Learning vs arrogance [Note: Content Warning - discussion on, and links to reports on, war and colonialism. 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”.

 

If one is not too arrogant to do so, it is possible to learn from others. 

As an example, the newly independent USA sought intellectual property (IP) (including, I recall reading once, by nefarious means) from others - perhaps one of the purest examples of learning - after their War of Independence. 

As a later example of learning, after helping to win World War (part) Two, the USA sought to learn what it could from Germans - not only rocketry and science, but, for instance, defence tactics. 

However, when they started brainwashing their kids into (wrongly) believing that they were exceptional, the USA stopped learning from others - and from themselves, which is a bit like the block one of the ancient Greek philosophers supposedly put on the development of one area of knowledge (along the lines that everything was known, and therefore no further exploration/thinking/research was needed ... ). 

Others have fallen into that mistake of arrogance - for instance, the British Empire’s arrogance led (in part, at least, in my opinion) to it’s military failings in the (Second) Boer War. However, acknowledging  that  and  learning from it led to the British army in the early stages of World War (part) One being extremely (relatively) effective. 

Similarly, the USA learned - militarily - from the failures its arrogance had led it to in the Việt Nam War. 

Political lessons are a different matter - one that a lot of nations have struggled with, especially the colonialist ones. 

As an example, the USA’s failure to learn not to jump to military reactions, as it did when it misinterpreted George F Keenan's warning about the need to “contain” the USSR after World War (part) Two, which led to the Cold War, also led, in my opinion, to a series of political failures leading to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and, to some extent, the war in and near Gaza. 

It is even possible to learn from one’s own mistakes and from the knowledge/experience of others in one’s personal life ... 

What is required to do this is, however, amongst other things, a genuine commitment to avoid the errors of arrogance ... which is a commitment easier to make than fulfil. 

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. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.  

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/  

 

A Cross Posting on the value (and style) of learning

I want to cross-post to this blog from my creativity blog, where a series of yarns about my sailing experiences has progressed to a short yarn about learning. The original is at https://musingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-third-yarn-more-note-really-about.html.

*****

In my last "yarn", I mentioned moving to Mackay, and my concern about whether or not they had a sailing club. They did, and I had a stack of experiences - good and bad (and funny, and a mixed bag of insights into people) - there, but the one matter I want to write about now is learning.

I started off crewing for an experienced skipper, and eventually got to the stage where my parents decided to buy me a boat so I could be a skipper myself. One turned up which thought was a great bargain, but they decided to spend a few hundred dollars more and get something that was competitive and less likely to sink :)

Initially, I wasn't very good, until another skipper (from another class) took pity on me and crewed for me for a few weeks, getting me to do things like focus on the telltales on the sails instead of looking round and being distracted. His help worked, and I started improving - and passing on what I was learning and had learned to others, which is another series of posts.

But the value of learning was clear, and it backed up the value what I had started doing as soon as we bought the boat, which was pester - I mean, "respectfully ask" - other skippers for advice: "Mr Turner," I would pester (it was a different era, hence the "mister", but in some ways not so different, hence the "pester") "how do you choose what rake to put on your mast?"

I had a small notebook that I put all these different approaches into - and they were all different. I was going to just try them all out for myself, but was told I should ask them to clarify why they preferred to use their technique when someone else used another.

That challenging went over like a lead zeppelin, and when I heard a comment about everything being taken down as evidence and used against you, I decided to go back to my original approach of gather and then try for myself - which helped emphasise that everyone is unique, and what suits one person will - no matter how good it is - not necessarily suit another, despite NOTHING being wrong with that other person.

Sadly, many people in life (and especially the older - my lot - of engineers) are simplistic or judgemental in their thinking, and assume that, because something worked so well for them it MUST work for others, and accuse others of being defective when that is not the case (often because they WRONGLY feel that they must be defective if something works for them, but not others).

I've also noticed some - not all, by any stretch - younger people are less interested in learning from those who are more experienced, and more interested in pushing their own perceptions of ability and competence. I don't consider that to be an outcome of changed parenting so much as it is an outcome of changed economic and work circumstances. Sadly, we have gone down the US style of living, and are pushing people to be aggressive and self promoting, characteristics I consider utterly detestable, and have been making work so insecure that employees have to be aggressive just to get, let alone keep, a job.

The young people of today reflect the world my generation (pack of idiots we are) made.

Final note: I lost touch with the people in that sailing club a long time ago - partly because of some idiotically insensitive letters I wrote, partly because the club burned down and is no longer there, and partly because of the many changes I have been through. C'est la vie: things change, and, as my partner says, people (and places, and organisations) are in our life for a day, a season or a life. Mackay Sailing Club was in my life for a decade or so (a season of a life), and shaped the whole of it.

Copyright © Kayleen White, 2019 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication) I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :)

Israeli anger at Netanyahu [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on violence/abuse/war. 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 (when I remember) shown in green.

 

Prior to the tragedy of 7^th October, Netanyahu was not popular - his authoritarian changes to that nation’s judiciary were resisted by protests involving tens of thousands, he was (and still is) facing corruption charges, and he made deals with the far right to stay in power. 

Despite Israel understandably drawing together - as so many other nations have - when they faced an external threat, Netanyahu has still not been popular. 

And that brings us to this: 

“Israel confirms deaths of six hostages after IDF finds bodies in Gaza | Israel-Gaza war | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/family-confirms-death-of-hostage-hersh-goldberg-polin-after-idf-finds-bodies-in-gaza   “IDF says Hamas killed captives shortly before bodies found, as families’ group accuses Netanyahu of ‘abandoning’ abductees   ...   Unnamed Israeli security officials were quoted in the Israeli press on Sunday blaming Netanyahu’s insistence on holding on to strategic territory in Gaza as the principal obstacle to a deal. The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, issued a statement calling for the cabinet to reverse a vote on Thursday to retain control of the Philadelphi corridor, along Gaza’s border with Egypt”     

Throughout Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, there has been tension between the families of those abducted (not all Israeli, by the way - some were agricultural workers from Thailand) and Netanyahu/Netanyahu’s government.

These recent events have now led to this: 

“Protests in Israel and strike called amid eruption of outrage over Gaza war | Israel | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/protests-israel-strike-eruption-outrage-gaza-war   “An estimated 100,000 protested in Tel Aviv while others demonstrated in Jerusalem as pressure on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reach a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home reached a new peak   ...   the findings pointing to H____ executions did little to deflect widespread fury towards Netanyahu and his rightwing coalition for failing to agree a US-backed hostages-for-peace deal with H____, which has been on the negotiating table since late May   ...   the leader of the Histadrut trade union federation, Arnon Bar-David, said: “... We are no longer one country”   ...   The last time Histadrut called a general strike, in March last year, it was triggered by Netanyahu’s sacking of Gallant for his opposition to the prime minister’s plans to limit the power and independence of the supreme court.”     

This is a potentially significant moment - not only for the war in Gaza and Netanyahu’s government, but for the nature of Israel. 

I hope all involved choose wisely ... 

PS - I have written some thoughts about learning from a spiritual perspective, based on these events, on my main blog. If you might be interested, you can see those at: 

“Post No. 2,869 - learning “the hard way””   https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2024/09/post-no-2869-learning-hard-way.html     

 

 

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 or 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. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

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/  

 

 

Corporate knowledge - better learning

This is a post in my Ethics, Lazy Management, and Flawed Thinking series - see https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2019/11/ethics-lazy-management-and-flawed.html.

One of the significant things about most militaries, apart from their unpleasant purpose, is their dedication to learning.

It is common - and right - for all non-combatant deaths to be deplored, but, notwithstanding that such deaths do occur, the military these days is much better at preventing them than it used to be. As an example, I've read estimates of French civilian deaths for D-Day that range from 3,000 to 15,000, and 50,000 for the entire bombing campaign associated with that action. - see also here, here, and here.

We don't hear much about that (and it has disappeared from the main Wikipedia article again; it used to be there [who the hell took it out, and why???] ).

When we compare that to current and recent events, despite there being a need for further improvement, there has been some improvement.

In fact, the events that the book and film "The Men Who Stare at Goats" were based on, and I am thinking of the learning from the "human potential movement" in particular, did happen.

So: the military does try, in its own way, to learn. (There is more I could write about that, but not in this post - look up  for more.)

One of the things that the military does which I consider has potential value elsewhere is the use of unit diaries.

Now, in personal development, the use of personal journals is standard practice, and is accepted because it improves the efficiency of our learning.

I contend that the same applies to a properly recorded organisational journal, whether military or commercial. (The commercial version would also have to include market conditions and influences, organisational staffing and skill levels, etc.)


The information would enable management to assess proposals for new actions against what has worked and what has NOT worked in the past, and thus either stop what would be a waste in its tracks, or, at the very least, fine tune suggestions to improve their chances of success.

I have the impression that too many - not all, by any means - managers approach their job from an ideological dogma, possibly one imprinted by a University course, and thus there is a lot of hiring and firing until, coincidentally, market conditions, staff levels & skills, and opportunities get the results are desired.

The perfect example of this is the economic ineptness of Australia's current neoliberal government (see here, here, and here, for instance).

From my working life, over the last two or three decades, since project managers lost their technical literacy, I've routinely experienced every basically indulging in abuse using economic arguments that, in real life terms, actually are naive and lacking in any sense.

It's as if they've all come, bright eyed and bushy tailed, from the same project management factory, and the factory hasn't earned.

Actually, there has been signs of some improvement in the last 5 years or so, but I think that is more because the company I work for has infused its experience into the system.

And that sort of "infusement" could be done more efficaciously if we maintained a proper, accessible, up-to-date record of our corporate thinking, actions, and experiences - i.e., a corporate unit diary.

The contempt of transphobes towards the human species [Content Warning: discussion of life-threatening hatred and bigotry]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. 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/. 

 

From a post on LinkedIn I found two articles which reveals the appalling, deliberate, and actively enforced cover up of the predicted increase in trans youth deaths by suicide/attempts/suicidal ideation following a long history of action by the genocidal so-called “gender critical” ideology.  

 

Any claims that those transphobic genocidaires are concerned about the wellbeing is, in my opinion, revealed by these articles to be a lie.  

 

The article details are: 

• “Attempt to cover up “explosion” of trans youth suicides on NHS waiting lists”   https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/attempt-cover-up-explosion-trans-youth-suicides-nhs-waiting-wareham-tskbc/      

• “The shocking rise of deaths among young trans people”   https://goodlawproject.org/rise-of-deaths-young-trans-people/      

• “Come in number 666, your Gender Critical time is up”   https://translucent.org.uk/come-in-number-666-your-gender-critical-time-is-up/      

The genocidal nature of the “gender critical” ideology was determined by the Lemkin Institute when they published (in November, 2022): 

• “Statement on the Genocidal Nature of the Gender Critical Movement’s Ideology and Practice”   https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-the-genocidal-nature-of-the-gender-critical-movement%E2%80%99s-ideology-and-practice     
  

For some historical context on who the gender critical ideologues align with, see: 

• “Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people”   https://theconversation.com/historians-are-learning-more-about-how-the-nazis-targeted-trans-people-205622     
  

For an example of the personal experience of being on the receiving end of these haters, see: 

• “I was a victim of Gender Ideology”   https://youtu.be/iKZq5z7M4ds?si=FPp8Z8Fey4ThYnZz     
  

In addition to this, I also note that trying to control minds and force them into old, inaccurate, directly (see above) and indirectly (via discrimination) worldviews is actively harmful in  and of itself. 

Apart from the harm mentioned, those deep flaws of character and thinking create the situation where fear of difference locks individual minds into mini-gated communities where people are so focused on “not being different” that they are not being themselves (which I wrote about in poems here and here).

This also applies to their puppets and tools - some in politics, many in “conservative” mainstream media. 

However, not all people in those areas are also transphobic. An utterly brilliant campaign has just been announced by the government of my home state. For more on this, see: 

• “The Unsaid Says A Lot”   https://www.vic.gov.au/theunsaid      

 

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;

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. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

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: 

• “‘Red alert’: Heat records were smashed in 2023, and 2024 is likely to be even hotter”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/red-alert-heat-records-were-smashed-in-2023-and-2024-is-likely-to-be-even-hotter/vuh0fqrvf   “Climate models can’t explain 2023’s huge heat anomaly — we could be in uncharted territory”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00816-z   “Almost a third of Australia’s plant species may have to migrate south if we hit 3 degrees of warming”   https://theconversation.com/almost-a-third-of-australias-plant-species-may-have-to-migrate-south-if-we-hit-3-degrees-of-warming-226009      “Researchers say Australian schoolchildren are asking if it’s ‘too late’ to halt climate change”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-21/kids-and-climate-action-is-it-too-late/103610946   They have been concerned for decades, and are often, I suspect, better able to see reality than elites, so I am not surprised the questions have changed to this - I also want to know the answer  
  

 

• “Can Social Media Activism Actually Work? - PBS Voices”   https://youtu.be/0IkQ-AxJb8A?si=dG_cJ1dev7lSr37E   Yes, is the answer - if it is done correctly      Also,  “(efficacy of) nonviolent protests”   https://gnwmythrsglossary.blogspot.com/2023/04/efficacy-of-nonviolent-protests.html   including links to   “Post No. 1,614 - How Large Do Movements Have to Be to Succeed?”   https://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2020/07/post-no-1614-how-large-do-movements.html   and   “Powering Learning about Nonviolent Action”   https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/index.php/   “The Global Nonviolent Action Database provides free access to information about hundreds of cases of nonviolent action, from all continents and most countries, for learning and for citizen action. The database is a project of Swarthmore College”   and https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/browse   &   https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/search/node?keys=   

 

• “Fossil Fuel Advocates Spread Disinfo About Canada’s False Advertising Bill - DeSmog”   https://www.desmog.com/2024/02/09/fossil-fuel-advocates-spread-disinformation-about-canadas-false-advertising-bill/   

 

• “Queensland farming lobby launches legal challenge against Great Artesian Basin carbon capture trial”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/19/queensland-farming-lobby-launches-legal-challenge-against-great-artesian-basin-carbon-capture-trial   “AgForce is seeking a judicial review of a 2022 decision that found the project did not need to be assessed under federal environmental laws”  
  

• “Surviving the white gold rush – life in South America’s ‘lithium triangle’ | Environment | Al Jazeera”   https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/3/16/surviving-the-white-gold-rush-life-in-south-americas-lithium-triangle-2   
  

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: society generally, the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/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 (when I remember) 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, the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues (please note: this is a cut down and/or combined version of what I used to do):

on society generally:

• “When will hatred stop?”   https://theaimn.com/when-will-hatred-stop/      

• “‘Sliding doors’: the groundbreaking study charting the lives of 167 Australians over 34 years | Australia news | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/06/sliding-doors-the-groundbreaking-study-charting-the-lives-of-167-australians-over-34-years   “...   the erosion of the postwar social contract, and the fraying of public services and the social safety net hit some people harder than others.   ...   “the odds are stacked against those who can’t seem to break free of poverty and disadvantage, no matter how hard they try.”   Many of the policy recommendations the researchers made still remain: fair and adequate income support; accessible and responsive health and support services for parents from non-English speaking backgrounds; reinvestments in safe, secure public housing, accessible public transport infrastructure, and more.”   This has been known by those living it (especially here in Victoria, where Kennett savaged society in the 90s) and advocates ever since it started happening, but this evidence will greatly aid the understanding of many and the efforts to accomplish to change for the better      

• “AI in the health insurance industry: An explainer and research roundup”   https://journalistsresource.org/home/ai-in-the-health-insurance-industry-explainer-and-research-roundup/      

the climate crisis: 

 

• “‘An intergenerational crime against humanity’: what will it take for political leaders to start taking climate change seriously?”   https://theconversation.com/an-intergenerational-crime-against-humanity-what-will-it-take-for-political-leaders-to-start-taking-climate-change-seriously-231383      “Planet warming at 'unprecedented pace', according to new study”   https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20240605-planet-warming-at-unprecedented-pace-according-to-new-study       

• “‘Godfathers of climate chaos’: UN chief urges global fossil-fuel advertising ban”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/05/antonio-guterres-un-chief-fossil-fuels-advertising   “António Guterres says world faces ‘climate crunch time’ and announces dire new scientific warnings of global heating”     
  

 

• “Groundwater is heating up, threatening life below and above the surface”   https://theconversation.com/groundwater-is-heating-up-threatening-life-below-and-above-the-surface-229177      

environmental issues: 

• “Tonga’s volcanic eruption could cause unusual weather for the rest of the decade, new study shows”   https://theconversation.com/tongas-volcanic-eruption-could-cause-unusual-weather-for-the-rest-of-the-decade-new-study-shows-231074   At the time, it increased atmospheric water by 10%      

• “Australia’s ‘learning by doing’ approach to managing large mines is failing the environment”   https://theconversation.com/australias-learning-by-doing-approach-to-managing-large-mines-is-failing-the-environment-230857     
  

• “By not mining vital minerals, NZ is ‘offshoring its own environmental footprint’ – is that fair?”   https://theconversation.com/by-not-mining-vital-minerals-nz-is-offshoring-its-own-environmental-footprint-is-that-fair-231166      

pandemics and disease risks, including zoonotic: 

• “Huge amounts of bird-flu virus found in raw milk of infected cows”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01624-1   “New findings point to the milking process as a possible route of avian-influenza spread between cows — and from cow to human.”      “Mexico man dies from first human case of bird flu strain H5N2”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/06/mexico-man-dies-from-first-human-case-of-bird-flu-strain-h5n2   There is also a COVID wave     
  

• “A new discovery about carbon dioxide is challenging decades-old ventilation doctrine”   https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/04/co2-ventilation-research-virus-airborne-life-haddrell-celebs/   CO₂ helps airborne viruses to survive      
  

nuclear threats/issues: 

• “Guterres warns humanity on ‘knife’s edge’ as AI raises nuclear war threat | Nuclear weapons | The Guardian”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/07/ai-nuclear-war-threat-un-secretary-general      
  

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. Also, consider this poem of mine.

 

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. 

Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

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/