hormone cycle that made it the fastest way to rebuild fertility in stripped soil.”   AND ALSO   “Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show | Rewilding | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/21/somerset-rewilding-holnicote-estate-wetlands-rivers-resilience   

• “Our Paranormal Afterlife : Finding Proof of Life After Death: Parallel Lives”   https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/our-paranormal-afterlife-finding-proof-of-life-after-death/id1354455555?i=1000784756475   “This week I'm talking to Mira Kelly about her book, 'Beyond Past Lives: What Parallel Realities Can Teach Us about Relationships, Healing, and Transformation'. In this book, regressionist Mira Kelley shares the life-changing lessons she has learned from her clients to help you find support and understanding, and to empower you in your own growth. Mira teaches you how to connect with your Higher Self in any moment to receive guidance. You’ll come to understand how everything around you is just a reflection of yourself, why is it important to forgive, why you have the right to love yourself, and how the Universe always supports you lovingly and unconditionally. The stories contained in these pages will help you discover how to heal your body, mind, and spirit as you learn about the nature of time, karma, destiny, and free will—as well as how each choice creates a new reality for you.”   Note that forgiveness must not be toxic, and First Peoples’ communal approaches to solving problems is, IMO, better than patriarchal/capitalistic/neoliberal individualistic work   

• “Pentagon UFO Files Show Why Declassification Is Not Verification - WHITLEY STRIEBER'S UNKNOWN COUNTRY”   https://unknowncountry.com/headline-news/pentagon-ufo-files-show-why-declassification-is-not-verification/   AND ALSO   “An Alien Abduction of the Communist Kind”   https://ryansprague.substack.com/p/an-alien-abduction-of-the-communist    

 

On neurodivergenceoand associatedomatters:    

• “Inside the Government’s NDIS Reform Briefing”   https://snarkygherkin.substack.com/p/inside-the-governments-ndis-reform   “I’ve been sent the FOI release briefing behind the latest NDIS reforms. Here’s what it actually says, in normal language.”   This is an EXCELLENT critique and analysis of the proposed changes to the NDIS   FROM LATER IN THE WEEK:   “Controversial NDIS changes get last-minute green light as Labor cuts deal with Coalition”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/controversial-ndis-changes-last-minute-green-light-labor-deal-coalition/js08pvtlm   “The government unveiled 63 changes in response to community concern, just hours before the final vote was due to take place.”   One of the major remaining concerns is cuts to funding about social connection - but isolation can kill. See:   https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/health-wellbeing/social-isolation-and-loneliness ,  https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2025-social-connection-linked-to-improved-heath-and-reduced-risk-of-early-death ,  https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/risk-factors/index.html ,  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201901/can-you-die-loneliness (“Loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes per day”) ,   “Social disconnection and mortality: new evidence for old truths”   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661323001973   “In an updated meta-analysis of 90 prospective studies with over two million adults, Wang et al. found that social isolation and loneliness were linked to a substantial increase in all-cause mortality in the general population” ,   https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/social-challenges-such-as-isolation-linked-to-earlier-death ,   “How social isolation, loneliness can shorten life”   https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/10/how-social-isolation-loneliness-can-shorten-your-life/   “Researchers show two are not same thing but can be connected, sometimes in surprising ways”   

• “ADHD is a social construct, but so too is cancer”   https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/08/18/adhd-is-a-social-construct-but-so-too-is-cancer/#gsc.tab=0   

• “The CBT Problem Nobody Talks About | Autism & ADHD”   https://youtu.be/tWazmp-358I   “Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy, coping skills, or multiple therapists, only to be told that you are “treatment-resistant”? Sometimes the problem is not the person. Sometimes it is a mismatch between the therapy model and the person’s nervous system”   In my case, I find the dismissive attitude of CBT towards emotion extremely concerning   

• “Can Level 1 Autism Become Level 2? What Autistic Burnout Changes”   https://youtu.be/6bjcGfK1K-U   The answer is yes, levels (support needs) CAN change      

 

On society, governance, humanorights, etc:    

• “PBS should fund drug to treat breast cancer, endometriosis and gender dysphoria, experts recommend”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/18/pbs-breast-cancer-endometriosis-gender-dysphoria-puberty-blocker-drug-triptorelin-ntwnfb   AND ALSO   “Biological sex is neither binary nor a spectrum – a biologist explains how it’s multidimensional”   https://theconversation.com/biological-sex-is-neither-binary-nor-a-spectrum-a-biologist-explains-how-its-multidimensional-289786   

• “Race Discrimination Commissioner welcomes decision in Hanson v Faruqi appeal”   https://humanrights.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/media-releases/race/race-discrimination-commissioner-welcomes-decision-in-hanson-v-faruqi-appeal   “In its judgment, the Full Federal Court said: "The issue of intersectionality was the subject of helpful submissions by the Race Discrimination Commissioner, which drew attention to a long history of learning around the nature of identity and intersectional discrimination."   The primary judge correctly found that “Senator Hanson’s anti-Muslim comments were … directed at Muslims as immigrants and as being different to Senator Hanson’s conception of what it is to be Australian”.  In the circumstances of this case, “Senator Hanson’s anti-Muslim rhetoric was directed at Muslims because of their race, colour and immigrant status, as much as because of their religion”.   ‘This decision reflects the reality of how discrimination and vilification are experienced in the real world,’ Commissioner Sivaraman said.   ‘Everyone has different characteristics that make up who they are. For many people, their cultural, ethnic and religious identities are deeply interconnected. They cannot always be separated, and people are often targeted for multiple reasons at once.”   

• “NSW Supreme Court criticises IHRA definition as ‘detached from reality’”   https://www.deepcutnews.com/p/nsw-supreme-court-criticises-ihra   “Justice Fagan says Zionism 'open to criticism' in decision on graffiti case”   There are questions about the professional competence of those who chose to lay charges, IMO   

• “Making a Choice | "Ordinary Men" and Resistance History”   https://youtu.be/PW22tET0Vc4   “One day in Poland in 1942, ordinary German men were ordered to murder 1,500 people, and their commander told them they could step out of the ranks instead. Thirteen did. The rest stayed.   What happened that day matters for how we understand those men, in that place, in that war. But it also opens a harder question, the one I'm chasing in my work on resistance: if doing the right thing requires an action — not declining to go along, but visibly, physically acting — and most people won't take that step even when it costs nothing, what does it take to act when it could cost everything?   Standing still was never neutral; the killing went forward through the men who merely stayed put. The people who resisted did something more than refuse. They acted — with something real to lose and no promise it would work. And then they acted again the next day. That's the psychology I want to understand.”   This is disturbing - but important.   

• “What should the AFL do when players face sexual assault allegations?”   https://theconversation.com/what-should-the-afl-do-when-players-face-sexual-assault-allegations-289965   “Every time a major sporting organisation appears to minimise an allegation, hide behind an unclear process, or prioritises a season over safety, it sends a message to women and girls about who our community values.   It also sends a message to men and boys about what institutions will tolerate.   Conversely, a fair, transparent and independent response can model something different: that sexual violence is taken seriously, that it has consequences and that authorities can support victim survivors while also following due process.   Ideally, Australia needs a national strategy for preventing and responding to gender-based violence in sport, aligned with the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.”   AND ALSO   “Boys are rarely taught to be caring. If they were, we could better prevent domestic violence”   https://theconversation.com/boys-are-rarely-taught-to-be-caring-if-they-were-we-could-better-prevent-domestic-violence-288698   

• “3M knew for more than 50 years that its products could harm humans, Australian government alleges in court documents”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/18/3m-knew-for-more-than-50-years-that-its-products-could-harm-humans-australian-government-alleges-in-court-documents   “Exclusive: Federal government court filings claim internal company documents included warnings about products being toxic”   

• “Report supporting Australia’s teen social media ban appears to contain AI hallucinations, Senate hears | Social media ban | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/17/australia-social-media-ban-report-ai-hallucinations-ntwnfb   “Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds one section of report includes links to academic articles that do not exist, but authors deny the references were made up by AI”   

• “Alarm raised over ‘privacy dilemma’ of facial recognition technology at Coles and Woolworths”   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/18/concerns-security-privacy-facial-recognition-technology-coles-woolworths   “Supermarkets say they are exploring ways to keep people safe, but experts claim the tech is ‘normalising surveillance’”   

• “Social Democracy Without Social Connection?”   https://www.fabians.org.au/social_democracy_without_social_connection?      

 

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlightopossible flaws / issues youoshouldoconsider: 

• there mayobe flawedologicaloarguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ freeoonline course “Clear and Present Thinking”;  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinkingocaps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

Gnwmythr 

teaching the "good" (balancedopositive and spirituallyomature) 
safer ways to counter the "bad" (outoofobalance, spirituallyoimmature) 

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Remember: we generallyoneed to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgenderingois an act of activeotransphobia/transmisiaothat 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 descriptoroto prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither).

#PsychicABetterWorld   and  

  

Note that I am cutting back on aspects of my posts - see here, and Gnwmythr is pronounced new-MYTH-ear  

Copyright © Kayleen White 2007-2026     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. AI was NOT used to write this article. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/  

 

 

Post No. 2,880 - Some interesting reading/viewing

Here are some llinks that might of interest or value:

• “As A Scientist, I Didn’t Believe In Psychic Powers. Then I Experienced Something That Changed My Life”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scientist-psychic-psi-power_n_65ac31dae4b041f1ce662f4d   “I wasn’t open to experiences and possibilities outside the realm of what was considered “normal,” but that was all about to change”      

• “How Does Autistic Empathy Work? (Autism, Double Empathy)”   https://youtu.be/yYbdNw7JRCQ   This is the most brilliant analysis of empathy (especially the types of empathy, and the desire of some neurotypicals for performative responses) I have ever come across      

• “Why Being A High-Masking Autistic Is Challenging”   https://youtu.be/t4MD5SwKKEc   There are some very good points in this - points that extend beyond the neurodivergent communities, and could be usefully applied by neurotypical people/DEI experts (which is why it is here)     
  

• an excellent video from an excellent channel in response to a new, very interesting hashtag (#FailTails):   “My Witchcraft Fails: Things I'm Terrible At As A Witch! #FailTails”   https://youtu.be/mrpN9hvIybY   (the hashtag picks up a few older, obviously irrelevant videos)      

• Ivy the Occultist has organised another “What Would You Do” panel discussion (with time for discussion between the panel members after each has answered each question - which I consider an excellent change, and it was great to see people from such a wide range of cultures and/or practices):   “WWYD EP. 4 - Being Cursed, Channelling Entities, Shadow Work, Occult Ritual Tools Show-And-Tell”   https://youtu.be/NzZkFX1gzRo      I haven’t watched all of this as yet, but a few comments so far:   Q.1 - if you are inclined to return a hex to someone, remember that souls are not extinguished, and thus you will at some future time have (because you just linked yourself to them) to account to them face to face as to why you thought your action was justifiable - especially in the context of previous and subsequent life events/actions - I personally have found such approaches to be of short term, personal vengeance “satisfaction” only, and not of any value in any time over a few decades at most. The inclusion of christian aspects, typically as a result of childhood experiences, was a little surprising to me, but makes sense in terms of this post of mine. I liked Sanhre’s response, and the comments about sending back neutrality and looking after your spiritual ecosystem, and Ivy Corvus’s perspective. In the discussion, the comments about a broader perspective on what is happening in the world is excellent;   Q.2 - I skimmed this (and see here). The comments about medical systems are sometimes more for one nation than others, IMO. This section didn’t particularly resonate for me (although the comments about things becoming trends for the wrong reason and the interactions between spellwork and shadow work were particularly good), which is why I wound up skimming it, but it likely will for others;   Q.3 - this was variable - some was very good, and all of it was at least OK. I would add an emphasis on the importance of protection - especially against disharmonious energies/entities/influences, more so than against evil. See also here;   Q.4 - this was interesting - and had some good humour;     

• an analysis which finds trigger/content warnings are of value. The comments of viewers pointing out that the warnings also enable people to time viewing such content when they have the energy/mood to cope is an additional and important point that should be noted; 
  

• this week’s “afterlife report” by the  Zammits:  
     https://www.victorzammit.com/September20th2024/  
  

• my   candle magick for the world  and   candles in the service of life incl human rights & democracy & caring for the world; 

• my recent posts on my political blog:  
• “On abuse of power”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/on-abuse-of-power.html      “No! Not this again!! This does NOT help anyone - ever!!!”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/no-not-this-again-this-does-not-help.html      “The pushback of amathiacs”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-pushback-of-amathiacs.html      “War vs peace, and the mass casualty event in Lebanon”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/war-vs-peace-and-mass-casualty-event-in.html      “Other world events related to West Asia”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/other-world-events-related-to-west-asia.html      “Other acts of hate in the world   [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on oppression/bigotry/hate, violence/abuse/SA/war. Reader discretion is advised]”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/other-acts-of-hate-in-world.html      “Some thoughts on managers who “don’t know what to do””   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/09/some-thoughts-on-managers-who-dont-know.html     
  
  
• also from YouTube:
  

• This has commentary on runes, including their theft and misuse by right wing fanatics (but I disagree with the concept of changing the alphabet to runic lettering):   “Why we should go back to writing in runes”   https://youtu.be/4npuVmGxXuk   It comes with a few interesting links, including   a database on archaeological evidence of runes:   https://www.rundata.info/   and   a (Latin alphabet) text to various sets of runes convertor:   https://valhyr.com/pages/rune-converter     
  
  
• from YouTube and elsewhere on neurodivergence: 
• “Recognizing Neurodivergent Discrimination (double empathy, autism, and neuroism)”   https://youtu.be/tNQGJ42x7Lc   This is the best video in a while from this channel      
  
  
• “Autistics Struggle Making Decisions”   https://youtu.be/GSzsu4NSUd8     
  
  
• “The perfect guide to Autism? - Neurodiversity for Dummies [Autistic Book Review]”   https://youtu.be/0ieqSRIR-sc     
  
  
• “Meltdowns in Autistic Adults and 7 Perspectives | September Autism Creator Collab”   https://youtu.be/OkLbBJFyrKE    
  

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below, and there’s also Instagram. 

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).

 

Copyright © Kayleen White 2007-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/