***
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.
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.
Content Warning: the linked articles
and their descriptions here may be about violence, abuse, hate, and other
problems.
On Personal / Spiritual Matters: a perspective
on POTUS45 as “fundamentalism’s ‘Battle of the Bulge’ “.
Overall Commentary on
this week’s news:
the haters, powerful and powerful haters - and their patsies, especially in the police, who are even trying to pressure the US judiciary - have, unfortunately, done well this week (especially with the most extreme manifestations of their contempt for others life: violence, including West Asia, Kashmir, northern and central Africa, and South and Central America, but also the violence of their attacks on democracy) - although they are being called out by some, and there have been good moments. Some are fighting back on the environment and the climate crisis, although the momentum of established systems and ways of thinking continues to be a malignant blocking force against change for the better, including ending bigotry and the harm caused by systemic and other prejudice. The fight against the pandemic continues to be plagued by political point scoring, and lack of thought.
the haters, powerful and powerful haters - and their patsies, especially in the police, who are even trying to pressure the US judiciary - have, unfortunately, done well this week (especially with the most extreme manifestations of their contempt for others life: violence, including West Asia, Kashmir, northern and central Africa, and South and Central America, but also the violence of their attacks on democracy) - although they are being called out by some, and there have been good moments. Some are fighting back on the environment and the climate crisis, although the momentum of established systems and ways of thinking continues to be a malignant blocking force against change for the better, including ending bigotry and the harm caused by systemic and other prejudice. The fight against the pandemic continues to be plagued by political point scoring, and lack of thought.
In This
Week’s News:
reports that Israel and the repressive UAE will normalise relations IF Israel does NOT annex (technically, “suspend”) those parts of the West Bank wanted by Palestinians - leading to dismay on both sides, and a call for Israel to be forced to accept a Palestinian state; annexation would lead to a restriction of US aid if the Democrats win in November;
more on the oligarchy running Lebanon and concerns around that nation’s survival, the violent police suppression (and army?) of protests, signs of unity elsewhere in the world, a Reuters exclusive that warnings in July were ignored, and there are still more dangerous chemicals;
evidence suggests people in low income areas eat more meat.
reports that Israel and the repressive UAE will normalise relations IF Israel does NOT annex (technically, “suspend”) those parts of the West Bank wanted by Palestinians - leading to dismay on both sides, and a call for Israel to be forced to accept a Palestinian state; annexation would lead to a restriction of US aid if the Democrats win in November;
more on the oligarchy running Lebanon and concerns around that nation’s survival, the violent police suppression (and army?) of protests, signs of unity elsewhere in the world, a Reuters exclusive that warnings in July were ignored, and there are still more dangerous chemicals;
evidence suggests people in low income areas eat more meat.
In the Environmental Arena, where we have been fighting World War III for some time now:
an oil spill disaster off Mauritius; the biosecurity risks of imported flowers; light pollution is robbing birds of their sleep; a call for caution over hydrogen; a call for a NSW coal seam gas project to be rejected; our vicious, short-sighted, racist, and often incompetent neolib national government has asked the “UN to dismiss Torres Strait Islanders’ claim climate change affects their human rights”; harm to marine food webs could be drastic; a plague of field mice in Germany; a member of the neolib government has broken ranks to urge more be done on climate change; Pacific island nations are fighting back; CO2 has continued to rise - see also here; the lost opportunity of the western grasslands of my home state.
an oil spill disaster off Mauritius; the biosecurity risks of imported flowers; light pollution is robbing birds of their sleep; a call for caution over hydrogen; a call for a NSW coal seam gas project to be rejected; our vicious, short-sighted, racist, and often incompetent neolib national government has asked the “UN to dismiss Torres Strait Islanders’ claim climate change affects their human rights”; harm to marine food webs could be drastic; a plague of field mice in Germany; a member of the neolib government has broken ranks to urge more be done on climate change; Pacific island nations are fighting back; CO2 has continued to rise - see also here; the lost opportunity of the western grasslands of my home state.
This week on
the Protests in the USA and
associated protests/issues elsewhere:
in a staggering attack on democracy, #45 has blocked pandemic funding unless he gets to block postal voting; the protests in Portland, Oregon are continuing; Chicago; false social media claims that a man who was shot and wounded in Chicago was a 15 year old who was killed were met by false claims by the police of leniency and unverified claims of a past police history; a community has supported a woman and her daughter against a racist who kept erasing part of their BLM chalk message (his claims that this was about all lives matter show he doesn’t have a clue, and is guilty as charged);
Police:
US police are trying to stop justice by preventing access to evidence (their body cams) - and they are trying to pressure the meant-to-be-independent judiciary to make decisions the authoritarian, despot-patsy police want; recommendations for fundamental reform of US policing; Australia; more racism from UK police (I know someone who left the UK police because of the endemic hate); concerns than an informant may be at risk from some police; police in Belarus have killed a protestor in custody; NSW police leaked the details of everyone who complained about their violent abuse of protestors; class-based physical abuse of an arrested youth by police in India; this heavy handed and brutal behaviour (a larger male officer choking a smaller woman) is unacceptable for enforcement of health measures, and will further dwindle Victoria police's community standing - especially so if the officer is cleared; the victim of a sexual assault by a police officer (now convicted) still understandably feels angry and unsafe; facial recognition used by UK police “unlawful”; Lebanon.
in a staggering attack on democracy, #45 has blocked pandemic funding unless he gets to block postal voting; the protests in Portland, Oregon are continuing; Chicago; false social media claims that a man who was shot and wounded in Chicago was a 15 year old who was killed were met by false claims by the police of leniency and unverified claims of a past police history; a community has supported a woman and her daughter against a racist who kept erasing part of their BLM chalk message (his claims that this was about all lives matter show he doesn’t have a clue, and is guilty as charged);
Police:
US police are trying to stop justice by preventing access to evidence (their body cams) - and they are trying to pressure the meant-to-be-independent judiciary to make decisions the authoritarian, despot-patsy police want; recommendations for fundamental reform of US policing; Australia; more racism from UK police (I know someone who left the UK police because of the endemic hate); concerns than an informant may be at risk from some police; police in Belarus have killed a protestor in custody; NSW police leaked the details of everyone who complained about their violent abuse of protestors; class-based physical abuse of an arrested youth by police in India; this heavy handed and brutal behaviour (a larger male officer choking a smaller woman) is unacceptable for enforcement of health measures, and will further dwindle Victoria police's community standing - especially so if the officer is cleared; the victim of a sexual assault by a police officer (now convicted) still understandably feels angry and unsafe; facial recognition used by UK police “unlawful”; Lebanon.
On Human and Animal Rights:
Israeli restriction of Palestinian access to water in the Jordan valley has now extended to destroying irrigation ponds; an “incitement complaint” has been filed in Israel against a peace activist’s killer; moves to investigate the Holocaust in Lithuania; a book on why people support torture; “Namibia has rejected a German offer of compensation for the mass murder [genocide] of tens of thousands of indigenous people more than a century ago”;
the vicious IPOCs in workplaces who make transition difficult for TGD people; as a US state bans trans hate, a vile politician in NSW has introduced a trans hate bill; inclusive sport events reduce homophobia; more attempts to murder TGD kids; details of the attempted extermination of LGBTIQ+ people in Chechnya; a planned ban on conversion pseudo-therapy in Qld is only partial; the risk of statelessness for LGBTIQ+ people and their children;
in western Victoria, after lengthy action seeking protection against a highway project, several trees of Indigenous cultural significance have been denied Commonwealth protection; “Indigenous involvement in the redevelopment of the Botany Bay site of First Contact means we can ‘tell our side of the story’ “; the mining industry wants to continue blowing up Indigenous sites, but investors may stop that; “Some say a voice to parliament is toothless. But together our voices are powerful” - see also here; “culturally-specific support for Indigenous families is crucial in reducing incarceration rates”; a social media platform has banned a racist;
Australia has killed another detainee; “the Federal Court of Australia has ruled a man in his 60s must no longer be held at an immigration detention facility [as] the risk of him contracting coronavirus . . . could be in breach of the Department of Home Affair's duty of care” (but the move is subject to hardline -ex-cop Minister);
as a “lawyer who won a sexual harassment case against her former boss has spoken out for the first time, saying she owed it to her children to take a stand”, another situation has ended with not guilty verdict; anger over a ridiculous and offensive claim by the wife of Israel’s PM; a call to “free Australia’s female novelists from their male pseudonyms”; threats against witnesses in a sex abuse case;
Torture, Disappearances and Execution/Killing matters (good and bad) in:
Iraq;
Refugee, immigration, and migration matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Saudi Arabia; Malta;
Racism/caste based matters including land rights (good and bad) have occurred in:
Colombia; Houthi rebels (Yemen); Saudi Arabia; Mexico; Brazil (the Amazon); Turkey/Iraq; #45;
Trafficking/Slavery & Extreme Worker Abuse/Child Abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Australia; Colombia; Malta; Brazil; Somalia;
LGBTIQ+ matters (including internalised homo-/bi-/trans-phobia/hate) (good and bad) have occurred in:
Poland;
Sexism (including internalised sexism), misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Victoria Police; Italy is inching towards the late 20th Century; shark research and science generally - which also needs to be aware of all unconscious bias;
Disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Australia (good news); a football club used an Auslan rendition of the club song for a deaf teammate;
Freedom of the Press / Expression matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
India’s repression of the media is being copied in other nations; Russia/Central African Republic;
Privacy/Surveillance matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
NSW police;
Repression/Oppression / reduction of democracy and other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
by Israel in Palestine; Sri Lanka; Zimbabwe; Kazakhstan; Zimbabwe; Australia; burma.
Israeli restriction of Palestinian access to water in the Jordan valley has now extended to destroying irrigation ponds; an “incitement complaint” has been filed in Israel against a peace activist’s killer; moves to investigate the Holocaust in Lithuania; a book on why people support torture; “Namibia has rejected a German offer of compensation for the mass murder [genocide] of tens of thousands of indigenous people more than a century ago”;
the vicious IPOCs in workplaces who make transition difficult for TGD people; as a US state bans trans hate, a vile politician in NSW has introduced a trans hate bill; inclusive sport events reduce homophobia; more attempts to murder TGD kids; details of the attempted extermination of LGBTIQ+ people in Chechnya; a planned ban on conversion pseudo-therapy in Qld is only partial; the risk of statelessness for LGBTIQ+ people and their children;
in western Victoria, after lengthy action seeking protection against a highway project, several trees of Indigenous cultural significance have been denied Commonwealth protection; “Indigenous involvement in the redevelopment of the Botany Bay site of First Contact means we can ‘tell our side of the story’ “; the mining industry wants to continue blowing up Indigenous sites, but investors may stop that; “Some say a voice to parliament is toothless. But together our voices are powerful” - see also here; “culturally-specific support for Indigenous families is crucial in reducing incarceration rates”; a social media platform has banned a racist;
Australia has killed another detainee; “the Federal Court of Australia has ruled a man in his 60s must no longer be held at an immigration detention facility [as] the risk of him contracting coronavirus . . . could be in breach of the Department of Home Affair's duty of care” (but the move is subject to hardline -ex-cop Minister);
as a “lawyer who won a sexual harassment case against her former boss has spoken out for the first time, saying she owed it to her children to take a stand”, another situation has ended with not guilty verdict; anger over a ridiculous and offensive claim by the wife of Israel’s PM; a call to “free Australia’s female novelists from their male pseudonyms”; threats against witnesses in a sex abuse case;
Torture, Disappearances and Execution/Killing matters (good and bad) in:
Iraq;
Refugee, immigration, and migration matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Saudi Arabia; Malta;
Racism/caste based matters including land rights (good and bad) have occurred in:
Colombia; Houthi rebels (Yemen); Saudi Arabia; Mexico; Brazil (the Amazon); Turkey/Iraq; #45;
Trafficking/Slavery & Extreme Worker Abuse/Child Abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Australia; Colombia; Malta; Brazil; Somalia;
LGBTIQ+ matters (including internalised homo-/bi-/trans-phobia/hate) (good and bad) have occurred in:
Poland;
Sexism (including internalised sexism), misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Victoria Police; Italy is inching towards the late 20th Century; shark research and science generally - which also needs to be aware of all unconscious bias;
Disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
Australia (good news); a football club used an Auslan rendition of the club song for a deaf teammate;
Freedom of the Press / Expression matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
India’s repression of the media is being copied in other nations; Russia/Central African Republic;
Privacy/Surveillance matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
NSW police;
Repression/Oppression / reduction of democracy and other civil & political rights matters (good and bad) have occurred in:
by Israel in Palestine; Sri Lanka; Zimbabwe; Kazakhstan; Zimbabwe; Australia; burma.
In the related human rights arena of Employment:
allegations of sham contracting in Australia as a US judge stops a ride sharing company from claiming their employed drivers are contractors.
allegations of sham contracting in Australia as a US judge stops a ride sharing company from claiming their employed drivers are contractors.
Risks or occurrences of Atrocities, Mass Violence and/or War(s) this week in:
Houthi rebels (Yemen); the Sahel, DR Congo, and South Sudan; Gaza/Israel; Turkey/Iraq; Sudan;
And:
it is possible for people to leave violent movements - even in violently conflicted situations, and for domestic abusers to change; some prisoners of uncertain status may be released in Afghanistan to encourage peace; burma and some minorities are talking; although global violent extremism is quiet now, it may resurge after the pandemic; concerns that violently misogynistic and repressive Saudi Arabia may get nuclear weapons; according to a Reuters special report, economic dissatisfaction amongst the elite may unseat Syria’s despot; a call for the misogynistic violent extremists in Afghanistan to be prepared to compromise; continuing concerns about fully autonomous weapons (I know some peace activists who think such weapons are good, but this won’t lead to weapon vs. weapon warfare: it will lead to rich nations robots against poor nations people); thoughts on ending the internal violence in Ethiopia; the USA and Turkey are talking about ways to end violence in Libya.
Houthi rebels (Yemen); the Sahel, DR Congo, and South Sudan; Gaza/Israel; Turkey/Iraq; Sudan;
And:
it is possible for people to leave violent movements - even in violently conflicted situations, and for domestic abusers to change; some prisoners of uncertain status may be released in Afghanistan to encourage peace; burma and some minorities are talking; although global violent extremism is quiet now, it may resurge after the pandemic; concerns that violently misogynistic and repressive Saudi Arabia may get nuclear weapons; according to a Reuters special report, economic dissatisfaction amongst the elite may unseat Syria’s despot; a call for the misogynistic violent extremists in Afghanistan to be prepared to compromise; continuing concerns about fully autonomous weapons (I know some peace activists who think such weapons are good, but this won’t lead to weapon vs. weapon warfare: it will lead to rich nations robots against poor nations people); thoughts on ending the internal violence in Ethiopia; the USA and Turkey are talking about ways to end violence in Libya.
In the Democracy, Governance, Politics, Public Ethics, and Society
arena:
in Australia:
the neolibs' conservative party coalition partner has objected to the gutting of critical thinking and other courses proposed by the neolibs - see also this, on TAFE, these possible improvements to our education system, and this critique of long-standing problems; “fears automation will displace Australian workers are being challenged by new research which suggests industry investment and take-up of technology was already lagging behind the rest of the world before the COVID-19 crisis”; WA's prisoner protocol that “led to prisoners being isolated for long periods”, has been challenged on human rights grounds, with an opinion that “solitary confinement should be outlawed for people with disabilities or mental health problems”, and is under review a year after it was introduced; the lengths some people will go to in order to avoid admitting error are staggering; the “Australian government spends almost $3m waging ‘war’ on whistleblowers in court”; a return to manufacturing might be good (I’d say it is a long overdue reversal of some neolib incompetence and maliciousness); claims that two-thirds of the debt in the budget was borrowed before the start of the pandemic are correct.
The Unexceptional States of America:
a warning of active foreign interference in the US election process - already; a TV comedian has good insight on POTUS45; a call for “no more resets” with Russia (that may well be appropriate now, but what about after former KGB office turned Grand Tsar Putin lets go of the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia?); the US Democratic candidate has chosen a strong black-Asian woman as his Vice Presidential candidate (among the appalling responses was a racist cartoon from Australia);
Elsewhere in the World and General Matters:
thousands of people have protested in Beirut, still suffering from the terrible explosion last week which is likely to worsen food shortages, over government inaction and calling for immediate elections - leading to its resignation; a fifth week of protests in a Russian city; the “ ‘deficit bad, surplus amazing’ mantra should finally be binned”; the need to prepare buffers for economic problems - and keep the tap on during downturns; Israel’s coalition government is teetering; condemnation of the violent repression of (still continuing) protests after disputed elections in Belarus, which has shut down the Internet; protests and calls for an early election in Bolivia; a call to abolish high stakes exams from education; a critique and criticism of vigilantism;
the “Just-in-Time” incompetence started in a situation where suppliers and users were physically close, but lost all flexibility, thereby increasing risk, and, when supply chains moved offshore, became a way to outsource “risks and costs of production to Third World countries with very low working conditions”, and then became beloved of neolibs who infected governments with it - leading to an appalling loss of quality of life for everyday people, current PPE and other shortages that sabotaged the pandemic response, and an opinion that “It's high time that we try to find the best way to transition from a Just-In-Time socio-economic system to a Just-in-Case socio-economic system” - and some of us were fighting that all the way, losing out to the fear, greed and short-sightedness neolibs had created in vulnerable people; in a statement of the obvious, “public housing renewal can make tenants feel displaced in their home, even before any work begins”; “a stress test for Colombia’s Rule of Law”;
other democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in:
Australia.
in Australia:
the neolibs' conservative party coalition partner has objected to the gutting of critical thinking and other courses proposed by the neolibs - see also this, on TAFE, these possible improvements to our education system, and this critique of long-standing problems; “fears automation will displace Australian workers are being challenged by new research which suggests industry investment and take-up of technology was already lagging behind the rest of the world before the COVID-19 crisis”; WA's prisoner protocol that “led to prisoners being isolated for long periods”, has been challenged on human rights grounds, with an opinion that “solitary confinement should be outlawed for people with disabilities or mental health problems”, and is under review a year after it was introduced; the lengths some people will go to in order to avoid admitting error are staggering; the “Australian government spends almost $3m waging ‘war’ on whistleblowers in court”; a return to manufacturing might be good (I’d say it is a long overdue reversal of some neolib incompetence and maliciousness); claims that two-thirds of the debt in the budget was borrowed before the start of the pandemic are correct.
The Unexceptional States of America:
a warning of active foreign interference in the US election process - already; a TV comedian has good insight on POTUS45; a call for “no more resets” with Russia (that may well be appropriate now, but what about after former KGB office turned Grand Tsar Putin lets go of the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia?); the US Democratic candidate has chosen a strong black-Asian woman as his Vice Presidential candidate (among the appalling responses was a racist cartoon from Australia);
Elsewhere in the World and General Matters:
thousands of people have protested in Beirut, still suffering from the terrible explosion last week which is likely to worsen food shortages, over government inaction and calling for immediate elections - leading to its resignation; a fifth week of protests in a Russian city; the “ ‘deficit bad, surplus amazing’ mantra should finally be binned”; the need to prepare buffers for economic problems - and keep the tap on during downturns; Israel’s coalition government is teetering; condemnation of the violent repression of (still continuing) protests after disputed elections in Belarus, which has shut down the Internet; protests and calls for an early election in Bolivia; a call to abolish high stakes exams from education; a critique and criticism of vigilantism;
the “Just-in-Time” incompetence started in a situation where suppliers and users were physically close, but lost all flexibility, thereby increasing risk, and, when supply chains moved offshore, became a way to outsource “risks and costs of production to Third World countries with very low working conditions”, and then became beloved of neolibs who infected governments with it - leading to an appalling loss of quality of life for everyday people, current PPE and other shortages that sabotaged the pandemic response, and an opinion that “It's high time that we try to find the best way to transition from a Just-In-Time socio-economic system to a Just-in-Case socio-economic system” - and some of us were fighting that all the way, losing out to the fear, greed and short-sightedness neolibs had created in vulnerable people; in a statement of the obvious, “public housing renewal can make tenants feel displaced in their home, even before any work begins”; “a stress test for Colombia’s Rule of Law”;
other democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in:
Australia.
On Disasters
this week:
a plague of field mice in Germany; locusts and the pandemic may cause large scale famine in Africa; a train derailment in the UK (Scotland); a volcano eruption in Indonesia; more bird flu in my home state; risks of flooding in NSW; monsoonal floods in India; floods in North Korea;
And:
calls for a national bushfire monitoring agency.
a plague of field mice in Germany; locusts and the pandemic may cause large scale famine in Africa; a train derailment in the UK (Scotland); a volcano eruption in Indonesia; more bird flu in my home state; risks of flooding in NSW; monsoonal floods in India; floods in North Korea;
And:
calls for a national bushfire monitoring agency.
Internationally:
Iran’s mock attacks on its mock “US” aircraft carrier have accidentally worked and sunk it, blocking a key waterway; two former US soldiers have been jailed for their part in a failed coup in Venezuela; a joint US-Israeli test of an anti-nuclear armed missile weapon;
on China’s Communist Party (CCP) Regime and the new ideological Cold War this week:
an analysis of the relationship that Iran and the CCP are being pushed into; a major pro-democracy Hong Kong activist has been arrested under the new repression law as the CCP carries out a “ political purge in Hong Kong” - see also here; US sanctions on the CCP’s puppets / accomplices in Hong Kong have led to retaliation; one company has stopped spreading CCP propaganda; “in China, fears of financial Iron Curtain”; the CCP’s active disruption of the international rules-based order; the USA is pushing south east Asia away from democracy and towards deterrence; the risks of Cambodia moving closer to the CCP; the devastating environmental impact of dams built by the CCP regime; devastation caused in the Galapagos Islands by trawlers sent by the CCP regime; cyber oppression imposed by the CCP may backfire; why is a Chinese company upgrading an airfield next to a major joint Australia-US naval base?; the USA has stopped Iranian gas heading to Venezuela; Iran claims several of its citizens have been spying for other nations; a major tech company will no longer respond to data requests from the CCP-puppet regime in Hong Kong.
Iran’s mock attacks on its mock “US” aircraft carrier have accidentally worked and sunk it, blocking a key waterway; two former US soldiers have been jailed for their part in a failed coup in Venezuela; a joint US-Israeli test of an anti-nuclear armed missile weapon;
on China’s Communist Party (CCP) Regime and the new ideological Cold War this week:
an analysis of the relationship that Iran and the CCP are being pushed into; a major pro-democracy Hong Kong activist has been arrested under the new repression law as the CCP carries out a “ political purge in Hong Kong” - see also here; US sanctions on the CCP’s puppets / accomplices in Hong Kong have led to retaliation; one company has stopped spreading CCP propaganda; “in China, fears of financial Iron Curtain”; the CCP’s active disruption of the international rules-based order; the USA is pushing south east Asia away from democracy and towards deterrence; the risks of Cambodia moving closer to the CCP; the devastating environmental impact of dams built by the CCP regime; devastation caused in the Galapagos Islands by trawlers sent by the CCP regime; cyber oppression imposed by the CCP may backfire; why is a Chinese company upgrading an airfield next to a major joint Australia-US naval base?; the USA has stopped Iranian gas heading to Venezuela; Iran claims several of its citizens have been spying for other nations; a major tech company will no longer respond to data requests from the CCP-puppet regime in Hong Kong.
In
Africa - Democracy,
Governance, Politics, Public Ethics, And Society and International Relations:
the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing issues around trust deficit and “coercion-based” authority in northern Africa.
the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing issues around trust deficit and “coercion-based” authority in northern Africa.
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!!!):
thoughtful reflections on the effects of the pandemic; the global fight against the pandemic is vastly underfunded; another plague death, this one of the rarest form and in the USA; concerns over the standardised arc of media reporting; a discussion on management and the possible future; life is now more of a “timesoup” than a timeline; the problem of scapegoating - see also this;
thoughtful reflections on the effects of the pandemic; the global fight against the pandemic is vastly underfunded; another plague death, this one of the rarest form and in the USA; concerns over the standardised arc of media reporting; a discussion on management and the possible future; life is now more of a “timesoup” than a timeline; the problem of scapegoating - see also this;
good stories/news: the pandemic might
help a sustainable rebuild of bushfire
devastated areas; my home state’s Parliamentary kitchen has now delivered 450,000
meals;
medical aspects: the pandemic has no
seasonal pattern; more on mental
health, isolation, and shared
social phenomenon; mental health issues
in migrant
communities, some of whom have been stranded
without support in regional areas they were sent to - see also this; the mental health toll on single
person households; links to muscle
weakening; polio vaccinations have resumed
in Pakistan and Afghanistan; Mexico; the importance
of communal systems (which also must not discriminate);
resources: a consideration on how
to address young men’s vulnerability to myths about the pandemic; how
to keep the rest of the household safe when someone has COVID-19; checking
facemasks - see also here;
Human Rights Aspects (crisis
. . . running summary of impacts on elections here):
the pandemic is leading to a rethinking of the jail system and justice (Article 10 (3) of the legally binding International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states, in part: “The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation”); as the UK is revealed to have used an “artificial intelligence” firm to collect tweets, more privacy concerns over businesses collecting personal information; a student in the USA was jailed for not completing her online homework;
police:
this heavy handed and brutal behaviour (a larger male officer choking a smaller woman) is unacceptable for enforcement of health measures, and will further dwindle Victoria police's community standing - especially so if the officer is cleared; a critique of Victoria Police’s increased powers;
increased opportunistic repression/oppression / reduction of democracy:
Venezuela.
the pandemic is leading to a rethinking of the jail system and justice (Article 10 (3) of the legally binding International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states, in part: “The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation”); as the UK is revealed to have used an “artificial intelligence” firm to collect tweets, more privacy concerns over businesses collecting personal information; a student in the USA was jailed for not completing her online homework;
police:
this heavy handed and brutal behaviour (a larger male officer choking a smaller woman) is unacceptable for enforcement of health measures, and will further dwindle Victoria police's community standing - especially so if the officer is cleared; a critique of Victoria Police’s increased powers;
increased opportunistic repression/oppression / reduction of democracy:
Venezuela.
Environmental Impacts: medical
experts have called for the climate
crisis to be part of pandemic recovery
efforts;
Australia:
“an infectious diseases doctor seconded by Victoria’s health department to work in the nine public housing towers placed under hard lockdown is “furious” about the way residents were treated, arguing the police presence at the towers was “deeply dehumanising” and tenants’ expertise was never harnessed”; although the reproduction number is now under 1 and the daily total is going down as compliance with rationality, responsibility and consideration improves (most Victorians support the restrictions), the daily death toll has been a record - as cases and deaths start to decline, after setting a record number of deaths, but the problem still is clearly in privately run, not publicly run, aged care homes - and as the neolib Commonwealth is revealed to not only have had no aged care plans but also to have actively blocked access to key information (see here, on their arrogance and presumption), families are delaying moving loved ones into aged care; a report on the hotel quarantine breach investigation fails to mention that military often - concerningly -use private security guards - meanwhile, the enquiry into the fatal decision to allow passengers to disembark from a cruise liner has been criticised (a six hour delay would have been enough to change everything); 340,000 people in my home state have no parkland within the 5 km restriction (do they have backyards?);more bird flu in my home state; preparations are being made for when a vaccine is available; a significant drop in rural crime in the region is partly “due to the high police visibility due to state border controls”; concerns that cases have not been detected in NSW; revelations that airlines were prevented from not carrying suspected infected people from a notorious cruise ship; the confusion and disputed claims around a fire alarm in a quarantine hotel shows that communication was inadequate; concerning allegations about hotel quarantine by a whistleblower nurse; my home state has surpassed the Commonwealth neolibs (again) to recommend all healthcare workers in contact with suspected COVID-19 cases use N95 / P2 masks (and says it has plenty), but has not recommended that for all health workers - as they wish. However, healthcare workers are being subjected to hell because of unrelenting parking inspectors (one was fined after working 56 hours over four days in an intensive care ward) - leading to loudspeaker warnings which force workers away from their healthcare; the social divide in my home city; arrests over allegedly fraudulent attempts to access superannuation; our tight-fisted (and ham-fisted) neolibs of the Commonwealth government have not been letting us, as a nation, doing our share of the search for a vaccine; criticism of ineptly translated messages, and the problem of illiteracy; scientists are under pressure; quick moves to stop a notorious conservative billionaire from undoing WA’s measures against the pandemic; a hospital has had to close wards; the devastating impact on teachers;
“an infectious diseases doctor seconded by Victoria’s health department to work in the nine public housing towers placed under hard lockdown is “furious” about the way residents were treated, arguing the police presence at the towers was “deeply dehumanising” and tenants’ expertise was never harnessed”; although the reproduction number is now under 1 and the daily total is going down as compliance with rationality, responsibility and consideration improves (most Victorians support the restrictions), the daily death toll has been a record - as cases and deaths start to decline, after setting a record number of deaths, but the problem still is clearly in privately run, not publicly run, aged care homes - and as the neolib Commonwealth is revealed to not only have had no aged care plans but also to have actively blocked access to key information (see here, on their arrogance and presumption), families are delaying moving loved ones into aged care; a report on the hotel quarantine breach investigation fails to mention that military often - concerningly -use private security guards - meanwhile, the enquiry into the fatal decision to allow passengers to disembark from a cruise liner has been criticised (a six hour delay would have been enough to change everything); 340,000 people in my home state have no parkland within the 5 km restriction (do they have backyards?);more bird flu in my home state; preparations are being made for when a vaccine is available; a significant drop in rural crime in the region is partly “due to the high police visibility due to state border controls”; concerns that cases have not been detected in NSW; revelations that airlines were prevented from not carrying suspected infected people from a notorious cruise ship; the confusion and disputed claims around a fire alarm in a quarantine hotel shows that communication was inadequate; concerning allegations about hotel quarantine by a whistleblower nurse; my home state has surpassed the Commonwealth neolibs (again) to recommend all healthcare workers in contact with suspected COVID-19 cases use N95 / P2 masks (and says it has plenty), but has not recommended that for all health workers - as they wish. However, healthcare workers are being subjected to hell because of unrelenting parking inspectors (one was fined after working 56 hours over four days in an intensive care ward) - leading to loudspeaker warnings which force workers away from their healthcare; the social divide in my home city; arrests over allegedly fraudulent attempts to access superannuation; our tight-fisted (and ham-fisted) neolibs of the Commonwealth government have not been letting us, as a nation, doing our share of the search for a vaccine; criticism of ineptly translated messages, and the problem of illiteracy; scientists are under pressure; quick moves to stop a notorious conservative billionaire from undoing WA’s measures against the pandemic; a hospital has had to close wards; the devastating impact on teachers;
Internationally:
“in a dark season of pestilence, COVID has reduced to tatters the illusion of American exceptionalism” (I hate to break it to the author, but any exceptionalism died in the 1950s); to achieve the teacher:student ratios needed for safer schools, Israel needs 15,000 more teachers; temples in India; despair in Brazil; a second wave in parts of Europe; a hot spot lockdown in New Zealand; the political risks the pandemic causes North Korea’s brutally repressive regime; India’s court system may return to physical hearings; USA; 6% of the UK may have had COVID-19; thousands are fleeing Tunisia; Afghanistan; Chile; North Korea; Nicaraguan prisons;
“in a dark season of pestilence, COVID has reduced to tatters the illusion of American exceptionalism” (I hate to break it to the author, but any exceptionalism died in the 1950s); to achieve the teacher:student ratios needed for safer schools, Israel needs 15,000 more teachers; temples in India; despair in Brazil; a second wave in parts of Europe; a hot spot lockdown in New Zealand; the political risks the pandemic causes North Korea’s brutally repressive regime; India’s court system may return to physical hearings; USA; 6% of the UK may have had COVID-19; thousands are fleeing Tunisia; Afghanistan; Chile; North Korea; Nicaraguan prisons;
Irresponsibility
and Unthinking Behaviour:
Australia’s neolibs; Russia’s premature vaccine approval; my home state; an irresponsible lying US pastor has been arrested in Colombia; Indonesia.
Australia’s neolibs; Russia’s premature vaccine approval; my home state; an irresponsible lying US pastor has been arrested in Colombia; Indonesia.
WLNGRHDMT
And finally . . . Black Lives Matter!
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