***
Black Lives Matter!
Stay safe - wash your hands, practice social distancing and wear
a face mask in public, 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.
To counter despots, abuses of
human rights and incompetent governance, and enable responsible,
inclusive and participatory democracy, which is the ONLY sustainable
basis for liberty and freedom, all people must embrace, instead of
fearing, uncertainty, and commit to clear and objective/dispassionate
thought, goodwill, and competence at being human, including having
emotions.
This is a new, very cut down series of news aggregation 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. Also, being an Australian, I am now going to start referring to specific Australian states using accepted abbreviations. Editorial comments / personal opinion by me in grey.
This is a new, very cut down series of news aggregation 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. Also, being an Australian, I am now going to start referring to specific Australian states using accepted abbreviations. Editorial comments / personal opinion by me in grey.
Content Warning: the linked
articles and their descriptions here may be about violence, abuse, hate, and
other problems.
My Articles this week include: “towards
better definitions of leadership and governance”; “Lockdown,
transphobia and a couple of minor medical matters”; “Knowledge
transfers, management dinosaurs, and one aspect of bad management”.
Overall Commentary on
this week’s news:
some wins and gains in the fight against major diseases, but denialist and conspiracy fantasists remain a major problem. Despots (the one in North Korea is making a few changes) and their sock puppets, authoritarians and their sock puppets (including too many police and media outlets), and those who are lazy, sloppy or inept (often because they have been poorly or not taught) in their thinking (I exclude conspiracy fantasists as the fantasists do not do anything that could credibly be referred to as thinking) continue to plague the world with excessive influence, aided and abetted by: fear; insularity, selfishness, and self-centredness; fake, sloppy and sensationalist news; those in the governance realm who are afflicted by FBU, small-minded worldviews, a failure to embrace uncertainty, and unsound ideology; and the naïve and those using inappropriate expressions of compassion without accountability / responsibility - all those being of particular harm to responsible and inclusive (preferably participatory) democracy (which is the only basis for freedom / liberty), human rights, and the climate crisis - but there are decent people and organisations undertaking effective work for the better on all these matters. Particular concerns this week include: police shootings and abetting of shootings by vigilantes in the USA; the struggle for the soul of Belarus; the CCP; false presumptions of illegality around seeking asylum; oppression of Indigenous people, women, and other minorities; Syria, Israel-Palestine-UAE-Jordan-Lebanon-Iran-Iraq, Libya, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
some wins and gains in the fight against major diseases, but denialist and conspiracy fantasists remain a major problem. Despots (the one in North Korea is making a few changes) and their sock puppets, authoritarians and their sock puppets (including too many police and media outlets), and those who are lazy, sloppy or inept (often because they have been poorly or not taught) in their thinking (I exclude conspiracy fantasists as the fantasists do not do anything that could credibly be referred to as thinking) continue to plague the world with excessive influence, aided and abetted by: fear; insularity, selfishness, and self-centredness; fake, sloppy and sensationalist news; those in the governance realm who are afflicted by FBU, small-minded worldviews, a failure to embrace uncertainty, and unsound ideology; and the naïve and those using inappropriate expressions of compassion without accountability / responsibility - all those being of particular harm to responsible and inclusive (preferably participatory) democracy (which is the only basis for freedom / liberty), human rights, and the climate crisis - but there are decent people and organisations undertaking effective work for the better on all these matters. Particular concerns this week include: police shootings and abetting of shootings by vigilantes in the USA; the struggle for the soul of Belarus; the CCP; false presumptions of illegality around seeking asylum; oppression of Indigenous people, women, and other minorities; Syria, Israel-Palestine-UAE-Jordan-Lebanon-Iran-Iraq, Libya, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
In This
Week’s News:
Africa has been declared free of wild polio; an article on right wing conspiracy fantasists, who are being amplified by Russia; the influence of (untreated because of media stigma) mental illness in murder; after an alleged assault, a man armed with a knife who did not respond to negotiation, a taser, and a beanbag weapon, was shot by police in the lower body (this is regrettable, but it seems that police followed appropriate actions, with a gradually escalating response: was this because man was a former police officer? I suspect not, but that question will be asked); a clueless, un-empathic self-described “boomer” has exacerbated intergenerational tensions and hate (as I trust they had enough basic common sense to know would happen); the internal (structural) and external neolib pressure that are contributing to the ABC failing to protect its journalists; a way has been developed to grow seeds in saline soil; a man has been charged with murdering his son and the son’s girlfriend (my immediate response is “how can you do this? Did you disapprove of his choice? If yes, you’re no longer a father” - but there may be mental health issues, so the only way the motives will be established is by a trial); a 2 m asteroid will scoot by the Earth, and maybe getting into the atmosphere - and burn up if it does; a storm in my home state took three lives, led to changes to lockdown so people could repair their homes, and led to a boil drinking water alert after a problem at a potable water treatment plant (my partner has us set up very well for that); this article is WRONG: septic tanks ARE passive - they are anaerobic, NOT aerated, but the call for improved treatment is appropriate.
Africa has been declared free of wild polio; an article on right wing conspiracy fantasists, who are being amplified by Russia; the influence of (untreated because of media stigma) mental illness in murder; after an alleged assault, a man armed with a knife who did not respond to negotiation, a taser, and a beanbag weapon, was shot by police in the lower body (this is regrettable, but it seems that police followed appropriate actions, with a gradually escalating response: was this because man was a former police officer? I suspect not, but that question will be asked); a clueless, un-empathic self-described “boomer” has exacerbated intergenerational tensions and hate (as I trust they had enough basic common sense to know would happen); the internal (structural) and external neolib pressure that are contributing to the ABC failing to protect its journalists; a way has been developed to grow seeds in saline soil; a man has been charged with murdering his son and the son’s girlfriend (my immediate response is “how can you do this? Did you disapprove of his choice? If yes, you’re no longer a father” - but there may be mental health issues, so the only way the motives will be established is by a trial); a 2 m asteroid will scoot by the Earth, and maybe getting into the atmosphere - and burn up if it does; a storm in my home state took three lives, led to changes to lockdown so people could repair their homes, and led to a boil drinking water alert after a problem at a potable water treatment plant (my partner has us set up very well for that); this article is WRONG: septic tanks ARE passive - they are anaerobic, NOT aerated, but the call for improved treatment is appropriate.
In the Environmental Arena, where we have been fighting World War III for some time now:
the status of one species is evidence of our “failing” environmental protection laws; more rebels inside Australia’s conservative party against fossil fuels; criticism of Australia’s Chief Scientist for supporting the use of gas as a transition fuel; a National Parks resignation over concerns that Indigenous sites were not protected; “up to half of world's water supply [is] stolen annually”; serious risks to Antarctica’s ice shelves; a review of geoengineering, including proposed principles (The Oxford Principles: 1. Geoengineering to be regulated as a public good; 2. Public participation in geoengineering decision‐making; 3. Disclosure of geoengineering research and open publication of results; 4. Independent assessment of impacts; and 5. Governance before deployment); how immigrants are adapting to the climate crisis; after a six month assessment programme, a drilling contractor has used carbon offsets to become the first driller in that state’s mining industry to be certified carbon neutral, and wants others to follow them and the other 100 companies who have done so - a call that has been backed by the Conservation Council of WA; climate change and this year’s US cyclone season; the climate crisis has exacerbated the bushfires in the USA; “business, industry, farming and environmental leaders have joined forces to warn Australia is ‘woefully unprepared’” for the impact of climate change over the coming decades and to urge the Morrison government to do far more to cut emissions and improve the country’s resilience”.
the status of one species is evidence of our “failing” environmental protection laws; more rebels inside Australia’s conservative party against fossil fuels; criticism of Australia’s Chief Scientist for supporting the use of gas as a transition fuel; a National Parks resignation over concerns that Indigenous sites were not protected; “up to half of world's water supply [is] stolen annually”; serious risks to Antarctica’s ice shelves; a review of geoengineering, including proposed principles (The Oxford Principles: 1. Geoengineering to be regulated as a public good; 2. Public participation in geoengineering decision‐making; 3. Disclosure of geoengineering research and open publication of results; 4. Independent assessment of impacts; and 5. Governance before deployment); how immigrants are adapting to the climate crisis; after a six month assessment programme, a drilling contractor has used carbon offsets to become the first driller in that state’s mining industry to be certified carbon neutral, and wants others to follow them and the other 100 companies who have done so - a call that has been backed by the Conservation Council of WA; climate change and this year’s US cyclone season; the climate crisis has exacerbated the bushfires in the USA; “business, industry, farming and environmental leaders have joined forces to warn Australia is ‘woefully unprepared’” for the impact of climate change over the coming decades and to urge the Morrison government to do far more to cut emissions and improve the country’s resilience”.
This week on
the Protests in the USA and
associated protests/issues elsewhere:
US police have shot - leaving him paralysed but handcuffed to his hospital bed (whoever made that decision is incompetent to the extent I wonder about their sanity) - another black man - this time in the back, after making no effort at doing anything else, leading to protests and a belated commitment by that state’s Governor to police reform. In the subsequent protests, right wing vigilantes made a fatal appearance - with police DRIVING PAST the shooter to attack the protestors who had been attacked by the murdering teenage thug;
concerns over NSW’s attempt to enshrine religious bigotry;
US police have shot - leaving him paralysed but handcuffed to his hospital bed (whoever made that decision is incompetent to the extent I wonder about their sanity) - another black man - this time in the back, after making no effort at doing anything else, leading to protests and a belated commitment by that state’s Governor to police reform. In the subsequent protests, right wing vigilantes made a fatal appearance - with police DRIVING PAST the shooter to attack the protestors who had been attacked by the murdering teenage thug;
concerns over NSW’s attempt to enshrine religious bigotry;
Police:
Israel - where an officer is being investigated for apparent violence; 14 recommendations for police reform; Malaysia.
Israel - where an officer is being investigated for apparent violence; 14 recommendations for police reform; Malaysia.
On Human and Animal Rights:
the Rohingya are still waiting for justice - after three years; “ethnicity and conflict in” burma; a review of situation around war crimes in South Sudan; Sudan has said it is ready to cooperate with the ICC; a call for the Olympics to be taken away from genocidal China, and for all hosts to be subject to scrutiny over human rights; a video, in part, on the human face of atrocities;
the white supremacist thug and ideological fantasist from my nation who murdered 51 human beings in New Zealand has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (I’m concerned at the prospect of sending the thug back to Australia on the grounds that we have white supremacists at a high level of government, and thus there MAY be a possibility the sentence is evaded at some point down the track);
native title holders say they are being pressured by fossil fuel companies into giving up rights; more than 100 sacred sites are at risk from mining companies; allegations that a nine year old Indigenous boy was defamed by a columnist will proceed to trial; a hospital that repeatedly turned an Indigenous boy until he died has been found guilty of systemic failures; more on racism in sport; confirmation that Australia’s Indigenous people are the world’s oldest civilisation; although my home state’s coroner “found ‘an indictable offence may have been committed’ by the police officers” (who had “failed to adequately check on her safety, security, health and welfare”), prosecutors have decided - without adequate transparency, in my opinion - not to lay charges, leading to the victim’s family to say “prosecutors seemed to have based their conclusion on ‘a police investigation that we have said all along was flawed and lacked independence’ “; the experiences of an Indigenous journalist;
hundreds have protested sexual violence in Israel; dealing with society's body stigma; the abuse of this female pioneer in sports administration shows, amongst other things, the problem of internalised sexism/misogyny; “sexual harassment complaints are up about 8 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia . . . Lawyers working in the area said many women felt more comfortable making a complaint now that they are working remotely. A recent report found two-in-five women and around one-in-four men had experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years”; after a recent reform hindered, instead of helping, the survivors of sexual assault from speaking out, an urgent review will be undertaken;
Greece is “still denying” its pushbacks of refugees; a warning that “excessive and possibly illegal force is being used to resolve conflict inside Australia’s immigration detention centres, with more than 4000 assaults recorded in the past five years”; a refugee and her daughter - who has never lived outside detention - have been released; an asylum seeker forced into extreme poverty in the UK has died - apparently of starvation, with her toddler surviving but malnourished; the cruel intentions behind Australia’s appalling, malicious and inhuman anti-refugee policies;
the official murders in the Philippines are getting more brazen.
Torture, Disappearances and
Execution/Killing matters
(good and bad) in:the Rohingya are still waiting for justice - after three years; “ethnicity and conflict in” burma; a review of situation around war crimes in South Sudan; Sudan has said it is ready to cooperate with the ICC; a call for the Olympics to be taken away from genocidal China, and for all hosts to be subject to scrutiny over human rights; a video, in part, on the human face of atrocities;
the white supremacist thug and ideological fantasist from my nation who murdered 51 human beings in New Zealand has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (I’m concerned at the prospect of sending the thug back to Australia on the grounds that we have white supremacists at a high level of government, and thus there MAY be a possibility the sentence is evaded at some point down the track);
native title holders say they are being pressured by fossil fuel companies into giving up rights; more than 100 sacred sites are at risk from mining companies; allegations that a nine year old Indigenous boy was defamed by a columnist will proceed to trial; a hospital that repeatedly turned an Indigenous boy until he died has been found guilty of systemic failures; more on racism in sport; confirmation that Australia’s Indigenous people are the world’s oldest civilisation; although my home state’s coroner “found ‘an indictable offence may have been committed’ by the police officers” (who had “failed to adequately check on her safety, security, health and welfare”), prosecutors have decided - without adequate transparency, in my opinion - not to lay charges, leading to the victim’s family to say “prosecutors seemed to have based their conclusion on ‘a police investigation that we have said all along was flawed and lacked independence’ “; the experiences of an Indigenous journalist;
hundreds have protested sexual violence in Israel; dealing with society's body stigma; the abuse of this female pioneer in sports administration shows, amongst other things, the problem of internalised sexism/misogyny; “sexual harassment complaints are up about 8 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia . . . Lawyers working in the area said many women felt more comfortable making a complaint now that they are working remotely. A recent report found two-in-five women and around one-in-four men had experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years”; after a recent reform hindered, instead of helping, the survivors of sexual assault from speaking out, an urgent review will be undertaken;
Greece is “still denying” its pushbacks of refugees; a warning that “excessive and possibly illegal force is being used to resolve conflict inside Australia’s immigration detention centres, with more than 4000 assaults recorded in the past five years”; a refugee and her daughter - who has never lived outside detention - have been released; an asylum seeker forced into extreme poverty in the UK has died - apparently of starvation, with her toddler surviving but malnourished; the cruel intentions behind Australia’s appalling, malicious and inhuman anti-refugee policies;
the official murders in the Philippines are getting more brazen.
Child Abuse/Trafficking/Slavery &
Extreme Worker Abuse matters (good
and bad) have occurred in:
Hungary; Cameroon; many children in Australia will be thrown into poverty when the JobKeeper supplement ends; Greece; Germany;
Hungary; Cameroon; many children in Australia will be thrown into poverty when the JobKeeper supplement ends; Greece; Germany;
LGBTIQ+ matters (including internalised homo-/bi-/trans-phobia/hate)
(good and bad) have occurred in:
Thailand (good news); USA;
Thailand (good news); USA;
Sexism (including internalised sexism), misogyny/misandry
and domestic violence matters (good
and bad) have occurred in:
corporate Australia (the company has been reluctant) - see also this, on how moving away from traditional conservative neoliberalism to embracing a social licence could have prevented the debacle; Afghanistan; Egypt (good news); Zimbabwe (good news); Australia; an Australian university has upheld a complaint; Iran; Iran; toxic mocking of masculinity;
corporate Australia (the company has been reluctant) - see also this, on how moving away from traditional conservative neoliberalism to embracing a social licence could have prevented the debacle; Afghanistan; Egypt (good news); Zimbabwe (good news); Australia; an Australian university has upheld a complaint; Iran; Iran; toxic mocking of masculinity;
Repression/Oppression / reduction of democracy and
other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
the Philippines; China; Belarus - see also here and here; Iraq; Lebanon; Australia; Zimbabwe; Chile; an opportunity for Europe to act on repression in China;
the Philippines; China; Belarus - see also here and here; Iraq; Lebanon; Australia; Zimbabwe; Chile; an opportunity for Europe to act on repression in China;
Other animal and human rights matters
(good and bad) have occurred in:
the discrimination in planning around water services; a vegan activist has been “ordered to pay compensation for stealing piglets from Queensland piggery” (the theft was spontaneous, in response to what she saw);
the discrimination in planning around water services; a vegan activist has been “ordered to pay compensation for stealing piglets from Queensland piggery” (the theft was spontaneous, in response to what she saw);
In the related human rights arena of Employment:
Qatar’s continuing allowance of abuse of migrant workers; a proposal to protect small and medium businesses from “accidental” wage theft (one of my sisters did the bookkeeping for her husband’s business, so I know that paying people is not always straightforward, but I worry about the definition of “medium” size); unions in Australia have warned the neoliberal government against its plans to attack workers.
Qatar’s continuing allowance of abuse of migrant workers; a proposal to protect small and medium businesses from “accidental” wage theft (one of my sisters did the bookkeeping for her husband’s business, so I know that paying people is not always straightforward, but I worry about the definition of “medium” size); unions in Australia have warned the neoliberal government against its plans to attack workers.
Risks or occurrences of Atrocities, Mass Violence and/or War(s) this week in:
burma, Lake Chad Basin and human rights defenders; Israel; Lebanon; child suicide bombers in Cameroon; the thug in eastern Libya has rejected a ceasefire; civilians in Syria have been bombed by Russian jets; Palestine; Gaza/Israel;
burma, Lake Chad Basin and human rights defenders; Israel; Lebanon; child suicide bombers in Cameroon; the thug in eastern Libya has rejected a ceasefire; civilians in Syria have been bombed by Russian jets; Palestine; Gaza/Israel;
And:
“four Afghan civilians in a region hit by major flooding are dead after clashes between Taliban fighters and the military”; the work of Syria’s Constitutional Committee is on hold following several COVID-19 positive results; a proposal to “starve nuclear weapons to death with a tritium freeze”.
“four Afghan civilians in a region hit by major flooding are dead after clashes between Taliban fighters and the military”; the work of Syria’s Constitutional Committee is on hold following several COVID-19 positive results; a proposal to “starve nuclear weapons to death with a tritium freeze”.
And:
plans to shift a large quantity of the chemical that recently exploded in Beirut from Senegal to Mali may be disrupted by the coup in Mali; the risks fires pose to unborn children;
plans to shift a large quantity of the chemical that recently exploded in Beirut from Senegal to Mali may be disrupted by the coup in Mali; the risks fires pose to unborn children;
In the Democracy, Governance, Politics, Public Ethics, and Society
arena:
General Matters:
“the world’s most robust study of universal basic income has concluded that it Boosts Recipients’ Mental And Financial Well-Being, as well as modestly improving employment”; a call for virtual Parliaments to become the norm; support for New Zealand’s proposed lowering of the voting age to 16; Israel is trying to dodge any responsibility for the electoral interference enabled by an Israeli company with defence ties; a proposal to rethink how we approach politics; a critique of “private equity”; a cyber attack on New Zealand’s stock exchange; a criticism of privatisation / outsourcing and its many failures; a criticism of the securitisation of problems; an examination of state owned enterprises; medical education needs to include social and environmental factors; “another misguided ‘war’ on obesity . . . is focusing on personal responsibility rather than attacking poverty and inequality, the root causes of obesity”;
General Matters:
“the world’s most robust study of universal basic income has concluded that it Boosts Recipients’ Mental And Financial Well-Being, as well as modestly improving employment”; a call for virtual Parliaments to become the norm; support for New Zealand’s proposed lowering of the voting age to 16; Israel is trying to dodge any responsibility for the electoral interference enabled by an Israeli company with defence ties; a proposal to rethink how we approach politics; a critique of “private equity”; a cyber attack on New Zealand’s stock exchange; a criticism of privatisation / outsourcing and its many failures; a criticism of the securitisation of problems; an examination of state owned enterprises; medical education needs to include social and environmental factors; “another misguided ‘war’ on obesity . . . is focusing on personal responsibility rather than attacking poverty and inequality, the root causes of obesity”;
in Australia:
the myths around gas industry and prices in Australia - and concerns a gas company “misrepresented” government evidence; a call for proper planning of the aged care sector; more on the branch stacking allegations of a conservative party in my home state; some fiddling around the edges of the Uni cuts to blunt the blade slightly; Guardian Australia and The Citizen have revealed use of a wrong map in a Chinese textbook, not being corrected; the Commonwealth is moving to be able to cancel State agreements (while I have concerns about this principle, I also have concerns about the agreement they are targeting - but there are advantages to both as well) - see also here; conservative media are doing a beat up to try to create the illusion of a free speech crisis in academia that doesn’t exist; tens of thousands are still waiting for the (cut down) NBN; concerns by academics about their institute’s funding links to a right wing organisation; after winning the NT election, the ALP “has lodged a complaint [one of a total of about 50 complaints] with the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC) about postal votes allegedly being cast after polls closed”; although locals are unhappy, the closure of a dam over piping (which can cause the dam to collapse) and inadequate spillway collapse (ditto) concerns appears to be a sound decision; with “a rare show of collegiality”, the ACT Parliament has unanimously adopted laws (based on those in place in SA since 1985, which “while not perfect, the South Australian system has worked well there for decades” - including 17 requests for removal in elections in 2014 and 2018) against false political advertising, but they won’t be in place for the next election, will only apply to authorised political material (“paid-for ads or promotional material made by a politician or political entity”) not “an individual’s post on social media, or an opinion piece published in a newspaper”, and do not attempt to address the subtler political spin problem; Australia Post will give small bonuses to its remaining workers and massive bonuses to its executives - who previously promised to waive them and take pay cuts; accusations of foreign “meddling” in Australia - particularly multicultural communities; the privatised job placement service is failing, as jobs no longer exist to place people into; Australia’s duplicity over East Timor, Witness K and Bernard Collaery; the stubborn persistence with things that don’t work by the current neolib national IPOCs.
the myths around gas industry and prices in Australia - and concerns a gas company “misrepresented” government evidence; a call for proper planning of the aged care sector; more on the branch stacking allegations of a conservative party in my home state; some fiddling around the edges of the Uni cuts to blunt the blade slightly; Guardian Australia and The Citizen have revealed use of a wrong map in a Chinese textbook, not being corrected; the Commonwealth is moving to be able to cancel State agreements (while I have concerns about this principle, I also have concerns about the agreement they are targeting - but there are advantages to both as well) - see also here; conservative media are doing a beat up to try to create the illusion of a free speech crisis in academia that doesn’t exist; tens of thousands are still waiting for the (cut down) NBN; concerns by academics about their institute’s funding links to a right wing organisation; after winning the NT election, the ALP “has lodged a complaint [one of a total of about 50 complaints] with the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC) about postal votes allegedly being cast after polls closed”; although locals are unhappy, the closure of a dam over piping (which can cause the dam to collapse) and inadequate spillway collapse (ditto) concerns appears to be a sound decision; with “a rare show of collegiality”, the ACT Parliament has unanimously adopted laws (based on those in place in SA since 1985, which “while not perfect, the South Australian system has worked well there for decades” - including 17 requests for removal in elections in 2014 and 2018) against false political advertising, but they won’t be in place for the next election, will only apply to authorised political material (“paid-for ads or promotional material made by a politician or political entity”) not “an individual’s post on social media, or an opinion piece published in a newspaper”, and do not attempt to address the subtler political spin problem; Australia Post will give small bonuses to its remaining workers and massive bonuses to its executives - who previously promised to waive them and take pay cuts; accusations of foreign “meddling” in Australia - particularly multicultural communities; the privatised job placement service is failing, as jobs no longer exist to place people into; Australia’s duplicity over East Timor, Witness K and Bernard Collaery; the stubborn persistence with things that don’t work by the current neolib national IPOCs.
The Unexceptional States of America:
an opinion that lying conspiracy fantasist #45 has created multiple existential crises for the USA; the fan club of lying conspiracy fantasist #45, formerly known as the Republican party, will include a couple who were charged for pointing weapons at BLM protestors (the trial has not yet taken place, so they must be presumed innocent, but it is a terrible action to take - although pleasing to lap dog #45's US masters in the NRA) and others of questionable worth (and some genuine people). Former producers of one of #45's TV shows will be involved; a review of postal voting in the USA; questions about this; a comprehensive backgrounder on US Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden; a pro-democracy group founded by former US President Jimmy Carter will launch a campaign to protect democracy in the USA;
an opinion that lying conspiracy fantasist #45 has created multiple existential crises for the USA; the fan club of lying conspiracy fantasist #45, formerly known as the Republican party, will include a couple who were charged for pointing weapons at BLM protestors (the trial has not yet taken place, so they must be presumed innocent, but it is a terrible action to take - although pleasing to lap dog #45's US masters in the NRA) and others of questionable worth (and some genuine people). Former producers of one of #45's TV shows will be involved; a review of postal voting in the USA; questions about this; a comprehensive backgrounder on US Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden; a pro-democracy group founded by former US President Jimmy Carter will launch a campaign to protect democracy in the USA;
Internationally:
Iran has claimed an explosion at a nuclear facility last month was sabotage, and that they will produce evidence in due course - and the IAEA will be allowed in to do inspections; the sixth attack on a pipeline in Syria has caused a nation-wide blackout; a water dispute “is exposing ethnic and socio-economic fault lines that many Israelis would prefer to think no longer exist”; an examination of the “fragility” of Arab states; Brexit talks are failing; 14 out of 15 members of the UN Security Council have stated “the US administration’s action [on sanctions against Iran] was illegal because [#45] withdrew in 2018 from . . . JCPOA”; Japan’s longest serving (and at times controversial) Prime Minister has resigned over ill health - for the second time; North Korea’s despot has issued a rare warning on the economy, and promoted his sister; the claimed goals of the changes to Kashmir’s status have been exposed as ineffective at best (and lies at worst);
Iran has claimed an explosion at a nuclear facility last month was sabotage, and that they will produce evidence in due course - and the IAEA will be allowed in to do inspections; the sixth attack on a pipeline in Syria has caused a nation-wide blackout; a water dispute “is exposing ethnic and socio-economic fault lines that many Israelis would prefer to think no longer exist”; an examination of the “fragility” of Arab states; Brexit talks are failing; 14 out of 15 members of the UN Security Council have stated “the US administration’s action [on sanctions against Iran] was illegal because [#45] withdrew in 2018 from . . . JCPOA”; Japan’s longest serving (and at times controversial) Prime Minister has resigned over ill health - for the second time; North Korea’s despot has issued a rare warning on the economy, and promoted his sister; the claimed goals of the changes to Kashmir’s status have been exposed as ineffective at best (and lies at worst);
on China’s Communist Party (CCP) Regime and the reinvigorated ideological
Cold War this week:
the differences between the reinvigorated Cold War with the CCP and the previous Cold War with the USSR - dangers of comparing the two; the political purge in Hong Kong is continuing; Chinese authorities have suspended imports of meat from an Australian abattoir as a result of quite legitimate concerns over “ ’naturally occurring element’ called chloramphenicol was found . . . the abattoir is tracing where the chemical came from” (it’s particularly during times of heightened tensions important to keep in mind that such legitimate concerns and actions can occur); foolish and impractical rumblings in India about disrupting China’s maritime trade;
the differences between the reinvigorated Cold War with the CCP and the previous Cold War with the USSR - dangers of comparing the two; the political purge in Hong Kong is continuing; Chinese authorities have suspended imports of meat from an Australian abattoir as a result of quite legitimate concerns over “ ’naturally occurring element’ called chloramphenicol was found . . . the abattoir is tracing where the chemical came from” (it’s particularly during times of heightened tensions important to keep in mind that such legitimate concerns and actions can occur); foolish and impractical rumblings in India about disrupting China’s maritime trade;
on Israel’s intended Annexation
of the West Bank and other matters:
Morocco has ruled out normalisation on relations with Israel, as has Sudan and Bahrain, as it would “ ‘embolden’ mistreatment of Palestinians”; more on the poisoning of a crucial Russian opposition leader; “Israel's top court orders removal of settler homes in West Bank”; a critique of the UAE-Israel deal suggests it is more about managing the USA and China, than Iran.
Morocco has ruled out normalisation on relations with Israel, as has Sudan and Bahrain, as it would “ ‘embolden’ mistreatment of Palestinians”; more on the poisoning of a crucial Russian opposition leader; “Israel's top court orders removal of settler homes in West Bank”; a critique of the UAE-Israel deal suggests it is more about managing the USA and China, than Iran.
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),
and Wear Masks!!!):
“why the economic value of a face mask is [US] $56.14” (and maybe the government should “pay people to wear” facemasks); a suggestion to use a “traffic light” system (developed after the SARS pandemic) for ongoing management of risks; how to stop becoming inured (numbed / habituated / desensitised / blasé) to stories about the pandemic crisis (the suggestions include “slow thinking”);
“why the economic value of a face mask is [US] $56.14” (and maybe the government should “pay people to wear” facemasks); a suggestion to use a “traffic light” system (developed after the SARS pandemic) for ongoing management of risks; how to stop becoming inured (numbed / habituated / desensitised / blasé) to stories about the pandemic crisis (the suggestions include “slow thinking”);
medical aspects: the advantages and disadvantages of repurposing
existing medicines; fears
over the potential for immunity after a man is reinfected, but this
says the fears are unfounded; 172 nations are engaged with a global vaccine plan; drier
air shrinks the virus particles / particles with the virus embedded,
allowing this airborne disease to stay aloft and spread more - confirming the
need to wear masks, but other risk factors still apply, so all the other
recommendations also still apply - see also this,
on more evidence about the propensity for airborne spread; the history
of vaccine development; very long times
at low levels of ozone
may allow disinfection of areas; the importance
of addressing fears
over the rapidity of vaccine development and use;
Human Rights Aspects (crisis
. . . running summary of impacts on elections here):
the pandemic has exposed abuse of migrant workers in the Maldives;
the pandemic has exposed abuse of migrant workers in the Maldives;
police:
a police raid on an illegal party in Peru led to 13 deaths from panicked attempts to escape;
a police raid on an illegal party in Peru led to 13 deaths from panicked attempts to escape;
increased opportunistic repression/oppression
/ reduction of democracy:
China; Malaysia; Jordan; Venezuela.
China; Malaysia; Jordan; Venezuela.
Australia:
against long term optimism despite case numbers “bouncing around” (but now down to double digits), a somewhat lazy attempts to extend the State of Emergency for a year, instead of six months, is being opposed; a sad new record number of deaths (still predominantly from private aged care facilities) as the daily number of new cases continue to fall in my home state; questions about how disadvantaged students will be helped to recover from the pandemic; more detailed information on a new interactive website in my home state; disadvantaged areas have been hardest hit; the proportion of health workers being infected has increased, as concerns are expressed about a “lack of surge workforce plans”; on top of the pandemic, my home state is facing multiple bird flu outbreaks - which is a disease with zoonotic potential, and higher fatality than the COVID-19 coronavirus - and “tens of thousands of chickens and an untold number of emus will be euthanised”; conspiracy fantasists have been protesting; a conspiracy fantasist who screamed and threatened to sue when asked to wear a mask, screamed "rape" when police asked for her details, and refused to be tested while in custody will be released on bail - but only after a mental health assessment; a rebuttal of a notorious conspiracy fantasist and white-supremacist politician’s latest drivel shows that, had we gone along the lines of Sweden's softer response, we would have had more than 14,000 deaths nationally - almost 4,000 in Vic (and Taiwan's supposedly softer options including harder tracking options than those the drivelling fool objected to); disturbing details about the egregious abusive behaviour of the thugs acting as “security guards” for hotel quarantine;
“Australian aged care homes found to require $621m more a year to reach ‘”'basic standards’ ”, according to the aged care Royal Commission; intelligence agencies are apparently working to prevent industrial theft of our vaccine development; a repeat border crossing offender petulantly indulged a dangerous 200 km car chase; quarantine inmates have been moved after a hotel failed a “police audit” (rooms were described as filthy); a border lockdown violator has been jailed (we are all getting tired of such people, who appear selfish or unthinking, but I don’t know if this is the best way to send a message - effective thought that would be); city people are moving to regional areas; regional health services are struggling as border closures cut off staff; more calls to not cut back JobKeeper, which is helping the homeless and more than a million children; war between commercial landlords and tenants; an admission of errors by quarantine guards (which says training and systems were inadequate); a billionaire’s challenge to border closures has received a setback after the Federal Court endorsed the measure; criticism of the neolibs flawed economic response plan as our recovery stalls (not “all” because of Victoria); another person who chose to put lives at risk by breaching border restrictions has been arrested - after grabbing a knife and refusing to disembark when police approached his boat; economist are urging that business calls to reopen be ignored, as reopening would damage the economy;
against long term optimism despite case numbers “bouncing around” (but now down to double digits), a somewhat lazy attempts to extend the State of Emergency for a year, instead of six months, is being opposed; a sad new record number of deaths (still predominantly from private aged care facilities) as the daily number of new cases continue to fall in my home state; questions about how disadvantaged students will be helped to recover from the pandemic; more detailed information on a new interactive website in my home state; disadvantaged areas have been hardest hit; the proportion of health workers being infected has increased, as concerns are expressed about a “lack of surge workforce plans”; on top of the pandemic, my home state is facing multiple bird flu outbreaks - which is a disease with zoonotic potential, and higher fatality than the COVID-19 coronavirus - and “tens of thousands of chickens and an untold number of emus will be euthanised”; conspiracy fantasists have been protesting; a conspiracy fantasist who screamed and threatened to sue when asked to wear a mask, screamed "rape" when police asked for her details, and refused to be tested while in custody will be released on bail - but only after a mental health assessment; a rebuttal of a notorious conspiracy fantasist and white-supremacist politician’s latest drivel shows that, had we gone along the lines of Sweden's softer response, we would have had more than 14,000 deaths nationally - almost 4,000 in Vic (and Taiwan's supposedly softer options including harder tracking options than those the drivelling fool objected to); disturbing details about the egregious abusive behaviour of the thugs acting as “security guards” for hotel quarantine;
“Australian aged care homes found to require $621m more a year to reach ‘”'basic standards’ ”, according to the aged care Royal Commission; intelligence agencies are apparently working to prevent industrial theft of our vaccine development; a repeat border crossing offender petulantly indulged a dangerous 200 km car chase; quarantine inmates have been moved after a hotel failed a “police audit” (rooms were described as filthy); a border lockdown violator has been jailed (we are all getting tired of such people, who appear selfish or unthinking, but I don’t know if this is the best way to send a message - effective thought that would be); city people are moving to regional areas; regional health services are struggling as border closures cut off staff; more calls to not cut back JobKeeper, which is helping the homeless and more than a million children; war between commercial landlords and tenants; an admission of errors by quarantine guards (which says training and systems were inadequate); a billionaire’s challenge to border closures has received a setback after the Federal Court endorsed the measure; criticism of the neolibs flawed economic response plan as our recovery stalls (not “all” because of Victoria); another person who chose to put lives at risk by breaching border restrictions has been arrested - after grabbing a knife and refusing to disembark when police approached his boat; economist are urging that business calls to reopen be ignored, as reopening would damage the economy;
Internationally:
more mouthing off in the USA; fears of a catastrophe as the pandemic reaches Gaza; facemasks in South Korea; pressure in the UK to reopen schools; lockdown extended in a New Zealand city and facemasks to become compulsory - see also this analysis; the island of Bali in Indonesia has deferred restarting tourism; a backlash against lockdown in Xinjiang, China, where so much repression has taken place of late; the UK’s Prime Minister has dropped his grotesque active advice against safety measures in schools; a second wave could occur in France in November; a medical dispute in South Korea; denialist India’s version of “silicon valley” was hit hard; a warning in Germany not to expect “normality” without a vaccine; poverty in Iraq has increased by 10%; Italy;
more mouthing off in the USA; fears of a catastrophe as the pandemic reaches Gaza; facemasks in South Korea; pressure in the UK to reopen schools; lockdown extended in a New Zealand city and facemasks to become compulsory - see also this analysis; the island of Bali in Indonesia has deferred restarting tourism; a backlash against lockdown in Xinjiang, China, where so much repression has taken place of late; the UK’s Prime Minister has dropped his grotesque active advice against safety measures in schools; a second wave could occur in France in November; a medical dispute in South Korea; denialist India’s version of “silicon valley” was hit hard; a warning in Germany not to expect “normality” without a vaccine; poverty in Iraq has increased by 10%; Italy;
Irresponsibility,
Selfishness, and Unthinking Behaviour:
conservative neochristians are opposing one of the promising vaccines out ideological incompetence.
conservative neochristians are opposing one of the promising vaccines out ideological incompetence.
WLNGRHDMT
And finally . . . Black Lives Matter!
