Academic Research

Extinction Rebellion and Suicide

I woke up, I read the news, and I got extremely p-ed off.

A measure that Extinction Rebellion is hoping to employ involves suicide.

Now, if this was just a group of adults fighting for something they believe in, fine. I can accept that. I disagree with it, and think they can do a lot with their lives; a live man can do more than a dead one. And I think it’s almost selfish, as they don’t always thoroughly consider the people they would be leaving behind. But, as grown consenting adults, if that’s what they want to do, that’s on them.

The issue is, Extinction Rebellion has a lot of young, terrified people. There are kids out there who think their lives are going to be meaningless, and amount to absolutely nothing, because in 50 years we’ll all be dead anyway. These kids are at risk if people step up to this suicidal ideation. Depression and hopelessness are rising problems for adolescents and children. If a leader, a respected figure, in your community suddenly says “yeah, if you want to go kill yourself for our cause then the government will have to listen”, what do you think an already troubled, vulnerable person is going to do? It’s wrong.

I take umbrage with groups like Extinction Rebellion, activists who love to scream, shout and complain, but when all is said and done they do little actual good for the community. We have a ridiculous number of homeless people in the UK, why not go do something for them? Or if you’re so worried about pollution and the environment, go do these litter clean-ups that got really popular a few months ago. If your family is lucky, why not buy some land and make a reserve for endangered animals in your country? Step up and make a good change, rather than putting lives at risk. It’s getting dangerous. I have no respect for people like that.

I couldn’t reblog for some reason, but here are some links with some useful information:

http://www.thegypf.com/extinction-rebellion-plans-for-public-suicides-as-glasgow-eco-summit-looms/

Click to access Vital-Additions-to-Action-Strategy.pdf

And the blog Watts Up With That also has more detail.

So the resources are here for you if you want further reading.

Pandemic Politics: North Korea

Today's Defense & International Relations Topics

Speculation and concern continue to grow among medical experts about the true extent of new coronavirus cases in North Korea. The Pyongyang government has not reported any cases of COVID-19, the official name of the new coronavirus. Officially, the country is clean and the border with China is closed. Earlier in the week however, reports surfaced from sources inside of the secretive nation-state indicating the virus is present and has caused a number of deaths already. These reports are unconfirmed and there is no reliable method available to verify them. Yet given the present state of the North Korean healthcare system it is quite possible COVID-19 is present in the North and perhaps even running rampant. The reports, as well as other pieces of evidence, have led many healthcare experts to conclude North Korea is attempting to hide an outbreak.

In light of the situation in China, as well as…

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Pandemic Politics: Germany To Close Borders

Today's Defense & International Relations Topics

yuuyrytrtye

Open internal border travel has been a foundation block of the European Union’s desire to create a European Superstate. The Schengen network was regarded as a crown jewel, heralding a new era of openness and unity at a dawn of what many hoped would be a ‘One Europe’ mindset. It braved a migrant crisis, as well as the wave of populist nationalism sweeping across the continent since 2016. However, Schengen may have met its match in the coronavirus pandemic. Europe’s freedom of movement is descending into chaos as a growing number of EU nation-states are opting to close their borders in order to stem the flow of the coronavirus. Many EU nation-states are imposing strict entry measures on their borders, or closing them entirely, defying warnings by Brussels to avoid blanket travel bans.

As the hours roll by, the situation at land borders across Europe continues to evolve. The continent…

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5 Key Things Every Freelancer Should Know

Whether you’re an aspiring freelancer, a newbie to the freelance world, or an established freelancer, there are five key things you should know as a freelancer. So today, we’ll look at the key things that every freelancer should know to be successful and how you can figure out these factors.

#1 Know your worth

Every freelancer needs to know what they’re worth in monetary terms so they can charge the right rate to clients, be it their hourly rate, their project fee, or their contract amount. To figure this out, you can:

Check average industry rates from reputable independent sources.
Be objective and realistic about your experience level and where on the earning scale you sit in your industry.
Check out your competitors to see what people of a similar skills and experience level are charging.
Evaluate your rates regularly as you gain more experience and skills.

#2 Know the value…

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Does anxiety get you down?

Daventure

I’m well aware that my blog writing hasn’t been as up to date as I originally intended. It’s something I’ll be working on. My reason for that is accurately stated in the title.

Anxiety is one of the worst demons in your mind, with many definitions, but partially meaning nothing is ever good enough for you, even including necessary day-to-day tasks. As a result you cannot enjoy what you do!

Let me give you a strong example. Maybe you try to read a book, but cannot stop thinking about how there are more productive ways to spend your time. Then you quickly lose focus on what you’re reading.

Maybe you have a moment of wanting to do something, but it only lasts 30 seconds. It feels as if you live in the moment, then quickly you begin feeling bored and want to do something else?

I can openly admit I…

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Boris’ Britain vs An Irate Ireland

Northern Ireland was a major issue for the Brexit deal debates, one that no one really seemed to know how to fix.

But Boris seems to have found a good deal for Northern Ireland after all the shouting and posturing of the past four years.

The new agreement for Northern Ireland means that they will still get to interact with and trade with the EU on good terms, while staying in the United Kingdom.

By keeping Northern Ireland sweet, Boris has managed to avoid a very difficult problem for Britain.

For years now, people have been debating the potential for a reunited Ireland, and it seemed almost certain that Brexit would be the catalyst to make it happen. But now, people aren’t so sure. A lot of officials are saying that a narrow victory in the polls wouldn’t be enough to bring about the unification of Ireland, and until a substantial victory feels certain the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland cannot initiate such a referendum.

At the moment, according to Lord Ashcroft’s opinion polls only 46% of people in Northern Ireland favour reunification; 45% are against it. Of course, this is only an opinion poll and does not reflect what the results would actually be. We thought Hillary Clinton was going to become the President of the US in 2016, but look how that turned out.

But, for a referendum to take place, these kind of polls need to show a 60/40 split. People need to feel confident in the process, and not feel that it’s a waste of time.

So until then, Northern Ireland will be a part of the UK.

Maybe reunification can happen one day.

It’s just not today.

Teachers, Apples, and Netanyahu

There’s something degrading about having food thrown at you.

Usually it’ll be something like eggs or tomatoes, but in Israel one woman decided that these soft, breakable foods just didn’t do the trick. So she went for an apple.

Zehava Brinish Beck, an Israeli teacher of Ethiopian origin, was sick of Netanyahu and his unfair policies towards Israelis of Ethiopian descent. People are saying that Jewish Ethiopian-Israelis are not being acknowledged as Jewish, and are being constantly fed false-promises. So one day, Brinish Beck had enough of the the standard politician’s bluster and lies, and decided to lob the fruit right at him.

Unfortunately, it missed.

Instead, she hit another woman on the stage.

It was at a political rally, were Netanyahu was trying to get more support and find some allies. Instead, he found himself being compared to Hitler by a fruious woman being dragged away by the police.

She was released, after being detained for a few hours, but the Education Minister Rafi Peretz has called her up and her job is now at risk. He has reprimanded her, calling her behaviour “serious” “wrong” and “against the code of conduct expected from an educator”. It’s likely it won’t be long before she’s fired.

Well, Zehava Brinish Beck, good on you. Good on you for standing up, and fighting for what you believe in. Stay strong, and fight the good fight.

Hopefully the next one will hit him square in the face.

What On Earth Are The Idlib Talks?

Erdogan and Putin are both notorious for their brutal, control seizing corruption and unbending wills. Both are deemed dangerous by the West, and rightly so.

So what’s going to happen with these two dictators when they go head-to-head in a major argument?

Well, over here we’re going to be grabbing the popcorn.

But my guess is Syria won’t be so happy.

In Syria, forces are reaching a major stand-off. You’ve got the Syrian Armed Forces, Russian forces, the National Defense Force, Shabiha, Hezbollah, Iranian forces, and Shia militias. It’s an intense, messy fight, with far too many parties involved.

And in the region of Idlib, near the southern border of Turkey, Erdogan and Putin are finally meeting to try and work out a peace agreement after nine years of war.

To be honest, I wouldn’t get my hopes up, I’m sorry to say. Turkey is adamant about their borders, and they’ve taken advantage of the situation by claiming more territory with the chaos of war. Meanwhile, Russia’s trying to push for Syrian forces to retain their territory.

So far, the talks have brought about a ceasefire between Turkey and Russia, but with so many different armed forces and militias involved in the conflict, it would be so easy for one side to “accidentally” shoot at the other.

Only time will tell what the result of the talks will be, and I hope for the sake of the civilians that the war comes to a quick end. It’s been far too long, with far too much damage being done.

Peace can’t come soon enough.

Why Today Is Important: 12th March

Have you ever heard of World Kidney Day?

Honestly, I hadn’t had a clue it existed until I started my research. This is why I set up this blog, I love finding new things like this!

So, why do we have a day all about kidneys? It seems pretty random, given what we could be talking about.

But it’s surprisingly a really big problem. At this moment in time, around 850 million people worldwide are suffering from kidney disease, with 1 in 10 adults suffering from chronic kidney disease; we do not have enough medical support to help all of these people. As of 2016 it was the 9th biggest killer in the West, but as of 2040 the estimates suggest it will become the 5th biggest killer worldwide.

The issue is, no one talks about kidneys. We’ll talk about lungs, hearts, even livers, but kidneys get brushed aside. We need to start talking more about our kidneys before we lose them.

So if you can, go to the doctors and get your kidneys checked. That’s why we have today, after all. It’s a reminder for something we commonly take for granted.

If you can’t afford to go to the doctor right now, here are some foods that really help your kidneys out:

red bell peppers
cabbage
cauliflower
garlic
onions
apples
egg whites
oily fish (salmon is a favourite for kidneys)
olive oil

I chose to mention the items that are often cheaper (except for the fish), but things like cranberries, raspberries, cherries and strawberries are all really good for your kidneys too.

Kidney problems can contribute to heart problems, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Now’s the time to stop neglecting our kidneys, and to get munching on some good old fashioned veggie soup!

For further reading I recommend:

worldkidneyday.org

https://www.davita.com/diet-nutrition/articles/advice/top-15-healthy-foods-for-people-with-kidney-disease

https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/96/6/17-206441/en/

What The Hell’s Happening With The Armenian Army?

Raise your hands if you’re from Armenia!

I’ve got to admit, I’ve not had much exposure to Armenia. I don’t know a lot about the culture, or the economy, or the history. It’s what I love about writing this blog, I get to learn new things and share them with people. And today, I’ve found something quite interesting about Armenia.

The army is seriously messed up write now.

You’d think that most of the deaths in the army would be from military struggles, right? Maybe a bit of friendly fire here and there, or an accident with a faulty bit of weaponry? Or, in Armenia’s case, someone getting caught in the shooting that breaks out on the border with Azerbaijan every now and then (that’s a whole other level of messy relationships right there).

But nope.

Since the start of this year, Armenia’s armed forces have lost thirteen servicemen from health problems and suicide. The people who are willing to risk their lives for their country are suffering so badly that they don’t need enemies willing to kill them.

The Prime Minister has finally caught on and is trying to fix the problem. He’s fire the Military Police Chief, Artur Baghdasaryan, and the Head of the Army’s Personnel Department, Aleksan Aleksanyan, as well as the National Security Service Chief, Artur Vanetsyan, and the Chief of Police, Vallery Osipyan.

That’s a lot of people to replace in some very demanding positions.

But it really does seem that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has his heart in the right place. He came to power in a peaceful revolution, and is still trying to help fix the problems in the military by getting the right people in charge.

Obviously, the people sacked aren’t too happy. The National Security Service Chief, Vanetsyan, is getting particularly vocal and criticising Pashinyan’s choices, and making sure the complaints are getting into the local media as much as possible.

If I were Prime Minister Pashinyan, I’d be a little concerned.

I think he needs to watch his back, and make some new friends. An angry, potentially vengeful, ex-Security Chief is after him now, and that’s not a good position to be in.