During the months of February and March I traveled across Bolivia having meetings with mostly public sector actors, as well as giving presentations. I met with Ministers, Vice Ministers, university Rectors/Vice-Rectors, a Governor, a former mayor, numerous local officials, and representatives of several NGO’s. The discussions focused on environmental problems and potential solutions. They ranged from the biggest most visible problems, such as deforestation from fire and mercury contamination from artisanal gold mining, to contamination of surface waters, destruction of aquifer recharge zones, and development encroachment into sensitive, protected areas. Also discussed was the ineffectiveness of government to protect public health and safety from hazards, including the absence of environmental jurisprudence, as well as their inadequate disaster readiness resulting in increased injuries and loss of life and property. Several initiatives are being explored to bring resources to bear on these problems.
Human Rights in the United States: 2023 Report
How Family Estrangement May Benefit Trauma Survivors
No one estranges from people who make them feel safe.
KEY POINTS
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- Despite its potential benefits, family estrangement continues to be stigmatized.
- Survivors require safe and valuable relationships and group dynamics.
- Survivors need to exert their agency.
It’s been years since I’ve seen or spoken to my mother, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I was the perfect daughter who earned straight As, behaved well, and acted as a caretaker for my mother and younger brother. Then, I realized I had survived childhood emotional and physical neglect perpetrated by my parents, which negatively impacted my ability to thrive as an adult. When I decided to become estranged from my mother (my father had died years earlier), I made substantial progress in trauma recovery. My decision was not popular within my family, community, or society, yet it was necessary.
Family estrangement is a misunderstood and stigmatized experience. When trauma survivors discuss their estrangements with others, they are often met with judgment, gaslighting, and sometimes even victim blaming. Family estrangements can be short-term, long-term, or permanent, and there are many reasons why survivors may need to initiate and maintain estrangements. Understanding these needs might help decrease the stigma surrounding estrangement, allowing survivors to feel understood and supported.
Penned Article Gets Reprints
An article I penned last month has gotten quite a bit of circulation. Here is one such reprint.
Localization: Bringing about Buen Vivir to address climate fluctuations and globalization
Reclaiming Attention & Focus
Attention and focus are essential for understanding anything. Are you feeling distracted? Struggling to understand something? This book reports on the latest research findings about how technology is harming these essential human faculties. Interview with the author of “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–And How to Think Deeply Again” Interview starts in the second hour of the show.
Capitalism Defiles the Truth
Social media companies bow to capitalist demands, filtering content which clashes with their profiteering. This even if it flies in the face of the truth. I posted an article on LinkedIn published on the National Institute of Health’s website on the use of Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in poor countries, and it was removed. LinkedIn no doubt removed the post as it clashed with their corporate customer’s carefully orchestrated campaign against Ivermectin in order to further boost their obscene and unconscionable profits from their exclusive intellectual property vaccines which they refuse to share with the world.
We now live in a world of advanced capitalism which increasingly defiles the truth. Whenever mis and dis-information occurs, the old adage ‘follow the money’ will set you free to discover the truth.
Militarism versus Global Health
I just learned about the “One World, One Health” initiative that would address zoonotic diseases. You should too. Visit http://oneworldonehealth.org/
Imagine a trillion dollar commitment to modernize the nuclear arsenal. That plus another all-time high for the US military budget of $768 billion.
Comparatively, nothing is being spent on addressing pandemic-creating phenomenon and US exceptionalism thwarting international cooperation prevails.
The US government has failed us miserably. This initiative should have been fast tracked. The minions who currently occupy our government posts need to be replaced with with true servants of, by and for the people, providing real leadership for ensuring ecological health.