From the news [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence/abuse/war. Reader discretion is advised]

The following caught my attention from recent news articles: 

• “The voice to parliament referendum has become Australia’s very own ‘dress’ debate” - “What’s most instructive about the hyperventilation of the no campaign and its media backers is the absolute absence of any desire to actually engage with the substance of the statement, lest it undermine the fear and loathing”, which includes a link to resources to manage the hyperbole; 
• a satirical video about some of the problematic aspects of Canada’s government;
• the UK may declare Russia’s biggest mercenary group - which recently attempted a coup a few months ago - an extremist group. I consider that reasonable - just on the publicly available record (see, for instance, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), they are a terrible group; 
• concerns about India’s attempts to rewrite history, and dropping the English name for the Sanskrit name Bharat; 
• China has succeeded in reducing air pollution; 
• the remarkable crowd funding campaign that prevented the environmental disaster of an oil spill off the coast of Yemen; 
• “the US tried to negotiate Libya-Israel ties with elites, but then the Libyan People said 'No!'”; 
• China’s strategy in Africa; 
• the growing influence of BRICS in East Africa in the form of weapons supply.
  

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

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

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

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

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Finally, remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing.