Scott's trampling on the principle of religious freedom

In much the same way as Isaac  Newton described an existing reality when he developed his description of the (physical) Law of Gravity, I consider that most, if not all, written materials (laws, conventions, declarations, etc) on human rights are actually recognising something that already exists. 

Nevertheless, in judicial systems, such written documents are significant. In the case of freedom of religion, one of the (if not the)  earliest known documents enshrining the principle of freedom of religion (and other rights) is the Cyrus Cylinder, prepared at the orders of Cyrus the Great around two and a half millennia ago. 

Judicial systems, however, tend to favour documents from their current era, and thus we can look at the unenforceable but greatly respected Universal  Declaration of Human  Rights, where Article 18 states: 

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance", 

and the enforceable International  Covenant on Civil and Political  Rights (which Australia signed on 18^th December, 1972, ratified on 13^th August, 1980, and came into force in our legal system on 13^th November, 1980), where Article 18 states: 

"1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.". 

Scott's actions in "laying  on the  hands" etc without people's prior consent is a breach of both the principle and the enforceable legalities of the principle of religious freedom. 

Not only is he unfit to be our Prime Minister, he is, in my opinion, in breach of Australian law by breaching Article 18 (2) of the ICCPR. 

On Uganda, Burma, the attempted coup in the USA, and from the news

On Uganda this week:

• Museveni is continuing his stay in, and abuse of, power; 
• an article on the wave of abductions and torture.
  

On Burma this week:

• the protests and killing continue - see here, 
• another warning that Burma "could be Asia's next failed state"; 
• Burma's opposition government is demanding inclusion in the ASEAN talks; 
  
• a mining company is ignoring the hundreds of deaths to try t obtain mining rights in Burma; 
• a call for ASEAN to uninvite Burma's despot-in-chief.
  

From the news this week:

• on the climate crisis:
  "ecocide" is now an offence in France;   the Torres Strait is feeling the impacts of the climate crisis;   the utter "illogic" of committing to net zero emissions and also approving new coal mines . . . ;   improved recovery of rare earth metals from old tech devices;   the national neolib nitwits have been forcing censorship of internal ADF reports on climate crisis risks (likely to be overwhelmed from 2035 on);   the national neolib nitwits'  ultra-backward environmental standards legislation and pseudo-efforts are turning us into a petrol car dumping ground that is stopping the importation of electric vehicles - although some polluters are making genuine efforts and farmers have contradicted Scott's claims that farmers don't care;   Thailand has nearly completed a floating solar farm;   strong criticism of my home state's policy on electric vehicles;   the climate crisis is driving the conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria - and PREVENTABLE conflict elsewhere in Africa;   climate crisis-induced displacement in Panama;   a possibly more biodegradable plastic;   solar panels in rural Mali;   nearly 70 years after the Great Smog killed over 10,000 people, a coroner investigating the death of a girl from air pollution says legally binding air quality targets should be introduced;   an exposé of the lies  Scott told about the neolib nitwits running Australia and what they're (not) doing on the climate crisis;  
   
• on international relations including war:
  a warning over the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine;   a warning Russia "will face 'consequences' " if jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies - and protests are planned as Russia plans to attack and destroy Navalny's entire movement ... and the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia has arrested 1,500 people calling for the release of seriously ill opposition leader Alexei Navalny;   the DRC's new government will focus on addressing violence in that nation's east;   in an act of decency ahead of the West's abandonment of the nation, Germany will offer refuge to Afghans who aided the German military in that nation;   a quantitative measure, in lost life years, of the staggering loss caused by the pandemic - and there is the loss of press freedom;   Chad's term limit denying leader has died of wounds from anti-violent extremist fighting he was directing - causing concerns about the stability of the Sahel (but apparently no concerns about democracy, in the reports?) and the transition of power in Chad and associated risks;   growing tensions between France and Pakistan;   a car bombing in Pakistan MAY have targetted China's Ambassador;   another tantrum from China over nations failing to submit to the CCP's twisted vision and evil expectations of domination;   "accountability is the path to better governance in PNG";   the DRC is seeking reparations from Uganda over violent incursions from Uganda;   Kenya is seeking improved relations with the DRC;   there has been an exchange of missiles between Israel and Syria;   a geopolitics based examination of the possibility of war between Russia and Ukraine;  
   
• on genocides and other human rights issues:
  crimes against humanity in Xinjiang - where China's genocide against the Uyghurs has reached at least Stage Three;   the war in Tigray was a genocidal attempt to wipe out all Tigrayans;      Azerbaijan has displayed gruesome "trophies" from dead Armenians;   violence is continuing its decades long devastation in Darfur, Sudan;   "kleptocracies like South Sudan can provide a safe haven for organised crime groups, smugglers, and suspected terrorist financiers";   killings and ‘disappearances’ during military operations in Mali;   a "deeply flawed" trial of journalists and activists in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq;   thousands of people subjected to the sexual abuse of a strip search have also been given a criminal record despite nothing being found,   in a massive failure of government responsibility, armed gangs have held asylum seekers and refugees at gunpoint in PNG;   anti-Semitism still exists in Germany - in sport;   more than a hundred refugees are feared dead in the Mediterranean;  
  
  
• on democracy:
  
• calls for a Royal Commission into Rupert's media;   for the right wing bigots in particular, thoughts on how to become more comfortable with uncertainty;   our government will share personal data without consent;   suppression of democracy in Thailand;   a court case against social media platforms over the privacy of children;   "independent" election observers failed Chad and Benin (and, earlier, Uganda);   an assessment possible improvements of the USA's appeals against over-classification system;   "one of Turkey's highest courts has ruled the president cannot refuse to issue press accreditation for arbitrary reasons";  
  
  
• on LGBTIQ+ matters:
  transphobia in the USA has caused several attempted suicides;   solidarity in the campaign against Poland's LGBTIQ+ hate;   transphobic police have been ordered to pay compensation to their victim;  
  
  
• on racism:
  "Aboriginal deaths in custody reflect the poor health of Australia's democracy";   "No public outrage, no vigils: Australia’s silence at violence against Indigenous women";   against a background of lessons from Japan and consideration on the society police are recruited from, a trial into one US police officer's killing of a black man continues - and finds the officer  guilty, police killings of US citizens have increased (see here for three decades of records of US police racist violence), and the fight for BLM justice continues - including here in Australia;    Brazil weakens oversight of murderous police;   another indigenous site has been damaged by a mining company - this one, though, apparently legally ... ;   the non-violent Pilbara Strike of 1946 - and the legacy of Aboriginal stockwomen;   a racial vilification complaint against a social media platform over failure to remove hate speech;  
  
  Biden has reversed his appalling decision to maintain 45's refugee limits;  
  
  
• on ableism:
  the national neolib nitwit's ableist discrimination attempts to bring down the NDIS - details here - continue;  
  
  
• on sexism:
  "inadvertent" sexism in our tax system;   utter cluelessness of national neolib nitwits first  gender stereotypical attempt to teach about consent (good examples of how to do this here);   calls for the justice system to stop submitting sexual assault survivors to a second assault;   Qld police - who have a history of failing or even enabling DV - will belatedly investigate how they failed another woman who has been brutally murdered;  
  
  the imminent disaster in AfghanTalibanistan;   sexism about working mothers in Germany;   the UN has demanded proof of life for the kidnapped UAE princess;   sexist blocks to women in politics in India;  
  
  
• on animal rights:
  the UK will ban importation of a notably cruel to ducks product;  
  
  
• on other matters:
  a list of all the times Scott has abdicated responsibility;   a well-written correction of the assistant defence minister: only an executioner's core business is lethal violence - defence's core business is defence and protection, rather than killing people "willy nilly" (see also this);   a warning to the national neolib nitwits to not muck up fixing aged care;   welfare workers in some areas are advising struggling families to leave - and possibly move hundreds of km - or risk living in a car for the rest of their lives;   more anti-democratic lies and blocking of transparency by Scott;   Australia's alleged "skills shortage" is just a "confection";   the need to undo three decades of neoliberalism by hiring more teachers and paying them more to fix education.

Houses: a whinge

I am sitting here in a house with the reek and, in our downstairs bathroom, the actuality of wastewater ("sewage", to use the old, outdated term), and my partner - with a compromised immune system from chemotherapy - sheltering upstairs, because of either a blocked house drain or sewer (we suspect someone nearby started running a hot food business out of their home during the lockdown, and - without a grease trap - that may have blocked the sewer in the street, but it is more probably a blocked house drain given that such occurred just a few weeks ago). 

That's actually just part and parcel of living in a house in a modern, sewered city (although it's the worst incident I've ever experienced), but it has brought to mind the many, many, MANY problems with houses here in Australia: 

• they're grossly over-sized, which increases cost to build & running costs & the environmental impact from both construction and operation and reduces affordability; 
• they're grossly under-insulated (double-glazing and hermetically sealed cavities, people! When I was talking in Mongolia to an an ex-pat from the UK who had winter experiences in the UK, Mongolia, and other places around the world, the coldest he had ever felt in a house in winter was in AUSTRALIA - which is a TERRIBLE indictment of our house construction practices), which increases running costs & the environmental impact from operation and reduces affordability; 
• there is a focus on superficial detailing rather than adequacy of building, so the houses tend to fall to pieces after a few decades (they should last for at least two centuries - at least the new metallic fences last longer than the old timber paling fences, although the overall environmental impact MIGHT be questionable);
  
• the rental rules have improved, but if we can no longer hire a plumber to clear a house drain (which, despite the opinion of some real estate agents, is NOT modifying anything - it is just bloody maintenance, you morons! And not being able to do so has put my partners health and potentially her life at risk) something is seriously wrong.
  Fortunately our landlords and real estate agents are serious about prompt maintenance and long term improvements, so this problem, even thought it occurred late in the afternoon, will be dealt with tomorrow AM - so we have just the night to survive (unlike people I know in other parts of the world [including a friend in Africa], who may have wastewater to contend with on an extended, semi-permanent or permanent basis); and 
• decisions about housing affordability are made by: 
• too many people who own rental properties and thus have a conflict of interest (they can rent at higher prices if there are more renters and thus more demand), 
• builders who make more profit by building bigger, superficially flashier houses of the type that I despise (rather than smaller, more solid and better insulated homes), 
• government advisors who think only of housing from the perspective of a consumer and never consider the person who wants to truly (I am discounting those people who project manage the construction of their houses) build their own home; and 
• architectural/town planning ideologues with little to no experience of discrimination (and possibly no experience with the joys of gardening) who think apartment/flat living and shared public space are "the solution".
  

Blocking change

One of the things that I - and others - have found aggravating over the years is that we will advocate for something new, only to have (some - not all) managers hold off until someone outside the company comes up with a new, catchy, marketing-bling phrase and acronym. 

As an example, Integrated Water Management Planning (IWMP) is basically Whole of Catchment Planning (WoCP).

I've pondered this strange - to us - reluctance for some time. Could it be jealousy, nose being out-of-joint that they didn't think of it, fear that their glory will be undermined by having an innovative underling (these experiences go back decades: now innovation is seen as good - or, at the very least, given lip service as being a "good thing"  ... provided it is in a form that the approvers can understand or like [which often means: "it must be digital" - thereby excluding improved operations etc] ), personality clashes, problems with change, unconscious perception that this is something their parent would not have given them warm fuzzies for (parental influences is a grossly under-acknowledged matter in my opinion - including, IMO, in George W Bush's decision to complete his father's war in Iraq ... ), or  even just plain lack of understanding?

I'm now wondering if the problem is simple fear. If someone internal thought of it, do those flawed few managers (most - especially in recent years - would welcome and pounce on such initiatives) fear that they will be criticised or blamed for not having thought of it themselves, or not having created conditions where someone in their team could have thought of it, or not having properly understood the problem / issue? 

When someone outside the company or organisation comes up with the innovation, those fearful few can say "see, there was no way we could have anticipated this" - and dismiss any apparent similitude on the basis (excuse me while I pause typing to roll my eyes) that they can't possibly be the same, as the acronyms are different ...

Of course, morally and ethically speaking, such delaying tactics do raise genuine questions along the lines of: "why didn't you acknowledge or even act on your underlings innovative thinking/suggestion?" 

And we're back to  jealousy, nose being out-of-joint that they didn't think of it, fear that their glory will be undermined by having an innovative underling , personality clashes, lack of understanding, problems with change, unconscious perception that this is something their parent would not have given them warm fuzzies for, etc ... and fear.

On leadership

This article deserves to stand out in its own post: 

• "Ego Is the enemy of good leadership".
  

Cross posting: Post No. 1,834 - the "final" aim of meditation

This originally appeared on my spiritual blog at https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2021/04/post-no-1834-final-aim-of-meditation.html.

*** 

Something I've come across in the workplace is people who think mindfulness is the final aim of meditation. 

That is wrong: mindfulness is an essential early part of meditation, but the ultimate form of meditation are loving-kindness, with discovering (philosophical) information being a close second. Becoming mindful, or awake as Gurdjieff referred to it (although, to be fair, Gurdjieff was really talking about an elevated awareness - such as me hearing the heater tick, conversations elsewhere in the house, birds outside, smelling the various scents of the room [I must turn on the ultrasonic aromatherapy], feeling the seat and my clothes and the tension in muscles, and being aware of my mind - all at the same time), is a tool that enables you to stop doing harm - to yourself, if not to others. Loving-kindness enables you to take those skills and go a step further, and begin to actively heal both yourself and others - and the world.

If I was to use an example from sailing, when I was learning to skipper a dinghy - in small waves, around two to three feet high - on a broad reach, what I had to deal with was this: 

As the wave approached from behind and began to lift the dinghy's stern, the water in the front of the wave was moving faster than the water where the bow of the boat was (which was either the back of the wave or the trough - there are a stack of images here to illustrate that), so, in addition to the direct pressure of the wave on the stern of the boat there was an additional kinetic energy effect. 

This tends to push the stern in the direction the wave is going. In more dynamic conditions, that can lead to broaching. 

However, in the more gentle conditions I was learning in, all that I had to learn to do was to pull the tiller slightly to windward to compensate for the dynamic effects of the waves, and I would be able to maintain a straight course. 

Of course, initially what would happen is the boat would start to go off course, then I would move the tiller and return to course - lead to a wake that, in the words of my Aussie skipper, would have broken a snake's back to follow 😂 . (This was not helped by my arms having, as my colourful skipper also noted, "the muscles of chicken legs" ... which is why I started doing weight training using bricks and bottles of water) 

With practice, I was able to anticipate the effects of the wave, and then keep a straight course. 

Great. 

But then, by modifying (actually, exaggerating) the technique I had learned slightly, I could actually learn to go with the wave slightly, and start surfing the approaching wave.

Mindfulness is like learning to keep a straight course on a broad reach; loving-kindness meditation is taking those skills and actively applying them to making the world a better place, which is like using those skills and using them to start surfing.

This is a topic which is covered well in books like, for instance, Pema Chödrön's "Meditation: How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind". Here are a few quotes from that book which may you, Dear Reader, to reflect on this matter.

“The word chitta means “heart” and “mind”; it means both things simultaneously, so we define it as “heart-mind.” So you could say that bodhichitta is awakened heart-mind, or enlightened heart-mind, or completely open heart-mind. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche had a synonym for bodhichitta: he called it ‘soft spot.’ He said that we all have this “soft spot”; all living beings have this tenderness.” 

“Another definition of the word bodhichitta might be “becoming a completely loving person.” If someone says, “What is the purpose of spiritual practice?” I personally feel that the ultimate reason why we practice, why we listen to these teachings, why we try to begin to bring this into every moment of our life, is so that we can become completely loving people. And this is what the world needs.” 

A UBI may (largely) pay for itself

I was going to research this, but I ran out of time, energy, and enthusiasm to keep trying to wade through the vague, irrelevant and unhelpful information that was obfuscating the issue - and, in any case, why can't an economist do this (properly, unlike the **** I've seen done so far)?

The premise I am examining is that a Universal Basic Income (UBI) may well pay for itself.

Consider the massive amount that is spent on: 

• surveillance and investigations to determine whether claims for social security meet the current rules; 
• cost of litigation; 
• the massive costs of the illegal "Robodebt" scheme and compensation; 
• the employment and training/re-training of a massive number of people in relation to enforcement of complex, unwieldy and frequently changed "rules" - not only enforcement, but also those who are supposed to "help" people (we would only need a minimalist number of people to check residency/citizenship - there would be no police checks, etc, and there is an argument for the UBI to possibly be tax free, so the extent of the ATO could possibly be reduced); and
  
• the office space, resources and administration associated with that massive number of people.
  

There are additional, less obvious costs as well: 

• time lost in businesses that have to process rote job applications made to meet requirements (or enable agencies to claim they have met quotas on helping X no. people, I wonder?); 
• the stress caused to those needing help (participants in Finland’s trial of UBI reported better mental health), and those trapped in this abusive bureaucracy - which is a massive AVOIDABLE cost to our society;
  
• the loss of productivity caused by stressing people who are already stressed; and 
• no incentive for corrupt unethical abuses such as this, with payments of up to $8,000 for a single negative medical assessment.
  

Unlike our current unemployment benefits, the UBI would be enough for survivability. There would be a need for more - for example, for the additional needs of people with disabilities, but all other pensions would be built off that starting point.

The other benefit of a UBI is that giving money to those on lower incomes results in spending that goes straight to the economy - which would generate GST and thus boost government income.

It is also possible that at least some people on the margins of higher benefits may elect to avoid the stress and mental health problems caused by doing so, and simply stay on the survivable UBI.

The claims about lack of motivation to work are idiotic, and show a near complete lack of understanding of people:

• most people want more than the minimum (just look at the growth in size, flashiness and GHG impact of our houses, for one) and thus will want work; 
• out of simple boredom, some people will seek employment (it may take a little time, but most people will get there); and 
• many people are driven by their ego, and will want to do something for the "glory" and adulation they think will come with accomplishment.
  

But the best benefit of all, in my opinion, is that all the haters who blame people in need of assistance as being fundamentally flawed and undeserving, would have to take their "dole bludger" hate somewhere else - and SOME of them might actually wind doing something that is useful and contributes to society, instead of attacking, dividing, and harming (even killing) other people. 

The stupidity of Victorians - and the lies of couriers

We went to a local market today. Apart from us and a few others, no-one was wearing masks. They're optional at the moment, but that is conditional ("recommended") on physical (aka "social") distancing being practised - and NO-ONE, other than us, was even trying to practice that.

When we re-open our borders, we're going to be utterly screwed - unless most of us are vaccinated, and all quarantine facilities have been upgraded.

Also had another courier lie today that no-one was home. I know people have watched the location indicator on a parcel in a courier truck go right past without even slowing down, and then they get a message about no-one being home. We had a note on the door asking specifically for the courier to knock loudly, and the second time they came, they did. When asked why he didn't do that the first time, the courier said he hadn't been there before. So how many times was he lying? 

As a result of similar experiences, I won't order anything on line now unless the seller confirms who the courier is, and that they will behave appropriately. 

(I also don't give feedback if any of the privacy terms and conditions are unacceptable to me - and it is worth checking them, as they often blatantly allow spamming and collection of irrelevant data. I also have grave concerns about the privacy of signatures etc that couriers collect.) 

On Uganda, Burma, the attempted coup in the USA, and from the news

On Uganda this week:

• the abductions and murders continue - with a focus on priests, continuing a concerning history in Uganda and elsewhere; 
• human rights experts have sounded their alarm over the violent crackdown following elections in Uganda.
  

On Burma this week:

• the protests and killing continue - see here (82 killed on one day), here, here,
  
• details of the murder of protestors in Bago;  
• the junta has underestimated the courage of Burma's people; 
• an underground newspaper as a way of fighting back against the Internet shutdown;
  
• a call for Australia to allow Burmese people to stay here for their safety - as was done after the Tiananmen Square massacre for Chinese students; 
• death penalty returns to Burma; 
• new year celebrations have been cancelled in protest; 
  
• a warning Burma could become the next Syria; 
• continuing calls for economic boycotts; 
• an opposition government has been formed.
  

A comment on Afghanistan: if the USA had stayed out of Iraq, they would have accomplished a change of state in Afghanistan by around 2003 or 04 - quickly enough to not build up the resentments and hatreds that the Coalition forces have, and the problems in Pakistan would have been more limited. Under those circumstances, I consider it likely that troops could have been withdrawn then - maybe keep some for low level training. (The ineptness of the military forces around building a society didn't help anything, either.) The announced withdrawal WILL be a very imaginable disaster for over 19 million people: the women of that nation.

From the news this week:

• forest fires in India;   plastic pollution is now in the atmosphere . . . ;   the climate crisis is a security threat;   Greenland v. mining;   the transition technology of hybrid cars are going to be phased out sooner than expected;   the flood risks in "informal" settlements are being mapped to help stop evictions;   a New Zealand law "will require banks, insurers and investment managers to report the climate impacts of their businesses and explain how they will manage risks";   "the world's wealthiest 1% produce double the combined carbon emissions of the poorest 50%";   Japan will dump nuclear contaminated water into the ocean . . . ;   Ugandans have criticised the oil pipeline deal;    the climate crisis will make India's monsoon even more devastating;   France has banned short flights where a train alternative exists;   bats have advantages - such as being pollinators;  
  
  
• US President Biden has continued the USA's warmongering and will now break an election promise to sell weapons to the human rights abusing Saudis;   anger over maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean;   Iran has lashed out at sanctions over human rights abuses;   those opposed to Ethiopia's Nile dam are building alliances;  in a 21^st Century version of their defeat in Viêt Nám, the USA has just abandoned the women of Afghanistan to the increasingly violent misogynistic Taliban . . . more reflections on this . . . ;   China is continuing its threats  against Taiwan, building ties with Iran, exporting its techno-authoritarianism, and ramping up its saturation propaganda;   the CCP's sock puppet will **** Hong Kong's next "elections";   suppression of opposition before elections in Chad;   corruption has been building in Nicaragua for a decade;   staggering revelations about the extent of bonuses to hundreds of public servants;   Somalia's leader has been the latest leader to attack term limits - see also this examination;   a kick in the guts to democracy in Thailand;   growth of democracy in Samoa;   the US has expelled Russian diplomats in response for Russian interference in US elections - Russian retaliation is expected;   attempts to end the violence in the southern Philippines are behind track;   concerns the pro-democracy movement in Algeria has been infiltrated by extremists;   Poland continues its sprint to despotism;   talks on the Iran nuclear deal are resuming;   "Venezuelans try to beat hyperinflation with cryptocurrency revolution";  
  
  
• the "panic over cancel culture [is] really about the perceived loss of power";   the problem of extremists being "enterprising" - driven by the desire for power and wealth;   Qatar has been using torture;   "Australia's slow adoption of laws that would allow the targeted sanctioning of human rights abusers has been branded "humiliating" by a prominent activist" - and we will stay out of touch with decency on the age of criminal responsibility;   thoughts on long term altruism;   a writing competition on "what matters" for young students;   new investigations into matters related to possible war crimes of a bemedalled soldier - who is suing for defamation;   Denmark is committing refoulement of Syrian refugees;   concerns about the proven human rights abusing company being used for vaccination bookings;   the vicious national neolib nitwits have put their attack on people with a disability on hold;   India is abusing privacy to create digital barriers to vaccination;   "the life of an Iranian human rights lawyer";  
  
  
• a campaign against the abuse of LGBTIQ+ people by their families;   good news from the Yukon;   abuse of LGBT elders in/by the aged care system;   the dangers of AI for LGBT people;   homophobia of Canadian police hampered an investigation into a serial killer;   US residents OVERWHELMINGLY oppose anti-trans laws;  
  
  
• a comprehensive article on the misogyny of our "justice" system - and a nuanced examination of innocence, guilt, and redemption;   more information of the ineptness and trivialisation of rape allegations by NSW police who rejected three opportunities to interview the victim - which led to a rape victim committing suicide;   the silence of a neochristian church on misogyny;   misogyny amongst friends/colleagues;   sexual bullying amongst girls;   a life on the receiving end of misogyny;   a notorious MP who said he would not stand for re-election in response to allegations has been blocked from doing so by his party after he backflipped;   prolonged sexual assault of a child at a special needs school - by another student;   silencing of sexual assault victims in small businesses;    a "compelling" revelation of misogynistic bullying by Scott;   lies by nurses over the dangers of drug testing for victims of spiking;  
  
  enforcement of  new protections of women against sexual assault in Egypt;   Mali has refused to ban FGM;   "52 armies and groups [are] suspected of sexual violence";
  
  
• the sub-clinical psychopathy of police;   the lived experience of racism in a police force;   a call for an end to ‘police investigating police’;   protests after yet another killing of a black man by US police - who ALLEGEDLY (journalists have wrongly used the word "apparently") drew the gun instead of the Tasar "by mistake" . . . (and has now resigned) - while 1 of 2 police who assaulted a US soldier has been sacked;   a call to "stop training police like they’re joining the Military";   US President Biden has backed away from an oversight commission for police in favour of a bill that is doomed to fail . . . ;   racism in academia;   an examination of the growth of anti-Asian hate crimes as a result of the pandemic;   historic vote on US slavery reparations bill coming up;   the racist inequality gap;   Australia's continuing failures on Indigenous deaths in custody;  
   
• the NDIS has been ordered to cut costs . . . and damn the costs for people affected, it seems;  
  
  
• Muslims fear attending mosques because of hate crimes;  
  
  
• a critique of the democratic decay in Australia over the last five decades;   limited media ownership - particularly wrt revenue - in Australia;   US right wing politicians are unhappy at signs of decency from their erstwhile supporters/masters of the corporate world;   more accusations of the Australian government pressuring experts;   facebook has knowingly ALLOWED world leaders to use it to deceive and mislead people because there was no PR risk . . . ;    allegations that the head of the Murdoch clan admitted a media campaign to overthrow the government of the day;   the national neolib nitwits are viciously aiming to keep existing home owners happy at the expense of affordable housing;   a debunking of the trickle down economic stupidity;   one company in the gig work economy is trialling properly employing SOME of their workers;   Scott has been putting government propaganda into primary schools;   a community grants programme will be audited after grave concerns about perceptions of corruption;  
  
  
• disturbing revelations that the ABC edited footage to sensationalise it . . .