Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Post No. 3,474 - Some (hopefully) interesting reading / viewing / listening - Saturday, 20th June, 2026

I recently found the following interesting and/or useful, and am posting them here in case anyone else does as well.  

 

  

  • “When the Screen Holds Your Secret”   https://breakingthesilence001.substack.com/p/when-the-screen-holds-your-secret   “Reflections on Disclosure Day and what it stirred   ...   I’m still processing.”   This is easily the best comment about the movie I have yet come across      AND ALSO      “An A-Team for the Orbs. No One for the People”   https://mazetometanoia.substack.com/p/an-a-team-for-the-orbs-no-one-for   “Every UAP report begins as a frightened person describing what they saw. Avi Loeb’s new science council has no one trained to listen.”   This is excellent, and the points are vital.   In the human rights / advocacy field there is a saying: “nothing about us without us”, and I have often thought that needs to be used more widely. It would actually fit here, if the events are viewed properly - starting, as described by the article, with the person.   That is easier said than done. When I worked in engineering, eventually public consultations were introduced, but initially engineers thought - arrogantly - that they could do the consultations, but, in that era, engineers were taught procedures, rather than true critical thinking, and lacked basic emotional competence (two skills I would to see taught more widely, much better, and from much younger ages), and it took a few abject failures here (in the 1990s) before they got out of the way and let the true experts in.   The article mentions nurses. Here nurse training shifted to exclusively university-based a few years ago (possibly at the insistence of people like 1990s engineers?), and the human side of their training seems to me (based on my unfortunate experiences) to have been less effective, but the ability to use those skills has also been impaired by cost cutting (“efficiency“) measures. I hope that if the additional roles are implemented those who are making any decisions about resourcing have the integrity and competence to listen to and accept the recommendations of the human skills experts.      ALSO SEE      “This is How Disclosure Disappears”   https://asirpjournal.substack.com/p/this-is-how-disclosure-disappears   “A UAP Science Advisory Council assembled by blog post and revised under public scrutiny. The demands were for the files; the answer is a committee. The danger is substitution.   ...   Discovery Is Not Disclosure”      AND ALSO      “After Grusch's "Sentient Plasmoid" Remark, Scientists Explore an Unusual Possibility”   https://unknowncountry.com/headline-news/after-gruschs-sentient-plasmoid-remark-scientists-explore-an-unusual-possibility/   “After David Grusch suggested that some nonhuman intelligences may take the form of “sentient plasmoid life,” a pair of papers by Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Rudolph Schild examines whether organized plasma phenomena in Earth’s atmosphere could represent an unconventional form of life.”      AND ALSO      “The Real Disclosure Day: Scientists Revise the Rules for Announcing Extraterrestrial Intelligence”   https://unknowncountry.com/headline-news/the-real-disclosure-day-scientists-revise-the-rules-for-announcing-extraterrestrial-intelligence/   “New international protocols outline how evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence should be verified, announced, and managed—and reaffirm that no one should respond on behalf of humanity without global consultation.”   The last point, about global collaboration, is vital      BUT ALSO      While Whitley Strieber has done a massive amount of good for the experiencer and, more generally, the UFO/UAP/ET fields - including the bad experiences, every now and then he does something which makes me wary of him - such the praise at   https://substack.com/@whitleystrieber1/note/c-273311526   for the older form of the (religious [neochristian]) “Western mind”, which, as an Aboriginal woman whose people were subjected to genocide, a member of multiple minority groups subjected to the abuses of the patriarchy and capitalism and neoliberalism, and a human staring at the early devastation of the climate crisis, the so-called “Western mind”, a euphemism for “Western civilisation”, IMO, is not something to be taken as inherently or predominantly or uncritically “good” - it had its good points, but it also had slavery, colonialism, industrialisation, and the destruction of human, social, and environmental capital in Indigenous systems which created things like Yindyamarra, Yindyamarra Winhanganya, Dadirri, and Ngumbaadyil. 
    Finally, for the sake of clarity: my view is that the majority of extraterrestrials visiting this planet are part of the Gardeners of the Universe, who have the intention of serving Life (including the sort of activist intervention used by First Peoples here to turn this continent into a park for tens of thousands of years), and most western academics/investigators/experiencers struggle to comprehend that because they (1) lack the benefit of Eastern and/or Indigenous thinking, and (2) have been too warped by the patriarchy-capitalism-neoliberalism troika. When they get over an excessive focus on tech and physical evidence (some focus is necessary and good) and look at consciousness (including a whispered hint of personal/spiritual growth - of betterment as individual people) they often start to work more effectively with the complexities and nuances of 
    the Gardeners of the Universe + nonBPM extraterrestrials + other BPM nonBPM NHIs(i.e., non-human intelligences - which I point out includes a lot of sentient Earth-evolved life) and the multiple BPM nonBPM interactions that can and DO occur between those groups and the various sub-groups of humans ... AND those interactions can and do show the need of a number of those ETs to improve how they do those interactions to be more respectful and empathic;   
  • “Should we stop and stare?”   https://youtu.be/4jZZLAUHy7U   “We’re told to produce results, meet targets, hit deadlines and keep moving. We are taught that activity is a virtue and reflection is a waste of time.   I think that is one of the biggest mistakes modern society makes.   In this video, I use William Henry Davies’ famous poem Leisure to explore why creativity, imagination, innovation and good judgement all require something that our culture increasingly discourages: time to stop and think.”   
  • “Why are we wasting so much human potential?”   https://youtu.be/ug5IXLLUh8o   “Every day, people with ability, creativity and ambition are prevented from becoming who they could be. Not because they lack talent, but because they lack opportunity.   For generations, poverty, discrimination and privilege have limited people’s chances in life. Many never receive the education they need. Many are forced into work that leaves no room for personal development. Many find their ambitions fading because society has decided that simply having a job is enough.   The result is a loss that we can never measure.   We cannot count the discoveries that were never made.   We cannot count the businesses that were never created.   We cannot count the works of art that were never produced.   And we cannot count the lives that might have been transformed if people had been given a fair chance.   This is not an argument for equality of outcome. People have different ambitions, talents and aspirations. The issue is whether everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential and become who they are capable of being.   Too often, the answer is no.   In this video, I explore how poverty, inequality, discrimination and privilege continue to waste human talent in Britain today, and why a politics of care would instead seek to nurture potential wherever it exists.   A society that wastes talent makes itself poorer.   The question is simple: how much talent are we wasting, and what could we achieve if everyone was given the chance to flourish?”   This applies elsewhere as well.   As Stephen Jay Gould said:   “I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.”   

 

On neurodivergence and associated matters:    

  • “Five Reasons Doctors Are Afraid to Diagnose Fibromyalgia”   https://youtu.be/IBYq_b2r7Z4   “Getting a fibromyalgia diagnosis shouldn't feel like begging to be believed — but for millions of patients, that's exactly what it feels like. In this video, Dr. Michael Lenz, MD breaks down the 5 real reasons your doctor may be hesitating to diagnose your fibromyalgia — from gaps in medical training to outright disbelief in the condition's reality — and gives you the exact language, diagnostic criteria, and scientific evidence you need to walk into your next appointment empowered”   

  

On society, governance, human rights, etc:    

  • “Why do older people support the far-right?”   https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/06/14/why-do-older-people-support-the-far-right/   “... this generation was promised something very different. It was told that economic growth, rising asset values, private pensions, home ownership and expanding consumer choice would provide security in old age. Instead, many now face deteriorating health, growing insecurity, declining public services, loneliness and a sense that the future they expected has not arrived.   The result is disappointment, and disappointment readily turns to anger when people feel that they have been misled”   

  

My recent article(s) on SubStack:   

The post title and details are shown across a photo with the alt text “A group of people are connecting to the trunk a life giving tree in a group of trees - also known as a forest”
 

 

My recent article(s) on Patreon:   

  • “DEI ... or a short cut? (1,082 words; 7 minutes)”   https://www.patreon.com/KayWhiteCoachingServices/posts/dei-or-short-cut-161253701   My work experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) began in the early 1990s, witnessing progress exemplified by better laws like the Australian Sex Discrimination Act. This legal advancement was paired with a change in societal perceptions, akin to the shift in attitudes toward drink driving. DEI has seen a sequence of improvements, moving, for example, from awareness of racism to anti-racism initiatives, and sexism issues have evolved from employment discrimination to addressing domestic violence. The prioritisation of issues in legislation is often influenced by activism and perceived urgency, which may not reflect the community's greatest needs. Additionally, social change faces resistance, prompting advocates and opponents to adapt their approaches continually, influencing the effectiveness of future DEI initiatives. One significant reason for resistance to change is discomfort with difference, which can have detrimental effects such as perpetuating harm to minority groups, obstructing objective consideration of issues, and hindering effective communication of valid points. While some aspects may lie outside the workplace DEI framework, effective progressive DEI enhances productivity, reduces staff wear and tear, improves retention, mitigates legal risks, and attracts talent. However, addressing individual discomfort with difference directly would violate personal integrity and is not feasible within workplace policies. Thus, discomfort with difference remains largely outside the purview of workplace DEI, despite the potential to alleviate some suffering if it were addressed.    

The article details are shown across a photo with the alt text "he hands of several women collaborating around a work meeting desk are visible"
 

 

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider: 

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking” 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

  

Gnwmythr 

teaching the "good" (balanced positive and spiritually mature) 
safe ways to counter the "bad" (
out of balance, spiritually immature) 

 

If you appreciated this post, please share it. I am now on SubStack, Patreon, 
and you can support me at PayPal (or PayPal Repeating Support Optionsor Ko-Fi 
Any and all support will be greatly appreciated, and will aid me in continuing this work
 

 

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).

#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. Typos 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/  


 

 

Sunday, 27 July 2025

Post No. 3,198 - From social media this week

My activism this week includes the following (lightly edited), which was written based on my response to this thread

Dear Members of Parliament, 

I see the US medical profession is reviewing the Diagnostic and Services Manual (DSM) again. Although that can potentially be a good technical reference, it is heavily biased by the fact that it is a US publication, and thus is written for their ludicrous mismanagement of health and their often backward social values. 

In particular, I came across an article (at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/apa-unveils-early-plans-next-dsm-2025a1000eu1) which suggests the USA's American Psychiatry Association is thinking of adding a condition for suicidality on the basis that “... a recent report estimated that 19.6% of individuals who attempted suicide did so despite not meeting criteria for any existing psychiatric disorder”

I would like to know (but have no way of finding out) how many of those 19.6% were living in poverty, living with conditions that they were unable to get diagnoses for, or a combination of both? (I also note that some mild depression is because the mildly depressed people actually have a better [more accurate] understanding of reality than those who are not depressed - e.g., about the very real existential threats of the climate crisis.) 

That aspect, however, is unlikely, IMO, to have received genuine consideration in the USA (despite the paper also noting "The Social Determinants subcommittee is tasked with assessing the impact on mental health from factors such as ethno-racial backgrounds, sex and gender, belief systems, personality, income, an individual’s living circumstances, and exposures through the years to both advantages and disadvantages") because of that nation's political biases since Reagan, which have become extreme since the current autocrat came to power earlier this year. As a result, they are likely going to blame victims for what is a political problem, with political solutions. 

Whatever comes out of the USA for some time will need, IMO, to be viewed with extreme caution by us - both for the usual adaptation to our culture and political philosophy, and also because of the extremist distortions that it is currently exhibiting, and I urge that changes to the next DSM (which, as also noted in the article, will be years off) be most carefully reviewed for credibility, suitability to Australia, etc before being allowed to influence our lives. 

I also noticed the following article, by Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at (UK) Sheffield University Management School Richard Murphy: 

"The crisis we face is because of our failure to meet the needs of young people"   https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/07/26/the-crisis-we-face-is-because-of-our-failure-to-meet-the-needs-of-young-people/   

That article also needs to viewed with some caution, as it is based on what is happening in the UK, including a housing situation that does not have the restorative building programmes that we have had for some time now. 

However, the graph showing differences in stress between "the anglosphere" and western Europe is quite striking, and it may be that we could learn something from an examination of that as well. 

I also note that the UK has recently committed to lowering the voting age to 16. The possibility of doing that here has received some media attention of late (and I consider suggestions of better civics education should also be applied to those who can already vote, as I am of the view that many young people are actually more aware of key issues than older voters)

I also note that the recent Youth Parliament of Victoria, which is open to people as young as 16, shows the political acuity and capability of young people - and I note, from https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/general-news/yp24opening, that "More than 30 pieces of Victorian legislation have originated in the Youth Parliament, including roadside drug testing, over the counter contraception, mandatory bicycle helmets and removal of glass from high-risk entertainment venues"

We may not be going to lower the voting age, even by providing voluntary voting for 16 and 17 year olds, but it would be good to see any bill that came out of the recent Youth Parliament that addresses climate issues adopted - especially as it would help emphasise the difference between progressive politics and the neoliberal conservatives who are still, in essence, debating whether climate change is real - which shows they don't understand climate science, and do not understand what [people in my home state] and Australians want. 



In response to a social media comment (by an Irish person) on   “Two in five arrested for last summer’s UK riots had been reported for domestic abuse”   https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/26/two-in-five-arrested-for-last-summers-uk-riots-had-been-reported-for-domestic-abuse   which included:   

“The link between domestic abuse & the far right has been anecdotal up to now AFAIK. A number of the far right Irish yobs, who regularly riot, have barring orders, served time or been prosecuted for domestic abuse. Their’s is the behaviour of criminality, in public & in private life”   

I posted (lightly edited for flow)

“I’ve read research indicating that if a person has one form of bigotry they're more likely to have another, and I’ve been on the receiving end of far right hate (in Australia), and that has led me to be wary of being on the receiving end of violence from some of those on the right, but I don’t know that it counts as evidence unless one views the current trend towards fascism and its inherent patriarchal views as part of the equation, in which case, MAYBE   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743520302097 (2011) Other research that MIGHT be relevant (by the way, it is late here, and I am ill - apologies for any lack of clarity) includes   https://www.livescience.com/16961-sexism-racism-linked-personality.html   https://www.shortform.com/blog/intersectional-racism/   and   https://theconversation.com/the-intersectionality-of-hate-helps-make-sense-of-the-ideology-of-donald-trump-and-the-far-right-230268   

 


Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider: 

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking” 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below, and theres also other options. Also, I am now on SubStack 

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).

#PsychicABetterWorld   and  

Copyright © Kayleen White 2007-2025     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. Typos 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/