The Lemkin Institute’s next “Year of Genocide Prevention” webinar will be at the end of this week [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on genocide. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

The Lemkin Institute’s next “Year of Genocide Prevention” webinar will be at the end of this week (Friday or Saturday, depending on where you are in the world - 3am Saturday for me, so I will watch the recorded version on  the Lemkin Institute’s YouTube channel [at   https://www.youtube.com/@lemkininstituteforgenocide1866 ] ), and will be on Gaza. 

From   https://www.lemkininstitute.com/so/beOybZlO4 : 

“Hidden in Plain View: The Case of Genocide in Gaza”   

A conversation with Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967   

3^rd May, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM GMT-5 (US time and date)  

An advance, unedited copy (with a note “The present report was submitted to the conference services for processing after the deadline so as to include the most recent information”) of the report   “Anatomy of a Genocide Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese”   is available at   https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session55/advance-versions/a-hrc-55-73-auv.pdf   (The discussion of the legal aspects around evidence/proof, including of motivation, is useful, in my opinion.)  

 

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. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

 

FROM this week’s news ON: society generally, and broader issues [Note: Content Warning - may be links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

Frrom this week’s news on society generally, and broader issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published):

• “Ignorant. Woke.”   https://theaimn.com/ignorant-woke/   “So the WOKE me looks at the issues that are around me, that in one way or another touch my life and try to do something to let humanity shine, the anti-WOKE people of the world stoke fear of difference, strive to develop an orthodoxy which marginalises difference.   I wear the WOKE label with pride.”   A brilliant response some anti-Woke nonsense  
  

• “Violence in our churches”   https://theaimn.com/violence-in-our-churches/   This discusses violence between competing bigotries, as well as the effect of hateful bigotries on the rest of the community  
  

• “Collective trauma has brought Australians together but rising inequality is leaving many behind”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/21/collective-trauma-has-brought-australians-together-but-rising-inequality-is-leaving-many-behind   “Social cohesion can only flourish in a society that has an inclusive and equitable economy, where safety and respect are assured and fear is minimised”   a thoughtful article with some interesting ideas: well worth a read and a think   See also   “Unstable employment while you’re young can set you up for a wage gap later in life – even if you eventually land full-time work”   https://theconversation.com/unstable-employment-while-youre-young-can-set-you-up-for-a-wage-gap-later-in-life-even-if-you-eventually-land-full-time-work-227042   And many of the dinosaurs of my era still think getting a job is easy   

• “Why the pathology bulk-billing campaign is more about driving industry profits than saving you money”   https://theconversation.com/why-the-pathology-bulk-billing-campaign-is-more-about-driving-industry-profits-than-saving-you-money-228091  
  

• “Supermarket facial recognition failure: why automated systems must put the human factor first”   https://theconversation.com/supermarket-facial-recognition-failure-why-automated-systems-must-put-the-human-factor-first-228284   “... the risk of Māori women and women of colour being discriminated against was raised, and has now been borne out by what happened.   ...   Commendably, Foodstuffs has engaged with the Privacy Commissioner, and has been transparent about safeguards in biometric data collection and deletion protocols. What’s missing is more clarity around protocols for the security response in stores.   This is more than about customers consenting to facial recognition cameras.”   Human bigotry (often euphemised down to “bias”) has long been known to be a problem in AI. Similarly, Newtonian thinking (“the hammer sees everything as a nail”) has always been a problem with security organisations and personnel. So none of this is new ...  
  

• “Every great achievement comes down to two things”   https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/every-great-achievement-comes-down-to-two-things   “Want to change the world? Start with a story and a tribe”   

• “Lara fantasised for years about meeting her celebrity crush. When she finally did, her world collapsed | SBS Insight”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/lara-fantasised-for-years-about-meeting-her-celebrity-crush-when-she-did-her-world-collapsed/7etyenuba   ... over his normality and lack of exceptionality away from the celebrity world, in the world of everyday interaction  
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.

 

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. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

 

FROM this week’s news ON: the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

Froom this week’s news on the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), noting that at least some issues will not have made it into the news that I see: 

• “Europe faced record number of 'extreme heat stress' days in 2023, say climate monitors”   https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240422-europe-faced-record-extreme-heat-stress-2023-climate-monitors   “Europe baked in ‘extreme heat stress’ pushing temperatures to record highs”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/22/europe-baked-in-extreme-heat-stress-pushing-temperatures-to-record-highs   “Europeans are dying from hot weather 30% more than they did two decades ago, report finds”    

• “Human-Caused Climate Change will cut your pay cheque by a Fifth over the next 26 Years”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/04/caused-climate-paycheck.html    

• “Our tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived – and we shouldn’t be burning them”   https://theconversation.com/our-tall-wet-forests-were-not-open-and-park-like-when-colonists-arrived-and-we-shouldnt-be-burning-them-228601   The evidence includes recorded testimony from First Nations Peoples  
  

• “Climate action ‘cannot trample over the poor’, says Guterres, launching new initiative to protect key minerals for clean energy transition”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1149066   

• “Over a million homes to get renewable energy in deal between federal and state governments | SBS News”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/over-a-million-homes-to-get-renewable-energy-in-deal-between-federal-and-state-governments/dsbbub1x2   

 

• “Noise from traffic stunts growth of baby birds, study finds”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/25/noise-from-traffic-stunts-growth-of-baby-birds-study-finds   “Researchers also find zebra finches 20% less likely to hatch from eggs if exposed to noise pollution”  
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.

 

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. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

 

FROM this week’s news ON: human rights and humanitarian aid [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

Fromm this week’s news on human rights (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), noting that many issues have probably not made it into the news that I see: 

• “Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/11489260   

• “Botswana rejects controversial UK proposal on asylum-seekers”   https://www.voanews.com/a/botswana-rejects-controversial-uk-proposal-on-asylum-seekers/7582782.html   By this rejection, Botswana has firmly aligned itself with decency and human rights    

• “US sanctions militant leaders over hostages in West Africa”   https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-sanctions-militant-leaders-over-hostages-west-africa-2024-04-23/  
  

 

• “Traditional owners to get Vic renewable project profits”   https://nit.com.au/22-04-2024/10961/call-for-traditional-owners-to-bank-from-mining-profits    

• “20 Indigenous Elders appointed to offer cultural authority during Treaty negotiations in Victoria”   https://nit.com.au/22-04-2024/10943/20-indigenous-elders-appointed-to-offer-cultural-authority-during-treaty-negotiations-in-victoria   This is excellent news   “Aboriginal Elders appointed to historic Elders Standing Group”   https://www.firstpeoplesvic.org/news/aboriginal-elders-appointed-to-historic-elders-standing-group/   

• “The staggering suicide crisis billows unabated through our First Nations communities”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/22/the-staggering-suicide-crisis-billows-unabated-through-our-first-nations-communities   “Little from countless inquiries has been heeded, other than a trail of symbolisms and apologies and now a 10-year-old child has died”   

• “Prosecutors in California excluded Jewish and Black jurors, records suggest”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/22/california-death-penalty-cases-review-juror-discrimination   “Pamela Price, the Alameda county district attorney, is reviewing 35 death penalty cases after judge cites ‘pattern of misconduct’”   This is gravely concerning   

• “Restrictions on Victorian doctor accused of racist and homophobic remarks paused due to bulk-billing shortage”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/22/restrictions-on-victorian-doctor-accused-of-racist-and-homophobic-remarks-paused-due-to-bulk-billing-shortage   This is ONLY of benefit to white cishet people - so at least around 30-40% of the population are excluded   

 

• “Harvey Weinstein: New York court overturns 2020 rape conviction”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/25/harvey-weinstein-rape-conviction-overturned   “Court rules judge who oversaw landmark trial was mistaken in allowing women whose accusations were not part of case to testify   ...   prosecutors say they will retry the ... case.”   Although this may well be legally correct, the real life effect of this is that it is a devastating decision, and will have a chilling effect on women reporting assaults and abuse See also   “Why Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction was overturned — and what happens now”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-harvey-weinsteins-rape-conviction-was-overturned/y0e26y4oz      On the other hand,   “Judge upholds $83m E Jean Carroll defamation verdict against Trump”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/e-jean-carroll-trump-defamation   “The former president’s motion for a new trial was denied and his argument deemed ‘entirely without merit’”   

• “‘Enough’: thousands to join protests across Australia opposing violence against women”   https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/26/australia-violence-against-women-rallies-what-were-you-wearing-sydney-adelaide-newcastle-ballarat      “We won’t stop violence against women with conversations about respect. This is not working. We need to get real”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/26/we-wont-stop-violence-against-women-with-conversations-about-respect-this-is-not-working-we-need-to-get-real-ntwnfb      “As regional Australia reels from several women’s deaths, advocates seek both policing and prevention”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/27/as-regional-australia-reels-from-several-womens-deaths-advocates-seek-both-policing-and-prevention  
  

• “Choice and control: people with disability feel safer when they can select their NDIS providers”   https://theconversation.com/choice-and-control-people-with-disability-feel-safer-when-they-can-select-their-ndis-providers-227579  

• “What Is The Autism Spectrum? (What Do Actually Autistic People Think?)”   https://youtu.be/_bYPdc2cT-E?si=vu5kh1C1_sxRju-4   This is an excellent analysis of a flawed science programme on the autism spectrum - with rebuttals of the rubbish comments  
  

• “‘More harm than good’: Why there's concern over a commonly used police term”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/more-harm-than-good-why-theres-concern-over-a-commonly-used-police-term/ymnvvatfg   “You may have heard the term ‘known to police’ in the news. There is no clear-cut definition for the phrase, according to a policing expert, prompting concerns around stereotyping and legal risk.”   

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.

 

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. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

 

FROM this week’s news ON: the war in West Asia [Content Warning - links to reports on oppression/bigotry/hate, violence including SA & CSA/abuse/war, genocide, language. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

Reporting on recent and currrently ongoing war in West Asia (I object to the colonial term “Middle East”), in imperialistic Israel, Gaza, and adjoining nations, includes the following: 

Note: my usual preamble to these posts can be found on the post at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2024/04/from-this-weeks-news-on-war-in-west_24.html. I will omit that from now on for the sake of brevity. 

• “My parents were taken hostage on 7 October. This Passover, we pray for leaders who bring dignity and peace”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/22/israel-hostages-gaza-_____-passover   “My family’s kibbutz was devastated. After 200 dark days, we need to expand our compassion, to recognise each other’s pain”      “Leaders of 18 countries urge _____ to release hostages held in Gaza”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/25/israel-hostages-gaza-rafah-ceasefire-negotiations   

• “The Ideological Coup: How Far Right Kahanist Extremists Became the Face of Israel”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/04/ideological-kahanist-extremists.html  
  

• “Gaza detainees 'urinated on, made to act like animals' by Israeli forces, UNRWA says | Middle East Eye”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-warns-mass-ill-treatment-palestinians-israeli-detention   
  

• “Independent review panel releases final report on UNRWA”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148821   “An independent panel released its much-awaited report on Monday about the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), providing 50 recommendations and noting that Israeli authorities have yet to provide proof of their claims that UN staff are involved with terrorist organisations.   ...   The much-awaited final report found that UNRWA, established by the General Assembly in 1949, has extensive tools in place to ensure it remains unbiased in its work and routinely provides Israel with employee lists and “the Israeli Government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff based on these staff lists since 2011.””   In my opinion, a reasonable person could be inclined to suspect some Israelis are lying ...      “UNRWA committed to implement independent review recommendations”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148916  
  

on human rights and human suffering (on both sides) aspects:   

• “War on Gaza: Hundreds of bodies unearthed in Khan Younis hospital mass graves | Middle East Eye”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hundreds-bodies-unearthed-nasser-hospital-mass-graves    “Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148876   “Disturbing reports continue to emerge about mass graves in Gaza in which Palestinian victims were reportedly found stripped naked with their hands tied, prompting renewed concerns about possible war crimes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said”   an opinion on   “How an ‘antisemitism hoax' drowned out the discovery of mass graves in Gaza | Middle East Eye”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/antisemitism-hoax-drowned-out-discovery-mass-graves-gaza  
  

• “US set to impose sanctions on Israeli military unit over abuses: Report | Israel War on Gaza News | Al Jazeera”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/21/us-set-to-impose-sanctions-on-israeli-military-unit-over-abuses-report      “‘An Israeli-style Wagner Group’: The ultra-Orthodox military unit in [the USA]’s crosshairs”   https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240423-netzah-yehuda-the-israeli-ultra-orthodox-military-unit-in-washington-crosshairs   “For the first time, the United States is expected to impose sanctions on an Israeli military unit. The _ _ Battalion, initially set up to accommodate Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews but which quickly expanded to become a popular unit for radical right-wing settlers, has over the years been accused of a series of human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.”      “Israeli Squatter-Settlers in Palestinian West Bank Expanding at Fastest Rate in History, as they attack Indigenous Towns”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/04/palestinian-expanding-indigenous.html  
  

on military aspects:    

• “Gaza’s unexploded ordnance could take 14 years to clear”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1149051  
  

regionally:    

• “Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank – visualised”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/22/israel-settlers-violence-against-palestine-west-bank   “International attention is on Gaza – but attacks by Israelis who live on Palestinian land have been increasing”   
  

• an opinion that:   “Iran seems like it’s in escalation mode – but all-out war with Israel is the last thing it wants”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/22/iran-israel-middle-east-escalation-tehran   “The country is on the defensive. While Israel has ironclad support from its allies, Tehran is vulnerable and isolated”       “Israel’s Limited Attack on Iran Appears Aimed at De-Escalating Conflict”   https://www.juancole.com/2024/04/israels-escalating-conflict.html  
  

• “Caught between Israel and Iran, Jordan clings desperately to stability”   https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240419-israel-iran-jordan-clings-desperately-to-stability-us-washington-_____-gaza-palestinians   

• “Syria crisis intensifies in shadow of Gaza war”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1149016  
  

internationally: 

• “Student protesters are demanding universities divest from Israel. What does that mean?”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/divestment-israel-college-protests   “Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US universities, targeting financial ties with Israel”   https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240424-pro-palestinian-protests-sweep-us-universities-targeting-financial-ties-with-israel      “Police use rubber bullets and tear gas to break up university protest in Georgia”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/emory-university-protest-arrests   “House speaker condemned for remarks on pro-Palestine student protests”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/mike-johnson-columbia-gaza-protests   “Republican Mike Johnson accused of ‘wilfully spreading misinformation’ and ‘inciting violence’ after CNN interview”   As I read somewhere that one protestor had commented, the war and abuses in Gaza are this generation’s Vietnam War, complete with protests, violently brutal suppression, and head-in-that-sand amathia from the establishment   

• “Relatives ‘surprised and shocked’ after 68-year-old Gaza woman’s Australian visa cancelled on security grounds”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/26/fatma-almassri-visa-cancelled-palestine-gaza-israel-war   “Palestinian Australian advocates call for transparency after home affairs department cancels visa of Fatma Almassri, a diabetic living in displaced persons’ camp, without warning”   Is that government department xenophobic and racist?At the very least, they seem professionally questionable  
  

• “Oil price could exceed $100 a barrel if Middle East conflict worsens, World Bank warns”   https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/25/oil-price-could-exceed-100-a-barrel-if-middle-east-conflict-worsens-world-bank-warns   “Increase in cost of crude could drive inflation up and force central banks to keep interest rates high”   

• “Dispatches from the Northwestern University Liberated Zone”   https://drdevonprice.substack.com/p/dispatches-from-the-northwestern  
  

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.

 

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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Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/