This was originally posted on my main blog at https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2020/05/post-no-1570-in-this-weeks-news.html.
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Stay safe - wash your hands,
practice social distancing, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in
situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19
pandemic is a problem.
This is a new, very
cut down series of posts based on some observations on matters that struck a
personal note: unlike the former “Gnwmythr’s News”, it is not
trying to convey key events.
Content Warning: the linked articles and their descriptions here may be
about violence, abuse, hate, and other problems.
Reading I found
interesting this week included: an
excellent new book on emotions
(strongly recommended for older mangers - the link is to a brief review/article
on emotions I did); emotions are transmissible.
In this week’s
news: an interesting article
on a new, optimistic look at humans (my review here,
but also consider this); “the act of crying is not
cathartic. Talking to someone can be”; recessions scar
people for their entire lives.
In the environmental arena, where we have been
fighting World
War III for some time now: senior former public servants are angry over our history of climate change failures; China’s air pollution is increasing
again as the lockdown eases; a
reminder warnings on this go back to at
least the 80s - and, in fact, back into the 1800s
(the first book I read on the topic was in the 1970s); Australia’s neoliberals have agreed
to 21 of 26 recommendations from a former Business Council of Australia
president for cheap ways to reduce emissions - but a carbon price is still
considered best by many (including me); my home state
will experience more
frequent megafires - with inadequate time
for recovery of the bush; Antarctic krill and the massive amount of sea life which are
ultimately dependent on them are at
risk; Queensland’s new Human Rights Act is being used as the
basis for a legal
challenge by young people against a
coal mine; recycling in Portugal
has collapsed; Australia’s neoliberal government plans
subsidies to gas companies and an end to fracking bans along with some renewables
spending; backyard
beekeeping (why not native, stingless bees to reduce the risk of
anaphylactic shock?); maybe
better solar panels; Australia’s continuing
water emergency; a man who released a whale trapped in a net may
be fined
. . . .
On human and animal rights:
“beware those who persecute in the name of principle”;
Australians want to help with reconciliation, but don’t know how; Tongans view of a recent “real life Lord of the Flies” situation that was better than the book (which I posted a few weeks ago) was that their culture was key, and reporting to date shows a colonial bias; responding to racist attacks as a bystander;
Australia is still torturing refugees - and fighting court decisions; Malta has (effectively) killed 12 refugees;
mounting calls for an explanation on why a woman with a disability died alone; young people with disabilities are being bullied; why sex is a valid consideration as a need for people with disabilities;
confirmation that a notorious misogynistic radio presenter is misogynistic (and broke official radio standards); an appalling six years to resolve a sexual harassment claim;
Hungary has gone back to the Middle Ages; I’ve received a reasonable update on some local police matters; finally more investigations of gay hate crimes in another Australian state; a statement on IDAHOBIT from the Intersex community;
a Jewish violent extremist has been convicted in Israel;
anti-Semitism in Iran, including an existential threat, the USA (from that idiot, POTUS45), and Germany;
a financier of the Rwandan genocide has been arrested; victims of war crimes in Sri Lanka are still waiting for justice after 11 years; a call for Saudi Arabia to face consequences for the brutal murder of Jamal Kashoggi;
there is not even the pretence of judicial review in Egypt;
animal trafficking from South Africa to China; how to keep indoor cats happy (and ours has just unwrapped himself from around one arm to get a feed);
regulations are still a sticking point for tiny homes.
Immigration and refugee matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Greece; Greece;
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in: USA (online marriages as a cover for child abuse);
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in: a radio show in my home state; South Korea; Mexico; Panama (overdue good news); Albania (good news);
sexism and misogyny/misandry matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Pakistan; Nepal; Zimbabwe;
other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Indonesia; Tibet; eastern Tibet; Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet; Kurdistan; and
other matters (good and bad) have occurred in: DR Congo.
“beware those who persecute in the name of principle”;
Australians want to help with reconciliation, but don’t know how; Tongans view of a recent “real life Lord of the Flies” situation that was better than the book (which I posted a few weeks ago) was that their culture was key, and reporting to date shows a colonial bias; responding to racist attacks as a bystander;
Australia is still torturing refugees - and fighting court decisions; Malta has (effectively) killed 12 refugees;
mounting calls for an explanation on why a woman with a disability died alone; young people with disabilities are being bullied; why sex is a valid consideration as a need for people with disabilities;
confirmation that a notorious misogynistic radio presenter is misogynistic (and broke official radio standards); an appalling six years to resolve a sexual harassment claim;
Hungary has gone back to the Middle Ages; I’ve received a reasonable update on some local police matters; finally more investigations of gay hate crimes in another Australian state; a statement on IDAHOBIT from the Intersex community;
a Jewish violent extremist has been convicted in Israel;
anti-Semitism in Iran, including an existential threat, the USA (from that idiot, POTUS45), and Germany;
a financier of the Rwandan genocide has been arrested; victims of war crimes in Sri Lanka are still waiting for justice after 11 years; a call for Saudi Arabia to face consequences for the brutal murder of Jamal Kashoggi;
there is not even the pretence of judicial review in Egypt;
animal trafficking from South Africa to China; how to keep indoor cats happy (and ours has just unwrapped himself from around one arm to get a feed);
regulations are still a sticking point for tiny homes.
Immigration and refugee matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Greece; Greece;
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in: USA (online marriages as a cover for child abuse);
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in: a radio show in my home state; South Korea; Mexico; Panama (overdue good news); Albania (good news);
sexism and misogyny/misandry matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Pakistan; Nepal; Zimbabwe;
other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Indonesia; Tibet; eastern Tibet; Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet; Kurdistan; and
other matters (good and bad) have occurred in: DR Congo.
In the related human
rights arena of employment: when another Australian airline failed
decades ago, its workers support
of each other gave them resilience;
employers want laws
to remove more workers’ rights; a simplistic
and inaccurate “workers’ rights game”.
Risks or
occurrences of atrocities, mass violence and/or war(s) this week in: a
power sharing deal may move Afghanistan closer to peace; Israel; West
Bank; what to do about violence in Nigeria; refugees in Syria are being
bombed; DR
Congo; Somalia; Mali; Afghanistan; South
Sudan; the “geostrategic” aspects
of the war in Libya; Burundi; the USA is handing
Russia a major propaganda coup by withdrawing
from a nuclear weapons treaty;
an “incel”
terrorist attack in Canada; the
Philippines.
In the governance, politics, public ethics, and society arena: PNG’s Commerce Minister is taking legal
action for defamation over allegations he was corrupt; Centrelink has
been ordered “to issue hundreds of thousands of class action
notices for trial” over robodebt;
conservative Australian media’s “long
war on democracy”;
for the future: “hospital
in the home”; calls for a review
of the neoliberals (many undelivered) pre-election promises; support for the unemployed after the
pandemic needs to be increased; more concerns
in Israel.
On disasters
this week: a cyclone
in India; locusts
in Iran; a cyclone
in Bangladesh; dam overflows
in the USA; a plane
crash in Pakistan; firefighters
have not
been supported after last summer’s bushfires.
Internationally: as the one
nation two systems lie is ended
in Hong Kong, China’s increasingly aggressive
diplomacy; a reminder
that we have used the international actions against China that they are now
using; US Democrat’s concerns
over Israel’s moves to annex the West Bank -
which is leading to an end
of cooperation,
no more sharing
of intelligence, and possibly the ending
of diplomatic relations ; surprisingly (to me, if no-one else),
POTUS45’s Attorney-General has dismissed
the chance of an investigation into former President Obama; Iran has banned
working with Israel or using Israeli software . . . ; Afghanistan may
have found a way to move towards peace.
In Africa: a backgrounder
on Burundi’s forthcoming elections - Benin
will also hold elections, despite the pandemic; a new weather forecasting system in Africa; Lesotho’s PM will not
resign, despite charges alleging
connection to his wife’s murder; one
regional conflict in Sudan appears to have been ended; concerns
about oil exploration in Somalia.
On the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2
novel coronavirus (there are other novel coronaviruses) (seven
major risks to watch here,
and seven sins of thought to avoid here):
learning from this pandemic, after having ignored past warnings; economists are overwhelmingly backing physical distancing, which will save over $1 trillion in costs; - and the super industry is warning that early access risks harming nation building; the human cost of lockdown; reference to war in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic shows a stupid misunderstanding of what war is like;
learning from this pandemic, after having ignored past warnings; economists are overwhelmingly backing physical distancing, which will save over $1 trillion in costs; - and the super industry is warning that early access risks harming nation building; the human cost of lockdown; reference to war in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic shows a stupid misunderstanding of what war is like;
good stories: volunteers
are helping refugees overcome language problems (if we had a caring national
government, the volunteers would be paid); the opportunity to define a “new normal”;
medical
aspects: the problem of fake “news”; learning from past pandemic vaccine (financial)
handling errors; promising
results from at least one trial; extending
JobKeeper would be the best
way to protect mental health; one
person has just had a third
positive test, marking two months of being ill; lockdown impacts in India,
human rights aspects (crisis
. . . running summary of impacts on elections here): global risks
to girls safety and education - which may be ongoing after the pandemic; Queensland is not testing in remote Indigenous communities; unpaid
overtime and other work problems are contributing to health problems; trials of possible vaccines on defence force
members lack
consent; the risks with the
contact racing app go beyond
privacy; jail sentences are becoming
death sentences; the concerns
facing young people; the Rohingya
refugee camp in Bangladesh; UAE; development
finance; rough sleepers may be back
on the street soon . . . ;
support to the dying in aged care homes shows a powerful neochristian bias:
will they support other religions?; a lot of the fines issued over lockdown
breaches have been withdrawn; the human development setbacks and recovery crisis; an unfair
dismissal claim in Australia over a question over pressure to work extra
hours; one in five Australians doesn’t
earn enough to live; a call to respect
rights;
also including
housing problems in: will happen “down the track”; evictions from a slum in Colombia;
more opportunistic surveillance in: South Korea, Australia;
suppression of journalism in: Egypt;
also including
housing problems in: will happen “down the track”; evictions from a slum in Colombia;
more opportunistic surveillance in: South Korea, Australia;
suppression of journalism in: Egypt;
Australia:
free child care could be ended
soon by the neoliberals, despite its success; 10% of those who have lost jobs fear they
will never
work again - and 20% of self-employed Australians fear they will lose
their businesses; commuting
concerns in states which have eased restrictions; more rubbish
from a self promoting idiot; tourism businesses are opposing
easing lockdown; inter-state
“border wars”;
internationally: Yemen
is facing catastrophic
food shortages; India missed
asymptomatic people, and had a patchy humanitarian response, which is why it is
now doing so poorly in managing the pandemic; a rescue
fund for Europe; agency staff
spread the virus between care homes in the UK;
drones are being used to encourage maintenance of physical distancing on reopened Greek
beaches; concerns about a second
wave in China (and Europe),
which will -
almost - ban the wildlife trade . . . ; Brazil’s outbreak is now the
4th largest in the world;
Peru is building hospitals for Indigenous people in the Amazon; an informal
and favourable assessment of Mongolia’s
response; masks remain
compulsory in public in Spain; burma; “informal” areas in India are struggling; Japan has been “surprisingly”
good; UK
(why didn’t they do this long ago?);
Sweden will continue
its unsuccessful
attempt at herd immunity; unrest
in Germany; the death toll in Russia could
be vastly under-reported; support
for nations in the Pacific; staggering
stupidity
in Pakistan;
Africa: growing hunger
in Zimbabwe; concerns about the reopening
of mosques in west Africa; a South
African court has issued “orders aimed
at putting an end to police and army brutality”; Rwanda’s planned recovery includes food reserves; South Africa may
be facing up to 50,000 deaths;
blame games: against a background of concerns over petty
political point-scoring, after defending its response (and, despite
backing of the call for an investigation from 116 other nations,
imposing an 80%
tariff on Australian barley), China has agreed
to a WHO-led
investigation - and a defence of WHO here; USA.
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